|
Teacher Quote of the Month...
"This software has been such a tremendous resource and timesaver. I'm paying for it myself and feel it has been worth every penny! Thanks for developing it."
-Laura Tracy, Swaledale, Iowa
|
|
Monthly Tip:
ESGI has recently added a "Test Preview Button" to the Test Explorer. Now, as you are creating tests, or adding an existing test to your screen, you can preview it first. You will notice a "Preview" button next to each test. Click it, and you can test-drive the assessment to see what the questions will look like.
|
|
Johnny's kindergarten class was on a field trip to their local police station where they saw pictures, tacked to a bulletin board, of the 10 most wanted criminals. One of the youngsters pointed to a picture and asked if it really was the photo of a wanted person. "Yes," said the policeman. "The detectives want very badly to capture him." Little Johnny asked, "Why didn't you keep him when you took his picture?"
|
|
Teacher Tip!
When creating bulletin boards in your classroom, consider alternatives to butcher paper and fade resistance paper. Fabric is one option, but can be quite pricey. A more economical substitute to fabric, are reasonably priced flat bedding sheets. They are fire retardant and can be bought for under $5 at stores like Wal-Mart and Target. You can choose from a wide selection of solid colors or prints. Sheets can be hung just like butcher paper. Include a nice boarder and you have a bulletin board that will last for several years.
A helpful hint: Have a friend help you hang the sheet, so it can be pulled taught before stapling and eliminate wrinkles and bunching. Another cute idea is to use wide ribbon for the boarder. Ribbon can also be found in several textures, colors and prints. To tie the bulletin board together, use the ribbon to tie bows in the top corners. Choosing bed sheets for your bulletin boards will not only save you money, but will save you time, year after year!
Great Resources:
Help your students classify ideas and communicate more effectively. Use graphic organizers to structure writing projects, to help in problem solving, decision making, and brainstorming!
Valentine's Day
Fun filled Valentine's activities that incorporate learning about Community Helpers and creating a literacy center out of making and writing Valentine's Day cards!
Videos and more to help educate your students on how to keep their teeth healthy and smiles bright!
Do you know of a website with great resources you could not live without? Send us a link at info@esgisoftware.com.
Upcoming
Conferences . . .
January
California Kindergarten Conference
Santa Clara, CA, Jan. 17-18
February
Southern California Kindergarten ConferencePasadena, CA, Feb. 27-28 March
The 28th Annual Illinois ASCD Statewide Pre-Kindergarten/ Kindergarten ConferenceSchaumburg, IL, Mar. 5-6
New York State Reading Association, NYSRA Conference 2009 Saratoga Springs, NY, Mar. 29 - Apr. 1
June
Summer "Crews" Conference
Kingwood, TX, June 18-19
| |
|
A New Year of Encouragement:
Maybe 2008 was one of those years when at times, you felt discouraged. The obstacles educators face are many. Take just a moment to consider the following adversities some of history's greatest figures overcame:
Beethoven's violin teacher once told him he was a "hopeless composer."
A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney for "lacking ideas."
Thomas Edison's teacher said he was "too stupid to learn anything".
And Michael Jordan missed 9,000 shots in his career and lost more than 300 games. Twenty-six times he was trusted to take the game's winning shot and missed. Michael Jordan said, "I've failed over and over again in my life. And that's why I succeed."
This year you will undoubtedly face major challenges as an educator. Perhaps your district is desperate for funding, a student's parent refuses to take an active role in their education, or that one child still can't grasp the concept you have tried diligently to teach them. Whatever your obstacles may be, if you are tempted to give up on someone or something, don't! Like the inspiring people above, keep going!
2009 offers a unique opportunity for educators like you to encourage our society with the promise of a future full of opportunity for our young people.
Thank you for believing in and inspiring our youth!
~The ESGI Team
|
Spend some time to earn a dime!
 As you know, teachers spend hundreds of dollars of their own money every year to pay for classroom supplies. Reduce that amount with this ESGI advice. These are not your typical money-saving tips and you do not have to be tech-savvy to take advantage of them.
1. Apply for Grants
A grant is a gift from the government, a foundation, or another organization that is interested in investing in your role as a teacher. They provide a sum of money to help you implement a classroom program, or allow you to purchase certain goods for your students.
Though there is a lot of competition for most grants, there are so many available today that it's worth your time and effort to apply for any that pertain to your situation.
2. Raise money for your school by encouraging online shopping. Public schools are often in need of additional funds. Now you can help a school by simply shopping on the web. Access major retailers at OneCause. The site will donate a percentage of your purchase to the school of your choice at no additional cost to you.
3. Use donorschoose.org to request materials to support student learning in your classroom.
Donorschoose.org is a nonprofit that connects public school teachers with people who want to support classroom learning. It's as simple as logging on and submitting a project that your class needs help funding. The site lists lots of teacher success stories. If donorchoose.org can work for other teachers, why not for you?
|
New Location, New Presenters! |
|
Few investments these days have as high a rate of return as investments in early childhood education. Educators who devote time and effort to Pre-K, Kindergarten or Head Start will benefit from attending the Southern California Kindergarten Conference. Friday, February 27th and Saturday, February 28th will be two days jam-packed with workshops on early education.
ESGI Creator Greg Gorman will present a workshop on many timesaving techniques for kindergarten teachers, including how to get your "year scope and sequence" onto one page, and of course demonstrate the benifits of using ESGI and the Parent Conferencer in your classroom. Look for him Saturday the 28th in WORKSHOP E08 from 1:45 to 3 p.m. Greg and the ESGI team will hold demonstrations throughout the conference at booth #311. Stop by and sign up to be one of TWO lucky educators to WIN a FREE Year of ESGI!
This popular conference also offers a Children's Art Exhibit, an art gallery devoted to children's artwork throughout California, and Teacher Awards, where lucky applicants can receive up to a maximum of $1000 each and paid registartion for the 2010 conference. You can even earn college credit from the University of San Diego by attending! The conference will be held at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 East Green Street in Pasadena, California. Go to Southern California Kindergarten Conference download the registration form. The cost is $190.00 per person. Attendance is limited to 1100 educators, so register today!
ESGI will also be donating 2 conference registrations. If you are the 100th or 200th teacher to register for the conference, your registration will be paid for by us!
|
|
 | |
