Tiger Beat
Acton Weekly Update: 1/6/2017
Brook Wessel-Burke
Nuts and Bolts
Please fill out the following Google Form to provide feedback for future convocations. Since we are starting all new we need to establish some of our routines and traditions. Your input is needed and expected.
Next Friday morning we will be calling groups of students down for group photos for the yearbook. Please plan to be flexible with students coming and going from your room. The photographer will also come around to rooms to take candid photos. I'd like to take a WHOLE STAFF photo at 8:20 in the gym. For classified staff members, that means we'd like to have you here a few minutes early that day. I will discuss with you how we can comp those ten minutes.
Groups being photographed will be:
Student council
Announcements team
Bookstore helpers
YMCA
Running club
Choir
Robotics
Children's Museum Art Contest winners
Say No to Drugs Winners
Sponsors, please send me the list of students that we need to call down for these photos by the end of the day Wednesday.
WIDA ACCESS TESTING begins next week. Mandy Scherger will spend 3-4 full days from January 11-14thish here testing her students one on one or in small groups. She has already emailed the teachers that this affects directly. She will be using Chromebooks #30-35 in the REACH/ Science Lab each day.
Curriculum and Instruction
IT'S DIBELS MOY TESTING TIME!!! PLEASE work hard to get these completed in an efficient amount of time and do so with validity to the testing process. If you have any questions at all contact Ronna. Grades 3-5 Don't forget to do your DAZE tests, too! The sooner the booklets are turned into the office, the sooner we can input your data and get reports to you. We will have a DIBELS Data Dig during your prep times on January 31st, but there will be no PD meeting that morning.
Scheduling Concern: Folks, I'm going to respectfully ask that grade levels NOT schedule math tests on Fridays and SS or Sci tests should be spread out also. We are a small staff and have limited availability on a daily basis, especially Fridays. Students who require accommodations are very difficult to appropriately service when there are multiple tests on the same day. Please be sure to spread out testing dates and ALWAYS notify Lindsey and Kat at-least two weeks prior to a test date so they can plan ahead.
ISTEP RELEASED ITEMS TO BE USED FOR ISTEP PREPARATION:
http://www.doe.in.gov/assessment/istep-grades-3-8
FTCSC DIBELS GOALS: Accuracy 85% and Fluency 80%
Ways to Respond to Independent Reading, Read with A Buddy, or Read Aloud Time~
1.) 20 Words: Write a twenty-word description of the book you are reading. Use exactly twenty words.
2.) 3 Things: Three things I learned are…
Literacy Activities That Engage the Brain~
Cause and Effect Chain: Have students answer cause and effect questions by forming a cause-effect chain. Have students stand and form a circle. Begin the circle by stating a cause. Then next person in the circle to the left repeats the cause and gives an effect that follows the stated cause. The next person to the left continues the cause and effect chain. For example: I had to stay in my room all day. I had to stay in my room all day, so I could not go outside and play. I could not go outside and play, so I began to cry, etc.
Reaching ALL Learners
Activate your students’ brains through movement. Cross-lateral movements are great for this.
· Touch hands to opposite knees (do this about 10 times)
· Give yourself a pat on the back on the opposite side
· Touch opposite hips, elbows, heels
· Do air-swimming-one arm in one direction of freestyle and the other arm swimming in the opposite direction
· Touch nose and hold opposite ear then switch hands three times
· Do sideways 8s in front of you by tracing the pattern of the number eight with your thumb ups sign…start your 8 at the center, arms length, going up and to the left, do big loops on both sides and switch sides. Follow with your eyes and repeat pattern three times, switch hands. Then do the pattern with both hands.
From: Eric Jensen’s Engaging Students With Poverty In Mind and Brain Compatible Strategies
Athlete Mentors
Technology
We will continue with mini Tech Tuesday PD's with Katie Reynolds!
See Nadine's availability schedule in the photo below.
January Twitter Challenge!!!! Let's do this!!!!
If you haven't set up your Twitter account yet please do so NOW. Helpful tips in the link below.
Our District Twitter Challenge has now started and you are eligible for PRIZES if you participate! Below is a video clip of me explaining how it works. You have from now til the end of February to participate.. and the building with the highest participation will receive a prize as well! Feel free to email Mark or myself if you have any questions!
Good Luck and Happy Tweeting!
New to Twitter?? Use this link to help you get ready!
What's Coming Up
Weekly Updates 2016-2017 : 2nd Semester
January
3 Students Return for Second Semester
5 Principals Meeting
9- Feb 24 WIDA
9-27 MOY Dibels
9 School Board Meeting
9 Evacuation Drill
10 3rd gr Field Trip NIFS
12 Music Recruiting Concert MSE 12:30-1:35
13 Yearbook Activity Picture Day
16 MLK Day-closed
17 SpEd Elementary PD
17 SpEd Leader Team Mtg
18 Hot Box Pizza PTO Fundraiser (All Day)
19 Instrument testing for music (PM)
20 All Pro Dads 7:45- 8:30 AM
20 Nadine here
24 K-5 Related Arts PD
24 counselors Meeting
25 K-5 Related Arts PLC
26 Leadership Team Mtg
26 2nd Gr Field Trip NIFS
30 5th gr Field Trip IRT
31 SpEd Leader Team Mtg
31 Grade level Data Digs