Lesson learned from a school bus incident!

This story comes from a valued elementary teaching friend of mine also looking to one day enter administration. This is a valuable lesson for us all, especially in dealing with student bus transportation issues and dilemmas.

I am the patrol sponsor at my building and I am out each morning to greet students and monitor the patrol posts.  This morning, a car who was a bit impatient in waiting for the bus in front of her (which was stopped by our crossing guard) decided to go around the bus – and hit the bus.  I have been doing this duty as patrol sponsor for 5 years and this has never happened, so it was eye opening and definitely is now in my little book of notes.  So I thought I would share so you could add it to yours. I walked down the road a bit to the bus, because it was not moving and the flashers were on.  We had a field trip to leave this morning for the Kennedy Center and the 5th Grade Play performance, so we had a lot more traffic up our little road than usual due to additional parent guests and chaperones. 

I walked to the bus, knocked and asked if I needed to call transportation…she said she had.  I asked if I could take the kids.  She said no.   The policy/procedure is that everyone is to remain on the bus and the bus turned off until the police, emergency personal and/or the transportation supervisor arrives to determine the next steps of the scene.  If you know anything about where [my school] is…this is a neighborhood where folks park along the sides of the street…IT WAS BLOCKED, no one was getting through.  We were able to unload the buses behind this bus and get the kids in the building.  But that bus sat there for almost 20 minutes.

Once the bus was allowed to move and the children deemed okay (a minivan hitting a bus causes little damage) transportation and the police did what they needed to do…Of course we had to call [central office], we had to call each kids parent who was on the bus, and we have to send a letter home…all of which transportation did not know about nor do they provide you with some kind of form letter to use.  In addition, you need the incident number that the police files incase this mini-van makes a claim on the bus.

CRAZINESS…but when I asked the transportation supervisor if this happens a lot – she said yes- so I thought I would share.  Put it away in your tips, tricks and reminders as an administrator book for good keeping.  My principal and AP were doing this for the first time today too…so it could happen, my principal always calls [central office] first and hopes they can guide her through.   Hoping for a lighter afternoon!

Jane Austen Book Fair on 6/9!

For those of you in the MD area, check this out! I plan on attending!

Jane Austen Society of North America – Washington, DC, Metropolitan Region  

Presents the 

Jane Austen Book Fair 

Saturday, June 9, 2012  

 

  1 to 4 p.m. 

Walt Whitman High School Cafeteria*, Bethesda, MD 

Featuring These Participating Authors: 

       

Sandy 

Lerner 

Margaret 

Sullivan 

Catherine 

Reef 

Janet 

Mullany 

Lori 

Smith 

Amy 

Corwin 

Diana 

Peterfreund 

       

Readings and Author Panel 

Authors’ Book Signings and Sales 

Used-Book Sale featuring a variety of Austen-related Biography, Criticism, 

History and Culture, editions of Austen’s novels, and more!   

(Book sale opens at 2:15, following author panel. Cash and checks only for book purchases) 

ADMISSION IS FREE, and no advance registration is necessary – just come, and bring a friend!   

(No children under 12, please.)  Complimentary beverages and cookies will be provided.   

7100 Whittier Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20817.  (See directions on back.)  Free parking on-site.  

Updates will be posted at jasna-dc.org; email jasna.dcrc@gmail.com with questions.  *This activity is not 

sponsored by, associated with, or endorsed by Montgomery County Public Schools or Montgomery County Government.   

THIS PROGRAM IS FUNDED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA. 

Meet Our Participating Authors 

Amy Corwin writes Regency romances and mysteries with a dash of wit.  Among her 

works are the Second Sons Inquiry Agency series, and the Archer Family series, 

combining matchmaking with mystery-solving.  Her fourth book in the latter series 

was just published, and she has a “humorous cozy mystery” coming out this year. 

Sandy Lerner (writing as Ava Farmer) wrote Second Impressions to explore the 

changes to the Darcy family's life, Europe post-Napoleon, and life in late Regency 

England with humor and a love of Austen's language.  She is a farmer, business- 

woman, translator of a book on carriage driving, author of a dictionary of digital audio terminology, 

and Chairman of the Chawton House Library and Center for Early English Women’s Writing. 

Janet Mullany writes funny romantic historical fiction and Regency paranormal stories.  Her 2011 book 

Blood Persuasion, a follow-up to 2010’s Jane and the Damned, begins with Jane Austen confronting 

vampires who are “raising hell in her tranquil village just in time to interrupt Jane’s work on what will 

be her masterpiece.” 

Diana Peterfreund is the author of eight novels for adults and teens, as well as several critically 

acclaimed short stories and non-fiction essays about popular fiction. Her latest novel, For Darkness 

Shows the Stars, is a post-apocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion.  

Catherine Reef is an award-winning author of biographies and nonfiction for young adults.  Her book 

Jane Austen:  A Life Revealed was one of Booklist’s Top 10 Biographies in 2011 and is nominated for the 

2012 Nonfiction Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association.  Among her other works are 

books on the Brontes, Ernest Hemingway, E.E. Cummings, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and Walt Whitman.   

Lori Smith is the author of a just-published book, The Jane Austen Guide to Life: Thoughtful Lessons for 

the Modern Woman and 2007’s A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith, 

winner of the Jane Austen’s Regency World Award for Best Nonfiction. Her books reveal her personal 

connections to Austen on many levels—as a writer, a single woman, and an Anglican. 

Margaret C. Sullivan’s The Jane Austen Handbook was re-released in 2011. Among her other works are 

There Must Be Murder, a novella sequel to Northanger Abbey; the foreword and annotations for 

Girlebooks’ edition of Sense and Sensibility; and the short story “Heard of You” included in the 

anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It.   

Driving Directions (Walt Whitman HS, 7100 Whittier Blvd., Bethesda, MD) 

From Virginia:  Take I-495 (the Beltway) across the American Legion Bridge into Maryland.  Take Exit 

39, River Road, toward Washington.  Go approximately 2.5 miles and go LEFT on Whittier Boulevard 

(Whittier comes after Braeburn Pkwy, before Goldsboro Rd.).  Go 0.3 miles to school entrance on LEFT. 

From Maryland:  Take I-495 toward Virginia, and take Exit 39, River Road, toward Washington.  Go 

approximately 2.5 miles and go LEFT on Whittier Boulevard (Whittier comes after Braeburn Parkway, 

before Goldsboro Rd.).  Go 0.3 miles to school entrance on LEFT. 

Public Transportation:  Take Metro to the Bethesda Metro Station.  Take Bus 29 toward Friendship 

Heights.  Exit at Whittier Boulevard and Robinwood Road (about 9 minutes) and walk along Whittier to 

the school.  Check www.wmata.com for service notices or to get directions from your location. 

A fun Shakespeare video to watch!

Here's a link to Who's on First, Shakespeare style. A valued colleague showed it to me, and I thought you would all like it. I think the tracking gets a little funny at the end, but the audio is still good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaGHVWKrcpQ&feature=plcp

YouTube - Videos from this email

Calling All Critical Explorers!

Critical Explorers Summer 2012 Teacher Workshops \ August 20-22, 2012 Apply by June 1, 2012 We look forward to working with you in August! Workshop 1 (for new participants):   Critical Exploration in Grades 4-12 Humanities Classrooms:  An Introduction Learn to teach through critical exploration Choose and experiment with primary source materials you can use in your classroom Experience, reflect on, and create history and literature activities Examine and discuss written portraits of critical exploration in practice Learn new ways of listening to students and looking at their work By working with materials and examples drawn from History/Social Studies/Geography and English/Language Arts, we will learn and practice critical exploration, an approach educators can trust to help them capture students' interest, respond to their ideas, and initiate and sustain authentic, learner-centered investigations. This dual focus (on the approach as well as the content) makes the workshop practical not only for history and English teachers, but for all teachers, including those who want to explore connections between other subject areas (art, science, etc.) and the humanities and social studies.  All interested teachers are welcome. Workshop 2 (for returning participants):   Designing and Deepening Humanities Investigations for Grades 4-12 Prerequisite: Workshop 1 (above) or Eleanor Duckworth's course T-440:  "Teaching and Learning" Cultivate and sustain student interest in required topics by combining materials and creating and extending exploratory activities Help students make sense of primary sources -- and approach secondary sources just as critically Support and structure students' collective and individual efforts to develop historical or literary themes Open the richness of each curricular topic to students with special needs Assess students' learning while focusing on their thinking and helping them reexamine their understandings This workshop (for returning participants and alumni of T-440) is designed to help participants build on previous experiences teaching the humanities through critical exploration. Sessions will include large and small group explorations, laboratory time for activity development and experimentation, and focused reflection and revision in conversation with other participants and facilitators. Teams of participants will design flexible sequences of materials they can incorporate into their teaching next year. Details about the workshops: Monday - Wednesday, August 20-22, 2012, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lesley University, Porter Square, Cambridge, MA Coffee, tea, and homemade muffins or scones will be provided each morning.  Please bring your own lunch.  We'll eat lunch together so that discussion can continue informally over the meal. Cost:  $395.  Scholarships are available. To apply, ask questions, or request a scholarship, email us at workshop@criticalexplorers.org or contact us. Applications are due by June 1, 2012. We will schedule a day this fall when all 2011 and 2012 workshop participants can come together to discuss in-progress work and questions. Please share this announcement with anyone you think might be interested. Thank you!

The directions quiz!

I gave this to my 8th graders today and was extremely entertained (or shall I put it -- depressed!) at how many of them were incapable of reading ALL of the directions thoroughly. This activity is worth doing with ANY age!

FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS

NO CORRECT____NO WRONG_______

TEST DIRECTIONS: This test will be a measure of your ability to read and follow directions. You are to choose one correct answer for each of the following questions. Your answers should be placed in the space provided to the left of the questions of this test unless you are directed to do otherwise. There will be ¼ point subtracted from the total number of correct answers to calculate your test score. Read the entire test (all questions) before you begin to answer any of the questions. You will have 20 minutes to answer the 20 questions.

Place three triangles above your name.

Divide the result of questions #1 by 3 and then by 2.

Draw a circle around each of the triangles.

Subtract the result of question #1 by 50.

Is the answer to #6 the same as the answer to #3? (Yes or No)

Is New York called the Garden State? (Yes or No)

Is New Jersey called the Empire State? (Yes or No)

Draw an octagon in the upper right hand corner of this test paper.

Are you sure that you have read the directions to this test properly? (Yes or No) If not, you
may now wish to reread them.

Circle the question numbers for which you are sure you gave correct answers.

What is your height in feet and inches?

What is your height in total inches only?

If you read the directions and questions carefully, how many marks should there be on this
paper for the first 13 questions?

What color does a mixture of blue and green make?

How much time do you have left at this point in the test?

Have you read the directions to this test very carefully? (Yes or No)

Write your name in the space provided and turn in your paper. Do not answer the questions.

Aren’t you glad you followed the directions? (Yes or No)

Fall 2002
STUDENT LEARNING ASSISTANCE CENTER (SLAC)
Texas State University-San Marcos

The End of Teacher Appreciation Week -- You deserve a great article!

This is from a valued colleague and definitely worth sharing!

A colleague of mine shared this with me.  What is so interesting is it is, in my opinion, so true.  I had 3 bio-chemist’s, an engineer, and 2 nutritional doctors share mini-labs for our elementary school students and parents last week at the Invention Convention we had.  As fabulous of a night as it was, the biggest learning did not come from the acids and bases lab or the bioluminence lab or discovering the nutritional needs of our body in regards to diabetes, but rather the PhD specialists in these fields working with children.  The teachers in my building who assisted in many labs and were not necessarily knowledgeable of the STEM content of the different labs were fabulous, because they knew engagement, processes of student learners, and simply how children think and react.  Enjoy…and share.  Happy Teacher Appreciation Week…you all are fabulous!

http://www.musingsonlifeandlove.com/2010/09/13/the-hardest-job-everyone-thinks-they-can-do/

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Need a laugh? Check this out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T8ovblvQM0&feature=share