Principal's Page – Coffin Elementary School

Good Morning Coffin Community, This is Mr.

Ciembroniewicz and I’d like your attention for one minute on this Monday
morning as I share a few quick thoughts with you.

I took it easy this weekend, trying to get
healthy and beyond a persistent cold.  One of the relaxing things I did
more than usual was practice my violin.  I’ve got a fiddle workshop next
weekend and I need to memorize the songs in order to fully participate.

I used to think that “practice makes perfect”
but with regard to violin, my teacher tells me that “practice makes permanent”.  If so, I need to be careful how I practice.  This makes a lot of sense to me.  If I’m thoughtful and
deliberate about how I practice, my careful practice will become habit and I
will become a more accomplished musician.

Think about all the things we practice here at Coffin– especially our ways of working and behaving together throughout our school.  While things will never be perfect (and, honestly, that would be a bit boring…), our actions, repeated over time, will become a permanent way of behaving.  Let’s continue to be thoughtful and deliberate as a school
community, developing our positive habits and continually growing our school in
productive ways.  This is something we can only do together.

As always, I am proud of all the positive
behaviors and the enthusiasm for learning that I see at Coffin School.

As Baxter Bear and his helpers would say, be kind, be gentle, be safe –
and, be responsible – that’s the Coffin Way.

Have a great week.

Good Morning Coffin Community, This is Mr.
Ciembroniewicz and I’d like your attention for one minute on this Monday
morning as I share a few quick thoughts with you.

I’ve been thinking a lot about our last Coffin
Cares assembly.  Do you remember what we talked about?  It was the
assembly when we shared some safety expectations for the bus lines, the
hallways, the cafeteria, the bathrooms and the playgrounds.  These are all
‘common spaces’ that we all share.  We watched that fun
and instructional video that was such a positive and helpful reminder of how we
can all support our school culture.

I hope you’ve noticed the posters in the hallways and in the classrooms intended to remind us of what to expect of ourselves and each other.  Keep in mind, the ideas on the posters came from the adults seeing so many positive behaviors throughout our school.
Thank you for making Coffin School a safe and calm place for us all to work and
learn together.  We’ll keep talking about these ideas and will have
another assembly in the near future to keep this good work moving
forward.

As always, I am proud of all the positive
behaviors and the enthusiasm for learning that I see at Coffin School.
As Baxter Bear and his helpers would say, be kind, be gentle, be safe –
and, be responsible – that’s the Coffin Way.

Have a great week.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/01/19/169801500/music-multivitamins-and-other-modern-education-myths

Stumbled across this piece the other day on NPR.  Last two paragraphs affirm much of what we all know to be true about the positive impacts of reading with and engaging our children in meaningful conversations.

Click HERE for the full newsletter.

Dear Coffin School Families,

Happy 2013!  I hope this message finds all of you well.

One thing I enjoy about the monthly newsletter is a chance to get into ‘big picture’ mode.  While these  pages include only limited snapshots, I think they     represent some of the transformative work going on in all classrooms and throughout our school.

I was reminded recently that not so long ago Brunswick elementary students attended four different schools – Jordan Acres, Longfellow, Coffin and Hawthorne.  Having all the kindergarten and first-graders together at Coffin is still a relatively new experience.  With this in mind, it’s encouraging to see the tangible gains we continue to make in creating meaningful, large-scale structures and routines that set us all up for success.

Our recently revised school wide expectations are one example.  When one thinks about it, having 50+ individuals with widely varying philosophical perspectives work through and come to agreement on a common set of values is noteworthy (in under 3 months, no less).  Of course, what made this not only possible, but a truly pleasant process, is the fact that everyone at Coffin School shares and acts upon a core belief – we work together to do what’s best for students.

As you walk through the halls, please take a moment to take in some of the new signs you see on the walls.  To draw from the President’s speech yesterday, “our journey is not complete.”  Collaboratively and creatively, we will continue heading in fruitful directions.

Have a great month!

Mr. C.

Good Morning Coffin Community, This is Mr. Ciembroniewicz and I’d like your attention for one minute on this Monday morning as I share a few thoughts with you.

This weekend I had a chance to visit with my friend Barak – no, not the president, but my friend Barak Olins, the baker. On a last-minute invitation a few of us joined him late Friday evening as he baked over 200 loaves for the weekend farmer’s market. I’ll admit, I almost didn’t go – it was late and I was tired after a long week – but I’m so glad that I did. While Barak worked, we all caught up for hours about our lives, our families, past adventures and those to come. This ended up being a highlight of my weekend.

What a nice reminder for me that it’s often the simple and spontaneous things that can be so rewarding. I’m glad that I rallied to make that extra effort and joined Friday’s gathering. We’re now planning to go smelt fishing in the coming weeks. (BTW, I know a great little spot nearby that is known for their smelt fishing – my hometown of Bowdoinham).

I hope you get a chance this week to connect with your many friends here at Coffin School and that you, too, enjoy each of these small moments.

As always, it makes me proud to see all the joy and enthusiasm that each of you bring to Coffin Elementary School. As Baxter Bear would say, be kind, be gentle, be safe – and, do good work.

I’ll look forward to seeing all of you at Friday’s ‘Coffin Cares’ assembly.

Have a great week.

Good Morning Coffin Community,

This is Mr. Ciembroniewicz and I’d like to start this morning
by wishing each and every one of you a Happy New Year!  I’m so glad that we’re kicking off 2013 together.

This weekend I tried to fix a light on my new (but, very
old) boat and also had a chance to re-read a book entitled Mindset by the author Carol Dweck. I think it’s fun to sometimes
re-read books we enjoy and learn from, don’t you?

Mindset is one of
those books that helps me continue to learn.
I was reminded how important it is to face challenges in a positive way
and to be patient with ourselves as we try new things and learn.

Back to the boat light.
I’m one of those people who likes to figure things out quickly and get
them right.  This usually isn’t the way
meaningful learning happens, nor should it be.
After a few minutes of tinkering with no success, but growing
frustration, I realized that I needed to slow down and face this challenge in a
positive and productive way.  I did some
research, I spoke with some expert friends and I learned from my mistakes.  You know what?  The light now works and I feel great!

I hope that 2013 brings you an opportunity to learn many new
things  – giving yourself permission to
make mistakes along the way and to slowly and  persistently learn from
them.  Let’s promise to do this together.
I can imagine light bulbs of learning
happening for all of us, all year long.

As always, it makes me proud to see all the joy and
enthusiasm that each of you bring to Coffin Elementary School.  As Baxter Bear would say, be kind, be gentle,
be safe – and, do good work.

Have a great week.

Good morning Coffin Community,

This is Mr. Ciembroniewicz and I’d like your attention for one
minute

on this Monday morning as I share a few thoughts with you.

I’m guessing that over the long Thanksgiving weekend you’ve had a chance
to spend extra time with family and friends. While this can often be fun, it
can also sometimes be a bit stressful.
That’s all normal.

If you’re like me, it’s sometimes hard to get back into the
routine of school after an extended break.
This will be one of those weeks when we’ll all have to spend a little
extra time reminding ourselves about how we behave in school.  Please take a few moments for this and at the
same time practice a little extra patience and humor.  These can both go a long way.

Now when I say humor, I DON’T mean practical jokes.  What I do mean is making the effort to see
the light side of situations and bringing responsible and respectful smiles to
ourselves and others.  I know this is
something each of you can do as I find myself smiling every time I see you in
the hallways and in your classrooms.
Knowing that we’re all getting back into the positive routines of
school, a few extra smiles can help us along the way.

It makes me proud to see all the joy and enthusiasm that each of

you bring to Coffin School. As Baxter Bear would say, be kind, be gentle, be

safe – and, do good work.

Have a great week.

Click HERE for entire newsletter.

Dear Coffin School Community,

I hope this finds you well.

I had the best laid plans of drafting a December newsletter filled with multiple pages of photos, student work and other classroom news. I don’t think this will happen to the extent that I’d intended and my wife tells me to let it go. I’m going to take her advice.

Instead, I’ll take a few minutes to reflect on the weather.

I understand the official winter solstice is about 90 minutes away from now. Apparently 2012 is unique in that the sun will parallel itself with the center of the Milky Way galaxy (only once every 25,000 years or so). This is all interesting.

However, what resonates most with me is the reassurance that there are always powerful forces at work well beyond the course of human events. In this case, it means that to-morrow will bring us approximately three more minutes of daylight than today. This trend will continue.

While I may not actually notice these extra three minutes of daylight, I know they are there and inexorably growing by the day. This, to me, is hopeful.

However you may choose to spend this season of growing light, my wish for us all is to enjoy quality time with loved ones – hopefully family, friends, neighbors, fellow members of the community – and that we connect, reflect and rejuvenate.

Peace,

Mr. C.

Good Morning Coffin Community,

This is Mr. Ciembroniewicz and I’d like your
attention for one minute on this snowy Monday morning as I share a few thoughts
with you.

This weekend I went with my wife and children to
the Portland Museum of art to view “Weatherbeaten”, a collection of
work from Maine artist, Winslow Homer (BTW – my favorite artist ever!).
Winslow Homer lived on the coast in Scarborough and many of his paintings
are filled with crashing waves and foamy seas.  He understood what’s known
as the “force of place” and practiced what has been called
“downward travel” – getting to know where you are, better, and who
you are, more deeply.  Maine was a magical place for Winslow Homer as it
is for those of us who choose to live here.

Maine is a peaceful part of our United States.
Not too many folks living here and in many ways simpler and safer than
much of our country.  True, it’s not always the most exciting place, but
isn’t it wonderful being able to walk outside and enjoy the trees, the wildlife,
and the caring people who we know and who surround us?  I think so and I
know Winslow Homer thought so, too.

On this snowy Monday (and yes, let’s leave the
snowballs on the ground…), let’s practice some “downward travel”.
Let’s be thankful for who we are and where we are.  Safe and
surrounded by people who know us and who love us.

As always, it makes me proud to see all the joy
and enthusiasm that each of you bring to Coffin Elementary School.  As Baxter Bear would say, be kind, be gentle,
be safe – and, do good work.

Thanks for listening and have a great week.

Good Morning Coffin Community,

This is Mr. Ciembroniewicz and I’d like your attention for
one minute on this Monday morning as I share a few thoughts with you.

During this season of giving, we often hear inspiring
stories about people who help one another in special ways.  On Saturday I heard a story on the radio
about a police officer in New York who saw a man in need of shoes and just went
and bought him a pair.  Someone happened
to hear about this and the story continues to travel.

This reminded me of a quotation from John Wooden, the
extremely successful UCLA basketball coach who believed had very strong beliefs
about being one’s best.  He said, “the
true test of [a person’s] character is what he does when no one is
watching.”  Think about this for a
moment.  While there are always rules to
follow, other people around and people looking out for us, Coach Wooden’s point
is that it’s what we decide to do when no one else is making us can be a strong
reflection of our character.

What this police officer did for the man in New York is all
about simply doing what’s right for the right reasons.  What I mostly see happening in the halls and
classrooms is people choosing to do the right thing for the right reasons – not
just because anyone is watching.  Keep up
this good work – even if no-one else is around.
Either way, it makes a positive difference in all of our lives.

As always, it makes me proud to see all the joy and
enthusiasm that each of you bring to Coffin Elementary School.  As Baxter Bear would say, be kind, be gentle,
be safe – and, do good work.

Have a great week.