Westbrook Staff Blog

  Happy Almost Halloween! Thank you all for such a fun day on Friday! Now, all we have to do is make it through the post candy, up too late, coma to come on Wednesday. Then, all is good! And that also marks making it through the very LONG month of October!!! Give yourself a big pat on the back. There are some big updates in the Brooks household. First, my car does have new tires. That is BIG news! Also, we are down two practices a night, so the Brooks boys will be home before 8:30pm! That is a big YAY!! All of this to say, we are down to the last few weeks of soccer for Joelle, travel lacrosse for Jojo, and football playoffs for Jonathan. Practically a vacation😂 Professional Development Schedule: We have PD on Monday and Tuesday. Everything will be at Westbrook in the Lab. (Except TK will be at Brown Monday AM) The focus on Monday is around PLC work, the Essential Standards pacing guide and data analysis. I am excited because the timing is perfect. All of our PLC's are new teams ...

  Happy Sunday! Thank you to all of you who were able to come to the Fall Fest. It was a huge success. We had 955 people attend the event which is mind-blowing!! The best part was that it was truly a community event. The high school was heavily present, local businesses were there and people who don't even attend Westbrook came for fun! Would you believe, one of the neighbors, who subbed in our front office ONE day, had a trunk!! She was Minnie Mouse! I am simply in awe of this community and how united it is!! Another incredible thing that happened was Jonah and Flora's mom gushed about the fact there were kids who came up to them and said 'hi' them. They even complimented their costumes. As a mom, she has never experienced that in her children's lives. Also, Arya's mom, another parent from one of our FSP classes was in tears because she was able to bring her daughter and talk to other parents. They even came to our Fall Festival over her son's at Fiddyment,...

  Happy Sunday!! Just me? Could anyone else use an extra day each weekend? This weekend was Homecoming for West Park, so the Brooks household was quite busy. In addition to the craziness, we had all of our usual sports and a softball tournament. A softball tournament that would not end, might I add!! In these situations, I try so hard to be present and enjoy the moment, but sometimes there is so much to do. As busy as we were, all of the things this weekend were positive and wonderful and that is something to be thankful for. And Monday will still come tomorrow... Let's do this!  Oh, in case you were wondering, my car still does not have new tires. 😂 Picture Day Tomorrow: Staff can get your picture taken from 7-7:30am. See the schedule Luisa sent for the rest of the day. We will do our group staff picture on the morning of Monday, 10/23. Yes, that means you will have to do your hair two Mondays in a row. 😊 Evacuation Drill: We will have our first evacuation drill this Thur...

  Happy Sunday! There is a reason I chose this quote today. I am writing this blog on Saturday and trying to get as much of it done as I can in the 45 min I have. This morning, I had an appt to get new tires. Turns out, my tires have a lock and the key is nowhere to be found. I have to add, they called to tell me this an hour an a half after my appointment time, so I had been waiting this whole time. The only option was to go to the Honda dealership and try to get it worked out. My hope was they could get it fixed on the spot. How cute am I thinking that was a possibility? Nope. I have to make an appointment to get some lug nuts switched. Awesome.  Here is why the quote. It is a big deal for me to make an appointment for anything. I simply don't have time. Learning I had to make an appointment and then reschedule getting my tires had me in tears. And it had nothing to do with the 3 hours I spent this morning waiting. I was actually not upset about that. It was the fact I have ...

  Mic drop. Blog over. Peace out.  Ok, just kidding. But in all honesty, come on!!! I ordered myself a sweatshirt last night and it says 'Remember your Why.' Whelp, there you have it. This is one of the many "why's" we do this really tough work day in and day out.  I am not sure how it happened, but tomorrow is October. In my eyes, that is the beginning of the holiday season which we all know FLIES by!! That aside, it also marks a lot of things in schools. First and foremost, the honeymoon period is absolutely over. Funny not funny. We now know our students' strengths and weaknesses. We have started RTI and are providing intervention. As far as school systems go, we know what works and what needs adjustment. And finally, we are in our last push before the trimester ends. Phew, I am worn out just writing that! So, as quoted by one of my favorite Peloton instructors, 'Buckle up, Buttercup.' The fun is just beginning!  Last week, was A WEEK!! We had all t...