Tiger Beat
Acton Weekly Update 8/23/19
Things to Know
Our township is starting a Leadership Academy for any staff member who thinks that a leadership role may be in their future. This is a two year program and is capped at 40 participants. I will put papers in your mailbox about the program. Feel free to come see me if this interests you or if you have any questions.
I believe all classroom teachers have their Tiger Tail baskets now. I will be bringing around a tag for it next week. Start handing out those Tiger Tails! Gift bags are coming next week!
Additional PAWS Tickets, Tiger Tails and PAWSitive office referrals will be in your mailboxes next week.
Teachers who are ready to make the official determination of retirement will not have to be observed and go through the evaluation process. Please let me know if you are considering retirement and we can discuss the process.
Social Committee: We ask that certified staff turn in $20 each semester, or $40 total, to Mrs. Gilkerson for our support fund. Classified, we ask that you contribut $20 total for the year. By paying the money you get to wear jeans on Fridays and the money goes towards supporting our staff and students during emergencies, deaths, celebrations, etc.
We do this by the honor system so I ask that you make your contribution if you want to join us on Jeans FRIDAYS.
If we run short on funds (as we have in the past), we will do a jeans week fundraiser.
28-9/2 Midterm grading window open- Grades must be posted by September 2nd. You DO NOT have to have ELA midterm grades for the first quarter. We will communicate with parents that there will be no Reading/ELA midterm grades due to assessments and beginning of the year procedures.
Weheard from central office today this week that they are communicating with the student planner/handbook company and are hoping they will be in soon. Unfortunately every school's planners are on back order.
Safe Schools Video Sessions are due at the end of the month. Please have this complete so we can be at 100% again as a school. We did just find out that there is one more training for certified teachers that will have to be completed. You will get an email about it, but don't worry we have a longer time to get it done and I will be giving all teachers a collaboration meeting time to watch it on your own. Here is the message from Toni. Teachers will be given time during a Tuesday morning or Wednesday morning between Monday, August 26 and November 26 to watch, through safe schools, a video that explains details of the SEA 217 Dyslexia law. This will be sent to all certified K-5 teachers.
Picture Day Schedule of Wednesday:
August 28th- Friday Rotation (no Library)
9:005th Art 5th Music
9:20 5th PE Froning
9:40 McMaster Emerine
10:00 4th Art 4th Music
10:20 4th PE Gilkerson
10:40 Elliott Miller
11:00 Parsons
11:20 Brooks Krug
11:50 3rd Art
12:103rd PE 3rd Music
Please remember that we will be taking care of the K-2 Dyslexia Screeners.
Here is our estimated schedule:
Monday (8/26) AM- 2nd grade
Monday (8/26) PM- 1st grade
Tuesday (8/27) AM (maybe PM) Kindergarten.
WE will keep you posted on our progress.
Gen Ed IA's will not be running their normal T2/T3 schedules during this time.
Coaches Corner
TGIF Acton Friends,
Below is a list of upcoming dates to keep in mind.
CFA Post-Assessment given by Aug. 30th
Daily 5 up and running by Aug. 30th
CFA Data Entered by Sept. 3rd
CFA Data Discussed on Sept. 4th
GR data entered into Scholastic by Sept. 6th
1st GR table up and running by Sept. 9th
All 3 GR tables up and running by Sept. 16th
Students in K-2 will complete a dyslexia screener on Monday and Tuesday of next week.The schedule is below.
Monday (8/26) AM: 2nd grade
Monday (8/26) PM: 1st grade
Tuesday (8/27) AM (maybe PM): Kindergarten
IAs have been trained on how to deliver the assessment, and Brook and I will be entering in the data in order to take this off of your plate. This is an individual assessment, so students will be pulled out of your class room during the times listed above. This is a tentative schedule which might change depending on how long it takes to administer the screener.
The Million Minute Challenge Launch went well. I've already had several students come up to me and inform me that they are going to help the school make it to the top of Mount Readmore!
Related Arts teachers are pulling students from K in the morning to work on letter tracing with our Pre-A students. When the students know their letters, they will transition into handwriting practice with these students. In the afternoon, they are working with 3-5 on math facts. During the introduction of the math lesson, they will be helping in your room, but as soon as the whole group lesson is delivered, they will start pulling kids to work on fluency.
IAs are pushing in right now to help as needed. As soon as BOY data is entered, they will be working with groups on the GR skill or CFA standard the teacher provides. They have resources in the IA room, so you do not have to plan a lesson, I am training them on how to help you. I will be working with them on pulling resources and working with your students. There will be a sheet I will go over for you to use to communicate with your IAs. I will go over this the week of September 2nd.
After entering your data to Scholastic, you will have access to the Student Summary page. This is extremely helpful to get an overall picture of each individual student. The reports generated from Scholastic for each assessment are an invaluable resource to use when planning GR tables, mini lessons, IRAs and whole group lessons.
Go to SCHOLASTIC.COM/NSFRESOURCES Password: results for templates, videos, and resources)
Counselor Corner
Next week is Friendship Week (whoop whoop)
Here is the link to the flyer.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HhVdE6Fd6MvLTK2cGpLy7G1ajeAhvuz9oKSrtfa5w5s/edit?usp=sharing
- I will be doing bullying prevention/friendship lessons in the library for all grades next week.
- My goal is that we focus on how we should be treating each other and gain an understanding of the definition of bullying. I will teach students how they can report bullying at this time as well.
- Student Council will be announcing the friendship celebrations on the news and sharing tips about being a good friend.
Conscious Discipline
- Brain Smart Starts seem like they are going well! I hope it helps to have the breathing on the announcements and I will work on providing more ideas for you all.
- If you have students come up with a type of breath or want to share one that your class does please let me know! I would love to showcase them on the announcements.
- CD uses the safe place as their classroom strategy for regulating emotions. I know previously you all created calm down corners in your classrooms. Continue to use the calm down corners or spaces you have set up. I will introduce how to use the safe place down the line.
Coming Up
Bullying/ Friendship Lessons In the Library with Mrs. Cordes
Monday:School Board Meeting
Tuesday:
Collaboration: CD Video Session
Q2 CFA workday LElliott and BKrug
Wednesday:
Friday RA Rotation Day
Collaboration: Setting up GR Binder and Scholastic Database work time.
Life Touch Picture Day
Thursday:
Friday:
Midterm ends on September 2nd. Please have grades posted.
September:
2 Labor Day
3 Evac Drill
4 Midterm grades SARAH posts for parents
5 PTO Meeting
5 Girls on the Run starts (Tues/Thurs)
6 Choir starts (Fridays)
9-20 BOY AIRWays
9-Oct 4 Skating PE
16 IA appreciation day
20 All Pro Dads
20 Team A Thon
23-24 Body Safety
30-10/23 Teacher Grading Window open
Safe Schools Training
I believe I emailed all of you and update on your Safe Schools progress. Please keep working on these and get them complete so we are at 100% compliance BEFORE the due date.
Please complete all modules you have been assigned by the due date of August 31, 2019. Please note you do not need to print out the certificate at the end of each module as we receive them automatically through the Safe Schools system.
If you do not receive an email from the Safe Schools site by Friday please email Lacey Martin in Human Resources at lacey.martin@ftcsc.org for assistance
Wear Red for Ed
FTCSC Hedgehog Focus
The Hedgehog Concept is based on an ancient Greek parable that states, "The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing." ... Hedgehogs, however, simplify the world and focus on a single, overarching vision, which they then achieve.