Gator Run Friday Focus - September 16, 2016

A big "Thank You" to the amazing teachers who presented at yesterday's Teachers Training Teachers event!  We are so lucky to have so many individuals willing to share what they are doing or trying in their classrooms.  Professional development is a must if each of us are going to grow in this amazing profession of education and what better what to learn and improve than from our own Gator Run staff?  We are indebted to the following teachers for opening up their classrooms and offering their expertise: Elayne Hollander, Angela Davis, Melissa Lopez, Carrie Velasquez, Kristy Bryce, Lynn Mitchel, Candace Oesch, Jackie Sherman, Denise Boehm, and Corrine Mendez!

Next Week at a Glance:

• SAC meeting next Wednesday at 2:20 in the Media Center.  We will be continuing our discussion on the value of reading programs such as AR and possible replacement reading initiatives.  
• Teachers, emergency sub plans must be submitted to your Team Leader by Wednesday.
• Interim Reports go home on Thursday. 
• Team Collaborations are scheduled for Thursday at 2:20.  

Podcast of the Week: Thanks to Elayne Hollander for sharing this with me - 3 Reasons to Make Social Media a Priority.  Check it out if you have the time (especially if you are not a regular user of social media).  Great reasons to get connected.

TED Talks of the Week: Hacking the Classroom - this one totally motivated me as to why we need to allow students the opportunity to create at school.  Let's Teach for Mastery Not Test Scores - this one is by Sal Kahn from Kahn Academy.  Sal gives us some things to think about regarding 'school' and how we need to start looking at it differently.

Quote of the Week: "Clearly the energy and passion for learning that the school has worked hard to foster in their culture is contagious. Nice work Gator Run, it's going to be a great year. So thankful that we made the switch." - This is from a message from a new parent to our school.  This mom stated that her daughter is so excited to come to school that she even wanted to come on Labor Day!  How awesome is that?