Author: Van Am Gram

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Meet the Staff, Part II

From the primary (foundational) teams to the intermediate (upstairs BIG kid) teams, we are truly blessed with extraordinary educators who commit time, talents, teaching gifts, and unlimited service to all learners at LME:

3rdgrade

Third Grade Team members include Amy Clark, Jean Waddill, Andrew Morgan, and Jennifer Rinehart.

The Fourth Grade Team consists of Brittany Cole, 4th teamJane Crisp, Jennifer Kids, Rachel McKee, and Shannon Williams.

5th teamThe Fifth Grade Team members include Sherrie Gunter (Social Studies), Susan Bly (Reading/Language Arts), Jennifer Lassetter (Math), and Laurie Garippa (Science).  Our fifth graders rotate between these four core subject classes.

Our Specials Team is shy, but they promise to share a picture with you in the coming week.  🙂  Please continue attending the important Parent Meetings during this month, asking those questions, and sharing your successes with our amazing LME team members.

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Meet the Staff; Part I

It’s time to share our annual staff group pictures.  We are so blessed to have educators who not only dedicate each day to learners but truly enJOY what they do in the process.  After all, it’s all about the journey…Hooray to the coaches on our winning LME Team this year!

HS teamOur Head Start Team this year:  Adrienne Mitchell, teacher; Jurae Greiten, teacher; and Amber Martin, instructional aide.kteam

The Kinder Team this year includes Lauren Bergvall, Roanna Nanney, Michelle Spradley, and Karyn Story.

1st teamFirst Grade teachers include Judy King, Katie Bergvall, Susie Dickard, Emily Stanley, and Stephanie Daniell.

2nd teamSecond grade teachers are Joy Cowan, Nikki Hoover, Heather Cooper, and Lana Beckwith.

SPED teamOur Special Education Team includes Shanna Horton (LEAD/CBI), Kacey Long (diagnostician), Delaina Wimpee (Speech/LEAD), Chandra Filmore (CBI/PPCD), Traci Samek (Inclusion/Co-Teach), Nancy Walts (CBI/PPCD), Christy McAfee (CBI), Ann Beller (CBI/PPCD), Danielle Schrodt (CM/Inclusion), Brittany Mach (Resource/Inclusion), Kris Roberts (CM/Inclusion), Bethany Griffin-Loftis (ESL/dyslexia), Erika Allen (Speech), Angela Coleman (PPCD), and Rachel McKee (AI/Deaf Education).

Part II tomorrow… 🙂

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LME PTO rocks!

We are blessed at LME with a PTO organization who supports and encourages our daily school work and campus programs.  Not only does the Board do everything within their power to ensure we have the best, they actively demonstrate what it means to be the BEST everyday.  PTO-logo-blue-verticalBoard members this year are:  Nicole Blackmon, Amy Byers, Gayle Turner, Cara Roberson, Heather Prather, Christy Clenney, Kristina West, Khristy Hullet, Sarah Johnson, Teresa Heath, and Kim Huff.  They each invite you to share your feedback and ideas as they strive to improve performance and communications within our gorwing learning community.

Parents, you recently received a packet of important PTO information to review sharing the various ways you can be involved this year.  Please take a moment to read and return your completed forms (including your membership application) to join us this year as we “Knock One Out of the Park for LME!” 

Likewise, LME Spirit Wear orders are in full swing at this time.  Order forms went home in first-day packets, but the front office will hook you up as well.  The black shirts feature a panther with the slogan:  The BEST things come in blue-n-white!  T-shirts, hoodies, wristbands, and water bottles are all for sale.  Orders should be submitted by the end of September.

Fun fact:  Did you know our LME PTO was instrumental in ensuring we had enough funds to construct our gym Rock Wall before we even opened the LME doors in 2008?  Our PTO literally ROCKS!  We could never do the extraordinary work without the daily assistance of our active PTO.  Please join our staff in the many activities by serving where you can throughout the coming year…and special thanks to the leaders of our LME PTO!

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Welcome to LME!

IMG_0908 IMG_0909A particular tradition I find most special each first week of school is our Welcome Party.  Following our Rally this morning, all our new-to-LME friends joined Mrs. Stanley (counselor), Mrs. Bass, and myself for several entertaining rounds of LME Bingo.  The Bingo cards have specific LaRue Miller Elementary faces and places to help everyone become better acquainted with our growing campus.  As we wrapped up the event, Ava shared her thoughts:  “You know, this school really knows how to help others and make them feel great; thanks!”  Thanks, LME learners and leaders for a stellar start to the 2013-2014 school season…STAND UP because everyday is game day at LME!

Note:  EnJOY a safe, fun, relaxing three-day weekend and we look forward to seeing everyone’s smiling face early Tuesday morning!  🙂

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Parent Meeting and more…

Day #3…routines are running well; everyone is still smiling; Miller Morning Rallies this week rock (especially Nurse and the Cutetips this morning), and afternoon car line is flowing smoother now.  IMG_3166Team Miller is “Training Up For An All Star Future” this year!

During Book Tour today, our Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grade friends continue to astound me with their wit, keen insight, and clever responses.  The STAND UP conversation is in full swing and we can hardly wait to see where it goes from here!

Tomorrow evening, we start the first of several upcoming teacher-led team meetings to talk about our instructional day at LME.  Please make note of your grade level night to visit and go through a day in the school life of your child:

2nd Grade Parents on Thursday, August 29 @ 6:30 p.m.
5th Grade Parents on Thursday, August 29 @ 7:15 p.m.
1st Grade Parents on Tuesday, September 3 @ 6:30 p.m.
Kinder Parents on Thursday, September 5 @ 6:30 p.m.
4th Grade Parents on Tuesday, September 10 @ 6:30 p.m.
3rd Grade Parents on Tuesday, September 10 @ 7:15 p.m.
Head Start Parents on Thursday, September 12 @ 6:30 p.m.

All meetings begin in the Miller Cafe at the assigned time.  Staff and back circle parking areas will be available for your convenience.

As one young learner duly noted today:  “Mrs. Van, you may be the head coach of our school, but we’re all leaders on our team and in training everyday.”  It is important to remember it takes us all to build excellence and success for each leader’s all star future!  We look forward to an outstanding season this year!  🙂

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UPstander or bystander…it’s your choice!

Day #2; reality begins to set in; routines and expectations continue to be established; Miller Team Rally starts our day…What a JOY to speak to smiling, eager learners and classroom leaders to start our second day of school!  We shared introductions, a little role play fun, some conversation, and a few Miller Moves.  One of my favorite stories of the day involved a Kinder friend.  The teacher asked him to turn around to face her at the calendar “unless you also have eyes in the back of your head.”  The child quickly turned around and commented, “No, but my mom sure does!”  🙂  Out of the mouths of babes…

A definite highlight today was the start of our STAND UP “Book Tour.”  I covered all our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade homeroom classes sharing the story and reflecting on its powerful impact.  What a personal JOY to spend time UPstander1with learners of all ages, reading, talking, and collecting thoughts about how our learning community will become UPstanders.   Mr. Morgan’s class continued the conversation long after I left and later shared some of their creative, collaborative, innovative ideas with me.  Outstanding work, 3rd graders!

We are starting this powerful conversation at LME and invite our entire learning community to join us on this journey.  What will YOU do to be an UPstander instead of a bystander today?

Note:  Morning arrival traffic is going well.  We continue to work on afternoon dismissal and appreciate your patience–it was much better on Day #2!  Keep up the safe driving!

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First Day Fabulousness and Sunshine to Spare!

First day…cheers and (some) tears…smiles and (a few) trials…overall, a great success!  As we started unloading big yellows in the early morning sunrise, a young friend bounded down the steps onto the sidewalk and threw herself at me with a big laugh:  “I just LOVE all this first day fabulousness!”  🙂  “What do you think of my fabulous first day outfit and new haircut?”  Eager to the get the year going, she volunteered to assist at the door to greet friends, share smiles, and help our Kinder friends find their way.  Later at lunch, she hugged me again, “By the way, Mrs. Van…everyone looks so fabulous in their new Miller staff shirts; teachers should wear uniform school shirts everyday.”  🙂  (We actually have several who would agree too.)  She even ended the day loading the bus again while telling me about her favorite part–“fabulous math games!”  🙂  I think it’s safe to say her day was “fabulous.”

Likewise several stories surfaced throughout the day of teachers spreading extra “sunshine” to each other in creative, innovation ways.  IMG_3170Ms. Daniell shared a basket of sunshine (everything in the basket was yellow) with each of her first grade teammates, including new LME teacher, Katie Bergvall.  Our PTO Board shared yummy treats and eats with our new parents during the annual BooHoo/YaHoo Back-to-School Breakfast following the morning announcements.  Several LME volunteers, including our own school namesake, Mrs. LaRue Miller, were on hand to welcome and greet learners and their families, share a hug, listen to summer stories, or give a high-five.  Yes, it was day of overall fabulousness with some sunshine to spare.  Welcome back to LME and to the 2013-2014 school year!  🙂

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It’s time to STAND UP!

Are you an UPstander or a BYstander?  This is a question each learner and classroom leader will hear in the coming weeks.  On our educational journey this year, our social focus will include the powerful story Stand Up!  standupWritten by Dr. Lisa Roth and Dr. Karen Siris, the children in the story learn to recognize what is right and fair in the world while standing up to unkindness when they see and experience it firsthand.

Having welcoming and caring friends is important in life.  Stand Up! encourages young people to empower themselves as they take responsibility for teaching their classmates about the importance of inclusive and kind behaviors…no matter what.  The creative illustrations provide a brilliant visual reminder for all of us to walk in each other’s shoes and to STAND UP together to create a positive change.  The heart of this story lies with the children (not in the interventions of adults) who choose to take a positive stance to stop exclusion and unkindness in their school.

We can talk all day about bully prevention programs, ideas, and examples.  UPstanders learn to recognize unkindness and stop it themselves, thus taking all the power away from the person who is choosing to be unkind.  In fact, practicing the traits of an UPstander is common theme in our R Time series each week as we actively engage in character building.

I will initiate the conversation while personally sharing this insightful story in the first week of school as I hit the hallways of LME on a classroom book tour.  Each staff member has a copy of the book to use and refer to often throughout the year.  I challenge you, our learning community, to find exceptional ways to demonstrate your UPstanding behaviors to our young learners and become a part of the caring majority of UPstanders in MISD!  As a dear friend and mentor reminded me:   “Be a lamp, a lifeboat, a ladder; help someone’s soul to heal…walk in your shoes and in those of others like a shepherd who leads with the greatest of care.”  Stand Up, LME; welcome back!

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Keep calm and STAND UP!

Our LME Office staff members are truly the BEST!  I’m so fortunate to work with passionate ladies who take their work seriously IMG_3153(but not themselves), who do what is in the BEST interest of learners, and who are completely committed to our growing learning community.  From the wee hours of each school morning to the final bell and dismissal completion, the choreographed “ballet” of this dedicated troupe is undeniable.  Our unwritten mantra is “Keep Calm and Carry On;”  they live this every minute of the school day!  They are also the first ones to Stand Up while keeping calm, thus the reason for our office shirt (I’ll discuss our school focus of Stand Up next week)…they are, in fact, true UPstanders in their work and lives.

Thank you, Christa Stanley (counselor), Kim Huff (office assistant), Joanne Sullivan (RN), Vanya Worley (secretary), Robin Bass (assistant princiPAL), and Shannon Gossett (PEIMS/Attendance) for choosing to serve our learning community.  A principal is only as good as the folks surrounding her; I’m blessed to be surrounded by greatness indeed!  🙂

Note:  Meet the Teacher is tomorrow evening from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.  See you then!

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‘Snow kidding!

IMG_3157Our LME Staff returned in force early this morning to spend a full day creating, collaborating, and sharing innovative work.  Through various iPad apps, our campus iBook Playbook, team-building activities, and special “tech talk,” each member actively participated in IMG_3156communicating consistently across the curriculum.  From homemade omelets at breakfast to sweet flavorful treats as an afternoon snack, our Miller Team flourished.  Special thanks to our Mt. Peak friends for a fun afternoon session with you!

We are ready to welcome our learning community in a couple of days and look forward to seeing our learners in action.  Here’s hoping you are savoring those last few days of summer because it’s nearly time…’snow kidding!  🙂