Gator Run Friday Focus - May 6, 2016

As we reflect on an amazing school year, I think about the wonderful aspects of our school.  I am very proud that so many teachers are promoting their classrooms via social media, particularly Instagram.  I feel strongly that social media helps with being transparent with all that we do here. I want to continue this use and hope that more of you will take the plunge as well.  In case you didn't know, #GatorRunRocks and everyone needs to know it.  I also want to ask a reflective question, "What do our social media posts say about our school?".  While we encourage the use of social media, we have not held discussions about what type of message that our posts might send.  Here is an article that I hope that you will check out regarding the benefits of Instagram in the classroom - 10 Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom 
I also want you to ponder your own private use of social media and the message that you send with your posts there.  While we may think that our posts are private, you never know who is a friend of a friend and whether a parent or community member might see what you write.  Whether we like it or not, educators are held up to a higher standard than others.  Here is another article about teacher personal use of social media - Surviving Social Media  Please read both of these posts.  We will send out a brief survey next week allowing us to reflect on our social media use and practices.  This will lead to a faculty discussion on May 17th.

Next Week at a Glance:

• SSYRA Celebration is on Monday at 8:30 in the Media Center.  
• We are taking 198 of our 5th graders to Kennedy Space Center and Universal Studios next Wednesday and Thursday.
• 1st and 2nd grades will be taking their End of the Year tests on Wednesday and Thursday.

Quote of the Week: