Get ready, get set for the best year yet! You’re going to have an amazing and full of creativity school year! It’s a new beginning, a fresh, bright year. So open your mind, and push out the fear. Enjoy being back in the classroom, AITs!
Welcome Back, AITs! Let the 2023/2024 School Year BEGIN!
WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO?
Seriously, it flew by, didn’t it? Is it me or would you agree?
Take a few minutes now to focus on one moment this summer, when there seemed to be a ‘Sky Full of Stars’. A time, this summer when everyone was having a good time, basking in the sun, and feeling relaxed. Euphoric? Satisfied? I’ll settle for happy and having FUN!
As you start this new school year you will feel like a warrior at times, You, will be completely exhausted and frustrated at other times, and eventually have your heart filled with joy, when your kids finally let their creative side flourish. Trust me when I say this, at the end of the day, they will remember when you got up and messed up at something and laughed it off with them. That is what you call resilience. Please show them that. Do not think for one moment they are not watching you. THEY ARE! If you cannot sing/dance/ or be dramatic-do it anyway! They will cherish you more for kicking back and having fun. Let this side of you show LOUD AND CLEAR!
I hope this short YouTube conveys to you how important your role is in the life of a growing child. Especially as you teach them to integrate the love for the arts into their own lives….and hearts. It is a rite of passage to encourage them to ‘let loose and be free’. It is so much more powerful when you show them you can do so as well. Why not start on Day One? This year is officially opening with a tribute to my own personal ‘Sky Full of Stars’. PLEASE do not just watch this video. Participate at some level. Mimic a character you see, sing along, or get a household object to bang or just dance and jump around. Watch and enjoy here as you witness firsthand what I hour you as MY ‘Sky Full of Stars’
Thank you, Coldplay, for providing this year’s theme, so that ALL staff will embrace and encourage their students to shine, too!
ALL grades from K to 8 will be involved in exploring this theme for the first two weeks of school.
The first two weeks has the same lesson for all ages. Adjust and adapt for different ages. They might not be rock stars, chorus dancers, or action heroes, BUT each one of them can be a star within their own rite. Shine the light for them, guide them, and get out of their way. Every night you see a star shining, name it for one of your kids. Encourage teachers to practice this approach in their classes. Publicly celebrate the silent, awkward, shy students when they participate willingly. Do NOT wait for a moment when they are worthy. Create the moment (playing this song or another they prefer to identify with) when you notice a breakthrough…a great tableau…a creative movement piece …or the most amusing dramatic/comedy presentation, celebrate them OUT LOUD! Don’t look too hard. It is happening everywhere. Especially when everyone is looking for it!
Have a great year, AITs!
Pat
Kid President’s Pep Talk for Teachers and Kids
In this new school year when we are featuring a ‘School Filled with Stars’ as a school-wide theme, I thought you might get a chuckle applying Kid Presidents’ ideas. Maybe your kids can identify with him when he says, “LOOK FOR THE AWESOME!” Great way to start your year.
Dates to Remember
(Click the dates to learn more!)
- September 4th is Labour Day
- September 5th is First Day of School
- September 8th is International Literacy Day
- September 13th is Positive Thinking Day
- September 15th is Make a Hat Day
- September 18th is Rice Krispie Treat Day
- September 18th is Terry Fox Day
- September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day
- September 22nd is Autumn Equinox
- September 22nd is PA Day
- September 23rd is International Day of Sign Languages
- September 25th is National Comic Book Day
- September 28th is Ask a Stupid Question Day
- September 30th is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation / Orange Shirt Day
Just for Laughs
Where do writing utensils go on vacation?
Pencil-vania
Why were students doing multiplication on the floor?
Because the teacher asked them not to use tables
What did the ghost teacher say to his class?
Watch the board, and I’ll go through it again
Why shouldn’t you give your history teacher a gift?
Because he won’t like the present
What did the teacher say about the pizza student?
There’s mushroom for improvement
What do you call a square that was in an accident?
A rect-angle
Great Blog Posts for Teachers
- What I Have Learned: 9 Ways to Start the year Off Right
- Ross McGill From the UK: Back to School Do’s and Don’ts
- Madly Learning: Integrating Technology and Way More: Patti from Ontario
- Inspired Elementary: Free Activities
- Teachers Are Sharing Their Favorite Ways To Amp Themselves Up for a New School Year
- 45 Real Teacher Lunches That Will Inspire You To Pack Your Own
Classroom Downloads
(Share with your fellow classroom teachers!)