Hedgcoxe Hounds
Monday Memo- Week of January 11th
COLLEGE WEEK!!
Monday January 11th
1:00-2:00 Hendrick counselor visit with 5th Grade
Tuesday January 12th
Next Step- Hendrick Middle School
Science Fair Judging
PTA Staff Luncheon
Wednesday January 13th
3:15-4 PLC Meetings
Thursday January 14th
Friday January 15th
Watch DOG- Shawn Mueller (Kindergarten)
1:30-2:00 College Week speaker meeting with 5th grade
ESL Tidbit
Hey there all ! Did you know that ....ESL is actually a highly-debated acronym. Even Texas has gone back and forth with the most appropriate acronym to help classify students who are learning English as a second or third language…the state has used ELL, ESOL, TESL…the list goes on. I am not so much concerned with the acronym used to describe my highly-talented students, but the false stigma surrounding it. ESL has all too often been considered a remedial program, a program for students who are “low.” This is, in fact, not true at all! Check out this article from brainfacts.org about the bilingual brain and its strengths...proof my students are the geniuses I believe they are! ;)
We must strive to separate English language proficiency from cognitive ability. Consider this…put yourself in a fifth grade classroom in another country, would you be able to fluently participate in a class discussion about the main idea and detail of a story written in another language? I COULDN’T! But does this make me “low?” NO! I am able to discuss main idea and detail very well in my native language, but would needs lots of scaffolding if I was reading a text in, let’s say, Japanese. The fifth grade students would be running circles around me when it came to oral language! That is an example of how my cognitive ability is high on that subject matter, but my language proficiency might hold me back. The teacher would not just give me a Japanese Kindergarten text to make the objective “easier”, she would allow me to use the same text as my fifth grade peers, but help me access the content by providing appropriate linguistic accommodations.
Shout Outs ! ! !
* Joy Roberts for pulling and working with second graders first thing in the morning for PAW time.
* A hugh shout-outs to Mrs. Bommarito, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Gilrien- for the smooth and timely check-in of our projects for the Science and Engineering Fair.
* Ellen Mulvey for being so prepared and rocking science planning this year!
* Tambra Reynolds for being such a great leader and teacher! 2nd Grade is so proud of our TOY teammate!
* Jennifer LeWinter for stepping up to help with the yearbook and helping sort and pass out order forms to teachers.
* A thank you and shout out to the Third Grade Team for all your hard work preparing weekly instructional needs for the team!!!
* Shout out to Nurse Key who take such good care of ALL of us!
* Mrs. Middleton would like to thank Aretta from the bottom of her heart for covering for her in her absence. She did SO much and loved the kids as if they were her own!
* Thanks to Lynda and Steph for all they took on while I was gone! I miss y'all!! Faye
* Shout out to Brooke Burnette for taking the time to put up all our college balloons so we can inspire the students!
* Shout out to Shannon Flohr for always doing such a beautiful job on the 2nd Grade Weekly Newsletter.
* Shout out to Brooke McNeely for grace and fortitude as she made it through the challenge of her first week of teaching in Second Grade.
* Ms. Graham for always being there as a principal and friend.
* Nurse Key for assuring us that we are doing Great with our little friend!
* Janice Jones for keeping it real and helping out in more than one way! A gal with many faces.
* Thanks Sarah and Shelley for being such amazing, supportive team members! You are work so hard and make it fun to come to school!
* Shout out to Julie for giving up her time to lead Tabata! She is doing an amazing job and we appreciate her keeping us in shape!
* I have a shout-out to Nurse Key- A little girl had lost her retainer….and she went through the trash on the cafeteria to help her find it! Now that’s what you call dedication!
* Margot Anderson for helping 2nd grade plan advanced activities and meeting with us several times to make sure everything we gave our students had a purpose!
* Aretta has been AWESOME!! We will miss you everyday and can't wait to have you back!!