Mario Day!

 

Over the summer, our admin came up with a "Level Up" theme for this school year.  Taking things to the next level with our teaching and the expectations we have for our scholars.  I took that theme and ran with it for my scholars.  For this year's Rock Your School Day, I decided I wanted to do a Mario Day with my fourth graders.  I got my team on board.  I started to tell others about it and they encouraged me to go to admin about making it a school wide Mario Day!  Admin was all for it!

I gathered and created resources to share with staff.

• Restorative justice circle (Peace Circle)
• Math task cards
• Super Mario Informational Nonfiction Digital Breakout

I of course ALSO had to get a costume!  

My principal announced to the scholars the week before we were going to have Mario Day and it was all the scholars could talk about!  Let me tell you, this was the BEST DAY EVER!!!!

Classroom Decorations:

I decorated my classroom (with help from my co-worker and two parents)!  Here's a video tour.

I covered my door with Mario wrapping paper.  It took the whole roll!

The tablecloth I purchased here.  On the table are tissue boxes that I covered with yellow question marks.  Inside of each box was a math question from the task cards I linked above.

I purchased this photo booth and I did not purposely hang it so Slapshot's face was looking through Mario!  (Slapshot is the Washington Capital's mascot.)  I didn't even realize it until one of my scholars pointed it out!!

I had these hanging all around the room.  Here, they are in my little window by the door.

My scholars are OBSESSED with stickers this year!  So of course I HAD to get Mario stickers for the day!  Honestly, there are enough stickers I could probably give them to every scholar in the school and STILL have enough left over!

Two other things I bought:

Tablecloths in several different colors / patterns

Table top decorations

Staff Pictures:

I think the staff had as much fun dressing up as the scholars did!  All pictures posted with permission:

My twin! :-)

Peace Circle:

The icebreaker during our peace circle was to work in small groups and create their own gameboard.  This was so much fun!  It took a long time and they didn't want to stop.  We are going to finish this next week.  Here are some pictures of them working together.  They made dice and game pieces.

He matched the tablecloth!  He said it was his finish line!

Math Task Cards:

I split the class up into five groups.  They had to work together to complete the math problems.  There were 24 problems.  After each problem, they came to me to check it.  After I checked it, they received a Mario sticker.  Then they could get the next problem.  Every five questions they received a gold coin.   

The scholars got so into the math activity, that we were late to our special because we lost track of time!!  

I was so impressed with how everyone worked together.  They were all smiles!  It was the best day ever!

Thank you to those who helped me decorate!

Thank you to everyone who shared ideas!

Thank you to GYTO for Rock Your School Day!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Thank you to admin for liking my outside the box / crazy ideas!

Take care!
~Stacey~

Get Your Teach On 2019

Image from here.

I just spent the most amazing four days in Dallas, Texas at the 2019 Get Your Teach On National Conference!  I cannot even begin to put into words the experience that I had!  Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes!  

This was not my first Get Your Teach On conference.  I went to a two day conference in Washington DC last year, but this was my first National Conference!  I left the conference feeling uplifted, inspired, encouraged, reassured, etc...

I am going to let the pictures I took tell you the story of the conference.

Let's start with the hotel - the Gaylord!  What a beautiful place!

The food:  TEXAS FOOD IS NO JOKE!!!  It was DELICIOUS!

Pictures from the Sports Bar at the hotel:

 

My dessert picture from the Cantina:  It was DELICIOUS!! (So was the queso dip we ate before!)

 

The Hard Eight BBQ Pit: Everyone needs to go there at some point in their lives!

Random GYTO pictures:

 

New friends:  I may not like going places by myself, but I made some fabulous friends!

GYTO Live!

 

Keynote speakers:

Rachel Hollis - author of Girl Wash Your Face - was the perfect way to start off the conference!

Mariah Cooper and Niles Niseem - former students at RCA, brought down the house when talking about their school experiences!  I was so inspired by what they had to say!

 

 

  

 

The bromance between Jared and Wade is real!

 

Find someone who looks at you the way these two look at each other!

 

I LOVE HOPE KING!!!!

 

Ms. Dallas 2019!

   

I unfortunately did not get any pictures during GYTO Unplugged - but that was the most POWERFUL session ever!  Five of the presenters got up on stage and let themselves be vulnerable - telling incredibly personal stories about educators who influenced their lives or how they influenced others.  Each of their stories resonated with me in some way, shape, or form.  They all had me in tears!  

The one that I can't stop thinking about, is the one from the Five Foot One Teacher (AKA Birttany Sinitch.)  The words that continue to resonate with me that she made us repeat:  I AM UNBREAKABLE!!!  I needed to hear those words and I will carry them with me forever!

Breakout sessions:  I didn't take a whole lot of pictures during the breakouts, so here are the few that I have.

ABBY MULLINS - AKA, Babbling Abby!

 

Cassie Stephens - phenomenal art teacher!

Rachelle Smith - from What the Teacher Wants.  (SHE IS SO COOL!!!)

 

Finally, SELFIES:

Amy (Step Into Second Grade,) Cara (First Grade Parade,) and Abby (Babbling Abby!!) 

 

Katie (Teaching On Tables!!)

 

LaNesha!! (Education With An Apron)

 

Ashley!! (Schroder Shenanigans in 2nd)

 

I cannot begin to tell you how ECSTATIC I was to meet Chris Pombonyo!!!

 

Wade King!!

 HOPE KING!!!! (I am sad that my pic was blurry!  Oh well!) I love her SOOOO much!

Nick!! (Nicholas Ferroni)

 

Deanna!! (Mrs. Jump's Class)

 

Abby and Cara!!

 

Jared (with his Nike apparel)!!

 

Amy!!

 

Korey!

 

At the very end of the conference, the presenters and Magic Squad gave us quite the send off!  From an amazing performance of "This Is Me," (which is now my new mantra,) to confetti cannons, to running out to them cheering us while playing "I've Got the Magic In Me," - it was all just WOW!!!!!

I took this video after the cheering:

 

During that last day, I was inspired to write a song about my experience.  I wrote a song to the tune of "Leaving On A Jet Plane."  I shared it on my Instagram page (RockinOutIn1stGrade.)  I now want to share it with you who are not on Instagram.  You can find it by clicking here.

If you are an educator reading this, and you haven't been to GYTO, PLEASE GO!  You will be forever changed!  You can find out more information by clicking here.

Thank you to everyone at Get Your Teach On, (organizers, presenters, Magic Squad, everyone behind the scenes,) for putting together the most amazing conference ever!  I bow down to you all!

Love,

Stacey