Trojan Times Elementary Update

For the week of October 30th-November 3rd

Monthly Mindset-- Passion First

Be Authentic

Below is the message I shared with our students on Friday morning:

When you are being authentic, you are being true to yourself and doing what is best for you. You will accomplish the most and be at your best when you are doing what you love and being your best self!

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WEEKLY RECAP

We had a good week of learning at PES! I'm proud of the way our students are carrying themselves in the hallways and in the lunch room. The TROJAN WAY is alive and well. When we talk about the Trojan Way, we reference the three "R's", respectful, responsible, and ready. Students are recognized throughout the week by their teachers or other staff members who see good things happening. We had a long list of students earn a "shoutout" this week. It's been a pretty common thread this year, which is a good thing :) Students are living out the Trojan Way and doing great things on a daily basis.

In the classrooms this week, I observed Kindergarten PE students doing a workout and practice a skill of throwing a beanbag underhand into a bucket. It might seem like a simple task, but the detail that goes into a step and underhand throw is extreme. Mr. Boehmer does a great job of explaining a step by step process and our little ones are focused and engaged in the learning task.

I also enjoyed observing second graders work on their independent reading. Learners are able to pick out a book that fits their level, and then they have time to read for enjoyment while a teacher works around the room to check in with them or pulls a small group for discussion.

The third thing I wanted to share for this week was my observation of a couple of students learning about how to communicate effecitively with their peers. Sometimes our younger students haven't learned the social skills that it takes to effectively communicate with one another. It was interesting to watch this scenario as the teacher helped her students with question prompts to help them understand that they need to be able to ask their peers about themselves and not just talk about who they are and the interests they have.

This final observation was a great reminder for me that our students are always learning. If something doesn't work or a student makes a bad choice, it is a great learning opportunity. Everything that our students do in our building is an opportunity for our staff to teach and educate. I'm proud of the work our staff is doing and the fact that they don't take little things, like having an effective conversation with a friend, for granted. I think this idea is a big part of why our year is off to such a great start!