Panther Updates
News, Resources and Learning for Panther Staff, 3/13/17
CBS Sunday Morning: Boys' reaction to bullying will melt your heart
Thought I'd share this video about school bullying from 2015 on CBS Sunday Morning. Inspirational and heartwarming. Summary of the video. After a group of 5th grade boys noticed a classmate with a learning disability getting teased, they banded together and made him a part of their gang.
_______________________
News of Note
"Claim your WakeID day" is this Wednesday, March 15. Please remember that the WakeID portal will not be live until Wednesday morning at 6 AM. We are forwarding a support email to you today so that you can prepare. This transition is intended to allow your access to more programs/courses etc. and set up the system for the new email to be released this spring.
Afternoon Dismissal- Please remember to let the office staff know if you need to leave campus prior to when the last bus is called. It is important that we are able to contact you in the event a child misses the bus or does not arrive home as expected and often you are the only one that knows the details needed to 'solve' the case! Thanks for your help with this.
New Name for the Teacher's Lounge- At leadership, we discussed renaming the teachers' lounge to better reflect the redesigned space. If you have a suggestion please email Kayla Perry by this Friday. We will vote on the new name early next week.
PDPs- If you have not completed your mid year PDP please do so ASAP.
Playground Usage- Please make every effort to take your class to recess at your designated time. Sometimes playground usage overlaps, but if it's avoidable,, the fewer students outside at the same time,the better! Also, please encourage students to take advantage of physical activity versus sitting, drawing, or reading.
Pokemon/Other Trading Cards & Personal Sports Balls- This week we alerted parents in the "Sunday Message" that Pokeman/Other trading cards and personal sports balls are not to be brought to school. We have had many disciplinary referrals and continued teacher concerns regarding students using these inappropriately (inequitable trading/selling, interfering with instruction, eating at lunch, etc.) which has caused problems. We have also had problems with sports ball problems on the playground and for safety reasons on the bus (rolling on the floor while bus is moving. If you have questions or concerns regarding this please email Lara or me.
Early Release, March 24th: In response to many of our staff who have asked for differentiated K-5 digital math support for their students for intervention through enrichment we have been researching a program called Dreambox suggested by a member of WCPSS Math Department team. I had an opportunity to talk with reps from the company (one a former WCPSS teacher) and to attend a workshop at NCTIES. Then, last week Kayla, Lara and I had a phone conference with a Dreambox regional rep to find out how we could get a short-term trial of the program through the end of June. I have also talked with a principal of an elementary school currently using Dreambox that is quite pleased with student growth.
We are hopeful that we will be able to set up the intro on Friday, March 24th. As a result I am requesting that Track 1 join tracks 2, 3,& 4 after the PTA luncheon at approximately 2:30 for this whole school introduction. Below are some links that Dreambox sent me for staff to review prior to our introduction.
DreamBox Learning is different. We recognize that students grouped by age are not always ready for the same concept, taught the same way, at the very same time. Importantly, DreamBox Responds differently according to strategies students use, the scaffolding they may take advantage of (among many other data points) and not just whether they answered correctly or incorrectly.
The DreamBox teachers that build our curriculum and lessons are certain that to help teachers effectively differentiate, data has to be actionable, not just available – this takes on heightened importance when you support students working across multiple grade levels and below grade level. Here is one way we think about partnering with teachers and this video shares one specific way we do that.
_______________________
Check out some of these articles posted recently from Twitter. You may find something that interest you.
_______________________
Track 1 out duties for the weeks of: 3/13-3/17, 3/20-3/24
AM Carpool- Newman(Put out cones to block carpool through-lane at 8:45)
AM Breakfast- Brown
AM Bus- Lavin (Write down bus arrival times)
Lunch- Fitzgerald, Lavin, Newman, Wilburn, DeCain, Brown, Renfrow, Bednar
PM Hallway- Barber (corral bus students and supervise)
PM Carpool- Hymel, Wilburn, Renfrow, DeCain (Hymel- Call car numbers beginning at 3:40 PM, Renfrow and Wilburn in the cafeteria, Wilburn outside with students/safety patrol.) (Wilburn- Please get the speaker out of the office conference room to set up.)
PM Bus- 3/13-3/17 Nelson, 3/20-3/24 Schoenebeck