Calling all y'all Waggoner Witches!

This is what I imagine us looking like at Friday's Witches Wave. Ha! 

Don't forget to dress your witchy best this Friday! Which witch is which???

Let's say cheers to fall with a TGI Thursday! Steady Eddy's is now open late Thursday through Saturday with expanded outdoor seating. Carla says it's not too busy between 3 and 5 so I would like to invite you to meet up downtown Winters this Thursday if you are free. Their new nighttime menus are below. We'll be outside in the fresh fall air! All the regular coffee and tea drinks are available too. 

Feeling a little like this?

We have continued to talk about wellness and all of the stress in our work and lives right now. Sometimes self care seems like just another thing we have to DO. I mentioned this Brene Brown podcast with the authors of Burnout and I loved the list of seven things to do to complete the stress cycle. It seemed like something manageable. Like I feel like I can at least make time to breathe... thank you Christine for your meditations. Anyways, just passing on the list and the link in case you'd like to check it out.

https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-emily-and-amelia-nagoski-on-burnout-and-how-to-complete-the-stress-cycle/

Here are some relaxing sounds for you to enjoy this week. 

This week's Waggoner Wave! https://wagwave.blogspot.com/2020/10/lots-of-fall-news.html 

Dates & Details

Oct 26-Nov 8 Waggoner Book Fair 

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/waggonerelementaryschool
October 27 9:00-10:30 Jennifer @ Leadership
October 28 No Meeting - Happy birthday Kristina!
October 29 TGI Thursday at Steady Eddies 3:00!
October 30 Halloween Drive By Parade! 8:30-9:30 & 9:45-10:45
November 11 No School - Veterans Day
November 18 Robin Preiss Glasser is coming!
November 23-27 Thanksgiving Break
December 4 Laura Numeroff is coming!
November 21-29 Thanksgiving Break
December 19-January 4 Winter Break

Add your Gold Stars below!

Pioneers, Shout Outs & Stress Relief

This week I would like to first give a special shout out to our amazing intervention team! Thank you so much for your hard work and collaboration to get intervention up and running in this virtual world! It has been incredible to watch all of the different ways you have innovated and organized everything to get our intervention kids connected for additional support. You are truly venturing into a new frontier ahead of us and we look forward to learning from you as we move towards grade level wide differentiation in November. We are so grateful to have Jill, Juli, Nan, and Inez! I am excited to share that Jill will be here on a long term basis through at least December, and also am thrilled that Inez has had her time increased to 75% recently. That has been a long time coming. Thank you, ladies! 

Also, another shout out is needed for Connie and Carrie who are our pioneers for in-person instruction. Thank you for going first! This tiptoeing in with a tiny group of kids allows us to test it out on a small scale and ensure we have the safety protocols in place. I know it's still scary. I am encouraged by the success of the childcare program and am anticipating this will also go well. Masks will be worn by all. 

Finally, a shout out to Christine for the guided meditation on Wednesday. We appreciate your support of our wellness! To add to Christine's work, I have also included a brief video below to de-stress this week! 

Dates & Details

October 20 9:00-10:30 Jennifer @ Leadership
October 20 12-3:30 Jennifer at DO interviews Computer Support Specialist
October 20 3:45-5:15 CAIT
October 21 iReady PD 2nd grade 9:30-11:30
October 21 Professional Learning 1:30
Oct 25-Nov 8 Waggoner Book Fair
October 28 Professional Learning: DBE Meeting / EO Vertical Articulation 1:30
October 30 Halloween Drive By Parade! 8:30-9:30 & 9:45-10:45
November 11 No School - Veterans Day
November 18 Robin Preiss Glasser is coming!
November 23-27 Thanksgiving Break
December 4 Laura Numeroff is coming!

Sweater Weather

The leaves are starting to change, the weather is cooler, and it feels like boots and sweater weather! I hope your weekend was filled with beauty, pumpkins, and rest. Sweater weather is just better! What is something that made you happy this past week? Leave a note in the comment section at the end of the blog.

October Birthdays!

6 Yisenia Gonzalez

10 Lucila Escamilla

11 Kristie Oates

28 Kristina Keola

World Mental Health Day 

Yesterday was World Mental Health Day and I listened to a few podcasts on my walk. One theme that kept popping up is how important it is to find to find things to be grateful for, and. the more we look for positives the more we will see. One of the podcasts also talked about the importance of anger - it is an emotion that motivates us and gets us going, but also that it is not an energy we can sustain. Another idea that resonated with me was that self care isn't about feeling happy or finding joy all the time, but rather allowing ourself to feel all of our feelings.  

On the topic of gratitude, this Ted Talk from 2011 is one I thought you might enjoy. It's just six minutes long.

Nature’s beauty can be fleeting -- but not through Louie Schwartzberg’s lens. His stunning time-lapse photography, accompanied by powerful words from Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast, serves as a meditation on being grateful for every day.

Dates & Details

October 12 WAEA Board Candidate Forum on Zoom 7:00 PM

October 12 Indigenous Peoples' Day

October 14 SIPPS Zoom PD 9-12 (pre registered only)

October 14 Professional Learning 1:30 

October 15 Board Meeting 6 PM

October 20 9:00-10:30 Jennifer Leadership

October 20 12-3:30 Jennifer at DO interviews Computer Support Specialist

October 20 3:45-5:15 CAIT

October 21 iReady PD 2nd grade 9:30-11:30

October 21 Professional Learning 1:30

October 30 Halloween Drive By Parade! 8:30-9:30 & 9:45-10:45 

Hello October! Checking In...

October Birthdays!

6 Yisenia Gonzalez

10 Lucila Escamilla

Kristie Oates

28 Kristina Keola

Checking In...

I have been thinking about how I can check in with each of you when we are not all together, and without having another meeting for you to attend. Some days. I walk around campus and find people, sometimes I am interrupting-- but I really want to make sure I am giving you what you need and that you are doing ok! I have some different ideas- and it could be customized depending on your needs. I was thinking there could be a Google form that you could complete each Wednesday. Or we could check in on Voxer-- that would allow you to check back in 1:1 when you have time and we could hear each other's voices :) Or we could meet in person. Walk around Winters? Talk by phone? If you could think about what kind of a check in would work for you that would be great! If you have an idea, leave a comment at the end of the blog. Here are a few images that have some questions for checking in with yourself and for checking in at the end of the week. I am here to support you! 

Visiting Classrooms

Now that we are into a little groove, I would like to start visiting classrooms each week just to be part of our community. Nothing formal! I just miss seeing kids and you! I have been in a few classes lately and would like to get into several classes each day if I can! I would love to know what times might work best for you. Related to that Dr. Ayon and Superintendent Jimenez would laos like to visit-- no days yet and those will be scheduled in advance. We will talk more at the staff meeting Wednesday. 

Class Buddies!

I was talking to a principal friend from Petaluma and she was telling me her school has started Zoom Buddies-- and she shared an example of buddies playing Scattergories! When she was talking about it, she mentioned that this is what we need more of: laughing, community and FUN! I don't even know if we have buddy classes yet, so think about that! :)

Dates & Details

October 5 Jennifer at DO 1-4 (Coordinator Ed Tech Interviews)

October 6 Jennifer Leadership Zoom 9:00-10:30

October 6 Jennifer Lottery Meeting 3:30-4:30

October 7 Professional Learning and Staff Meeting 1:30 Agenda

October 8 Jennifer meeting @ Waggoner w/ Superintendent Jimenez

October 9 Jennifer out of office

October 9 Grade Level Meeting 1:30-2:30

October 12 Indigenous Peoples' Day

October 14 SIPPS Zoom PD 9-12 (pre registered only)

October 14 Professional Learning 1:30 

October 15 Board Meeting 6 PM

October 21 iReady PD 2nd grade 9:30-11:30