What's Happening
Keep Calm and Stay Anchored
SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK of Nov. 25th
Monday, Nov. 25th
8:00 Preschool Meeting
2:50 PLCs and PD4:45 Beauty Shop
Tuesday, Nov. 26th
Stressed Out Turkey activity begins!
7:45 Meet with Literacy team
8:00 CARE team
9:00 IEP meeting
10:00 IEP meeting
12:00 Classroom
1:30 CT meeting
3:30 ALT school meeting
Wednesday, Nov. 27th
*Be sure to fill out your online energy sheet for the District
8:00 Meet with teacher
8:10 10 minute stand up meeting
10:00 Westside PLC meeting
12:00 IEP problem solving meeting
1:05 Follow up observation meeting
2:30 Early Dismissal
2:45 Stressed Out Turkey activity ends
Never Ask a Student This Question About Their Behavior
Students who are in trouble almost always have a good reason for why they did what they did. Sometimes a student will admit fault and take full ownership, but that's not usually the case, especially for students who habitually shift responsibility. Usually, they explain away their behavior and how they were misunderstood or how someone else's bad behavior led to their actions.
So how should educators handle that situation? Is it okay for a student to act badly if they have a good reason or feel justified in their behavior? Absolutely not. If they can explain their intentions, does that make it better? Not really.
I had this conversation with a student the other day. In life, people are going to know you by your behavior, not your intentions. So I hear what you're saying. You didn't mean to be disrespectful. You didn't mean to cause a problem. You had a good reason for what you did. But I can't know your reasons, truly. I believe what you're saying. But it's not for me to judge your intentions. No one can know what's in another person's heart with certainty. I can't know your intentions. But I can observe your behaviors.
And life will always hold you accountable for your actions. It might not happen immediately. You might get away with it for a while. However, the choices you make now will impact your future. And as someone who cares about you and your future, it's my job to help you be accountable now so life won't be so hard on you later.
So I never ask students this question:
"Why did you do it?"
That just reinforces the idea that if you had a good enough reason, it's okay to act badly. That if you had a good enough reason, it's okay to act in a way that's harmful to others.
Instead, ask the following:
"What did you do? Which choices you made caused a problem?"
"Who or what was harmed as a result of your choices?"
"What are the expectations (rules) here about these choices?"
"How might you correct the situation so it doesn't happen again in the future?"
Keep the focus on the behavior and not the underlying motivations. If the student tries to justify their behavior, keep coming back to the specific choices and how those choices aren't acceptable in this space. When we keep the focus on what happened and how it had an impact on others, we encourage full responsibility.
Lexia Update
Our students who met their usage minutes as a school last week was 86.3%!
Kdg-87%
1st grade-100%
2nd grade-81.5%
3rd grade-94%
4th grade-97%
5th grade-92%
4/5 combo--61%
43 students this last week earned certificates!
364 students this year have earned certificates!
21 total staff have logged in to Lexia and 67% have logged in during the last 30 days.
PBIS corner
Our PBIS reward is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday before Thanksgiving. That is this week--not last week like I thought!!!! :) We are doing Just Dance in the gym. We will do 20 minute sessions throughout the day. The sign up sheet is in the lounge. Please take pictures so that I can post them later.
Also--remember to catch positive behavior throughout the day. As I go around to collect the end of the week totals there is often a big discrepancy in the number of tickets classrooms are receiving. For example, one room might have 300 while another room has like 60.
Sneak Peek for Tuesday--Going on a Turkey Hunt!
Uh oh! The November pressure has gotten to your turkey and he has LOST his feathers! What's a teacher to do? Your team captain has your turkey and further directions. Captains I will put these in your mailbox Monday morning. Be sure to check in with your captain on Monday. You will begin your hunt on Tuesday! If your team did not send me a captain, I have chosen one for you.
The building will be split into 9 teams. The teams are as follows:
Team 1: Kindergarten/First Grade teachers plus Karole and Jennifer (6)--Jennifer M Captain
Team 2: 2nd/3rd grade plus Lori and Jacquilynn (6)--Nancy Captain
Team 3: 4th/5th grade plus Jesse, Shawna, and Kasie (6) Travis Captain
Team 4: Office plus Niki, Amy, and Gennifer (6) Amy Captain
Team 5: Preschool including all paras (6) NiCole Captain
Team 6: Eric, Suzie, Marusia, June, Kris W, Jamie (6) Jamie Captain
Team 7: Darrell, Kris M, Millie, Sarah, Jennifer G, Bobbie (6)--Kris M Captain
Team 8: Mrs. Hill's room plus Constance and Noma (6) Noma Captain
Team 9: Mrs. Marx's room plus Coach (5) Melissa Captain
UPCOMING EVENTS
Nov. 27 Early Dismissal 2:30
Nov. 28 No School
Nov. 29 No School
Dec. 3 5:30 PTO meeting
Dec. 6 4:00-6:00 Christmas party
Dec. 10 6:00 Rollerama Night
Dec. 12 Kindness Club
Dec. 20 2:30 Early Dismissal
Dec. 23-Jan. 3 Winter Break
Riverside Roadrunners
Email: holcom@live.siouxcityschools.com
Location: 2303 Riverside Boulevard, Sioux City, IA, USA
Phone: 712-279-6811
Facebook: facebook.com/RiversideElementarySchool
Twitter: @riversidek5