K-2 Team Newsletter
October 14, 2019
Principal's Message
We are so glad to welcome you all back from Fall Break! We hope you took time to reset and renew so you are ready to knock out Quarter #2!! Remember we are now focusing on Priority #2 - No Opt Out Academics! During the rest of this quarter we will continue our priority walkthroughs with this focus in mind. The cultural goal of this priority is on how to keep scholars engaged in learning so that they don't opt out which is especially true of our lovebugs! Some of the academic goals are around AgMo and having scholars doing the heavy lifting. Our next PD after conferences is on guess what...AgMo (aggressive monitoring) and is another tool we will utilize in order to support our staff in meeting this priority! Special kudos to our teachers who have already begun implementing pieces of AgMo in their classrooms as well as teachers who are engaging ALL learners!
Operations Important Information
The annual Well Child vision and hearing screenings will take place Tuesday, October 15. See below for your time. Screenings will be held in the PD Room off the first floor cafeteria. Please be on time and ensure scholars are quiet as they are waiting. Scholars may bring a book to read while they wait.
8:00 – 8:20
2nd Grade Auburn
8:20 – 8:40
2nd Grade Kentucky
11:50 – 12:10
2nd Grade MTSU
12:10 – 12:30
Kindergarten Eckerd
12:30 – 12:50
Kindergarten Skidmore
12:50 – 1:10
Kindergarten Washington
1:10 – 1:30
Kindergarten Belmont (RA takes over at 1:23)
1:30 – 1:50
2nd Grade Tennessee
School Wide Focus
Priority #2 - No Opt Out Academics
This is our new focus area K-8. Below is an outline of key teacher actions and scholar actions expected to achieve the goals of this priority.
Teachers
Intellectually prepare – do the work
Internalize lessons
Build in strategies that encourage 100% participation and thinking
Provide feedback based on exemplar expectations
Identify conceptual misunderstandings based on data (student work)
Plan a model or guided discourse to address misconceptions
Scholars
Are always accountable to both participate and think (70% lift)*
Participate in independent practice
Participate in habits of discussion
Make connections to prior learning
Cite evidence to back up an argument
Attend to precision
Respond to academic feedback and revise work accordingly
Support learning of peers
Weekly Data Meetings - WDM
We will begin our WDMs starting next Tuesday, October 22nd during the Related Arts block. These WDMs will happen 2x a month. Be sure you keep the exit tickets and or scholar assessment docs (unit/quiz/etc…) from the week prior. DO NOT SEND THEM HOME and please have the scholar work graded when you come to the meeting. Invites are being sent out from your deans (Literacy - Ayana and Math - Molly). They will also send out additional email reminders with what to bring as we get closer to those dates. We are so excited and cannot wait to see the impact on our scholars' achievement!
Deans of Academics
This week for check-ins, we will go over your self evaluation. Make sure to submit your self assessment to your coach via email by EOD today, Sunday, October 13th.
Please ensure you are implementing your DDI action plan as planned during Data Day.
Dean of Culture
Our culture focus this week is around implemently local consequences and the ladder. Please look back at the logical consequence email for resources is sent out in quarter 1. If you need more support in this area please reach out! I will also be in classrooms this week conducting RTI Behavior fidelity checks as well. Welcome back and let’s continue to build a no opt out and 100% culture. HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!! EVERY CHILD…WILL LEARN!!!
This week’s WIG WINNER IS...
Attendance
Dean of SEL
This week we will continue our focus on appropriate and safe touch with our bodies. I will be using this curriculum during the rest of October. Additionally, I will be giving each GTL a packet with templates for leadership notebooks. Most of you have received your folders, but a few classroom sets are on the way!
Please make sure that you have completed the individual counseling assessment and the classroom standards document. Thank you for your continued support and hard work!
LIM: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood. Ask friends how they are feeling. Look at people’s faces and body language to connect with them. Listen, and wait for your turn to talk.
Upcoming Events
Oct. 13th
Teacher TDR Self Scores Due
Oct. 15th
Well Child Visit
Oct. 16th
Custodian Appreciation Day
K-2 is decorating the custodian closets
Oct. 18th
Required Report Cards Conferences
Oct. 21st-25th
Book Fair
Oct. 22nd
Field Trips (K and 2nd)
Oct. 24th
Fall Festival
Oct. 25th
AgMo PD & Insight Survey
Oct. 31st
Progress Report
Reminders
Parent Conferences
This Friday, October 18th we will have parent/teacher conferences instead of PD. Phone calls were made and a blast was sent out on October 4th to families with required conferences. Another blast will be sent on October 14th. We tried to make as many calls as possible during data day. We will try to complete calls again tomorrow however teachers will also have to make calls for those that we couldn't reach. Attached here you will see the required conference call list. We are still in the process of cross referencing ths with the online sign up list and will have it updated by 3pm Monday. If you are requesting admin support for conferences do not forget to capture that here!
Also, a reminder that the dress is professional as outlined below from our HR Handbook. If you have any questions about dress expectations please reach out!
**Parent Conferences/ Special Events Dress Expectations**
Women may wear a professional dress, suit, or dressy slacks with a dress blouse. Conservative jewelry and heels, flats, or loafers are acceptable. Men may wear a collared button down shirt and slacks – tie and sport coat are optional but encouraged.
Quarter 1 Certificates
Master copies of the certificates were passed out to teams during Data Day. Please make the number of copies you need, sign them, and send them home with the scholar's report cards packet Thursday, October 17th for families that do not have required conferences. If you have any questions reach out to your grade level lead.
Staff Absences
Oct. 17th
Molly Jackson (Admin)
*Out at 1pm
Oct. 18th
Olivia Pelletiere (2nd)
Victoria Gamble (Related Arts)
**1/2 day AM
Anya Whipkey (2nd)
**1/2 day PM
Shout Outs
Congrats to our G.R.E.A.T. Winners of the Week and check out the Class Photo of the Week!
Teacher of the Week
She truly goes above and beyond every single day showing the core value of TEAMWORK for her teammates and most importantly our scholars. I can’t even begin to tell you the countless hours that this person has put into our phonics plans and continues to ever change many things to make sure all of our scholars’ needs are being met! She is one of the hardest working, kindest people I have ever met. It’s especially incredible what she has been doing for Hispanic heritage month for our scholars to explore different cultures and to make many of our scholars feel more at home by having many shared experiences with them.