Principal's Message
September 7th, 2015
Setting Objectives
1. Set learning objectives that are specific, not restrictive
2. Communicate learning objectives to students and parents
3. Connect to previous and future learning
4. Engage students in setting personal learning objectives
During our first PD session with Dr. Buckman she stated clearly that when buildings first start this work it is not likely that the building data will indicate QFIC at the start, but rather the goal is to be QFIC by the end of the year. So, where are we as a building?
Total Walkthroughs 46
97.6% or 41 had set learning objectives that were specific
71.4% or 30 communicated the learning objective to students
31% or 13 connected to previous and future learning
21.4% or 4 engaged students in setting personal learning objectives
In a nutshell, we are on the right track and our data supports EXACTLY what Dr. Buckman told us in August. Many teachers have commented on criteria #3 and #4 being the most difficult and our data supports that as well. We are set up to make growth as the year progresses. Keep your questions and conversations going about objectives. If you would like Dr. Buckman to visit your PLC just let her know. Tuesdays are difficult for her to get away, but you can move your PLC to a different day for a visit. Keep up the great work!
The Walkthrough Form
Attendance and Discipline
At the end of August last year we had 27 office referrals. At the end of August this year we have 3 office referrals.
This is great news!! Kids are not only coming to school, but they are in the classroom learning! Keep up the great work!
Are You a Carrot, Egg, or Coffee Bean? How Will You React When the Work Gets Tough?
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her.
She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.
Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished out the carrots and placed them in a bowl. She pulled out the eggs and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled out the coffee and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its richness and savored its aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity — boiling water. Each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?”
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst; you become even better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?
How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?