Principal Byrd

Hi everyone this is Principal Byrd! Today has been such a great day for me to experience the life of an important school leader or role model in one day. My favorite part so far was going to all the the different classrooms and seeing what all the kids do, from a teacher's perspective. Next up I have lunch with my friends! For lunch I had Jimmy John's and cookies - it was all good until they forgot one sandwich and of course it was mine! Other than that it was a great lunch. After that I taught my first class to the kindergarteners and it was a blast, we had so much fun making Valentines day cards.

Principal Byrd

Conversaciones Españolas

Last week I was happy to observe the 7th grade Clase de Espanol while they were performing the Spanish conversations that they have been working on. This year our students have been working very hard in Spanish class, as they have both a new teacher and a new series to become accustomed to. If their conversations are any indication, their hard work has certainly paid off! In addition to vocabulary and verb conjugations, Senora Mangialardi is teaching her students dialect, inferences and cultural awareness. Our students are working hard and getting a very comprehensive exposure to the Spanish language. Attached are pictures and two video samples of the convos that our 7th graders have been working on ... disfrute de!

A School Without 5th Graders?!

Today both of Mr. Smith's 5th grade social studies classes bombarded my office and seceded from Saint Mary School (if we're being honest the first class actually seceded and the second class tried but then recanted when they were faced with the challenges of becoming an independent school!)

So, now I am faced with "what to do" with our fifth graders who want their independence from Saint Mary School (I believe when George III of Great Britian was faced with this problem he rejected the Olive Branch petition, sent in thousands of troops, and ultimately started the Revolutionary War!) I could send in our Preschool and Kindergarten militia to keep the fifth graders in line, but they have been very busy reading and writing and might not have time for a war. I could simply let them secede, though when I pressed them for their future plans as a free and independent school they did not have a teacher (since I told them Mr. Smith is contracted with Saint Mary School), they did not have any funds to purchase the heated trailer that they said would be their classroom, and they did not have clothes (since I had to ask them to turn in their uniforms, as they were no longer representing Saint Mary School).

After Mr. Smith held court in my office and asked many questions of the 5th graders (which they answered remarkably well!) he mentioned that, like the colonists, they too did not have a plan for secession, so they went back to their classroom to work on one.

I would like the fifth graders to know that I have heard their complaints, I respect their position, and I LOVED their social studies lesson today, so I am not only willing to accept them back to Saint Mary School on Monday, but I am willing to cater to one of their complaints and offer each of them one homework pass. Welcome back to the union 5th grade!

PS: Great job in social studies today!!

Spelling Bee

Today we held our school Splling Bee. Prior to today's bee, studnets in grades 4-8 participatid in classroom bees and the top spellers from each grade were selected for the Shcool Bee. We had 19 spellers who, togethear, got through 24 rounds of words before a winner emerged. Congradulations to 8th grader, Edyta C. for winning the 2012 Saint Mary School Spelling Bee! It was wodnerful to witness so many fabulus spellers but the absolute BEST part was watching competing spellers cheer on, high five and be proud of each other (thanks 4th graders for the great signs!) Big thanks to Mrs. Carson for organizing and runnig the Spelling Bee!

*There is a special treat for the first studnet to tell me how many spelling errors are in my post today! :)

Unwritten

Happy New Year! I love how every year the New Year gives us a fresh start. As we start over with a whole new calendar, we have a chance to reevaluate how things are going, where we want to be and make a plan for the best way we can get there. Natasha Bedingfield's hit "Unwritten" sort of sums New Year's Day up perfectly for me; I always like to listen to this song and think about the lyrics on NYD. A few phrases that really strike me for kids are: "I'm just beginning/the pen's in my hand/ending unplanned" and "I break tradition/sometimes my tries are outside the lines/we've been conditioned/to not make mistakes but I can't live that way no". I think as parents and teachers it is our job to take the teachable moments in life and really show the kids in our lives how these song lyrics really should play out. We sometimes need to give kids permission to make mistakes or try something new; what better time than the new year to give these permissions?!

For the students reading my blog I really think Natasha Bedingfield sums it up best for you: "Live your life with arms wide open/today is where your book begins/ the rest is still unwritten."

Happy New Year - see you on January 5th!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFFBSSntZgs&feature=player_detailpage

Choices make the world go 'round!

Over the past few years at Saint Mary there has been a lot of talk about Differentiated Instruction (DI). As teachers we can differentiate the delivery of instruction, the content of the lesson and even the way that students respond to a lesson. This week alone I have observed lessons in multiple grade levels where students were given choices regarding how they could best express what they learned. In 8th grade religion class, groups of students were assigned topics, relating to Advent, that they were charged to become experts on. I watched as groups put on plays, translated bible passages, made and presented posters and performed skits, to share their research and knowledge with their classmates. Similarly, our 4th grade science class culminated a unit on animals by choosing how they wanted to share their work and information with their teacher and class: some chose animotos, some built board games, other painted murals and some children responded by writing. In each of these cases, allowing students to decide which vehicle they want to use to display information builds confidence, allows children to start with their strengths, and results in increased learning and student engagement.

So much to be excited about!

In the past two weeks a lot has happened at Saint Mary School! We have had Parent-Teacher conferences, report cards, a Read-In and Mini-Courses, we've celebrated Thanksgiving and featured our band, chorus and 4th grade chimes at a very successful Book Fair. It would seem that things would be settling down now, but as we prepare for Christmas and celebrate the Advent season, there continues to be much to be proud of at Saint Mary School! In the next two weeks our 1st and 2nd graders will share their love of God with us through their Advent musical, our 2nd graders will receive their 1st Reconciliation and our Kindergarteners will teach us about the birth of Jesus with their reenactment of the Nativity. Our 7th graders will showcase their hard work and research at the Science Fair on Thursday, our school will come together for Lessons and Carols and the band will put us in the Christmas spirit and share their talents with us at their concert. We are lucky to be a part of such a diverse and talented community!