Monday Goals

Monday Goals, Folwell Dunbar 1
GOALS
Monday Goal Setting @ YACS
By Folwell Dunbar

Espanol
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, October 28, 2013 and the Saints
are 6 and 1 – Who Dat?!
As you all know, one of our goals is that you all aprender Español – that you are
conversationally proficient in Spanish by the time you graduate 8th
grade.
Ultimately, we’d like for you to be bilingual by the time you go to college. To
accomplish this goal, we have two amazing teachers, Maistra Lily y Maistra Lidia.
They are both native Spanish speakers and they are excellent educators. But, for
them to be successful and for us to be successful, we have to do more than
attend their classes. Here are five things I would like for y’all to do:
1. Practice your Spanish vocabulary for at least 10 minutos every night. A
wonderful way to do this is with flash cards.
2. Try to speak Spanish with your classmates, teachers and parents. This can be
especially fun at lunch or almuerzo.
3. Listen to Spanish music on the radio. There are several stations here in New
Orleans including KGLA AM 1540 here in Gretna.
4. Watch Spanish programs on TV. Or, watch your favorite shows with closed
captioning en Español.
5. Download free apps like Duolingo or podcasts like Coffee Break Spanish.
Their fun and educational.
The bottom line is we have to practicar as much as we can.
Tenga un buen dia y aprenda todo lo que pueda!

Beauty
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, November 4, 2013, another
beautiful fall day.
Speaking of beauty, one of our schoolwide goals is to establish and maintain a
beautiful and safe learning environment. So, how do we accomplish this?
One simple way is to clean up. We have a terrific maintenance crew that works
tirelessly to make sure our classrooms, hallways, bathrooms and grounds look
good. But, we need to do our part as well. If you see trash on the ground, pick it
up. If you spill something in the dining room, clean it up. And, as I’ve seen many
of you doing already, volunteer to help your teacher do things like wipe down the
tables, clean off the whiteboards and stack the chairs.
Another way is for us to make artwork and put it on display in the classrooms and
hallways. I like to think of our school as a gallery or museum and y’all, our
incredibly talented creative learners, are our young artists in residence. Your
work demonstrates what you have learned, and yes, it is beautiful!
We also have a school beautification committee. They are the ones who are
responsible for the new sidewalk signs named after famous artists. We now have
Tennessee Williams Way, Leonardo da Vinci Drive and Professor Longhair Lane.
That is pretty cool!
Finally, to reach our goal, we will be holding several school beautification days. I
will invite parents, teachers, students and community members to come to the
school on weekends to plant flowers and trees, trim and weed hedges and beds,
paint and repair buildings, build frames and shelves, organize books and create
murals.
We will do everything we can to make this a stunning place to learn!
Have a wonderful, beautiful day and learn as much as you can!

BHAGs
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, November 11, 2013. It’s Veterans
Day, and yes, the Saints are back on track!
As you all know, Monday is our day to set goals. There are individual goals like,
“By Friday, I will read two books, learn 15 new words in Spanish, write a 5-
paragraph essay and learn how to multiple by 7 (one of the harder ones by the
way). We sometimes have group goals as well. For example, “Our class will win
the Golden Spoon this week or the 3rd
grade will select and read poems to our
friends in Kindergarten. There are also school-wide goals like the one about
school beautification I shared last week. “We want our school to be beautiful, so
here are some things we can to do…”
Today, I want us to think about Big Hairy Audacious Goals or BHAGs. These are
the super ambitious goals that we have for a group or ourselves. For example,
one of our YACS BHAGs is that each and every Creative Learner will get into the
high school and college of their choice. Another is that you leave here
conversationally fluent in Spanish. So, my question today is, “What is your Big
Hairy Audacious Goal? Is it to become a doctor and help sick children?
Write a Pulitzer Prize winning play? Travel around the world or win a Nobel
Prize? Dream BIG Creative Learners – our goals have no limits!
In honor of those who served in the military, including my father who fought in the
Pacific in World War ll, please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance:
Let’s have a great day, set BHAGS and learn as much as we can!

Potential
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, November 17, 1013, the final
week before our Thanksgiving Break.
As you know, one of our most important goals at Young Audiences Charter
School is for each and every one of you to reach your full academic potential –
for you to meet or exceed grade level expectations, for you to get into the high
school and college of your choice, and for you to be successful and happy in
whatever career you choose. To reach this goal, our teachers work exceptionally
hard. They come to school early and they leave late. (Many of them were actually
here over the weekend!) They develop amazing lessons and projects, and they
teach with passion and vigor. They also give tests to make sure we are where we
need to be. Today and tomorrow for example, our 2nd
and 3rd
grade teachers are
administering important math and language arts assessments. They will use the
results to either reteach or teach differently. Let’s make sure to do the best we
can!
For us to reach our goal, there are things that you can do as well. Here are my
top 5:
1. Be at Level C, Compliance or D, Democracy every single day, all day long.
When we bother others, or when we are in anarchy, it makes it difficult for us
and others to learn.
2. Work hard! Learning is not always easy. It takes dedication and determination
– you have to want to learn.
3. Ask questions. Your teachers need to know what you don’t know. Raise your
hand when you don’t understand.
4. Practice! Then, practice some more. Reading in the gym before school,
completing all homework assignments, using Spanish words when your not in
Spanish class, playing games like scrabble and Sudoku, exploring websites
like Funbrain and PBS Kids are all ways to exercise your brains outside of
class.
5. Have fun. Learning can and should be fun! I expect to see lots of smiles and
hear plenty of laughter throughout the school all day long.
Remember, every day is an opportunity for us to gain knowledge and skills – to
become better readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, athletes and artists.
Let’s have a great day, reach your true potential and learn as much as you can!

Creativity
Good morning Creative Learners! It’s a special Who Dat Monday, December 2,
2013. Welcome back from the Thanksgiving break. I hope you’re all rested up
and ready to learn.
As you all know (or should know), “creativity” is one of the four core values here
at Young Audiences Charter School. One of our goals is for you to develop and
express your creativity. We honor creative people and we celebrate their work.
And, of course, we refer to you as Creative Learners. So, my questions for you
today are, “What does creativity really mean?” What does it look like? Where
does it live? Can it be measured? How much is it worth? Why does it matter?
Hmmmm….
According to the dictionary, creativity is “the ability to make new things or to think
of new ideas.” Every day here at school you have opportunities to do just that.
When you write an original story, poem or song; when you paint, sculpt or
compose; when you step up to the Open Mic with Ms. Asia or when you interpret
a story for Mr. Roscoe; when you work on a project or write in your journal, you
make new things and you express new ideas. Creativity is valuable. It hangs in
museums; it’s played over the radio. It can be found in books, on stages and in
movie theaters. It’s in the inventions we use and in the formulas and theories we
rely on. John Lennon, Pablo Picasso, Martha Graham, Thomas Edison, Luis
Armstrong, Marlon Brando, and Kurt Vonnegut were all creative people. Are you?
Let’s find out…
Creative learners are creative each and every day. Think outside the box!
Let’s have a great day and learn (and create) as much as we can!

Discipline
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, December 9, 2013. And yes, the
Who Dat nation is celebrating! It’s chilly and wet outside – let’s make sure we
stay warm and dry today…
Last week I talked to y’all about creativity, one of our core values. Using our
imagination to express new ideas or to create new things is extremely important;
but, without discipline, another one of our core values, creativity is often wasted.
Discipline is the training or mindset necessary to become really, really good at
something. Olympic athletes, published writers, accomplished artists, and great
scholars, Usain Bolt, J.K. Rowling, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Albert Einstein
all had to work exceptionally hard to accomplish extraordinary things. Here at
YACS, coach Eddy and Ms. Catherine are both amazing dancers. To get where
they are though, took discipline – they trained and trained and trained. Likewise,
Mr. K had to study, and practice, and drill again and again and again to become
the talented musician he is today.
My father is a visual artist. He’s exceptionally creative, but he’s also exceptionally
disciplined. He’s 86-years old, yet he still gets up every day, goes to his studio,
and paints or sculpts for at least 8 hours. Why? Because that’s what it takes to
be great!
To get into the high school and college of your choice; to be successful in
whatever career you choose, you too have to have discipline.
Let’s have a great day, work hard, stay at level C or D, and learn as much as you
can!

Setting Goals
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, December 16, 2013, the last week
before the winter break. Yeeeha!
Here at YACS our mission is to help you guys reach your academic and artistic
goals. This begs the question, “What are your goals? What do you hope to
accomplish? To score advanced on iLEAP? To learn how to play the piano? To
become fluent in Spanish? To become a doctor, fireman, or professional athlete.
To perform at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre like our ballerinas and drummers?
Our teachers are setting goals for themselves right now. All of theirs are all
designed to improve teaching and learning.
One of my goals by the way it to reduce the number of referrals to Mr. David and
the number of suspensions by half. To accomplish this, I’m going to need your
help. I’m going to need you to stay at Level C or D ALL the time.
The Saints’ goal last night was beat the Rams and make the playoffs. Obviously,
they were not successful. What does it take to achieve goals? Discipline, as we
discussed last week, hard work and lots and lots of practice.
When you come up with your own goals, make sure that they are SMART. Smart
is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results oriented,
and Timely. They should be ambitious yet realistic. Work with your teachers this
week to set goals. And then, over the holidays, start working to achieve them…
Let’s have a great day, work hard to reach your goals, and learn as much as you
can…

Happiness
Good morning Creative Learners; and welcome back to YACS! It’s Monday,
January 6, 2014, a new day and a new year!
As you may remember, Monday is our day for goal setting. Our goal for today, for
this week and for the rest of the year is a bit odd – it’s not like most of our other
goals. So, what is it? I would like for all of us, teachers, staff, parents and
students to be happier. How am I gonna know we are successful? I will see
more smiles and I will hear more laughter. And, at the end of the year, I will give
y’all a survey and ask, “Are you happier?” And, I expect all of you to say, with lots
of enthusiasm, “YES indeed we are!”
So, how do we accomplish this goal? Here are a few thoughts:
1) Learning can and should be fun! Y’all are here all day to learn – Enjoy the
time!
2) One of the best and most pleasurable ways to learn is by reading. In the gym
in the morning, in and out of the classroom, during SSR (Sustained Silent
Reading), DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) or over the weekend – read,
read, and then READ some more!
3) Being in anarchy or when you are bullied or bothered is never fun. We all
need to stay at level C or D all day long!
4) Doing or saying nice things to others always feels good – for both parties.
Let’s be caught being kind way more often!
5) One of the things that makes us happy is meeting or exceeding our other
goals – learning goals, artistic goals, athletic goals – reaching them will help
us reach this goal.
So, YACSters, Let’s be happy!
Let’s have a great, happy day and LEARN as much as you can!

Saints
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, January 12, 2014.
At the beginning of the season, the New Orleans Saints set their sights on
winning the Super Bowl. They came up with an action plan and carried it out.
They worked hard, dieting and exorcizing, planning and practicing plays,
developing strategies for each and every opponent. They won 11 games and
only lost 5. They made the playoffs and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in their
first game. Unfortunately, they then lost to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.
Their season is over; they will not win the Super Bowl.
After the game this weekend, coach Sean Payton was asked what he would do
next. He said, “I’m going to study the tapes with my team; figure out what we
need to do differently; and then do it.”
We set goals all the time. I have goals, your teachers have goals, and you have
goals. Once we have them, we strive to achieve them. Sometimes we are
successful, but sometimes we’re not. When we’re not, what do we do? Like Sean
Payton, we figure out why we failed; and then we come up with a new plan to
win.
Next year, I’m sure, the New Orleans Saints will set their sights on winning the
Super Bowl again…
Remember, we learn from our victories and we learn from our defeats.
Let’s have a great day and, win or lose, learn as much as you can!

Technology
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, January 27, 2014, a goal setting
day.
As I like to remind you at the beginning and end of every week, my goal for you is
that you learn as much as you can. How we accomplish this changes
throughout the day. You read in the gym and library before school starts, you
have Art Reflection Time first thing in the morning and at the end of the day, you
have morning meetings and whole-class discussions, you do arts integrated
lessons and projects, there’s guided reading and small group activities, Spanish,
PE and studio classes. There’s the after school program and homework at night.
We also learn with technology. Over the last few months, you’ve watched and
discussed films and video clips; your teachers have shared tools and resources
from the Internet; some of you have used Dreambox to master math skills; you’ve
listened to music and played educational games; and your accomplishments
have been celebrated on social media.
Well, if that weren’t enough, you’re about to do a whole lot more! Over the next
few weeks, your teachers will be getting and using even more technology. We’ll
be using it to learn and practice important skills, to acquire and apply knowledge,
to increase critical thinking and productivity, to communicate, collaborate, explore
and create! In other words, to enhance and extend learning.
For us to get the most out of this powerful tool, you’ll need to be at level C or D;
you’ll need to follow your teachers’ directions carefully; and you’ll need to be
really, really careful. Most importantly, you’ll need to remember the purpose: to
learn as much as you can!
Let’s have a great day, with or without technology, and learn as much as you
can!

Questions
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, February 3, 2014. It is African
American History Month, the month Abraham Lincoln was born, and the month
we celebrate Valentine’s Day. It’s also Carnival season in New Orleans!
As you all know, your teachers and I ask lots of questions every day. There are 5
in particular that I like to ask:
1) Are you ready to learn?
2) Did you learn a lot?
3) Were you at Level C or D all day long?
4) Did you have fun?
5) Are you excited about tomorrow?
One of my goals for the school is that you answer all 5 of these questions
enthusiastically and confidently, “YES!”
Yes, I’m ready to learn!
Yes, I learned a lot!
Yes, I was at Level C and D all day long!
Yes, I had fun!
And Yes, I’m excited about tomorrow!
If all of you answer all five questions this way every day WE will be a successful
school!
Answer YES!
Let’s have a great YES day and learn as much as you can!

Visitors
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, February 10, 2014. On this day in
1763, the French and Indian War ended. As a result of the war, Spain was given
New Orleans and all the territory West of the Mississippi, including the land
where YACS is. It also caused French Canadians to migrate to Louisiana and
settle in what is now considered Cajun Country – Aweeeeeee!
We have visitors at YACS all the time. Some are parents and some are artists.
Some are teachers who might want to teach here and some are students who
might want to go to school here. One of my goals is to make sure that all of our
visitors feel welcome. How do we do that? One way is to say “Bienvenidos!” or
“Welcome!” with a big smile on our face when we see someone new. Another is
to ask, “Puedo ayudarte?” or “Can I help you?” They may be looking for someone
or some place. The most important thing you can do is be at Level C or Level D
all the time. When you are in compliance or at Democracy, guests always feel
more comfortable.
We’re going to have some really special guests here at YACS this Thursday. The
NBA All Star Game is being held in New Orleans this weekend and the players’
wives would like to visit OUR school! They are going to be here from 1:00 o’clock
to 3:00 o’clock. They are going to tour the school and visit classes; they are going
to help us paint a mural or big painting for the gym; and they are going to attend
a performance by our own Creative Learners. Mr. K’s kids will sing, Coach
Eddy’s ballerinas will dance, and Mr. Judah’s drummers will play! The NBA wives
also brought a gift for all of you – a gift we will wear on Thursday. It’s going to be
a great, GREAT day!
Let’s do whatever we can to make our special guests feel special!
Let’s have a great day, welcome all visitors, and LEARN as much as you can!

Schoolwide Expectations
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, February 17, 2014. It’s President’s
Day, the day we honor the 44 individuals who served as president of the United
States of America.
As you all know, Mondays are for goal setting. With goals though, every now and
again, you have to look back and ask, “Have we met our goals?” One of our
goals at the beginning of the year was for ALL of us to meet ALL of our
schoolwide expectations ALL of the time. So, what are those expectations?
There are 10:
1. We tuck in our shirts and tie our shoes. (In other words, we are in uniform)
2. We walk silently down the right side of hallways and sidewalks.
3. We keep our hands to ourselves.
4. We stop talking and raise our hands when an adult raises his or her hand.
5. We adhere to established noise levels (0 – 3).
6. We engage in polite conversation at a reasonable tone. (In other words, we
respect one another)
7. We transition between activities quietly and efficiently.
8. We pick up and/or throw away trash – in other words, we take care of our
learning environment.
9. We adhere to all classroom, dining room, bathroom, and gym expectations –
those that might be different from our schoolwide expectations.
10. We look out for each other. We are at Level C or D ALL day long!
These expectations are designed to keep you safe and keep you learning. If we
want to hit our BIG goals – to reach our academic and artistic potential, to get
into the high school and college of our choice and to have a fulfilling career – we
have to first meet this goal. So, are we meeting it? Many of us most of the time
are; but some of us, some of the time are not! We can do better, we have to do
better, we will do better - MUCH better!
Let’s have a great day, meet or exceed schoolwide expectations, and learn as
much as you can!

Louisiana
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, February 24, 2014, a week before
Lundi Gras and a week and a day before Mardi Gras! And, the day of our goals
setting.
I noticed the other day that our 3rd
graders were doing projects on Louisiana.
They look great by the way. One of the goals we should all have is to get to
know our community better. We live along the banks of one of the most important
rivers, next to one of the greatest cities in the world, and in a state that has
bountiful resources and a very colorful history. We should explore our
surroundings and learn as much as we can!
Our community is home to famous events: de Soto’s discovery of the Mississippi
and Bienville’s founding of New Orleans, the Treaty of Fountainbeau, The
Louisiana Purchase, The Battle of New Orleans, King Cotton and Big Oil, Civil
War campaigns, Plessey Vs. Ferguson, The great flood of 1927, Betsy and
Katrina, the Louisiana Hayride, Super Bowls, Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras.
It’s also home to famous people: P.T. Beauregard, chess champion Paul Morphy,
Huey P Long, writers Truman Capote and Ann Rice, Dr. Michael Debakey, chef
Paul Prudhomme, musicians Luis Armstrong and Luis Prima, Ledbelly, Mahalia
Jackson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Dr. John, Winton Marsalis, Harry
Connick Jr., Ellen DeGeneris, Reese Witherspoon, Mel Ott, Terry Bradshaw,
Payton and Eli Manning.
It’s the birthplace of Jazz, Cajun, Zydeco, NO rhythm and blues, and, some
would argue, rock and roll music, creole and Cajun cuisine, incredible
architecture, the Audubon Institute, NOMA, the World War II Museum, A
Streetcar Named Desire, A Confederacy of Dunces, the New Orleans Saints, and
the Saint Luis Cathedral.
You couldn’t ask to live in a more interesting place!
History is the story of the past. I’d like to read to you a poem I wrote about the
people who uncover it:
Let’s have a great day, explore the history of your community, and learn as much
as you can!

Health
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, March 10, 2014. Welcome to
Daylight Savings Time. Now we have even more sunlight in the afternoon to
work, play and yes, learn!
One of our Big goals for you (and me and the entire YACS family) is to be
healthy. According to the dictionary, “healthy” is possessing or enjoying good
health or sound and vigorous mentality. So, what do we have to do to achieve
this lofty goal?
For the sound and vigorous mentality, we need to exercise our brains. Read,
write and calculate; ask and answer tough questions; study the past and imagine
the future; conduct experiments and create beautiful works of art; research and
explore the world around us; and engage in meaningful conversation. In other
words, do what we do here at YACS every single day!
For good physical health, we need to condition our bodies, exercise and diet.
Here at Young Audiences, we have PE and recess EVERY day. During that time
you have a chance to build and strengthen your muscles, including your heart. In
the after school program you can dance, drum, garden, play sports, and do
gymnastics. Ms. Terry also serve healthy meals – meals that include essential
vitamins and minerals, a good balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates, and the
right number of calories. If you bring your own meal, make sure it’s healthy as
well. Encourage your parents to send things like fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts,
lean meats, wholegrain breads, low-fat dairy products and snacks without
preservatives. As they say, you are what you eat! Also, don’t forget to exercise
when you’re at home, especially over the weekend and holidays. Always find
time to be active – run, swim, hike, play games like baseball, soccer, football and
tennis – being healthy can and should be fun!
To maintain a sound mind and a healthy body requires discipline, one of our four
core values. Let’s make sure we ALL stay healthy!
Let’s have a great, healthy day and learn as much as you can!

Assessments
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, March 17, 2014. It is Saint
Patrick’s Day, so make sure you’re wearing something green!
Again, here at YACS, we do assessments all the time. So, “What are
assessments?” you ask. A quiz or a test, what I like to call “quests” for
knowledge, are assessments. An exit ticket at the end of class, what I like to call
a “feather,” as in “a feather in your cap,” is also an assessment. When your
teacher asks you to give a thumbs up or thumbs down to see if you get
something, that’s an assessment as well. It’s called a “check for understanding.
When Ms. Asia asks you to write a story or when Mr. K asks you to sing a song,
those are assessments too. We call them performance tasks. When your teacher
reads with you and counts the number of words you know, even that’s an
assessment. This week 2nd
and third grade are taking A-Net assessments and in
only three weeks our third grade will be taking the iLEAP, a really important end-
of-year assessment.
So, why do we do assessments? Assessments let us know what you know. They
also tell us what you don’t know. Assessments tell us whether or not a lesson or
project worked. They let us know what we need to reteach or teach differently.
They help us determine what creative learners need extra help or more
challenging work. They also let your parents know what they can do to help.
Finally, assessments help us determine whether or not YACS is accomplishing
its mission: helping each of you reach your academic and artistic goals – to get
into the high school and college of your choice, to have a fulfilling career, and to
create your own masterpiece.
Assessments are a really, really good thing. And, they are VERY important. They
should not be scary or intimidating, but they should be taken seriously. Our goal
is to always do our very, very best on every single one!
Let’s have a great day, grow with each and every assessment, and learn as
much as you can!

Professional Learning Community
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, March 24, 2014. It’s Women’s
History Month, so make sure you talk about some of the famous women from our
own state, people like singer Mahalia Jackson, Ellen DeGeneris who just hosted
the Oscars, writer Ann Rice, journalist Cokie Robert, and Lucinda Williams, one
of my favorite singer/songwriters.
One of my BIG goals for YACS is that we become a true Professional Learning
Community or PLC. A PLC is a group of individuals who share a common
mission and work together as a team to accomplish it. Our mission is for you to
reach your academic and artistic potential. When your teachers get together in
the morning to plan arts integrated projects and lessons, when you hold Morning
Meetings with your class to discuss important issues, when Mr. David and Ms.
Carly meet with your parents to figure out how to get you to Level D, or when we
all come together in the afternoon during dismissal to make sure everybody gets
home safely, we are acting as a Professional Learning Community. PLC’s are
built on mutual respect and trust. We respect one another and trust one another
to get the job done. We all step up as ONE team or ONE family.
This Saturday, March 29th
from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, we will be holding our 2nd
annual School Beautification Day. Our goal is to transform the YACS campus into
a better, cleaner, safer learning environment. We’re going to pick up trash, weed
and mulch beds, plant trees and flowers, sand and paint damaged doors and
posts, fill holes and lay sod, create kickball and hopscotch courts, repair
doorknobs and hang blinds. Parents, teachers, creative learners and community
members are going to work together as a team to support our mission and vision
– in other words, act as a Professional Learning Community. I look forward to
seeing as many of you as possible on Saturday…
Let’s have a great day, work as a PLC, and LEARN as much as you can!

Pride
Good morning Creative Learners! It’s Monday, March 31, 2014. It’s the last day
of the month, it’s our day to discuss goals, and it’s exactly one week before our
3rd
grade school leaders get to show off how much they’ve learned and know on
iLEAP. Let’s make sure to support them down the final stretch...
We have visitors to YACS every week. We have parents who come to school
every day. We also have potential parents, students and teachers who visit the
school. Last week, my dad, sister, niece and nephew were here. On Wednesday,
Jefferson Parish sent a team to inspect the school. (we did fine by the way) And,
over the weekend, we had about 70 volunteers at YACS. They included members
of Celebration Church, parents, faculty, staff and students. They sanded and
painted doors, weeded and trimmed hedges, planted flowers and trees, installed
blinds and built frames, and created a kickball court. They made our campus a
better, safer place to learn.
Whenever we have visitors, I hope (and expect) to be proud. Proud is an
adjective. It describes a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of
one's own achievements, qualities, or possessions or those of someone with
whom one is closely associated. Examples of it’s use in a sentence are: Reese’s
mom was proud of her when she danced at the Ogdon Museum on Saturday;
Ms. Heine was proud of her students because they could distinguish between
inches and centimeters; and Mr. David was proud of Dustin for being at Level D.
One of my BIG goals is for all of us to be proud - to be proud of ourselves, to be
proud of each other, and to be proud of the school. To achieve this goal we need
to work hard; we need to embody our core values: teamwork, discipline, creativity
and passion; and we need to treat each other with respect at all times. If we do
thee things, we will have plenty to be proud of…
Let’s have a great day, make us (and our visitors) proud, and learn as much as
you can!

Applied Knowledge
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, April 7th
, 2014. And yes, it is
iLEAP week. Go 3rd
Grade, go 3rd
grade!
One of my goals, and I know one of your teachers’ goals is for you, our creative
learners, to apply what you know. This week our 3rd
grade school leaders have
an opportunity to show everybody what they’ve learned. That’s a really good
thing. And, obviously, I want them to do as well as they possibly can! But, doing
well on a test IS NOT our ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is for us to use what
we’ve learned in the real-world, a world beyond multiple choice and fill-in-the-
blank. I want our creative learners to use their knowledge and skills to solve real
problems - to answer tough essential questions: What can we do to save our
wetlands? How do we integrate the arts effectively across the curriculum? What’s
the best way to do dismissal here at Kate Middleton? Why is it important to be
bilingual? What does it take to make a meal both nutritious and delicious? What
do we need to do to raise money and have fun at YACS Fest?
We also want to be able to use our knowledge and skills to create original works.
Craft similes and metaphors for poems and stories, use analogies, quotes, and
data in persuasive essays or letters to the editor; calculate to design bridges,
boats and buildings, conduct scientific experiments to make medicine and cure
diseases; write and perform songs; paint and sculpt; choreograph dances and
write screenplays to entertain and inform both young and old audiences…
I want you all to do as well as you can on every test you take. But remember, the
test is simply a means to an end – the end is to use your knowledge and skills to
make the world a better place…
Let’s have a great day, stand by our wonderful iLEAPers, strive to apply what we
know in a good way, and, as always, learn as much as we can!

Mistakes
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, April 14, 2014. It’s the last week
before Spring Break and it's the day we set goals.
Last week our third grade took the iLEAP test. There is a chance that someone
got all of the answers correct. But, most likely, we all missed a few. When there
is a test, quiz or quest, a feather at the end of a lesson, or a series of questions
from your teacher or coach, we sometimes answer incorrectly. When we do so
though, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. When we make mistakes, something that
happens all the time, it’s actually an opportunity to learn!
One of my goals for all of us is to learn from our mistakes. When you shoot a
basketball and miss the goal, ask coach Eddy and coach Matt what you need to
do differently. When you say “la nino” or “el madre,” ask Maestra Lidia or Maestra
Lilly how to distinguish between masculine and feminine nouns en Espanol.
When you mispronounce or misspell a word, don’t get upset; instead, practice
with your teacher and class until you make fewer and fewer errors. When you
make a poor choice – push someone in line or call someone an unkind name –
apologize and then work with Mr. David or your teacher on ways to make better
choices…
Sometimes mistakes can be painful. For example, when you run on the sidewalk,
you could fall and hurt yourself – twist an ankle or lose a tooth. But most of the
time, mistakes are not all that bad. Sometimes they’re actually helpful. It is
believed that before inventing the light bulb, Thomas Edison, one of the greatest
inventors of all time, made 2,998 mistakes. Each one brought him a little bit
closer to getting it right...
DO NOT get frustrated or angry when you make a mistake. Instead, learn to
learn from each and every one!
Let’s have a great day, grow from our mistakes, and learn as much as we can!

Beautiful Things
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, April 28, 2014. Welcome back
from Spring Break. I hope you all had a restful, fun and safe holiday. Now, as is
always the case on the first day of the week, it’s time to set a goal.
One of my goals for YACS is that we create beautiful things – beautiful paintings,
songs, dances, plays and poems.
Why should this be a goal of ours? It is for a number of reasons: 1) You can
make a living making beautiful things. Michelangelo was paid to paint the Sistine
Chapel, Beethoven was paid to compose his 9th
symphony, and Shakespeare
was paid to write Hamlet. Michael Jackson’s album Thriller alone mad over 100
million dollars. 2) Beautiful things make the world a better place. Try imagining
Rome without the Pantheon, New York without the Statue of Liberty, Paris
without the Eifel Tower, Sidney without its Opera House. Without them, they
wouldn’t be the same. 3) Beautiful things inspire people. Billy Holiday’s rendition
of Strange Fruit, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Harper Lee’s To Kill a
Mockingbird, Picasso’s Guernica, Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List and Bob
Dylan’s Blowing in the Wind all inspired people to fight injustice. And finally, 4)
beautiful things are just beautiful. Look into the eyes of the Mona Lisa, cross the
Golden Gate Bridge at dawn, watch the final scenes of The Mission, or listen to
Yesterday by the Beatles and you’ll know what I mean…
Some people believe that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Other, like the
ancient Greeks who designed and built the Parthenon in Athens, believed that
there are rules to beauty. The truth is probably a bit of both. Either way, beautiful
things are worth making. Work with your teachers each and every day to make
your own masterpiece...
Let’s have a great day, make beautiful things, and learn as much as we can!

Spirit
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, May 5, 2014. It is Cinco de Mayo,
the day Mexico defeated France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, it is only five
days away from our first annual YACS Fest, and it is Spirit week! It’s also the day
we set goals.
One of my goals for us IS to have spirit! So what is spirit? Spirit is a feeling of
both pride and joy! We take pride in the school: the hard work you and the
teachers do each and every day, the paintings, songs, stories, dances and plays
you create, meeting or exceeding high academic standards, being at Democracy,
helping and being nice to others, maintaining a clean, safe and beautiful campus.
When it comes to joy, it’s the way your teachers approach their work – the BIG
smile on Ms. Amy’s face, the excitement in Ms. McCandies’ voice, the pep in Ms.
Bloomberg’s step, the excitement from Ms. Rooney when she comes up with a
project idea, the way Coach Eddy says “Ago,” or when Mr. David calls you
affectionately “Sugar Bugger.” It’s when you guys lift your voices to Level 2, but
it’s o.k. because you’re still learning. It’s the joy of discovery through the arts –
through music, dance, film, poetry, and painting. It’s being eager to learn all day
long!
So how do you show YACS spirit? You do it in a number of ways: you try your
hardest and do your best on tests and projects, you show respect to others at all
times – in the classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, gym and dining room, you pick
up trash and volunteer to help clean up whenever you can, you get excited about
projects, field trips, special Friday performances, and of course YACS Fest. You
have a BIG smile on your face when you get here in the morning, and you’re sad
to leave in the afternoon. You give your teachers big hugs, you wear your
sunburst uniform proudly, you dress up for Spirit Week and you tell your friend
how much you love school.
We are YACS and that’s a really, really good thing!
Remember everybody, it’s Teacher Appreciation Week! Let your teachers know
just how much they matter! Let’s have a great day, show lots of YACS spirit, and
learn as much as we can!

Causes
Good morning Creative Learners! It’s Monday, May 12, 2014.
On this day in 1954, the Brown vs. Board of Education court case was decided.
The United States Supreme Court ruled that the idea of “separate but equal” was
unconstitutional. It motivated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others involved in the
Civil Rights movement and it eventually led to the abolishment of racial
segregation in all public facilities. It was a turning point for an important cause.
One of my goals for you is that you all have a cause. A cause is a principle, aim
or movement that an individual or group believes in, is committed to, and fights
for. 2nd
grade for example is doing a project right now on the Suffragettes. These
were women who fought for the right to vote. Their persistence eventually led to
the passing of the 19th
Amendment to the United States Constitution, another
landmark decision. Abolitionists fought to end slavery; Mahatma Gandhi used
nonviolent civil disobedience to free India from British rule, Cesar Chaves argued
for labor rights, especially for immigrants here in the United States; Chico
Mendez worked and died trying to protect the rainforest and indigenous people in
the Amazon; Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees and became a champion for
animal rights; Amnesty International is an organization dedicated to defending
human rights all over the world. Here in our own state, there are people and
organizations like Bob Marshall and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
that are fighting for the cause of wetland preservation. They and others have
organized protests, bought and preserved property, planted trees and grasses,
staged benefit concerts, and created beautiful artwork to save our vulnerable
marshes and swamps.
What is your cause? What do you believe in? What are you going to do to make
the world a better place?
Let’s have a great day, fight for a cause and learn as much as you can!

Inspiration
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, May 19, 2014. We only have four
more days of school, but we still have time to set goals!
As most of you know, Young Audiences Charter School is located on Virgil Street
in Gretna. What many of you may not know is that Virgil was a famous Roman
poet. His full name was Publius Vergilius Maro and he lived over 2,000 years
ago. His best-known work was an epic poem about the founding of Rome called
The Aeneid. When I was in high school I read it in both English and Latin. He
became one of my favorite writers. I used to tell my teachers, “When I grow up I
want to become a poet and historian like Virgil. He was one of my earliest muses.
Here at school our teachers name their rooms after their favorite artists. We have
a Henri Matisse Room, a Johann Sebastian Bach room, a Shel Silverstein room,
and a Dr. Seuss room. We’ve also named our sidewalks after famous artists.
There’s a Picasso Plaza, a Hemmingway highway, a Longhair Lane, and a Kahlo
Court. We have special Friday performances like we did last week and
occasionally Mr. Chris, Mr. K or others perform live here in my office. We start
and end the day with ART, Art Reflection Time; and we do lessons, activities and
projects that integrate the arts in really powerful ways. We take trips to places like
the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Longue View House and Gardens; and
we dance, drum, and paint during the after school program. One of our BIG goals
is for you to learn in and through the arts - to be inspired by people like Virgil,
Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Brando, and Baryshnikov. We want you to become
accomplished writers, painters, actors, dancers and playwrights, doctors,
engineers, architects, lawyers, teachers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. Just like
me with Virgil, we want you to find your own muse…
Let’s have a great day, search for inspiration and learn as much as you can!

SMART Goals
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, August 11, 2014.
Monday, as many of you know, is the day we set goals. So, what is a goal? A
goal is a target or desired result. It’s something we hope and plan to accomplish
– it’s the destination of our ambitions. A goal can be a thing like a video game, a
trophy, or money. It can also be a level of achievement like a grade or winning a
race or game. A goal can be an experience like visiting a foreign country or
participating in a special event. There are small goals and there are really, really
BIG goals. There are individual goals and there are group goals. There are
academic, athletic, artistic and cultural goals. There are all kinds of goals.
Whatever goals you have though, they must be SMART: specific, measurable,
achievable, results oriented and timely. An example of a SMART goal might be,
“Between august 11th
, today, and May 21st
, the last day of school, I will read at
least 50 books that are at least 50 pages or more.” Or, “I will perform with Coach
Eddy’s Ballet squad at this year’s Winter Spotlight at the Mahalia Jackson
Theatre.” Or, “I will score at the Mastery level in English and Math on the LEAP
test this spring.”
One of my goals as your School Leader is that all of you set goals. Work with
your teachers this week to draft your own YACS SMART goals. We’ll add them to
your portfolios and then we’ll all work together to achieve them…
According to the great basketball player, Michael Jordan, “The game has its ups
and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can't
let yourself be beat because of lack of effort.” Let’s all work hard to meet or
exceed our goals…
Let’s have a great day, set ambitious goals, and learn as much as we can!

High School
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, August 25, 2014
When I was your age I lived on a small farm in a small town. My family raised
chickens, goats and horses. There was only one elementary school in my town
and there was only one high school. I didn’t have many choices when it came to
education. But fortunately, at the end of my 8th
grade year, I was given an
opportunity to go to an incredible school in North Andover, Massachusetts. The
experience there changed my life!
One of our big goals here at Young Audiences Charter School is that you get into
the high school of your choice. It might be John Ehret or Grace King, Archbishop
Shaw or St. Martin’s Episcopal School, Isidore Newman or NOCCA. To get there
though, you’ll have to work here really, really hard.
If you get into the high school of your choice and work really, really hard, you’ll
then earn an opportunity to go to the college of your choice. It might be UNO or
LSU, Tulane or Loyola, Juilliard or Harvard. That was the case with all of your
teachers here at YACS. On Friday, I would like for them to wear a jersey or cap
from their alma mater, the university they attended. I would also like for them to
tell you about that school, the experience they had and how it changed their lives.
According to the great John Dewey, “Education is not preparation for life,
education is life itself.”
Let’s have a great day, work hard so that you can get into the high school of your
choice, and learn as much as you can.

The Environment
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, September 8th
, 2014.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, there are big goals and small goals, individual
goals and group goals. Today, I wanted to share with you a really, really BIG goal
that we share with lots and lots of people all over the world. That goal is to
protect and preserve the environment.
The environment is where we and billions of other people live. It includes plants
and animals, soil, water and air. There are forests and fields, lakes and oceans,
snow covered mountains and tropical reefs. Here in Louisiana, there are marshes
and swamps, and endangered species like the red-cockaded woodpecker,
gopher tortoise and gulf sturgeon that need our help.
So, what can we do here at YACS to protect and preserve the environment?
Here are 5 suggestions:
1. Conserve energy. Turn off lights when you leave rooms; close doors when it’s
hot or cold outside; and save water whenever possible.
2. Reuse and/or Recycle plastic, paper, glass and aluminum cans.
3. Pick up and throw away trash. Our garbage is often dangerous to many
animals.
4. Plant trees and other plants. They produce oxygen, help prevent erosion and
clean the water – and they are pretty.
5. Learn as much as you can about the environment – about climate change,
about endangered species, about organizations that work to protect the
environment, and about what we can do to make a difference. Knowledge is
power.
One of my heroes is the writer, documentary filmmaker and naturalist, Sr. David
Attenborough. According to him, “It seems to me that the natural world is the
greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest
source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that
makes life worth living.”
Let’s have a great day, work to protect and preserve the environment, and learn
as much as we can!

Realistic Goals
, 2014. It’s a goal
setting day.
A few weeks ago, I ran into an old friend. I asked her what she had been up to.
She said she had just gotten back from running a marathon. (A marathon is a 26-
mile race.) “Wow,” I said, “that’s great. What was your time?” “7 hours and 23
minutes,” she said. “Oh,” I said, a bit surprised. “What was your goal?” I asked.
“To finish in under 8 hours,” she replied. “Oh,” I said again. And then, I asked the
critical question: “Where was the race? Boston? New York? “No,” she said,
“Mount Kilimanjaro. The race is to the summit. I finished 3rd
.” “OHHH,” I said,
“that explains a lot.
When you set goals for yourself, it’s really important to know where you are and
where you are going. Climbing to the top of a 20,000-foot mountain in Tanzania
is very different from running the streets of an American city. The same is true
with academics. It wouldn’t be realistic to say, “My goal is to earn a PhD this year
in 3rd
grade.” Instead, “I plan to score “Advanced” on the math portion of iLEAP,”
would make more sense.
Your teachers try to figure out where you are each and every day. They give you
feathers, tests and quizzes, they ask you questions to check for understanding,
and they give you projects and performance tasks like writing songs or dribbling
basketballs. Once they know where you are, they can then set goals for you,
themselves and the class. Those goals can be ambitious, but they must also be
realistic…
Let’s have a great day, set realistic goals, and learn as much as we can!

Artistic Inspiration
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, September 22nd
, 2014.
When I was growing up, my favorite artist, besides my dad, was the Spaniard,
Pablo Picasso. (We have a sidewalk named after him at YACS.) Because I grew
up in a small town a long time ago, I didn’t have many opportunities to see his
work though. There was no Internet, museums were too far away, and there were
only a few books with mostly small black and white photographs of his paintings.
I couple of years ago, I finally had a chance to see some of his original works
first-hand. I went to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona and the Museo Reina
Sofia in Madrid – there, I saw his famous painting, Guernica, which moved me to
tears. Other works of art have had a similar effect on me over the years:
Michelangelo’s David in Florence, the Elgin Marbles in London, the Pieta in
Rome and Monet’s Water Lilies in Paris. Here in New Orleans, I’ve been
impressed by the works of Enrique Alferez, John Scott, Ida Kohlmeyer, Robert
Gordy, Lin Emory, George Dureau, and, of course, my Old Man.
Great art can and should inspire you. If you give it a chance, it can almost lift you
off your feet, and yes, move you to wonderful tears. One of my goals here at
YACS is to expose you to as many great paintings and sculptures as possible!
From A.R.T. in the morning to fieldtrips to places like the New Orleans Museum
of Art, on the Internet or on the walls of our own galleries, we’re going to give you
lots and lots of opportunities to see, question, dissect, replicate, investigate and
wonder, talk and write about all kinds of amazing art. And then, hopefully,
someday, you too will travel far and wide to see those works that truly changed
the way we see the world…
Let’s have a great day, be inspired by great works of art, and learn as much as
we can!

Animals
, 2014.
I don’t know if y’all knew this, but I grew up on a farm. And, we had all kinds of
animals. I had a dog named Ridge, a cat named Bynx, a goat named Zorba, and
a horse named Jakko. We raised chickens, peacocks, pigeons and guinea fowl. I
had turtles, lizards and fish, and, at one time, over 40 snakes – my mom was not
very happy! I had an alligator, an otter, a opossum, a hedge hog, a raccoon, and
a skunk named Pepe le Pew! In Ecuador I raised sheep, guinea pigs, llamas,
worms and trout, and, I kept “killer” bees. Now, I have a dog named CeCe and
lots of fish in an old, old sugar kettle in my backyard. As you can imagine, I LOVE
animals. And, over the years, I’ve learned all kinds of lessons from them.
One of my goals for y’all is that you learn as much as you can from animals as
well. By taking care of them, observing them, reading about them, writing about
them, and protecting them, from turbo the turtle to Krystal the duck, from the
butterflies that flutter around our school to the neotropical migrants that fly
overhead in the fall and spring, you’ll discover a world of wonders.
According to the poet, Anatole France, “Until one has loved an animal a part of
one's soul remains unawakened.”
Let’s have a great day and learn as much as you can from people, books and
yes, animals!

Exploration
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, October 13th
, 2014, the day before
our Celebration of Learning and two days away from progress reports. It’s also a
goal setting day.
Yesterday, 522 years ago, Cristoforo Colombo, also known as Christopher
Columbus, a Genoese sailor, landed on a small island in the Bahamas. While he
was not the first European to reach the New World, his voyage did mark the
beginning of The Age of Discovery and it initiated the Columbian Exchange.
These two things changed the course of history forever.
Christopher Columbus was an explorer. An explorer is a person who investigates
unknown regions. Famous explorers include Vasco de Gama, Ferdinand
Magellan, Lewis & Clark, Sir Edmond Hillary, Jacques Cousteau and Neil
Armstrong. Explorers are always curious. They ask lots and lots of questions.
They long to know why things are the way they are. Explorers take risks. And
they aren’t afraid to make mistakes.
One of my goals is for all of you to become explorers. I want you to investigate
the world around you. To look under rocks and logs, to peer through binoculars
and microscopes, to pore over maps and journals, to research primary
documents and on the Internet. I want you to be curious, to ask questions and to
make discoveries – just like Christopher Columbus.
According to my favorite poet, T.S. Eliot, “We shall not cease from exploration,
and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the
place for the first time.”
Let’s have a great day, explore the world around us, and learn as much as we
can!

Improvement
, 2014. It’s another
goal setting day.
I don’t know if y’all knew this, but when I was a Creative Learner like you, I
wrestled. By the time I reached high school, I was pretty good. So much so, that
in my senior year, I didn’t lose a single match. But then I went to college. There,
everybody was really good and it was much, much harder. So much so, my
freshman year, I didn’t win a single match. Not one.
As you can imagine, I was very discouraged, but, I didn’t give up. After each
match, I would watch the film and try to figure out what I did wrong and how I
could get better. And slowly, I did. By my senior year, I didn’t win every match,
but I did win most of them.
Here at YACS, you have matches all the time. You have quests and feathers,
test and performance tasks, STAR 360 and A-Net. At the end of every quarter,
you have progress reviews or report cards. Sometimes you get 3’s and 4’s and
sometimes you get 2’s and 1’s. And, just like when I went to wrestle in college,
the work get’s harder and harder. I don’t want you to get discouraged, and I
definitely don’t want you to give up. I want you to learn from your mistakes; I want
you to improve after each and every test.
One of my goals for you is that you get better every single day. To be a great
dancer, mathematician, writer, historian, musician, scientist or wrestler takes
practice, dedication, courage and perseverance. You need to always be growing!
Let’s have a great day, strive to get better, and learn as much as we can!

Passion
, 2014. Yet another
goal setting day.
When my father was a Creative Learner like you, he loved to paint and draw.
Next to sports, it was his favorite thing to do. He would draw plants and animals,
people and places in notebooks and on scraps of paper. Whenever and wherever
he could, he had a pencil or paintbrush in his hand.
As soon as he finished high school, he joined the navy to serve in World War II.
When he returned from the South Pacific, he went to college in Philadelphia on
the GI Bill. Not surprisingly, he studied art. After graduating with a fine arts
degree, he continued his studies in New York, Paris and Mexico City. When he
finally returned home to New Orleans, he opened an arts school in the French
Quarter; and, with a group of friends, he founded the first gallery for
contemporary art in the city.
Over the past 50 years, my father has been making art. He’s had shows in
Atlanta, New York and London; his work can be seen in office buildings, books
and museums; he’s received honors and awards, and he’s got lots and lots of
admiring fans all over the world.
My dad is 87 years old, yet he still gets up every single day to work in his studio.
He actually has a show opening this Saturday on Julia Street. He loves what he
does – he’s passionate about his work.
One of my goals for you is that you find your passion – just like my dad did. It
could be music or dance, science or history, football or literature. Find it, embrace
it, pursue it and make your dreams come true!
Let’s have a great day, find your passion, and learn as much as you can!

Books
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, November 10th
, 2014, a goal
setting day.
I don’t know if you knew this, but November is National Novel Writing Month.
Authors from the United States and around the world are challenged to write an
entire book in just over four weeks. Plenty of writers are taking that challenge and
plenty of books are being written – that means that there are plenty of books to
be read!
One of the reasons we read novels is because it’s entertaining. It’s just fun to
read. Besides being fun though, books can also change your life – change the
way you see the world. Over the weekend, I put together a list of the top 100
books that have influenced me over the years. They include classics like Hamlet,
The Grapes of Wrath, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Catcher in the Rye. Some
books like 1984, All the King’s Men, and Brave New World influenced the way I
vote, and others like 100 Years of Solitude, Breakfast of Champions, and Still Life
with Woodpecker have influenced the way I write. When I read Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe and The Ugly American, I knew I would join the Peace Corps;
and when I read A Confederacy of Dunces, I knew I would make New Orleans
my home. I just finished a book called The Narrow Road to the Deep North by
Richard Flanagan. It made me realize just how great the sacrifices were that
were made by soldiers who fought in World War II.
One of my goals for you is that you read books that influence your life in a
positive way. From Pierre by Maurice Sendak and Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
to Shakespeare’s King Lear and Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises, books have
the power to shape your identity and define your world view.
Let’s have a great day, read books that change the way you see the world, and
learn as much as you can!

Thankful
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, November 17th
, 2014, the week
before Thanksgiving Break and the last week we will be together during Native
American Heritage month.
Over 500 years ago, Europeans, Africans, Asians – people from other parts of
the world began to arrive in the Americas. Whether seeking new opportunities or
brought here against their will, all of them struggled. Conditions were really, really
tough. There were cold winters and hot summers, wild animals and terrible
diseases – settlers had to do everything from scratch. They had to build their
homes, grow crops and raise animals, make cloths and tools – it was a struggle
to survive.
Meanwhile, the Native Americans, the people who already lived here, knew how
to survive. They had been doing it for thousands of years. They knew how to hunt
and fish, how to grow indigenous crops, and how and where to find shelter. They
shared their knowledge with the new comers, and, as a result, they too learned to
survive. And, they were grateful.
Here in the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving at the end of November
every year. It’s a time to appreciate our good fortune. One of my goals for us
here at YACS is that we appreciate what we have. From the books in our library
to the food in our dining room, from the hard work of our teachers to the
sacrifices our parents make each and every day, we have a lot to be thankful for.
This week Ms. Amanda Finney, a wonderful first grade teacher and a proud
member of the Cherokee Nation, will be sharing her heritage with us – one more
thing to be thankful for!
Let’s have a great day, be thankful, and learn as much as you can!

The Right Thing
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, December 1st
, 2014, a goal setting
day.
On this day in 1955, 59 years ago, a woman by the name of Rosa Parks refused
to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her simple act a civil
disobedience would eventually change the history of this country and made her a
hero to the nation.
Rosa Parks lived during a time when blacks and whites were separated or
segregated by law. Unlike today, they were not allowed to attend the same
schools. In many cases, especially here in the South, they were not allowed to
eat or drink at same tables, worship from the same pews, attend the same clubs,
marry, or sit in the same seats on buses and trains. Rosa Parks and others
realized that this was wrong. When she refused to give up her seat, she was
arrested and fined. She lost her job, and eventually was forced to move. She paid
a tremendous price for doing the right thing, but it was the right thing to do!
One of my goals for you is that you always do the right thing, even when it’s hard.
From telling the truth even though it may cause you to get in trouble, to telling a
friend not to do something bad even though it might cost you your friendship,
doing the right thing is always the right thing to do.
Let’s remember what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a
threat to justice everywhere.”
Let’s have a great day, do the right thing, and learn as much as you can!

Feedback
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, December 8th
, 2014, yet another
goal setting day.
Whenever I write something, an article, a story, a poem, or even a long,
important email, I always have someone edit and proof my work. Sometimes it’s
a friend, sometimes it’s a colleague, and sometimes it’s a professional writer.
Editors help me with the style and content of my work, while proofreaders correct
spelling and grammatical errors. I do this because I want my writing to be as
good as it can possibly be.
One of my goals for you is that your writing (and all of your other work) be as
good as it can possibly be. To accomplish this, you are going to need lots and
lots of proofing and editing – or feedback.
Today we have special visitors here at YACS. They are four amazing educators.
Like proofreaders and editors, they are here to give us feedback on how we are
doing as a school. They are going to observe classes, interview teachers and
creative learners, and review artifacts and documents. At the end of the day, they
will point out perceived strengths and challenges, and they will offer suggestions
on how we might improve both teaching and learning. We are honored and
excited to have them here.
According to Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, “We all need people who will
give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”
We have a special announcement today: Ms. Sarah Bruzzi and Coach Matt had
an eight pound, 10 ounce baby girl over the weekend. Her name is Ainsley Grace
Bruzzi. Let’s all welcome our newest YACS family member!
Let’s have a great day, get and use feedback to improve our work, and learn as
much as we can!

Bloom
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, December 15th
, 2014, our last
goal setting day of the year.
When you go to the dining room today, I want you all to look in the back corner.
There are five beautiful paper flowers on the wall. Those flowers represent you.
There is one for each of our five grade levels here at YACS. Each flower has a
goal for growth. Every 9 weeks we measure that growth using the STAR 360
assessment. Y’all are going to take that assessment this week. When we get the
results, we will move the flowers up. Our goal for the end of the year is that they
all reach their greatest potential…
Our school is like a flower garden. For our flowers to grow and bloom, they need
lots and lots of care. Real flowers need sunlight, water and rich soil. And, they
need someone to make sure they don’t get strangled by weeds or eaten by
animals. We need lots of care too. We need books and pictures, paper and
pencils; and we need great teachers to share their wisdom and knowledge. Like
flowers, we also need to work really, really hard to grow. We have to read and
write, ask and answer tough questions, follow directions and collaborate with our
peers, take feathers and quests, do projects and homework, and practice and
practice and practice. If we do, we will all grow and bloom!
According to the great painter, Henri Matisse, “There are always flowers for those
who want to see them.”
As you all know, one of our big academic goals here at YACS is to learn Spanish.
Maestra Lily’s 3rd
grade class is here in the studio this morning to show you how
they are doing with that goal.
Let’s have a great day, grow and bloom, and learn as much as we can!

Puppet Theatre
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, February 2nd
, 2015. It’s
Groundhog Day and a goal-setting day.
I have been an educator for a long, long time. Over the years, I have set and met
many goals. One of my oldest goals though has never been fulfilled. That goal is
to build and use an outdoor theatre at a school. This year, THAT is going to
change.
For us to achieve this goal, we need five things: 1) a design, 2) a budget for
materials, 3) people to build it, 4) theatre lessons and projects from teachers, and
5) creative learners to be writers, directors, actors, set designers, puppeteers,
and, of course, young audiences.
Thanks to Mary Rooney, Elizabeth Chen, a very talented and generous architect,
designed a super cool theatre. We will be posting pictures of it at the entrance of
the school this week. The materials are going to cost approximately $3000. We
are going to start raising money now. We are going to ask parents and local
businesses for donations, and we’re going to do a number of dress-down days,
the first being this Friday. Our goal is to raise enough money in just 4 weeks! On
March 7th
, we are going to have a school beautification day, when, hopefully,
volunteers will help us build our theatre. Then, it’s up to you and your teachers to
find creative uses for it. I’m counting on all of you to help YACS fulfill this very
special and exciting goal…
Let’s have a great day, achieve our goal of building and using an outdoor theatre
at YACS, and learn as much as we can!

Stress
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, January 26th, 2015, a goal setting
day.
School can be hard. There are tests and quizzes, papers and projects. We have
homework almost every night and we have to practice all kinds of things all the
time. For teachers, school can be tough as well. They have to plan projects and
lessons, grade homework and tests, record grades and cover duties. They have
lots and lots of deadlines. And, just like you, they also have to train. This week for
examples, our 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade teachers will be attending class for two full
days. And finally, school can be hard for your parents as well. They have to drop
you off and pick you up, prepare meals and help you with homework, attend
special events and pay for all kinds of things.
Because school is hard, we often get stressed. Stress is that feeling you get
when you are worried or overwhelmed - when you have too much to do. When
we are stressed, it’s hard to concentrate and it’s difficult to sleep. Stress can be a
really, really bad thing.
One of my goals this year is to eliminate as much stress as possible for you,
your teachers, your parents, and even me. So, how do we do that? Here are 5
things we can all do to get rid of stress:
1. Stay organized and establish good routines.
2. Find time to exercise and relax each and every day.
3. Focus on the positive.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
5. And, remember that school can be hard, but it’s also super, super fun!
Let’s have a great day, avoid stress and learn as much as you can!

Respect
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, February 9th
, 2015. On this day in
1964, the Beatles, arguably the greatest rock and roll band of all time, played for
the first time in the United States. Like the artists your teachers named their
classrooms for, the Beatles represent a level of excellence we should all aspire
to. Speaking of aspirations, today is a goal setting day.
We have a bulletin board in the front of the school. It is where we recognize
Creative Learners who were “caught being kind.” They did what they did, not
because they were asked to, but because it was the right thing to do.
Being kind is one of the ways we show respect for people, animals and things.
When you walk quietly down the hallway, you are showing respect for your
classmates who are learning. When you pick up trash, you are showing respect
for the environment and the people who work hard to keep our campus clean.
When you hold the door for a friend, help a teacher prepare the classroom, or
say thank you to Ms. Terry and the Dining Room staff, you are showing respect.
One of my BIG goals here at YACS is that we are all respectful.
The other day, I walked into the bathroom in the main building and discovered
that someone had written mean, inappropriate things on the wall. Doing this is
“disrespectful.” It’s disrespectful to be unkind; it’s disrespectful to harm someone
or something. When you do things like this, you get in trouble. You loose
privileges, you get suspended and we speak to your parents. We don’t do these
types of things because we fear getting in trouble though; we don’t do them
because we know it’s the wrong thing to do. I need for you to be leaders; to set a
good example for everyone here at YACS. I need for you to be kind; I need for
you to be respectful.
Let’s have a great day, be respectful of everyone and everything, and learn as
much as we can!

Practice
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, February 23rd
, 2015. It’s our first
day back from the Mardi Gras Break and it’s a goal setting day.
After graduating from Duke University, I joined the Peace Corps and moved to
Ecuador in South America. For two and a half years I lived in the tiny town of
Zhamar, Southeast of Cuenca. There, I tended sheep, kept killer bees, raised
trout, guinea pigs and worms, and taught in the local schools. Because no one
there spoke English, I had to learn Spanish, and I had to use it every single day.
As a result, I became fluent - yo hable Espanol muy, muy bien.
When I returned to the United States though, I stopped speaking Spanish. My
family, friends and colleagues all spoke English. And, so did I. As a result, my
foreign language skills got worse and worse. Today, my Espanol esta horrible. As
the expression goes, “If you don’t use it, you loose it.”
One of my goals for us here at YACS is that we retain or keep what we learn. To
accomplish this, we need to practice all the time – in and outside of school. Read
before you go to sleep and on the bus to school, spend 20 minutes a day on
Dreambox, visit the zoo or spend the day at a museum, play educational games
with your family and friends, discuss history and current events with your parents
at dinner, talk to your classmates in Spanish during lunch and at recess – there
are plenty of things you can do to practice, and many of them are a whole lot of
fun.
They say “practice makes perfect.” Let’s all strive for perfection.
Let’s have a great day, practice, practice, practice everything we learn, and, as a
result, we will learn and retain as much as we can!

Volunteer
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, March 9, 2015, a goal setting day.
On Saturday, parents, teachers, graduate students from Xavier University,
creative learners and community partners spent four ours at YACS making our
campus more beautiful. They painted the lockers in the main gallery really cool
colors; they moved dirt and filled holes; they sanded doors in the kindergarten
studio, they cleaned up the library, organizing books and shelves; they put up
cork strips and painted bulletin boards; they weeded the flower beds and picked
up trash; they finished the bridge mural and they created a new sign for the
collaboration station. Earlier in the week, staff members prepared the foundation
for our outdoor theatre and Ms. Carly’s husband brought a crew here to build a
form for the cement. Long before this, the school beautification committee met to
plan and organize the event. Lots of people worked really, really hard without pay
to make YACS an even better place to learn and grow.
One of my goals is to provide opportunities for people to volunteer. There are
three obvious benefits of volunteering: 1) it helps people and/or the environment,
2) the people who do it acquire skills and they learn about themselves and
others, and 3) it’s just plain fun. I had a great time on Saturday, I got to hang out
with wonderful people, and we did some really, really good work. It was a win,
win, win!
So, how do you volunteer? There are organizations like the Boy Scouts and the
Girl Scouts, Save our Wetlands, and the Lion’s Club, along with museums,
churches, and other charitable groups that are always looking for people to lend
a hand for a good cause. Here at school, you can volunteer to help your teacher,
the office staff, Ms. Jessi and Mr. Ray or the dining room crew. You can also help
out with special events like our Celebrations of Learning or Friday performances.
When you get older, you can do what several of us here did and join the Peace
Corps or AmeriCorps. There are always good things that need to be done!
We have a special studio performance for you. Mr. Chris has an inspirational
song for our 3rd and 4th grade Creative Learners by the great Jimmy Cliff.
Let’s have a great day, do our very best on PARCC, volunteer and learn as much
as we can.

PARCC
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, March 16, 2015, another goal
setting day.
I don’t know if you knew this, but April, which is only a couple of weeks away is
National Poetry Month. Poetry is one of the many art forms we explore here at
YACS. A goal of mine for us is that we read, write and recite poetry as often as
possible. With that in mind, and knowing that testing starts today for our 3rd and
4th grade artistic scholars, I wrote a poem for you last night. It is a limerick. A
limerick is a poem that has a long AA, short BB, long A rhyme scheme. This one
is called PARCC.
Creative Learners have been working from dawn til dark
To reach or exceed every Common Core benchmark.
It is well known
Their brains have grown
And now they will be knocking it clear out of the PARCC!
We have a special studio performance for you this morning. Mr. Chris has an
inspirational song for our 3rd and 4th grade Creative Learners. It’s also a poem
and it’s by the great reggae singer, Jimmy Cliff. It’s called The Harder They
Come.
Let’s have a great day, do our very best on PARCC, and learn as much as we
can.

Excellence
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, March 23, 2015. It’s our first day
of spring here at YACS, the flowers are in bloom, including those in the dining
room, and, of course, it’s a goal-setting day.
Last week our 3rd
and 4th
grade Creative Learners took the PARCC test. They
worked really hard and I’m sure they did really well. The week before, we all took
the STAR 360 test. Again, everyone, including the faculty and staff, worked very,
very hard and it definitely showed.
I want everyone to realize that we don’t work hard every day in class, during the
after school program and at home doing homework to do well on tests. Tests are
simply a way to measure growth and progress. The results help us teach more
effectively – smarter not harder.
So, why do we work so hard? The answer is EXCELLENCE. We want all of you
to reach your greatest potential. To become excellent writers like Cevantes,
Faulkner or Hemmingway; to become excellent painters like Van Gough, Henri
Matisse, or Georgia O’Keeffe; to become excellent scientists like Sir. Isaac
Newton, Jane Goodall, or E.O. Wilson; or to become excellent educators like
Aristotle, Maria Montessori and Booker T Washington. Excellence is our goal.
This Thursday you’ll have a chance to share your excellent work. Our
Celebrations of Learning give you an opportunity to show your friends and family
what you learned in and through the arts. In many ways, it’s the ultimate test – a
test worthy of lots and lots of applause.
Let’s have a great day, strive for excellence, and continue to learn as much as
you can!

Choices
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, March 30, 2015, our last goal
setting day before Spring Break.
When I was in 2nd Grade I made a really bad choice. I was with a group of
friends and we all decided to throw acorns at one another. Sure enough, I got hit
in the eye and had to go to the hospital. As a result of my injury, I had to wear a
patch like a pirate for several weeks. When I went back to school, kids in my
class made fun of me. Instead of ignoring them, asking them politely to stop, or
telling an adult, I made another bad choice: I got in a fight and I got in trouble. My
bad choices led to bad consequences.
Just the opposite happened in Ms. Monica’s class the other day. Two of her
Creative Learners found out, like a lot of us, including me that they had to wear
glasses. But, they didn’t want to wear them because they were afraid that their
classmates would make fun of them, call them names like Four Eyes. They were
also concerned that they wouldn’t look good in glasses - so, they didn’t wear
them. When their classmates found out about this, they made a very good choice
- and, they did a very nice thing. To show their friends that it was o.k. or even
cool to wear glasses, the entire class came to school, yes, wearing glasses. They
chose to help their friends.
Every day we make lots and lots of choices. We choose to raise our hand, tie our
shoe laces, do our homework, help a friend, eat our vegetables. Choices help us
learn, keep us safe and healthy, and even allow us to make friends. For example,
I apologized to the boy I got in a fight with in 2nd grade and we became great
friends. I actually had crawfish with him yesterday.
One of my goals for us here at YACS is that we always strive to make good
choices and that those choices involve us being nice to others.
According to JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, “It is our choices
that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
Let’s have a great day, make good choices, and learn as much as you can.

Little Things
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Tuesday, April 7, 2015. This week marks
the 150th
anniversary of Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, officially
ending the Civil War, the worst conflict in American history. Today is also a
special Tuesday Edition goal-setting day.
Before I allow Creative Learners to enter the gate in the morning, I always ask
them three questions: 1) Are your shoes tied? 2) Is your shirt tucked in? And, 3)
do you have a big beautiful smile on your face? I ask about shoes because I
don’t want you to trip and fall down. I want to keep all of you safe. I ask about the
expression on your face because I want you to be excited about being here.
Learning can and should be fun!
So, why do I ask about your shirt? It’s a small thing. Does it really matter? The
answer is, “Yes.” Tucking in your shirt does matter and small things are
important.
Like coming to school with your homework completed or entering class with
sharpened pencils, tucking in your shirt indicates that you’re ready to learn. It
shows your teachers and your classmates that you’re serious about your
studies.
Tucking in your shirt is also practice for the real world. When applying for high
school, college or a job, or when making friends, neatness and personal
appearance can make a difference.
Finally, tucked in shirts is one of the many schoolwide expectations here at
YACS. Our goal should always be to meet, if not exceed those expectations.
The great basketball coach, John Wooden once said, “It's the little details that are
vital. Little things make big things happen.”
Let’s have a great day, pay attention to the little things like tucking in our shirts,
and learn as much as you can!

History & Science
, 2015, another goal
setting day.
On this day in 1743 Thomas Jefferson was born. Thomas Jefferson was one of
our founding fathers and he’s one of my personal heroes. Jefferson was
considered a Renaissance Man, meaning he had many, many talents. He was an
accomplished statesman, writer, educator, botanist, philosopher, and architect.
He wrote the Declaration of Independence, he founded the University of Virginia,
he designed Monticello, one of the most beautiful homes in the world, he
developed new varieties of plants, and he spoke six languages. Jefferson was
this country’s 3rd
president. During his administration, he purchased the
Louisiana Territory, which included the land where we are now and he
commissioned the Lewis and Clark expedition. Along with Abraham Lincoln, he is
considered the best leader this country has ever had. His face can be found on
the nickel, the two-dollar bill and Mount Rushmore.
This week our 3rd
and 4th
grade scholars are taking iLEAP and LEAP. They will
be tested on their knowledge of science and history. One of my goals for us is
that we become great scientists and historians. Scientists explore the world
around them and historians explore and learn from events and people from the
past – people like Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Simon Bolivar, Harriet
Tubman, Huey P. Long, Homer Plessey, Luis Armstrong and yes, Thomas
Jefferson.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty
and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Let’s have a great day, study history and science, and learn as much as you can!

Nature
, 2015, another goal
setting day.
On this day in 2010 there was a terrible oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deep
Water Horizon oil-drilling rig exploded. Over the next several weeks
approximately 5 million barrels or over 200 million gallons of oil flowed into the
waters off the coast of Louisiana. The oil ruined delicate marshes and beaches; it
killed countless birds, crustaceans, marine mammals and other animals, and it
contaminated waters from Texas all the way to Florida. It cost over 30 billion
dollars to clean up the mess.
One of my goals for us is that we become great stewards of the environment. A
steward is someone who takes care of something, something as small as a
hamster in your classroom or as vast as the five oceans and the seven seas.
So, what can we do to take care of the environment? The most important thing
now is to do what I always remind you to do: lean as much as we can.
Kindergarten is studying animals, 1st
grade studied habitats and is visiting the
zoo on Wednesday, 2nd
grade is looking at producers, consumers and
decomposers, 3rd
grade is preserving our fragile wetlands by planting a rain
garden, and 4th
grade is discovering how to classify living things. The more we
know, the more we appreciate. The more we appreciate, the more we want to
protect.
According to Mahatma Gandhi, “The good man is the friend to all living things.”
This Wednesday, April 22nd
is Earth Day. Get out there and do something good
for the planet!
Let’s have a great day, protect the environment, and learn as much as you can!

NOCCA
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, May 4th, 2015, our first goal
setting day of the month.
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival wrapped up yesterday. The festival
celebrates the unique musical, culinary, and other cultural contributions from the
Crescent City. It’s also celebrated the 40th anniversary of NOCCA, the New
Orleans Center for the Creative Arts. NOCCA used to be an extension program
for the visual and performing arts. It’s now a school like us that integrates the arts
throughout the curriculum. Some of its graduates include Harry Connick Jr.,
Terence Blanchard, Nicholas Payton, the Marsalis brothers, Trombone Shorty,
Jonathan Batiste, Anthony Mackie, and Wendell Pierce. Zocca is considered one
of the best art schools in the country. Over 80% of its students earn university
scholarships.
When I was teaching high school, one of my students was accepted into
NOCCA. Because the program required her to leave school early every day, my
principal at the told her she couldn’t go. When she asked me, I told her she had
to go, even if it meant leaving my school. She took my advice and went to
NOCCA. When she graduated, she received a scholarship to a prestigious art
school. She then earned a scholarship to graduate school. She’s now a highly
successful artist who’s had shows in San Francisco, New York, New Orleans,
Johannesburg, South Africa and Sidney, Australia.
One of my goals for us is that some of you get in to NOCCA. Learning from
talented artists like Mr. Chris, Mr. Todd, Ms. Brice, Ms. Valorie, Mr. Brian and Mr.
Roscoe is a huge step in that direction!
Let’s have a great day, strive to reach our greatest potential in the creative arts
so that we might get into schools like NOCCA, and learn as much as you can!

Reflection
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, May 11th
, 2015, our second to last
goal setting day.
Believe it or not, we only have two weeks left until the end of the school year!
Whenever this time comes around, I like to think about how things went during
the year. I think about what worked and what didn’t work. I think about our
celebrations of learning; I think about our arts integrated projects and lessons; I
think about our schedule, Friday performances, the after school program, arrival
and dismissal, recess, professional development, residencies, A.R.T., morning
meeting, common planning, and, after Saturday, YACS Fest – I think about ALL
KINDS OF THINGS! When someone thinks about how things went, when they
look back on the past, it’s called “Reflection.”
One of my goals for you is that you too reflect on how things went. At the end of
school today reflect on what you learned. It might be a new, really cool word, a
fun-fact about an amazing animal, a different way to figure out a tough math
problem, or a drawing technique to make something appear three-dimensional. I
also want you to reflect on what didn’t work? Why you missed a word problem on
a math quiz, why you got called for a foul while playing soccer, why you should
have said estamos instead of estoy en Espanol, or why you didn’t get picked
during your audition for a Friday performance.
We reflect so that we can improve. Reflection helps us come up with new and
better strategies. It helps us focus and prioritize. Reflection is a way to accelerate
learning – or, as I like to say, learn as much as we can.
According to the great Chinese philosopher, Confucius, “There are three
methods to gaining wisdom. The first is reflection, which is the highest. The
second is limitation, which is the easiest. The third is experience, which is the
bitterest.”
Let’s all gain wisdom through reflection.
Let’s have a great day, reflect on a terrific year at YACS, and continue to learn as
much as you can!

Summer
Good morning Creative Learners. It’s Monday, May 18th
, 2015, our last goal
setting day of the year.
When I was your age, just like you, I got really, really excited about summer!
Summer was a time to paddle, swim, fish, play and explore. I got to read
whatever I wanted. I read lots and lots of books about animals and history, my
two favorite topics. I’d also catch critters, climb trees, go to cool museums and
parks, watch movies, play little league baseball and football, and, sometimes,
even go to the beach. I LOVED summer.
Summer’s a good time to relax and have fun; but it’s also a great time to learn.
One of my goals for you is that you continue to learn as much as you can over
the summer break. That way, when you come back in August, you’ll be ready to
start where (or even ahead of where) you left off.
So, what can you do over the break to make sure that happens? Here are 5
suggestions from Mr. Dunbar:
1. Read, read and then read some more. Your teachers are going to give you a
list of things to read over the summer. But, that doesn’t mean that’s all you can
read. Read the newspaper, read comic books, read online. Read Harry Potter
and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Read for pleasure and read to learn cool stuff.
Read when you wake up and read before you go to sleep. Just READ!
2. Practice, practice, and then practice some more. Practice your Espanol;
practice your multiplication. Practice using new words; practice playing a musical
instrument. Practice on Dreambox; practice on Khan Academy. Practice in the
car; practice at summer camp. As they say, “Practice DOES makes perfect.”
3. Travel. My great aunt used to tell me, “The best way to learn is to go to
different places.” Go to the French Quarter; go to Disney World. Bike the
Tammany Trace; canoe Bayou St. John. Visit the World War II Museum or
Vicksburg. Travel with your family in a car or virtually travel on the World Wide
Web. Oh the places we’ll go…
4. Experience new things. Take the ferry across the river; watch a movie from a
foreign country; try a type of food you’ve never had before; watch a documentary
about something you were always curious about; listen to jazz or learn to salsa.

New experiences bring new knowledge.
And finally, number 5. Have fun! Remember, learning can and should be fun.
Learning is a lifelong endeavor. It happens 365 days of the year!
Let’s have a great day, let’s have a great week, and then let’s have a great
summer – a summer in which we learn as much as we can!

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