the RAH
December 12-16, 2016
from the Hubb-
Parent involvement. What thoughts does this conjure up? To me, it makes me think of literacy and math nights, PBL unit culminating projects, parent teacher conferences, and holiday programs. But, it also makes me think of how frustrating it can be to find ways to engage families in meaningful ways to help our children academically. I found some interesting ways other districts are engaging families by viewing parents as assets and essential partners in students’ development, learning, and wellness.
One way, is by proving parents with short instructional videos by category. These videos focus on instructional strategies our teachers are using, such as; choosing just right books, how to read with your child, and working on word problems. As a parent, there are many times I’ve had to Google how to solve certain math concepts in order to help my kids with homework. If we create our own videos to share with parents, imagine how helpful that could be.
Here is a list of videos from Special School District in St. Louis. Hopefully, these will inspire you to think of ways to engage parents in different ways.
Choosing just right books https://vimeo.com/181213475
My time to read https://vimeo.com/147511342
Play-doh fractions https://vimeo.com/168086772
Rhyme time https://vimeo.com/160121082
Word problems https://vimeo.com/151925058
Also, here is an interesting take on family engagement. Stanton APPT Workshop- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YNsWrFiYfY This district brings in families and involves them in a meeting engaging them in a discussion on what students are working on in the classroom, why it is important, and how they can help students at home. Parents learn about classroom goals that have been set for achievement and how they can help their child meet those goals (even though the conversation is around DIBELS, it could easily be switched to sight words, math concepts, or reading level). If you start watching at the 5 minute mark, you can see the great interaction between the classroom teachers and parents.
from the Mayor-
During a conversation around principal evaluation Standards 1.1 and 1.2 (Mission, Vision, and Goals) last week, a colleague shared this document with me. His leadership team has been working through their Core Values this fall and is ready to present to the whole staff. I thought I would share with you.
On Tuesday evening at the BOE meeting, we will honor Lorie Fisher, Rebecca Donaldson, and Janell Bagwell for their recent MAESP accomplishments.
I’ve been reading a book on teacher formative assessment. One section of the book includes antecedents that should to be in place in order for principal/teacher feedback to be effective. These include:
· Connect – This is achieved overtime between principals and teachers. It includes rapport, setting expectations, and making commitments to the formative supervision process centered on growth.
· Setting GRRATE Expectations – Goals, Roles, Resources, Accountabilities, Timeframe, and Empowerment that are included each time a principal observes a teacher and provides feedback with reflective dialogue.
· Observe – Gather objective data (not subjective) about a teacher’s performance on a regular basis.
· Prepare – Prior to reflective dialogue, prepare objective data and the conversation strategy for discussing the lesson observation.
from J-
1) Care
2) Try
A couple months ago, Ben, Shane and I were able to learn with Will Richardson. At that time, he shared this excerpt with us. We shared it at ELT, and I have seen the document start making site rounds. If you haven't yet seen it, please find the 2 min read that can & should prompt time for deeper think and discussion by clicking here.
I'm looking forward to learning with you at Senior Leadership Team/Elementary Leadership Team on Wednesday. Please bring/have access to your master calendar that allows you insight to your teachers' planning time.
Senior Leadership Team/Elementary Leadership Team
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2016, 08:30 AM
1359 East Saint Louis Street, Springfield, MO, United States
How will you end the semester?
The holiday festive & fever season is upon us. While student activity and anxiety may be on the rise, please resist the easy path of scrooging it, putting the thumb down, and sucking the fun out of the season and the holiday. The better path is to teach, learn and engage with high expectations through December 21, all while embracing the joy that should come with this season. So, how are you making school a fun place to teach and learn?