LV Impact
Lakeview Staff Newsletter - January 10
AGR Goals
Here is the link to the school board presentation. Many thanks to Rachel, Diane, Sarah W, and April Swanson for attending.
If someone asked you about AGR at Lakeview, here are the the highlights you should be able to speak to:
• AGR = Achievement Gap Reduction. It provides funding based on the number of free and reduced students. Lakeview is the only AGR school in SDSM (there are 409 AGR schools in Wisconsin).
• Although AGR is a 5K-3rd grade program, it benefits our entire school through smaller class sizes in some primary grades and instructional coaching that impacts all of us. This year, we use a combination of small class sizes (grades 1 & 3) and instructional coaching (grades 5K & 2), although the instructional coach can be used in more than just those two grades.
• AGR causes us to stop and ask, "Where are the gaps?" before setting math and literacy goals at each grade level, 5K-3rd.
• We have identified that our biggest gap at Lakeview is the growth gap between students that are on grade level vs. those below grade level (orange and blue equity gap data). This was the origin of our goal to be "responsive to student academic needs so that all students meet or exceed expected growth".
• AGR is a big part, but still only part of Lakeview's work. The work on the Collaborative project for inclusion, the focus on small group instruction, learning targets in math, counting trajetories, efficient minilessons, student stamina and engagement, the SLO's that largely mirror the AGR goals, as well as all of the other pieces are what bring our AGR goals into our daily practice.
Looking ahead
Monday, Jan 13:
PALS window opens
Building meeting (optional) 7:45-8:15 in library
Lunch/recess moved up one hour (10:55-11:45) today
Music demonstration performance 12:20-1:00 in gym
Tuesday, Jan 14 - TSS team meets from 3:45-4:30 in the library
Wednesday, Jan 15 - LV Staff Meeting from 7:15-8:15 in the library
Thursday, Jan 16 - Deadline for entering Forward accommodations
Friday, Jan 17 - Sunshine Event after school
Friday, Jan 17 - PTO Family Game night 6-8 p.m. (see below)
PTO Events in January
Family game night is a new PTO event on Friday, January 17th from 6-8 p.m. in our gym. Our PTO is working to develop more free, community-building events. There is a BINGO night coming up this spring as well. If you would like to play Sorry or Yahtzee or any of those great games with families, join us. If not able to join us, please do two things: (1) promote the event to students and (2) thank the PTO for hosting.
Please welcome ...
One of the things Lakeview does really well is welcome people and surround them with support. As we await baby Nillissen and baby DeBruin, please welcome:
• Jaime Kawczynski (cough-CHIN-ski) - Brianne's long term sub. Jaime was the counselor at Deerfield Elementary in Oak Creek. You probably met Jaime this week when she shadowed Brianne on Wednesday and Friday.
• Mary Fortier - Amy's sub from when Amy leaves until Feb 13. On Feb 14th, Melissa Spangler will return and Jean Nelson will then move across the hall to Amy's room. Mary Fortier is a retired teacher from E.W. Luther. We are so fortunate with all of our long term subs!
We also bid farewell to Taquita Lehto on January 17th. Taquita will be returning to school to finish her degree. We certainly have been fortunate to have Taquita with us for the past year, and we may continue to see her as a para sub on days when it works for her schedule. Thanks, Taquita, for your work!
I am very happy to tell you that Esther Kiepart will be taking Taquita's position. Esther was our 5K long-term para from September until Thanksgiving, and we are glad she will be returning to us as an SDSM paraprofessional working with Bronwyn and Chris Clausen!
Science office hours - Ann Newman
• Wednesday, January 22 from 2-3 p.m. in Brianne's office
• Thursday, January 23 from 7:45-8:30 in the library
Please go back to the email from December 17 from Dr. Newman which contained so much valuable information about science.
My Learning Plan
• If you had a PPG that said something like "By the end of December, I will ..." then this would be a great time to submit your PPG reflection form.
• With PALS and MAP data coming, please prepare to do mid-cycle SLO forms.
• As I complete EE observations, please do me a favor - when you get an automated email from My Learning Plan, log into MLP and acknowledge the form by clicking the button at the bottom after reading. It really keeps the system moving on my end if each person does their part right away.
Tardy Letters
"______ is tardy/absent a lot. Is there anything we can do?"
Please know that we are staying on top of the attendance/tardy situations even more this year, and it really is better than last year at this time. Tardies can be really hard to deal with because they are often not the student's fault. In another effort to help get students here on time, this week we mailed this tardy letter and an attached attendance report to every student who was tardy three or more times from September 4 through December 20. We have also been publishing attendance and tardy statistics regularly in the family newsletter. And, of course, there are a lot of phone calls that Brianne and I make regarding attendance and tardies. Some families may find themselves facing habitual truancy, but we will do everything we can to help families understand the importance of attending the full school day every day.
What can staff do to help? Continue to let families know that school starts at 8:30 a.m. (you would be surprised how many people think it starts at 8:35). Let families know that there is playground supervision from 8:15-8:30 (again, you would be amazed how many people do not realize that). Tell students "I'm glad to see you" when they come in late. Feel free to mention the tardy issue to families at pick up - I usually use this phrase: "Is there anything we can do to help make sure ____ is here before 8:30 every morning?" If they hear directly from the teacher, it might help even more.
Articles catching my eye
• This article about Social-Emotional Learning is not new, but talks about promising strategies for SEL in the future. I am really interested to see how SEL strategies like these researchers are working on and good old executive functioning skills come together in the future.
• John Hattie's Visible Learning effect sizes are presented nicely on this website. Why is the research of John Hattie important to us? Because we know that teachers make so, so many decisions every day. For example, should I have kids jigsaw an article or read whole-group? Hattie reminds us that we must know the impact of choices like this and every choice we make all day because our options do not have equal impact. It does not mean we always use high impact or shun lower impact strategies ~ it means that we must be ever-more conscious about our decision making process as educators and learn more about how to use high-impact strategies effectively.
Structural Items
MAP Testing - Use this spreadsheet. Let's complete all testing (including make-ups) by January 24th.
Forward testing - Grades 3-5, here is the website I referenced earlier in the week about Forward Practice and sample items.
Link to this week's family newsletter
Personal Day Blackouts - here is a link to blackout days for elementary personal days.
Lakeview Elementary School
Email: csepersky@sdsm.k12.wi.us
Website: lakeview.sdsm.k12.wi.us
Location: 711 Marion Avenue, South Milwaukee, WI, USA
Phone: 414-766-5252
Twitter: @sepersky