Month: February 2012

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XOXO

XOXO . . . It’s Valentine’s Day here at LME . . . a day filled with HEARTy learning opportunities for all!  In first grade, we found these friends were sharing what they love in the writing center and then singing a poem called “I Love…” 

 

 

They also enJOYed working challenging math problems with special manipulatives during math centers (better check those backpacks for all manner of items when you get home tonight; you never know what may show up!).

Our Head Start friends shared their amazing work from centers today by creating artful notes and cards for their families.  Giovani practices writing his letters during center time.

 

 

 

It is always insightful to visit with young learners about the meaning of customs in our society.  For instance, a first grade friend shared with me, “Mrs. Van, did you know Valentine’s Day started because a kind man cared about others?”  🙂  Another learner chimed in to share, “Yeah, and children wrote him notes ‘to my Valentine’ thanking him for his ‘passion’ (compassion) and stuff.”  🙂  Another child wrote these words in a card to me today:  “Mrs. Van, The ‘love day’ is finally here and you remind me of St. Valentine; he was a man with many friends for he was brave and kind.  Lots of children wrote him notes and letters they loved to send, then a holiday was named for their very special friend. Thanks! XOXO”  🙂  How clever is this writer and what JOY her words brought to my soul!   I reminded everyone this morning during morning message:  “I hope you choose to show your love to others every single day (and not just on Valentine’s Day)!”  Here’s hoping you choose to share the love as well . . . thanks for sharing your learners with us everyday!  XOXO  🙂

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Rachel’s Challenge at LME!

During our Heart Rock Cafe Assembly last Friday, we once again committed ourselves to being kind, compassionate learners and leaders.  The first victim of the Columbine murders was a young lady by the name of Rachel.  She left behind six diaries about her beliefs and how she wanted to change the world through small acts of kindness each day.  Before her unexpected death, she wrote a school essay stating, “I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction of the same.”  Taking those diaries, her grieving family started and inspired a worldwide anti-bullying campaign shared specifically in schools called “Rachel’s Challenge.”  At Miller, we continue to join forces with other campuses to create “chain reactions” in order to link our acts of kindness together across MISD.  Where better way to start this critical process of helping others than with our youngest learners?

Our Kindness and Compassion Club (KC Club) is an important part of this process.  Students across our campus volunteer to come early or stay late in order to assist and spread the word and work of Rachel’s Challenge.  Under the enthusiastic supervision of their sponsor, Ms. Daniell, our KC Club is instrumental in sharing stories of kindness and compassion throughout our campus.  Here are some members sharing their artwork reminding us about National Friendship Month right now; great job, KC Club!

Learning from others and modeling their success are key components in any endeavor.  We are indebted to a visionary young lady named Rachel who continues to challenge us because of her faith and belief in a positive future, thus leading to powerful, kind, and compassionate actions everyday.  Here’s hoping we all follow this lead . . . .

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Rocking Hearts and Rachel’s Challenge…

“WHEW!  I need to take a deep breath, Mrs. Van!  All this jump-roping is really working my heart today!”  These were the repetitive words of several Miller friends this afternoon right after our annual Jump Rope for Heart kick-off assembly.  Our theme, Heart Rock Cafe, pumped up the school as several groups shared their many talents:

The HotSteppers show off their impressive jump-roping skills in a variety of clever ways!

Coach Rogers led several teachers to rock the house with their rendition of “I Love Jumping Rope.”

StuCo members shared a moving story about Rachel and her legacy before rocking to a special rendition of “We Will Rock You” with the words of “Rachel’s Challenge.”

Yes, it was an impressive assembly of meaningful and powerful messages to us all.  We must accept the challenges of working on healthier hearts (for our physical side) and on healthier interactions with others (our emotional side) in order to achieve our goals in life.  As we talked about today, it’s up to us to continue the chain reaction of kindness and compassion for ourselves and others.  As I shared, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”  Here’s hoping we all walk and talk a little lighter knowing the next generation is committed to living healthier, kinder, and more compassionate lives.  Have a great weekend!  🙂

Note:  Don’t forget about the annual Tutus and Ties Dance tomorrow starting @ 7:00 p.m. in the Miller Cafe! 

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Tutus, Ties, Hearts, and a Bell…

HEARTY congratulations go out to everyone for the following three LaRue Miller Elementary opportunities this week:

The annual PTO Tutus and Ties (Father/Daughter) Dance is slated this week on Saturday, February 11 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the Miller Cafe.  The theme this year is “Winter Wonderland” and plans are underway for a spectacular evening; join us!

Yes, we’re all rock stars and the annual Miller Elementary Jump Rope for Heart Campaign will kickoff with a special Heart Rock Cafe assembly tomorrow afternoon.  Sponsored by the American Heart Association, students will once again participate by learning about heart disease, living an active lifestyle in order to keep healthy, and working to secure sponsors for our upcoming Jump Day on Friday, February 24.

Finally, the very first Miller Bell edition will hit our newstand on Monday.  You will receive a complimentary copy of this student-created and published newspaper the first time.  Future editions, however, will be posted online for all to read.  I know the Bell staff members are excited to share their smart work with you!

As you can see, our learners, their classroom leaders, volunteers, mentors, families, sponsors, and the entire learning community are sharing multiple opportunities for everyone to get involved at LME; here’s hoping we see you joining us soon!

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Pearly Whites…

Did you brush, brush, brush your teeth this morning?  Did you floss, floss, floss as well?  These are questions our Head Start learners were asked by Allie the Alligator who visited in their classrooms this week.  Allie and her team of wise assistants presented an active demonstration of proper oral care through music, rhymes, games, and with the use of student helpers.

Our Head Start friends actually practice each day here at school by taking time after each meal to brush their teeth properly under the careful watch of staff.  Here’s hoping we all practice these important daily habits so winning smiles shine brightly everyday!  🙂

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SMILE!

It’s Class Picture Day today at Miller . . . that special time when we gather with our homeroom class and friends to take group pictures and then smile individually for another picture-perfect moment to share.  Surely, you remember these days in school!  We are blessed to have our community partner, Top of Texas, to share in the experience twice a year with us.  These professionals show great patience while doing exceptional work with all our learners and their classroom leaders on campus.  Volunteer moms, Lori and Angela, were instrumental in keeping the groups flowing from one camera setting to the next so little instructional time was missed during this process.

From my position, it’s fun to watch the class interaction as they prepare to collectively smile for the photographer.  As a mom, I especially enJOY looking back at my own children’s class and individual pictures . . . it definitely reminds me that the days of childhood (and child-rearing) are long, but the years are too short.  Here’s hoping you treasure the results when they make it home to you soon!

Note:  Don’t forget to let your teacher know about sack lunch choices for our campus field trip on Feb. 21st.  Thanks! 

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A Web of Possibilities…

Salutations!  One of my favorite children’s novels of all time to read with young learners is Charlotte’s Web  by E.B. White.  The main character, Wilbur, an affectionate and bashful pig, befriends a vocal spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his barn pen.  As a prancing, playful, growing pig, Wilbur is devastated to learn from the barn rat, Templeton, what happens to “spring pigs” once the county fair is held in the fall.  Charlotte and all the animals set out to save Wilbur and convince the farmer and community (through Charlotte’s clever web-writing skills) that Wilbur is no ordinary pig.  You can see from the picture here that our 5th grade team is also no ordinary team, thus their interpretation of the story during a dress-up day on campus.

This powerful story of friendship will come to life for all our Miller learners and their classroom leaders this month when we travel to Casa Manana in Ft. Worth to experience the magic of a live theatrical performance geared especially for us.  We are so excited to share this experience with all our Miller learners; it’s truly something unique for our campus.  Special thanks to our campus Design Team and Site-Based Committee for creating an “innovative disruption” from the normal field trip routines, to our classroom leaders for leading this charge, and to our parents for embracing this unique learning opportunity “in the field” for all learners.  Be watching for the specific note home this week.  As always, we especially appreciate the support and encouragement our Miller families give to our learning community each day.  Here’s hoping during this “Friendship Month” of February we all experience the wonder and blessings of finding real friends!

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Short and Sweet…

It’s February at LaRue Miller Elementary and the signs are definitely all around us:  famous Americans, patriotic symbols, presidential trivia, friendship quotes, HEART-y thoughts, poetry, and LOVE-ly conversations.  A young friend came to my office today to share an informal conversation and celebrate his successful math work with me (because I’m not just about the bad choices, you know).  He had his hand full of conversation hearts (used in math as manipulatives today) and instead of taking them home, he wanted to share his hearts with me to enJOY later.  🙂  Not only was the math activity intriguing (and he did an exceptional job of explaining in great detail all the components to this lesson), we then became intrigued by the words on each little heart:  “Look at this, Mrs. Van!  I made a little tally sheet of letters so we could determine how many letters on average would fit onto each heart” (the average was 8).  🙂  So I had to ask:  “What does this mean?”  His reply:  “Well, you better keep your conversation short and sweet I guess!”  🙂  After a hug, some HEARTy congratulations, and a big smile, he ended our conversation like this:  “I bet you love your job today, huh?!”  🙂  Yes, I do . . . have a safe, relaxing weekend Miller Learning Community!

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February 2nd!

Yes, it’s true; we love the hundredth day of school!  There were celebrations all around:  100 objects to count; 100 years of history to share; 100 jumps with the jump rope; 100 math facts in 100 seconds (you have to really know those facts); 100 ideas for the future in 100 years; 100 trivia questions about the last 100 days of school this year . . . the list goes on and on (and hopefully I’ll have some “real” pictures to share tomorrow on the weekly wrap-up).

Then there was the BIG discussion about Groundhog’s Day.  Remember what we were doing last year on this day?  What about those spring temperatures we’ve had so far in 2012?  (I can only image how big the bugs will be this summer!)  Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, so I guess we have six more weeks of winter ahead for us.  One of my young friends stopped me in the hallway early this morning:  “It’s okay, Mrs. Van; spring break comes in six weeks and then it’s spring for real!”  🙂  I hope our bulbs in the school garden hold off their early blooming . . . Happy Groundhog 100th Day of School, LaRue Miller Elementary!

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Creative Minds, Successful Learners, and Classroom Leaders…

Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of training.”  This was the opening line to an educational forum I recently attended where the panel of educational experts shared their collective wisdom and powerful reflections with the audience in attendance.  Each speaker reminded me of some critical touchpoints about creative minds, successful learners, and their classroom leaders:

  • They invest regularly in their personal growth.  With the assistance of involved parents, community members, and mentors, they receive the critical support needed to survive and thrive with success in school.  Thank you, LaRue Miller Learning Community for giving your time, gifts, and service to us daily!
  • They become real thinkers and problem solvers with savvy solutions, not just creators of problems.  We have to teach thinking in conceptual ways and not just the basic steps or procedures involved in the process.  Our evolving elementary math program in Midlothian ISD is a great example of this innovative “disruption” in school—like we do our guided reading literacy groups, we now incorporate math small groups to target specific learner needs on a daily basis.
  • They share what they learn in the form of learning communities.  For example, at Miller, our Study Buddy Program provides numerous learning opportunities for older learners to work directly with younger learners to enhance the teaching and learning for everyone.  Through the collaborative work of creative teachers, our students reap huge benefits from sharing with one another.  (I recently blogged about this.)
  • They become a team (or “Miller Family” as we like to say).  Personal growth and commitment to one another, a sense of community pride, an emphasis on helping others, and taking responsibility for personal actions become key components to overall educational excellence.  We work way beyond “the basics.”

It is my opinion that schools today look, sound, smell, and feel differently than when I attended as a student . . . how about you??  Here’s hoping we all continue this school journey at Miller with open and creative minds so our learners and their classroom leaders continue to achieve personal excellence daily!