Brooks Briefing
Liberty Park Elementary
Week of February 18th
LP Week at a Glance
Monday the 25th
Mr. Russell LP Visit
Tuesday the 26th
Wednesday the 27th
Staff Meeting @ 7:30am
Thursday the 28th
Friday the 1st
4th Grade Basketball Tournament @ WCHS
Pass the Puddin! Who can you celebrate this week?!
Shout out to Amanda Robinson for going above and beyond to meet every student where they are at and provide work at a really wide range of independent learning levels and meeting their needs by thinking outside the box! ~ Alyssa Britton
Shout out to Carlee Green for helping me on the spot with a paperwork question. ~ Alyssa Britton
Congrats to our 4th Grade Math Bowl team and their coaches Jerrils, Rosenbaum, and Hiatt. They placed 3rd in the Warren competition.
Shout out to our Robotics team and their coaches Cooksey and Carnagua. They placed 4th in this weekends final regular competition.
LP Staff Bingo!
March 1st - 4th Grade Basketball Tourney
March 6th - Late Start Day
March 11th - IREAD Testing Begins
March 13th - Family STEM Night
March 15th - CORE Carnival; 3rd Qtr Report Cards Sent Home
20 Tips to Help De-Escalate Interactions with Anxious or Defiant Students
Tip 4: Leaving class doesn’t give the student a break from internal negative thoughts like “I’m fat,” or “I’m not smart enough,” which paralyze thinking. But a break paired with a cognitive distraction does offer respite from the “all or nothing” thinking that’s so common with anxious students. An older student might take a break and record herself reading a book out loud for a younger student with dyslexia. It’s impossible to read out loud and think another thought. Other distractions could include sports trivia, sudoku or crossword puzzles. Little kids might do a Where’s Waldo or look through a Highlight magazine for the hidden picture.
Coaching Thought(s) of the Week
Great (quick read) Article -- Please Read: https://www.boredteachers.com/inspiring/best-part-students-day
Communication Updates and Info
- Spirit Wear - Reminder: Monday is the last day to order spirit wear from our website!
- Website - The district (and each school) has a new website! Check out LP's new site. Please share this in grade level newsletters. https://libertypark.warren.k12.in.us/
- App - Don't forget to download the new Warren app. You can also access LP information as well. Eventually you will be able to receive push notifications for emergencies. iPhone peeps click here: https://apple.co/2quwRR9.
- Survey - Please include this blurb on parent survey's if space allows in grade level newsletters:
MSD of Warren Township is conducting an online survey to support continued improvement. Liberty Park needs your help! We greatly value the input from our LP families and hope that you will take a moment to answer these survey questions. This data will help our school community continue to grow. To participate for Liberty Park, please click the link below. (THIS LINK IS FOR LP ONLY.) Thank you in advance for your time and participation!
Survey Link: surveys.panoramaed.com/climateidoe/5397family
Counseling: Classroom Visit Reminder: Please schedule a time for Mrs. Tapper to visit your classroom prior to spring break. Here is the form to sign up for a time that works best for your schedule. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N1XzUk78I0_OcD9MBTbuA33ltbj9YUgTPnSybSQHpzo/edit#gid=0
Counseling: Talks with Tapper - Please use this form EVERY time you are requesting counseling services for a student (even if you are having an in person conversation with Mrs. Tapper). This helps us track data on our counseling program. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_waiqAZJwQNN7ZvMxPkV8GaoO4xxEjbAWOn4EkS2Koh6MRA/viewform
Counseling: Classroom Needs Assessment Reminder: Please take a moment and complete this quick assessment of the current social/emotional needs of your classroom. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdU3Pt53J3psq7Jc6auGvu07Ic1UKud6sT8yBT9EiYR0AxD_A/viewform
Book Study Opportunity - If interested in joining Kate Schwartz in this "Courageous Conversations" group, please let me know ASAP! The district is starting a district book talk group to have courageous conversations about climate, culture, and race. They are looking to include one or two staff members from each building in Warren.
Warren Excel Program - Would you please share the teacher recommendation form link below with all of your teachers to recommend students for the 2019-2020 High Ability Program? Teacher recommendations will be another data point for students that meet the program criteria. Please have teachers refrain from promising placement in the High Ability Program to parents, or informing them that their student needs high ability services to have a successful year. If you would please encourage teachers to fill out the recommendation form prior to Spring Break for students that would be good candidates for the High Ability Program.
EXCEL Teacher Recommendation Form
Old News: Please review old items to be sure any TO DO items are completed.
- Lockdown Drill - Everyone did an amazing job during last week's lockdown drill. ZERO sightings of staff/students. Thank you for the conversations and scenarios you review with students to prepare them for these situations. It appears that the window shades worked very well. Remember that these are ONLY used in lockdown situations. Shout out to Mrs. Robinson for staying calm and doing a great job initiating the lock down!
- Speakers - If you are still having difficulties hearing announcements (such as lock downs) in your class/area please let me know.
- Sound Field - I still have sound field systems available if you are interested in trying one out for your classroom.
- Patriot Pals - What is one thing you can do this upcoming short week to make your Patriot Pal feel special?
- PlayWorks Challenge! - This coming 4 day week, I challenge you to use at least 1 of the playworks activities the team shared during our staff meeting. This can be during part of an indoor recess, a quick brain break, or even using one of the transitions! Kathy and I would love to come help if you would like an extra pair of hands trying out of the games, just let us know!
- Lexia Contest / Pizza Party - Lexia's Usage Contest is back this year! Easy to sign up! Research shows that students who meet their recommended usage of Lexia programs make academic gains. Participate in the Lexia Usage Contest to increase your students' reading abilities and earn a chance to win a Lexia-sponsored pizza party. The 2019 Winter Usage Contest begins on February 25th. Sign up your class now so you can start earning points and join the competition! Contest Dates: February 25–March 10, 2019
- Apple iPad Certification - As you know we are in the very early stages of embarking on our Apple journey. K-4 teachers will have iPads at some point this semester and I know that several have asked about the Apple Teacher Certification. As a district there is a stipend being offered for certified teachers that complete this certification! This is not a requirement but for those of you eager to begin learning more about how to utilize the ipad as a learning tool, this is a great 1st step! Below is the link to the correct certification. Please reach out to Leslie, Laura, Jenn, or myself with any questions! The web address is https://www.apple.com/education/apple-teacher/
- Chromebook Cart Reminder - Damage / Technology Link - Complete every Thursday or Friday
- Youth Suicide Prevention - Friendly reminder to complete the Safe Schools training and turn in your certificate of completion to Brooks.
- Thriving School Grant - Congrats to Tina Burton for leading the charge and helping Liberty Park receive the Indy Thriving Schools Grant! We are excited to announce that we will be working on creating an indoor sensory path for students! See picture above!
Student Work - "In any classroom, displays should consist primarily of the children’s work, rather than teacher-made or store-bought pieces, no matter how beautiful those pieces might be. Displaying student work sends several important messages: As teachers, we value what students do. This is their classroom as much as ours. And in this classroom, students share their work, learning from each other. Furthermore, consider this simple fact: Students will look at their own work more frequently than they will look at commercial materials."
When it comes to displaying student work, we do a good job of this as a whole but we can be better. Take a moment to review this short article that includes some suggestions for displaying student work in a classroom:
Morning Positions - Don’t forget that the most important part of our students day is when they enter our halls/pods/classrooms. Please be sure that you positioned at classroom doors (teachers) hallways/pod (support and aux staff) to welcome and monitor students each day as they enter the building.
Sound Field - Lauryn Davis, Kelley Carnagua, and Emily Halpin have been testing out a new system and they are giving 5 star reviews. If you are interested in having a wireless soundfield system w/ microphone for your classroom please let me know.
Data Dashboard - If you haven’t already, please update your MOY data with NWEA scores on the LP Data Dashboard.
Custodial - Please be sure to report spills from breakfast to the office so that custodians can address them properly. Also, please email any classroom/pod concerns to team leader Corey and CC me.
Staff Directory - Link to updated staff directory (also found in our shared drive)
Patriot Pals - If you have not signed up and selected your Patriot Pal, please swing by the office workroom. Be sure to write your name on the master sheet. My hope is that every adult staff member is partnered with a student.
School Counselor - I'm very happy to announce that we have hired a school counselor. Brooke Tapper is very excited to be joining our team in this new role very soon. I will share more information about Brooke and this position soon.
- Spotlight PD's - Still searching for more spotlights! See below for more info/reminder.
- District PD - 3rd Quarter District PD Calendar - Please take a moment to check out the k-4 PD offerings through the district. There are some great 3rd quarter opportunities.
- Tutoring - Urgent: Still searching for 5-7 more tutors. Below is a link to a google form to fill out if you are interested in tutoring this semester. AM or PM, 1 or 2 days available. IA's are welcome as well! TUTORING GOOGLE FORM
- Lexia - Our Lexia usage is looking great! Remember that our expectation is that 90+% of students meet their weekly usage goal (minutes) each week. So far our yearly average of students meeting usage is 98% (4th grade), 98% (Kindergarten), and 99% (2nd grade)! Kudos! Keep in mind that we also want to keep a close eye on their progress of units and address any flagged lessons immediately when students are struggling. IA’s should be delivering those flagged lessons very soon after they are flagged. Remember that students go through three instructional cycles before getting flagged. Also, as a general reminder don't forget to mark certificates and booster lessons as "delivered".
- Safety Reminders:
Remember to always carry your Red Emergency Bag during any drill. This bag should contain updated class roster information.
Remind your students to never open outside doors for anyone they do not know who is asking to let them in. If they are unsure, tell them to go to the front of the building.
Always be on constant watch for unidentified individuals walking in the building.
Please be sure all doors are locked and shut. Pod doors should remain locked and closed before and after school.
Be aware of where your red classroom crisis binders and safety bags are in case they are needed.
Consistently review your red crisis binder for reminders of "what to do" during any crisis.
- Spotlight Sessions will be returning in 2019 (Late 2nd semester)! We are searching for Spotlight spotlight presenters. Do you have a strategy, program, or just a cool idea that is working in your classroom that you would be willing to share with staff? All topics and ideas welcomed.. Reading, Writing, Math, PBIS, STEM, etc. If so, we would love to have you help us all grow as professionals! Remember that Spotlight sessions are designed to be relevantly brief (20-30 min) small pd sessions led by teachers for teachers. ~~~Limited spots available so fill out the form below and Koomler or Brooks will be in touch!~~~ CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO SPOTLIGHT FORM
- Updated Class Rosters - This a good time of the year to remember that your class rosters should be updated (monthly) and included in your Sub Info Folders, Red Emergency Bags, etc. Also, reminder that during field trips electronic attendance should be taken as well as paper attendance rosters on the bus and in the front office prior to leaving.
Dismissal - Please remember that all 1-4 classes should remain in classrooms/pods until dismissed for buses.
Safety Update: "Lock Down" shades have been installed in every classroom prior to break. These should be kept in the raised position and only used during lockdown situations.
Site Visit - I will be bringing several visitors from another district to visits classrooms on Wednesday morning (9-11). This is a make up for the date canceled due to weather in November. They are looking at implementing 1:1 chromebook devices and are interested in how are students utilize the technology.
Candy - Just a general reminder that candy should not be given as a reward (or for any reason) throughout the school day as part of our new district wellness policy. After school events, clubs, activities is an exception.