Quote of the day...

"The easiest thing to be in the world is you.  The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be.  Don't let them put you in that position."

--Leo Buscaglia

BAK's Special Visitors...

E-I-E-I-E-I-O... Come on Blackhawks, Let's Go!

We're from Prairie... Couldn't be prouder!

Watch out for that alligator...

A special thanks to the cheerleaders and Coach Saxe for a great visit!  We can't wait for the pep rally (or "pepper" rally as our little ones say :) ) tomorrow!!

Having Fun During Specials

Students in Mr. Henning's class sing a song while using instruments!

Students in Mrs. Lewis' phy ed class are playing a fun tag game.

Students in Ms. Voelzke's science class had a special visit from Mrs. Lenzendorf, with a lesson on nutrition.

Students in Mrs. Harris' social studies class were reading a story about a president.

Quote of the day...

"The difference between try and triumph is a little umph."

--Author Unknown

BAK Little Hawk News...: Parade FUN...

BAK Little Hawk News...: Parade FUN...: BAK staff members had a ton of fun at the Homecoming Parade last night!!  It was great to see so many smiling faces!! ...

Drew Johnson Blog: BAK School Report Card

Drew Johnson Blog: BAK School Report Card: As information on the new School Report Card rating scale comes forth, there will be a series of blogs on the subject. As we all know, the s...

Parade Tonight

Just a few reminders about the parade tonight...

We will be meeting in the High School parking lot (south lot) around 5pm.  Those of you teaching Superstars... We will wait for you!  We will then travel to the island and put the finishing touches on the float.  

I hope to see many of you there tonight!  Thanks to all for everything you've done to make this such a fun experience for the kids!  I can't wait to see their faces as they see you in the parade tonight.

Quote of the day...

"Be grateful for all the obstacles in your life.  They have strengthened you as you continue with your journey."

--Author unknown

Quote of the day...

"Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart, and try to love the questions themselves... Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now... The point is, to live everything.  Live the questions now."

---Rainer Maria Rilke

Quote of the day...

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all."

-Stanley Horowitz

Food for Thought...

The Only Way to Respond to Life...

The Only Way to Respond to Life

Post written by Leo Babauta.

I went for a run along the beach at sunset yesterday, foam kissing my bare feet, smooth sand caressing my soles, and the sky exploding with color.

I paused for breath, mostly because the sky, and the Pacific, had borrowed my breath from me.

I stopped and applauded.

This is the only response that life deserves: overjoyed applause.

This morning, wherever you are, whatever life has given you, take a moment to really appreciate this gift, and applaud. I mean, actually applaud.

Then give back to life, something, anything, to show your gratitude for this miracle you’ve been given. Do anything: be kind to someone, create something, be gentle with your children, do something where your body feels full of life.

We often not only take life for granted, but complain about it. Life isn’t perfect, work is boring, people are too rude, drivers are idiots, no one gets me, I have too many things to do. But goodness, look around you! What a wonder life is! If only we would take the time to see it, to really appreciate it, and to applaud.

This moment is a ridiculously generous miracle. Give it up, folks, for life.

POSTED: 09.22.2012

A few clips from Daniel Pink...

Daniel Pink is a well renowned motivational offer. Attached are some clips that he did for the Patterson Foundation. These give some neat ideas and food for thought.

Quote of the day...

"Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is."

--Vince Lombardi

Drew Johnson Blog: Every Child a Graduate – Agenda 2017

Drew Johnson Blog: Every Child a Graduate – Agenda 2017: From DPI: State Superintendent Tony Evers has produced a great five-minute video about his Agenda 2017. He highlights major initiatives to c...

Quote of the day...

"The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket."

--Will Rogers

BAK Little Hawk News...: Jump Rope for Heart!

BAK Little Hawk News...: Jump Rope for Heart!: Students in the Prairie du Chien School District are going to have the opportunity to participate in Jump Rope for Heart this year!  Paula ...

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Baumgartner...

Mrs. Baumgartner and her husband, Josh, welcomed a beautiful baby girl yesterday (Tuesday, September 18) at 5:30pm.  Her name is Lylla Kay Baumgartner.  Mrs. Baumgartner reports that both mom and baby are doing well!  Congrats!

Quote of the day...

"The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts while the stupid ones are full of confidence."

--Charles Bukowski

Interesting Quick Read...

East vs. West: Educational Philosophies Collide

VERY IMPORTANT READ FOR ALL STAFF WITH INSURANCE

Drew Johnson Blog: Health Assessment Followup and HRA: We are getting a number of questions on the health assessment followup. I will try to be as clear as possible and give out the information t...

Quote of the day...

"Patience is to wait with certainty, the art of allowing life to carry you."

--Chinese proverb

4K Group Meeting - 9/17/2012

Specials Teacher Meeting Information - 9/17/2012

Quote of the day...

"The secret to a rich life if to have more beginnings than endings."

--Dave Weinbaum

Homecoming T-Shirts

Homecoming t-shirts are available for $10.  If interested, email Laura.

Happy Belated Birthday...

Happy Belated Birthday to some of our other B.A. Kennedy staff members...

Mrs. Sturmer celebrated her birthday on September 4th,

Ms. Tank also celebrated her birthday on September 4th,

Mrs. Kilbey celebrated her birthday on September 9th.

We hope you all had great birthdays!!

Friday Thought...

Christine was commenting to me today about how helpful everyone at B.A. Kennedy has been as she has transitioned into Bethany's role.  You are all amazing.  The team that we have here at BAK is such a great thing, and I'm so glad to be a part of it!  I hope you all have a great weekend.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Zeeh!!

Happy Birthday to Mr. Zeeh today!  We hope it's a great day and an awesome weekend for you!!

Quote of the day

"You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take."

--Wayne Gretzky, retired professional ice hockey player

Final Polo Logo...

BAK Little Hawks T-Shirts

Please see the letter below regarding BAK Little Hawk T-Shirts.  If you are interested in a shirt, please turn your money and order form into the office.  There will also be the option for staff to order a polo type shirt.  Samples of this are on the way.

Here is the web link for the document: 

Little Hawks T-Shirts

The shirts will look like the following:

Quote of the day...

"All life is an experiment.  The more experiments you make, the better."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Quote of the day...

"Be confident.  Too many days are wasted comparing ourselves to others and wishing to be something we aren't.  Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is only when you accept everything you are --- and aren't --- that you will truly succeed."

--Author unknown

What type of company do you want to be?

Great Read...

Making Feedback to Students Effective

(Originally titled “Know Thy Impact”)

 

“Gathering and assessing feedback are really the only ways teachers can know the impact of their teaching,” says Australian educator John Hattie in this Educational Leadership article. The problem is that not all feedback is effective. Hattie offers these suggestions for making feedback work:

• Clarify the goal. “The aim of feedback is to reduce the gap between where students are and where they should be,” says Hattie. “With a clear goal in mind, students are more likely to actively seek and listen to feedback.” The teacher might provide scoring rubrics, a completed example, the steps toward a successful product, or progress charts.

• Make sure students understand the feedback. “When we monitor how much academic feedback students actually receive in a typical class, it’s a small amount indeed,” says Hattie. Teachers need to check with students to see if they’re getting it. This may involve asking them to interpret written comments and articulate next steps.

• Seek feedback from students. Do they need help? Different strategies? Another explanation? Teachers who listen to students can adapt lessons, clarify work demands, and provide missing information, all of which helps students do better.

• Tailor feedback to students. Novice students benefit most from task feedback, somewhat more proficient students from process feedback, and highly competent students thrive on feedback aimed at self-regulation or conceptual understanding.

 -   Task feedback – How well the student is doing on a particular task and how to improve.

 -   Process feedback – This might be suggested strategies to learn from errors, cues to seek                                     information, or ways to relate different ideas.

 -   Self-regulation feedback – This helps students monitor, direct, and regulate their own actions as they work toward the learning goal – and helps build a belief that effort, more than raw ability, is what produces successful learning.

To move students from mastery of content to mastery of strategies to mastery of conceptual understanding, teachers need to give feedback that is at or just above their current level.

 • Use effective strategies. One tip is to scope out entering misconceptions and have students think them through. Another is providing students with formative assessment information, giving them specific information on strengths and weaknesses. A third is to start with effective instruction and learning experiences. “Teachers need to listen to the hum of students learning, welcoming quality student talk, structuring classroom discussions, inviting student questions, and openly discussing errors,” says Hattie. “If these reveal that student have misunderstood an important concept or failed to grasp the point of the lesson, sometimes the best approach is simply to reteach the material.”

• Avoid ineffective feedback. Researchers have found that praise and peer feedback are problematic. “Students welcome praise,” says Hattie. “Indeed, we all do. The problem is that when a teacher combines praise with other feedback information, the student typically only hears the praise… The bottom line seems to be this: Give much praise, but do not mix it with other feedback because praise dilutes the power of that information.” As for peer feedback, Graham Nuthall monitored students’ peer interactions through the school day (using microphones) and found that most of the feedback students receive during the day is from other students – and much of it is incorrect. Peer feedback needs clear structure, such as a rubric and a set of guiding questions.

• Create a climate of trust. Students must understand that errors and misunderstandings are part of learning and not be afraid of negative reactions from peers – or the teacher – if they make mistakes.

 

“Know Thy Impact” by John Hattie in Educational Leadership, September 2012 (Vol. 70, #1, p. 18-23),www.ascd.org; Hattie can be reached at jhattie@unimelb.edu.au.

Common Core Instructional Shifts...

This provides interesting information on the Common Core Standards, which we have been hearing a lot about lately in the world of education!!

Common Core Instructional Shifts

Quote of the day...

"Don't die with the music in you."

--Wayne Bennett

K/1 Common Planning Time Notes

Technology...

Quote of the Day...

"The only way to find a pot of gold is to start chasing rainbows."

Drew Johnson Blog: Danza book: I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher...

Drew Johnson Blog: Danza book: I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher...: The following is wholly quoted from an article by Michael Keany on School Leadership 2.0 Click here to visit the site Tony Danza: W...

Words by John Hagel...

The Labor Day Manifesto Of the Passionate Creative Worker by John Hagel

We are living in a modern renaissance. Like the printing press during its time, our new tools have the capacity to spread knowledge faster and farther ever before, resulting in an unparalleled and ever increasing rate of progress and change. As we consider the free information and universal connectivity that is now available, we are struck by the potential that each individual has to impact the world. And as we reflect on our past progress and the opportunities still ahead, we recognize that the most valuable resource we have is the human creativity and ingenuity innate in every person.

On this Labor Day, we celebrate the passionate and dedicated individuals in all fields who have both led us to where we are now, and are creating and shaping the future. They are explorers, pushing back the limits of our current understanding. They pioneer new ideas, discover new truths, and tirelessly innovate. They actively seek out new challenges and connect broadly with others to solve them. Though they come from every occupation and background, they are unified by the sincere belief that they can leave the world a better place than they found it.

To commemorate Labor Day, we think of those who inspire us through their example, and rededicate ourselves to living life passionately. We strive to:

1. Live our lives, and not someone else’s. We are the arbiters of meaning in our own lives; no one else, no matter how wise, rich, or well intentioned, can decide how we should spend our lives. Our passions serve as our compass as we seek out that which is beautiful, enriching, and meaningful to build our lives and the future.

2. Blaze new trails. There is no established path to greatness; we will need to step off the well-trodden trail and blaze our own. We commit to diligently exploring and creating new ideas, perspectives, methods, relationships, etc. We challenge the status quo, and in turn, seek out things that challenge us.

3. Prioritize learning over efficiency. We are focused on trajectories that lead us toward excellence and progress. We know that to reach our highest potential, we must never compromise growth for short term efficiencies, and we support others on their own learning paths. Mistakes, while the enemy of efficiency, are the fuel for learning.

4. Share knowledge freely. As we find better ways to share and exchange knowledge, each new discovery we make individually has the potential to benefit everyone collectively. We see each person’s enormous potential to contribute to our global knowledge base, and we are committed to moving from a zero sum mentality to one of collaboration and increasing returns.

5. Recognize that institutions exist to serve people.  We don’t exist for institutions, they exist for us. We create and participate in them to cultivate and pursue our passions and to develop more rapidly than we can on our own. We expect those we charge with leading our institutions to do everything possible to foster the growth of those they serve.

6. Quit jobs that we hate. There are too many interesting things to do in this life to waste time on things that don’t matter. In a time when jobs are in short supply for many, those of us who have jobs may be tempted to hold on to them because we have become comfortable with a certain lifestyle. We pledge to give up the corner office, fancy car or anything else of little consequence that may be holding us back from pursuing our passions.

7. Escape the trap of wasting time by being busy. Being overscheduled, even with the best things, will cause us to miss the important things that can’t be planned, and will rob us of the most valuable opportunities of our lives. In a world with so many meaningful things to do, we strive to master the delicate art of deciding what’s not most important to us and letting them go.

8. Live life for the adventure. Life is as amazing as we make it. When considering different opportunities, we ask, “When I look back in five years, which of these options will make the better story,” because no one ever regrets taking the path that leads to the better story.

9. Stay on the edge. The people who change the world are out at the edge of their field, pushing back the boundaries of the unknown. Though exhausting and sometimes risky, that is where we belong. Over and over we have found that the edge is not a cliff, but a fertile field awaiting our exploration.

10. Continually reinvent ourselves. We know that passion is the key to personal growth; it compels us to take risks, overcome fears, and attempt things never done before. And as a result, passion transforms the passionate. Only as we continually reinvent ourselves can we start to discover and reach our full potential.

11. Never settle. Never. Ever. Not even once.

We all have the potential to become passionate creative workers.  Let us join forces and help each other along the way to become better, far better, than we ever could alone. And, let’s have a hell of a time along the way.

It's been a super week...

But I think we all will appreciate this --- students included :)

Quote

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

--Lao Tzu

Source: shareasimage.com via Larry on Pinterest

Great food for thought...

Quote of the day...

"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back."

--Arthur Rubinstein

Drew Johnson Blog: Bluff View; Wisconsin Schools of Recognition

Drew Johnson Blog: Bluff View; Wisconsin Schools of Recognition: Wisconsin  Department of Public Instruction  awards  Schools of Recognition   to  Prairie du Chien Public Schools: Bluff View Elemen...

Quote of the Day

"A teacher affects eternity.  He can never tell where his influence stops."

--Henry Brooks Adams

We've all seen these reactions...

We're ready...

For a great 2012-2013 school year!!!

We're enjoying our first day at BAK...

Quote of the day...

"A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit."

--D. Elton Trueblood

Message to start the first day...

This short video is only 3 1/2 minutes long... I hope you will take a few minutes to watch this today!  Thanks for everything you do for your students all year long!!!

Heart of a Teacher Movie

Wisconsin Media Lab...

Check out the following link to find interactive websites, streaming videos, downloadable videos, free images and sound files to name a few. 

Wisconsin Media Lab Link

There are some fantastic online resources here!  Happy surfing!

Info from August Faculty Meeting...

Please look over the attached presentation, which includes the faculty meeting info. If there are any questions, do let me know. Thank you!

Quote of the Day...

"My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am."

--Author unknown

Interesting Math Watch...

This is a very interesting watch, and covers many of the things that we discussed when looking at the Everyday Math series!  It's definitely worth the few minutes it takes to watch this all the way through.  Enjoy!

Drew Johnson Blog: Sometimes people ask what teachers do all summer.....

Drew Johnson Blog: Sometimes people ask what teachers do all summer.....: An example, using our PdC Public School PK through 4 teachers, is that they have to learn a new set of materials so they can hit the ground...

As many of you know, my husband and I have a dairy farm just north of Eastman.  The quote that I am including here suites my life in various ways!  While it's hard to believe that we're already coming upon another school year, I am looking forward to seeing us all work together to provide our students and each other with the conditions we need for our best growth as students, professionals and people.  

I'm looking forward to the best school year yet.

Source: shareasimage.com via Larry on Pinterest

The quote above is an excerpt from the following video of Sir Ken Robinson.

 

Food for Thought on Saturday...

Drew Johnson Blog: Cut the You-Tube Clutter with QT

Drew Johnson Blog: Cut the You-Tube Clutter with QT: By using quietube (QT), teachers can show you-tube snippets in class without all the distraction such as the comments (some of which may be ...

Drew Johnson Blog: Data showing importance of rigor in middle grades

Drew Johnson Blog: Data showing importance of rigor in middle grades: The following is an excerpt from an article written by Alan Borsuk (underlines added by me): An eye-catching result, based on national data:...

Drew Johnson Blog: Tucker Farm Under the Big Top

Drew Johnson Blog: Tucker Farm Under the Big Top: I want to make a plug for our latest author on our staff. Kudos to one of our Kindergarten teachers, Shawn Zeeh, who has a new book publishe...