Thank You

Principals for a Day!

Towards the end of March, grade levels were asked to compose an essay about what they would do if they were principal for a day.  After a couple weeks, essays came in from all grade levels.  Out of those submissions, and they were all great, two emerged as winners - Hannah and Cole.  Little did they know that they would actually have the opportunity to each shadow their principal for a day.  Last week, both of them spent time on separate days to experience the role.  The following is a picture journal of the things they did. It was a wonderful experience for me as much as an eye opener for them.  I don't know that they realized that being a principal requires a lot of flexibility and the need to try to be everywhere to support the staff and the students each day.  Although a list of things gets made, a good day and exciting day probably doesn't mean that everything on that list gets done.  Thanks to Hannah and to Cole for their insight, hard work, and essays.

Hannah writing a note to a para (Mrs. Boyer) about how appreciative she is of her helping in her classroom and specifically answering questions of students when her teacher is not immediately able to.  She was able to deliver the rock during class when she was finished composing her note.  As a principal, it is extremely important that we recognize and celebrate great work that occurs within the building on the part of students and staff.  Thanks again Mrs. Boyer for all your hard work!

Cole spending some time "supervising" the lunchroom.  He just had to stop and get a quick picture with his younger brother.  How cool is that?  Lunchrooms are a busy place aren't they Cole?  

Cole scheduled a Google "Hangout" Conference call with his boss, Dr. Funk.  Why? Principals have meetings regularly and that includes meeting with the Superintendent.  Agenda items ranged from teaching and learning to supporting staff (including principals), and being a Colonel in the Army National Guard.  How do you do both? What happens when you are not able to be "in-district" as a Super?    

"Hello, this is Cole, Sibley's Principal for a Day.  The reason for my call is to make sure that the experience that you and your child are having at Sibley school is a great one.  How are things from your perspective as a parent?  Are we meeting your needs in helping support your child academically? If so, great! If not, how can I help?  Are there things you would like me to share with your child's teacher that you might not have shared that could help us continue to work together?"  Cole realized that communication is a very important piece of being a principal.  Visiting with parents and making sure they are enjoying their experience is a small topic matter for parent/principal discussion.  The goal through those conversations is to make sure that if there are things that we don't know that may be getting in the way of a strong parent and school relationship that we figure out what that is.  In the end, if we don't, then students may be impacted and nobody wants that.  After all, students and their success is why we are here. 

We did not plan our shirts for the day.  However, we look sharp, don't we?  Great minds think alike?

Cole provided a "thank you" note to his classroom teacher, Mrs. Schulz.  In that note, he was appreciative of her work with him, particularly in the area of math and science.  He also was able to deliver his complimentary, "YOU ROCK" rock to her.  Again, recognizing and celebrating great work and effort in what we do is hugely important to a school and those that work within it.  Teaching is not an easy task and teachers don't teach to be recognized.  However, in any organization, the culture you create should allow for creativity, risk, collaboration, and trust.  When you take the time to appreciate each other in genuine ways around common goals, great things will continue to happen.  (Emphasis on genuine :).

Cole had the opportunity to sign and approve some book orders for our book room.  In all, he was probably signing away about 2500 dollars that day.  In the past few years, Sibley has invested greatly in SD surrounding Guided Reading and really a balanced literacy approach.  Having resources to teach that are updated and aligned to a building and district's focus is exciting.  Our book room continues to grow with this approval.  All teachers in the building access our leveled library to ensure that when they are working and teaching students in small guided reading groups, kids are engaged in meaningful texts at their instructional level. 

Hannah is double checking a shared document that lays out the MCA testing schedule for grades 3-5.  The reason that she was verifying times was to be able to run a fire drill at the end of the day.  Because we were testing as well, she wanted to be sure that no classes were impacted by the drill.  State law requires that schools run 5 practice fire drills a year.  Hannah did communicate with the staff in the office prior to the drill and actually helped clear the building and made the call as to when it was clear to come back in the building.  

Calling parents about their experience with our school was something that Hannah also did.  She called a parent of a Kindergarten student and they were thrilled to tell her how their child was doing so well with their reading.  It was fun.  

Colleagues

Conference call with Dr. Funk was pretty cool.  "Why would you want to be a Superintendent?"

 

Green Eggs and Ham Success

One of our ending events for I Love to Read Month, and in honor of Dr. Seuss Birthday, was our 2nd annual Green Eggs and Ham breakfast for families.  Thanks to our PTO and for everyone that helped.  We had approximately 400 people in attendance and it was great to see everyone.  Yes, we did have green eggs.  Yum.  Involving families is an important part of any school and we are grateful to have so many participate in events such as this.  We also like to have books to give away to those that come and this year we put together several book baskets that students could choose from.  Great fun!

Friday Morning Reading Club Needs Volunteers

If you haven't heard, our PTO needs some additional volunteers to serve as readers during our Friday morning reading time.  Simply put, we have parents and community members volunteer to read to students before school from 7:30am to 8:10am in the morning on Fridays.  It is a great opportunity for students to get out of the weather, hear some great stories, and even win some free books for attending.  The students love it.  So, if you are a parent or interested in helping, please connect with our PTO organizers at sibleypto@gmail.com as to the dates that you would be available.  We are looking to fill times on 2/27, 3/13, and 3/27.  Thanks. 

I LOVE TO READ MONTH Activities

I Love to Read month activities:

o   We will be having a door decorating contest of your class’ favorite read aloud from the year. More details to come with the supplies that you will need, but start thinking about your favorite read aloud from the year and how you can decorate your door with your students to show it. Doors need to be finished by February 23^rd in time for dress-up days. Throughout the week, you and your students can take a tour of the school to see the creations. We will vote on our favorite, and the results will be shared at the end of the day on Friday, the 27^th.

o   Dress up week will be the 23^rd- 27^th. 

Friday Morning Reading Club

Every winter, our PTO provides readers for us in the mornings on Friday's.  With the way the weather has been lately, it is certainly nice to cozy up in the media center with a good book.  For those that attend, they are also given a chance to win a book.

Lunch With Mr. Williams

Kaitlyn and Mackenzie

Aspiring Principals - Zoe and Piper

Over the past month, we have been drawing winners for lunch with Mr. Williams on Friday's.  Here are pictures of my most recent lunch buddies.  We had a blast and learned a ton about each other from the books we were reading to some of our interests.  Did you know that Mr. Williams grew up in Hawaii and knows how to surf? Yup, that was one of our lunch discussions.  I am looking forward to many more.  Sibley kids are awesome!!

Ethan and Caydence

Prairie Fire Comes to Sibley

This week, practices have been underway for this year's Prairie Fire production of Snow White.  If you have never witnessed Prairie Fire before, you don't have to have kids in it to enjoy it.  Each year, students in grades 3-8 work with two directors from PF, and in one week, they perform for the community.  Come and check it out Friday night at 7pm. If you miss it, don't worry, you can catch a matinee on Saturday at 10:30am.  Thanks to our PTO for sponsoring this great theater experience for our students. Show time and costs can be found here.

District 241 Teacher of the Year Nominations

We know that great teachers make a huge difference in the lives of the students and families with whom they work.  Help us by taking the time to nominate one at the following link as the deadline is fast approaching.  It is human nature to talk about experiences that are not stellar.  So, when you have someone (teacher) that has made a positive impact for you, it goes along way to let them know.  Thanks for your taking the time to nominate. Click here

New Climbing Wall at Sibley

Prior to our break, our PTO approved the purchase of a 40ft long horizontal climbing wall for all of Sibley students.  Over break, this awesome apparatus was installed.  Today, our first day back for 2015, Mr. Wilson unveiled the surprise! I think it is important to realize that the funds for this wall would not have been possible without the stroll-for-a-goal walk that we have in the fall of the year.  This year, we raised over 20,000 dollars, shattering the previous year's mark.  Yes, we are still in the planning stages of some work to be done on our playground, but when Mr. Wilson, our phy-ed teacher approached our PTO with the idea, it was an easy decision since it would be put immediately to use with the winter months ahead.  Like a playground, the wall itself promotes physical activity and play.  Does this mean that work will not continue on the playground? Not at all.  With district funds and funds that still exist from our past stroll donations, there will be changes to come outside, just as was done inside.  So, thank you PTO, thank you parents and relatives, and thank you community for supporting our students in their annual walk-a-thon fundraiser.  Without it, improvements and a new rock wall would not be possible.  We are thrilled!!!

Guided Reading

This year, we are in our second year of a very purposeful implementation of a new reading curriculum.  In previous posts, I have discussed the importance of guided reading and its ability to allow us to really support students in deeply understanding what they read.  The video, although long, is a great example of the importance of our wanting to be sure students are provided a purpose for reading, and then careful guidance, hence the name "guided" reading, to allow them the ability to really analyze text.  This class is focused on cause and effect.   

Number Talks?

This week during our parent/teacher conferences, parents have received information explaining a strategy that we are utilizing with students known as a "Number Talk."  In its basic form, a number talk is a time period (5-15 minutes) that students are asked to compute math problems mentally and then explain their thinking with their classmates.  We want to make sure that students see, and experience math, as a fun and challenging subject that allows for multiple entry points and ways to solve.  Sometimes math is perceived as quite the opposite - a list of procedures and steps that don't necessarily make sense, but just have to be performed.  We are focusing on supporting students in being able to explain and answer the all important "why" as they work.  A teacher's job during a number talk is to facilitate the conversation and thinking shared by the students.  We use the conversation the students have to work through misconceptions which also informs us where we need to go to deepen their understanding.  A number talk also allows students to develop strategies that others implore when solving.  For example, when a student adds 8 + 2 + 6 + 4, we would want to see and guide students to see the importance of making tens to solve.  A student's thinking might explain that they added 8+2 = 10 and 6+4 = 10 to make 20, rather than adding each of the 4 numbers in isolation to make 20.  This process for solving works with more complex numbers and operations as the students progress throughout the year and grades.  To learn more about it, please inquire with us, or check out the following link as well.  Our district's math specialist, Chris Quisley, was recently interviewed about the topic by KIMT news.  You can locate that short interview here.  

The Data Behind the Calendar Recommendation - Dr. Funk

Today, I noticed a post by our Superintendent with regards to the recent community discussion regarding the potential change in our school's calendar.  Monday's vote was a split 3-3 and therefore the proposal failed.  Regardless of one's personal and professional stance on the topic, the data that we have in front of us, is what started the conversation about doing things differently.  Change or no change, people need to continue to be involved and communicating about how we can work together to provide better options for everyone.

K-2 Program was another hit!

On Tuesday, December 2, Sibley Elementary School performed their winter concert for parents, relatives, and community members in Albert Lea High School's auditorium.  As has been the case, students did a wonderful job.  Thank you for your continued support of our students, staff, and school.  The "glow stick" choreographed song was certainly a highlight.  If you didn't make it out this year, plan on it next year.  But, you'll have to get there early as it was standing room only!  As a side not, each year that our students are able to perform in the auditorium, I am struck by its grandeur and thankful for the community for their supporting the district's students.  Without a successful building referendum, this beautiful school and facility would not have been built in 2000.  Thank you.

Morning Muffin "Thank You!"

On November 14th, Sibley PTO hosted our annual Morning Muffins where parents and families join together for a morning of muffins, coffee, and conversation with students and staff.  It was the most well attended Morning Muffin event we have ever had!!!  This year, we ordered 300 muffins that were gone in 15 minutes.  In addition, teachers helped in serving the muffins, juice, and coffee as well as students having the opportunity to be entered into a drawing and receive FREE books!  We will definitely need to re-think our ordering and some logistical elements to better accommodate people next year.  Thank you for coming and for also applauding the outstanding turn out and parental involvement we have at Sibley.

Veteran's Day Program

Veteran's Day 

Dr. Mike Funk

This year, in honor of Veteran's day, students at Sibley learned about the different branches of our military in a short presentation from Dr. Mike Funk, our superintendent.  It was pretty cool as he also wore his camouflage as opposed to his "day job" dress as a school superintendent.  In addition, students had previously submitted pictures of relatives that have served our country in a recognition ceremony.  Thank you Veteran's for your sacrifice and service so that we are able to have those things we hold dear to us as Americans. It was a special day at Sibley.

Last Friday was our 3rd Annual PTO sponsored fundraiser known as "Stroll for a Goal."  This year, students raised over 24,500 dollars which shattered our previous record from last year at the 21,900 dollar mark.  The weather was fabulous and so was our effort as students walked 3 miles in the neighborhoods surrounding Sibley School.  Thank you PTO, our school and larger community, and all of those who pledged to our cause.  Your support will continue to help supplement some of the great activities that our students experience from Fun Night to additional educational field trips to hosting Prairie Fire Theater.  Sibley PTO is currently looking to put forth a significant dollar amount to help with improving the playground and adjacent hard surface areas for students.  This is a project that will probably not occur this fall as bids and needs are currently being addressed.

Walk-a-thon Update

Last week Friday was slated to be our school walk-a-thon event in conjunction with our Homecoming festivities. Due to weather, we had to postpone that event until this week.  Sibley is in its 3rd year of running a walk-a-thon as its only fundraising event sponsored by our parent group.  For the last couple of years, the money raised has continue to fund many of the activities that our PTO provides from author visits to field trips and class parties.  In our first year, Sibley students raised over 16000. In year 2, we raised over 19000.  This year, students were excited about breaking the previous mark and set a new mark in terms of goal achievement.  Well, they certainly did that and then some.  This year, Sibley raised over the 24000 mark.  Currently, our focus on raised funds and savings is to improve our playground area and are currently in the planning process for this.  Thanks to everyone that contributed something to our cause.  Feedback we have gotten is that fundraisers like this are so much more meaningful and we couldn't agree.  We don't plan to sell items and are please that with your donations...big or small, 100% of the money goes directly back to our students and Sibley's PTO.  Well done students!!!

Homecoming Week at Sibley

This week, we will be busy and having a blast as we participate in Homecoming 2014.  Throughout the week, students at Sibley will have opportunities to show their school spirit by participating in several dress up days, host some high school royalty during our lunch mid-week, learn about sportsmanship, and have a mini-pep fest on Friday.  In the past, the Tiger himself has shown up to cause some mischief by kidnapping me.  I wonder what, if anything, will be in store this year?  In addition to homecoming, our students will also be participating in their walk this year on Homecoming Friday.  Sibley's Stroll-For-A-Goal is going into its 3rd year and we hope to break the 20,000 dollar mark.  This has been a well run, and well worth it fundraiser as 100% of the proceeds go directly back to Sibley students; there isn't a better way to raise money for a good cause by being active.  Our PTO has currently allocated funds from last year to improve our playground, and they hope to add to it with money this year.  Go Tigers!

Stamina

Last week, I discussed with students the importance of developing reading stamina.  All teachers spend the first 30 days of school developing this as part of their instructional routines to ensure long term success throughout the year.  Developing reading stamina allows students to read for increasingly extended periods of time, trains muscle memory and develops their ability to focus.   Teachers will continually work to ensure that students are engaged in "good fit books" at a student's instructional level within their browsing boxes.  These books are often books that your child has read with the teacher during guided reading.  Feel free to inquire about your child's stamina and reading level with your child's teacher.  What is important to realize is that although there are general grade level indicators of an "at level" reader, growth in reading is what we are all striving for.  Through the application of  reading strategies taught by your child's teacher, increasing one's stamina, and reading text at an appropriate level, your child will experience reading gains and grow as a reader.  If reading seems confusing, or hard to support at home, it isn't and we can help, so give us a call.