Wednesday Words
December 5th-12th
Nurture-Personalize-Engage-Succeed
New Prospect Elementary School Staff Notes
Staff Spotlight
Amy is happily married with three children; Max who is 9, Ella who is 14 and Nathan who is 17. A fun fact is that Amy Lemons husband, TJ, coaches Nathan's baseball team. This is not how we found Amy K., but it's an interesting connection nonetheless.
Amy will be here Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8-1:40 and will be here all day on Tuesdays to teach our Brain Building enrichment classes.
We are so happy to welcome Amy to our NPE family. Be sure to say hi and introduce yourself if you see her around.
P.S. I had to make her take off her Alabama lanyard before I took her photo. The pain is just too fresh!
ACTION ITEMS:
1. Complete the "Students for Possible Retention" Sheet and return to Stephanie by December 14. See November 28 Wednesday Words for additional info.
2. Grade 3-5 Teachers, make sure you are ready to give the Write Score test on December 13.
UPCOMING EVENTS
December 6th--Special Education Department Mtg @2:45
December 7th-Career Day!
December 7th-All possible retention candidates identified
December 7th-Staff Holiday Party @3:30
December 10th-Write Score Window Starts
December 11th-Brain Building Day K & 3rd
December 18th-Attendance Dance 1:40-2:00pm
December 18th- 4th grade and Kindergarten Holiday Party
December 18th- Staff Meeting 2:45-3:15 *PLCs Canceled for the Week
December 19th 1st grade and 3rd grade Holiday Party
December 19th-GKIDS 1st Semester Assessment Data Updated
December 20th 5th grade and 2nd grade Holiday Party
December 20th-Last day of 1st Semester
Staff Birthdays!
December 6th - Anne Carter
December 30th-Karen Hall
WriteScore Testing Grades 3-5
Prior to giving the test, please logon at portal.writescore.com . Your Fulton e-mail is your username and hopefully you remember or have saved your password.
Once you are in the system, you will have access to a lot of great resources. One important section to look at is the WS How To's. Be sure to select the writing assessment and you will find detailed directions, scripts and a student video that will tell students exactly what they need to know about how to take the test. Please show this video to your students prior to them taking the WriteScore assessment. The video is approximately 8 min. You can show it on December 12 if needed to ensure that students have time to complete their test on the 13th.
ESOL students will test with their homeroom teachers. Because rosters are created based on who is the teacher of record, these students will need to enter their ESOL teacher's name in the "teacher" section when they login.
If you have any student without a laptop, please e-mail Stephanie Haga and Ellen Keel as soon as possible.
Thanks!
Week of Code Dec. 3-7
- Want to join in on the action? Here are some great links for you to have your students use in class next week whether it be during class, indoor recess, or homeroom to practice coding.
- You can also add coding links to your website for parents to access easily from home.
https://code.org/hourofcode/overview
Code Commander- https://www.tynker.com/hour-of-code/code-commander
Code your own sports- https://studio.code.org/s/sports/stage/1/puzzle/1
Code Combat- https://codecombat.com/
Light Bot- http://lightbot.com/
Kodable- https://www.kodable.com/
Bits Box- https://bitsbox.com/
Monster Maker- https://groklearning.com/hoc/activity/monster-maker/
Dream Sequence- https://www.codesters.com/curriculum/hour-of-code-2017/Dream+Sequence/1/
Frozen- https://studio.code.org/s/frozen/stage/1/puzzle/1
Star Wars- https://code.org/starwars
Bits and Bricks- https://www.lego.com/en-us/campaigns/bits-and-bricks
From the Media Center
Did you know…..for copy jobs that are 30 pages or more, we should be using the RISO high speed copier. The other two standard copiers are not meant for huge copy jobs. The wear and tear on the other machines is pretty high, and when one of them breaks, it causes inconvenience to everyone. If you need help learning how to use the RISO, please meet me in the copy room Tues., 12/11 at 2:45 pm.
Reminder to plug the devices in the chrome book or iPad cart before you return it every afternoon. If it’s not plugged in, it won’t charge. Also, if your kiddos are in charge of pushing device carts down a hallway, please remind them to push slowly and to avoid knocking into walls and doors.
"These are a few of my favorite things" PAWs PD by Kati Searcy
Location: Kati Searcy's room, A169
Time: 2:45-3:15pm
We are excited to announce that there will be a PAWS PD at the Apple Store at Avalon! The free event is set for 3:30 on Monday, December 10th. We'll learn about Clips - Creative expression through video with the Clips app on iPad. We'll learn how students can create videos to enhance assignments by following basic elements of story structure. Students can express ideas with built-in stickers, emoji, music, and more. Recommended for educators of students ages 5-17. Have the Clips app on your iPad or use one of the iPads at the Apple store. Feel free to bring your teacher friends from other schools.- Kati Searcy
Tech Tips from the Vanguard Team
Flipgrid
Flipgrid is a digital platform in which students can submit video responses to teacher-posed questions or topics you’re learning about in class. Once you set up a grid, students take control and record their thoughts. After filming, the video is uploaded to the grid and other students in the class are able to view the videos their classmates have recorded.
Some benefits to using Flipgrid…
-Easy to use – all you have to do is pose a question and let your students start filming their responses. Another great feature is that it allows students to retake their video as many times as needed in case of slip-ups.
-Gives students time to think through their answers before submitting their responses.
-Encourages collaboration – students can see their classmates’ responses and give thoughtful feedback
-Gives every student a chance to answer your questions or add to your discussions.
-Students can access it anywhere as long as they have the grid code – think flipped classroom.
-You can use it in any subject!
Here’s a quick tutorial video to get you started: https://vimeo.com/285354491
Want to learn more? Diana Anderson can help.
Useful Morning Meeting Clips
Here is a small collection of clips and activities about Empathy that you can use with your class.
Loyalty to friends- super cute pixar short about a cloud who has a friend that sticks with him despite differences J
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OybYKrIRK0Y
Overcoming teasing- being yourself even when you are embarrassed or feel different
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_-k_1WQ5As
Empathy
Question: How can you tell how someone else is feeling?
3 part series on class dojo https://ideas.classdojo.com/b/empathy
kindergarten/ 1- “you have empathy when you feel someone’s feelings in your own heart”
2-5th– ability to feel how another person is feeling and imagine what it would be like to be in another’s position.
Sesame street video on Empathy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_1Rt1R4xbM
Activity
For k-1st - http://www.momentsaday.com/empathy-game/
For 2-5th http://speech-paths.com/2014/01/perspective-taking-social-expectations/
Activity: in their shoes https://corneroncharacter.blogspot.com/2012/07/empathy-in-shoe-box-guest-post.html
Do you like to shop? If so, see below...
Save the Date for our Staff Holiday Party
Fastbridge Testing
Good news!!! Not everyone needs to take the Fastbridge areading and amath assessments in January.
Who needs to take it?
Students at risk (<30%ile in the fall)
Students in RTI for that area
New students that haven't taken it yet.
Please let Christina McLeod know if you have questions or need help.
January Professional Development Days
Kristine Mraz will join us for another virtual PD session on A Mindset for Learning!
When: January 3rd from 10:00-1:00*
Where: Alpharetta Public Library (we will be joined by Manning Oaks ES Teachers)
January 4th (district owned)
Click on button below if you are.....Art, PE, Vangard, METI, CST,
Optional PDs: Science Training, Microsoft Training, Instructional Strategies for the Gifted Learners