Need Classroom Help?

Office Max had teamed with some sponsors to offer a program called Adopt-A-Classroom.  Teachers simply go to the Adopt-A-Classroom website and sign up their classroom.  The program is similar to Donors Choose.   It's also a place for people to go and sponsor a classroom.  Just take a look at what this program has done for so many classrooms already!!



So teachers.........go to: http://www.adoptaclassroom.org/  and register your classroom today!!

On My Mind...

I am deeply saddened by the events that occurred yesterday at Chardon High School in Chardon, Ohio.  As a former administrator, the worst fear I had was something happening to the students placed in my care each and every day.  Schools are one of the safest places a child can be but life has a way of intruding into a school in a profound way.  Such was the case yesterday.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the students, their families, the educators and the community of Chardon, Ohio.

Drills and practice are an important part of a school community.  Knowing what to do in case of a fire provides a school with a plan that ensures safety for the school family.  The same goes for having lockdown drills and plans.  What an awesome job the students and staff of Chardon High School did yesterday in the face of such a horrendous time.  Due to the plan they had in place and numerous practices, that school community was spared additional tragedies.  If you are a parent, please become knowledgeable about the lockdown procedures at your child's school and make sure your child knows what to do!  If your child's school doesn't have a lockdown procedure....you need to make your voice heard to the local school board and have that remedied right away!!!

It's also important for students to realize the importance of informing an adult of any tweets, Facebook posts, conversations or texts that indicate someone is going to hurt another individual or bring a weapon to school.  Nothing should be taken lightly when that happens...in fact, due to students reporting such things recently, authorities at 5 different schools around the country were able to stop a tragedy from occurring!!!

Educators and school staff take the job of student safety seriously and I just want to say... Thank you to each of them for the job they do each and every day to make their schools a safe place for children!!  You do make a difference!!!

What's Voki???

Oh my goodness, I've just discovered the most amazing site thanks to Kelly, my teacher friend.  I was visiting the website at CEES and decided to view some of the teacher pages.  I stopped by Kelly's school page and saw she had a Voki!  Of course, I had to find out what it was, so I googled it and wow....my adventures began.

Voki lets you create a speaking avatar that can be added to your blog, website or profile.  There's also Voki Classroom where your students can interact with Voki!!!  The best part is....it's FREE!! First I created an account; only takes a few seconds. Then, I created an avatar in just a few minutes...the options to personalize are endless.  Next you can either type a message or record a message your avatar will speak when you hit play!!!  Just save it and your Voki is ready to add to your blog.   It is absolutely awesome!!!

Interested??  Ready to try it??  Great, just click this link Voki and your adventure begins!!!  Let me know what you think.  Oh, teacher friends....you can't go wrong with this...can't wait to see what Voki you create!!!!

Thanks Kelly for giving me the opportunity to go on a New Adventure!!!!!

Ladies, Welcome To The Club!!!

Back in April, I attended a retirement party for Nancy Mack, a teacher friend.  Yesterday, I attended another retirement party for two more teacher friends, Nancy Cagle and Kathy Conte!  The Retirement Club is growing!!  Whoo Hoo!!  When you combine all their years of teaching, it's over 98 years!!!!  Talk about a ton of knowledge and experience!

All three of these ladies are gifted teachers....each one gave 100+% to their students every single day, loved what they were doing and touched the lives of hundreds of students over the years.  It is a true honor to know each one of them and to acknowledge what a tremendous impact they had in the field of education, on children and on other educators.  Thanks ladies for all you did for sooooo many children, for fellow teachers and for me!  YOU ROCK!

Now, it's time for their "New Adventure"!!!  So ladies, welcome to the club!!! 



You Live On!

You live on in days retired,
In the pupils that you inspired,
You lit the flame they carry high,
Now see it over the world fly.

You live on in parent's hearts,
Together well you did your parts,
To see with growing satisfaction,
Training up this generation.

You live on in student's lives,
Who have become husbands, wives,
Some are parents with children dear,
You have a part, deserve our cheer.

You live on for generations,
What you teach is building nations.
The seed you've been busy sowing,
Will day by day keep on growing.

You live on in memory deep.
Your legacy is what we'll keep.
If every church needs a preacher,
Every person needs a teacher.

You live on in our grateful mind,
How hard it is the right words find.
To thank you for your work done well,
Where it will end, can scarcely tell.

You live on in grateful spirit,
May you rejoice when you hear it,
You're an angel, a shining star,
May your light shine near and far.

-Paul Berchtold



Teacher Blogs and More!

I know school is winding down for my teacher friends.  With summer coming, many of them begin looking for resources to use for next year.  Since I've been blogging, I've found a variety of blogs and sites...some of them geared specifically for teachers.  Just wanted to pass them along today!

Enjoy your summer!!!!

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http://www.grantwrangler.com/
Grant Wrangler is a free online resource for K-12 schools to find grants, sweepstakes, and funding for classroom projects. This user-friendly searchable database posts new grant opportunities each week and has a place for organizations to submit new grants. There is also a free bi-weekly bulletin you can subscribe to and a grant-writing service called Nimble to help schools develop successful grant-writing skills.

MathGameTime is your resource on the Web for math homework help. If your PreK-7 student is struggling with a certain math concept, you will find interactive online games, math worksheets, and video tutorials to explain math concepts in a fun and interactive way. Research has shown that students become highly motivated to learn and improve in a game environment and online educational games have been known to improve math scores. MathGameTime has scoured the Web for the best resources available to help students excel in Math. High quality online games, videos and practice worksheets are available for a wide variety of topics such as: addition, subtraction, geometry, fractions, algebra, probability, time and money, and problem solving. ALTEC’s own Arcademic Skillbuilders has several online games featured on this Web site so be sure to recommend it to your students today!

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/.