Guzick GOLD News
Week of 11/18/19
Dr. Davis' Quote of the Week
Guzick's 2019-2020 Key Action Items
LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! Guzick's Red Carpet Weekly "SPOTLIGHT"
Lights! Camera! Action! "The Red Carpet" Weekly Spotlight
Coming down the red carpet this week are the following Guzick Staff Members!
Check out the pictures below of each staff member engaging in intentional practices aligned to our campus goals! We are well on the way to the "promise land" because of their efforts! Please join me in congratulating them! The Spotlight this week is on them!
Mrs. Becky Grulich
Guzick Teacher/Staff 2019-2020 Goals: High Expectations
All students greeted their peers in a warm and welcoming way during morning meeting! Mrs. Grulich's Giants exhibit the happiness that should be a part of school! :)
Guzick "SPOTLIGHT" Nomination Form
KEEP THOSE NOMINATIONS COMING!
We are so truly fortunate to have so many Guzick staff members who go above and beyond the call of duty each and every day! It is time to shine the spotlight on those staff members! Please use the form below to nominate your colleagues for exhibiting our H.E.A.R.T. characteristics! I will include the SPOTLIGHTS in GOLD News each week! Thank you in advance for taking the time to celebrate and recognize the daily GREATNESS at Guzick!
FOCUS: Excellence in Instruction - Monitoring Aggressively - Week 2
Goal# 1: Increase overall student achievement by implementing a tightly aligned curriculum across all grade levels.
"Effective feedback is not praise or criticism. It is carefully chosen language and actions that propel the learner forward." - Reggie Routman
We will focus this week in classrooms and throughout the building in the following area:
-Monitor Aggressively
Monitoring Aggressively in the lower grades occurs during small group instruction at the teacher table and in the upper grades during guided practice to inform the development of small groups and/or the appropriate re-teach model.
TEI 2.2 MASTERY: Ensures mastery of learning objective appropriate to standards for subject and grade
Monitor Aggressively: Check students’ work to determine whether they’re learning what you’re teaching
Create a seating chart to monitor students most effectively
Monitor the fastest writers first, then the students who need more support
In all classes - Monitor the quality of student work:
Check answers against your exemplar
Track correct and incorrect answers to class questions
Pen in hand: Mark up student work as you circulate (3-5 classes) or at the small group table (lower grades)
Use a coding system to affirm correct answers
Cue students to revise answers using minimal verbal intervention (Name the error, ask them to fix it, tell them you’ll follow up)
Writing Across the Content Areas - Math Lesson Writing Closure Activity
The Closure refers to an activity that ends a lesson and creates a lasting impression. A closure offers multiple benefits.Teachers use closures to check for understanding and inform subsequent instruction, emphasize key information, tie up loose ends, and correct misunderstandings.
While students find closures helpful for summarizing, reviewing, and demonstrating their understanding of major points. Using a math journal with math answers allows students to write to ustify their answers and explain their thinking about a concept taught during the lesson and is a great way to bring the instructional block to a close.
Morning Meeting Focus - Morning Message
SEL Weekly Classroom Tip - A Case for Active Learning
Building Resilience: A Case for Active Learning
-Priti Ahuja
Do children have to be sitting to learn? I’m sure you can think of a PD or two where the information may have been “sit and get,” after which you might not have “gotten” much! I know that I can think of a few. Due to an increase in accountability for our students, there a trend towards more testing, requiring more seatwork. However, research shows that movement and active learning increases blood flow, focus, and long-term memory, optimizing brain performance. It also elevates mood because it is more fun and engaging. So, what can you do to increase active engagement in your classroom, you ask?
Think about a concept you are teaching this week, and find ways to increase student talk and movement within the lesson by having them pair up and talk, or play four corners, etc. Also, in your PLC meetings, speak with your colleagues and get creative together. Your CICs are also great resources and may have fabulous suggestions. You can also use one of your morning meeting strategies and apply it. For example, in a math class, you can give students math questions on index cards, and have them walk around within a two-minute timer to answer as many questions as they can. You can do the same with vocabulary. Give students a word and have them pair up to find a movement to describe that word (Total Physical Response strategy).
If you are just starting with this, try one strategy and see how it feels and how it helps. Have fun!
Fall Campus Climate Survey - Completion Rewards
Reminders:
We HAVE a few unruly students; however, because of our work with PBIS and SEL implementation, they ARE NOT permitted to disrupt the learning environment.
The climate survey is a PERCEPTION survey that leads to additional district support if deemed necessary.
The window for the campus climate survey opens tomorrow, Monday, November 18, 2019. You should be receiving an email with a link to complete the survey.
INDIVIDUAL INCENTIVE: Every teacher and staff who completes the survey by Wednesday, November 20, 2018 and submits their confirmation email (printed/hard copy) to the front office will receive a FREE TREAT or MONEY SCRATCH OFF.
GRADE LEVEL INCENTIVE: The first “two” grade level teams to complete the survey will have a catered lunch of your team’s choosing provided by myself.
It goes without saying that Frank Guzick Elementary School has set the standard in not only our feeder pattern, and network, but also in all of Dallas ISD with 100% completion of the climate survey for the past three years! This is an extraordinary accomplishment and is worthy of replication.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please let me know. Thank you in advance!
WE HAVE A LAMINATOR!!!!!!!!!!!!
REMINDER: PBIS Focus Areas
To ensure alignment across the campus in the area of student culture, we will norm around PBIS focus areas.
Expectations - H.A.L.L.S. Please teach and re-teach our hallway procedures to our Guzick Giants. Students should be in Hallway procedure throughout the school day!
Rewards - Positive Office Referrals. We will be implementing monthly positive office referrals. Each teacher will select "one student" and write a positive office referral for that student. We will highlight the students on social media and on our Wall of Fame in the front of the building.
Consequences - Antecedent Behavior. If you have to write an office referral after three minor infractions, please ensure that you have identified the "antecedent behavior" so that we can be proactive with teaching our students have to better self-monitor and self-regulate their own behavior with social skill strategies.
REMINDER: 1st Student Club Day - Friday, November 22, 2019 (1st - 5th Grade)
Each teacher received a student club choice sheet and a list of student club offerings. Please make sure that you returned those forms to the front office. The student club list will be available for review on Wednesday, November 20, 2019.
REMINDER: Updated Sub Tubs
REMINDER: November is "JEAN"Vember at Guzick
Guzick 2019-2020 Calendar - Live Updates
Upcoming Events/Reminders
- Staff Meeting - Monday, November 18, 2019.
- Power Half Hour - Tuesday, November 19, 2019
- Reading Tutoring - Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
- Power Half Hour - Wednesday, November 20, 2019.
- Writing/Science Tutoring - Wednesday, November 20, 2019.
- Look Forward PLC's - Thursday, November 21, 2019.
- Math Tutoring - Thursday, November 21, 2019.
- Club Day - Friday, November 22, 2019.
On The Horizon
Monday, November 25, 2019 - Friday, November 29, 2019.
THANKSGIVING BREAK!!! Wooooooohoooooooo!
Frank Guzick Elementary School
Email: aandrus@dallasisd.org
Website: www.dallasisd.org/guzick
Location: 5000 Berridge Lane, Dallas, TX, United States
Phone: 972-502-3900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GuzickES/
Twitter: @GuzickES