Monday Morning Motivation
Central Elementary Staff News----February 29--March 4
A Spotlight on Teamwork
Dear Staff,
Many people love to watch March Madness, the Superbowl, etc, but I love to watch the Oscars. Generally, I try to catch all the movies nominated for best picture; however, that does not seem to be possible these days. Since Amazon Prime is making movie watching convenient, my husband and I watched two of the Best Picture Nominees, The Martian and Spotlight.
Of the two, Spotlight was our favorite. It was an outstanding movie, highlighting the power of a small team of people working together against difficult odds. Many people didn't believe in the journalists pursuing this story. Critics felt they were working on a project which wasn't going to be successful. However, the team at the Boston Globe knew they were doing the right thing and this helped to propel them to success.
Sometimes when we are working on a project or with students who are struggling, we may feel discouraged. Being on a team helps us to encourage one another to keep fighting for the cause. In the movie, when someone on the team was having a difficult time or doubting himself, another member would step up and take the lead, pushing everyone forward.
It may seem as if the theme of teamwork and collaboration come up a great deal in Monday Morning Motivations. It is because I count on the Team Win-- working together to create the best Elementary School in the state. As I walk through our halls, attend our grade-level meetings, or participate on our committees, I am reminded of Margaret Mead's quote about changing the world.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world; it's the only thing that ever has."
Have a great week!
Julie
A Week at a Glance
Central Calendar
MONDAY, February 29
- ISTEP Convocation 8:50 a.m. -9:25 a.m.
- Meet Courtney and others after school to decorate the sidewalk with positive ISTEP messages for students
TUESDAY, March 1
- ISTEP testing begins
WEDNESDAY, March 2
- Building Discussions meeting
THURSDAY, March 3
- ISTEP Testing in the morning
- Faculty Meeting
FRIDAY, March 4
- ISTEP Make-up testing begins
- 3rd grade book II testing online
- Read-A-Thon event
Announcements and Reminders
No homework during ISTEP testing week
High Ability Teachers: If you have novels that need to be replaced for next year due to wear and tear, please let me know.
Unplanned Classroom Observations are underway. Please remember to have your lesson plans out on your desk.
uPaint 3/10 4-9 pm and 10%
Chicago's Pizza 3/21 5-8 pm. K-kids will assist us that evening.
Culver's 4/12 5-8 pm. No flyer needed and 10%. Student Council will assist us that evening.
Dickey's 4/26 4-9 pm. No flyer needed and 15%
Thank you for completing the fire safety tasks so we are in compliance when the State Fire Marshal returns in March.
February 29th we will have an ISTEP convocation to pep up grade 3, 4, and 5. This will be held from 8:50-9:20. Please see Jennie Menser if you are interested in helping.
March 22, 2016 Staff Appreciation Luncheon provided by Central Office
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
The monthly FOCUS by John Wolf
Elementary Literacy Specialist
March 2016-Comprehension FOCUS
https://www.tes.com/lessons/yrEkPfM4tMPD-w/comprehension-focus
February 2016-Writing Connected to Texts FOCUS
https://www.tes.com/lessons/Vefp7IKC5OqYhA/writing-connected-to-texts-focus
January 2016-Vocabulary FOCUS
https://www.tes.com/lessons/KLk5SE8LrtXG0g/vocabulary-focus
The purpose the Literacy FOCUS of the Month is to provide guidance to administrators and teachers for supporting a monthly, school wide instructional focus based on best practices and research-based strategies in literacy.
This "user-friendly" support tool will assist districts and schools in the implementation of reading instruction in classrooms across multiple grade levels, as well as different subjects/content areas.
The topics in the FOCUS range from policies and procedures to the five essential components of reading as identified by the National Reading Panel. The material is devoted to strengthen administration and teacher content knowledge by focusing on one topic each month.
Although the monthly FOCUS will highlight and supplement a specific procedure or skill, it is impossible to teach the components in isolation; therefore, the Literacy FOCUS of the Month should serve to present a school-wide shared commitment to literacy.
Professional Development!
Next District PD on March 8, 2016
Smekens Videos (all 51 are available)
username: jthacker@plainfield.k12.in.us
password: Quakers
Spring Assessments!
- ISTEP Part 1 Window February 29- March 11, 2016
- I-Read-3 Window March 14 - March 18, 2016 (all third grade students)
- ISTEP Part 2 Window April 18-May 6, 2016 (all students grades 3-5)
Very Important ISTEP Information/Resources Grades 3-5
The IDOE is pleased to announce the ISTEP+ “Experience” opportunity is now available through Pearson. Experience is presented via the Pearson online platform (TestNav 8) that will be used for ISTEP+ online testing, as well as IREAD-3 online testing. The purpose of Experience is for students, educators, parents, and community members to see how test items similar to those on the ISTEP+ Part 2 assessment are presented in the online system. Experience makes a great classroom-based activity!
http://www.doe.in.gov/assessment/experience-online
Overview: Experience (ePATs)
Pearson provides Electronic Practice Assessment Tests (referred to as “ePATs”) for Indiana’s Experience opportunity. ePATs make it possible for students, educators, parents, and community members to experience various technology-enhanced item types that will appear on the ISTEP+ Part 2 assessment as often as they like from home, at school, or on mobile devices. ePATs use the same TestNav 8 tools, navigation, interface, and infrastructure as the online ISTEP+ assessments, providing students with a more authentic, low-stakes way to practice and become familiar with online testing and technology-enhanced items. Practice opportunities such as these enable students to become comfortable with the technology used for online testing before they take ISTEP+, allowing them to better demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have gained in the classroom.
Accessing Experience
To access the Experience TestNav 8 forms, Pearson recommends that students only use officially supported devices, browsers, and operating systems. Other devices and hardware/software combinations could result in students experiencing incorrect formatting, functionality, or other unanticipated issues. For a list of currently supported platforms, please refer to the TestNav 8 System Requirements page at support.assessment.pearson.com/display/TN/TestNav.
Guidance Regarding English/Language Arts and Math Experience Online Items
· English/Language Arts Experience Online Guidance Video (link is external)
Celebrate Staff
- Attendance for this week 97.56 percent!!! Awesome.
- Great Job to Jennie Menser, Bridget, Angie, Diana, Melissa, Megan, Ashley, Randi, and Anne for organizing the ISTEP Convocation!
- Thanks Julie P. for the fun facts about staff :)
- Shout out to the PTO for putting together awesome snacks and treats for our students
- Thanks to Ashley and Courtney for working with K-Kids to write positive notes to students during ISTEP week