Sunset Housekeeping Notes
February 11th-15th
Sneak Peak at this CRAZY Week ahead of us......
Parent Teacher Conferences this week - Tuesday the 12th - Italian dinner will be provided
Hafey in Denver 14 & 15
MAPS Testing begins
Monday, Feb. 11 - CST/IEP - 8-10:30am
Monday, Feb. 11 - Parent Meeting - 11:00 - 4th Grader - Zimmerman
Monday, Feb. 11 - 2nd Grade Lunch - Pre Observation Dialogue - Hankins
Monday, Feb. 11 - Hafey in 5th Grade - Formal Observation - 12:35 - Smith
Monday, Feb. 11 - 1:30 - 2:30 classroom observations/planning
Monday, Feb. 11 - 2:30 - visit with 5th Grade - Knez's class
Monday, Feb. 11 - Post Observation Dialogue - Zimmerman - 3:30
Monday, Feb. 11 - Curriculum Meeting - 4-6 - Hafey, Neton, Zimmerman. :)
Tuesday, Feb. 12 - Formal Observation - 2nd Grade - Brooke - 8-9am
Tuesday, Feb. 12 - Dr. Ulrich - Hafey Mid Year - 9:30-11:00
Tuesday, Feb. 12 - PBS Lunch - Walk to Pizza Hut - 11:00
Tuesday, Feb. 12 - 12:20-1:20 - planning with 2nd Grade
Tuesday, Feb. 12 - 1:20-2:20 - planning with Kindergarten - transition discussion/plans
Tuesday, Feb. 12 - 2:20-3:20 - 4th Grade Writing - obervation
Tuesday, Feb. 12 - 3:30-7:00 PTC - dinner provided
Wednesday, Feb. 13 - Elementary Admin. - 8:30-10:00
Wednesday, Feb. 13 - Classroom observations/planning
Thursday, Feb. 14 - HAPPY VALENTINES DAY
Thursday, Feb. 14 - Rti - Review - 2nd Grader - NL - Zulian/Neton
Friday, Feb. 15 - Gotta Love you a Friday!!!!
Next Staff Meeting - Tuesday, February 26th!
You will be testing in your regular computer lab!
PAWS Mart will be closed on Wednesday - last few shoppers can shop Monday and Tuesday only!
Valentine Party
Yes, it is this week - cannot believe we are in February!
In balancing the 'fun' of school - WHICH IS SO VERY IMPORTANT - and the 'learning' of school - please be mindful to keep learning happening on this day as much as possible!
Be sure to share out Valentine Party plans with Becky so she can be prepared to send or not to send parents to classrooms!
Ice Skating PAWS trip
When: Thursday, Feb. 21
1:45-2:45
We will load the bus at 1:30
As I assemble the numbers - I'll be asking for volunteers and possible combining of small classes!
ELL - Bowling Activity - for ACCESS Testing
When: Monday, February 25
Where: Thunder Rolls
10:00-11:00 - 3rd-5th Graders
1:30-2:30 - Kindergarten -2nd Graders
During these times, there will be no services provided by Kim and Denise - they will be traveling with our students to celebrate with them!
PACE setters meeting rescheduled for Thursday, February 21 from 3:30-5:30.
Yep it's true.....This is us with the REAL Gerry Brooks!
Reflection from this past Professional Learning Opportunity - CCIRA
I have to say, even though the hassle and the worry is tremendous and sometimes down right overwhelming, the opportunity to remove yourself from the day in, day out craziness of our world - is re-energizing! The opportunity to be in an atmosphere with other educators that are fighting the same things and working towards the same things is heart warming!
We had 2 GREAT speakers that really drove home the belief that we have at Sunset, but at times may be over shadowed by 'all the other things'. That is the ability to touch kids lives through relationships.....
We cannot move kids - no matter the depth of knowledge we have of a certain subject, without establishing relationships first. The 2/x 10 Challenge was shared and the power this has.....The meeting each morning with our students, saying their name, and then again at the end of the day is priceless.....We have to STOP and no matter the morning we've had or the day we've had - for many of our kids - hearing their name is so very important.
If we believe all our students are Gifted and Talented, they will respond! We must believe in our students, we must share our belief, and we must provide the rigor for our students.....This belief carries an effect size of 1.62 - the most powerful indicator of success.
We need to make learning exciting, we have to create buy-in - we are competing with sooooo many external forces (video games, technology....) that we need to be extremely mindful of setting the stage through stories, examples - getting away from the day to day monotony of reading from a textbook, defining words - we need to think outside of the box to hook our students. One presenter asked his audience if we were teaching "Active Creators or just Passive Consumers" - are we providing a launch pad for our students?" We need to convince our students to want to come back the next day.
Traditions.....kids LOVE these! They become to rely on these things, it is was brings some of them back! Things such as our Cardboard Challenge, our PBS free days (we haven't had one for a while), classroom parties, Field Day, Costume Parades, House meetings..... all these events that, YES take our time, but are so important. I know we are stretched for time, but allowing for these events will pay dividends throughout the year. We need to continue and look at building in more, such as Arts Festival Day......These are the things that kids remember, these are the things that bring kids to school, these are the things that drive our students and fill their buckets to last through those tougher times in the classroom....
I'll leave you all with this thought, we can not become complacent in our jobs. We may need to step out of our comfort zone, lighten up a bit, sing a bit, dance a bit, add some life to your teaching - we must connect learning to a student's feeling - or we have less chance of the information sticking....
Tasks needing your attention....
1. Need your write-up for the student chosen for PAWS
2. 2x10 Challenge
3. Don't forget about your digital citizenship work - just keeping this on your radar
4. Next week - I'll be planning with each of the grade levels for no other reason then to be with the people that I trust the most and wanting to work next to my people
5. Be sure that Hafey has a copy of your grade level graphic organizers for both reading and writing
6. Update DLT
7. If your grade level would like to present at our next Assembly, let me know!
8. Sunshine Committee - please let me know of next meeting.....