So, we've finished our review of the Seven Cs and I'd like to hear from you. Which one do you feel you do well and helps lead your students to success? Please post your comment below by Wednesday, January 28th. Starting next month we will tackle topics that affect students of poverty and how we can negate them at EES.
I have attached a video from a study done a few years back about what makes a great teacher. Please feel free to share your thoughts about that clip as well. Maybe the Seven Cs aren't the only way for students to be successful?!?
I hope everyone has am amazing week! Angela Week of January 26-30, 2015 Monday, January 26
Monday Morning Meeting
Advisory Board Mtg. at 6PM (Open Invitation...if anyone has something they'd like to share let me know ASAP)
Report Cards Sent Home
Tuesday, January 27
3rd and 4th Grade PLCs
5th Grade Planning Day
Leading to Change Workshop with Student Leaders 12:00-3:00 PM (students will go to lunch at 11:30 with a staff member-please send to cafeteria at that time)
What a great start to the new year! Thank you for all you did to make last week so smooth! This week we are focusing on the last c...clarifying. Clarifying means to make a lesson so clear that students feel that success is feasible. Teachers that do a good job clarifying learning have students who say that there teacher helps them learn when they they're lost or confused.
Last week we discussed how unproductive it is to ask students as a group... "Do you understand or do you have any questions"? We know that students need to explain their thinking to ensure that they are learning. What are some of your best methods to help students when they are "lost in the sauce"? Please share some of your favorite methods and I will be sure to include them in the January 25th blog. I am taking next week of since we have a short week and am including that week's info in this blog.
We know how important asking questions are and students must feel comfortable asking questions while learning to be successful in school as well as their life. Have an amazing week and stay warm!
Wednesday, January 21: Mandatory Teacher Workday
Chinese Lunch Buffett (sign up due by Tuesday, 1/13 on bar in office)
Field Trip to Quail Ridge Bookstore ( Mrs. Gaines in charge of this)
Thursday, January 22
All student led conference should be completed by this date
I have had two weeks to do this week's blog and I am now just doing it. This is an example of procrastination at its best. I have not had the relaxing vacation that I planned on having but it was still slower than the usual and was a much needed break.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday and I hope you got some relaxation in these past two weeks.
This week's C is conferring. We have discussed conferring and even has a day long workshop, last year, on the feedback given to students during conferring. Conferring is defined as eliciting students' feedback and respecting their ideas. We confer daily and the trainers from Learning Focused support the idea that true change will only occur through conversations about our practices. But what about our conferences with parents? Can we "hear" what they want for their students? Can we respect that their "wants" for their students are different than theirs? Can we work together to help students reach success?
Please keep your previous training regarding conferring with students in mind when interacting with our kids. Remember, we never have time to not be on our A Game!!!
I leave you with this video regarding parents' wishes for their new babies. See you Monday.
Angela
Week of January 5-9, 2015 Monday, January 5th
Monday Morning Meeting
Tuesday, January 6th
3rd and 4th grade PLCs
SIT in Media Center at 3:30 PM
Wednesday, January 7th
Mclass Window Opens
Open House for YMCA 4 pm-6 pm (no staff needs to stay)
5th Grade PLC
Thursday, January 8th
Principal's Mtg (Hill Out until 2 PM)
Mentor/ Mentee Mtg at 4:30
Science Fair (Time TBA)
Data Conversations (1st session will be held this afternoon/evening and will be held until 1/22)
Friday, January 9th
Reading District Benchmarks in your rooms on laptops (school wide)
Administrator Budget Mtg (T.Lee, Backus, and Hill) Most of Day
This week we move on to our next C...Captivating. I amazed that even at my old age of 36, I am still captivated by the same Christmas specials that I grew up watching so many years ago. And I still get sentimental when I hear certain songs on the radio and when I hang our ornaments on the tree. These simple items captivate me because they are of interest to me because it is relevant to my life. Each year I purchase a new ornament for the girls and our family as a keepsake of a memory or special place we visited that year. I still have an ornament my mother got me for my first Christmas in 1978 and even though I knew nothing about Christmas at that time, hanging it up on my tree reminds me of the love my mom had for me even when I was at my worst (ask her how bad I was as an infant...I see where Charlotte got it from).
Why can't we make our lessons more captivating to our students? I always hear "We ain't got time for that!" but I totally disagree. If we don't captivate them we end up taking time to manage behavior. Which would you rather take the time to do? I went to a workshop years and years ago for kindergarten teachers and the presenter suggested having a souvenir for each concept students learn throughout the year...kinda like when you go on vacation you bring something back. I implemented this my last year teaching kindergarten and it was a success. This culminating activity helped captivate the students and even helped them recall earlier learning experiences when they couldn't quickly pull it out to implement later.
What will you do this week to captivate our young learners?
I hope you have an amazing week and make sure you wear your stretchy pants 'cause it looks like we're eating all week. Angela
PS: Merry Christmas from me...may you all wear jeans each day this week as long as you look neat! Week of December 15-19, 2014
Monday, December 15
Monday Morning Meeting
Must sign up to attend Christmas Party by this date
Tuesday, December 16
Hill at Chamber Mtg 12-1:15
3rd Grade and 4th Grade PLC
3rd Grade RtA Scoring during last enhancement
All permission slips for THS field trip must be in by today
Survey regarding technology lab due today (homeroom teachers)
Christmas Program at 6:30; all certified staff are required to attend and help out.
Goody Day: 4th grade, cafeteria, Blue, Gay
Wednesday, December 17
THS Field Trip 8:15-11:00
5th Grade PLC
Coaching Collaborative Mtg (Lemon, Baker, Hill, and Backus) at 12:30
This week, I am focusing on Consolidating which means connecting and integrating ideas to support learning. I have no doubt that I have wonderful teachers that teach lessons that focus on standards from the NCSCOS. What I believe we struggle with is the connection part of instruction. Students have to be able to integrate new learning into the their "storehouse" and it needs to be stored in a way that they can retrieve it when it's needed. If they're unable to integrate and connect ideas then all of that teaching just equates to a TIRED and FRUSTRATED teacher. In Ronald Ferguson's Tripod Study, researchers asked students this following question to determine if teachers focused on consolidating during lessons. Researchers used this exact question,“My teacher takes the time to summarize what we learn each day" to assess this area. I know, based on data from our LF walk throughs, that this is something not happening in our school at a high level. Writing must used in conjunction with summarizing to ensure that consolidation of learning is taking place...daily! So to that end... Beginning Tuesday, December 9, 2014 STUDENTS WILL SUMMARIZING LEARNING AT THE END OF EACH MATH AND ELA LESSON BY ANSWERING THE DAILY EQ THROUGH WRITING.
Administration will be doing spot checks each day to read through a few student responses.
When meeting on Friday (12/5) with Mrs. Gay, we came up with the idea of encouraging students to answer to the best of their abilities by having you pick the best response and posting it with the student's name by the EQ. To help pare down the amount of work you'd have to do, have them work in pairs/small group and let them pick the best from those small groupings and then you narrow down to the class winner.
We need immediate change to ensure we leave 48.1% far behind in the rear view mirror.
If you have any questions, please see me!
Thanks for all you and remember...WE ARE ERWIN and...
only 10 school days until Christmas Break!!
Week of December 8-12, 2014 Monday, December 8
Instructional Rounds w/ Callanan & Licary @ 1:40
Santa Pictures in conference room from 9:00-10:30
Reading Intervention regular schedule
Backus Out at Testing Mtg
Announcement Regarding Christmas Party Will Be Made
Tuesday, December 9
Instructional Rounds w/ Skulsky, Hayes, and Parker @ 2:25
3rd and 4th grade PLCs- LF Day #3
Mrs. Gay Baby Shower at 3:30 PM
Wednesday, December 10
Instructional Rounds w/ Cowan and Alford @ 11:20
LF Lesson Plans Due to Your Assigned Administrator or Instructional Coach
THS Area Principal Mtg at CES at 1PM
5th Grade PLC- LF Day #3
Thursday, December 11
Hill at Chamber Mtg at 12 PM
Friday, December 12
Nothing on my calendar...kinda of scary :(
REMINDERS:
Intervention time is INTERVENTION TIME! This time is important and a big piece of our SIP. Please make sure you have your students in place on time. If intervention time is not working you will need to see me immediately with a solution to the problem.
Please make sure that no time is wasted...time is so precious and sitting at 48.1% proficiency should be push enough for us to not waste time. Everything we do should be aligned to the curriculum.
MOY Benchmarks: Before or After Christmas...that is the question?!? Need some input before I make a decision. If you care either way, email me by Wednesday, December 10th.
The past two weeks I have focused on Challenge and Caring. This week the C I am going to discuss is Controlling. Controlling means controlling behavior to promoting peer support and cooperation. When our students graduate from high school and enter the career world or into an institute of higher education, they will have to collaborate to be successful. They will have to know how to look to peers for help finding solutions and also for help to augment any of their weaknesses.
Teachers need to build classroom communities that enable students to boldly try out these new skills knowing that they have the space to not get it right and still be able to "save face". Students should not feel afraid to be themselves in class. Classrooms should be families where we're in it together...no matter what. The job of creating this type of environment in your classroom is YOURS!
If you do not have control you will not have academic success this school year...and that's a known fact. Can you tackle control of your classroom this late in the year? Yes...it's never too late. Will it be hard to do? Yes...but aren't some of the best things in life hard to accomplish?!?
I believe the experts that say that children crave routine and procedures. Help your students 15 years down the road by controlling their behavior and classroom environments now.
3 C's Down and 4 More To Go!!
Week of December 1-5, 2014
Monday, December 1
Honor's Chorus Practice at 11:15-12:15 in Music Room; Mr. Grieder will take group to lunch and all students will be back in your room by 1:00 PM
Tree Lighting at 5:30 PM- Honors Chorus will be performing
Parade Line Up: Currently I have the following teachers helping: Mrs. Baker-Speaks, Mrs. Cowan, Mrs. Lee, and Mrs. Gaines (?); All staff that helps will get Comp Time ( staff may bring their family to ride on float as well); You will need to meet stduents riding on the float at Good Hope Hopspital at 6 PM. Drop off will be at the Mill Parking Lot. Please let me know if you plan to ride if you aren't listed here as well as if you can not ride and you told be via email you could.
This week's C behavior is CARING To be successful we must create relationships with the students that we work with. What better way to create relationships with those you work with than to show them that you are thankful for what they bring to the "table". Gratitude and caring go hand in hand. Many times, we create relationships with others because they can do something or possess something that we lack. A relationship between a student and their teacher can be characterized by one having the knowledge that the other desires (desires is probably too strong of a word for our students but we could say needs). During this season of giving thanks, let's build more caring relationships by thanking the students and co-workers for challenging us and helping us build up our weaknesses.
I wish you and yours a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! Hope you enjoy the latest installment from the Holderness Family!
Week of November 24-28, 2014 Monday, November 24th
Staff Member of Month Lunch with Riley
Optional Meetings with Staff Members to Discuss EVAAS (please email me if you want to meet between 3:30-5:30 on Monday)
Thanks a LATTE Breakfast in Conference Room; Open between 7:15-7:45 and 8:45-9:30
Monday Morning Meeting
Tuesday, November 25th
3rd Grade PLC
4th Grade PLC
Committee Meetings @ 3:30 (Please email me by Monday at 3:30 if your committee is meeting)
