The STEAM Update
Week of December 4, 2017
Busy Month! Lots of upcoming events.
What's happening around STEAM?
Monday 12/4
Math/Science/Humanities/Electives PLC (4:30pm-5:30pm)
Brief collective commitment check at beginning of meeting.
Calibrate Semester Exams.
Focus:
-60% of the questions at level 3 or above?
-90% of the questions are TEKS aligned?
Twitter: #EDpiper Chat (9pm) add #STEAMpln to the chat answers
Tuesday 12/5
Twitter: #PBLchat (7-8pm) add #STEAMpln to the chat answers
Wednesday 12/6
Happy Wednesday!
Mrs. Barnes out of office.
STEAM PLN 4:15-5:30
2 whole-group sessions (30 minutes each):
- STEAM Reading Strategies (Hosted by Humanities)
- STEAM Framework coaching
Twitter: #kidsdeserveit (8-8:30pm) add #STEAMpln to the chat answers
Thursday 12/7
Twitter: #DitchBook Chat (8-9pm) add #STEAMpln to the chat answers
STEAM Band Concert, @ 6:30pm, BHS
Friday 12/8
Happy Friday!
Mrs. Cook out of office.
STEAM Spelling Bee 9:00-11:00am in Fitness Center
STEAM "Chill" Dance 5:30-7:00pm
Upcoming Dates
Thursday, December 14th: BISD Film Festival (details below)
Wednesday-Friday, December 20-22: Semester Exams, Schedule coming soon
Friday, December 22nd: Student Early Release
Monday, December 25th-Monday, January 8th: Winter Break
Tuesday, January 9th: Welcome back, Spring semester!
Tuesday, January 19th: Last day to add/drop class for the year, no exceptions!
Math & Science Exam Calibration Tool
Humanities Exam Calibration Tool
CLT Notes
HUGE Celebration! Per MAP, 82% of our students are on reading level!
Science:
-10% to 20% of instruction focused on reading
- Implement campus wide reading strategies
Math:
-Motivational math problems 2x weekly
-Academic vocabulary throughout units
College and Career:
-Multiple choice questions on weekly reader
-Daily vocabulary practice
Tech:
-Multiple choice comprehension questions on weekly reader
Humanities:
-30 minutes weekly for TEKS that students struggle with
-Semi-formal assessments 2-3 weekly (MAP and STAAR rigor focus)
-Co-teach focusing on reading sessions with SpEd students
-Host a PLN session with simple strategies for campus
During PLC, all departments will spend beginning of meeting focusing on last week's commitments' success or needs of growth.
Special Notes from Mrs. Harrison
Winter Door Contest
- Decorating may begin on Friday, December 1st (after school; class time may not be used to decorate doors). Decorations must come down on or before Friday, December 22nd as part of closeout duties.
- If you are participating in the contest, please use this form to enter your door.
- Judging will begin on Friday, December 8th. Judges will make rounds at 3:00 pm to decide on the top three doors.
- First Place: Gift card and 3 jeans stickers, Second Place: 2 jeans stickers, & Third Place: 1 jeans sticker!
Week of December 18th-22nd @ STEAM
Winter Break is coming soon; just 5 short days we must go through. Get ready for daily treats with a holiday theme to get us through the week!
Monday, December 18th: Jeans with a Santa Hat
Tuesday, December 19th: Potluck (Tammy will disperse the sign-up)
Wednesday, December 20th: Tacky Sweater and Jeans + Tweet it Out!
Thursday, December 21st: Staff Holiday Party (click here to RSVP)!
Friday, December 22nd: Coffee Bar & Last Day!
STEAM Staff Holiday Party
STEAM Middle School is the campus newsletter for parents
House Pts Competition
As of Friday, KAWANI won the house points competition.
Teachers & Students in the KAWANI house may have free dress on Monday, December 4th. Kawani Students must pick up high school dress sticker in the cafeteria upon arrival. Students without stickers will have to change into standardized dress.
*Within high school dress guidelines.
STEAM U
Collaboration Areas
Our 1 Instructional Focus: Standards Alignment
Our walkthrough focus will be to see that students use of the standards-aligned rubric. If you need support, feel free to come see Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Tashman, Mrs. Irons or Mrs. Cook.
Deep Curriculum Alignment-RIGOR
Learning Targets Feedback
#STEAMpln: Where Educators Learn
Blog Posts
Teaching Exhausted? Pause, Reflect, And Adjust
New: Reaching hard to reach students with passion and tough love
Want Change In Education? Look Beyond The Usual Suspects (Like Finland)
New: Shattering The Perfect Teacher Myth- Chapter 7
Ted Talk
Grit: The power of passion and perseverance
Focus on Standards
2017 STAAR lead4ward Projected Scoring Estimates
STEAM LEARNER PROFILE
Campus Visits & Classroom Ambassadors
- Opening the door for classroom visitors and greeting them
- Ensure that visitors have a place to sit or stand
- Explaining the Learning Target and where they are in the learning
- Answer any questions that visitors have about the class
Gentle Reminders
- Monitor the hallways during transitions
- Greet your students at the door
- Take accurate attendance
Chromebooks & Charging
Weekly Parent Communication
Please be sure to connect with the parents of your students weekly. The newsletter is a great start but be sure to send out at least one piece of correspondence per week in addition to the grade level newsletter.
***Please be sure to add homework and any upcoming major assignments to your newsletters for parents***
Please email Mrs. Cook with how you contact your parents.
Darcy Tedford Tweets
We love these 6 strategies for turning students into independent learners. What tips would you add to this list? http://edut.to/2ASRzy9
STEAM Middle School
Email: ccook@bisdmail.net
Website: http://steam.burlesonisd.net/
Location: 900 Hillside Drive, Burleson, TX, United States
Phone: 817-245-1500
Facebook: facebook.com/SteamMiddleSchool/
Twitter: @steam_ms