Gator Run Friday Focus - September 27, 2013

I have two ideas that I would love to incorporate into the school somehow possibly this year.  One is a school museum where each class can create a display and/or artifacts based on some area of research.  The other is a film festival where students, groups of students or classes create a short films.  I would love to discuss these ideas with interested people.  Please start brainstorming now.  Discussion dates to come.  I encourage you to share any ideas that you might have for fostering creativity and innovation at the school. 

Did you know that young learners who use gestures outperform their peers in problem-solving tasks?  Students also learn better when their teachers use gestures.  Research published in Child Development showed that 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students learned new math concepts faster when teachers used hand motions to illustrate concepts.  Here's a very short article with more information - Why Teachers Should Use Hand Gestures  How can you be deliberate with using gestures in the classroom?

• BAT 1 for 5th grade on Monday
• Boosterthon continues next week, culminating with the Fun Run on Wednesday.
• We are holding a Teach Like a PIRATE book study on Monday afternoon.  If you are interested in participating, please make sure that you have read the section of the book dealing with Passion.
• ESE Data Day is Tuesday.
• We will be holding a Flexible Learning Spaces discussion next Wednesday.  
• There is a NESS meeting next Thursday afternoon in Mrs. Heyman's classroom.

Quote of the Week - "Negative people have no power. None. We put it on a platter and hand it to them. This must stop." - Todd Whitaker.  Smile everyone!  And don't give your power away to those who don't deserve it. 

Think Like a Detective - Can you determine the Gator Run teacher based on the following clues?

• Was born in St. Petersburg, Florida.
• Graduated from Hialeah Miami-Lakes High School.
• Enjoys boating, free diving, scuba diving, jogging and line dancing.
• Knows ASL (American Sign Language). 

One more thing (always remember the choice is yours):