We're back! I know it's been a long time since we've blogged, but that does not mean we can't keep up with the staff and students and not know what's been happening. So today we interviewed some people in the front office. We interviewed Mrs. Booth, Mrs. Bennett, and Mr. Notari. We asked them all the same questions on how they feel about their new area since the construction started. So, let's get right to it and start off fresh with the wonderful, fantastic Mrs. Booth!
Mrs. Booth is the nice lady who always welcomes you inside when you come in late. She greets you with a warm smile every day! We first asked Mrs. Booth what the pros and cons were about her new space. The pros were that it was newer, which she really appreciates. Also, she likes that it is much closer to the lobby than the old office was, which is more convenient because new students will be able to find the office easier. She also likes her nice new chair (who wouldn't), and she thinks the office is much fresher than it was, and she really likes that there are a lot more cameras than in the old office, which is a big bonus! Those were a lot of pros! However, there are some cons. Mrs. Booth doesn't like how she feels separated from the rest of the school. She misses seeing the students and staff wave and pass by. For example, in the old office, she would constantly see students and staff walking past the windows. But now in the new office, there are no windows so that does not happen as often. However, that will change eventually. There are going to be windows, so she will occasionally see students walking past, but not as much as when they were in the old office. One other thing that she doesn't like is that it is too quiet in their new area, and I must agree. The next question we asked Mrs. Booth was whether she liked the old office or the new office better and why. She said she liked the new office better because she feels safer and secure for she is now up front near the lobby, like she mentioned before. She also likes the new space better because there is much more space in the new office than the old. The new office is also more welcoming to people, and like she said earlier, it is much easier to find. The last question we asked Mrs. Booth was whether she thought the new office was more organized. Her reply was quite clear and smart in my opinion. She said that everyone in the new office was still sort of trying to figure out where they could put everything. Wasn't it smart? She also thought that it was much more spread out and there was more space. Now you know all about Mrs. Booth's opinion about the new office, so now let's move on to the one and only Mr. Notari!
Mr. Notari is the best Assistant Principal ever! He is always really funny, really understanding,and kind as well. When we asked him what his pros were, he said he loves pretty much everything about his new space, especially the windows, because if you recall, he didn't have any windows in his old office which caused no natural light to flow through. He also likes that it is roomier, bigger, and more spread out. The only con Mr. Notari said was that, at the current time, he could not hang up anything on his walls. But that is going to come eventually. The next question was whether he likes the new or old office better. He, as well as Mrs. Booth, said the new because his old office was too small and his furniture was all beat up. It also didn't present to people very well. Something else about his old room - that is actually quite hilarious-is that when someone was sitting in a chair, the door wouldn't close so he had to ask the person in the chair to stand up for a moment. Now that problem is solved. The final question was if he thought his new office was more organized. He said he thought they were both organized, but in the new office there is more storage, and it is more centrally located. There is also more room for certain things, like tests. So now it's time to move on to Mrs. Bennett.
Mrs. Bennett has always been a kind lady, just like Mrs. Booth. She always says hello to you in the hallways and hopefully, you say hi back. Do so if you don't. Mrs. Bennett's pros were fantastic! She said she loves practically everything about her new area. In the old office, she would have to be in two different spaces in the morning and afternoon. Now she can be in one space the whole day. The only cons she could think of were that she is still getting used to the new layout, so she's having a hard time remembering where she put some stuff. Just like Mrs. Booth, she is still figuring out her new location. Mrs. Bennett says she likes the new office - everyone seems to enjoy their new area - because she finds it safer, and just like Mrs. Booth, she enjoys the variety of cameras. Last but not least, we asked her if she though the new office was more organized than the old. She said she thought the new wasn't as organized quite yet but it will be, for she is still unpacking her things. All the administration had to move quickly, so a lot of them didn't have enough time to think about where everything would be placed. That was our last question for today, so I hope you enjoyed!
Sadly, this blog post must come to an end, just like ever other amazing post that my fellow bloggers have completed. I hope you continue checking our blog for future updates, for they will just keep getting better and better. And now you know all about some of our administration suite and their thoughts on the new office. Check back for more information soon.
The NEW media center opened the day we got back from Winter Break. I interviewed the media teacher, Mrs. Jankoski and the paraeducator Mrs. Barkdoll. They love the new media center. What they really like is that they have lots of windows. In the new space, they have lost some of the distractions that came from traffic flow in their old space. There are less distractions now because they are in the back of the building in an enclosed space.
There are some things they don't like. They wish they had a water fountain in the media center. Also, the media center is no longer in the middle of the school, so teachers must make a special trip to the media center now. Also, the "Everybody" bookshelves are short so tall people have to crouch down to get to them.
In this post I will be telling you about our two favorite music teachers, Mrs. Griffin and Mrs. Williams! Both of our amazing music teachers love their new rooms. Actually they both rated their new rooms 90% out of 100%; that's pretty good. That means the construction workers did an awesome job on their rooms. I'm going to tell you about some of the things the teachers liked and disliked about their new spaces.
Let's start with Mrs. Griffin. Mrs. Griffin loved many things about her new room, but I'm only going to share her top three. She loves all the storage space and she just loves the size of the new room in general. She loves how she has a white board to write on and to present her music and documents. She thinks the new acoustics are great! They really help project the sound. She also has a few things she dislikes about the new room. For example, there are no open shelves for the students to have access to when they need to get an instrument, book, or paper. All of her shelves are inside her new cabinets. If Mrs. Griffin could change one thing about her new music room it would be the sound system components. She wishes they were in the front of the room and lower to the ground so she actually reach them. Finally if she could add one thing to her astounding new music room it would be built in chorus risers in the back of the room. Wouldn't that be awesome!
Next up we have Mrs. Williams. She loves how her new room is in the building! Before, it was in the portables and it was a lot colder and it took longer to move students back and forth. She agrees with Mrs. Griffin on the storage space. She thinks there is a lot more room. She loves the design of the new room, including the cubbies for the instrument cases, the sink and the white board. The main thing she dislikes about her new room is all the noise from the cafeteria. If she could add one thing to her music room it would be a nice fluffy carpet.
After a long summer break and a month to get back into the swing of things at school, our bloggers will be returning very soon! In the meantime, please check out a few pictures from our new Intermediate Wing!
Our new classroom cubbies allow for students' backpacks and belongings to be closed behind doors to keep our classrooms organized and tidy. It also allows additional space to display exemplary student work!
Our new mounted projectors eliminate the need for a projector cart. They are connected to built in classroom speakers and also have interactive capabilities.
Each of our new intermediate classrooms was designed to have multiple teaching spaces. This allows for students to work in small groups with peers and/or work with a second teacher in the classroom.
Mr. Notari and I took a tour with Dan Lubeley (SEI Architect) and Chad Porter (HCPSS Project Manger) today. It is amazing to see how much has happened in the past week. Everyone is working extremely hard and we cannot wait to show you the finished project! Here are a few pictures from today's tour.
In 21 days our new classrooms will be ready for Open House. We can't wait to see you on Friday, August 22nd at 2pm. If you don't have students in grades 3-5 make sure you stop by our new Intermediate Wing!