Murphey Memos
Weekly Updates
Loving to Learn, Learning to Lead, Leading the Future
Character Trait of the Month: Integrity
Brown's Buzz
This thought was shared with principals this week. See what you think.
#reclaimingJOYineducation2018 WEEKLY Inspirational Note or Article
Adults tend to talk about learning as if it were medicine: unpleasant, but necessary and good for you. Why not instead think of learning as if it were food—something so valuable to humans that they have evolved to experience it as a pleasure? The more a person likes fresh, healthy food, the more likely that individual is to have a good diet. Why can’t it be the same with learning? Let children learn because they love to—think only of a 2-year-old trying to talk to see how natural humans’ thirst for knowledge is. Then, in school, help children build on their natural joy in learning. Joy should not be trained out of children or left for after-school programs. The more difficult a child’s life circumstances, the more important it is for that child to find joy in his or her classroom. "Pleasure" is not a dirty word. And it’s not antithetical to the goals of K-12 public education. It is, in fact, the sine qua non.
Star Staff Member of the Week
Welcome
Thank you
Rookie Teacher of the Year!
Nice work
Staff Attendance
Something to Think About
“If the kids are not proficient, neither are the adults.” Dr. Jeff Howard
Our Goals
Reading composite from 40.1 to 45.1.
3rd Grade Reading From 28.9% to 30.7%.
4th Grade Reading from 37.9% to 42.9%.
5th Grade Reading from 51.0% to 56.0%.
3rd Grade Math from 44.7% to 49.7%.
4th Grade Math from 34.5% to 39.5%.
5th Grade Math from 37.3% to 42.3%.
By 2019, Murphey will decrease the achievement gap between all students and students with disabilities in reading from a 25.8% gap to a 20% gap as measured by the NC End of Grade tests.
By 2019, Murphey Traditional Academy will reduce the number of office discipline referrals from 58 to 50.
March 18th
- ELA PLCs – 4, 1, 2
- Latin PLC
- Brown out - a. m.
March 19th
- ELA PLCs – 4, 5
- Math PLCs - K, 1, 2
- Tuesday Tours
- Tied Up Tuesday
- Spring Pictures
March 20th
- ELA PLCs – 5, K
- Math/Science PLCs – 3, 4
- 3:10 IST/Attendance team
March 21st
- ELA PLC – 3rd - rescheduled for Friday
- Brown out - a.m.
- Walker & Thomas out - CF meeting
- Kona Ice
March 22nd
- Plans uploaded by EOD
- 3rd ELA PLC
- 3rd and 4th grade to symphony - Brown to attend
March 23rd & 24th
Future Events
- Tuesday Tours (Magnet)
- Kona Ice
- 3rd & 4th grade symphony
- Tuesday Tour (Magnet)
- BT Coffeehouse
- Magnet Night
- Murphey's Got Talent
- Mandated workday
- ILT
4/12
- Character Alive
- Kona Ice
- Literacy Festival
- Field Day
- Kona Ice
Announcements
Guidance this week is 4th and 5th grades.
Murphey money blitz this week. We will have Murphey store next week. Focus on acknowledging students for appropriate behavior and giving out lots of Murphey money this week.
Magnet season is here. Please make sure your classrooms are neat and organized. Please post student work in the halls. We are asking 4th and 5th grade to do Paideia seminars this week for the tours, 2nd and third next week, and K and first the following week.
If April is your month to attend Restorative Practices Training, make sure you are registered through Performance Matters. Also make sure you have a sub. If you do not have a sub, you will not be able to attend.
We need all hands on deck for lunch duty. We can no longer provide proper supervision of students in the cafeteria. Therefore, beginning Monday, in addition to the current monitors on lunch duty, each grade level will need at least one teacher to stay for lunch duty. You can divide by days, weeks, or break up the time. See Ms. Brown or your leadership team rep if you have questions.
Computer lab schedules will be posted on the door of the lab. Please sign up when you want to utilize the space. Actively monitor students to make sure they aren't mistreating the equipment.
If you need to tell your students what they will be having for lunch, here's the link to the lunch menus: Lunch menus
Make sure you read the March chapter of Growth Mindset Coach. You will need to activities for your class meetings. Also, post this month's mantra in your classroom: Mistakes are opportunities for learning.
Abbreviated observations begin this week. These are unannounced and will last at least 20 minutes.
Please continue to collect Box Tops. We were very excited to be able to purchase a class set of books for 5th grade literacy...all with Box Tops money! It's simple and all of those little Box Tops add up!
Coach Students through Setbacks
"Failure is success in progress."
When students hit a snag in their learning they cannot resolve, the teacher has the opportunity to step in and coach them through it. Develop some coaching go-to strategies for students to deploy when they're struggling in learning. It's important that you don't fix the problem for the student; to benefit from the mistake, a student has to work through it. Here are some strategies:
* Ask Three Then Ask Me
*Open-Ended Questions
*Reflection Journal
*Preflection Activities
*Use the Mistake As Part of the Learning
**for details on each strategy, refer to pages 149-150.
ELA Curriculum Updates
DIBELS Progress Monitoring: Teachers please remember to progress monitor students in intensive and strategic DIBELS measure. Expect an email with updates on students needing progress monitoring from me (Vanessa) next week.
Summer Reading Camp: Teachers in grades 1-3 teachers will receive Summer camp information letters in your boxes on Monday. Please send these home on Tuesday in folders.
Paideia Seminars will focus on integrity in March. I'm continuing to add seminars to the folder as I find them. Remember you aren't limited to seminars in the file. I encourage you to write your own. Please share once you've done that.
Math Curriculum Updates
Data Analysis Sheets for Corrective Instruction
Please see the Data Analysis Form and Action Plan Form that were previously shared to assist teachers with interpreting interim data by standards and design a plan to address students’ needs based on this data. These forms address the beginning, progressing, and proficient students and included both Re-teaching and Enrichment as part of the plan. Teachers may choose to use these forms when developing a plan for Corrective Instruction. For questions, please contact your elementary math supervisor.
Correction to 4th grade Scope and Sequence
NC.4.NBT.6 is listed in the 4th grade Scope and Sequence for Module 5 and Module 7. The standard was taught in Module 3 and was assessed on interim 2. It will not be assessed on Interim 3.
New NCDPI Released EOG Tests
NCDPI has finalized a released form for each end-of-grade (EOG) mathematics test. The forms are available in a paper/pencil version and online through NCTest. The paper/pencil released forms are available at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/releasedformsScience Curriculum Updates
STEM Professional Learning
Register for GCS-STEM 5th Grade 2019 Professional Learning sessions using Performance Matters course number 10683. This course includes three sections: 10883 (The Key to Student Understanding: Human Body System Stratagems and Force and Motions Notions), 10884 (Conceptualizations Concerning the Impact of Interdependence, Interactions, and Influence of Ecosystems), and 10885 (EOG Review Strategies). Please contact Johnette McCain with any questions.
Summer Camp Opportunity
Global Health Connections International is very honored to host the 2019 Summer STEAM Camp at North Carolina Central University for the 5th consecutive year for rising 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. Please see attached flyer (English/Spanish) for more information.
Title 1 Updates
- Please submit a copy of an interim report--1 per teacher--to Mrs. Thomas for Title I documentation. Thank you to those teachers who've already submitted a report. Reports should be turned in by Monday, March 4th.
We are always in need of Title I documentation. Help us remain compliant by submitting any of the following items to Mrs. Thomas.
parent contact logs
Parent/Teacher conference logs and documentation
Parent communication including social media posts, newsletters, etc.
Sample data reports
- Signed copies of the Parent Involvement policies from each classroom teacher. If you need additional forms, please ask.
Professional Development
Content Academy PD for 3rd grade reading, 8th grade math, and NC Math 1 teachers
GCS will be offering specialized professional learning for teachers in select areas: 3rd grade reading, 8th grade math, and NC Math 1. There will be monthly 3-hour sessions in February, March, and April. If teachers choose to attend, they can attend weekdays from 1:00 – 4:00, or Saturday morning from 9:00 – 12:00. If teachers choose to attend the weekday 1:00 – 4:00 sessions, the district will pay for the cost of their substitute. If teachers choose to attend the Saturday morning sessions, they will receive a $75 stipend for each session. Seats are limited and will be filled on a first come basis.
Please share with appropriate staff in your building. Teachers should search for the following course codes in Performance Matters:
3rd grade reading #10643
8th grade math: #10619
NC Math 1: #10627
For additional information, please contact Jen Arberg (Math) and Joy Cantey (Literacy).
Mentor Training
Face-to-Face
Now is great time to get mentors trained in anticipation of known vacancies in the 2019-2020 school year. New teacher support will be offering another face-to-face mentor training for teachers that would like to become mentor trained. This training will take place Saturday, April 6th from 8:30-12:30 with a 1 hour take home product at Laughlin. Participants will receive certification as a GCS trained mentor by participating. We hope you will use this opportunity to recruit and prepare for the mentors you will need for the 2019-2020 school year. Teachers may register in Performance Matters with the course number #10387. We have also shared this information with lead mentors and CFs. For additional information, please contact Crystal Vandiver, 336-665-8000.
Restorative Practices registration is now available for April, and May 2019 (see below). The session is listed as “GCS-Equity: Restorative Practices for School-based Staff 2018-2019" in Performance Matters. This is a great opportunity for school-based staff members to attend the two-day session. The materials will be provided; however, schools must cover the cost per substitute teacher. Lunch is own your own. Participants must attend both days. Registration is first come, first served, so register today at https://gcsnc.truenorthlogic.com.
Date: April 1-2, 2019
Location: 2500 Lee’s Chapel Rd. Gymnasium
Timeframe: 8:00-4:00 PM
Participants: Weaver, Patillo, Henry, Hernandez, Thomas
Date: May 9-10, 2019
Location: 120 Franklin Blvd. Boardroom
Timeframe: 8:00-4:00 PM
Participants: Davis, V. Lyles, C. Walker, Bercaw, Kuligowski anyone I've missed - see me
5th Grade Science - Register for GCS-STEM 5th Grade 2019 Professional Learning sessions using Performance Matters course number 10683. This course includes four sections: 10882 (Spiraling, Scaffolding and Synthesis: A Look at How to Connect Previous Units While Incorporating New Content), 10883 (The Key to Student Understanding: Human Body System Stratagems and Force and Motions Notions), 10884 (Conceptualizations Concerning the Impact of Interdependence, Interactions, and Influence of Ecosystems), and 10885 (EOG Review Strategies). Please contact Johnette McCain with any questions.