Team Thomson News & Notes
#ThomsonRocks Week of: January 14, 2019
Important Information for You!
"Do you have a minute...?"
It is hard to believe that we are almost half-way through our year. With Mid-Year Meetings being scheduled, Assistant Superintendent Matt Lobban, shared with administrators a way to frame these Mid-Year Meetings from the book, The Leader's Guide to Coaching in Schools, by Campbell and van Nieuwerburgh. It is called a GROWTH Model. Using the acronym GROWTH, the Growth Model is a coaching model that helps administrators help teachers through reflection, action and learning using a specific framework. Take a look at the questions below as you reflect on your 5D+ Growth Plan and prepare for our Mid-Year Meetings.
G: Goals. What do you want to achieve this year?
R: Reality. What is really happening now?
O: Options. What can/could you do to make this happen?
W: Will. What will you do make this happen?
T: Tactics. How and when will you do these things?
H: Habits. Once you get 'X' in place, how will you sustain your success with 'X'?
I look forward to meeting with each teacher to discuss how your year is going, progress on your Growth Plan, and to review your mid-year data.
ALICE Drill
Thank you all for your diligence in ALICE instruction with your students using the provided talking points and training video. I had the opportunity to talk with a couple of students who, even if the vocabulary was still a bit new, could articulate the procedures and use the hand motions for Listen, Barricade, Evacuate, and Counter. During our drill this week and as a first step, we will be focusing on Listen and Barricade. After the announcement is made, the students should first Listen to your directions and as they move, you should be working to Barricade your classroom. This will provide our students a more real view of what that might look like for them.
NWEA Assessment
This week you will have a chance to take your class down to the library to walk them through the practice test as you did in the fall. Since the students have been working on the Chromebooks and to minimized missed intervention through Reader's Workshop, parapros will not be pushing in. I did have a teacher ask if you 'had' to take your class down...you do not, this teacher was going to opt for review of NWEA MAP through the practice test whole class using the classroom ELMO. Either way is fine with me, you know your class best.
As shared last week, in the Google Doc link below you will find the practice and testing schedule.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XX6NeZAmI_OpzXf2tzr6kgowHf-lqzK4p5EkGmBueHs/edit
Please let me know what questions you have.
Cardinal Code Focus for the Week: Playground
Please take some time to review the entire Cardinal Code Lesson for the Playground. The time you take to reteach this lesson helps our monitoring staff immensely. Thank you for intentionally teaching the Cardinal Code to your students.
Quotes Worth Reading
"Every day focus on your purpose. Remember why you do what you do. We don't get burned out because of what we do. We get burned out because we forget why we do it."
-Jon Gordon
Thomson Elementary
#ThomsonRocks
Home of the Thomson Teddies!
And..
Where Kids Come First and Futures Begin!
Email: nmiller@davisonschools.org
Website: www.davisonschools.org
Location: 617 East Clark Street, Davison, MI, United States
Phone: 810-591-0911
Celebrations & Announcements
Birthdays: Stephanie Weidenhammer, January 14th...Happy Birthday to You!
Important Upcoming Dates:
Monday, January 14th-NWEA Testing will begin
Tuesday, January 15th-Child Study Day; District Improvement Meeting, 4:15-5:15 p.m.
Wednesday, January 16th-Lockdown, ALICE Drill; NWEA-MAP Practice Testing Begins; CAP Parent Meeting, 6:30 p.m. in the Hahn Library
Thursday, January 17th-Elementary Principals Meeting (Natalie); CMC 4-7 p.m.
Friday, January 18th-End of 2nd Marking Period & the First Semester; GISD Elementary Principals Meeting (Natalie); Staff Pot Luck-Sign up in the Lounge
Monday, January 21st-MLK Day, No School for Students, Records Day for Staff-Staff may do report cards from home.
Tuesday, January 22nd-Launch of the Trading Post; NWEA-MAP Testing Begins; PTO Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 23rd-Staff Meeting, 7:35 a.m. (Holly-SIDR Procedures); New Teacher Meeting @ Thomson
Thursday, January 24th-ELA Learning Lab
Friday, January 25th-Leadership Team Meeting, 7:15 a.m.; DIBELS Window Closes; PTO Movie Night, 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 26th-GISD Literacy Conference
Week of January 28th-PLC Week
Tuesday, January 29th-Math Learning Lab, DEF Faculty Follies, 7 p.m.
Thursday, January 31st-Elementary Principals Meeting (Natalie)