CW Connect

I am excited to announce the first edition of our new electronic newsletter, the CW Connect is here!  As a principal, I am always looking for ways to increase communication with our families.  We have a lot going on at CW and the CW Connect is another way for our families to see what is happening at Central Woodlands. Just as with any new project, the CW Connect will continue to evolve to serve the needs of our families.

Please click here to access the newsletter!

Save the Shoes!

Recently, I watched a Ted Talk given by Mark Bezos- a volunteer firefighter...this made me think about the amazing acts of people standing up for each other everyday at CW.

Painting and Teacher Conferences

It is almost time for the big day when our family moves into our new home!  November 23rd is the move in day as our family begins a new chapter of our lives in Forest Hills.  We are so excited to be part of the Forest Hills community and my son is excited to go to Pine Ridge next year!

In order to get the house ready, I have been painting most nights after work and on weekends.  As I was talking with some parents at conferences, I began to see the connection between painting and conferences...

Veteran's Day

Central Woodlands was proud to host a Veteran’s Day assembly. We were honored to have two guest speakers who shared powerful messages with our students. One speaker was an Army Sergeant who recently returned from deployment in Afghanistan. Our other speaker is an active military spouse. Her husband is currently deployed in Afghanistan and has had seven deployments. Both speakers talked about “pride” as it relates to the men and women who volunteer to serve our country so we can enjoy the freedoms we hold dear. Our students were challenged to think of ways to give back to their school, family, and community to make Veteran's Day year round!

Mix it Up!!!

At the end of October, our school participated in National Mix It Up Day.  This is a day throughout the country where students are encouraged step outside of their comfort level and spend time with others than they normally do.  I have been in some schools where this simply meant putting up signs that say "Sit with someone new today."  Well at Central Woodlands, this was not the case...

Innocence

Having come from a middle school background (6th-8th grade), I continue to experience new and wonderful things at Central Woodlands with our 5th and 6th grade.  Being with our students is the best part of my day and I love talking to our students and "hanging" out with them in their classes.  They are so excited to learn new things and to show off their new knowledge to me whenever I come into the room.  One of the 5/6 philosophies is to keep our students "younger, longer."  In our world where it seems kids grow up faster than ever; the need for this is more important than ever before.

Yesterday, I was able to experience a moment that I will never forget.  

Pete the Cat

Every night, my son Cole and I read books together before bedtime.  Some of his favorite books right now are the Pete the Cat books.  He has one about Pete and a baseball game, Pete and the beach, and Pete and a giant sandwich.  Last night we read the original Pete the Cat...this one is my favorite.  For those who have not had the pleasure of reading it (I suggest you do), the story is about a cat who is in love with his new, white shoes.  During his walk, he steps in different things like mud that change the color of his shoes.  Each time, he loves the shoes no matter what color they turn.  At the end, the author tell us that moral of the story is that no matter what you step in, you just need to keep on walking along and singing your song.

I love this message and will often share this idea with our students.  During the course of the day, our students might have ups and downs, but no matter what, it is a good idea to keep on moving along and not let things bother you.  There is research to show resilience can significantly affect school and life outcomes for youth. As part of our Peacekeeper program at Central Woodlands, we work to give students the tools to bounce back if something is negatively affecting them. The more we can do at school and at home to help kids be resilient, the better off they will be!

Each day I look forward to helping our students learn how to "keep on walking and to sing their song."