End of the Week Notes for February 3, 2012

 

LPS Talking point for Feb. 3: Several new billboards around Lincoln – that are advertising a profit service – are declaring that high school dropout rates stand at 30 percent. Those are national numbers. The dropout rate at Lincoln Public Schools for the class of 2011 was 8.8 percent, the lowest in the history of our school district – an astonishing statistic when compared to national numbers.

 

To Consider:  We expect students to be silent in the hallways.  Let’s model at least quiet voices in the halls for them, keeping our hallway conversations at a whisper level during the school day.

 

CALENDAR:  NOTE THE CHANGES FOR BIST AND PICTURE DAY!

Feb. 6             GET meets at 8:10  Next Meeting March 5.

Feb. 7                        PTA at 7 p.m.

Feb. 9                        Bagels, Bananas, and BackPacks meeting in Kulas’ room 8:20

Feb. 9                        CLASS PICTURES TAKEN  note the date change!

Feb. 9                        CHANGE: BIST day with Marty Huitt—plan times and after school

Feb. 10            MOVIE NIGHT:  Dolphin Tale 6:45 in the gym; food at 6:00

Please, no blankets or pillows.  We’ll have seating on the mats in the gym.

 

Feb. 13            SIP meets at 8:10

Feb. 13            Nebraska Trumpet Ensemble (NTE) will play for second grade during Expressive Arts time at 12:55

Feb. 14            Staff Meeting 8:10

Feb. 15            Principals Council at Cavett School 7:15-11:30

Feb. 15            Test Prep Session by Kristin C. after school

 

Feb. 20            Technology Planning Committee meet 8:10

Feb. 21            Parent Teacher Conferences

Feb. 22            CLASS PICTURES TAKEN

Feb. 23            Parent Teacher Conferences

Feb. 28            PLC Early Out

Feb. 28            Guest Artist Diane Gubbels presenting stories through quilts

All students, K-5 in their Expressive Arts schedule

 

 

READ ACROSS AMERICA coming to Randolph March 2!

The Beginning

In May 1997, a small reading task force at NEA came up with a big idea. “Let’s create a day to celebrate reading,” the group decided. “We hold pep rallies to get kids excited about football. We assemble to remember that Character Counts. Why don’t we do something to get kids excited about reading? We’ll call it ‘NEA’s Read Across America’ and we’ll celebrate it on Dr. Seuss’s birthday.” And so was born on March 2, 1998, the largest celebration of reading this country has ever seen.

The Purpose of Read Across America

Motivating children to read is an important factor in student achievement and creating lifelong successful readers. Research has shown that children who are motivated and spend more time reading do better in school.

 

LOVE and LOGIC MOMENT

When you tell people you use Love and Logic techniques in your home or classroom, do they really know what “Love and Logic” means?

Do some think it is a cult you joined?

Do some say that “Love AND Logic” is an oxymoron?

Do you sometimes find it difficult to explain?

With a flexible menu of skills in our approach, and common sense at work, adults using Love and Logic skills may come across quite differently at times. Nevertheless, the “Love and Logic” approach should always look like the following:

• A loving attitude toward the young person. A key principle of the Love and Logic approach is that we preserve the dignity – of the child AND the adult. Does yelling and threatening preserve kids’ dignity? How about ours?

• Shared thinking and control. Adults using Love and Logic techniques resist the urge to come up with all the answers and solve all the problems. Instead, they give kids the gift of thinking about and solving problems. They ask lots of questions and give lots of choices so kids stay in on the action.

• Empathy before consequences and bad news. We are sad for kids and we hurt for them when they struggle. Our sadness (instead of our anger and frustration) helps them own problems and learn from the consequences. None of this works without empathy.

• Relationships are paramount. If we are not preserving or enhancing relationships, we are not really using Love and Logic techniques.

Take heart! This is a process, not an instant transformation. Many people find that listening repeatedly to our audio, Four Steps to Responsibility, helps them remember to consistently apply these very important basics of the Love and Logic approach.

 

Thanks for reading. Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend.  Jedd Hafer