Jaguar Journal
Week of February 17th
Congratulations to Susan Landis....NCE's Teacher of the Year!
Important Events for the Week:
Monday, February 17th:
1st grade quarterly planning
Book Whisperer Book Club Meeting after dismissal in PLC room
Tuesday, February 18th:
5th/K PLC
Wednesday, February 19th:
Kindergarten quarterly planning
4th/1st PLC
Thursday, February 20th:
3rd/2nd PLC
Eddie out at AP Academy
Friday, February 21st:
PTA Treat out in the lounge at 11:00! Please stop by and enjoy an ice cream float! Please call the office if you need an ice cream float delivery!
FYI - Progress Reports go home with all students - February 25th
Updates/Reminders:
Welcome Sarah Fisher: The Board of Education approved Sarah Fisher as the long term sub in first grade Spanish world this past week! YEAH! Mrs. Fisher is a certified teacher and spent 12 years teaching kindergarten and third grade. She has been an awesome PTA volunteer this year and is a proud mom to Crosby, one of our kindergarten Jaguars! Please give her a warm Jaguar welcome in this new role!
ASIS Walkthrough: We will have the first of our ASIS walkthroughs before the end of February! Do your thing and be proud to show off the great things your class/grade level are working on!
iStation Parent Report: Classroom teachers will send the Parent Report found in iStation along with the district letter which explains the report to parents in Progress Reports. We will discuss during an upcoming PLC.
Chatham 360 Award: Our School Leadership Team will be selecting a student to represent NCE with the annual District Award. Please read over the explanation for characteristics we are looking for in our student choice. If you have a nomination for the School Leadership Team to consider during our March meeting, please nominate them here.
Tornado Warning: At the Principals Meeting we had some reflections following our recent severe weather. I think NCE did a wonderful job. Just wanted to clarify a few things for everyone.
A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for a tornado. We will just be alert and not be outside during a Watch. A Tornado Warning means take shelter and follow our tornado protocols.
As with last week's Tornado Warning sometimes Warnings are not county-wide, but isolated to moving areas so listen for announcements over the loudspeaker.
Once we are in a Tornado Warning we will not allow parents to check out students. (Principals will be sharing this info with parents on an upcoming weekly call.) We may allow parents to enter the building to the extent that is safe for our office personnel.
Professional Learning Management System CEU: Remember that we are now using the online system (through Frontline Professional Growth) to track CEUs from outside PD and CCS/NCE PD. District and school PDs will be entered for you. You will need to enter your own outside PD opportunities. Here is the Video and help sheet for your reference. Diane Sloan will be emailing employees next week who still may need CEUs to renew their license this year.
EAP: Our Employee Assistance Program provides outstanding options for employees to access to assist with work-life balance! Here is a five minute info video on the free resources and support for you!
Semester Conferences Continue….We will look at data and hear about plans for the Spring Semester. Please see the schedule here and let us know if you have a scheduling conflict ASAP. An agenda for our time together is included below the schedule.
Middle of the Year PDP - BEFORE your semester conference, please go in and update your mid year PDP.
Click on PDP Mid Year Review and fill in the box that says Evidence of Progress towards specific standards.
We will discuss specifics regarding progress at your semester conference or any upcoming post conference as needed.
Please save this work but do not finalize or mark complete until we review it at an upcoming post conference or semester conference.
Family Fest - Let me extend an invitation to a districtwide event that is called Family Fest. It’s February 25th from 5:00 to 7:45 in the evening at Jordan-Matthews High School. It’ll be a time for families to learn more about not only our school-based resources but also what’s available in the community for families. Information will be in the parent newsletter for the next few weeks.
Book Whisperer Book Club: At our first club meeting it was decided we would meet again on Monday, February 17th after dismissal in the PLC room. We will be discussing the next two chapters and the second “Whisper” section. We hope to see you there!!
Differentiated Digital Learning Staff Meeting: For our staff meeting on Tuesday, February 25th we will be having our differentiated digital learning break out sessions again! There are different PDs being offered by your DLT leaders. Please complete this survey to let us know what your top two choices would be so we can be prepared for the day. There are descriptions of each tech tool at the top of the survey. Please read through them so you know what each tools does and if it is something that interests you!
Consider completing a Positive Office Referral this week!
Weekly Note:
Feedback? Suggestions? It is an anonymous survey! ....Here is the link to the Weekly Note!
Cool Curriculum Tools:
Tech Talk: TextingStory This is a cool app that can be used in many ways to engage your students and have them apply their learning! TextingStory is a free app that can be uploaded onto your iPads. It allows 2 students to text with each other. It will create a story of texts, and then makes it into a video that you can share. Mandy used this app as a teacher with the book The Tiger Rising. Students took on the role of the two main characters in the book and then debated via text if they should or shouldn’t free the tiger and why. They used their knowledge of the characters and text evidence to debate and push their perspective. Here are some other ways it could be used:
Students could text one another about a given topic and practice their Spanish vocabulary and writing.
Two historical figures could communicate with each other and tell each other about their accomplishments or challenges in their time period.
It is a great way to teach how to punctuate direct speech. The app will help children visualise that the words spoken, including the punctuation, goes inside the speech bubble, so they must remember to put the words and punctuation in quotation marks. They can also see that we start a new line whenever a new character speaks.
One student could text a figurative language statement and the other has to explain what it really means.
Students could practice “code switching”. How do they text or communicate with a friend verse a teacher or a boss?
For history you could have the Native Americans and Colonists or the Loyalists and Patriots texting each other their perspective on what is happening in the world and why it needs to change.
Have students create a conversation on what you just learned as an exit ticket.
Students could research weather in different states and have a conversation about what their weather is like where they live and why it is so different from each other.
Patterns of Power: Here is a great video by Adrian Mynor, a third grade teacher from JS Waters, showing how the “Invitation to Notice” component from Patterns of Power can look. Her lesson took 6 minutes and 39 seconds! It really can be a very quick and powerful part of your ELA block. K-2 teachers, Mandy has your books if you’d like to take a look at the program before your training on March 3rd. Here is a powerpoint of what Patterns of Power is with some example videos from different grade levels.
Self Care Challenge: Who wants Chick Fil-A for lunch? Wow! We are so close to meeting our goal! Please color paws for your self care and better yet....TAKE CARE OF YOU!
Digital Learning Dayz:
FEBRUARY 24-27, 2020
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 8AM MONDAY, MARCH 2
You can earn .3 or .5 CEUS for your participation.
Chatham County is again participating in the nationwide celebration called Digital Learning Days. Digital learning is any instructional practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen a student’s learning experience.
If you participate in Digital Learning Days, you can win prizes, help our school win prizes, and earn digital ceus for yourself!
Your grade level Digital Learning Team member can help you understand what to do during the week of February 24-27 in order to participate. If you are really unsure of what this is about or how to participate, here is a survey to complete to get help from Mandy or a DLT member!
HOW DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN THE CCS DIGITAL LEARNING DAYZ?
PLAN a lesson(s) using technology to teach any time between February 24-27. Use the Triple E Framework for your instructional decision-making so the digital tools you use engage, enhance, and/or extend the learning goals.
DOCUMENT your lesson(s) on the Triple E Choice Board.
You will need to make a copy of the choice board
You will need to decide your level of participation.
LEVEL 1 ONE "E": use & document one strategy during DLDayz on this choice board to help NCE win for most participation!
LEVEL 2 TRIPLE E: use & document one strategy from each of the Es during DLDayz on this choice board to earn .3 CEUs.
LEVEL 3 BLACKOUT: use & document all 9 Triple E strategies during DLDayz on this choice board to earn .5 CEUs. (Elementary schools do not have to do the top right box, so it’s really 8!)
One lesson can cover multiple boxes. Or you could do different lessons for different boxes.
All levels MUST include at least one picture or video from their classroom during implementation to earn credit.
You will need to link a brief description and a picture, lesson plan, video, or example of student work into the choice board to show you completed the lesson.
You will link the examples in to the appropriate box to show which “E” your lesson demonstrates.
You will need to put your completed Choice Board into this NCE Digital Learning Dayz Folder by 8 AM March 2nd.
WIN PRIZES for the most innovative lesson(s) of the week or the school with the highest percentage of participation. Mrs. Hackney won for NCE last year!
A teacher said during praise walks this week...."That was AWESOME!"
New Shout Out Board in the Lounge! Please help raise the praise and inspire each other!
Duties for the Week:
AM DUTIES:
Early Bus/Cafe/Lobby: Trejo, K. Horton
Main Lobby/Hallway : Webster
Intersection/MPR Lobby: Gendron
4th/5th Hallway: Spencer
Buses: Trygar
Cars: Murray, Brooks,, Avila, Camereno, Stahoviak, B. Horton
PM Duties:
Bus Ramp: Trygar, Bland, Crankshaw
Late Bus: Trygar, Avila, Brooks, Camereno, K. Horton
Cars: Harrington, Lien, Young, Vivanco, Layman, Rockett, B.Horton, Lippy, Webster- TL, Ross- TL
**When you are out for quarterly collaboration, please ask a friend to cover duty for you! We need a full team out at cars each day! : )