Gator Run Friday Focus - May 1, 2015

Staff Appreciation/Teacher Appreciation is next week.  Let me take a moment to thank every one of you who help make our students feel success and love each and every day.  This is truly great work that we do and you need to know that you are appreciated for it.  Cyndi and I would like to invite you to the Media Center next Tuesday afternoon after dismissal for an ice cream social. 

Next Week at a Glance:

• Team Collaboration is scheduled for next Wednesday.  
• 3rd Grade portfolio testing next Thursday.
• 1st Grade Mother's Day Show on Friday.

Quote of the Week - "To be happy, we seek something,.  But despite getting it, we are not happy.  All of one's life is spent preparing to be happy someday in the future.  It's like making a bed all night, but having no time to sleep.  How many minutes, hours and days have we spent our life being happy from within?  Those are the only moments you have really lived life.  There are two ways of looking at life. One is thinking that, “I’ll be happy after achieving a certain objective.” The second is saying that “I am happy come what may!” Which one do you want to live?" - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Also this,

The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee. 

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car.
The sand is everything else. The small stuff.”
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.
Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."