The Southwest October Monthly
High Performance...At The Throne Of Excellence #YearOfYet
Principal Evans' Corner
We are in year three and we are charged to demonstrate High Performance... At The Throne Of Excellence in every sense of the word as we “prepare future leaders of The world”, therefore I encourage each of you to stay the course. September has brought us many joys and many areas we recognize we need to refine but through it all we are blessed to use our gift in the greatest profession n the planet.
TEACHING IS THE TOUGHEST PROFESSION IN THE WORLD
There are a lot of tough jobs out here in the world, but some professions are also misunderstood, which only compounds the difficulty. Teaching is definitely a tough, misunderstood job and the toughest job in the world so I salute you for staying the course and using your gift to pour into the lives of the scholars you serve.
Many of you are pushing through tough days and coming back the very next day even more determined to find the right recipe for success. Many of you are remaining positive and encouraging others to do so no matter what is happening around you. Many of you are showing leadership through difficulty and the unknown. Many of you have stepped up in the absence of others and have shown how valuable you are. Many of you are breaking through every barrier and not succumbing to the pressures of the "Toughest career in the world". I thank you personally for the commitment and the overall excellence being shown no matter what others may say or think about ho "crazy we are for taking on such a challenge". You are saluted!
TO BREAKTHROUGH THE NORM, TEACHERS MUST FIRST SURIVE THE STORMS.
TO HAVE MORE THAN MOST – WE MUST DO MORE THAN MOST, BELIEVE MORE THAN MOST, LEARN MORE THAN MOST, AND SACRIFICE MORE THAN MOST
Make sure your story is one of strength. Make sure your story is one of someone who refused to give up. Refused to settle. Refused to be normal.
Keep going. Your future scholars need you!
As we begin this AWESOME month I encourage you to keep your "WHY" before you, remember the "WHY" of your colleagues, help your scholars find their "WHY", and in those moments when you feel like giving up on it all, surround yourself with those who will remind you of your "WHY". Trust me, sometimes the only thing that you have is your "WHY". But that's just when you will realize that your "WHY" is enough.
TRUST ME WE ARE SERVING IN THE TOUGHEST PROFESSION IN THE WORLD BUT IT'S SOOOOOO WORTH IT!
Educationally Yours,
Principal Evans
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
THE TROPHY IS YOURS...
ACADEMY OF THE MONTH
• 95% classroom attendance on a daily basis is the goal of all classrooms. • 60% of our scholars school-wide will reach or exceed 95% daily attendance. • 90% of our staff will reach or exceed 95% daily attendance.
WHO MET TARGET #1?
CONGRATULATIONS!
DILLARD - 95% OF YOUR SCHOLARS ATTENDED 95% OF THE TIME
CLARK-ATLANTA- 90% OF YOUR SCHOLARS ATTENDED 95% OF THE TIME
UNITED LEADERS- 85% OF YOUR SCHOLARS ATTENDED 95% OF THE TIME
ATHLETIC LEADERS- 85% OF YOUR SCHOLARS ATTENDED 95% OF THE TIME
MOOREHOUSE- 80% OF YOUR SCHOLARS ATTENDED 95% OF THE TIME
Awesome Educators,
September has been a month of enlightening and engaging moments that have pushed us all to reflect and revisit what we have outlined as best practices for this school year. It has provided us with the opportunity to be in our environments with our scholars, and to learn how our class dynamics impact the culture of learning.
In the month of September, we have rolled out our instructional program and completed our first diagnostic on I-Ready. We have revisited lesson plans to ensure that our objectives are connected to the standard, that the tasks/independent practice is connected to the objective, and that our exit tickets are truly assessing what the objective said students would be able to do by the end of that lesson. September has also allowed us to focus on Time on Task and Scholar Engagement.
A lot of our team members shared concerns of not being able to move through the instructional program due to a variety of reasons. This feedback led us into our first Intensive Two-Week Coaching Cycle where teachers would be observed and receive feedback and a coaching session within 24hrs. It has been an AWESOME week one of observation coaching and feedback. Week two will be even greater.
As we enter the month of October and close out this cycle of observation coaching and feedback, we are going to continue to support Time on Task and Scholar Engagement. In addition, we are going to transition into this month’s foci which are Authentic Scholar Work and Data Driven Instruction.
Authentic Scholar Work
To ensure that our scholars are making those Real-World connections, we have to provide them opportunities to engage in work that is beyond a worksheet. Here are four things to consider when creating authentic scholar work opportunities.
Does the work allow for:
· Real Life Connections – topics that have an impact outside of the classroom
· Inquiry and Thinking Skills – higher levels of thinking, constructing and deconstruction of information, multiple representations of a solution
· Discourse amongst the Learners – communication of views based in data critiques and analysis
· Scholar Directed Learning – open ended activities where scholars have choice
As you are engage in instructional planning, use this as a reference document. Challenge the activities that you are planning for scholars to display their learning. Is it authentic? Are your tasks leveled based on the data? Are you starting scholars where they are and then deepening their understanding by increasing the rigor?
Bulletin Boards are due this first week of October, and we are looking forward to Standards Based boards (inside and outside of classrooms) with Authentic Scholar Work posted.
What are Standards Based Bulletin Boards?
A standards-based format moves bulletin boards from "fluff" to teaching and learning boards. The idea is that a bulletin board is a window into the instruction in a classroom. The boards are used to show teaching that is going on inside, but are also used for learning as other teachers, classes, students, parents, and visitors all stop to read the student work. Bulletin boards are one of the ways that we make our teaching visible and transparent.
To find out what exactly is required on a Standards Based Bulletin Board, please see the attachment. More details around bulletin boards will come from your Academy Leaders, but the consistent theme around the school is Quality and Authentic Scholar Work.
I am excited that not only will our classrooms buzz with a hum of scholars being engaged in authentic standards-based activities, but our walls will talk as well with displays of the great learning that is taking place throughout the building.
Thank you for your commitment to being At the Throne of Excellence in Year Three. I look forward to all the greatness October will bring.
Instructionally Yours,
Dr. Story