The Roar
February 8, 2016
Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline." ~ Jim Collins
Chatham's Chattering
As Visitation Day is upon us, let us remember that this day is about what and how our students are learning. It is a great opportunity for others to step outside their own schools and perhaps learn something new or discover a fresh perspective. We are very proud of you and our students, and we thank you for opening up your classrooms to your colleagues in the district and beyond.
At our last faculty meeting, your ticket out the door was to write something good that happened during your day. After reading your responses, I thought it would be nice for you to see what your colleagues had to report. Remember the small wins sometimes turn out to have the greatest impact. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did. What I love is the behavioral and academic successes you chose to recognize in your students. Never forget how important you are in the lives of these children and in the success of our school.
Write something good that happened today. . .
· My students persevered in revising their homework this morning. Some of them came back several times before their final copy met the standard. They did it willingly.
· Several kids asked me today if I would go with them to 4th grade and be their teacher next year. They suggested that I write a persuasive piece to Mrs. Chatham. LOL!
· I had a wonderful time working with Tammy Lee in Common Planning.
· I got to laugh with a friend.
· A kid told me that I explain activities better than anyone he has ever heard. J
· A student is moving, and he told me he loved me and would miss me.
· I got to spend the day with Leigh Rimpau.
· My kiddos are rocking and reading the sight words or as we call them our pass codes into our room! J
· That it doesn’t matter where a child comes from as to the level of education.
· Collaboration with my 5th grade peeps!
· My student approached me with a smile this morning and complimented my flowers on my desk.
· My Kids labeled a sound wave correctly and posted it on Padlet.
· One of my ESOL students figured out a spelling/”scramble” by himself.
· My first grade student finally demonstrated an understanding of place value! YAY!
· My students finally got excited about creating a writing piece today. Yay traditional literature!
· I was given hugs today when I needed them.
· All my students were here and on time (willing to learn).
· I learned how to get quality video easily from Safari Montage.
· Being around wonderful colleagues each and every day that make me smile! J
· My 2nd graders wrote beautiful moon poetry today!
· I can always find laughter in the stress of looking at test scores!
· My student worked to make good choices and had the best day this calendar year.
· A student didn’t have to be removed from class.
· I helped several students with a project that is really special to them.
· A student noticed my “I Can” statement need updating. J Loved that she was watching.
· We made breakthroughs while making 10 sticks w/popsicles as a 10 and beans as ones. (starting place value)
· My kids thought about their reading and wrote meaningful responses. J
· I had patience with a student. J
· I got the opportunity to come to this wonderful school. J
· Coffee J
· A Child who really struggled had a good day today.
· I had a student hug me and tell me that our lesson/activity was fun.
· Zachary wrote a story I could read and HE could read it to me!!
· My fifth graders learned how to reduce fraction!
· Had a “tough” 5th grade class that we had an awesome lesson on Langston Hughes and Louis Armstrong and they wrote their own “Blues” song.
· Math went well. J
· My best listener today was a sweet boy in McGee’s class.
· I sat by Olson today. She is the best!!
· My kids were fantastic all day! J
· Eloy read 45 words on the Slosson Assessment. He read zero words in August!
· I woke up!
· Kids revising their writing.
· I had 2 push-in students to complete their stop motion animation film independently – a day early!!!
· My students cheered with excitement when I told them we were using knowledge from last year to improve their knowledge in a new way!
· Today at grade level planning I found more resources on the shared drive. It was Awesome!
· Had a student who had a meltdown but ended up with a great day J in the end!
· I realized a new student was much more capable than I first thought.
· I listened to some seriously bad jokes when I ate lunch with my class today!!! “What’s an egg’s favorite activity?” “Kare-yoking”
· My students wrote the most amazing imitations of our mentor sentence.
· My student accomplished reading goals and completed their snowmen!
· Free Chick-Fil-A biscuit this morning. J
· Grandkids spent the night… Granddad and I double teamed to get them ready for school and us out the door. Yes :)
· I got a hug from a sweet little friend.
· My students still made me laugh.
· I received a hug from a student she said she loved me. J Warms my heart.
· All my kids came to school today.
· A student hugged me and thanked me.
· Mauney and I co-taught a measurement lesson in math fantastically today! I led, she supported. J
· I marked two things off of my to do list.
· My student handled a major issue in a good manner.
· Had an excellent substitute.
· Students were able to clarify if they met their reading goal.
· Brayden worked hard in every part of his day, in Mrs. Emmett’s class.
· Avery felt success many times today because she knows adjectives so well!
· My CT (Shannon) is a great support and mentor!
· I had a child ask me if I was coming back to her classroom to do a lesson because she enjoyed it! J
· Able to encourage a child for making good choices.
· My friends on my grade level took care of me emotionally while dealing with a “sad” student.
· Stephen completed his work without any help. He did it all by himself.
· Was able to plan for the rest of the quarter!
· Lourdes told me she was “famous on campus” after her innovation fair video. J
· My kids used STEM to create 3D shapes. They also collaborated and synergized.
· I had lunch with two adorable children today. J
· One of my students who struggles working independently completed his work today without any support!!!
· My baby said DaDa!
· A troubled student made great strides in group work! J
· The behavior in 5th grade was spectacular! I got to teach a full lesson.
· One good thing: Being reminded that a teacher makes the difference, not demographics.
· Collaboration with my team!
· I laughed with my colleagues! J
· Several students demonstrate a great love for reading – choosing to read in their free time.
· Enjoying lunch with some sweet kindergarteners.
· I was thanked by two students for creating “fun & pretty” hall displays.
· I was given a compliment about my son.
· OREO lesson by my student teacher. She made a great “mega” connection!
· A special education student in my 2nd grade class made a connection today during my lesion and was excited about it.
It’s GREAT to be a Harbins Tiger!
Jennifer
PTA Grant Update
Who Is Making IT Happen
- Deneen Parr for handling all the transportation, phones, intercom etc., that she handled on her first day being here with out Jennifer R.
- Bridget and Chris for all their hard work in getting us ready for Visitation Day. You rock!
CFA Lunch on Tuesday, 2/9/16
As a thank you for your hard work on Innovation Fair and the upcoming Visitation Day on Tuesday, 2/9/16. Sunshine will be providing to our entire staff plus our student teachers a Chick-Fil-A Box Lunch. These will be available in the front office conference room starting at 10:35. Drinks will not be provided, so you will need to get your drink from the cafe or the mail room.
As we know, there are several people that do not eat CFA. If you are one that does not and one will not need to be ordered for you, please let Montine know by Friday afternoon via e-mail.
Certified Transfer Process
Custodial/Furniture Needs
Saturday 2/20/16 the school will be open for Staff from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
News From Other Schools
Conferences Needing a Spanish Speaking Translator
Early Release Schedule
Early Release Teacher Information
Review of K-12 Science and Social Studies GPS
A formal review process was conducted for the K-12 Science and Social Studies Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). The review process included several public survey opportunities from April 16, 2015, through September 15, 2015. Teacher and stakeholder survey results informed the revision process for drafting the K-12 Science and Social Studies Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE). Working, Advisory, and Academic Review Committees representing K-12 Georgia public school teachers and education stakeholders from across the state made revisions to the K-12 Science and Social Studies GPS based on survey results. See the attached documents for an overview of the revision process.
On January 14, 2016, the State Board of Education granted permission to post the draft Science and Social Studies GSE for 60 days of public review and comment.
The surveys for both Science and Social Studies will be posted from January 15, 2016, through March 14, 2016. The survey opportunity will close on March 14, 2016, at 5:00 P.M. EST. We need your assistance in forwarding this communication and the links below to appropriate staff, PTA/PTO members, and other education stakeholders.
For science related information, contact Juan-Carlos Aguilar, Science Program Manager, via email at jaguilar@doe.k12.ga.us or via phone at 404-657-9072. For social studies related information, contact Shaun Owen, Social Studies Program Manager, via email at sowen@doe.k12.ga.us or via phone at 404-651-7271.
Use the following URL to access an overview of the Science and Social Studies revision process, draft standards and crosswalk documents, and survey links:
Strategic Initiatives 2016 - 2020 Information
Components of effective STEM
1.Rigor- Rigorous interdisciplinary instruction with problem solving
relevance- Emphasis on real-world product development
3.Relationships- Collaborations with business and industry partners in the geographical area
4.Integration of Problem/Project-Based Learning and the Engineering Design Process
5. Using technology and literacy as a facilitator of student learning in a transformative instructional manner.
Special Education Bachelor's Degree Program information Session
Georgia Gwinnett College and GCPS have teamed up to offer an evening/weekend program that will allow GCPS paraprofessionals and school based employees (not including substitutes) to complete a bachelor’s degree and become certified in Special Education while continuing to work. The program is designed for candidates who have completed an associate’s degree or a minimum of 60 semester/90 quarter hours from a regionally accredited college, university or technical school. Additional information on the program, program requirements and admission criteria can be obtained during a Informational Session scheduled with representatives from Georgia Gwinnett College and GCPS.
When: Monday, February 15, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Where: Instructional Support Center Building #200 Grayson Room
437 Old Peachtree Road
Suwanee, GA 30024
Please contact Patrice Pendergast at 678-301-6076 with any questions.
Gwinnett Digital Learning Conference 2016—Call for Proposals
This is an open request for proposals to present at the Gwinnett Digital Learning Conference on June 14, 2016 at the Instructional Support Center. The proposal form will be available beginning Monday, January 11, 2016. We hope that you will consider sharing your knowledge and expertise with your peers.Please note that choice session presentations will last approximately one hour. The deadline to submit presentation proposals is February 19, 2016.
We invite Teachers, Administrators, LSTCs, Media Specialists and Central Office Leaders to submit Digital Learning presentation proposals in any of the following areas:
Instructional Strategies
Communication and Collaboration
Digital Tools
Creativity and Innovation
Project-Based Learning
STEM or STEAM
The proposal form is located in the employee portal. Below are directions to access the proposal form:
Log into the employee portal using your employee ID and portal password.
Go to the Tools tab and click on GDLC Proposals in the Media section.
STEMCampATL - Spring 2016
GCPS is proud to host the 2nd STEMCampATL for metro-Atlanta STEM educators. STEMCampATL is designed to provide access to high quality, personalized professional learning for K-12 educators. Embracing the belief that fellow STEM educators can provde some of the most valuable professional development resources for their colleagues. This unconference learning will be driven by teachers for teachers. Come prepared to share and learn about innovative practices in STEM education.
What: STEMCampATL
When: Saturday March 12, 2016 8:00 - 12:00
Where: Peachtree Ridge HS
Registration will open on January 5th @ http://stemcampatl.weebly.com/
RFL Cupcake Challenge
Dates That Lunch Monitors Are Not Available and Teachers Will Need to Eat in Cafe With Their Class
February 22nd
March 4th & 21st
April 18th & 28th
May 12th, 23rd, 24th & 25th
Classroom Spirit Award
ABCD Awards
Please send your nominations to Chatham by January 21, 2015, for recognition of staff members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that teaching and learning at Harbins are at the highest levels.
Roar Deadline
If you want to add something to the Roar, it must be sent to Montine by noon on Thursday of each week. If not turned in by Thursday at noon, it will have to be entered into the following week’s Roar. Thanks for your help!
Leaders in Learning
A Chrome file has been shared with each teacher, please go in to list your Leader in Learning each month when Montine sends out the notification email.