The Buzz 11/16/15
What you need to know to be in the know...
Our Mission:
Chandler Elementary will create a safe and positive environment where all students and adults work together using 21st century strategies to achieve high academic growth.
4C - Communication
*The power of modern media and the ubiquity of communication technologies in all aspects of life make teaching communication vital.
*Are They Ready to Work study showed that of employers identify communication as a major factor in employment decisions, yet 72% report high school graduates deficient in this area.
*In a global economy, linguistically and culturally effective communication is critical.
*81% of jobs are in the service industry require high levels of communication to build and maintain relationships with clients and colleagues.
What is Communication: (P21 defines it as being able to...)
*Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively, using oral, written, and non-verbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts.
*Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes, and intentions.
*Use communication to inform, instruct, motivate, and persuade.
*Use multiple media and technologies, and how how to assess their impact and effectiveness.
Where can I find resources for communication?
Here are a few fun ideas that could be adapted to fit into a classroom setting...
Reflections on Communication:
*How can you model communication for your students?
*How can you emphasize communication skills in general and oral communication skills in particular in your classroom?
*How can students been encouraged to give oral presentations to varied community audiences?
*How can you encourage students to be better communicators?
*How can students be encouraged to use technology and new media to communicate innovatively and effectively?
Changes to the Team Chandler Line-up
I would like to say thank you to and wish Maggie Young the best, as she has decided to be a full time mom after Christmas. She has a vital part of our team for the past 18 months, and now has decided to coach full at home for a while. She has however agreed to give us first dibs if she ever returns to education.
Susan Cortes has accepted a full time position with KidsCare in their main office. Her last day will be the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We wish her the best as she moves on to another chapter in her career. She has agreed that all of the Cortes children will continue to be Chandler Hornets, which I am sure will be a great relief to a great many of you :o)
Thanks for all their work, and good luck as you move on to greater things!
We will be hiring 3 prime time paraprofessional positions ASAP. Two were approved last week, while the other is replacing Sue. We have offered one position to Megan Fedler, and she has accepted. We are continueing to interview and search for people who can fill the other two positions. These will be mainly in 5th and 3rd grade.
Daniel Fecher will be filling in for Andrew Kauffman, as he stays home for a few weeks to help take care of the newest Kauffman. (Congratulations to the Kauffman family on another beautiful baby!) Daniel will be covering mentor release time, is available for success time, or can assist as needed.
Family Reading Night
Odds and Ends
Coffee with the Principal - I had the opportunity to speak with some parents on Friday, and they spent about 2 hours around the table talking about all the great things going on at Chandler. That is a testament to the hours and work you put in. Well done! Keep up the great work!!!!
STEM - We will be talking in the future about how to push to be a STEM certified school, as recognized by the IDOE. Much more information will be coming forth this year. I want to emphasize that this is not a sprint, it will be long term, and we will provide necessary PD in the process. If you would be interested in being a building leader in this initiative please let me know. Over the course of the second semester this team will begin laying the necessary ground work to being the process.
Committee Meetings - Over the next week you will be receiving invitations to building level committee meetings. These include the Tech Cmte, Nuts and Bolts, 8 Step, PBIS, School Improvement Team, etc...
Cluster Changes
Steele Benefits
Staff Meeting Follow-Up
Thank you all for your hard work thinking the Process Standards, chunking them into friendly language, and thinking about how these can be practiced in the classroom. Hopefully you know more about what they are, and had good conversation about their impact in the classroom.
Charts from the meeting are up in the staff lounge. For more information about the Math Process Standards I would recommend the site www.illustrativemathematics.org for more information and examples. These habits of mind will help our students be able to make sense of and problem solve complex math situations.
A good next step would be to introduce them to students using "kid-friendly" language as you incorporate them into your lessons.
Also, please be sure you complete the exit ticket if you haven't had time.
SKR Payout Meetings
Pop Machine Price Increase
The money raised by this machine supports events/celebrations such as the staff Christmas party and teacher appreciation week among others. Now that GCS has settled their pop contract, it is apparent that we will have to raise the cost for a bottle of soda. After Christmas break the new cost will be $1.50.
Chandler Fall Fundraiser
If you receive additional orders please send them to the office. Goods will be delivered before Christmas. Classroom winners will be announced ASAP. Thanks for all your help with the PTO fundraiser this year!
Growth Mindset
My favorite chapter in Carol Dweck’s Mindset book is entitled “Sports: the Mindset of a Champion.” The world of sports has given us the notion of “the natural – someone who looks like an athlete, moves like an athlete, and is an athlete, all without trying.”
But “the natural” doesn’t know how to fail. Natural talent should not need effort. Effort is for those with less talent. Natural talent does not ask for help. Mindset is more important than talent. Winning games is more about process than talent. Naturals don’t like to rehearse: they just want to perform. Naturals don’t know how to tolerate frustration, to dig deep and turn a setback into a win. For those with a growth mindset, setbacks can be motivating, like a wake-up call.
Here are some examples from the sports world you might want to read more about in her book or in sports history:
1. The 2002 Oakland Athletics managed by Billy Beane with 103 wins. They had the 2nd lowest payroll in baseball, putting their money into mindset rather than buying talent.
2. Muhammad Ali who “boxed all wrong,” but won with his brains.
3. Michael Jordan who worked harder than anyone else, constantly wanting to “upgrade his genius.”
4. Babe Ruth who loved to practice, who came back for 5 great years after a 1925 season in which he looked “all washed up.”
5. Wilma Rudolph known as the fastest woman on earth after the 1960 Rome Olympics – “I just want to be remembered as a hardworking lady.”
6. Jackie Joyner-Kersee – “There is something about seeing myself improve that motivates and excites me.” She won her last two medals dealing with an asthma attack and a hamstring injury, proving that it wasn’t natural talent, but mindset taking over. “I don’t mind losing as long as I see improvement.”
7. Maury Wills of the 1962 Dodgers, who allowed himself to ask for batting help from a first base coach after many years of struggle, and then studied the art of stealing bases to become the MVP of the National League.
8. Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams running back in 2002 who was told he had the highest football IQ in the league, but saw his skills as the result of his curiosity and study, not innate intelligence.
9. The 2004 Boston Red Sox who won the World Series after an 86 year drought as a team, not a bunch of stars.
10. Soccer player Mia Hamm, when asked what’s the most important thing to have, said, “Mental toughness.”
Unfortunately, we still tend to value innate physical endowment over earned ability, believing that champions are superheroes, born different from the rest of us, when they are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary. Watch out for the somebody-nobody syndrome: “If I win, I’ll be somebody; if I lose I’ll be a nobody.” Something we tell our chess players in Goshen all the time is, “You can learn more from a loss than a win. If you’re willing to learn.”
TLT Update
The TAP rubric is clear that Think and Problem Solving indicators are scored over time. Many schools, including Chandler, struggle with how to effectively track this. During TLT time this past week, we explored a new form for better tracking this data. It gives the TLT the ability to record Th/PS from any visit they make to your room.
From Central Office...
“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” -- Confucius
TELL Survey – All schools will be participating in the TELL survey this spring. We do not have details regarding the window. However, the same company that has administered the survey in the past will be conducting the survey this year. Thus, there should be very little (if any) change to the process/procedures.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
Calendar Items
Window C Common Assessment
Monday
Cluster 7:15 (Bring Fall NWEA Class Report)
State PLTW conf. (Hufford, Smoot, Meade out)
Chess Club 3:00
Special School Board Mtg 6:00 (admin bldg)
Tuesday
Chandler TLT 3:15
Orchestra 3:45-4:45 (GMS)
Thursday
Orchestra 2:55-4:00 (Music Room)
Friday
Success/Support Staff Meeting 8:35