Friday Focus
Moreau Heights Elementary
The Moreau Heights family is committed to providing a positive and safe learning environment to support responsible and productive citizens.
When We Are Leaders - We Do The Little Things
You are a leader because of your ability to inspire others, to build their confidence, to influence their thinking, and more importantly, their behavior.
Embrace your vulnerability - We ask kids to put themselves out there every day, and we sometimes forget what it feels like to be completely vulnerable. Are you asking students to do something you are not willing to do?
Don't wait on others to do what needs to be done; do it yourself - Take initiative and be the change you so desire to see happen. Take and idea and act!
Take time to enjoy what you do! - Celebrate your successes! When we focus our energy on giving of ourselves to others, others notice the magnitude of our joy and passion to serve and become inspired to do the same.
You are the difference between today and tomorrow - It's true that hope is not a plan, but it is a beginning. Without hope, there is no plan. We all need someone to believe in us. Be that one!
Stay the course - Stay focused on the long-term rather than short-term outcomes. We don't always get the benefit of seeing the immediate results of our work, but you can trust that others eventually will.
Build a re'sume' of failures - Failure shouldn't be something that brings us shame; it helps us grow! We must teach and model to our students that failures don't have to equate to long-term doom; they benefit us by developing our grit, perseverance, and empathy when we commit to working through them.
PBS lesson
The PBS lesson focus this week is "I can be okay even if others are not okay and adults are here to help."
Our Second Steps. . .
Lesson 19 is where we have each classroom paced on lessons:
Kindergarten- Solving Problems
1st grade - Fair Ways to Play
2nd grade - Taking Responsibility
3rd grade - Solving Classroom Problems
4th grade - Solving Playground Problems
5th grade - Seeking Help
Character Trait for March is Trustworthy
Calendar of Events
Saturday, March 2
*Cardio Challenge 10-2
Monday, March 4
*Sue at MAESP conference
*Dawn at PDC conference
*VC IEP mtg (Farmer, James, Steuber, Lueckenhoff, Lock Humphreys, Mantle/Albers) 9:15
*CB IEP mtg (Hutchison, Strange, Ewing, Gragg, Connelly) 3:45
Tuesday, March 5
*Sue at MAESP conference
*Dawn at PDC conference
*ICLE Coach at school (Plan time observations and reflection for grades 1, 3, 4)
Wednesday, March 6
*District admin mtg 8 - 11 (Sue at Dix Rd)
*New Crew 3:45
Thursday, March 7
*ICLE coach at school (Plan time observation and reflection for grades k, 2, and 5)
*National Breakfast Week presentation at MH
*Tornado Drill 10:00
*Title I parent event 6:00 - Josh Varner (trauma)
Friday, March 8
*National Read-In Day
Monday, March 11
*Bridgett Heos author visit (grades 1 and 2)
*JK IEP mtg (Gaines, Ewing, Haugen) 2:15
*Leadership Team mtg 3:45
Tuesday, March 12
*Spring pictures
*Tier 2 mtg 3:45
Wednesday, March 13
*Early Release - students released at 1:15
*End of 3rd quarter
*Specials Collaboration 7:45-8:15
*DM Staffing (James, Day/Haugen, Farmer, Lueckenhoff, Lock, Ogden, Cremin, Steuber, Humphreys) 11:15
*Early dismissal PD/Staff mtg 1:45-4:45 (Amanda Allen re: behavior and mental health)
Thursday, March 14
*Breakfast with Buddies 7:15-8:15
*Principal PLC mtg 12-4
Friday, March 15
*Title I parent mtg 11:30-12:30 (Josh Varner-trauma)
Reading Growth - A Snapshot
End of Year 2017-18
Beginning of Year 2018-19
February 2019
- When reviewing your student's growth data, what celebrations and concerns did you have?
- When looking at individual student's areas of needs, what areas did you identify that would benefit from additional attention for instruction?
- How will you support your struggling students, beyond your guided reading instruction?
- How will you engage students in goal setting to support student ownership of their growth?
Dr. Day's Update
Spending some time focusing on vocabulary development is extremely useful. There are many ways to teach vocabulary, but the best way is combining it with some engagement activities. Click on the pdf below to see a pdf of vocabulary activities.
After students have a good grasp on the vocabulary words, you can begin to work on synonyms and antonyms. There are two fantastic activities for working on this.
Around the Room
This activity involves students moving around to tables (pods) to work on the vocabulary. The sheet has the word at the top along with two sentences using the words. The students would identify what context clues help them understand the definition of the vocabulary word and then identify synonyms and antonyms. Each group starts with the sheet at their own table. Set a timer for one minute and students work to fill in their box. At the end of the minute, students rotate to a new table that has a new word and the process is repeated. Click on the document below to get the template.
Pass the Plate
Pass the plate is another great activity to work on vocabulary and synonyms. This one combines the Kagan round table write structure. Students receive a sheet of paper with the vocabulary word in the very center circle. One student starts and writes a synonym for the word in a circle, then passes the plate to the next student at their table. This continues until all circles are filled in. Then go over the synonyms students identified as a class.
If you have questions or would like me to come model any of these activities, please let me know. I'm happy to help!!
Vocabulary Activities
Around the Room
Pass the Plate
March Birthdays
Susie Farmer- March 15
Kelly Moeller - March 16
Lauren Ogden - March 20
Kaylie Hartness - March 24