Wildcat Chat
MCE Staff Newsletter for Jan. 14, 2016
Curriculum Corner
- Thank you for your hard work on our first Snow Learning Day! Your conversations, reflections and goal setting was amazing to be a part of.
- Thank you for your willingness to share out about the great things that your grade levels are doing! It is always insightful to hear from your colleagues and I love that you have already started implementing some of the things you learned.
- PD HOURS: I will put an updated PD log in your mailboxes. This will give you an idea of where you stand with your PD hours for this school year. Many of you have been to outside PDs but I do not have the documentation.
- I know your lesson plans will look very similar to what you had planned for this week. Make the necessary adjustments, plan for the additional days and you will be good to go!
- Thank you for your RTI plans. This is going to move our students!
- You truly are a fantastic staff! Let me know what you need from me.
Know When to Hold'em?
Twinning at MCE!
Remind Me!
Welcome to Mrs. Field! Glad to have you back @ MCE.
January Jots Part Deux
Monday, Jan. 18
No School MLK Jr. Day
Tuesday, Jan. 19
CINSAM Fish Bowl @ DRE
Penny War Begins/School Mall Booklets Deadline
Speech ARC Mr. Gregg
Wednesday, Jan. 20
Momma Ellison's Shower @ 3:30
Thursday, Jan. 21
Academic Team Meeting VS. DRE
Friday, Jan. 22
PreK ARC with Ms. Waggoner
Speech ARC Mrs. Keith Coverage provided @ 10:30
Speech ARC Mrs. Lengle 2x
Speech ARC Mrs. Cosgrove
Last day for School Mall Prizes
A big hello to Mrs. Anglin. Hope you are doing well and we wish you a speedy recovery!
Principal's Pontifications
Wowser!
We have a lot to focus on...Progress Reports....RTI Plans....Program Review Evidence....Common Assessment Results and how to adjust...Flex Grouping...Wildcat Club...Snow Learning...and that was just on WEDNESDAY!
The end of a four day weekend found us collaborating and planning and taking over the world (or at least the primary hallway!?). Those goals-setting conversations are part of a big picture focus. Where are we going? What's our goal? How are we going to get there? Whatever your team decided in your 30-60-90 days conversations, know that we won't get there overnight but that we have to get moving with those targeted, novice reduction, on the bubble strategies. You will be revisiting those again and we can't wait to see the progress.
Once those common assessment spreadsheets were shared, you all just jumped into the data...looking for specific kids, checking for patterns, summarizing their overall growth. Use the needs that pop up to create the next set of lessons/centers/morning work. You have been open and so receptive to trying new things. Keep it rolling!
Our first Snow Learning Day was a full one. Feedback from you requested more time to work with your team. We know it was more structured because the staff meeting was embedded. Looking ahead to our next Snow Learning Day, we will incorporate more team planning. Your team will have at least three and a half hours to collaborate and plan. We'll ask you to design an agenda for your time together in advance and then the next SLD will...ZOWIE....be one big, preplanned team productivity extravaganza. More details to come soon. Be thinking about what your team would identify as priorities and how you'd use that time to support instruction.
Reflecting on the day, I think one of my favorite parts was the grade level share out that Mrs. Walters mentioned. You all have so much expertise. Thanks for sharing your day-to-day strategies. Thanks for taking a risk and putting more tricks into our collective toolkit. PD for the people, of the people and by the people that know our kids best!
To steal Mrs. Switzer's trademark quote....That's Good Stuff!