Blue Haze Bulletin
Weekly Staff Newsletter 5/9-5/13
STAAR FUN!
Ms. Perez
Ms. Dryden
Ms. Roark
Ms. Deaton
Ms. Wright
Ms. Van Wyk
Ms. Berg
Ms. Titus
Ms. Friberg
Ms. Burns
I also want to thank our third and fourth grade teachers for going above and beyond to prepare their students for testing...flex grouping, camps, targeting instruction and utilizing teacher strengths...our students are blessed with passionate, determined teachers who do their very best to support our Bears! I can't wait until June to see how well our students performed on STAAR!
Student Placement Cards/RTI Data
In addition to the cards, please be sure you do the following for your RTI students by THURSDAY the 26th and turn into Ms. Burns:
- Copy of proof FINAL report card with RELA core
- MAY 2016- STUDENT SUMMARY HANDOUT-this has the graphs for overall reading, vocabulary, phonemic awareness, listening comprehension etc.
- MAY 2016-MOBY MAX Report (Ms. Burns will let us know which report to pull)
STAAR Carnival
Educational Need to Know
10 Ways to Show Compassion
At this time of year it can be challenging to keep students engaged and on task. Patience can wear thin for both students and teachers, and that is why it is so important to step back and remind ourselves that we are here to provide a safe, loving and compassionate learning environment for our students.
The following excerpt comes from Chapter 1 of 55 Teaching Dilemmas: Ten Powerful Solutions to Almost Any Classroom Challenge, by Kathy Paterson
Active Compassion
Have you ever noticed that when students are distraught, they often go to one particular teacher in the school? Are you that teacher? Consider this scenario:
Mrs. May always had the Grade 6 girls in her room—before school, at noon, and after school. In an attempt to find out why, another teacher stood quietly behind the open door to Mrs. May’s room during several of these “gatherings.” What she discovered was that Mrs. May would stop whatever she was doing, sit quietly, and give her full attention to the girls and their “tales of woe.” Then she would offer support and concern. What the interested teacher did not hear was Mrs. May offering solutions to the girls’ problems. It seemed that with Mrs. May’s guidance, the girls usually figured these out on their own. The teacher was witnessing active compassion. She vowed to improve her own skills in that area.
Ten Ways to Show Active Compassion
- Provide encouragement all the time. Cultivate positive expectations for others and share these with them.
- Smile, and mean it, and hug appropriately, then couple this with words of encouragement or positive reinforcement.
- Be courteous to all your students all the time, and promote courteous behavior in the classroom and school.
- Do whatever is necessary to make each student feel safe in your room and with you. For example, leave a door open or be careful not to sit too close.
- Allow your students to take ownership of their learning, that is, involve them in decisions that affect them. Don’t be afraid to take a risk by giving them the “power” to make decisions.
- Cultivate a deep appreciation of others by taking time to get to know them, asking carefully thought-out questions, and listening carefully to their answers. Develop the ability to sense how others are feeling by closely studying body language.
- Maintain your temper and a calmness of mind even when faced with chaos or an explosive situation.
- Respect students’ friendships. Allow friends to sit together at least some of the time or make positive comments about the friendships.
- Keep an eye out for anyone who seems to be suffering in any way, perhaps a student looking unhappy or a colleague looking stressed. Try to help, perhaps by being an active listener.
- Examine all situations, such as playground squabbles or in-class disagreements between peers, as objectively as possible; then make a decision based on the best interests of all.
- See more at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/compassion-empathy-school-climate.shtml#sthash.CMjISq9N.dpuf
PTA Executive Board
- President:
o Will provide a copy of the agenda to the secretary and parliamentarian for every meeting. Will be the chief communicator between the PTA and school administration. Will facilitate all PTA Board and general meetings.
- 1st Vice President – Membership
o Will recruit new members, organize a fall and spring membership drive, collecting and counting memberships. Distribute membership cards and purchase officer pins and board member pins for committee chairs. Will chair a Special Committee to determine recipient of the Lifetime Membership award.
- 2nd Vice President – Programs and Parent Education
o Will coordinate the programs at the regular meetings, and introduce program and/or guest speakers. Will promote parent education by working with others in the community.
- 3rd Vice President – Ways & Means
o Will be an authorized signer on the bank accounts. Will plan and implement valuable and high quality fundraisers to provide funds for the promotion of the PTA purposes and for planned BHE PTA activities. Will be responsible for collecting and counting funds raised.
- 4th Vice President – Volunteers
o Will coordinate PTA volunteer activities in the school in cooperation with school staff. Will help recruit volunteers from each classroom at Back to School Night. Will be a liaison between teachers and volunteers to ensure that needs of teachers and volunteers are being met. Will hold a meeting in September to orient all parent volunteers about the school and the volunteer opportunities and resources available in order to ensure a successful volunteer program.
- Secretary
o Will maintain copies of the approved plans of work in the records. Will provide copies of the minutes from Executive Board and General meeting to members at each of the meetings. Will keep an inventory list of items purchased by the Blue Haze PTA for the PTA and the school.
- Treasurer
o Will be responsible for keeping a record of all budget amendments. Will develop a sound financial plan for apportioning PTA funds to meet the needs for the year’s activities. Will present a proposed annual budget at the first regular meeting of the association.
- Parliamentarian
o Will have a copy of the current approved bylaws and current copy of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised at all meetings.
- Historian
o Will collect mementos and take photos throughout the year to construct a history book for the Blue Haze PTA.
Upcoming Dates
Monday 5/9: 4th Math STAAR
Tuesday 5/10: 3rd Math STAAR
Wednesday: 5/11: 4th Reading STAAR, Staff Meeting, ALL staff)
Thursday 5/12: 3rd Reading STAAR, NO PLCs, Talent Show Auditions
Friday 5/13: Bear Tracks 8:30-12:30, BHS Stadium
Monday 5/16: Team Lead Meeting 3:05, Tannahill Tour 9:30-11:00
Tuesday 5/17: BHE Fun Run 3:00-4:00
Wednesday 5/18: College Blitz and Jeans, Staff Meeting, (ALL staff)
Thursday 5/19: NO PLCs, $1 Dress Up PJ Day
Friday 5/20: Last Day for Grades, STAAR Carnival (Details TBA)
Tuesday 5/24: 3rd/4th Splash Kingdom, PTA Meeting 5:45/BHE Talent Show 6:00
Wednesday 5/25: Staff Mtg/Candace Summerhill, (ALL Staff)
Thursday 5/26: Grade Level PLCs (Placement Cards)
Friday 5/27: HOLIDAY :D
*Please be aware that due to a hectic end of year schedule and much to discuss, we may have back to back weekly staff meetings in the month of May instead of the usual every other Wednesday. Please keep Wednesday afternoons free from appointments.