Anticipation, excitement, exhilaration...ENERGY!  This week, the flurry of energy at Almond School has been unmistakable.  Wikipedia describes energy as, “the capacity of a system to perform work.”  Our system is the Almond Community (students, staff and parents) and the work at hand this week is focused on daily learning and some very special events: Walk to School Day, Book Fair and Saturday’s Walkabout.

Thank you to every member of our community who has contributed to this atmosphere of delight. 

In particular, our parents have been distributing bagels and cream cheese on Wednesday morning, working the registers at the Book Fair, coordinating the Walkabout t-shirts, painting and prepping the ball pit for Saturday, finalizing the bid items for the silent auction, and so much more!  We are grateful for your service and dedication to Almond School.

I look forward to spending time with all of you (students, staff and parents) on Saturday!!!

Take the M in ME and invert it to a W and you transform the word into WE! 

Next week, opportunities will be plentiful for each of us to orient ourselves outward to focus on others and the greater good of our whole community. 

Begin by walking, biking or scootering to school on Wednesday.  As WE travel alongside each other, let us invite in chances to greet our neighbors and friends in an effort to deepen our relationships.  Discuss as a family the goals of this national day that aims to promote healthy habits, clean air and safer streets.

On Saturday the 12th, WE come together once again at the Walkabout to raise funds in support of our academic program.  Let’s get our hearts pumping, have some fun, listen to lively tunes, and break bread together!

In the midst of these events that stretch our physical skills, the Book Fair provides food and nourishment to feed our minds all week long. Books have the great power of taking us into imaginative worlds, imparting knowledge about areas of interest and teaching us lessons that are at times more easily internalized through the experiences of others.  WE will be collecting small donations to ensure a book finds its way into every hand that yearns for it. 

Finally, through our Free the Children initiative sponsored by Student Council, Almond students and families can engage in a service learning experience.  Together, WE can make a difference in the lives of others.

Let’s hear it for the collective energy that is generated through the power of WE!

For the past several weeks the theme of the principal message has related to vision and how we are preparing Almond learners to be successful in life.  An emphasis has been placed on cultivating “moonshot thinkers” that embrace curiosity, courage, perseverance and passion.  In compliment to this mindset, focus has also centered on a commitment to our community and the relationships that bring all of us together.

Today, attention shifts to a fundamental component with which we need your help – STUDENT SAFETY!

In addressing safety with students, we’ve used the metaphor of Almond Eagles flying in a myriad of directions and velocities (image on left).  We’ve explained to our students that behavior expectations must be honored to ensure that a focus on learning is maintained (image on right).  Otherwise our attention will be diverted to bringing order to chaos rather than growing brilliant minds.

Parents, please join us in this effort of respecting and supporting learning.  It is our expectation that if your child is dismissed at 2:25pm that you will be on site to monitor your child’s behavior in the rotunda.  Learning is taking place in classrooms (kindergarten & 4th – 6th grade) until 2:45pm.  If your child is dismissed at 2:45pm, it is our expectation that your child be picked up no later than 3:00pm.  Please discuss with your children that appropriate behavior while waiting to be picked up includes:

• Walking bikes and skateboards off campus
• Using “walking feet”
• Sitting quietly in an area in the rotunda while waiting for parent
• Exiting the campus in a timely fashion if traveling home independently
• Using appropriate volume levels in public settings

Parents, Almond School thanks you for assisting us in safeguarding the learning of children by adhering to the expectations outlined in this message. 

At last Friday’s morning assembly, Almond’s very own ball pit came to life.  Here’s a video capturing this event.

This concept was inspired by the creative agency SoulPancake.  It aims to open our minds through chewing on life’s big questions.  In this video, a ball pit for grown ups is constructed in a busy city square with the goal of making a space where adults can “take a seat and make a new friend.”  As a staff we are dedicating regular time to deepening our relationships so that we are a strong unit that works in service of your children.

We want to extend this intentional work of creating community to our students and parents through a ball pit of our very own.  We are working through a few final design modifications and will be opening it before and after school to create opportunities for friendship.  Each classroom has been given the challenge to contribute it’s very own question/prompt.  Here’s an example of one, “What do you look forward to the most when you wake up each day?”

I’d like to offer deep gratitude to the parent who built our ball pit, the teacher who saw that this could be a reality, the teachers who supported documenting this event, our YMCA for jumping in the day before and morning of to take care of last minute tasks, and the students who demonstrated remarkable courage and commitment in participating in the ball pit unveiling event.  It is a true pleasure to be part of this C-0-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y!

Parents, please join us every Friday at 8:30am for these assemblies.  It is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together as a community.

In last week’s Thursday Word I ended my greeting with a mention that ideas are the seed from which innovation is born.  Let’s explore how ideas grow and what we as a community of educators and parents can do to encourage this growth.

Take a moment and reflect on the opportunities you create for your children/students to engage in conversation around stimulating topics.  Do you provoke thoughts about topics that peak their curiosity…such as, “I wonder why some birds fly in groups,” or “What would happen if there were no more honey bees on our earth?”  This type of discourse not only gives a young mind the permission to imagine and challenge assumptions, it also instills a voice that has value.  For that voice to have worth, we must honor it with active listening.

As I visit classrooms at Almond School and observe interactions between our parent volunteers and students during lunchtime, it is evident that we value our children’s voices.  Students are provided with opportunities to share their thoughts and express opinions.  We are on our way to cultivating thinkers that will improve our world!

Operational Items & Reminders:

• You may be wondering, “When is our library going to open for students?”  We are in the final process of reorganizing materials and hiring a new librarian as a result of Mrs. Hakes’ retirement.  We anticipate opening in the next two weeks.
• I hope to see you at the Project Cornerstone Developmental Asset 101 Training on September 16^th from 7-8:30pm in the multi.  The presentation will include discussing the positive values, skills and experiences that help children support healthy life choices.
• Next week we will begin playing music at lunch on Fridays. 
• Supervision on the playground begins at 8:15am.  Any students/families arriving before that time are asked to wait in the rotunda (round waiting area) in the front of the school.
• When picking up your children at the end of the day, please wait in the rotunda. 
• If you are picking up younger children at lower grade dismissal and waiting for your older children to be dismissed, please ensure that you are supervising your children’s behavior.
• To ensure a safe environment for Almond Eagles on Halloween, no weapons of any kind will be permitted as part of any costume (this includes shields).

At tomorrow’s Friday assembly we will highlight C-O-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y! 

In doing so, participants will view an interaction between a teacher and myself where we brainstorm ideas by asking the question, “How might we build an even stronger Almond community together?”  In the first brainstorming round, the question is systematically answered with, “Yes, but…”  In the second round, the question is answered with, “Yes, and…”  Ideas come to fruition through a series of stages.  The very first step in the forming process is brainstorming.  During this phase, it’s critical to maintain an open mind so that all possibilities have the opportunity to be considered.  When we work together as a community to build upon ideas, the outcomes are powerful.  I encourage each of us to try this just for one day.  Instead of responding with “yes, but…,” try “yes, and…” to see what that line of thinking yields.

In regards to one answer to building a stronger Almond community, we ask for your continued support with STEM.  Our Tinker Club is a hit!  A student commented to me today that he couldn’t problem solve a conflict he had experienced because “I have Tinker Club and I don’t want to miss it.”  (We found another time to work through the issue.)  To ensure the ongoing success of the Tinker Club, we are seeking the donation of the following items (in the office):  paper towel and toilet paper rolls, rubber bands of all sizes, Post-Its, duct tape of any color or design, pipe cleaners, and popcorn kernels.  These items will be used by students to prototype musical instruments.  Keep your eyes peeled on Twitter to see the creations that come forth!

On the operational front, for families that celebrate religious holidays not observed through our typical days off, please submit to the office an advanced, written request to have that absence excused. 

I leave you with this closing thought adapted from Tina Seelig’s book inGenius, “[our] ideas – big and small – are the critical starting point for innovations that propel us forward.”  I look forward to growing as a community together and welcome your ideas in this process.

On this 7^th day of school, the minds and bodies of our Almond students are already being exercised and stretched.  Mrs. Leach has been visiting classrooms to speak about the Tinker Club that will soon launch at lunch.  Students have visited the STEM lab to begin computational thinking with bee bots.  Our Eagles are expanding their vocabularies through enriching reading and writing activities in their classrooms.  Fourth graders are beginning the design thinking process by identifying challenges in the classroom that need to be solved.  Our sixth graders logged-in to Edmodo, a tool that will serve as the online classroom component to organize and guide their learning journeys for the year.  The multi was filled with sounds of music as our strings group rehearsed together for the first time this year.  Mrs. Alber got student’s hearts beating faster through outdoor physical education. That, and more, is already taking place in our classrooms!  As a staff we will continue pursuing every method grow these opportunities exponentially.

This zero-to-sixty jump into learning is only possible because of the foundation that has been poured over the past many years.  The solid sense of community was evident in the turn out at the Friday ice cream social.  Families were not only able to fill their stomachs with scrumptious sweets, but were also able to reconnect and share stories about their summers.  Our existing families have demonstrated genuine hospitality by welcoming in our new families and staff.

This same spirit carried through at Back to School Night.  Our teachers shined!  They spent countless hours preparing their classrooms and their presentations to show you their unbridled commitment to your children.  We have great plans for your children’s learning this year and are grateful for your partnership in that effort.  Your presence, through standing room only classrooms, was a clear indication that together there is no endeavor that is unattainable.

From an operational standpoint, I’d like to ask for your support on a few items that will strengthen our basic function as a community.  Please keep in mind that we do not have supervision for children until 8:15am and therefore ask that students not arrive on campus before that time.  It’s great to see so many families alleviating traffic congestion by riding bikes or walking to school.  Please remind your children to walk their bikes on campus.  Please emphasize that when crossing Almond Avenue, to do so at an appropriate location that keeps them safe.  Finally, please do not leave your car unattended at any time in the drive thru or in a space that is not designated for parking.  This impedes traffic and creates an atmosphere of frustration.  We are a community and one way to demonstrate that is to support these guidelines.

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!  Enjoy the extra day together as a family.  I can’t wait to hear from you and your children about how the day was spent.

At the welcome coffee, we watched a Moonshot Thinking video produced by Google [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uaquGZKx_0&safe=active].  “The Moonshot” was our country’s successful effort to land on the moon.  At one point in our history, this idea most likely seemed preposterous to some; much as having telephones that we can slip in our pockets and an international network of computers that are searchable for information.  Those, and many other dreams, are a reality today because of the audacious risks of great thinkers.  They allowed curiosity and wonder to make “seemingly impossible ideas” real.

How does this apply to Almond?  We want to be a school of “Moonshot Thinkers.”  We want our students to have the courage to try, the persistence to work through challenges and to THINK BIG.  We want them to “choose to be bothered” about puzzles in life so that they become solution finders.

We look forward to your partnership in this effort and encourage you to engage in daily, rich dialogue with your children about how their efforts were spent in school.  Carol Dweck, of Stanford University, encourages us to not always focus on the answer, but on the journey towards that answer and to ask our children these questions, “What did you learn today?  What mistakes did you make that taught you something?  What did you try hard at today?”  At Almond Elementary this year, we will continually find ways to ensure our students are trying hard and stretching their thinking.

This great work will certainly take place in all of the academic areas, but it won’t end there.  Thanks to generous funding, we are able to provide our students with a well-rounded education by also focusing on health, music, art and the social emotional component of our student’s development.  We will be growing these critical elements of our students in tandem with our innovative STEM initiative.  Students will be programming robots, delving deeply into physical science and working together to use mathematics to engineer products that could potentially change the world.  Thank you to LAEF for making this dream a reality for our children.

I would be remiss if I did not remark on community when reflecting on Almond’s greatness.  This is a VERY special place!  There is a warmth and commitment to each other that permeates every conversation, handshake and smile.  It is a hallmark of our school and certainly one that continues to be nurtured through events that are organized throughout the year.  Thank you to all the returning families who reached out to an incoming family and demonstrated gracious hospitality.  We look forward to seeing you this Friday at the Ice Cream Social and next week at Back to School Night. 

It is going to be an extraordinary year! 

• The Ice Cream Social is this Friday (August 23rd) at 7pm on the blacktop.
• The New Family Orientation is this Friday (August 23rd) at 5:45pm in the multi.
• Back to School Night is on Tuesday, August 27^th.  The schedule is as follows:

• Also, this is the accurate listing of teachers for the school year.

• We welcome five new teachers to our already impressive staff:  Ms. Reeves (1^st), Ms. Conlon (2^nd), Ms. Abraham (6^th), Ms. Aubrey (6^th) and Mr. Stuart (6^th).  Each of these bright educators will certainly infuse valuable practices into our collaborative community. 
• Mrs. Leach will lead our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) initiative that will emphasize igniting a passion for learning in these vital content areas. 
• Mr. Chan and Mrs. Dowling will join last year’s iLearn team (Mrs. Powell, Ms. Schubert and Mrs. Reilly) to support Almond with the expertise they gained at the iLearn Summer Academy.  The essential question that guided their work was, “How do we become innovative designers of student learning and creative teacher leaders on our campus?"  I cannot wait to experience the outcomes that generate from such a provocative question.  ‬