SAN Track and Field Try-outs, Adult High School field (junior students) – 9:00 – 11:00 am
Rosary visit St.Anthony Catholic School
Rosary schedule 10:30 to 11:15 JK & FDK Natalie Schlesak 12:15 to 12:40 Grades 2 Shannon Draper
12:45 to 1:05 Grade 1 Meg Myers 12:15-1:30 Grade 4/5 French: Sylvain Girard 1:45-2:15 Grade 3/4: Maria Manzoli 2:20 -3:00 Grade 5/6: Nora Colaiacovo /Denis Chartrand
GoToWebinar – Sneak Peek: The NEW Atomic Learning – Paul 10:00 am
Culture Shock Hip Hop Dance Lessons
Paul away – 1:00 PM Family of Schools Meeting
Dorothy Stanyar, volunteer, in Mrs. Rupnik’s class PM only
The possibility of optimism (the optimism of possibility) – Seth Godin’s Blog
Is the glass half full or half empty?
The pessimist sees what’s present today and can only imagine eventual decline. The glass is already half empty and it’s only going to get worse.
The optimist understands that there’s a difference between today and tomorrow. The glass is half full, with room for more. The vision is based on possibility, the future tense, not the present one.
Pessimists have trouble making room for possibility, and thus possibility has trouble finding room for pessimists.
As soon as we realize that there is a difference between right now and what might happen next, we can move ourselves to the posture of possibility, to the self-fulfilling engine of optimism.
I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you’re grateful, you’ll see God open up new doors.
Joel Osteen
SIPSAW Survey for 2016-2017 – please complete by June 1st – thanks!!
Defining/Identifying Challenge of Practice
Excerpt from:
Theory of Action, Steven Katz, Leaders in Instructional Thought,
Vol 2, No 1, 2013
FRAMING A CHALLENGE OF PRACTICE
“This is what defines powerful professional inquiry, “a challenge of practice” or “a persistent and familiar instructional improvement dilemma” for which both educators and learners “at this point in their learning, have no easy solution.”
There is a universal respect and even admiration for those who are humble and simple by nature, and who have absolute confidence in all human beings irrespective of their social status.
One year in May, as I was trying to cram in the final activities for a Dramatic Lit course, I promised my students we could watch the movie version of our last play on the last day of school. “What a fun way to close out the class,” I thought. The last day rolled around and students shuffled in. I overheard “This is the 3rd movie I’ve watched today.” At the end of class…that was it. They just walked out. How anti-climactic. All they did on their last day of school was pad from room to room watching movies.
note on Pear Deck from Rob Long: “Over 140 teachers in the Board are using Pear Deck. It is a simple tool that allows you to easily get feedback from students in the class and determine anonymously or not where students are in their thinking.”
There is a free version but the Pro version is free until the end of June, if you want to try it.
It is a Google App so head to a Google Store online.
Traffic study: with Catherine McKenney, city staff and residents to discuss the results of the city’s traffic survey and their plans to mitigate pedestrian safety concerns. – 2:00PM – Paul out
ENDING THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH EPIC IDEAS AND INTRIGUE
End the School Year Like a Pirate with Dave Burgess
I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.
Charles R. Swindoll
St. Anthony Today
EQAO stars today – announcements at the beginning of lunch
Paul away at 11:00 am today – return by noon
Weeding Wednesday at lunch with the Green Club
Waste-free Wednesday
Unit General Meeting OECTA 4:30 @ Hellenic Centre, 1315 Prince of Wales Drive
The Maker of Things – the original maker project – a great read for your students!
excerpt from Medium.com
In the late 1800s, the Brooklyn Bridge was built with no power tools, no heavy machinery, and only a basic, evolving understanding of how to make steel. It’s not these facts, but the stories surrounding the facts that inspire me when I take a good, long stare at a suspension bridge. But first…
Stunning.
In a good bridge, I see the defiant end result of how some of my favorite engineering stories begin:
“I’m sure you can arrange an impressive line of people who say it’s impossible. I take personal joy in ignoring those who say no.”
“Yes, halfway through this project we’ll discover the impossible, but we know how to build through the impossible. Impossible is when we do our best work.”
“Trust me when I say that I can close my eyes and see the end result, and when you can see it, too, you will be amazed.”
Ignore the No. When Brooklyn and New York’s population was booming at the end of the 19th century, the best way to get to and from Brooklyn was via ferries. As solutions were considered, I’m sure there were those who simply thought, “More boats!” These ardent defenders of the status quo were not engineers — they were the business. Their goal was not to build something great, but to make a profit.
“From Doom to Boom” is an incredible new mural by artist Collin van der Sluijs that can be found on the 9-story wall of 1006 S Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The mural features a yellow-headed blackbird that was once common but has now disappeared from Chicago due to loss of habitat, pool land management and invasive species. The other is a red-headed woodpecker that is in need of conservation before it too disappears from Chicago. The mural is part of the Wabash Arts Corridor and van der Sluijs also has his debut US solo show, Luctor Et Emergo, from May 7–28, 2016 at the Vertical Gallery in Chicago.
In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
Theodore Roosevelt
St. Anthony This Week
Tuesday. May 24
Culture Shock Hip Hop Dance Lessons
PLC afternoon group to Rosemount Library: Geraldine & Teresa
Orkidstra Today
MakerEd for Teachers Richard L’Abbé Makerspace, 161 Louis Pasteur Prvt. Colonel By Building Room B109A, Ottawa, Ontario, CA, K1N6N5 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Wednesday, May 25
Wastefree Wednesday Today
Weeding Wednesday at lunch with the Green Club
EQAO begins block 1-O Canada and announcements at 11:10
Orkidstra Today – at Cambridge
Unit General Meeting OECTA 4:30 @ Hellenic Centre, 1315 Prince of Wales Drive.
Thursday, May 26
EQAO-O Canada and announcements at 11:10
Recycle Day at St. Anthony Catholic School- PLEASE recycle today – all material to be left inside near the parking lot door
Traffic study: with Catherine McKenney, city staff and residents to discuss the results of the city’s traffic survey and their plans to mitigate pedestrian safety concerns. 2:0 PM (Paul)
Orkidstra Today
Friday, May 27
Papa Jack Popcorn
According to the Office of Research Consumer Guide, portfolios are “a collection of student work representing a selection of performance.” While artists have kept them for hundreds of years, portfolios emerged in modern education (PDF) from college writing courses in the 1980s. Electronic portfolios are online versions of this tool.
This time of year, our focus begins to shift to planning for the next school year. Sure there are lots of tasks that need to be accomplished before the end of this year, but we do need to spend time putting plans in place for the upcoming year.
Starting next week, we will start attending sessions to help us to develop our school innovation plan for 2016-2017 (SipSaw). There will be increasing pressure on all of us to adopt new initiatives – some that are being adopted across the school board.
Before we get carried away with these new initiatives, it is important to reflect on what we are doing. I am reading Building School 2.0 by Chris Lehmann and Zac Chase. It is a really interesting read and it challenges many of the things we do in our schools. One chapter is really important right now – ‘Reflection Means Better, Not More.’
Instead of asking what more we need to be doing, the more interesting question is “How can we be more thoughtful about what we do?”
Here is a copy of your responses to our self-assessment questions you answered a few weeks ago. As you read through the responses, you will see that many have written about consolidating what we have worked on this year and improve some of the initiatives we have taken on like St. Anthony Superstars for example.
So, as we enter the planning stage of the year, we must all be careful of “What more should we be doing”
Lehmann and Chase have a great quote on this topic:
Imagine the principal who announces to the faculty at the beginning of the year, “This year, we won’t be adopting any new programs. Instead, we’ll be spending the next months getting better at what we already do.” Imagine the relief of the teachers. They would havethe space and mandate not to do more, but to do better. (pg. 25)
We will also be involved in the New Pedagogies for Deeper Learning (NDPL) initiative as well as a Renewed Math Strategy that will have some impact on what we do next year. Both of these are board initiatives that we will have to find a way to incorporate into the planning process.
What is key to remember is that being reflective on what we are doing is more important than doing more. We will all be challenged to find this balance as we plan for next year.
Big Kid Entertainment Hansel and Gretel. (AM) all students
Parent Meeting Meg/Denis/Geraldine
Weeding Wednesday at lunch with the Green Club
Orkidstra at Cambridge
Thursday, May 19
Recycle Day at St. Anthony Catholic School- PLEASE recycle today – all material to be left inside near the parking lot door
K-6 Robotics Collaboration and Networking Session (Denis and Cathy attending) T.D. McGee
Peace Festival West – St. Paul H.S. – 10am to 1:30pm Angela going with students
Orkidstra in learning commons
Friday, May 20
Rosemount library visit grade 3/4 class at 12:30
Pizza today!
Published on Apr 29, 2016
What happens when an academic research lab allows pure curiosity to guide its investigations? What happens when that lab opens its doors and invites the community to come in and play? Andrew Pelling launches a bold idea to create a street-level research lab that amplifies ideas through a potent mixture of craft, serendipity and curiosity. What would happen if we provided our communities with accessibility and resources to explore audacious ideas? Can we accomplish even greater things if we all work together?
Photo and caption by James Smart / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest Amazing supercell produces over the town of Blackhawk, South Dakota back on June 1st 2015. Flash flooding would occur near Rapid City. Location: Blackhawk, South Dakota, United States
Today the children in the Primary Language Class (AM) at St. Anthony Catholic School completed Act of Kindness No. 32 – Clean Your Park/Schoolyard!
St. Anthony This Week
Monday, May 9
OECTA Ottawa Wellness Day for Maria and Teresa
grade 4/5 to Rosemount Library: Sandra, Geraldine
Sabina in all week
Atomic Learning pre-training call with St. Anthony – Paul
Tuesday, May 10
Paul away in the morning – Board LTO Interviews
Dorothy Stanyar, volunteer, in Mrs. Rupnik’s class PM only
Rosemount Library trip with PLC class and Mrs. Wallace
Culture Shock Hip Hop Dance Lessons
Orkidstra today
Atomic Learning overview for St. Anthony staff- 15 minutes – staff PD session
Virtual Edcamp-style meeting – after our reintroduction to Atomic learning, staff will have 45 minutes to work on a module of their choice on Atomic. 3:15-4:15 PM
Wednesday, May 11
Waste-free Wednesday
SEL group: Meghan & Geraldine
Grade 1 to Rosemount Library: Meg & Geraldine
Paul away all day – CLL
Orkidstra today – at Cambridge
Thursday, May 12
Recycle Day at St. Anthony Catholic School- PLEASE recycle today – all material to be left inside near the parking lot door
Nora and Geraldine to NDCHS: IPRC & transition meeting
Ottawa U Science Workshops PM Grades 1, 3, 5
Orkidstra today
OECTA Retirement Dinner – 4:00 PM
Friday, May 13
Tulip Festival Walking Trip FDK and PLC (AM only)
Papa Jack Popcorn
Volunteer Appreciation- PM
Preparation for Tuesday’s Virtual Edcamp – choose a module and let me know what you will be working on. Here is an example:
(you are not expected to get through an entire module)
