Am I My Coworker's Keeper?

What is one reason why you do not collaborate as much as you want to? Please comment on this blog or email me your response by Monday Night at 8 PM.

Monday, October 31

• Goody Day in AAC (Please see Mrs. Grigg's Email For Details)
• Committee Mtg in Cafe at 3:30

Tuesday, November 1

• Progress Monitor Yellow Students
• PLCs (RtI)
• 5th, 6th, 7th: 8:30-9:30
• Arts: 9:30-10:00
• K: 10-11
• 1st/2nd: 12-1
• 2nd/3rd: 1-2
• Support Team: 2-3

Wednesday, November 2

• Progress Monitor Yellow Students
• LuLaRoe Sell in AAC 10-12:30

Thursday, November 3

• Fall Portraits 8-11 in Rooms 117 and 118

Friday, November 4

• Hill out at State Mtg
• CCC Field Trip to Rock Climbing 8:30-12:30 (please see Dr. Caine if you have questions)
• CCC Field Trip Hike/ Lunch 1-3 (please see Dr. Caine if you have questions)

Three Simple Questions

I recently read an amazing article in Educational Leadership entitled Starting Strong.  I am going to put a copy in all staff's boxes this week and please believe me it is a must read.  I hope that this post will sell you on the value of reading this article and incorporating it into what you do each day after you read it.

Ben Curran, the author of this article, shares how careful and throughout planning can lead to academic achievement for our students. He also points out that when planning your lessons, educators must make many instructional decisions that at times seem limitless.  But it can become a simpler task when you think of a lesson in three parts- beginning, middle, end- and each has its own features and decisions that need to be made.  The author believes the paying attention to the first 10-15 minutes of the lesson pays high dividends and that is the focus of the article.

What and Why (5 -8 minutes)

During this portion of the lesson, teachers need to focus on clarifying the "what" and "the why" of the work.  "What" refers to the curriculum and content you are teaching that day.  Effective lessons begin with unpacking the objective for students.  The "why" refers to the purpose of the lesson.  Why is this lesson relevant and important?

Direct or Indirect (7-10 minutes)

Once you know how you will ground students in their learning objectives and purpose, you know work on the "how".  What are you wanting to accomplish?  Do you want to show them how to do the work or set up a way they can figure out how to do it on their own?  Direct Instruction  involves you modeling thinking and demonstrating.  This is used when teaching students a discrete skill.  Indirect Instruction involves structured tasks followed up by discussion and reflection.  Many educators believe this does not need to be planned out but it does need to be.  "A high quality task-one that ensures students will learn what you want them to-should be aligned to the standards, intellectually engaging, and accessible to all."

This can all seem overwhelming but Curran believes you should just focus on these three questions when planning upcoming lessons:

1) How can I ground students in the lesson's context and purpose?

2) Is a direct or indirect approach best?

3) What few statements or questions do I need to script in advance so that the first 10-15 minutes of this lesson is productive?

I know as you read the above summary of the article you began to wonder how will this look in my lesson planning.  I want you to read over this article (will be in your box Monday) and reflect on it during your planning for next week.  Each educator in the building will need to answer these three questions when planning and be ready to discuss your reflections with administration.  More information will follow but I care more about your reflection than just turning something in that shows on paper you know how to answer questions.  If you need guidance or help, feel free to reach out to me and your peers.

Hope everyone has had a great weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Angela

Week of October 24-29, 2016

Monday, October 24

• “We mustache you not to do drugs”- mustache day (students wear uniforms)
• Red Ribbon Bulletin Boards Go Up (If you as a staff member have a board planned you may wear jeans all week- must look neat. Please do not wear jeans until Friday if you are not putting a board up)
• SIT Mtg at 3:30 in Cafe

Tuesday, October 25

• “Use your head, don’t do drugs”- Crazy Hair or Hat Day (still in uniform)
• Mclass: progress monitor red students
• PLCs (SST)- bring your notebooks
• 5th/6th/7th: 8:30-9:30
• Arts: 9:30-10
• K: 10-11
• 1st/2nd: 12-1
• 3rd/4th: 1-2
• Support/ EC: 2-2:45
• 6th/7th/Brownlee - ASOM Field Trip at 10
• Continue working on Red Ribbon Week Board
• **DOJO MESSAGE: “Parents, please make sure your student is wearing school-appropriate pajamas tomorrow for Red Ribbon Week PJ Day, Thank you”**

Wednesday, October 26

• "Don’t be caught sleeping, say NO to drugs"
• Mclass: Progress monitor red students
• School Leaders Mtg: 3:30 Location TBD
• Continue working on Red Ribbon Week Board

Thursday, October 27

• “Friends don’t let friends do drugs"- Twin/ triplet day
• Continue working on Red Ribbon Week Board

Friday, October 28

• "Better things to do than drugs"
• Bulletin Board Judging in PM

Reminders

• All staff is encouraged to participate in Red Ribbon Week and please make sure you review Dr. Caine's Red Ribbon letter for daily details.
• You may wear jeans all week if you participate in the bulletin board contest...just try to bet admin's board!!!!
• It is your responsibility to read the blog and if you have questions ask and not assume.
• FEO Envelop Drive deadline has been extended until 11/4
• Thank you to everyone who made the Storybook Dance happen. I believe the kids had a ball and some of you did as well.
• READ THE RED RIBBON WEEK LETTER FROM DR. CAINE!!
• Please make sure you update goals near office if needed.
• BEGINNING TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25 PLEASE POST YOUR LEARNING OBJECTIVES (kid friendly) DAILY. If you need suggestions please look here:
• http://blog.williamferriter.com/2008/11/19/student-friendly-learning-goals/
• http://www.thoughtfulclassroom.com/Lorain/DesignForms/Student-Friendly_Learning_Targets.pdf

Adjusting Our Sails

Welcome back!  I am excited to get to work and I hope you are too.  We have missed 6 instructional days so far...that is 48 hours of instruction.  48 hours equals 2,880 minutes of learning that we will have to work to recover.  I reviewed the state laws on waivers of days missed and current legislation says that you may only have a waiver if there is a history of multiple missed days and those districts that are eligible are those in the western part of the state.  So, we are working on a few options (adding minutes to days, turning workdays into school days, combination of both, etc.) and will definitely give you guys a chance to provide feedback and share your thoughts on ways to recover this valuable time.  We hope to have a solid plan soon.

I also wanted to thank everyone for their hard work on Friday, October 7th. While our Arts Teachers planned for their upcoming intervention groups (which begin Monday), our Homeroom Teachers learned more about i-Ready.  We, those at the PD, also learned that we would need to use this tool to Progress Monitor our students as well as assess their knowledge on grade level curriculum through "unit assessments".  This was new information for the team who helped select this program and I thank you again for being flexible and still continuing to "attend" to what we were learning.  Since the Internet is not working at school currently and we are unsure when it will be up, please be flexible and wait for guidance from Mr. Thomas on when these assessments will begin.  I could feel the excitement of the group about the ease of this program so I know that once we have a plan up and running and our technology is up we will all be appreciate of this change.  Our next PD focused on i-Ready and how to use diagnostic information is currently planned for our November Workday but this might have to change due to current Internet issues and the number of days we have missed.

As you can gather, we are all adjusting our sails at this time.  I know that some of our TCEA families are still suffering and have large needs that loom over them right now.  We have a plan in place to help connect them to help and Dr. Caine will be leading this effort.  If someone reaches out to you with a need, please email her with family's information.  You might wonder, at times, what can you do to help out those families at this time.  You can of course donate your time, money and supplies to organizations collecting items at this time.  I also want to remind you that you can do what you do best at this moment as well.  You can provide our students "normalcy".  Children love consistency and I can guarantee that for most kids this past week held little of this.  Let's give our students as awesome week and although the Internet is not working and things might not go as smoothly as they could do not let this deter you from creating learning opportunities for your students that engage them.



One of the best stories I heard this week was the story of how...
2 Strangers And A Drone Help Rescue Veteran Trapped By N.C. Flooding

See the link below for more information.

http://n.pr/2dldeoY

If you visit Quavas Hart's Twitter Page you can see that he thanks Full Sail, a school in Florida, for training that helped him create this rescue opportunity.  I am sure that there are staff members at Full Sail feeling very happy for teaching Quavas what he knows.  Just think...we could be educating students that lead up future rescue missions and will be able to save someone based on something we teach them this year.  See how valuable a minute wasted can be?


Hope everyone has had a awesome weekend and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Angela

Week of October 17-21, 2016
*No recess outside until told otherwise

Monday, October 17

• Interventions Begin (or continue in some grades)
• Book Fair Setup
• IS Mtg in Cafe at 3:30
• Board Mtg in Music Room at 5:15

Tuesday, October 18

• Book fair
• 5th-7th PLC at 8:30
• Arts PLC at 9:30-10:00
• K PLC  at 10
• 1st/2nd PLC at 12
• 3rd/4th PLC at 1
• EC/ Support Staff at 2
• Raising Chameleons of Character at 7 PM

Wednesday, October 19

• Book fair
• IS Plans Due
• Beginning Teacher Meeting at 3:30 (Anyone volunteer to host us?)

Thursday, October 20

• Book fair
• Read to Achieve Retest
• FEO Mtg at 3:30 (would like at least 3 staff members to attend)

Friday, October 21

• Book fair
• Read to Achieve Makeup Test
• FEO Story Book Dance TBD (Waiting to hear confirmation on DJ)

I Apologize In Advance...

I want to apologize, in advance, for this blog posting.  It is very lean this week.  I just returned from Boone and it has been a series of unfortunate events...

• Various emergency lights lit up on by dashboard including one that involved the engine and I was advised by the local Toyota dealership that I could drive home BUT if the light began to blink I was to pull over and get everyone out of the car immediately.
• Came down with something that is making me feel horrible.  No fever so I will be in tomorrow but I am definitely not my self.
• I still have to get car looked at so hopefully the lights do not start to blink on the way to work tomorrow.

I do want to thank everyone who prayed, said an encouraging word or sent my positive thoughts Saturday.  My presentation went well and I was able to share about TCEA...win-win.

So, enjoy one of my favorite principals and I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow :)

Monday, October 3

• Grades due at 8 AM
• Fall Performance Series Continues
• Committee Mtg at 3:30-4:30

Tuesday, October 4

• Progress Monitor Yellow Students
• PLCs
• 5th-7th Grades: 8:30-9:30
• Arts: 9:30-10:00
• Kindergarten: 10-11
• 1st/ 2nd: 12-1
• 3rd/4th: 1-2
• Support Staff/ EC: 2-2:45
• Drama/ CSP/SEL IS Presentations: 2-2:50

Wednesday, October 5

• Progress Monitor Yellow Students
• Admin Meeting
• Music/ VA IS Presentations: 2-2:50

Thursday, October 6

• MidTerm Progress Reports Go Home
• Substitute Orientation 9-10
• Dance/ MA IS Presentations: 2-2:50
• K-2 Curriculum Nights 5:45-6:45
• 3rd- 4th Curriculum Night 6:45-7:45

Friday, October 7

• Teacher Workday
• i-Ready PD 9-12
• i- Ready PD Training Part II (Grunden, Jones, Falls, Lett, Thomas, Hill) 1-4
• lularoe Pop Up at TCEA in Lobby 1-3 (Cash or Debit Cards or Credit Accepted)

Reminders

• Please update your plans posted on the wall outside the office as needed
• Beginning Monday, October 10th.  Please post your standards as you teach them in your room.  Let me know if you have any questions.  

School Improvement is a WE thing!!!

This week we will hold our first School Improvement Team Meeting.  At this meeting, staff will have the opportunity to nominate themselves for a leadership position on our team.  While some might see it as ONE MORE THING, I truly see it as an opportunity for our school to take one more step towards greatness.  I hope that each of you will reflect on the duties of members of the School Improvement Team and step up if you feel you have something positive to bring to the table.  I have also included a video clip that shows what an effective School Improvement Team can do for a school.  Please email me if you have any questions about the SIT or bring the questions to the meeting tomorrow.

NC State Law on SIT

School Improvement Team G.S. §115C-47 (38) mandates the duty of local boards to ensure each principal establishes a school improvement team and that the composition of the team complies with G.S. §115C-105.27 (a). (See also GS §115C-288 (l) – Powers and Duties of Principal.) G.S. §115C-105.27 (a) directs schools to establish a School Improvement Team (SIT) to develop a plan to improve student performance. School improvement teams shall consist of the following members:  the principal of the school;  representatives of the assistant principals;  representatives of instructional personnel;  representatives of instructional support personnel;  representatives of teacher assistants assigned to the building; and  representatives of parents of children enrolled in the school.Representatives of the assistant principals, instructional personnel, instructional support personnel, and teacher assistants shall be elected by their respective groups by secret ballot. Participation in the school improvement planning process by the personnel noted above is a legal requirement. Principals do not have discretion to choose school improvement team representatives. 

Duties of SIT Members

• Attend SIT Meetings (monthly basis)
• Volunteer for a Leadership Role on SIT (chair, recorder, time keeper, etc.)
• Bring concerns to the attention of SIT members
• Share minutes of meetings with staff and stakeholders
• Follow the state recommended process for improving our school: Assess, Create, Monitor
• Work collaboratively for positive change at TCEA

Please watch the following video:

http://bit.ly/2cNK27m

Week of September 26-30, 2016

Monday, September 26

• Hill (7:30-3:00) & Thomas Out 
• SIT Meeting at 3:30 in Cafe (all full time staff need to attend)
• Performance Series Continues for 5th-7th Grades
• Handbook Forms Due To Mrs. Hill (must have all sheets to turn in)

Tuesday, September 27

• Thomas Out
• RtI PLCs
• 5th-7th Grades: 8:30-9:30
• Arts: 9:30-10:00
• K: 10-11
• 1st/2nd: 12-1
• 3rd/4th: 1-2
• Support Staff/ EC: 2-2:45
• Progress Monitor Students in Red
• Performance Series Continues for 5th-7th Grades

Wednesday, September 28

• Administrative Team Meeting at 9-10:15
• Pacing Guides Due
• Progress Monitor Students in Red
• School Leaders' Mtg at 3:30 Location TBD

Thursday, September 29

• Performance Series K-4 begins
• Arts PLC at 9:30

Friday, September 30

• Hill Out 1/2 Day (PM)
• Pay Day
• Triangle Summary on NCEES Due (staff that received training on NCEES this month)
• All Cumulative Folders Need To Be Checked and Immunization Information Submitted To Me

REMINDERS

• Don't forget the $5 to join the Sunshine Committee; money can be turned in to Mrs. Griggs
• Staff Hours are 7:30-3:30 unless you have made arrangements with Mrs. Hill
• If you are going to be out, you will need to inform Mr. Salisbury and Mrs. Hill
• Students should be supervised at all times
• Please exit out of the office when going to recess; Do not use the interior glass doors
• Middle school students should only use the stairwell across from cafe; the other stairs are to be used only in case of emergency or for a fire drill

We Get What We Expect

One of my favorite quotes and one that you will hear me say OVER and OVER is " A student's work is the artifacts of a teacher's expectations."  What our students do and how they behave are a reflection of our expectations.  In this video, Mr. Romagnolo states that "Your expectations are what you allow them to do, not what you say."  Our students are growing up in a world where some do not have high expectations for them.  Some of their parents are known as "lawnmower" parents who mow down any challenges or struggles that come in their student's path.  It is up to us to build a culture where students are challenged to do what is expected.  Our students should be expected to do their best and not give up when confronted with a challenging task.  They should honor their commitments.  Our students expect us to hold them accountable and we can not let them down.  Let's hold our students accountable and keep pushing procedures.  It is up to all of us!

Week of September 19-23, 2016

Monday, September 19

• Reading 3D Assessments Continue
• IS Begins
• Staff Mtg in Cafe at 3:30
• Board Mtg at 5:15 in Music Room

Tuesday, September 20

• SST PLCs: 
• 5th-7th- 8:30AM
• K-10AM
• 1st &2nd- 12PM
• 3rd&4th- 1PM
• Support Staff -2PM
• Website Training at 3:30
• Raising Chameleons of Character at 7 PM

Wednesday, September 21

• Beginning Teachers Meeting at 3:30 Location: Ms. Jones' Room

Thursday, September 22

• Performance Series Assessment for 6th and 7th grades
• Middles Grades (5th-7th) Curriculum Night 6:30-7:30 PM

Friday, September 23

• Performance Series Assessment for 6th and 7th grades
• Students' Files Review Sheets Completed
• Immunization Information (K and 7th) To Mrs. Hill

Reminders:

• Homework expectations regarding amount given is a student's grade level X 10 minutes.  For example, a 1st grader would have 10 minutes of homework plus up to 30 minutes of reading or being read to (that is a given at each grade). If a student is in 5th- 7th grades, that time time limit is for all subjects so communication is a must.

• If you struggle with spelling and other conventions when creating communication to go home (newsletters, notes, etc.), please know we have two board members who've volunteered to read over information before you send it home.  Mr. Fiebig (figurativelyspeaking@gmail.com) and Mrs. Hustwit (wendyahustwit@gmail.com) hare available to help you out.  Please email the information to them at least 24 hours before you need it to go out and they will proofread for you.  If you have any questions, please let me know.
• Please make sure that you receive a statement of assurance from each student in your class by Monday, September 26.  You will need to keep all forms and only return to Mrs. Hill when you have all for your class.  If you do not have a student's form by next Monday, please contact each parent and tell them TCEA needs the forms ASAP.  Many teachers offer candy to students to ensure important forms are returned.  This is just an idea for you to get 100%.
•  Mr. Thomas and I will begin walk throughs this week.  You will receive a copy of our observations in your box or on your desk at the end of these visits.  The visits will range between 5-15 minutes each.  You will also be receiving a TLaC Bingo Card that will be displayed outside of your classroom doors.  If we see one of the TLaC strategies in use we will mark that square on your card.  If you get BINGO you will have your choice of some great prizes. 

September 12-16, 2016

It's my birthday and my gift to you and to me is this will not include anything from me except one of the funniest videos I have seen in awhile.  Enjoy!

Week of September 12-16, 2016

Reminders:

• Lesson plans need to be dropped by first lesson taught Monday
• Please use time wisely.  Every minute is precious and can not be recovered.
• Your students deserve a quality education.  Please do not lower your expectations.  I know that we are now starting week 3 and they should know what to do but some still do not.  High Expectations for all is what parents wanted and I do as well.

"Don't lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations". Ralph Marston

Monday, September 12, 2016

• Reading 3D Assessments Continue
• Performance Series Training Begins 
• IS Planning Mtg 3:30-4:30 in cafe

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

• PLCs
• Reading 3D Assessments Continue
• Mr Thomas Out At Testing Trainings
• NCEES Training for New Homeroom Teachers at 3:30 in Cafe

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

• BOG for 3rd Grade Students
• IS Lesson Plan Due
• Reading 3D Assessments Continue

Thursday, September 15, 2016

• BOG Make Ups
• Reading 3D Assessments Continue
• FEO Mtg at 3:30- Would like to have a few teachers attend. Please let me know if you can make it!
• PAY DAY $$$$$$$$

Friday, September 16, 2016

• NCEES Training for New Homeroom Teachers at 3:30 in Cafe