The Harlem Wizards stopped by LME today during our Miller Rally to share some ball moves and talk about the BIG game tomorrow on Saturday, October 26th at Frank Seale Middle School. Join them @ 6:00 for the pre-game show and supper foll
owed by the big game @ 7:00. Our own Stephanie Daniell, LME first grade teacher and former MHS basketball hoop star, will be on the MISD team playing against the Wizards! 🙂
EnJOY this wonderful autumn weekend and be safe out there!
It was a festive and fun family event this evening as our learning community came out in huge numbers to enJOY our first Trunk or Treat Family Event! From Trunk Dynasty to Rockin’ Readers, our learners, their families, 
and neighbors visited, laughed, and reveled in the evening autumn breeze. Our LME Book Fair was open and business was booming indeed. 🙂
Thanks to our amazing PTO Board for their vision and organization of this family event. Thanks to our staff members and 
families who graciously participated by decorating trunks and sharing amazing treats with so many. Thanks to all who contributed to an extraordinary opportunity of community fellowship!
Our yearbooks are on sale now! There are two ways to order your 2013-2014 copy of our LME yearbook:
We are also having our traditional LME Yearbook Cover Design Contest open to all LME students. Guidelines to enter this contest are:
The winner of the yearbook cover contest wins a free yearbook! Design are due to Mrs. Story, yearbook sponsor, by Friday, November 1st!
Red Ribbon Week is our annual drug awareness campaign and this 
year we are STANDING UP Against Drugs at LME. Please make note of the following themes each day:
Finally, our PTO is sponsoring a special Trunk or Treat Event this week on Thurs; Oct. 24th, in conjunction with our Family Book Fair Night Event. Trunks will be decorated and ready in the front parking area @ 6:30 p.m. The Book Fair will be open from school dismissal until 7:30 p.m. for our families to stop, read a great book, and shop (the holidays are just around the corner, you know!) 🙂 The weather should be great, so please stop by for some family fun and fellowship!
The morning started like this:
Three simple questions; several collaborative answers…such was the start to a powerful day of intense conversation. The topic? Teaching With Poverty In Mind. Led by Eric Jensen, veteran educator and leading brain expert, our group of educators looked at these particular points:
“Poverty is not a culture, but a chronic condition affecting the mind, body, and soul resulting from multiple adverse risk factors” (Eric Jensen). Too often we talk about change while maintaining a culture of excuses; we must do better because our learners are counting on us! There is no magic bullet to offset the challenges faced daily by our disadvantaged students, but we can shine a spotlight on what matters most: enriching the minds and lives of all our students everyday.
Dr. Jensen talked at length about brain research and its effect on all learners. For example, neurogenesis, the production of new brain cells, improves cognitive performance, elevates moods (less anger and stress), and enhances memory—all things we can increase (or decrease) by how we teach and how our school is run everyday. Teachers and parents can truly affect learner outcomes by focusing on four key elements:
We will continue to have these powerful reflective conversations about our actions in our classrooms. We invite you to join in our conversations! For now, my hair hurts, so it’s time to support my own well-being with a power walk. 🙂
Note: Don’t forget to join us for our PTO Trunk or Treat Family Event on Thursday, Oct. 24th in the front parking lot from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Book Fair will also be open during the evening; see you there!
It’s School Bus Safety Week (Oct. 21-25) and we are also participating in the “Celebrate My Drive” national campaign to win $100,000.
School buses: Please take time to ‘THANK a bus driver’ 
this week (and every week) while honoring and remembering their important role of keeping our students safe traveling to and from our campus. The MISD Transportation Department sent out flyers to remind all drivers of the rules of the road when school buses are stopped with yellow or red lights flashing:
Celebrate My Drive: This is teen driving awareness campaign sponsored by State Farm giving our district a chance to win a grant of $100,000 and a concert by Grammy Award-winning artist, Kelly Clarkson (our good neighbor from Burleson). Here’s how to help:
While our little learners may not be driving to school just yet, it is never too early to teach safe driving and bus practices daily. After all, they do watch what we do on the roads…you can count on it! 😉
One of our Miller Essential 5 reminds us to surprise others by performing random acts of kindness…one such random act today was shared with me! The learners (and Book Buddies) in Mrs. Waddill’s 
third grade homeroom and Mrs. Stanley’s first grade homeroom read and talked about one of my favorite books, Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson. Little Mary picks some blueberries and leaves the basket on Mrs. Bishop’s porch. Mrs. Bishop finds the blueberries and bakes some yummy muffins to secretly share with five friends. Each friend, in turn, does an ordinary deed for five more friends and the story continues…
Our learners in both classes decided to share a random ordinary act of kindness each week as part of their time together. This week, they presented me with my own “chain of compliments,” with each person crafting a kind compliment, thought, quote, or picture on their personalized strip. I wore the chain as a scarf for much of the afternoon to share with others. My challenge now is to find a way to perform my own random act of ordinary kindness with others. What a blessing to receive an act of kindness filled with compliments; what a treasure to work with learners and classroom leaders who care about making our school a kinder, gentler, friendlier learning community! 🙂
Note: BRAVOS to our 4th graders and their leaders for a most extraordinary “Miller Style” program last night. We had a huge turnout and appreciate the wonderful community support and powerful message shared together!
With autumn comes the hustle and bustle of various family opportunities on our campus. Here’s what you need to KNOW and 
GO in the next week:
Panther PINK-Out on Friday, Oct. 18th: Join us in the war on cancer by wearing your PINK-Out shirt all day.
Midlothian Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 19th from 9:00 to 4:00 at the MISD Multipurpose Stadium: Vendors, food, festivities, and family fun ensue following the 5K Fun Run (racers need to be registered and ready to run @ 8:00 a.m.).
The Book Fair is coming; the Book Fair is coming: LME will host our annual fall Book Fair Oct. 21-25 (next week). Family Book Fair Night is next Thurs; Oct. 24 with the library being open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Trunk or Treat on Thurs; Oct. 24th: LME PTO is hosting this first-ever family fun time following the brief PTO meeting @ 6:30 p.m. Join us in the staff parking lot area, dressed in costume, to receive treats from each of the decorated trunks. Let’s fill the parking lot with decorated trunks and lots of friends!
School Bus Safety Week is October 21 – 25: Join us in recognizing and honoring our wonderful bus drivers and the work they do in MISD.
Red Ribbon Week: October 28 – Nov. 1 is STAND UP Against Drugs Week in MISD! Each day carries a new theme:
Fresh Fruit Fridays: Our CATCH Committee is once again instituting fresh fruit Fridays to encourage everyone to bring fresh fruit for snacks.
These are just a few of the many school and community family opportunities to KNOW and GO. You are encouraged to subscribe to our LME Newsboard by emailing Kimberly_Huff@ midlothian-isd.net for daily updates on all events. Here’s hoping we see you soon! 🙂
It is rare, but when it happens, it strikes swiftly and boldly to the heart. As a principal, I have to admit there are days I dread opening my email inbox. I just know… Today was no different until I scrolled down to a line marked “Grateful.” Needless to say, this email was opened first. In the note, a specific teacher was being praised by this parent for being organized, thoughtful, kind, funny, and loving to her child. The parent went on to thank me for choosing this teacher and for showing patience with this family through some challenging days: “What I need to do from this point forward is trust you and your team to do your loving work with a new attitude of gratitude…thanks for showing me with your actions and your words that my child is first in your heart.”
JOY in life is made up of small things–a smile, a helping hand, a caring heart, great laughter, a word of praise…Today I am conscious of the treasured moment when this kind word of simple thanks found its way into my inbox… 🙂
It’s true; we’re blessed with the BEST in MISD, especially when we visit with our fire fighters on campus during Fire Safety Day here at LME. Wearing their finest MFD pink shirts today, gentlemen from Fire Station 3, shifts B and C, joined us all day for a most informative and fun event. 
During each specials rotation, students participated in scenarios and questions, viewed important safety reminders from a DVD story, and explored the inner-workings of a fire engine with a guided tour. Our five wonderful fire fighters shared important tips, reminders, and lots of fun with each group. Thanks for giving your valuable time, teaching talents, and brave service to keep us all informed and safe!
EnJOY a nice long weekend with NO SCHOOL for students on Monday. See you on Tuesday morning ready to learn! 🙂
Why I love my work today:
The teacher asked, “Show me a little red house with no windows and no doors, with a star inside.” The children pondered…
Such begins the delightful story and activity I participated in with a group of young learners today. Taken from Margaret McNamara and Brian Karas’ book, The Apple Orchard Riddle, this clever old riddle offers a new twist in a beautiful children’s picture book. Young readers discover the answer to the important questions, take a tour of a real apple orchard, and pick up bushels of apple facts along the journey.
I can only hope, little friend 🙂 …here’s hoping you have the real opportunity to share an apple orchard experience with your little star sometime soon!
Van Am Gram 