Friday Focus
Moreau Heights Elementary
January 12
Moreau Heights is a collaborative community focused on student growth with a commitment to excellence.
PBS lesson - Review of Expectations
The PBS lessons for next week will still focus on Zones of Regulation. The materials needed will be provided to teachers in mailboxes. This will build on the Zones work done last semester - so referring back to your Zones posters will be helpful.
Our Second Steps lessons this week will focus Managing Emotions. The first week is about "Feelings in My Body".
Kindergarten will learn about managing frustration.
1st grade will work on understanding what strong feelings are.
Grade 2 will work on managing embarrassment.
Grade 3 will work on managing test anxiety.
Grade 4 will focus on managing strong emotions.
Grade 5 will work on calming down
Are you using Charger Cash to reinforce PBS expectations and Second Step skills?
- We want to use positive reinforcement to draw attention to what we want to see more of
- How do you make sure you are putting the focus where you want it?
- Are you remembering to use all your tools? Specific feedback? Charger Cash?
"You are a giant, yellow highlighter. Highlight behavior you want more of, and help children become aware of the many kind and helpful things they do each day."
Conscious Discipline Connection
"Whomever you believe to be in charge of your feelings, you have placed in charge of you."
- traffic making you angry, traffic is in charge of you.
- kids driving you crazy, the kids are in charge of you.
- colleagues or spouse making you mad, you are putting them in charge of you.
10 Reasons to Greet Students at the Door
- Build relationships with your students enhances their emotional needs, as well as yours.
- Offer praise and feedback (this need not be class related).
- Some students, like those with ADD/ADHD, have trouble switching classes. Greet these students at the door with explicit directions about what to do. For some of my more challenging students, I would essentially escort them to their seats to ensure they started class on task.
- It gives you a chance to connect with every student and to gauge their emotional state.
- Students have a lot to say and we should take the time to listen to them.
- Albeit brief, it’s a chance to have a one-on-one conversation with a student.
- It gives you an opportunity to model (and for students to practice) socially acceptable behaviors, like eye contact, a firm handshake, and good posture.
- You can ask each student a question to formatively assess their understanding of the previous day’s lesson. With some classes I’d take this a step further and ask a question which the students had to get right before entering class.
- Teach the students respectful behaviors. My rule was a simple one, “Every time I ask you a question, please answer the question and ask a question in return.”
- Me: Did you watch the football game last night?
- JJ: Yeah, I can’t believe the Redskins lost. Did you watch it
- Me: Of course. Not sure why it surprised you though. They’ve been awful this year. A matter of caution, I’d often ask about their lives outside of school and about their weekends. For students with horrible home lives, doing so sets them back and can ruin your effort at fostering a welcoming classroom environment.
- It can be a time saver. While I had a consistent classroom routine, greeting students at the door would allow you to cue them to something that may be different (please be sure to turn in your homework or please pick up the work you missed yesterday from the absent folder).
Simply greeting students at the door has been proven to increase student attention to learning (on-task behavior) and it establishes teacher rapport with students.
It’s simple and effective and worth the little extra effort.
Duties for the Week
Wanting Some Behavioral Support Ideas?
Calendar of Events
Monday, Jan. 15
No School - MLK, Jr. Birthday
Tuesday, Jan. 16
*Earthquake Drill 10:30
*Tier 2 team mtg 3:30
Wednesday, Jan. 17
*AR IEP 10:00
Thursday, Jan. 18
*Collaboration Day
Friday, Jan. 19
*Staffing for EJ 8:25 (Farmer, James, Haugen, OT, Humphreys, PT, 5th grade)
*Family Time
Monday, Jan. 22
*Leadership Team mtg 3:40
Tuesday, Jan. 23
*100th Day of School
*PBS Team mtg 3:40
Wednesday, Jan. 24
*Staff mtg 3:40
Thursday, Jan. 25
*Collaboration Day
*Elementary Principal mtg 8 - 11 (Sue to BOE)
*Show-Me Players for grades 4 and 5 in gym 8:30
Friday, Jan. 26
*PBS Assemblies 8:30/9:40
Winter Weather - Delayed Start Information
In other words, supervision of students would begin with duty at 9:30; buses would unload beginning at 9:30 am; duty in the gym/cafeteria begins at 9:30; and students are dismissed to the classrooms at 9:45 am. The schedule can be found below.
Kelly's Coaching Corner
Notices and Reminders:
Code Violations for the district fire inspections done in December. Please make sure that none of these are present in your room:
Violation Number:1 605.1 Abatement of electrical hazards
Violation Comment:Lights hanging from the ceiling - Lights should be LED only and MUST be unplugged each night.
Violation Number:2 605.5 Extension cords (Only with portable appliances) - we need to use the 3 pronged surge protectors, not household extension cords.
Violation Number:4 807.1 General requirements (Flame resistant draperies and hangings)
Violation Comment: if you can prove that the covering on the ceiling is non flammable then it can stay otherwise it needs to come off
Early Dismissal for Weather? Know this . . .
You need to know these things:
- I will email all staff with the early dismissal announcement and then we will announce that all staff should check their email.
- There may be details in the email about lunch changes- particularly if dismissal is before 1:00.
- Specials will be "normal"- because we don't know in advance of an early dismissal. So if we get out at 1:00, Kindergarten and first grade will not have specials.
- Dismissal will be like we normally dismiss on an early out PD day. We will dismiss in the same order over the intercom. (Car Riders, Walkers, Buses)
- THERE IS NO YCARE ON AN EARLY DISMISSAL DAY FROM SCHOOL DUE TO WEATHER. The office will be taking many many calls- EVERYONE should assume that students will do what they normally do on a "regular" day unless we call in and tell you otherwise. So if they normally ride a bus- we will send them on the bus. If they are normally a car rider, we will send them as car riders. Once you tell your class that we will be dismissing early, you should ask y-care students in your room if they know what they are supposed to do since there will be no ycare. IF you have ycare students who do NOT know what they are supposed to do, please send them to the office. Better safe than sorry....send them if there is any question. Jeanne and Jill will make a list of people we need to call and check on transportation. Please do not wait until 12:30-12:45 to send students to the office- it is mayhem up here on an early dismissal day for weather.
- You can leave once all students have left campus.