Friday Focus
Moreau Heights Elementary
PBS Focus of the Week -
Our Character Trait for the month is Respect
Duties for the Week
You will notice that I have NOT included the Charger Time duties. Please see your schedule in the handbook for your duty.
Calendar of Events:
Monday, September 7
*No School - Labor Day!
Tuesday, September 8
*5th grade plan time discussion 8:20 - 9:10
*K plan time discussion 12:35 - 1:25
*School Culture Team mtg 3:30 - 4:30
Thursday, September 10
*Show-Me Players (4th and 5th grades only) 8:30
*Earthquake Drill Talk thru
*Papa John's Pizza Night
Friday, September 11
*Earthquake Drill Walk Thru 9:45
*TST at 2:15 (Borgmeyer, Brondel, Haugen, Holtmeyer)
Monday, September 14
*Literacy Team mtg 3:30
Tuesday, September 15
*4th grade plan time discussion 9:10
*1st grade plan time discussion 1:25
*PTO mtg 6:30
Wednesday, September 16
*Problem Solving mtg 3:40
Thursday, September 17
*Midterm of first quarter
*Staff appreciation breakfast
Friday, September 18
*PTO Fundraiser ends
Awesome Happenings
Jaci Jackson will be representing our staff at the September Staff Appreciation Breakfast on September 17th. Congratulations, Jaci! Enjoy the honorary parking spot for the month!
Jaci is an amazing teacher and co-worker. Her students are always her main focus and she will go out of her way to do whatever is needed to reach each and every child in her classroom. Jaci is always available to lend an ear, provide support and model high expectations for students as well as staff. She is also always looking to find new ways to make sure her students will succeed and she loves sharing those ideas with co-workers! We are so thankful Jaci is a member of our Moreau Heights Team!
During our first meetings, prior to school beginning, we engaged in some activities that led to some great "take aways" that would help us with our year ahead. Here are a few of thoughts after our attempt to throw paper into the boxes without looking:
- Don't give up!
- Being negative doesn't help.
- Get information if you don't understand.
- We are all on the same team!
- Welcome feedback. Be open to feedback.
- Offer frequent feedback.
- Feedback should be specific and positive.
- Have fun!
In classrooms this week I noticed many getting going with reading instruction in small group. Lots of assessment to determine appropriately leveled text and great practice of work done while the teacher is working with others. Kindergarten students were able to manage themselves in short station activities to build stamina, first graders were able to practice stations and transitions, and second graders were really getting to work while the teacher assessed. WOW! It is great to see the structures in place that will support the "magic" that happens in our small group instruction while others continue their learning independently!
Nuts and Bolts
* We are headed into our second full week of classes and students are beginning to settle into our routines. Be sure you are practicing procedures for reading so you can begin small group reading instruction as soon as possible, even if for only a very short time segments. We will want small group reading instruction happening in all classrooms by September 8th. Small group instruction will evolve over time, increasing the time and intensity of instruction. We want to begin small so we build stamina of students AND teachers.
*Remember that an expectation is that if you have questions or concerns, we talk about them with the person. Please see me if you have questions or concerns about how something is done. The process of talking through things helps us to get better together! I am always happy to talk with anyone about why things are the way they are and am open to hearing new ideas. Thank you for your willingness to come to me with your thoughts and ideas- I look forward to learning from your perspective!
*If you have not turned in your "Fall Bootcamp Checklist" of PBS lessons conducted in these first weeks, please get that to me. Thank you for all your work with helping our students learning our expectations!
“Perseverance is stubbornness with a purpose." - Josh Shipp