Thank you

Giving Thanks! – #Engage109

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“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
– President John F. Kennedy

Happy-Thanksgiving-1

As we prepare to give thanks with our families and friends, it’s a nice time to reflect professionally on the great and multiple reasons for which we give thanks as well!

From a letter I sent to the Deerfield Public Schools District 109 Community earlier this week:

“Dear District 109 Staff, Parents, Grandparents and Community Members, …

I give thanks that our excellent teachers work in partnership with involved parents to allow students to reach their fullest academic potential and, more importantly, to create a community of caring, respect, trustworthiness, and integrity. Together, we are creating a high-achieving and highly caring educational environment that is a model for other communities to follow.

I’m thankful for our ability to connect with our community, and that you share your thoughts and provide valuable input so willingly with us. Your feedback and ideas are critical in our continuous improvement. When we launched the District 109 mobile app earlier this year, we included an icon for the “Your Voice” survey, a quick one- or two-question survey on important topics. The first survey asked the greatest area of concern for students in District 109. Responses came in from parents, students, staff and community members. The results show that the social-emotional well being of students is at the top of the list…

Your Voice Again
We’ve just opened a new Your Voice survey, so please visit the District 109 mobile app, swipe to the second page, and click on the Your Voice icon. Then, answer our quick question to share your opinion on computer coding. We’ll share those results in the coming months, and let you know if we’re taking any action based on your input…. ‘

We are grateful that we work in the DPS109 community, there are so many reasons why, including (but not limited to the following):

  • We are thankful for a Board of Education who act as a Governance Team,

    ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER
    ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER
  • We are thankful for a Leadership team who seek continuous improvement,
  • We are thankful for a teaching and support staff community who love children, education, and success,
  • We are thankful for the finest students in the world,
  • We are thankful for a community who supports education and the future with critical review and direct communication,
  • We are grateful to live in a free society where free expression is celebrated! Thank you so much for allowing us the privilege to

 

 

Engage, Inspire, Empower our students, one another, our community –

each and every day!

Veteran’s Day – Honoring our Liberty – #Engage109

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“Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

veterans-remembrance-day-quotes

Tomorrow we set aside time to honor our nation’s veterans for service above self and for selfless service in support of our freedom and liberty! We are a free people in a land devoted to liberty and justice for all, a land where the peaceful transition of power has been the norm and not the exception, and a land where being from somewhere else is expected, not questioned. Those who have served and fought for our freedom are heroes in whose memory we offer gratitude and thanks. As a third generation American and a son, nephew, son-in-law, cousin, friend, and neighbor and co-worker to veterans, I say THANK YOU! My wife and I named our son for one of my uncle’s who served our country for decades and who, along with my aunt, is interned at the Arlington National veterans-day-quotesCemetery. Veteran’s Day is a special time for reflection, thanks, gratitude and honor – it is a personally important day for me and my family.

From: Information about Veteran’s Day

Veterans Day is an official United States holiday which honors people who have served in armed service also known as veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11.

The precursor of Veterans Day was Armistice Day, proclaimed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson for November 11, 1919, to honor those members of the armed forces who were killed during war World War I. The date of 11th November was chosen to commemorate the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western veterans-day-quotes-4Front of World War I. An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday — a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.”

In 1954, after World War II and after American forces had fought aggression in Korea the Congress amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day. Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving.

On Veteran’s Day, as you are in school, at work, on a day off, serving others, please take a few moments

Retired Senior Master Sgt. Billy Neil poses near a quote by President Harry Truman at the National World War II Memorial during Hero Flight 2007 in Washington, D.C., Sept. 15. Hero Flight is an all-volunteer program that sets up trips to allow as many World War II veterans as possible to visit the National World War II Memorial. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Suzanne Day)

to think about the sacrifices so many have made that we can be free. Think about the millions of our countrymen and countrywomen who have fought tyranny and evil so that we can be free to read, write, think, speak, practice religion, vote, travel, and so many other freedoms we may take for granted from time to time. Think about our incredible Constitution and democracy and how we are able to freely select representatives for the government. Please be sure to always thank a veteran, thank a member of the armed and civil services and remember that we are so very fortunate to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave!!

Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4-8) – Thank you Local Heroes!

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“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
– Joshua J. Marine

When you work in a school district every day is Teacher Appreciation Day! Our students depend upon these brave, courageous, innovative, creative, and inspirational women and men all across the district who – every day – Engage, Inspire, Empower – and facilitate learning for our most precious community assets – our students! Annually during the first week in May we honor and celebrate and acknowledge National Teacher Appreciation Week/Day – in many locations the name is changed to Staff Appreciation Day/Week.

In all schools “it takes a village” and the bus drivers, cooks, driver’s education teachers, security guards, custodians, maintenance workers, secretaries, teacher aides, nurses, health aids, librarians, speech language pathologists, social workers, counselors, intervention specialists, other specialists, instructional coaches, crossing guards, school resource officers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, administrators – pretty much – EVERYONE – in all of the schools deserves a Thank you – a pat on the back and acknowledgement for the great services they provide to our students each day!

Here is background information about this special week: (click the link for the source of the information below)

People in the United States started celebrating National Teacher Day in 1953 when Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded Congress to set aside a day to recognize educators. The origins of the idea for a day are unclear. They date to the early 1940s. But some references cite the advocacy of a Wisconsin teacher and other references credit the efforts of a teacher in Arkansas for first working to establish a teacher appreciation day. One of these teachers is thought to have written to Eleanor Roosevelt, urging her to take up the cause.

It didn’t become a national day until March 7, 1980, after the National Education Association (NEA) along with its Kansas and Indiana state affiliates and the Dodge City, Kan., local chapter lobbied Congress. People continued to celebrate the day in March until 1984, when the National Parent Teacher Association designated the first full week of May as Teacher Appreciation Week. The following year, the NEA voted to make the Tuesday of that week National Teacher Day.

In 2015, Teacher Appreciation Week is
May 4 through May 8. National Teacher Day falls on Tuesday, May 5.

The NEA describes National Teacher Day as “a day of honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives.” Students and parents typically show their appreciation for teachers by writing thank-you cards and sharing small treats and gifts.

Since 1984, National PTA has designated the first week in May as a special time to honor the men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating our children.

Our teachers prepare students for their futures! All members of the DPS109 Community join together to say THANK YOU teachers, support staff, administrators, parent volunteers, – everyone – who supports and facilitates student learning! We teach like our future depends on it … because it does!

Thank you!

future

Letter I sent to DPS109 Faculty and Staff – Teacher/Educator Appreciation Week

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“It’s exciting to see how fast your kids learn and grow. I’m not too worried about them, particularly the ones who like to break the rules and don’t follow instructions; those are the ones that will do just fine because they know what’s important to them.”
– Jerry Porras, Stewart Emery & Mark Thompson, Success Built to Last

Dear District 109 Teachers and Staff,

I hope that you feel the deep sincerity of these two words: THANK YOU!

Thank you for your dedication to our students. Thank you for the commitment to partnering with parents. Thank you for the early mornings and late nights that you spend preparing and planning, meeting with students and parents and colleagues, or studying and networking to further your own professional development. Thank you for the personal financial investments you have made to create a classroom that truly is a second, loving home for your students this year.

Thank you for your talents, and thank you for your love of the children in our community.

On April 28, the Board of Education’s approved a proclamation declaring Tuesday, May 6, 2014 Teacher Appreciation Day. As a token of our appreciation, the District administration and Board will provide breakfast for all staff (on Tuesday, May 6 at Caruso and Shepard; on Wednesday, May 7 at Kipling, South Park, Walden and Wilmot). You may see a few Board members coming to classrooms to show their appreciation in person this week. We hope that the signs at the school buildings and District Center make you smile – and encourage our students, parents and community members to show their appreciation as well.

If you are a Twitter user or follower you might have noticed a number of #ThankATeacher hashtags and tweets. If you are not a Twitter user or follower, now you know about the national / international reach of the THANK YOU and APPRECIATION so many people wish to say and share about YOU. Whether you are a classroom teacher, an Educational Support Person, an administrator, a school services professional, a special area teacher, YOU ARE APPRECIATED and we are all thankful for the honor and dedication you give to so many.

In our profession it sometimes takes years – or even a lifetime or career – to hear, learn about, receive, or feel “appreciation” that the investment of energy in teaching has paid off. For some it is a note, a letter, an email, a voicemail message, for others it is attending a wedding or significant family / life event of a former student. For us all it is the BELIEF and the HOPE that our selfless and often endless work on behalf of the students and community will “make a difference” or “pay off.”

Well, as your superintendent of schools, as your chief educational officer, I say YES – you all make a difference and you each make a difference. Each and every day and especially in honor of National Teacher Appreciation Day and Educator Appreciation Week, on behalf of the Board and the leadership team and the community, I extend a THANK YOU for all you do!

Please continue to Engage, Inspire, Empower each student every day. Enjoy your well deserved acknowledgement and appreciation.

Sincerely,

Mike