Anchor Weekly
A newsletter for Alta Vista Staff~Week of December 9, 2019
Don't Forget! Next Week's Calendar
- 5th Grade Spinal Screenings on Tuesday, December 10-Wednesday, December 11 (Limited Nurse Availability)
- Math Planning with Mr. A/Region 12 (1 per grade level) on Tuesday, December 10 at 12:00-4:00 pm
- Alta Vista Holiday Concert on Tuesday, December 10 at 6:00 pm at Austin Avenue United Methodist Church
- Optional Technology Training: Google Classroom with Lisa Monthie on Wednesday, December 11 at 3:40 pm
- Math Coaching with Mr. A/Region 12 (Select Teachers) on Wednesday, December 11
- Math PLC on Thursday, December 12
- District ELAR Support on Thursday, December 12 at 4:00 pm @North Waco Elementary
- CDMC Meeting on Thursday, December 12 at 5:30 pm
- NWEA MAP Testing Due on Friday, December 13
- Six Weeks Assessments during Week of December 16 (Turn in to Boggess for scanning by Thursday 12/19)
- Dental Clinic on Monday, December 16-Tuesday, December 17 in Library
- 5th Grade Pizza Party for Fastest 5th Grade Girl on Tuesday, December 17 at 2:00-ish
- Haynes Wedding Shower on Wednesday, December 18 after dismissal
- 6-Week Awards due on Wednesday, December 18
- GT Presentations in Library on Thursday, December 19
- Check In/Check Out Celebration on Thursday, December 19 at 2 pm
- Lesson recorded/uploaded in Swivl due Thursday, December 19
- Early Release at Noon and Staff Celebration on Friday, December 20
Coming Up Soon: Staff Professional Development on Monday, January 6
10 Days of Christmas
- Monday 12/9: Wear bells, reindeer antlers, or your favorite holiday hat or headband. Chips and dip in the lounge.
- Tuesday 12/10: Wear flannel and jeans. Oatmeal breakfast in the morning in the lounge.
- Wednesday 12/11: Do a book talk with Ms. Spark or Ms. Olivarez and earn a free book for your classroom library.
- Thursday 12/12: Gingerbread cookies will be delivered to all students and staff (please mark on rosters what students get cookies because CNS is paying).
- Friday 12/13: Tribe Buddy Day and Ugly Sweater Contest; 4 winners will win $100 to Lakeshore Learning
- Monday 12/16: Wear red. Hot chocolate and popcorn bar in the lounge.
- Tuesday 12/17: Wear green or Grinch/Whoo-ville. Positive post-it note challenge. Staff Soup & Salad Potluck in lounge.
- Wednesday 12/18: Elf Hunt for students; Staff Pancake Breakfast in the lounge.
- Thursday 12/19: Movie and popcorn day; wear pajamas.
- Friday 12/20: Wear a holiday shirt; staff holiday celebration and lunch after dismissal.
Captain's Log
Take a deep breath! We are 10 school days away from holiday break. I know these 2 weeks can seem crazy, but calm is contagious. Reflect a spirit of peace and your students will follow your lead. Please take some time this week to rest and replenish yourselves. I have started attending yoga classes at Yoga8 in Waco and love it. I am attending the class on Sunday at 3:30 and you are welcome to join! You can go online to redeem 1 week free. :)
Please don't forget to turn in your Accommodation pages to the SPED department. This is a busy time of year but we really need those forms turned in. Also, please attach work samples. We have only had one teacher provide evidence of accommodations. If you need the assignments returned to you, put them in the folder and the SPED team will copy them and return them to you.
Mrs. Helton's Week At A Glance
- Monday-Leadership Meeting on campus
- Tuesday-ARDS, Data Meeting, Math Planning
- Wednesday-Make A Wish Presentation in morning
- Thursday-Math PLCs
- Friday-Principal Meeting off campus until 12:30
Teacher To-Do List
- Plan Tribe Buddy Day (12/13)
- Recruit and practice with your UIL teams
- Bring salad/soup for potluck (12/17)
- Complete 6-Week Awards (12/18)
- Record 2nd lesson with Swivl (12/20)
Tribes
Students can earn Tribe points for making holiday cards for the nursing home. Turn them in to Mrs. Helton with your tribe name and total cards created.
We will have a Tribe Buddy Day on Friday, December 13. We hope you will explore with how your tribe celebrates the holidays in their own unique way.
Conscious Discipline & CHAMPS
Don't forget to keep reteaching and reinforcing your classroom and school-wide expectations. It's important that we reteach these after every break.
Resources:
PLCs
Make sure you check the PLC Notes Template to review "To-Do" items prior to PLCs each week. Bring your laptop, planning calendar and materials, assessment data, and student work samples each week.
12/12: Math (Gr 3-5 Both Subjects)-We will be planning for the 4th six weeks. Bring 4th six week assessments to review/edit and lesson planning materials.
Resources:
December Makerspace
She would love for you to save the following items for students to use: toilet paper tubes, bottle caps, squeeze pouch caps, small plastic containers.
Email Mrs. Helton if you want to schedule a time for her to visit!
Self-Care for You!
Coming back from Thanksgiving and heading right into the holiday season can be a bit hectic, making it difficult to prioritize self-care. This makes it even more crucial to implement a few self-care practices to make the most of this time of year! Here are a few tips on self-care during the holidays!
Eat, sleep and exercise
Our natural impulse during the winter is to hibernate, and it’s not uncommon to feel the lure of the couch or the early bedtime. I recommend listening to this impulse and making sure you’re well-rested.
Along with the desire to sleep more, you may feel hungrier than usual. This is also nature at work, as our bodies want us to add a little bit of extra fat to get through the long, cold winter. Yet you should consider balancing out this extra sleep and food with spending as much as possible in natural sunlight, as that helps create Vitamin D. Regular exercise also helps to balance all these demands.
Be mindful of the holiday fun
Starting with Thanksgiving and continuing through New Year’s Day, the six weeks of the holiday season are filled with joy and merriment. And that usually means longer and later nights celebrating the season.
These events will throw off your internal clock (which may still be adjusting to Daylight Saving Time) and may cause you to feel more fatigued. Tiredness taxes your immune system and resulting illnesses can derail your plans and attitude. Yes, it’s good to celebrate, but do your best to find proper balance between fun and rest.
The five teacher challenges:
1. Leave school on time one or two days a week
2. Leave your teacher bag at school one or two days a week
3. Exercise or go to the gym after school (a buddy makes this fun!)
4. Treat yourself to something special once a month — a manicure, a special coffee, or a movie
5. Say “no” to something extra that someone asks you to do
Here is another resource for self-care during the holidays! - PsychCentral
Staff of the Week
Congratulations to Ms. Burks for being our STAFF OF THE WEEK. She is always willing to help out all over the school wherever she’s needed. She works so hard and shows initiative in helping others. The kids adore her and it’s obvious how much she loves them, too.
Dreambox Resource
Here's a great resource for checking on student progress in Dreambox. It lets you know what the different symbols need. If you want help using Dreambox for differentiation please let me know!
Vertical Planning Days
- Math Planning Dates (Grades K-5): December 10, February 18
- Science Planning Date (Grades K-5): January 10, February 19
For math and science, planning will be 1/2 day each from 12-4 pm. You will need to create a 1/2 day school business absence in TEAMS for the afternoon if you plan that specific subject (1 per grade level).Please work with Ms. Bonnie to secure subs for these days (grades 3-5 only). Grades K-2 will use the aides assigned to their grade level.
GT Update Opportunities
Foundation 30 Hours of GT Training OR Initial Administrator/ Counselor training (Deadline December 13, 2019)
Day 1: Nature and Needs of Gifted Learners, Responsive Learning
Link:http://txgiftedcourses.responsivelearning.com/SelfRegistration/
Registration Code: c11277WISD11371
Day 2: Screening, Assessment and Identification, Responsive Learning
use the link and code provided above
Day 3: Differentiating in a G/T Classroom, Google Classroom (oqa726)
Day 4: Critical and Creative Thinking, Google Classroom (mslr7j)
Day 5: Depth and Complexity, Google Classroom (eg3pzl)
Annual Update Options- All annual updates are due no later than May 1, 2020
Book Study (September 1-December 20, 2019) 6-Hours Credit Each
Living with Intensity, Susan Daniels (Eduphoria course link)
Mindfulness in the Classroom, Season Mussey (Google Classroom 2mp2z0i)
Frames (ebook)- J. Taylor Publishing. (Must be purchased and downloaded from JTayloreducation.com. Item # JTE-5D) (Google Classroom q359noe)
90 Minute Google Classroom Updates- Complete 4 to fulfill your 6-hour Update
Depth and Complexity: Creating Tiered Instruction (Google Classroom wtda9jh)
Differentiation in the Classroom: The Basics (Google Classroom ifxecn)
Depth and Complexity: Creating a Choice Board (Google Classroom F5gm8ec)
Depth and Complexity: Creating a Frame (Google Classroom 67xr2h)
*Additional courses will be added throughout the year.