Chancellor News and Notes
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Testing, TELPAS, STAAR Buddies, Oh My!
There is a lot going on with TELPAS testing, DCA testing, and getting ready for STAAR in our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes! This week we have DCA testing going on for 5th graders on Wednesday and Thursday, and we will be simulating STAAR testing as close as we can, so please remember:
- Hallways are silent level 0 places (for students AND staff)- remind each other!
- Students going to the restroom- remind to be on a level 0
- Review the testing schedules you received in mailboxes
- Inside recess on testing days this week
- No CCC lab on these days (it's a testing room)
- If your classroom is near a testing area, please remind students to maintain quiet voices in the classroom (and staff members too)
- 5th grade lunch time is adjusted (see testing schedule)
STAAR Buddies...
Thanks so much to everyone who have already signed up for STAAR Buddies! I have had a few questions from several people, so I will address here if anyone else has the same!
- Yes, you should partner up with the other staff signed up for the same STAAR class, and talk to each other about what ya'll can do as a team :)
- A banner for each STAAR classroom: please check for photo clearance if you want to add photos, or just put student names instead
- Yes, you can hang your banner earlier than the due date (I already saw one that was nearing completion and it was awesome!)
- Yes, you can go talk to your STAAR classroom teacher and ask for ideas or suggestions, and dates you can go in and do your fun deliveries of STAAR encouragement goodies
- Yes, you can sign up for more than one person, but you have to be responsible for talking to both teams to plan out what you will be doing (yes, we have ambitious and awesome staff doing more than one class!)
Are you a SAP Facilitator?
If you are a SAP facilitator and do not have a group, please let Peggy Barr know as soon as possible. She has lists of children that are in need of SAP, and she also has all the materials to make it super-easy to facilitate your meetings! She can also help you figure out meeting times if you are struggling with that.
Class Picture Day Reminders
Tuesday, March 8th is Class Picture Day. A few reminders:
- Dress nice, because you are in the class picture too!
- Teachers have to turn in their class picture collection envelope that day, whether students are buying anything or not.
- Remind students the day before to look nice, and to bring their money if they are buying class pictures.
- Marie will send out the envelopes this week for kids to take home.
- A schedule will come out closer to time for when you need to come down, and directions if any are needed.
Office Referrals, BIRs, Time-Outs, Phone Calls Home- What to do??
If you are struggling with student behaviors, for one student or several, sometimes it becomes confusing about what to do. After Spring Break, the Above and Beyond Committee will be working on planning some short learning sessions on discipline in the classroom, positive climate, and how to use all the options that are available to you. This is in the infancy stages, but is in the works! The most important thing to think about is how to make every situation a teachable moment, rather than just resorting to writing an office referral for removal (there are definite reasons for office referrals, please just call Ms. Countee or your supervisor if you are unsure whether to write one!). A link to a fabulous website for ideas on decreasing behaviors is below- you just click on the behavior and are taken to tons of resources to address it! Happy researching!
Snack Shack and you...if you have to give in to temptation, lol!
Don't forget, Snack Shack is in Marie's office, and there are lots of sweet or salty goodies to satisfy those cravings! Water is currently available, and cold drinks will be coming in the near future! If you are trying to resist, please tell Marie and she can cut you off if needed! Shout-out to Marie for doing awesome and not cheating on her healthy eating plan! I need to be more like Marie and quit taking cheat days- she is inspirational! And if you just want to have something yummy, go for it! There are days we just feel zombie-like and need that sugar, haha!