PIONEER TRAIL NEWS
APRIL 27, 2020 - MAY 1, 2020
WEEK AT A GLANCE APRIL 27 - MAY 1, 2020
- 8:00 - 11:00 Reserved for Office, Specials, Special Education, Title I Reading to work at school
- 9:00 AC/DC GoogleMeet (Salmons)
12:00 - 3:00 Reserved for First Grade and Fourth Grade to work at school
1:00 - Whitney/Hutchison/Pacini IEP Zoom
TUESDAY, APRIL 28
8:00 - 11:00 Reserved for Kindergarten and Second Grade to work at school
12:00 - 3:00 Reserved for Third Grade and Fifth Grade to work at school
1:00 - Tier 2/3 Reflection Meeting (Oswald, Bexten, Ferguson, Lehmen, Hoelscher, Salmons)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29
- 8:00 Packets due in office to be mailed
- 9:00 K/1 Pod (Google Meet)
- 9:30 2/3 Pod (Google Meet)
- 10:00 4/5 Pod (Google Meet)
THURSDAY, APRIL 30
- 9:00 Art, Music, PE, Library (Google Meet)
- 9:30 SPED, ELL, Title I Reading (Google Meet)
FRIDAY, MAY 1
- 11:00 Principal Meeting (Zoom)
UPDATES FROM APRIL 24TH PRINCIPAL MEETING......
- Certified staff can begin completing and submitting their professional growth plans. It must be submitted through TalentEd prior to Scott viewing it. Email him with your ending score. A guide with proficiency levels for each indicator was attached to the original PGP email sent to you. See Scott for specific questions.
- Consistent communication with students is required from classroom teachers and continued documentation of those contacts needs to be maintained. When you talk with them make sure you are asking if they are doing ok with the work opportunities that you are sending; when checking iReady consider allowing the students to move up a level if they have solid passage rates; students that concern you may need more individual follow up as opposed to class gathering.
- If you need help with Google Meets or Google Classroom, let Terri Miller know and we will get you the help needed. We want you to feel comfortable with these formats.
- Decisions about summer school will be announced next week.
- District Literacy Training Cadres for next year will focus on 3rd and 5th grades. Throughout the year, there will be (6) half day sessions set aside for extended training with those grade levels.
- Part of the district focus next year in the area of literacy will be helping and supporting teachers across the district with writing workshop.
- Math focus next year will be centered around building fluency utilizing math games - moving completely away from traditional "timed tests" as a strategy. Fluency practice will be a daily expectation along with problem solving utilizing the three read strategy, and building on math conversations/talk.
- Adjustments are being made within the curriculum to include a few of the main standards missed this year due to the closure. They have worked hard to embed them where they fit best. This will be explained and shared with you later this summer.
PLANS FOR RETURNING STUDENT MATERIALS
- During the week of May 11th, teachers will bag up student supplies/materials left in your classroom. We should be getting bags from Hy-Vee within the next few days. Teachers will need to clearly label the bag with the student first and last name. Tables will be set up in the gym to place the items by grade and teacher.
- During the week of May 18th, several days and times will be set up for parents to drive through the drop-off/pick-up lane. Runners will be scheduled to grab the items from the gym and take to the parent's car. Parents and students will NOT be allowed inside the building. Information will be shared with parents regarding the details of those times and days soon.
- Students will return library books at the time they are picking up their supplies. At this point, students will continue to keep their ChromeBooks until we return in August.
CLOSING OF CLASSROOMS/CHECKOUT LISTS
2. If you are moving from your current classroom for any reason, those checklists and materials will have to be checked and signed off by both Terri Miller and myself. If you are not moving from your current classroom, you will need to submit those checklists to me prior to checking out.
3. I will also be sharing with you our general checkout list within the next week or so. All checkout lists will need to be completed and signed off on by the end of the day on May 28th.
STAFF EXPECTATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CLOSURE
Communicate with your students weekly - this can be done through Google Meet, FaceTime, Phone Calls - have a method in place to record your contacts / communication.
If you are setting up a Google Meet, please remember to invite other adults (specials, reading, counselor, BXI, etc.) from the building to join the conversation by sending them an invite, code or adding them to your classroom.
Check iReady several times a week for locked domains.
Utilize the district template format for disseminating instruction (create your own copy of the template first) - you must follow this template. We are not teaching new concepts. We are giving them opportunities to engage in learning opportunities. The items we give them are for one week at a time. In some cases, they may be doing or continuing some of the activities sent previously. Remember - these opportunities are not for a grade - KEEP IT SIMPLE.
The completed template must be uploaded to your website page on Friday afternoons by 3:00 PM. We will continue to send copies home each week.
The completed packet must be in the office ready to mail by every Wednesday morning at 8:00 A.M. ANYTHING THAT WOULD REQUIRE A PARENT TO DOWNLOAD A DOCUMENT MUST BE PART OF THE PACKET MAILED HOME EVEN IF THEY CAN ACCESS IT THROUGH THE LINK.
All staff are expected to continue meeting the guidelines set forth for them throughout the closure as listed below in the link…….
GOOGLE MEET REMINDERS FROM JOE MARTIN, TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR FOR JCSD
2. If you are having trouble viewing more than (4) individuals at at time, please perform the following steps on your device:
- Open your Google Chrome browser
- Once in your Google Chrome browser, click on the three dots stacked on top of each other in the upper right hand corner of the browser.
- When the menu comes up, go down and hover over Help, click on About Google Chrome.
- If your Google Chrome browser is not up-to-date, it will automatically update your browser.
- After your browser has updated it will ask you to Relaunch your browser, click Relaunch.
- After your browser has relaunched, close all open windows that you have open on your Chromebook or laptop, and restart your device.
- That should fix the issue and allow you to see more than the four tiles in Google Meet.
- Don't forget...while in Google Hangout Meet, you have to turn on the multi-tile function by going up and clicking on the icon that looks like a large square with 6 smaller squares inside it to remove the slash over the top to toggle it on.
Instructional Packet Creation and Website Update for the Week of MAY 4TH - MAY 8TH
Instructional templates with instructional opportunities for the week of May 4th - May 8th must be uploaded to individual website pages by 3:00 PM Friday, May 1st.
All packets must be completed, ready to mail, and in the office by 8:00 AM on Wednesday, April 29th. Envelopes and labels will be left for classroom teachers in the office by noon on each Monday.
Special Education - Any links teachers want included must be shared with the classroom teacher. Required copies will need to be made and placed in teacher’s mailboxes by Monday at noon.
Specials (Art, Music, P.E., Library) - Any links teachers want included must be shared with the classroom teacher. Required copies will need to be made and placed in teacher’s mailboxes by Monday at noon.
Counselor/Behavior Interventionist can include links/information for SEL activities - Any links teachers want included must be shared with the classroom teacher. Required copies will need to be made and placed in teacher’s mailboxes by Monday at noon.
Paraprofessionals - contact the special education teachers and the grade level teachers in which you work most with to see when and how they can best use you to assist in getting materials together - come only if essential. I would encourage you to consider reaching out to your students that you work with as well just to say hi and let them know you are thinking about them.
Not that any of you would say or think this about any loved one you have been locked up with.....
FROM THE DESK OF TERRI MILLER.....
From the Curriculum Office:
JC Schools K-5 Math & Literacy Support Resources ~ NEW activities each week!
Please DO NOT make any changes to the top portion (Required Daily Activities) of the “Extended Closure-Weekly Plans for Families” document, This is consistent across the district. The bottom portion is for you to add your activities specific to your students.
At the bottom of the page, add any notes that you would like parents to have. Maybe put a date/time when you will be holding a Google Meet-ing with your class weekly. Maybe add what you would normally put in your weekly newsletter in that row...just some suggestions.
Literacy Footprint Digital Readers: These are some of the Pioneer Valley books your students are used to reading for free!! You can set up a class and assign leveled books. Some of the books have videos to help introduce the book, word study activities, and guided writing.
Sign up for your free digital readers account through Pioneer Valley.
Log in through the Digital Reader link at the top of the literacyfootprints.com.
Invite all your students in your class to subscribe.
Your students will now be able to join your digital classroom.
You can assign books for your students to read on their level. When the student finishes reading, it will be added to their book bag.
iReady Online Instruction:
An idea that someone passed along was to send home weekly iReady reports to parents to show how their student is doing with his/her iReady lessons. This holds students accountable and provides valuable information to parents.
Printable Learning-at-Home Activity Packets Curriculum Associates is the parent company for iReady. If you have a student that is working a grade-level below or above, print off those lessons instead. After you open this link, scroll down to find Mathematics and Reading. Click on your grade level and see your activity packet. This is just a resource and is optional.
Math Fact Fluency: I will share a video with you soon on why we should begin looking at math fluency. I have heard from several teachers across grade levels saying that their students are not retaining their basic math facts. This is the foundation that all mathematical computation is based. What are we going to do about it? Check out the video and write down any questions, comments, confusions, etc. I will schedule a few Google Meet dates for us to meet and discuss. Until then...do some research on what our Missouri Learning Standards say about math fluency and compare it to what you are doing in the classroom now.
At Home Personal/Professional Learning Opportunities:
Topic: Engaging Families in Math Fact Fluency (General Interest)
Register in advance for this webinar: https://nctm.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IDYAACnJTEy88-7LjYPkgA
Description: Are you creating positive change by teaching basic facts with strategies and games, while eliminating timed tests? Then parent outreach is essential! Parents need to know why traditional fact activities are changing. Come explore a collection of ways to help parents see the value of a strategy-based approach and better support their child's fluency.
Time: Apr 27, 2020 07:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Book Study:
You are invited to participate in a voluntary book study of Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer. If you choose to participate, please have your book ordered by April 27th. See linked invitation for more details. You will need to fill out the embedded Google Form in order to participate and specify your preferences on how to engage in the book study.
Google Meet:
Google Meet Game Ideas are fun activities to do with your class during your virtual class time!! Try to meet with your class 2-3 times per week.
Distance Learning Morning Meeting Games are fun games to play during a Google Meeting with students.
Google Meets- Google and the district have updated Google Meets in order to make it safer for student use. Here are the highlights:
Students are no longer able to create Google Meets, only teachers will be able to initiate.
In order for students to not be able to use your link and come before your scheduled meeting to chat with friends, you must create a Google Meet with a nickname. This document explains this process.
You also MUST be the LAST person to leave the Meet or students will be able to use your link to invite friends back to chat.
So instead of scheduling via Calendar or Google Classroom by sharing the URL, you will want to create and share with students a nickname, for example: Miller 3rd Grade. You will use that code when you start a Meet and then students will also type that in to join you after they go to meet.google.com. They won't be able to join the Meet until you have joined.
See all of the Google Meet help videos here
Video Series: How to Use Google Meet OR
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMv_WF1x-BUzvZkIUc05LaQ
REMINDER…
As you are cleaning your rooms, please collect all your leveled readers to return to the Literacy Library. Count them and make sure that you are returning the same amount that you borrowed. If your white tub is full, place them on the floor with a Post-It letting me know what grade level they belong to. That makes it easier for me to check them back in. Thank you!!!
For those of you that are not returning next year, please hold off on packing things until we can go through our end-of-year checklists.
Please have your JC Instructional template with instructional opportunities uploaded to your website page by 3:00 PM each Friday.
JC Device Support: Please use this form for any device tech issues.
Contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Let me know how I can further support you and your students.
DISTRICT PLANNING TEMPLATES FOR DISTANCE LEARNING
Kindergarten Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1maBxzCGitOwC-zRBLEWOr_illci6Zsjn2e1s6M6VZk0/edit?usp=sharing
Grade 1 Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q1frNChyUl309OSC4rcmxbGIYllOhUnckDRTYJcZ3SE/edit?usp=sharing
Grade 2 Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lO1-w1JhMspDR6T9DPLGgIASnQyr9bbg_cf5yvzr_-M/edit?usp=sharing
Grade 3 Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FQIz76MZWY4kQCpJFxzbzJogwV8sTE_a51XSaPJ8s3E/edit?usp=sharing
Grade 4 Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZWdhFwyTRlIsZveqkbBXYyuwvdZixgGuBZ7EURt5naY/edit?usp=sharing
Grade 5 Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_msSlAUm54AIsIpZuv_aqnFRETh-08Akcl9TXTqW0ck/edit?usp=sharing
REMINDERS ABOUT BEING AT SCHOOL.....
When making copies, please adhere to the following preventative measures.
Wash your hands prior to starting and/or wear gloves (located by copy machines).
Wipe down the copier and keypad with sanitizing wipes (located by copy machines).
Upon completion of your copies, wipe down the copier and keypad with sanitizing wipes (located by copy machines).
REMINDER ABOUT HOW TO COMMUNICATE THAT A CLASSROOM/WORK AREA NEEDS TO BE DISINFECTED: Each time you leave your classroom/work area for the day, make sure you place your blue tape strip in a vertical position on the door jamb so that custodians know they need to disinfect that room again. They will be checking daily.
BOOK DISCUSSION FOR HELP FOR BILLY
April 27 - May 1: Read chapters 10-12 if you have not already.
May 4 - May 8: Claire, Christina, Hannah, and Ashlynn will post the Google Slides presentation for chapters 10-12 and the discussion questions to respond to for those chapters.
HaPpY APRIL BiRtHdAy!!!!!
3 - Jesse Oswald
9 - Devon Bueker
10 - Ashley Angle
15 - Katie Krauch
17 - Joni Reinkemeyer
If we missed you, please let us know!