October 22 - 26

Bacon Bears,

You Matter!

It was not easy being out of the building three days last week . Mrs. Harris continues to do an excellent job for the school in my absence.

I attended and presented at the Texas ASCD conference in Dallas, TX. It was a great experience all around, and as I shared the RM Bacon Elementary story, educators were impressed. I was able to tour Dealey Plaza, the grassy knoll, and the school book depository museum all in relation to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of America.

Dr. Cook on the grassy knoll

On Thursday, along with Mrs. Simpson (Music Teacher and Family and Community Engagement Coordinator), and Mrs. Markee (our Home and School Association President) I visited Knapp Elementary School. Knapp has become recognized throughout the country as one of the premier schools for family and community engagement. We learned about their school, and their programs. We also had the opportunity to share some of the great programs that are occurring here at RM Bacon Elementary.


Pictures from Knapp

Welcoming front lobby at Knapp

Knapp front entrance

 

Joe Mazza, Lead Learner at Knapp

 

Updates for this week
There will be no Resource Room classes on Monday or Tuesday. Mrs. Peterson and Ms. Ford are working on a complete re haul of their schedule. More information to follow.

This week we have Dr. Porecca visiting RM Bacon to screen students for vision (Tuesday At 9:30 AM). Contact the Nurse if you have any questions.

On Wednesday we will be having an assembly titled "More Power for You!" This looks to be a great opportunity for our students to learn about motivation.

All teachers (except BSI interventionists) will participate in Grade Level Meetings this week. We will be focusing on Generating and Testing Hypothesis application in the classrooms.

Club 21 Sailing Adventure:

Weekly Overview
Monday - Dr. Cook will be a guest teacher for Mr. Drewnowski
Tuesday - Eye Screenings at 9:30 AM;
Wednesday - More Power for YOU! 2:00 PM; I &RS team training all day
Thursday - Grade Level Meetings for all Teachers (CITWS)
Friday - Tech Friday; PBIS Meeting 1:00 PM, and Bear Bucks Store at 2:30 PM

October 15 - 19

Bacon Bears,
You Matter!

Did you know that RM Bacon Elementary has a Facebook page? Yes, in addition to twitter, and the blog, we are on Facebook. At the time of this blog we had 65 likes. Once we get to 100 likes, the students will get a special celebration (RM Bacon Facebook page link) 

We are looking for candidates for our first (in a while) Talent Show.... Don't think you have talent? Check this out video, and you might just have a shot at being selected!


Last week we hosted former Harlem Globetrotter Seth Franco.

Seth entertained the students and staff, but it was his message that had everyone excited. Seth talked about how we need to connect with students and adults, talk about our problems, and work hard to overcome!

Seth enjoyed his time at RM Bacon. He signed a ball for us to display in the front office. He said this of our students, "They were great. I loved how they participated, and participated. Thanks to everyone on staff for their help in making this event a success!"





This week is busy for Dr. Cook. He will be presenting on all of the tremendous things going on at RM Bacon. First, on Saturday he will be presenting with our Club 21 coordinator Ms. Discepola on Going Global. They recruited Mrs. Sutton and some willing students to help build interest for the conference.


Then on Sunday, Dr. Cook will be traveling to Dallas, TX to present at Texas ASCD  Annual Conference with Principal Tra Hall (from Texas) on the importance of being connected through Social Media. Dr. Cook will be in Dallas until Tuesday.

On Thursday, Dr. Cook and Mrs. Simpson will be traveling to Knapp Elementary School to learn about their parent and community engagement programs.

On Friday, the summer trek team will be working together on the upcoming professional development schedule for the school.

Weekly Overview
Monday - Mrs. Harris in for Dr. Cook
Tuesday - Mrs. Harris in for Dr. Cook
Wednesday - Part Time Aide workshop, 9:30 Am - 11:00 AM
Thursday - Mrs. Harris in for Dr. Cook - Staff Meeting Canceled
Friday - Summer Trek team meeting

Impossible is Nothing!

October 8 - 12

Bacon Bears,

You Matter!



Wear Blue for School Pride!

We are into our second full week of Monstober, uh, I mean October. I must be watching too much Disney with my kids. I will say, however, that RM Bacon is a Scary Good Elementary School :)
We had a very successful Wellness Week! I want to thank you to the committee that made the week a success: Ms. Spanbauer, Ms. Peck, Ms. McLoone, and Mrs. Simpson!




There were some really cool things going on throughout the school this week. In the Cave, Coach Bramble and Coach have commenced the 2012-13 quest for the Presidential Fitness Awards. Enjoy this video explaining the program:



As I observed teachers this week, I saw so many important activities. There are so many teachers who are ensuring that the children are exposed to 21st Century LEARNING! Here are some of the pictures I took to highlight the hard work that the teachers and kids are engaging in.

Anthony met with Mayor Shannon, and presented his idea for a skate park

Mrs. Gandy's class tweeted the Governor as they worked on a Prezi

Mrs. Sinone's students working on the SMART board

This week we have our first 3 day weekend.... No school on Monday!

Here is the Weekly Schedule:
Monday - Off
Tuesday - I and RS meeting, 1:00 PM; Administrator's Meeting, 1:00 PM
Wednesday - 3rd Grade Field Trip to Cape May; Youth Alliance Assembly, 2:00 PM
Thursday -
Friday -

Impossible is Nothing!

October 1 - 5 (Wellness Week)

You Matter!

Received this picture via twitter this morning. Fitting!

If you are reading this blog, then you are at the right place for information regarding RM Bacon Elementary, a school where impossible is nothing!
 

Wellness Week October 1 - 5

In preparation for Wellness Week, our guidance counselor Ms. Spanbauer, along with our PBIS aide, Ms. McCloone worked with some 5th grade students on an interesting video about the Bacon Bully Buster:

 

 

Join in the fun as we show our commitment to “Wellness”. So dig through your closet and get out the “colors of the day” to represent Wellness all the WAY!

 

Monday 10/1/12	Mellow Yellow-Monday	Spread KINDNESS and CALM, just stay MELLOW by wearing yellow
Tuesday 10/2/12	Spread Red - Tuesday	Get the word spread, by wearing red. NO DRUGS FOR ME!
Wednesday 10/3/12	True Blue- Wednesday	Dress in blue, to represent a FRIEND who is TRUE
Thursday 10/4/12	Clean & Green Thursday	Keep the world CLEAN, show support by wearing green
Friday 10/21/10	Back Black Friday	Dress in Black because you won’t stand BACK when someone is getting bullied!

 

October 2012 – Is jokingly being named the Assembly Month. We have 4  assemblies scheduled, and I apologize in advance for the interruptions to school day, but we need to participate in these events for our students. Here is the schedule for our assemblies this month.

October 1 - Autism Awareness Assembly; 2:30 PM (whole school)

October 2 - Steered Straight Assembly; 2:00 PM (k-2) 2:45 PM (3-5)

October 10 - Youth Alliance Assembly; 2:00 PM

October 25 - More Power For You Assembly; 2:00 PM (K-5)

Teachers
Grade Level Meeting – Next GLM is scheduled for Thursday, October 4…..BUT….. we are trying something new… Celese put the results of your sweep in your mailbox. Please review this prior to the meeting, and when you show up, you will have attended your first “flipped” meeting. Kind of crazy right? So, what will we discuss at GLM? That is up to you J

Staff Meeting – We will be starting our CITWS 2.0 series on Thursday October 4. PAL will be sent prior to the meeting. Theme will be centered on Generating and Testing Hypothesis.

  

New Staff Members – We have been very busy interviewing to fill our open positions. Here is a list (and start dates) for our new staff members. Welcome!  

-          Megan Finney (second or 3^rd week of October) will be our new librarian 

-          Ashley Gaughan (already started) will be the new Part Time Aide in Mrs. Devita’s room

-          Susan Leahy (October 9) will be the new Part Time Aide in Mrs. Taylor’s room

Weekly Schedule
Monday - Autism Awareness Assembly
Tuesday - Steered Straight Assembly
Wednesday -
Thursday - Staff Meeting 8:00 AM; Grade Level Meetings
Friday - Bus Evacuation Drill

Impossible is Nothing!

September 24 - 28

Bacon Bears,

You Matter!

@web20classroom at the Bammy Awards.
I need to order these socks this year!

The school seems to be getting into a rhythm. Teachers and students have been establishing routines, and for the most part I have seen very few kids in my office for discipline.

I am excited to welcome Ms. Ashley McCloone to the RM Bacon family. Ms. McCloone will be working as a PBIS aide. She will be assisting classroom teachers with interventions to improve discipline, as well as coordinating the Bear Bucks store, and much more!

This past week we were able have our first official assembly. The purpose of the assembly was to welcome back the students, and teach them about our PBIS program. Our guidance counselor, Ms. Spanbauer, did a bully awareness activity with the students. Is it possible for students to NOT bully this year? Well, for us, Impossible is Nothing!

Video of the week (The Missing Bacon Bear)

This week looks to be another excellent week at RM Bacon. There are plenty of learning opportunities on the horizon. I am excited about what the teachers have planned.

Our Basic Skills and Special Education will be starting this week. All students who identified as needing additional help will begin on Tuesday for Basic Skills and Monday for Special Education.

Teachers - I will am beginning observations this week. This year I am starting with the 5th grade and working my way through the grade levels. Dina will contact you about your week. Please make sure to fill our the pre-observation form, and if you wish, schedule a pre-conference 2 days prior to the observation.

Tech Friday 2.0 begins this week on Friday at 8:20AM. This voluntary professional development opportunity will highlight various technology initiatives such as SMART board, remind101.com, imovie trailers, blogging, and much more! Maybe Mr. Drewnowski will show us his iphone 5??

Impossible is Nothing!

Weekly Overview:
Monday - Special Education begins
Tuesday - BSI interventions begin
Wednesday - Elementary Guidance Meeting, Lakeside, 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Thursday -
Friday - Tech Friday 2.0, 8:20 AM in Room 2; PBIS Meeting, 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM

September 17 - 21

Bacon Bears,

You Matter!

We had a very successful Back To School Night. Parents and families were able to participate in the journey we are taking here at RM Bacon. At the beginning of the evening, we showed this new trailer:



After the trailer we discussed how much the NJASK assessment scores have improved, and how the teachers and students will be working together to achieve higher this school year. We also reviewed our discipline data from the past two years, and parents we able to see how our discipline referrals are declining.

The teachers did a fantastic job of communicating to the parents their expectations for the school year. Parents were able to see some of the projects, and technology that the students are using in class.

Mrs. Benson and Mrs. DiGiorgio

Mr. Drewnowski

Mrs. Fallows's classroom

Mrs. Gandy

Mrs. Lunemann

We have another exciting week planned. We will be having an Assembly for students on Wednesday to review the expectations for students during the school year.


Weekly Overview
Monday - Dr. Cook will be out of the office (Mrs. Harris substituting)
Tuesday - Wellness meeting 10:00AM
Wednesday - Assembly
Thursday - 8:00 AM Staff Meeting
Friday - Dr. Cook 1/2 day out of the office (Mrs. Harris substituting)

September 10 -14

Bacon Bears,
You Matter!

We had a wonderful opening to the 2012-13 school year. I would like to thank all of the parents and guardians who participated in our Opening Day Red Carpet Extravaganza! We even made the paper (Daily Journal)

If you were not able to attend, here is a video that was recorded on Opening Day:


As we look to next week, I am excited about the various activities that the students will be engaged in. We will be taking a few more steps closer to achieving the Impossible!

All students in grades 1 - 4 will be going through a screening process for basic skills this week. Results of the screening will help us determine who will need additional assistance in language arts and math.

I will be out of the office on Friday, September 14, 2012. I was nominated for a Bammy Award. The Bammys are featuring a new category this year for excellence in Social Media. I will be attending the event with other nominees such as Dr. Gentile, Superintendent, and Dr. Moore, Asst. Superintendent. We will even have our own red carpet experience! I will post pictures!

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Remember, Impossible is Nothing!

Weekly Overview
Monday - PBIS interviews (1:00 PM - 3:30 PM)
Tuesday - Patriot Day
Wednesday - RtI sweeps
Thursday - RtI sweeps; Back To School Night 7:00 PM
Friday -