December 20, 2019

I am just going to say:  I kind of felt like this during this week.  I felt like I have had 100 "tabs" open in my head, trying to remember to get all that needed to get done on campus with deadlines and timelines, while remembering to shop for Logan and Kendall and SUDDENLY there was music playing and I had no idea if it was real or I was losing it =)  Anyone else?  I couldn't even get it together to do cards, so here y'all go =)

Happy holidays from the Cherry Fam!

GVMS Family,

Happy Holidays to you and your family!  This school year has had it's ups and downs and we have worked together to get through them with a positive light.  We truly wish you the best for the holidays and hope they are filled with love, laughter, and light.  We all have "stuff" going on outside of GVMS and, yet, you all come here to be here for our kids.

Surround yourself with people who make you happy.  People who make you laugh, who help you when you're in need.  People who make your day brighter and better. People who genuinely care about you this holiday season.  Surround yourself with positive vibes, positive people, and positive experiences so that you start 2020 feeling it all!

We encourage you to take a break, enjoy family, don't check email unless you are just DYING to do so, take care of yourself, and come back ready to focus on ALL THINGS POSITIVE and about our kids.  

Much love and Happy New Year,

Kristen and Christine

(127)

• SUPER awesome shout out to ENGLISH for the very nice card for us!  We appreciate it and you all!!! ~KC and CL
• SUPER awesome shout out to ALISA for always being willing to help with supervision! ~Brenda and KC
• SUPER awesome shout out to JASON for doing in lieu for me! ~Heather
• SUPER awesome shout out to TAMIA for deciphering the lesson plans for the sub in co-teach!  You rock! ~ Heather
• SUPER awesome shout out to ALISA, LIZ and PETER for holding PE together and helping out everywhere!
• SUPER awesome shout out to BRENDA.  She rocks.  That is all! ~Heather (and KC!)
• SUPER awesome shout out to ROSA, AIDA, and BRENITA for ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS being on top of EVERYTHING!!!! ~ KC, CL, and EB
• SUPER awesome shout out to LORRAINE, JASON, LYNN S., and KEVIN for an awesome and productive collab day! ~Megan
• SUPER awesome shout out to KC and CL for the 12 Days of GVMS Christmas! It was fun to play! ~Julie
• SUPER awesome shout out to 6th GRADE for holding down the fort while Lynn and Cristina are out!
• SUPER awesome shout out to HEATHER for being a great colleague to talk with, especially during this busy time of year! ~Ryan
• SUPER awesome shout out to STINE and ELIZABETH for getting my coffee this week to help me kick off 1st period! ~Ryan
• SUPER awesome shout out to ROSA for looking out for the teachers, the students, the Admin team, and the whole FREAKIN' neighborhood!!! ~Ryan

December 13, 2019

Anyone else feel this way a little bit?  Add the rain and WHOO HOO we are having fun now!!!

How do we continue to keep students engaged in what they need to master in order to be ready to move on?  (Hint hint: USE some of the strategies that Megan, Carol, and Dustin have shared!!!  And, I linked them ALL again! Use them!)  How do we keep them motivated to perform, when we know that their minds are thinking of vacation (and yours too I am sure!)?

Take a look at THIS ARTICLE on more ways including making connections, themed ideas, and more!

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DID YOU KNOW?  Over 50% of students in school are disengaged.   Until we are at 100%, we will CONTINUE this conversation as high levels of engagement directly link to higher achievement, lower off task behavior, and all around happier students!   Check out THIS LINK to read about the statistics, what we can do about it, and the impact it can have! 

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• SUPER awesome shout out to JASON, ALISA and KEN for stepping in to cover last minute sub shortages!
• SUPER awesome shout out to ROSA, BRENITA, and AIDA for being our "judges" for the 12 days of Christmas fun!
• SUPER awesome shout out to KC for responding to my email after hours and solving my problem the next morning! I appreciate you! ~Alison
• SUPER awesome shout out to ALL STAFF for letting me steal your/our kids for tutorial!  There are 87 beginning band students that are usually split between 3rd and 5th period, so having the tutorial time to rehearse them all together before their concert Thursday evening is such a help to our kids and me! ~ Alison
• SUPER awesome shout out to KC and CL for making the 12 days of GVMS Christmas!
• SUPER awesome shout out to CAROL, KEN, and STEPHEN for coming to a last minute IEP on Wednesday!
• SUPER awesome shout out to ALL for covering last minute vacancies!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to ANITA for the invite to walk during prep and setting a good pace!  I felt great for the rest of the afternoon! ~Julie (and we challenge ALL to do this and take some time for your self during your prep!!! ~KC)
• SUPER awesome shout out to ROSA for making signs for my new office! ~Peter
• SUPER awesome shout out to LYNN S. and CHRISTINA G. for sharing your classroom during your prep so my students could record in a quiet space! ~Megan
• SUPER awesome shout out to JASON for ALWAYS covering classes in the morning and getting me soda! ~Brenda
• SUPER awesome shout out to KEN for also ALWAYS covering classes! ~Brenda

December 6, 2019

One of the BIG ah-ha's and take away from Tuesdays faculty meeting focused on what Student Engagement "looked like" was NO TEACHER TALK.  Not one of the posters had the teachers talking AT our students for even part of the period.  Less teacher talk and more students sharing is ONLY going to benefit YOU!   If we do ALL of the talking, then we are the ONLY "dispensers of information and they are the consumers".  That just isn't true!

Take a look at THIS ARTICLE for some EASY ideas to get away for being the ONLY one who talks and, yes, we still have some of this on campus that we MUST get away from!

With the holidays fast approaching, it can be a more stressful time than any other time of the year.  So how do we, as educators, keep our students focused on the positive so that it can only encourage us as well?  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE for an easy read on easy ideas such as being a "cheerleader", focusing on emotional needs of students instead of standards first, and more!

I am just going to leave this right here....

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• SUPER awesome shout out to DUSTIN, CAROL, DAVE F., KEVIN, and SANDY for administering the CA Healthy Kids Survey to our students!  MUCH APPRECIATED!!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to JAMES and PETER for the emails to parents about how basketball will be positive and run smoothly!
• SUPER awesome shout out to MICHELE, RUDINA, and MIMI for working to get the ENTIRE school logged on to parent portal! ~Brenda
• SUPER awesome shout out to CAROL and DUSTIN for leading the faculty meeting strategies!
• SUPER awesome shout out to ALISA for offering to help with supervision and for writing "Welcome back to the best place on Earth" on her whiteboard in the gym to welcome our kids back!
• SUPER awesome shout out to ROSA for the AMAZING Christmas stockings!  ~Brenda and KC
• SUPER awesome shout out to MEGAN for emailing ALL of the families of her students who were getting a D or F!!!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to DUSTIN for always being positive and having a full pot of coffee! ~Kevin
• SUPER awesome shout out to DUSTIN for being my partner in crime presenting to our faculty!  Also, my class is WINNING the TOY DRIVE!!!  =)  ~Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to our CHRISTMAS ELVES who decorated the tree in the library for me while I was out sick! ~Karen (I am SURE all of you can guess who did it!!!)
• SUPER awesome shout out to ROSA for my pretty Christmas stocking! ~Karen
• SUPER awesome shout out to SPED squad (RSP, TAP, and related services), DUSTIN (always great conversations!), DAVE F. (fellow dog lover!), and LORRAINE (assistance with ELA). ~Marlys
• SUPER awesome shout out to LORRAINE for helping me with a 4th period moment!!
  ~KC