Bulldog Update #15
December 6- 10
GREAT TEAMS...
-Stay Positive through challenges
-Are on a mission
-Turn failure into fuel
- Never give up
- Fight for, not against each other
- Always strive to get better
-Don't allow energy vampires to sabotage the team
-Embrace competition
- Believe the best is yet to come
~Jon Gordon
Monday, 4
- 8:30 SIT 2G (Coverage Needed)
- 9:00 SIT 2I (Coverage Needed)
- 9:45 SIT 3B (Coverage Needed)
- 10:15 SIT 2I (Coverage Needed)
- 10:45 SIT 3D (Coverage Needed)
Tuesday, 5
- 9:00 IEP 3R (Coverage Needed)
- 3:30 BLT (Meet in Band Room)
Wednesday, 6
- 10:15 SIT 5H (Coverage Needed)
- 1:15 SIT Private School (No Coverage Needed)
- 2:30 SIT 4W (Coverage Needed)
Thursday, 7
- 12:30 Chris in PTA Executive Board Meeting
- 1:15 Student Site Council (Coverage Needed For 5H)
Friday, 8
- 1:00 Chris in principal meeting (Webex)
LOOKING AHEAD:
Monday, 11
- STUCO Hats and Glove Drive Begins
- 8:30 SIT KDG Brouillette (Coverage Needed)
- 9:00 SIT 1J (Coverage Needed)
- 9:30 SIT KDG P (Coverage Needed)
- 10:30 SPED Team Meeting
Tuesday, 12
- 8:30 Chris in meeting
- 1:30 IEP 2B (Coverage Needed)
- 3:30 Staff Meeting
Wednesday, 13
- 9:00 Chris at CAA
- 1:15 SIT 1M (Coverage Needed)
- 1:45 SIT 1M (Coverage Needed)
- 2:15 SIT 4P (Coverage Needed)
Thursday, 14
- 8:30 Band Assembly
- 10:00 IEP 4S (Coverage Needed)
- 1:15 SIT KDG Berbiglia (Coverage Needed)
Friday, 15
- STUCO Hats and Glove Drive Ends
- 9:00 IEP 4S (Coverage Needed)
- 9:30 IEP 6S (Coverage Needed)
- 10:15 IEP 1F (Coverage Needed)
- 2:00 PBIS Assembly
Upcoming Events
- December 15, 2 Quarter PBIS Assembly at 2:00
- December 18, Spelling Bee at 1:15
- December 19, Winter Parties at 2:30
- December 20, Early Dismissal, 12:30
- December 21, January 7, Winter Break
- January 4, Teacher Workday
- January 5, Professional Learning Day
- January 8, 3 Quarter Begins
Upcoming Staff Meeting Dates
- December 12
Upcoming BLT Dates
- December 5
Bulldog Shout Outs!
- Thank you to our guiding coalitions (Deep Equity, PBIS, PLC) for the work you are doing.
- Thanks to Leigh Martens for organizing resources for our research project!
Take care of yourself.
Take care of your family.
Take care of TEAM Briarwood (staff, students, families)
Keep the shout outs coming!
I encourage you to recognize colleagues as we work together to support each other so we can best support our students. Please do not include student names in the shout out. Your responses are anonymous. I will share the shout outs in the upcoming Bulldog Updates
Spelling Bee, Monday, December 18, 1:30-3:00.
- Each classroom in grades 3-6 will select one representative to participate in the school spelling bee.
- Please send your representative to Michelle Romer by December 13th and let parent know so they can attend if they choose.
- The spelling bee will be in the gym and grades 3-6 will attend along with classes scheduled to have P.E.
Winter Benchmark Assessments, Goal Setting
Please review the testing schedule in the link below and let families know when you will be testing.
It is required that ALL students, KDG-6th grade, take the Acadience reading assessment in the Fall, Winter, and Spring.
Winter Testing Schedule
Last week, I visited all 2-5 classrooms, and talked to students about the importance of giving their best effort on the upcoming MAP assessments. I will stop by 6th grade before they test this week and plan to visit with KDG and 1st grade in the Spring.
Below is a link to the effort charts I reviewed with students.
My focus was on the importance of giving your best effort as it relates to reaching your goals and growing as a learner. These charts can be used for daily assignments, quizzes, and assessments. Having a chart that clearly defines what giving your best effort is, will allow our students to measure their own effort. To learn more about the importance of reinforcing effort and providing recognition you can reference chapter 2 in the Tools for Classroom Instruction That Works book.
Classroom teachers should meet individually with students to review previous testing data and set a goal(s) for the upcoming assessment.
We know when students are involved in their learning and setting specific academic goals and measuring their effort they achieve more.
- We must make sure that all students receive the accommodations they have listed on their IEP, 504, and current SIT plans. Separate setting and read aloud are the most common accommodations. If you have any questions please let Emily, Autumn, Kate, Lauren, Paige, Ashley, or I know.
Effort= Success! Use your Growth Mindset! Go Bulldogs!
Marzano’s Instructional Strategy, Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition and Belonging
Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition and Belonging
I Can & Will Strategy, Page 43
Agree/Disagree, Page 44
I Can & Will Contract, Page 45
A Job Well Done, Page 63
Recognition Techniques, Page 64
Oohs and Aahs
Shout-Out
Paper Plate Awards
HappyGrams
Holiday Guidelines
Please review the SMSD holiday guidelines and let me know if you have any questions.
Hats and Gloves Drive, December 11-15
- The Stay Warm Campaign for the Shawnee Mission Clothing Closet starts Monday December 11 and runs through Friday, December 15!
- We are collecting new winter hats, gloves, earmuffs, and money donations (to be used to purchase hats/gloves) for girls and boys in our district.
- Our goal is to collect 125 hats/earmuffs and 125 pairs of gloves before winter break for a school-wide hat day.
Absence Entry Reminder
Staff - please put your absence in with as much notice as you can. Advance notice gives Kelly Education the best chance to be able to assign a sub to that absence. Absences posted with two or more days of notice have a much higher chance of being filled than those absences that are entered a day or less in advance.
KC Chief's Nutritionist to Speak at SMSD
Please find details above. Additionally, please share with your staff that we will have a raffle with lots of prizes, including Garmin watches, Apple Air Pods, a Ninja blender, Yeti water bottles, Leslie-suggested books and more! Employees only at this time; if you have questions, please contact Danielle Shaw (DanielleShaw@smsd.org).
Retirement/Resignation Incentive
Active professional employees who tender their resignations/retirement prior to February 1 will receive a $1000.00 incentive payable at the conclusion of their current contract. Professional employees must complete their contract year to be eligible for the payment. This provision will sunset after the 2023-24 school year if not renegotiated.
Instructional Technology
Digital Summit PD (Teachers)
Ditch That Textbook: Digital Summit--This is a free online conference for teachers. This year's summit will be from December 11 to January 5. Sessions you watch can count toward your personalized PD time and can be added to PLM for PD points. Register here.
AI Tools for Educators (Teachers)
Just because most AI sites are blocked for students, it does not mean you cannot use AI to help you, the teacher. Below is just one site that you should check out (if you have not already).
Magic School is a great site for teachers that uses AI to you!
Use Magic School to help you create rubrics, generate DOK questions, generate social stories, as a real world connections tool, as a choice board generator, as a PBL generator, and more!
Quote of the Day Generator - Generate some great quotes that inspire for a gratitude toast at the dinner table!
Thank You Note Generator - Generate customized thank-you notes for your loved ones in the season of giving with an AI assist!
Sentence Starters Generator - Provide sentence starters for any topic, assignment, standard, or objective.
Free Professional Learning Opportunity for SMSD Teachers Through the Kennedy Center
Virtual – Grow a Problem-Solving Community Through Animation Challenges
with teaching artist Paige Whelan
Free Saturday Zoom PD Seminar
December 9 / 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. / For teachers of grades second through sixth
Description:
What do your students do when they face a challenge? Do they give up and get stuck? Maybe they do not even try? Entice them to unlearn this helplessness by using what they love – technology. In this session, learn how students can create animations by building a series of PowerPoint or Google slides. The process is exciting and challenging, which engages students as they learn to tolerate struggle, persist, and overcome obstacles as a team.
Registration:
We have a limited number of scholarship codes reserved for SMSD teachers to attend this session for free. To request a scholarship code to attend this or a future Saturday Sync Arts Integration session, email Megan Ellis at meganellis@smsd.org.
To register and for more information on all Saturday Sync Arts Integration PD sessions, click here.
More Professional Learning Opportunities
2023-24: Nominate an All Star for District Recognition
Please share with students, staff, and families that we are seeking nominations for the district’s All Star recognition. Nominations may be submitted using this link.