March 17, 2018
A Communication Tool for the Seven Hills Staff
Thank You for An Incredible Community Leadership Day!
So Great Dr. Warren Tweeted About It, Gave Us a Shout Out in His Weekly Update, and We Were Featured on the NISD FB and Twitter!
TELPAS Updates from Goosey and Bryan:
To ensure validity and reliability across the district teachers are responsible for the following:
- In Grades K-1 (All Domains) If trained raters collaborated with each other in determining the ratings of students, both raters must sign the rating roster.
- In Grades 2-5 (Writing only) Raters will choose 2 students to be rated a second time by another trained rater. The second rater must sign the rating roster too as the additional rater.
Also, Ms. Goosey and Mrs. Bryan will begin pulling kids on Monday, March 19 to practice for the Listening and Speaking TELPAS that will be taken on the computer.
8:00 2nd grade
9:00 5th grade
10:00 4th grade
12:30 3rd grade group 1
2:00 3rd grade group 2
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Meuq8n0TlAdDK9UJHv2f9xFdIv7XrarMzotNfkjT9T8/edit?ts=5a922984
Important Parent Communication Opportunity:
Note: If you have not sent this communication due to timing of benchmark testing, please make plans to send the communication within a week of the assessments. Thank you.
This is a critical time to reach out to parents and make sure they are aware of their child's progress this year and ways they can help support their child in meeting their individual goals (and ultimately our campus goal!). If you haven't done so already, the DRA letters need to be sent to parents. It would also be a great idea to share benchmark assessment data, Imagine Math progress, and Lexia progress to date. If you have questions about the Imagine Math progress report or the Lexia parent report, please let Leslie, Hayley or me know. We will be happy to help you.
I have shared a letter with everyone in Google Drive "Spring Parent Letter." Teachers should use this as a base letter to communicate MOY assessment data and ways to support at home with parents. I think parents might also like to see their child's WIG for the 5th grading period. One idea might be to make a copy to send home with this letter.
Please work with your teams to determine a timeline for these updates to be sent. Once you have the timeline established, ILT members need to let me know.
NOTE: You will need to make a copy before editing the original letter. And, there is a blank copy of the campus letter for you to use as well. Please send the letter in an envelope marked, "To the Parents of ____" as it contains confidential student information.
Spring Parent Letter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l5EVeK4vDBqTWNygj5PQsGAPexHnxQrRDeVttQaMs3o/edit?usp=sharing
Seven Hills is Managing the Whirlwind and Focusing on the Wildly Important!
Spring Math Learning Cycle:
Note: This information was in the last S'more. It has been shared again for your reference. We will be digging a little deeper into this in the professional learning meeting on Thursday. If you have questions, I encourage you to seek clarification with myself, Leslie, Hayley, or during your planning with coaches on Wednesday.
While math is not technically our "wildly important", we have spent time discussing how math instruction can support literacy, as well as how closely aligned the two are this year. During the spring math learning cycle, we will continue to look at the problem solving block. As a title I learning team, we have the following wonderings about the problem solving block:
Wonderings:
- Is problem solving block continuing to be implemented with fidelity?
- Are students being given critical writing opportunities on a consistent basis?
- Are students able to transfer writing skills to math?
- Are students able to explain their thinking? Are they able to move to justification in 3-5?
- Are students using multiple strategies to solve problems, or are they only using the strategy modeled by the teacher?
I know each grade level has focused on the problem solving block this year. As we continue through this learning cycle, we will take a deeper look at the continuum for moving from explanations to justifications. To help ensure our learning is taken to deep levels, please make sure the problem solving block continues to be a priority and students have an opportunity to complete critical writing in math this week.
In math PLCs, many of you have seen the problem solving rubrics for critical writing. I have pictured them below for your reference. These can also be found in Moodle. If you are not currently using these, I encourage you to do so. The 3-5 rubric originated right here at 7 Hills! :)! These rubrics not only support the development of problem solving strategies, but also the transfer of skills across content areas. And...the opportunity for critical writing in math is part of our whirlwind commitment for the 5th and 6th grading periods. :).
We will dig a little more into this work when we return from spring break! If your team is struggling with any component of the problem solving block, please reach out to the math coaches and Hayley. It would be appropriate to use the planning time this week to address any concerns, misconceptions, struggles, etc.
K-2 Problem Solving Rubric
K-2 Problem Solving Rubric
3-5 Problem Solving Rubric
A Campus Commitment to Write Across the Content Areas:
Note: This information was in the S'more the week before Spring Break. It has been included again for your reference. We will be discussing what was noticed, etc. after implementing for a short period of time in our ILT meeting on Monday afternoon.
December ILT Discussion:
- In December each grade level team completed a random review of reader’s and writer’s notebooks looking at number of entries, number of completed entries/published pieces, and teacher/peer feedback.
- As an ILT, we reviewed the data collected and developed a list of noticings and wonderings. After reviewing this list we determined some of the priority needs for the campus:
- Consistency in frequency of opportunity to write.
- Frequency of completed/published pieces of writing.
- Fidelity in occurrence of skills block.
- Common expectations for holding students accountable to/for conventions across all content areas.
- These common expectations will support transfer of grammar conventions across all content areas and in all opportunities to write.
- We developed a list of ideas to consider further developing to support the identified needs.
February Commitments:
- Provide conventions to secure rubrics for all content area teachers, including Art and Music. We recommend that students put the rubric with student friendly language in their math, SS, science, art, music, etc notebooks. All teachers will be provided posters/anchor charts of the grade level conventions to secure to have as a reference tool for students in their classrooms. (the rubric is attached to today's email)
- Continue implementation of skills block with intentional focus on making sure it isn’t what is sacrificed when schedules change, etc.
- Weekly “Grammar Mystery Shopper” in all content areas:
- In an effort to communicate to students that EVERY time they engage in writing for ANY purpose, they should be writing as if they are publishing THAT piece. They need to use their best handwriting. They need to be attentive to conventions, such as spelling, capitalization, and punctuation in every piece – regardless of the purpose of the piece.
- This discussion can EASILY be connected to the 7 Habits!
- Be Proactive: have pride in your work. Your work is a reflection of you.
- Begin With the End in Mind: have a plan for your writing -regardless of the purpose; make a plan; implement the plan
- Other connections?
- Each week, teachers will “shop” student notebooks and pull 1-3 pieces of writing to review for conventions. We would like to see this completed weekly during weeks that we have 5 full days of instruction. It is feasible that by the 5th day of the week, students should have something in their notebooks for the mystery shopper to pull from.
- Writing pieces can include, but are not limited to:
- Math justifications
- Science CERs
- Reader’s responses
- Writing About Reading Day pieces
- Writer’s notebooks pieces
- Art reflections
- Review the piece selected for total number of convention errors based on the grade level conventions to secure document. Share the total number found with the class.
- Copy the piece or pieces of writing chosen and remove student name.
- As a class, edit the piece for conventions, making sure students locate each of the conventions errors you found during your initial shopping experience.
- Chart the total number of errors found each week….the hope is that the number of errors would go down after students realize they are being held accountable to/for writing for publication each time they write.
Note: One thing that Jennifer Gill, one of our writing calibration trainers, brought up that I believe your respective teams may want to dig a little deeper into between now and the end of year writing assessment was the idea that on benchmarks you typically only rate on idea development. While, I understand the purpose behind this, Jennifer raised a valid point. If we don’t go back and at least make students aware of their grammar/conventions mistakes, are we sending the message that this is important? Now that you have rated the MOY writing for idea development, you could incorporate grammar editing as part of the writing block sometime this grading period.
Habit Focus for the Week: Habit 1
Wonder
Precept for the Week: will be shared on Monday
Remember...asking students to share their thinking about the precept each week is an excellent opportunity for students to write and practice with conventions! All reflections are shared on the morning announcements.
Please Help Promote the PTA Fundraiser! The PTA Does SO MUCH for 7 Hills!
Campus and District Announcements and Updates:
- FLEX Days: Have you completed the required hours for your 2017 - 2018
FLEX agreement? Do you have documentation of completion of these hours? Leslie and Kim will be confirming these with teachers. Please be prepared to share evidence of completion or your plan to complete the requirement. Remember, if the hours are not completed, the employee is docked pay at the daily rate for the number of hours not completed.
- Save the Date for NISD 2018 - 2019 Professional Learning: The NISD PD calendar has been approved. I have attached a document outlining the dates and other important PD information/requirements. Please read carefully. We will discuss your PD plan for next year in summative conferences.
- Save the Date for Campus Based PD in August: Seven Hills staff will complete The Leader in Me Empowering Instruction professional learning on August 10, 2018. All instructional staff are required to attend, and because this is a non-contract day, this will count toward FLEX credit. The location is TBD, as we may opt to have this off site for a more engaging PD.
- Round 3 Sharpen the Saw Clubs: Sign-ups will go out this week. We have student created and lead sessions to offer this round! So exciting.
- Student Hoods: Please remind students that hoods on hoodies should not be worn when inside the building - this includes the classroom, halls, lunch, specials, etc.
Attendance Snapshot Time: Staff, it is imperative that attendance be completed DAILY at the 9:30 reporting time. Funding is connected to this reporting, and should the district/campus be audited, failure to report attendance at the snapshot time could result in loss of funding for all of the students in your classroom on each day that attendance was not completed at the reporting time. Please be advised that reporting attendance is connected to T-TESS discipline 4.
Students and Staff Wear Crazy Socks on Wednesday, March 21 for World Down Syndrome Day!
Save the Date:
Adventure Dash PTA fundraising continues this week - please communicate to parents!
March 19:
- ILT Meeting, 3:30
- SST D rescheduled for March 26
March 20:
- Grade Level PLCs
March 21:
- World Down Syndrome Day - Rock Your Socks - students and teachers wear crazy socks - please communicate to parents
- Staff may wear jeans and black polo for fall fundraising incentive
- Math planning with coaches
- Leslie off campus at TLIM training
- Kim off campus in afternoon
March 22:
- Kim off campus at DLT
- Hayley and Q off campus at TLIM training, the library will be closed
- Professional Learning Meeting, 3:30
- NISD Facebook Live, topic: School Safety
March 23:
- Adventure Dash Fun Run during specials - students wear red "Oh the Places I'll Lead" shirts - please share with parents
- Kim off campus
- SST E rescheduled for March 26
Save the Date:
- Seven Hills School Safety Town Hall Tuesday, March 27 at 6:00 pm
- JA in a Day Thursday, March 29
Happy Birthday to You:
Laura Fletcher 3/20
LaWanda Henry 3/24