Michael Pinto

Come to Cole for the small school feel and stay for the quality of the educational experience.

At James Cole Elementary School - When you’re here; you’re home.

Yes, we have chickens and Mrs. Tilley and her ‘Chicken Tenders’ take care of them. How uniquely fun!

Awards Day from 9:00-11:30 this morning. Pictures with students and families. Stack chairs and put away the gym from all the decor before 12:50 PE classes. Giving third grade student IREAD Retest at 1:15. That’s the life of a principal right now.

With Religious Charters, the Charter Lobby’s Chickens Have Come Home to Roost - Public Voices For Public Schools Religious Charters? The Charter Industry's Chickens Have Come Home to Roost.

No matter which way SCOTUS rules, I predict the charter world will never be the same. pv4ps.org/with-religio... @apnews.com @juddlegum.bsky.social @delauro.house.gov @bertisdowns.bsky.social @dianeravitch.bsky.social

Click/Print/Cute is not a curriculum.

Too many in education think it is

Well done, @cubsbot.bsky.social

Sensory bags for checkout and a sensory room available. Way to focus on needs of all!

Simply Loving “The Culture Code” by Daniel Coyle

Our talented staff never ceases to amaze me.

We opened our school’s Barnyard Airbnb today. Mollie, the Calming Cow, came to visit. What a glorious thing. Stating soon for our children’s delight - goats, horses, sheep, maybe a llama, and most definitely - a Zonkey.

Effort Assessment Rubric Assessment Rubric 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Improvement Necessary 1. Unsatisfactory I read every problem, passage, question, and answer choice and gave thought to each answer I chose on this test. I wo...

The Cole Elementary Assessment Effort Rubric

docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Skate Mate

All a person needs is a little assistance to roll with everyone else. A simple aid like a Skate Mate was the difference between standing on the sideline or hugging the wall and rolling with your friends and everyone else.

What Skate Mate do you offer the children in your care?

Stop asking, “How was your day today? Instead ask. ….

A joyful part of my day - Lunch with the Principal and the magic color changing pencils

A timeline cleanse - a kindergarten student and that yummy rectangular pizza.

Can RFK Jr. remake school lunch? RFK Jr. wants to get ultra-processed foods out of school lunch. It’s harder than it sounds.

Interesting article on the history of the school lunch program

www.vox.com/today-explai...

Second grade book tasting event was a great motivator for students to pick up different types of books. We are readers at Cole.

Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith, believe in yourself, and take your best shot.

How fortunate are we to have this gorgeous pond on our school grounds

Some Saturday ‘Lonely Work’. We teach thank you notes to our fifth graders in the Cole Professional Academy. I’m writing mine for the volunteers at our upcoming Interview Day. Leaders need to model good behavior for the practice to resonate as real. Handwritten notes still matter (in my opinion).

In a world where rules, norms, and protocols seem to be thrown aside with increasing ease, the schools continue to plod along teaching an ever increasingly greater needs-filled population of learners and honestly also trying to reinforce the basic ideas “Do the Right Thing” and “Treat People Right”.

We switch gears quickly in education. 100s Man, a Mathematical Superhero, celebrated the 100th Day of the Year. And in costume you are called to the office to take the Fire Marshal around for an inspection

The brief and glorious Minor League comeback of Sports Illustrated writer Rick Wolff The Official Site of Major League Baseball

13000 days ago (June 16, 1989), 37-year-old Sports Illustrated writer Rick Wolff finishes a three-day stint as the starting second baseman for the South Bend White Sox. Wolff goes 4-for-7, which obviously is quite good.

Wolff played at Harvard and was a Tiger farmhand in '73-'74.

When you see a talented adult find a connection with a disregulated child with a disability, there is a moment of awe. Awe is all around us if we stop and look for it

The best part of the first week back to school has been the many “Dialogues with Meaning” I have had

There is no tidy separation between self and other. Our species is intertwined, such that helping others is a kindness to ourselves, and watching over ourselves supports others.

Reciprocity Mindset - people are more likely to twist investments when others believe in them and more likely to cheat when they are treated like cheaters.

Acts of kindness are one of the fastest, most powerful ways to boost well-being. But the motives behind these actions matter. People become happier and less stressed on days they help friends, if they are moved to do so by compassion.

Skepticism - a reluctance to believe claims without evidence.
Cynicism is a lack of faith in people: skepticism is a lack of faith in our assumptions.

Cynics imagine humanity is awful.
Skeptics gather information about who they can trust.

I’m spending a decent portion of Winter Break working through the required 80 hours of Keys to Literacy training for Indiana educators for a Literacy Endorsement. The asynchronous offering is helpful for my schedule.The PD so far has had value.Many pieces I already knew. Some learned. Praxis awaits

1st grade indoor recess issue - Someone touched the class elf on the shelf. Tears everywhere “Her magic is gone.”

A principal & teacher with an elf & ‘magic restoring glitter’ poured over it into a trash can, move to a higher perch - fully restored power - learning can occur again.

The Unexpected Profundity of Curious George The backstory of the couple who created Curious George—fleeing Paris as the Nazis invaded—casts the dream logic of the stories in a new light.

The couple behind Curious George fled Paris during the Second World War. Their backstory, which was largely unknown for years, makes the dream logic of the books seem different from how it first appears.