December 9, 2019
A Communication Tool for the Seven Hills Staff
December Fun Continues This Week! Turn Red Tickets Into the Red Check Bucket in Blackburn's Office!
DON'T FORGET YOUR MERRY MONDAY MORNING BREAKFAST ITEMS...BRING READY TO SERVE AND EAT...
Breakfast Sign-Ups:
Forgot What You Signed Up For?
No Probem!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JHvcbjw479cOJbIjQ3idzZ4rvLo2F-mKJ6hhdGQy6QU/edit?usp=sharing
Exemplar Educator Nominations Due Monday:
It is time again to take nominations from students, parents, teachers and community members for the 2019 - 2020 Seven Hills Exemplar Educator. Please copy and paste in your browser the links below to review and download the nomination form and criteria. Paper nomination forms will be available in the front office. Please send either your paper nomination form to the Seven Hills front office or the fillable PDF form via email to Mrs. Blackburn at kblackburn@nisdtx.org by Monday, December 9.
The nominees will complete an Exemplar Educator application that is then scored by a committee using a rubric. Announcement of the Seven Hills Exemplar Educator takes place in the Spring of 2020.
Being named an Exemplar Educator is quite an honor for a teacher and puts him or her in the running to be the district Exemplar Educator. Thank you for taking the time to honor an educator who has made a difference!
Exemplar Educator Criteria: https://drive.google.com/open?id=11Zpz9g0WjjRhDU20BxiPFYNbAYOdHeVV
Exemplar Educator Nomination Form: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Pwl5VWMvDigvmWcg5pOO34Xlld2vnl_3/view?usp=sharing
Please, take a moment to honor the greatness in your peers!
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Walk Throughs and Feedback:
Please note, we also host the Elementary Learning Team on Monday, December 16 for similar walkthroughs.
A note for departmentalized math and science teachers...we will continue to use the walk through form we started using the week before the break.
Elementary Learning Teams...A Time to Shine...And a Time to LEARN...Learning Teams Look Fors:
Focusing on the Wildly Important:
In order to meet our campus WIG and end of year proficiency standards in literacy, we must be paying careful attention to the MOY goal! Knowing that Christmas slide is just as real as summer slide, we need to push students to finish strong before break. To ensure that we reach MOY goals, these things need to continue to happen over the next 9 Days:
- Adhere to rituals, routines, structures, and procedures of the workshop regardless of assessment windows. Abandoning these now will undo the work you have done all year. Think about it, potentially 3- 6 weeks without the rituals, routines, procedures and structures. To get back what has been undone will take time in January, you simply do not have.
- Conferring/guided reading/strategy groups happen for your lowest readers daily if at all possible. K-2 we know the DRA schedule has your schedule packed pretty tight. Should a schedule change impact your day, make sure you are finding time to meet with your struggling readers every day.
- Students should be taking home books to read daily. Homework Hub will be open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings this week and next if there are students who need to read to an adult or Student Leader. I strongly encourage you to send extra books home to read over the break.
- Students should have the opportunity to write every day in all content areas...remember this is a lead measure directly connected to our campus WIG.
- LEAD Time happens 3-4 days a week, and students are engaged in meaningful work and lead measures that are aligned to WIGs, predictive of achievement of WIGs and influenceable by teachers and/or students.
- Students should have the opportunity to complete weekly Lexia minutes in pursuit of target units , and should be tracking progress on a scoreboard. Teachers need to be checking the home screen to make sure that students are progressing through the units as well as completing the minutes. You will be using Lexia data on January 8. Remember, you can also encourage students to practice with Lexia at home over the break. You might also consider printing packets of skill builders for students to practice over the break.
While our campus goal is focused on literacy, we simply cannot forget about the whirlwind over the next 2 weeks.
Math: When determining where you may be able to give and get a little more time, do not take time away from math instruction or the problem solving block. When planning math instruction and intervention, the following need to be considered:
- Problem solving block needs to be occurring regularly to apply the math skills learned during the instructional block/guided math block OR spiral review of hot spot TEKS identified during assessment.
- Students need to be writing in math...daily is preferred, multiple times per week is a non-negotiable. This hasn't really been an area we have pushed this year. It has been a clearly stated expectation, but not something we have consistently reinforced. We will be reinforcing this in the spring semester.
- If you need any support with math, remember, Madeline Price is eager to partner with you!
- Lead Time should happen 3-4 days a week,which would be a great opportunity for students to engage in Think Through Math.
- I encourage you to send communication to parents to have students log-in to TTM over the break for practice.
- Students should be spiral reviewing skills and working on computational/fact fluency. I strongly encourage you to send home practice with students on this over the break.
I want you to know that while I do have high expectations for quality instruction and intervention to continue to take place, I am not suggesting you remove all opportunities for a little fun. No Grinching here! I just ask that you choose wisely. Remember, the more consistent the routines, the more relevant and meaningful the work, the more engaged students will be. Most importantly, I want to make sure you have the support you need to meet these expectations. Please let me know how my team can support you best. Tanya, Molly, Jen, the Intervention Team and I are here for YOU! YOU are our WILDLY IMPORTANT!
From Tanya:
RTI- RTI- please remember to continue to progress monitor on your students in tier 2 and tier 3. We will have follow-up RTI meetings the week of Dec 16th.
From the CIT:
Spelling Bee:
- Wednesday, December 11th is the Seven Hills Spelling Bee at 8:30 AM in the gym. 3rd-5th graders will be in the audience cheering on their classmates. More information will be sent to you regarding any changes there might be during Specials time. Please make sure that you talk to your students about wishing their friends the best of luck since the participants are a little nervous. I will be meeting with the contestants Monday and Tuesday during Habit Huddle to go over routines so that there will be less jitters. Thank you for your cooperation!
- DRA is in full swing this week and all scores will need to be entered in Edugence by 5:00 PM on Tuesday December 17th. I am working diligently to finish assessing Martha’s students by the middle of this week, so please let me know if you need assistance completing this task. I would love to help!
Assessments this week
K-5:
December 9-17 MOY DRA2
(due on the 17th by 5:00)
1st Grade:
Dec. 13-17 1Math.2.Module 4-6
3rd Grade:
Dec. 13-17 3Math.2.Modules 4-6
Dec. 16-17 3Science.2.Earth and Space 1
4th Grade:
Dec. 10-12 4Math.2.Modules 4-6
Dec. 9-17 4Science.2.Energy
5th Grade:
Dec. 6-10 5Math.2.Modules 4-6
Dec. 12-16 5Science.3.Earth
Dec. 16-20 5.ELA.3.CBA I Don't Want To!/
The Thick, Fat Pancake
Upcoming Assessments:
1st Grade:
Dec. 13-17 1Math.2.Module 4-6
2nd Grade:
Dec. 17- 19 2Math.2.Module 4-6
3rd Grade:
Dec. 13-17 3Math.2.Modules 4-6
Dec. 16-17 3Science.2.Earth and Space 1
4th Grade:
Dec. 9-17 4Science.2.Energy
5th Grade:
Dec. 12-16 5Science.3.Earth
Dec. 16-20 5.ELA.3.CBA I Don't Want To!/
The Thick, Fat Pancake
From The Intervention Team:
If you RSVP’d YES to The Staff Holiday Party... Remember it is this week on Thursday, December 12 at 5:00pm sharp at Olive Garden near Tanger Outlet! We are excited to be able to hangout with everyone outside of school and enjoy a delicious dinner together! See you there!
Please let Ms. Goosey, Ms. Markham, or Mrs. Bryan know how we can better support you with the EL and RTI Paras and how you utilize the Paras in your classroom. Below are a few ideas as to how to use Rupa and Mario when they are in your classroom:
-Assist students with current lesson
-Lexia skill builders
-Lexia direct teach lessons
-Engaging Mathematics (grades 2-5 books are in the intervention classrooms)
-Work one on one with a student in the classroom.
-Work with a small group of students in the classroom reinforcing the current lesson.
-Math facts
-Assisting students with their writing during writers workshop.
-Have students read their bag of books to them.
Please remember, Rupa and Mario do not progress monitor students and they are not trained on E-Star.
Mario’s Daily Schedule:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BCN7QcbLT_yygCOzpeBbVF_jTYvVjweQ7nN2a2yPYRU/edit?usp=sharing
From the Librarian:
Library Schedule for this week. WINTER WONDERLAND will be taking place in the library/ Extra supervision will be required when the students enter and exit the library.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19QAhVa-lAHGL_o9z0597MjWhurKQ5WeDhYGE4gTSqkY/edit?usp=sharing
Next week, December 16-19 I have an open sign up schedule for library times. I wanted every class to have an opportunity to come right before the holidays. If there are students you know would love to have books over the break, but you also know the books may not return after, let me know. I have a lot of books purchased from the book fair that I can “loan” out and if they don’t return, it’s not a big deal.
Here is the link to sign up for next week:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x8D3bMwNepuzt21JB6pC3IhnVZmWA0qkrjH_Ltwu4m4/edit?usp=sharing
Habit Huddle Connection:
Habit 6 Connection:
Habit 6 Connection:
"Synergy is the highest activity in all life - the true test and manifestation of all the other habits put together." - Stephen Covey -
In a common paradigm, we often think, "Let's compromise." In a highly effective paradigm...the paradigm of leadership...we must think, "Let's come up with something that's better than what either of us has in mind." Synergy is the manifestation of all the other habits working together. It means collaborating to create 3rd alternatives rather than settling for compromises. More than just "my way" or "your way", a 3rd alternative is a higher, better way. It is something that neither of us would have come up with on our own. When we Synergize, the whole is greater than than the sum of its parts - one plus one equals three or more!
Habit Family Challenges:
This cycle of habits, we will offer opportunities for families to learn more about each habit each week. Families who complete the challenges will receive recognition on the boards in the cafeteria. Please make sure you are turning in the packets as they are finished, and that they have a first and last name on them.
Missy Wood's Retirement Party:
Also, please share the invitation with your families.
Note: We will also have a money tree at the celebration
Save the Date:
PTA Winter Wonderland Shop Open
Monday, December 9:
- Merry Monday Morning Breakfast...DON'T FORGET YOUR ITEMS
- Leadership Teams Meeting, 3:15
- Grade Level PLCs - Units of Study Feedback Walks
- Action Teams, 3:15
- Make-Up School Picture Day
- Choir Concert, 6 pm
Wednesday, December 11:
- Accountability Teams, 3:15 (Focus this week is WIGs)
- Elf Day
- PTA Teacher Luncheon hosted by 1st and 4th Grade Parents
- Spelling Bee 8:30
Thursday, December 12:
- Staff Holiday Party, Olive Garden 5pm
- Professional Learning Meeting, 3:15
Friday, December 13:
- Sharpen the Saw Clubs
- Netsmartz 4th and 5th Grade
Saturday is PTA Breakfast With Santa
Happy Birthday to You: