WB # 24 Sylvia A. Epstein, Principal March 20, 2008
"What matters most is not reward or pride. What matters most is at the end of the day and that you tried." -Anon
POSTED IN FACULTY ROOM:
-School E-Book Library
-Books on line
-No Child Left Behind
-Mental Health Assn- “What are the components of a good IEP?”
-Fordham University- Young Child Expo
-Bergs: Helping you students build Self-discipline
-Websites that enhance instruction
-Practical discipline strategies
An Irish Toast
"Here's to health, peace, and prosperity;
May the flower of Love never be
Nipped by the frost of disappointment,
Nor the shadow of grief
Fall among
Your family and friends."
CHARACTER EDUCATION: SOMETHING TO SHARE
Time Tested
Once upon a time, there was an island where all forces of personality
and feeling lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others,
including Love.
One day it was announced to the forces that the island would sink,
so all repaired their boats and left. Love was the only one who stayed.
Love wanted to persevere until the last possible moment. When the island
was almost sinking, Love decided he needed help.
Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, "Richness,
can you take me with you?” Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a
lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you."
Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel.
"Vanity, please help me!" "I can't help you Love. You are all wet and might
damage my boat," answered Vanity.
Sadness was close by so again Love asked for help, "Sadness, let me
go with you." "Oh...Love, I am so sad that I need to be alone!"
Happiness passed by Love too, but she was so happy that she did not
even hear when Love called her.
Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come Love, I will take you." It was an
elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that he forgot to ask the elder
her name.
When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Love realizing
how much he owed the elder asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who helped
me?"
"It was Time," Knowledge answered. "Time?" asked Love. "But why did
Time help me?"
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time
is capable of understanding how much Love is worth saving."
- Source Unknown
Your Inspiration: Your Day
I hope you woke up this morning with a big smile on your face... I hope the sun is shining and the birds are singing just for you... I hope your coffee is hot and tastes just right, and the mailman waves a cheery hello, and there are no bills in the mail!
I hope that your day is filled with lovely surprises and friends call
you up just to say "Hi"... I hope you feel on top of the world with a spring
in your step all day...
I hope you can laugh and talk and share to your heart's content...
I hope everything is well with your world: with a place for everything
and everything in its place... I hope you can enjoy all you do and everything
goes your way!
I hope you have all you wish for yourself and those dear to you...
And at the end of the day I wish you a perfect moon shining
Just for you.
A snug and cozy bed with the softest of pillows and a smile on your
face... I hope you have a perfect end to the perfect day, and I hope all
your best dreams come true... And I hope that every day is just as wonderful
in its own way!
Thoughts on Change
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what
we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before
we can enter another."
- Anatole France
"Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find
perfect composure. But unfortunately, although it is true, it is
difficult for us to accept it. Because we cannot accept the truth
of transience, we suffer."
–Shunyru Suzuki
"There is a certain relief in change, even though it is from bad to worse! As I have often found in traveling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position, and be bruised in a new place." -Anon
CHARACTER EDUCATION:
Who Packs Your Parachute?
Charles Plumb was a U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat
missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected
and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a
communist Vietnamese prison.
He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that
experience.
One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"
"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.
"I packed your parachute," the man replied.
Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."
Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers.
I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was “just a sailor." Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of some one he didn't know.
Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute.
He called on all these supports before reaching safety.
Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is
really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate
someone on something wonderful that has happened to him or her, give a
compliment, or just do some-thing nice for no reason. As you go through
this week, this month, this year, you need to recognize people who pack
your parachute.
Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes or stories to
us without writing a word. Maybe this could explain: When you are very
busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward jokes
or stories. And to let you know that you are still remembered, you are
still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what
you get? You get a forwarded joke or story.
So next time, if you get one, don't think that you've been sent just
another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your
friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.
CHARACTER EDUCATION:
How Old Is Grand-dad Anyway?
One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events. The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.
The granddad replied, “Well, let me think a minute, I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill. *There was no radar, credit cards, laser beams or ball- point pens. *Man had not invented pantyhose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air, and man hadn’t yet walked on the moon.
*Your grandmother and I got married first-and then lived together. *Every family had a father and a mother. *Until I was 25, I called every man older than I, ‘Sir’- and after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, ‘Sir.’ *We were before gay-rights, computer -dating, dual careers, day care centers, and group therapy.
*The Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense governed our
lives. *We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong
and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.
*Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a
bigger privilege.
*We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent. *Having a meaningful
relationship meant getting along with your cousins. *Dodgers were people
who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.
*Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings
and purchasing condominiums.
*We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters,
yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.
We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President’s speeches on our radios. And I don’t ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.
If you saw anything with ‘Made in Japan’ on it, it was junk. The term
‘making out’ referred to how you did on your school exam. Pizza Hut, McDonald’s,
and instant coffee were unheard of. We had 5 & 10-cent stores where
you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice- cream cones,
phone calls, a ride on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
And if you didn’t want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough
stamps to mail 1 letter and postcards.
You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600 but who could afford one?
It was too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon. In my day, ‘grass’
was mowed, ‘coke’ was a cold drink, ‘pot’ was something your mother cooked
in, and ‘rock music’ was your grandmother’s lullaby.
’Aids’ were helpers in the Principal’s office, ‘chip’ meant a piece of wood, ‘hardware’ was found in a hardware store, and ‘software’ wasn't even a word. And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby.
No wonder people call us “old and confused” and say there is a generation gap…and how old do you think I am??
This man would be only 58 years old!
Character Education:
Attitude of Gratitude
It was midday when I got the call that my grandfather was not well and his condition was rapidly getting worse. My family did not know how long he had left. People had been visiting him throughout the day and were basically saying goodbye.
I knew I had to get to the hospital to tell him how much I loved him. Who knew how long he had left? As I drove to the hospital, I pictured him passing on before I got to tell him how much he meant to me. Struggling to fight back the tears, I wanted to maintain my composure for when I saw him.
When I got to the hospital, I hurriedly searched for his hospital room.
Once the nurse left the room, I walked to my grandfather's bed. I found
him in a semi-conscious state, hooked up to all sorts of machines and tubes
going in and out of him. Kneeling down to his level, I quietly whispered,
"Hello Grandpa".
Still feeling shy, I committed in my mind to not leaving his bedside without letting him know. I pulled up a chair and began talking to him. While I asked about his condition, he told me, "I'll be fine," although we both knew that wasn't true. Then he asked me with a smile how I was doing.
While I felt special that my grandpa wanted to know how I was doing, I knew I wasn't there just to give him an update on me. I was a man on a mission. I made the decision that I had to show my gratitude for him. As I summoned all the courage I had, I clutched his hand. From the expression on my face, he knew I had something important to say.
Drawing nearer to him, I said, "Grandpa. I have to tell you something."
By this time, the tears were streaming down my face. Not a trickle -- it
was as if the dam had broken. All those years of love that I had pent up
and not let him know, had become free.
I took a deep breath and tried to regain my composure. In doing this,
our eyes locked. You know what they say about the eyes being the window
of the soul? Well, our eyes spoke more than was ever possible. Through
my sniffles, I burst out, "Grandpa. I just want to let you know how much
I love you. I hope you already know that yet I just wanted to make sure."
Smiling broadly, he said, "I know. Thank you for telling me that." He further elaborated, "All I have on this planet is my family and my love for them. If there is anything I could ask of you, I want you to be good to your family, your mother, your father, and your brother. That's all I want of you." Nodding, I promised him that I would. We both turned to notice the nurse coming in the room.
She told me that the visitation period had ended and that she needed to do some tests. Squeezing his hand tight, I gave him a warm hug as all the love I had ever felt for him came flooding through my body. I knew this could very well be the last time I ever saw him. I walked out of his room and stopped. I had to look at him one last time. I turned and saw him smile and wave. He was still my grandpa, still smiling, and still happy despite the grave situation. That image is forever etched into my memory.
What I learned that day transformed my entire life.
From then on, I began telling people how much I love them, care for
them, and respect them. I write glowing, unsolicited testimonials for people
I come in contact with (for example, my hairdresser, my banker, my aerobics
instructor) to show my appreciation. I go down into the city once a week
and serve pizza to the homeless. I wake up every morning and list everything
I'm grateful for in my life. Since we never really know how long
those we care about will be in our lives, I created for myself an "attitude
of gratitude".
- Kent Sayre
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If you're lucky, you'll be able to learn the lesson in the story above
without having to experience losing a loved one.
For many of us, September 11th was a turning point - where we realized
that having an "attitude of gratitude" and counting yourself thankful for
what you have is vital.
Don't neglect what might seem like "the small stuff" - saying hi, thank
you, and I love you!
TRIVIA IS FUN:
Why people’s eyes often red in snapshots?
Well, if you photograph them just before the bar closes, you shouldn't be surprised. Under other circumstances, if they're your relatives and yours are anything like some of mine, don't even question this phenomenon. Use it to identify which are not of this earth.
If you want the scientific explanation, it's all in the retina,
the light-sensitive membrane in your eye. It's not exactly a mirror so
most of the time light does not reflect off of it. But the light from a
camera's flash is so intense that it does come back at the camera's lens.
The red color is from the blood vessels in the membrane.
Cats, like some other animals, have an extra reflective layer
on their retina so even shining a flashlight at them in the dark produces
a reflection.
The Liberty Bell, on view today in Philadelphia, did not ring
out American independence on July 4, 1776, but rather on the 8th. Anyone
who says otherwise is cracked.
There are many places in the Western Hemisphere named for Columbus.
Note that they're not called "Christopher." So why do
we call America after explorer Amerigo Vespucci's first name?
Well, "God Bless Vespucci" does lack a certain something.
Source: THE JOY OF TRIVIA
Didja Know...There are more than10 million bricks in the Empire
State Building?
- (FunnyFuel.com)
Facts on Figures:
*There are 3 billion women who don't look like super models and only eight who do.
*Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14.
*If Barbie were a real woman, she'd have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.
*The average woman weighs 144 lb. and wears between a:12-14.
*One out of every four college aged women has an eating disorder.
*The models in the magazines are airbrushed -- not perfect!
*A psychological study in 1995 found that three minutes spent looking at a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to feel depressed, guilty, and shameful.
*Models twenty years ago weighed 8% less than the average woman.
*Today they weigh 23% less.
Beauty of a Woman~
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman must be seen from her eyes,
Because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives,
The passion that she shows.
The beauty of a woman --- With passing years -- only grows.
An English professor wrote the words, "Woman without her man is nothing,"
on the blackboard and directed the students to punctuate it correctly.
The men wrote: "Woman, without her man, is nothing. "The women
wrote: "Woman! Without her, man is nothing."
The Images of Mother
4 YEARS OF AGE ~ My Mommy can do anything!
8 YEARS OF AGE ~ My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!
12 YEARS OF AGE ~ My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.
14 YEARS OF AGE ~ Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.
16 YEARS OF AGE ~ Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.
18 YEARS OF AGE ~ That old woman? She's way out of date!
25 YEARS OF AGE ~ Well, she might know a little bit about it.
35 YEARS OF AGE ~ Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.
45 YEARS OF AGE ~ Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?
65 YEARS OF AGE ~ Wish I could talk it over with Mom.
Character Education: Important thoughts to Ponder:
Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and
height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. If you
real need a grouch, there are probably a few dozen of your relatives to
do the job.
Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening,
whatever. Just never let the brain become idle.
Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
Laugh so much that you can be tracked in the store by your distinctive
laughter.
Do not worry about situations beyond your control. Karma is karma.
What shall be will be.
The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person
who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.
Surround yourself with what you love whether it is family, pets,
keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it
is unstable improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
Don't take guilt trips. Go to the mall, the next county, a foreign
country, but not guilt.
Tell the people you love, that you love them, at every opportunity.
Remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.
Do you smell anything here?
It's a scent
Do you see any fruit here?
It's a pear.
Do you see any snakes here?
It's three copperheads.
Do you see any cars here?
It's four Lincoln's.
What is your opinion sometimes worth?
"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Five More Minutes
While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground. "That's my son over there," she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.
"He's a fine looking boy," the man said. "That's my son on the swing in the blue sweater." Then, looking at his watch, he called to his son. "What do you say we go, Todd?"
Todd pleaded, "Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes." The man nodded and Todd continued to swing to his heart's content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his son. "Time to go now?"
Again Todd pleaded, "Five more minutes, Dad, Just five more minutes." The man smiled and said, "O.K."
"My, you certainly are a patient father," the woman responded.
The man smiled and then said, "My older son Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I'd give anything for just five more minutes with him. I've vowed not to make the same mistake with Todd. He thinks he has five more minutes to swing.
The truth is, I get five more minutes to watch him play." - Source Unknown
The Oak Tree
A mighty wind
Blew night and day
It stole the oak tree's leaves away
Then snapped its boughs
And pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark
But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around
The weary wind gave up and spoke,
”How can you still be standing Oak?”
The oak tree said, “I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two
Carry every leaf away
Shake my limbs, and make me sway
But I have roots stretched in the earth
Growing stronger since my birth
You'll never touch them, for you see
They are the deepest part of me
Until today, I wasn't sure
Of just how much I could endure
But now I've found, with thanks to you
I'm stronger than I ever knew.”
~ Author Unknown ~
"The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way."
~ Author Unknown
There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way. ~ Wayne Dyer
A Thousand Mirrors
Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place known as the
House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place
and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs
to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears
lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise,
he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails
wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered
with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the House,
he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and
visit it often."
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet? What reflection do others see when they look at you? ~ Author Unknown ~
"Don't be afraid of showing affection. Be warm and tender, thoughtful and affectionate. Men are more helped by sympathy than by service. Love is more than money, and a kind word will give more pleasure than a present." ~ Sir John Lubbock.
Don't Ever Forget
Your presence is a gift to the world,
you are unique and one of a kind.
Your life can be what you want it to be -
Take it one day at a time.
Count your blessings, not your troubles,
and you'll make it through what comes along.
Within you are so many answers,
Understand, have courage, be strong.
Don't put limits on yourself;
your dreams are waiting to be realized.
Don't leave your important decisions to chance
Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize.
Nothing wastes more energy than worrying -
The longer a problem is carried, the heavier it gets.
Don't take things too seriously -
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.
Remember that a little love goes a long way -
Remember that a lot goes forever.
Remember that friendship is a wise investment;
Life's treasures are people... together.
Have health and hope and happiness;
Take the time to wish on a star.
And don't ever forget for even a day...
How very special YOU are! -anon
Kids say the cutest things:
“I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet so I
decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it
was.
She would tell me and always she was correct. But it was fun for me,
so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying sagely, "Grandma,
I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!"
How about another laugh about kids:
A mother was telling her little girl what her own childhood was like:
"We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it
hung
from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries
in the woods."
The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, "I
sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"
St. Pat's Spirit – Irish Songs: Irish songs and blessings warm our hearts.
A Great Day for the Irish
A Little Bit of Heaven
Danny Boy
I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover
My Wild Irish Rose
Peg o' My Heart
That's an Irish Lullaby
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
Irish Baby Names: A Golden Trend
Love Saint Patrick's Day? One of these Irish monikers may be right for
your baby! By Lexi Walters
Is it just pure luck that Irish baby names are a smash hit right now?
Whether or not they can trace their heritage back to the Emerald Isle,
thousands of American parents are giving their children Irish monikers.
Celebrities, too, are striking gold with Irish names: Comedian Jon
Stewart recently named his daughter Maggie Rose; actress Monica Potter
chose a similarly lucky Irish moniker, Molly, for her 2006 baby. Musician
Lou Rawls, actress Tracey Gold, and skater Scott Hamilton all named their
sons Aiden (with various spellings), which means "fire" in Celtic.
Other currently popular Irish boys' names are Ryan, Aidan, Liam, Ciaran
(pronounced "keer-in"), Declan, Casey, Evan, Brady, Corey, Brendan, Colin,
Riley, and Conor, according to babynamesofireland.com -- which thankfully
has an Irish name pronunciation guide -- and the Social Security Administration.
Sean (61st most popular), Shane (150th), Kevin (31st), Cole (70th), and
Brian (58th) also topped the charts.
Popular Irish girls' names include Siobhan (pronounced "shiv-awn,"
the name of WNBA star Rebecca Lobo's daughter), Aisling, Tara, Deirdre,
Bailey, Maureen, Mackenzie (the 2005 newborn of Harry Potter mastermind
J.K. Rowling), Kaitlyn, and Eileen.
Strangely, Colleen and Megan -- which many Americans assume to be traditional
Irish names -- dropped in rank this year. Perhaps parents realized that
"Colleen" in Irish Gaelic, translates directly to "girl." ("This is our
daughter, Girl."). And Megan? Megan's actually Greek, not Irish.
No Irish blood in you? No bother -- consider some of these traditionally
Irish naming conventions:
For Boys
• Oldest son named after the father's father
• Second son named after the mother's father
• Third son named after the father
• Fourth son named after the father's oldest brother
For Girls
• Oldest daughter named after the mother's mother
• Second daughter named after the father's mother
• Third daughter named after the mother
• Fourth daughter named after the mother's oldest sister
Search for other Irish names -- or monikers of other ethnic origins
at:
AmericanBaby.com/babynames. There, narrow your search by gender, child's
characteristic, popularity, even first letter!