MAD about Hamburgers??!!

Yesterday, September 29, I wore my hamburger hat to remind folks about "PHES Dining Out @ SONIC" night! PHES Cougars enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs and other fast food delights from 5:30-7:30 pm. It was tasty fun and fellowship!

Today I wore my daughter Hannah's "Mad Hatter" hat. We are going to see the performance of "Alice and Wonderland" @ Village Square Theater tonight! If you haven't had a chance to go, the show runs through Sunday. Enjoy a little culture with your family! Many PHES Cougars are involved in this production. Click on the link for more info: http://www.villagesquaretheatre.com/

I've got my EYE on you!

Make good choices all day! "EYE" am watching . . .

The Year is ROLLING Along!

Yesterday, I was able to ride the big trike out to the crosswalk and, wearing my bike helmet, encourage students to get their exercise in each afternoon. Healthy bodies contribute to better thinking! Get some moving time in everyday. You can ride a bike, jump rope, play ball, run, etc! You can participate in soccer, football, dance, gymnastics--but be careful not to structure your schedule too much . . . our brains need that "down" time or unstructured time to "process" and let ideas and thoughts flow from the one side of our brains to the other!

Mrs. Farmer's 4th Graders shared some Yoga Fun in the Learning Commons with me yesterday. We read Mr. President Goes to School by Rick Walton to remind ourselves about how important play is for solving problems and getting along with others! We played "Run, Freeze, Melt" and "Duck, Duck, Yoga" and practiced "square breathing" and "Swim, Duckie, Swim" breathing. Good stuff!! Anybody else want to play? These strategies are great for de-stressing and anger management AS WELL AS establishing PROACTIVE habits to fend off anxiety and worry.

Parents, would anybody be interested in a FAMILY YOGA CLASS? Let me know! My school # is 821-2807. I'd love to start a class for PHES families. What's the best time and day for you?

Here's what the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention site recommends for children activity:

http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/children.html

Happy Moving!

Wishes for Wellness

As the PHES Wellness Coordinator for our faculty and staff, I'd like to share a tidbit from my Weight Watcher Meeting this week:

"You will never FIND time for anything, if you want time you must MAKE it." The facilitator likened the idea for exercise/meal planning to doctor appointments. We make doctor appointments, carve out the time in our schedule and follow through. But when it comes to making time for moving or eating healthy . . . we often cheat ourselves! This same notion was shared at today's Positive Behavior Training. You've got to "make an appointment" to make it happen!

I also learned this recipe at Weight Watcher's Saturday, and I thought it was another idea worth sharing!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Dinner Idea--our family tried this today, and it was easy to do and delicious! Wrap potatoes in tin foil and put in the bottom of the slow cooker. Put your whole chicken on top, season (Cavendar's Greek Seasonings were recommended--you can find at Wal-Mart). Cook slow all day. Tastes like a rotissierie chicken and the potatoes are tender and flavorful too. Add your veggie of choice for the side, and you're good to go!

Wishing you Wellness,
Mrs. Broam

OINK if you love PHES!

Today I wore my pig ears and snout! I snorted and snuffled PHES Cougars this morning. OINK if you love PHES!

Happy 1st Day of Fall! Happy School Spirit Day!

On Thursday, 9/22, I wore a fall pumpkin hat, handmade by my Grandma Rawls, to celebrate the first day of fall on Friday. My grandma dressed up for holidays when she volunteered at Lexington Extended Care and participated in activities at Gilbert's Senior Center. Maybe dressing up silly is genetic?

I had to celebrate the first day of fall a day early because on Friday, 9/23, we'll celebrate our school with a PTA School Spirit evening and movie. Everybody wear your green and yellow and join us on the football field @ 6:00 pm. I hear there might be a surprise in store . . . GO COUGARS!

The Little Red Hen

T-ogether, E-veryone, A-chieves, M-ore

The little red hen could have accomplished a whole lot more if she had only been on a team! How can you pitch in and help? Many hands make light work and the strengths that everybody brings to a project make a job well done, better than an individual effort could ever possibly be!

WILD About Learning!

Today I wore my Tina Turner hair and "WILD about Learning" PHES t-shirt with my LOUD jungle pants. Many folks commented I looked like a Rock and Roll Star . . . might need to hone that angle . . . I was going for WILD about Learning today! It was a fun theme and was reinforced at today's "grade level meetings." The focus of instruction is on process . . . can students "ask, imagine, plan, create, and improve!" And like shampooing, can they "wash, rinse, repeat" again and again? It's exciting to be an educator in 2011-12, when creativity and flexibility are valued and encouraged!

A sweet little kindergartner hollers many mornings, "Miss D'Etta, you are CRAZY!" My thought is I am CRAZY so you don't have to be . . . my "gimmicky get-ups" are designed to bring sunshine and happiness and provoke a thought or two! Hope you had a "Terrific Tuesday!"

Follow Your NOSE

Follow your NOSE--it ALWAYS KNOWS . . . to have a GGGRRRReat week at PHES! I had a "fruity" day, enjoying my "Toucan Sam" visor and my "One World, Many Stories" Lexington County Public Library Summer Reading t-shirt!

Don't forget Friday is PTA Spirit/Movie Night!

An ALLIGATOR is Your Friend??!!

Dr. Jean sings the Alligator Echo Chant on her "Dr. Jean Sings Silly Songs" CD:

Chorus:
Alligator.
Alligator.
Alligator.
Can be your friend, can be your friend,
Can be your friend, too!

The alligator is my friend,
And he can be your friend, too.
If only you could understand,
Don't wear him as a shoe! (Chorus)

Check out http://drjean.org/html/cds_f/silly_lyrics1.html for the rest of the lyrics!

Mo Willems recently created Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator! Several nuggets of wisdom in this good read!

(1) "Books Beat Boredom!"
(2) Friends tell friends the truth.
(3) Put on your "Old Thinking Cap" to generate NEW IDEAS !
(4) Treat NEW friends like OLD friends . . .

Another Willems Winner! "The alligator is MY friend, and he can be YOUR friend too!"

I enjoyed wearing my alligator hat and tail today. SEE YOU LATER, ALLIGATOR!

Dream BIG and Hot Dog Fun

On Tuesday, September 13, I wore my BIG cowboy hat to remind us to Dream BIG! American Actress, Josie Bissett once said, "Dreams come a size too big so we can grow into them!"

Yesterday I wore my Hot Dog hat--HOT DOG, It's WEDNESDAY! We're halfway there . . . have a DOGGONE good day.

What will today's hat be????

Happy Grandparents Day!

Friday I wore a "grandma wig" with my Grandma Drucie's hat and shawl (I forgot to put on her gloves) and my glasses (that I never wear so it looked to be part of the costume)! Thank you, Grandparents! I hope folks were able to call, visit, share some love and some time with grandmas and grandpas today.

Here's some "Grandparent Stories" to enjoy together:

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith--Mrs. Andis shared this book with me! Lane Smith remembers his grandpa--what a loving, poetic tribute!

A Visit to Grandma's by Nancy Carlson--a fun story of a grandma who "grows up" and the changes take a little adjustment for the family . . .

Thundercake by Patricia Polacco--Grandma and her granddaughter make Thundercake to overcome fear of the impending storm. "From where I sit, only a brave person could have done all of them things!" Ms. Polacco includes a recipe for Thundercake so you can actually make some--yum!

When I Am Old with You by Angela Johnson--I've always enjoyed this one because I thought it would be a good idea as a young adult to (retire first and) hang out with my grandparents and then promise to work later . . .

Tom by Tomie dePaola--author/illustrator Tomie dePaola remembers his Grandpa--how rich to have a grandpa you can get in trouble with . . .

Too Many Babas by Carolyn Croll--too many cooks truly spoils the soup! Having a plan is muy importante. This story is great for reminding that working as team is best.

Have a SPARKLY Thursday!

At Wednesday's Collaborative Day, I received some glitter sunglasses and a sparkly scepter as a new counselor to Lexington School District One. I decided to encourage others to let their little lights shine today! To the glasses and scepter, I added more bling--a purple glitter top hat and hot pink and gold beaded necklaces. You know, people don't even look at me funny anymore . . .

Hope your day was SPARKLY--SHINE ON! May you GLOW all year long!

Learn Like Your Hair is ON FIRE!

"Learn Like Your Hair is ON FIRE!"

Today I wore my red wig! It looks a lot like "Heat Miser's" hair from "The Year Without a Santa Claus" Christmas Special! It was a Collaborative Day today, a "half day" of school. If you didn't do it fast today, you didn't "git 'er done!"

Today I learned how we should focus on the "DOs" and not the "DON'Ts!" Mrs. Clark was asking kiddos to explain how to BE SAFE on the playground. She questioned, "I'm new here, what would I see?" Children answered, "Don't climb up the slide!" and "Don't hit others!" And she turned their responses upside down, "but what would I see?" "I would slide down the slide, feet first." and "I would play with my friends nicely."

It's a simple idea, but a powerful one. If a child can break it down to those simple steps--ie, what does a good listener look like? Eyes are directed to speaker, mouth is resting, ears tuned in.--then they can follow the road map created to their just right destination--FAST!

And speaking of FAST! Here's a quick read, packed with fun and pun:
School!: Adventures at the Harvy N. Trouble Elementary School by Kate McMullan and George Booth. What a hoot! Sure to entertain, very satifying! I just finished reading with Mrs. Jones' 3rd Grade and it was a good book, enjoyed by all.

Have a BEE-utiful Day!

I was thinking of our school rules on this BEE-utiful Day!
(1) BEE Safe (2) BEE Respectful (3) BEE Responsible

Here's some books worth buzzin' about:

BUZZ said the Bee by Wendy Cheyette Lewison--fun onomatopoeia and rhyme!

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf--sometimes events occur and we are not quite ourselves . . . but we celebrate who we are . . . and sitting under a cork tree and smelling the flowers is not a bad idea . . .

The Very Greedy Bee by Steve Smallman--great for moderation, sharing and pitching in to help a friend in need.

The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
A great story to encourage a reader--"There is such sweetness inside of that book too!" he said thoughtfully. "Such things . . . adventure, knowledge and wisdom. But these things do not come easily. You have to pursue them. Just like we ran after the bees find their tree, so you must also chase these things through the pages of a book!"

Have a BEE-utiful Day!

Continuing the Under Sea Adventure . . .

On Wednesday, August 31 I wore my purple octopus hat! "Lend a helping hand--1 or 2 or 8!" I had one PHES Cougar observe that I actually had 10 hands with the 8 on my hat + the 2 on my bod. :-)

I love the book Herman the Helper by Robert Kraus to go with today's hat! When you see you can help someone by showing a kindness, take the intiative and do it.

On Thursday September 1 I wore my red crab hat! "Be HAPPY--Not CRABBY!" Smiles are contagious--SMILE and PASS IT ON!

Mr. Cronin introduced me to the story the Smile that Went Around the World by Patrice Karst last year. A story very similar to Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson. I love the way the smiles and kindnesses in these stories come full circle.

Check in tomorrow to find out what's buzzin'!