Student Recognition

For me, a few of the highlights of this year so far have come from the Honor Roll Assemblies.  There haven't been that many - we've only held three.  There's really not a whole lot to them - they each only last about 20 minutes or so.  But there are about 60 kids that walk out of those assemblies feeling pretty special, as well they should.  (By the way, we had more students on the Honor Roll in the third quarter than we've had all year.)

These kids work hard for an entire marking period and they earn all A's and B's on their report card.  They put in all kinds of hard work for nine weeks.  They've earned at least a brief moment of recognition.  Celebrating them by calling their names and having them come up front to receive a certificate and small material reward is literally, just about the least we can do for them.

There are several more kids that have significant achievements in other areas which have not produced any major public recognition.  Sometimes, the only recognition they get comes in the form of a simple compliment or a "congratulations" from the teacher.  Other times, it comes as a note at the top of a great piece of writing or a math test.  Even that kind of small, simple gesture will boost the confidence of a young learner beyond our imagination.  Students really thrive on that kind of recognition from their teachers and other adults in the building.

It's always a pleasure watching kids' faces as they accomplish their goals, with or without the recognition. So we will continue to provide as many opportunities for our kids to learn, and looks for even more opportunities to recognize our students' accomplishments.

Last Week at Betsie Valley
The Buy-One-Get-One-Free Scholastic Book Fair was a success for many: kids got great deals on books and the school was able to purchase new books for the library.

Kindergarten Round-Up brought twenty-one 4 and 5 year olds in to school to meet with Ms. Dodge, Mrs. Sauer, and Ms. Austin.  Welcome to Betsie Valley, Class of 2026!

Thursday was one of the best nights of the year at Betsie Valley as we hosted an Ice Cream Social as well as our Title I Night.  It was capped off by a wonderful Talent Show.

Kindergarteners and 1st graders spent the day on Friday at the Butterfly Museum.

Next Week at Betsie Valley

Monday:
5th Graders begin piloting the Smarter Balanced Assessment in English/Language Arts.

1st Graders from all four elementary schools will enjoy (or not!) a Reptile Show on Monday morning.  Norm Wright, the snake man, will do a show at 9:45 for Betsie Valley and Crystal Lake, and another at 10:45 for Platte River and Lake Ann.

Girl Scouts 4:00

Tuesday:
Girls on the Run 4:00

Wednesday:
Music Program Rehearsals 11:00 

Thursday:
Music Program Rehearsals 11:00
Girls on the Run 4:00
Chess Club 4:00

Friday:
Kirsten Gerbatsch will be at Betsie Valley Elementary to do lessons and tastings

Saturday:
Betsie Valley District Library Groundbreaking Ceremony 1:00

Videos to Watch

10 Technology Tips You Should Know and Use (TED Talk)

 Enjoy the Weather!

Betsie Valley Talent Show 2013

 3rd-5th Graders 1st time on the Honor Roll this school year!

All A's for all three marking periods!

The building project happening at the Betsie Valley District Library in Thompsonville

(Click to Enlarge)

Retirement

My father found something he enjoyed and that he was good at, and he began working hard at it.  When that happens, it doesn't feel like work (I'm told).  He took great pride in the company he worked for.  He's always been able to demonstrate an excellent balance between work and family, and for my brothers and I, he's been a living example of hard work and integrity in the work place.  He's imparted a lot wisdom to us over the years. And now, this May, he will be retiring.

My dad will be retiring from the same company he was hired by 40 years ago. My mom has been retired from her public school special education teaching position for a few years, and now they're looking forward to traveling around the country together visiting their ten grandchildren, several National Parks, and other bucket-list locales along the way. It's been something they've been talking about and looking forward to for several years. To say that I'm proud of both my parents would be profoundly understating my respect for each of them and their respective careers. 

For me, retiring is SO far off into the future.  It's not on my radar, whatsoever.  It's not a topic I would have even mentioned here, but I'm happy for my parents, and my dad's retirement makes me think about what kind of legacy I'll leave when that day eventually comes for me.  2042.  I know, that year sounds fake, maybe a movie title or something.  But some day, my retirement will come, and I'll be faced with the end of my career and I'll take stock of what was.

My hope is that I'll be able to be proud of the way that I treated the people with whom I worked. I want to have helped students learn, to have cultivated a positive workplace, to have helped teachers become the best they can be, and to have provided a high-quality and safe environment for the families that I've served. It's with those end goals in mind that I create each of my todays between now and then.

Last Week at Betsie Valley

The weather was rainy all week and prevented the kids from getting outside for recess.  Considering we all would much rather be outside in the spring, everyone handled it very well.

Dale Jeske leads a playgroup for children aged 0-4 in this area.  There were a handful of families at Betsie Valley Thursday morning playing with their families.

A handful of parents of preschoolers visited Mrs. Dodge's classroom on Thursday night to hear all about Kindergarten.  Welcome to Betsie Valley, little Bobcats!

Of course, Mother Nature gave us another Snow Day on Friday, April 12th!  Ridiculous!

Next Week at Betsie Valley

Monday: Girl Scouts 4:30

Tuesday: Fire Drill 1:35; Girls on the Run 4:00

Wednesday: Fifth Grade Field Trip to Thompsonville Library 9:15am

Thursday: 4th Graders SBA Pilot 2:30; Girls on the Run 4:00; Chess Club 4:00

Friday: Kirsten Gerbatsch at Betsie Valley for tastings & lessons; Report Cards; Movie Night 6:00

Links / Articles / Websites

Why It's Important to Teach and Learn

Why Do We Continue to Use Letter Grades

The 8 Characteristics of a 21st Century Teacher

Videos to Watch

Subscribe or contribute to this endeavor! TEDed

"apPARENTly confused"...Hilarious

Good Luck in the NBA, Trey Burke.  Thanks for the memories!

Indoor Recess in 4th Grade!

Back to Work

A few highlights from our short week back after Spring Break:

Students were all refreshed of the behavior expectations on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as we went through Boot Camp on each of those mornings.

4th graders were introduced to Smarter Balanced Assessments as they participated in a training test in the area of Math on Thursday.

Even as deep snow remained on the playground, Miss Kitty and Mrs. Smith got outside after school with several girls on Tuesday and Thursday for the first week of "Girls on the Run."

Quick Interesting Links:

The five E's in Education

Teaching May Be the Secret to the Good Life

Ten Things You Think About Too Often


The Week Ahead at Betsie Valley Elementary:

Monday: Community Meeting 9:30am; Girl Scouts; Human Sexuality Parent Preview @ Platte River 6:30.
Tuesday: Girls on the Run 4:00; PTS Meeting 4:30.
Thursday: Preschool Playgroup 9:30-11:00; Girls on the Run 4:00; Chess Club 4:00; 2013-2014 Kindergarten Parent Information Night 5:30.
Friday: End of 3rd Quarter; High School Band to visit Betsie Valley 1:30.

Rick Wormeli on re-do's, retakes, and do-over's:

Michigan Wolverines are playing for a National Championship

This is a touchdown in an official Big Ten Spring Football Game.  Very Cool!