Dear Pawsome Loring Parents,

"Isn't There Anyone Who Knows What Christmas Is All About?"
Almost anyone who was between five and ten years old on December 9, 1965, can recall this now famous line of dialogue from A Charlie Brown Christmas (at least every kid I knew back then watched it that night it premiered). Charlie Brown stands on an empty stage in the vast school auditorium and pleads for help. At that point in the show he has been used and abused by his friends, sickened by his sister Sally's greed ("All I want is what I having coming to me. All I want is my fair share."), and even his dog has turned on him. Now the Dees family has watched A Charlie Brown Christmas many times. We recently had a chance to watch it with all the family members present. This particular viewing gave my 4-year old Abby the green light to become a movie critic. The next morning I asked her what she thought about the movie we watched the night before. She said, "Charlie is sad, those kids are mean to him, his dog is being bad, those kids are bad to him, and the Christmas tree is nice." Of course, she is referring to that little sprig Charlie Brown so foolishly bought: the one that, when given the right attention and care, becomes a large, vibrant tree. As Linus says, "All it needed was a little love."

I am definitely not trying to push any religious agenda in your direction. What I want to convey is the same insight that my Abby and Linus had, "All it needed was a little love." I believe with all my being that anyone given the right attention and care becomes a large, vibrant human being. Your love can change the world. As you take time to be with your family this Holiday Season please take the time to stop and show your love.

Moving Past Our Myths About Creativity
The following moral/ethical dilemma was included on an actual job application:
You are driving down the road at night during a torrential downpour, when you pass by a bus stop. Three people are waiting for the bus:
1) An elderly lady who looks as if she needs medical attention.
2) A longtime friend who once saved your life.
3) The man/woman of your dreams (assume you're unmarried)
Which one would you offer a ride, knowing that only one additional passenger can fit in your tiny car? Explain your answer.
You could pick up the elderly lady, because she looks as if she needs to go to the hospital. However, you don't know the lady, and this could be the perfect chance to pay back the friend who had saved your life. Then again, you may never be able to find the man/woman of your dreams again...

"Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

What A Girl Wants For Christmas
The Santa Claus at the shopping mall was very surprised when Emily, a young lady aged about 20 years old walked up and sat on his lap. Now, we all know that Santa doesn't usually take requests from adults, but she smiled very nicely at him, so he asked her, 'What do you want for Christmas?'
"Something for my mother, please," replied Emily sweetly.
"Something for your mother? Well, that's very loving and thoughtful of you," smiled Santa. "What would you like me to bring her?"
Without turning a hair Emily answered quickly, "A son-in-law!"

Reading assessments for elementary schools: Educational impact
Many people have been asking me more and more about reading assessments. What are they? What do you do with them? Is it really that important? I thought I would take a little time to answer some of those questions. Reading assessments for elementary schools involve screening and progress monitoring, diagnostics measures, outcome measures, indicators and effectiveness, and using assessment to educate. Screening tests provide teachers with a beginning assessment of a student's preparation for grade-level reading instruction. Progress monitoring tests keep the teacher informed about the student's progress in learning to read at grade level throughout the school year. Diagnostic tests are used to measure one or more critical reading skills. They are designed to provide a more precise and detailed picture of the full range of a student's skill and knowledge in order to plan instruction more precisely. Outcome assessments are given at the end of the school year to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the reading program and to evaluate progress toward meeting the goal of leaving no child behind in reading.

Reading assessments for elementary schools: DIBELS
Reading assessments for elementary schools include Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). DIBELS was developed by Dr. Roland Good at the University of Oregon. It is a standardized, individually administered measure of early literacy development. DIBELS concentrates on phonemic awareness, identification and manipulation of parts of spoken language, phonics, and correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. This is important because 1 out of 8 children not reading at grade level by the end of first grade will never read on grade level. Knowing why a student reads well leads to better comprehension, which leads to fluency.

Reading assessments for elementary schools: Training the brain
Reading assessments for elementary schools target the goal of having reading become easy and more enjoyable. Key components include: letter naming fluency (letter recognition, print awareness, phonemic awareness); initial sound fluency (phonological awareness); phoneme segmentation fluency; nonsense word fluency; oral reading fluency; re-tell fluency; word-use fluency. Hopefully I have answered some of the questions. If you still have more questions please contact me anytime.

Principal Coffee
Please come and join me January 25, 2012 from 7:00-8:00PM in the dining room to discuss Reading and Math Assessments. I will take you through one of our data meetings and give you an up close look at how we assess the students. Please join me for this informative session.

How do snowmen get around?
On their icicles.

Moving Past Our Myths About Creativity (The Answer)
Allegedly, the candidate who eventually was hired gave the following answer:
"I would give the car keys to my friend and let him take the lady to the hospital while I stayed behind and waited for the bus with the woman of my dreams."

"When life gives you latkes, you've got oil-fried potatoes"
- Yasha Harari

CREATIVE THINKING
Breaking out of our entrenched patterns of thought can bring about tremendous gain. Yet, as much as we talk about "thinking outside of the box," we seldom purposefully engage in creative thinking. Perhaps that's because we've been deceived by common myths about creativity.

Myth #1: Creative thinkers produce original ideas.
We have a misconception that creativity equals originality. However, most creative advancements come by combining pre-existing ideas rather than by generating new ones. Indeed, inventive concepts don't make a splash until someone grasps how to apply them and to advertise their benefits.

Myth #2 Creative thinking happens spontaneously.
Discipline and creativity are two words we wouldn't normally associate with one another. Yet, they go hand in hand. During the early years of Apple, creators worked diligently to develop new and innovative approaches.

Myth #3 Creative thinkers are solo geniuses.
One is the loneliest number, and it's also the least creative. Thankfully, Steve Jobs had the good sense to go beyond the limitations of his own mind and to ask others to lend him their creative insights.

"Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it; they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things. "
-Steve Jobs

Linus Van Pelt: Gee, do they still make wooden Christmas trees?
Charlie Brown: This little green one here seems to need a home.
Linus Van Pelt: I don't know, Charlie Brown. Remember what Lucy said? This doesn't seem to fit the modern spirit.
Charlie Brown: I don't care. We'll decorate it and it'll be just right for our play. Besides, I think it needs me.

For all you Charlie Browns out there...you are greatly needed! Enjoy your break! I am sorry that school is not opened next week. You are so highly appreciated for all you do! Thank you so very much!

Dare to Dream,
Mr. Dees

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