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| Lakeside's Kerron at the Technology Showcase |
Hello all,
TWENTY-EIGHT (28) Days left in the 2017-2018 School Year! There, I said it. It is very hard for me to believe another school year is rapidly coming to a close. Yes, at times it does feel like time is crawling by at a snail’s pace, but for the most part, this and every school year flies by. It must mean that old adage that time flies when you are having fun is true. Fun is definitely a major part of being an educator. Largely because we are all surrounded by amazingly fun kids. Being around students helps remind us to lighten up and not take ourselves so seriously all the time. For me, that is the worst part of closing out the year – all of the students leave us for a couple months. The schools seem just a little off without them.
My guess is you are all looking forward to the summer. Perhaps you have a special vacation arranged or just planning some down time with your family. Whatever it is, I hope it helps recharge you. I hope it gives you the much needed time to reflect on your professional and personal growth. Although I work in the summer, it is different. Like I mentioned, the buildings are without students for the most part. The staff is reduced to maintenance, custodial, and other 12 month employees working diligently to prepare for the return of the masses. It is also different in a way that is difficult to describe. Summer brings with it a ‘feeling’. I stay up later, we let our kids stay up later…we take fun day trips on the weekend, usually plan at least one week vacation (or even a staycation). There is something about the way summer feels that is special. For my family, summers are all about ‘summer swim team’. With my son and now my daughter swimming for our local swim club, we will have meets every Saturday until August. The kids will have practice everyday except Sunday. The nights after work (both my wife and I work full-time) we will cook on the grill, go swimming, or just sit around a fire pit stuffing ourselves with Smores.
For me, this is the time where without even trying, I can’t help but reflect on the prior year. Did it go the way I hoped? Were there things I would do differently if given the chance? Lastly, am I making a positive difference in the lives of others? I am often a very tough critic on myself. I feel it is important to be tough on yourself since we mostly find it easy to be critical of others. Right? Whether you want to admit it or not, most people have little problem pointing out (if only in their mind) what other people do wrong. Like I have written about before, many people engage in gossip or conversations that are critical of others – or just negative in general. Gossip or simply remaining quiet while someone talks about another is easy because people are programmed to find safety in groups, shy away from conflict, or simply don’t understand how devastating false rumors can be to someone’s reputation. What isn’t easy is confronting someone engaged in that type of destructive behavior. It isn’t easy to say “I don’t agree with that” and remove yourself from a conversation.
I have made it a personal goal of mine to do just that. It is my wish to not engage in gossip, rumor, or any conversation that is critical of someone (who is not present to defend themselves). In my position, avoiding conflict simply isn’t possible. There are always times where I will need to say something difficult to others, perhaps a parent or employee, but I feel it can be done respectfully. While I cannot avoid conflict all together, I can avoid engaging in conversations that serve only to criticize someone else. I can be brave and call friends and colleagues out if they begin to fall into that bad habit. I wonder what type of World we would have if everyone did this… what might our District become if instead of rumors and discussions behind someone’s back we all addressed each other respectfully head-on? My challenge is just that, as we head off into the summer in 28,27,26…reflect on your own behavior in this regard. Do you find yourself being negative often? Do you attract other negative people and conversations? Do you talk about people with others when they are not there? If you answered yes to any of those, spend some of your relaxing summer reflecting on it. Is that who you want to be?
Shout-out!
"I wanted to shout out Sandy Peterson, math resource room teacher at Lakeside. Students in Sandy's class had the opportunity to apply their knowledge of ratios by creating their own icing colors. I saw students working in pairs, having fun and of course enjoying their edible math creations. Ashanti Rankin is the paraprofessional in the classroom and he also got creative, making a paper towel bandage for a student complaining of an "injury" and setting up a chair for him to prop his leg. Ashanti was able to keep the student calm as Sandy was teaching when it could have easily turned into a huge distraction!"
~Debby Sukinik, Supervisor
"A BIG shout out to Mr. Fien for his constant diligence towards holding families accountable for good attendance and getting to school on time. He achieves this by visiting families in their homes and constant communication through phone calls and meetings. "
~JoAnn Burns, Principal
"A big shout out to Judy Tymkiw on her amazing come from behind victory on Jeopardy! We look forward to seeing her in the semi-finals next Tuesday!"
~Spike Cook, Principal
"Shout out to Colleen Blithe for doing a great job with the GT program. She is organized, designs great lessons and activities, and keeps the students interested in learning. Thanks for all you do!"
"Shout out to Margaret Keefer for running a fun and engaging PLC follow-up training yesterday here at Bacon. She had us up, out of our seats, laughing, and learning. Thank you for your time and commitment to helping us understand ourselves better and for leading us through the process of building better teams."
~Mike Coyle, Principal
"Thank you Nina Crain for creating a warm and caring environment for our students to learn in each day. Your students love your class because they know they are loved. Thank you for creating a great experience for our students."
"I'm extending a High Five to Dena Andrews and Danielle Procopio for their work at the District Technology Showcase last evening. Both teachers had their students demonstrate how they have used technology to extend the learning in their classrooms. Nice Job!"
~Eric Reissek, Principal
"Pat Wulk has done an outstanding job with PARCC. She has even identified areas where we can make it smoother for the next year. Thank you Pat for your calm, persistent and organized personality!"
"A huge shout out to JoAnne Colacurcio, Alicia Discepola, Lauren Daigle, Kelly Davis, Collen Blithe and Robert Smith for their outstanding work organizing the Student Technology and learning showcase. This year GT joined the party to add a special flair to the showcase. Everything was beautiful, the children were spectacular and the tech support couldn't be beat. It takes a great deal of planning to make everything look so smooth. Thank you!"
"Last Night was Spectacular! Aaron Righter, Amanda DeVita, Becky Benson, Beth Benfer, Dan Caregnato, Danielle Procopio, Dena Andrews, Derek Clarke, Gerald Bruman, Heather Basse, Heather Lennox-Rowland, Heidi Fisler, James, McCarthy, Jamie Burrows, Jennifer Salvati, John Russo, Kristina Messina, Lisa Stahlberger, Melanie Errickson, Robin Carman, Samantha Elwell, Sarah Fryling, Shawn Jenkins, Tiffany Lind, Sandra Sivieri did an amazing job highlighting the samples of the technology and instruction in our schools. I was honored to visit their sessions and see all of the wonderful opportunities they provide to our students."
"Thank you Bob Trivellini for another exciting Multi-Cultural week, You always go above and beyond to make sure that our 5th graders get to experience a little more of the world around them. Your hard work for this event does not go unnoticed!"
~Pamela Moore, Asst. Superintendent
Have a Great Weekend!!!
Regards,
Dr. G.
Dr. David N. Gentile
Superintendent of Schools
“Lead Learner”
@drgentile_mps (Twitter)
856-327-6001
#MPSWC (MPS World Class)
#greatdaytobeabolt
Published by Spike Cook, Millville, NJ
