West Goshen News
August 15, 2015
Changes... IMPORTANT
Karen, Aimee, Jodie, and I have been working with Karen Blaha on our RtI (Response to Intervention) model here at West Goshen. RtI is a federal regulation that all schools must follow. As we were digging into our RtI model, we realized that there are some things that we need to tighten up so we are in compliance with the federal regulation. We had some ideas swirling around but didn't know how to put it into action.
Then, last week in cluster, when we were discussing how WG can go from Good to Great, there was a trend that popped up in each cluster - WE NEED TIME TO COLLABORATE WITH EACH OTHER and discuss the interventions that we are putting in place for our students! Not only with your grade level teams but time to collaborate with the EL teachers, TOI's, LaDene, and Lauren.
After hearing from you, I decided that we need to utilize the time that we have available to us. One time that we all have is our Monday morning early release time. The district and the school board approved this time to be used for professional development within our school. Typically, we have used this for cluster. But, there is a need to utilize this time for all of you to align the instruction that is happening across our building.
Here is what we can accomplish if we utilize this time:
1. time when we are all here with no students so we can communicate and document our instruction between the classroom/EL/intervention/Special Ed;
2. align our RtI at WG to federal regulations;
and
3. understand and utilize the data that we will be collecting on our students to be used to differentiate our instruction.
Here are the changes that we will put in place beginning the week of August 24th:
1. All staff members will be involved in professional development on Monday mornings (7:30am-8:15am). This professional development will be used to understand our RtI model here at WG. We will use data from STI's, NWEA, and formative assessments to drive these meetings. Your grade level teams will have time to meet with TOI's, Lauren, LaDene and the EL staff to discuss the data. *Kindergarten teachers: until you get STI/NWEA data to analyze - you will use this time to integrate Tools of the Mind into the Curriculum maps (I will talk to you about your agenda for this).
2. Clusters will run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school (Aimee will be notifying you if your cluster day/time has changed). The data that you discuss on Monday morning will be carried over into cluster to dig deeper into the planning of tier 1 (Core) instruction within your classrooms.
The first Monday we meet we will take time time to just understand RtI. We will all meet in the TAP room to begin this journey. I am beyond excited to get this up and going. (If you want to see all the exciting THINKING that has taken place for this - stop by my office, I'd be happy to share!) Being able to use this time to communicate and document (2 key components of RtI!) the support we are giving our students is going to be HUGE in moving us toward the GREATNESS we want to achieve!
Then, last week in cluster, when we were discussing how WG can go from Good to Great, there was a trend that popped up in each cluster - WE NEED TIME TO COLLABORATE WITH EACH OTHER and discuss the interventions that we are putting in place for our students! Not only with your grade level teams but time to collaborate with the EL teachers, TOI's, LaDene, and Lauren.
After hearing from you, I decided that we need to utilize the time that we have available to us. One time that we all have is our Monday morning early release time. The district and the school board approved this time to be used for professional development within our school. Typically, we have used this for cluster. But, there is a need to utilize this time for all of you to align the instruction that is happening across our building.
Here is what we can accomplish if we utilize this time:
1. time when we are all here with no students so we can communicate and document our instruction between the classroom/EL/intervention/Special Ed;
2. align our RtI at WG to federal regulations;
and
3. understand and utilize the data that we will be collecting on our students to be used to differentiate our instruction.
Here are the changes that we will put in place beginning the week of August 24th:
1. All staff members will be involved in professional development on Monday mornings (7:30am-8:15am). This professional development will be used to understand our RtI model here at WG. We will use data from STI's, NWEA, and formative assessments to drive these meetings. Your grade level teams will have time to meet with TOI's, Lauren, LaDene and the EL staff to discuss the data. *Kindergarten teachers: until you get STI/NWEA data to analyze - you will use this time to integrate Tools of the Mind into the Curriculum maps (I will talk to you about your agenda for this).
2. Clusters will run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school (Aimee will be notifying you if your cluster day/time has changed). The data that you discuss on Monday morning will be carried over into cluster to dig deeper into the planning of tier 1 (Core) instruction within your classrooms.
The first Monday we meet we will take time time to just understand RtI. We will all meet in the TAP room to begin this journey. I am beyond excited to get this up and going. (If you want to see all the exciting THINKING that has taken place for this - stop by my office, I'd be happy to share!) Being able to use this time to communicate and document (2 key components of RtI!) the support we are giving our students is going to be HUGE in moving us toward the GREATNESS we want to achieve!
Success Groups!
We are going to move into these SLOWLY! For the next three weeks (until we take the time to understand and analyze the new STI assessments), your team can utilize Success Time as you see fit. Some ideas:
1. Procedures
2. Math facts (if you need some flash cards, there are some in the TAP room)
3. Sight words
4. Reading and answering text dependent questions
5. Re-teach any content that you have been doing in your classroom
*If you want the Success Teachers who are assigned to grade level to come up to your classrooms and do some instruction in small groups within your classroom, you can! You just need to notify them!
1. Procedures
2. Math facts (if you need some flash cards, there are some in the TAP room)
3. Sight words
4. Reading and answering text dependent questions
5. Re-teach any content that you have been doing in your classroom
*If you want the Success Teachers who are assigned to grade level to come up to your classrooms and do some instruction in small groups within your classroom, you can! You just need to notify them!
Odds and Ends
NWEA:
Last week, Aimee, Jenn C., Holly, and I attended the NWEA assessment training. We walked away VERY excited about the data that we will be able to utilize from this assessment.
The first window will start on August 31st. The window will be 3 weeks long (one week for ELA; on week for math; one week for language). We should be able to utilize our regular scheduled computer times to administer the assessments. During those weeks, you will probably want to schedule an extra computer time if your whole class does not complete the assessment during your computer time (each assessment will take 40-50 minutes on average). The test IS NOT TIMED but the time it takes a student to complete the assessment will be documented as another source of data. Modifications for students who need them can be set up through the computer.
VERY soon, you should be getting an e-mail from Central Office to complete the professional development on NWEA. This PD needs to be completed before the first window. Once the PD is complete, you will be given a certificate to print out for PGP points to renew your license!
Heather Esteban
Our Instructional Collaborator will be starting on Monday! She will be setting up her office in the 2nd half of the TAP room. Please welcome her when you see her!
Bells
I think the bells have been set! We will see on Monday! The first bell should sound at 7:35 to indicate opening the doors for breakfast. We will also have an end of school bell at 2:45 as a warning bell. 2:50 a bell will ring to signal the end of the day!
If they do not go off as scheduled, I will put in a work ticket to get them fixed!
Classroom Procedures
Thanks to all of you who have sent us your classrooms rules/procedures/expectations. If you have not sent them to us (Jodie, Karen, myself), please do so ASAP.
Lesson Plans
A BIG THANK you to those of you who turned in your lesson plans. If you haven't yet, I will be coming around to ask you for them! :) Remember, these do not have to be extremely detailed - write out your goals, activities, and assessments for ELA and math!
Last week, Aimee, Jenn C., Holly, and I attended the NWEA assessment training. We walked away VERY excited about the data that we will be able to utilize from this assessment.
The first window will start on August 31st. The window will be 3 weeks long (one week for ELA; on week for math; one week for language). We should be able to utilize our regular scheduled computer times to administer the assessments. During those weeks, you will probably want to schedule an extra computer time if your whole class does not complete the assessment during your computer time (each assessment will take 40-50 minutes on average). The test IS NOT TIMED but the time it takes a student to complete the assessment will be documented as another source of data. Modifications for students who need them can be set up through the computer.
VERY soon, you should be getting an e-mail from Central Office to complete the professional development on NWEA. This PD needs to be completed before the first window. Once the PD is complete, you will be given a certificate to print out for PGP points to renew your license!
Heather Esteban
Our Instructional Collaborator will be starting on Monday! She will be setting up her office in the 2nd half of the TAP room. Please welcome her when you see her!
Bells
I think the bells have been set! We will see on Monday! The first bell should sound at 7:35 to indicate opening the doors for breakfast. We will also have an end of school bell at 2:45 as a warning bell. 2:50 a bell will ring to signal the end of the day!
If they do not go off as scheduled, I will put in a work ticket to get them fixed!
Classroom Procedures
Thanks to all of you who have sent us your classrooms rules/procedures/expectations. If you have not sent them to us (Jodie, Karen, myself), please do so ASAP.
Lesson Plans
A BIG THANK you to those of you who turned in your lesson plans. If you haven't yet, I will be coming around to ask you for them! :) Remember, these do not have to be extremely detailed - write out your goals, activities, and assessments for ELA and math!
2nd grade learning
Mrs. Park models for her 2nd grade class how to create a list of ideas.
Mr. Whittaker is not just teaching PE...
...he is with the kindergarten students! Identifying the letters in their name was the task for the day!
It's a Dancy Party
If you have never seen Mrs. DuBois's class sing their procedures, you are missing out!
TLT focus
Last week the TLT dug into strategic questions when planning the gradual release within a lesson. This new learning will be coming to you through cluster over the next several weeks.
This week we are digging into DOK. How are the questions on the STI assessments aligned to DOK? Is our planning and implementation of instruction integrating the right DOK? Are we, as teachers asking deeper level questions? The TLT will be answering some of these questions and using the answers to support you in cluster! :)
This week we are digging into DOK. How are the questions on the STI assessments aligned to DOK? Is our planning and implementation of instruction integrating the right DOK? Are we, as teachers asking deeper level questions? The TLT will be answering some of these questions and using the answers to support you in cluster! :)
Picture Day!
Picture day is Friday, August 21st! Mark it on your calendars...remind your students & parents...look spiffy on Friday!
Recycling!
We are happy to announce that we will be recycling again here at West Goshen! Teachers, please get a box (copy paper boxes work great for this) and start saving those papers, metals, and plastics that can be recycled. Keep in mind, we cannot recycle Styrofoam or any papers that have student first and last names on them. Confidential papers should always be shredded.
Please put your recycling box outside of your classroom door on Monday morning. Jodie is working with some 5th grade leaders that will be collecting the recycling on Monday afternoon and taking it to the pink recycling containers.
Thank you to Elizabeth for joining the Goshen Schools Green Team and making this happen!
Upcoming Week:
Monday:
7:15 - Cluster
3:00 - TLT
Tuesday:
3:00 - Cluster
Wednesday:
3:00 - Cluster
Thursday:
Friday:
Picture day!
Lesson Plans due
7:15 - Cluster
3:00 - TLT
Tuesday:
3:00 - Cluster
Wednesday:
3:00 - Cluster
Thursday:
Friday:
Picture day!
Lesson Plans due