November 20, 2012

Please welcome Jessica Shwery "back to" Maple Grove next week as she begins working as a 1/2 time  associate in Koenigs/Lentell's room in the morning. Jessica has done a great job filling in for Theresa Warming and we look forward to her joining us on a regular basis. She will also be available to sub in the PMs!

Our November PTO Meeting was last night. It was shared with us that our fall fundraising netted over $21,000! This is well over last year's amount and will allow us to provide document cameras for staff and additional technology for the classroom. I am very thankful that we are so fortunate to have a supportive PTO and parent involvement at MGE. Please find time to thank our parents over the next couple weeks.

BLT will meet Wednesday, November 28, at 8:00am in the office conference room.

Our next PD (Early Out) will be on Wednesday, November 28th. The focus is on Math (Click Here for more information)

Our first Box Tops contest for this year will kick off Monday December 3rd! All Box Tops must be in no later than December 14^th to count toward the December contest. More information will be coming from the PTO following Thanksgiving break. Our next contest will be in April.

For many of us, the Holiday Season may be full of joyous memories and fun-filled gatherings with friends and family. "Black Friday" kicks off the holiday season (although I've already seen several commercials - really!?!?) later this week and then comes the mad dash to the end of December. For a number of our students and families, this may not be "the most wonderful time of the year" though. Please be aware that some students may tend to struggle more this time of year for a number of reasons and are not acting out because they don't like you, the task/assignment or the activity. Be cognizant of the conversations students are having or questions you ask students ("What are you getting for Christmas?" "Where is your family going for the holidays?"). As we get even closer to our winter break, some students may not verbalize it, but they may be concerned or aware they will no longer have 2 meals (breakfast and lunch) they can count on over the six weekdays we are on break. Please keep all of these things in mind and know you can pull in Nicole, Shanlyn, Diann or I to support you and your students. I also understand how the stress of the holidays can affect you too so please know Diann and I are here to support you in anyway we can.

"A teacher sees the possibility in every child.

Before he even sees it in himself."

This video made me think of each of you at Maple Grove - I have much to be thankful for.

Thank you teachers - you instill inspiration.

Thank you associates - you instill confidence.

Thank you office staff - you instill happiness.

Thank you custodians - you instill commitment.

Thank you nutrition staff - you instill consistency.

Each of you make a difference in the lives of 1, 25 767 students each day.