THE FLIGHT RECORDER
Statesville Road Elementary's Weekly Staff Newsletter
Principal's Point to Ponder
Our school motto has appropriately become "We Love Statesville Road". This motto is appropriate because only those who love doing this work choose to do it year after year and day after day. Yes, we love Statesville Road, but love is more than a feeling or a verbal expression. It is action. So what are the ways we put this love into action each day? I believe when we say we love Statesville Road, we really mean that we
- plan lessons that are data driven in order to ensure academic growth.
- prepare in advance for those lessons so that instruction is smooth and seamless for our students.
- pursue new learning for ourselves through Flight School and other professional development opportunities as a way to continue to grow and improve our craft.
- praise students for academic accomplishments and improvements in learning.
- partner with our colleagues to share ideas, share the load, and to be a shoulder to lean on when support is needed.
- practice patience when student behaviors work our last good nerve by taking the time to reteach what we expect.
- participate in the "extra's" such as after school tutoring, after school student clubs, PTA, parent workshops, staff outings, parent conferences, evening school events, and staff meetings.
- push the status quo by asking questions and by trying new, innovative, ways to 'do school'.
- promote our school by telling of the good things happening here in order to combat any negative perceptions.
So, as we go about this week, let's operate through these (and other) established moves that put our love for Statesville Road into action. Let's ask ourselves these questions: If all of my actions this week are driven by love, will my students' and colleagues' experience of me be different or the same? How will our school culture be affected? How will I be affected? Ok, we have our assignment. Ready, set,.....LOVE!
Instructional Strategy of the Week
Kudos / General Reminders / Agreements
- Kudos to all classroom teachers for conferencing with your parents for 1st quarter conferences. We will have the final tally for our school percentage for conferences this week.
- Kudos to Pickett and the student services team (Nicholas, Dufore, Morris, Burgess) for facilitating Truancy Court each Wednesday. This is a team effort and it really impacts our families.
- Kudos to Earley, McCarthy, McCain, and Grant for being our school's pilot classrooms for the No Nonsense Nurturing (NNN) initiative. These ladies received real-time coaching last week that was INTENSE and they did a great job demonstrating the model in their classrooms. Our school will learn more about the NNN initiative soon.
- After School Tutorial Program: Our 3rd graders have the opportunity to participate in a new 21st century after school program. The program will run Monday - Thursday each week from 3pm - 6pm and will focus on a blended learning model using Achieve 3000 and face to face instruction. Certified teachers are needed to serve as tutors at a pay rate of $19 / hour. (Our school staff will not work for the program on Wednesday's due to staff meeting.) Staff working for the program will attend a training and parent meeting on Thursday, November 13th and the program will begin on Monday, December 3rd. If you are interested in working for this 3rd grade 21st century after school program, please email or text Williams by the end of the day on Monday, November 10th.
- Classroom Teachers: Please remember to keep all summative assessments for each IB unit stored (or posted) in your classrooms. The summative assessments become part of each students' IB portfolio.
- PTA Canned Food Drive: Please collect and count all canned foods in your classroom from November 10 - November 14th. The PTA will collect all canned goods on Friday.
- Common Assessment Scanning on Monday and Wednesday: The Data Lead on grade 2-5 should organize your grade level scan sheets by class and bring to Ms. Johnson in the front office when your grade level finishes testing on Monday and Wednesday. Your tests will be scanned for you. Data will be available in SchoolNet immediately after it is scanned so you will have data to use for the DDI staff meeting on Wednesday. 4th and 5th grades will have one additional day of testing on Thursday for science so that data will not be available for you until it is scanned on Thursday.
- Multi- Week Intervention plans: All teachers should have multi week intervention plans based on the data from common assessment #2 uploaded in your google drive folder by Wednesday, November 19th. Instruction based on your new intervention plans should begin by November 19th. (Earier is better, but I want to give you a week to establish your plans.)
- Individual Teacher Data Meetings: A schedule for individual teacher data meetings for Common Assessment #2 is forthcoming...stay tuned.
Monday, November 10, 2014 (Day 4)
- Lungarini at PD
- 7:55 -- Monday Meeting (begin to move to the multi purpose room)
- Unit 2 Common Assessment (Reading)
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
- NO SCHOOL (Veteran's Day Holiday)
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 (Day 5)
- Lungarini at PD
- Hat Day for PTA Canned Food Drive (students who bring in canned goods can wear hats)
- 7:45am - 8:30am: New Teachers or teachers new to SRE meet with Williams in the conference room : Earley (Bowman to cover) McCarthy (S. McAfee to cover), Gist (Stephens to cover), Christy (J. McAfee to cover), Tillery (Chambers to cover), Jones (Cooper to cover), Sterling (Cunningham to cover).
- Unit 2 Common Assessment (Math)
- 3:30pm -- 5:00pm : DDI STAFF MEETING (Time allotted for data analysis and multi-week intervention planning). There will be no formal staff meeting today.
Thursday, November 13, 2014 (Day 1)
- Lungarini at PD
- 7:30am - 8:30am: Teacher Assistants meet with Walser in the NEST
- Unit 2 Common Assessment (Science - 4 and 5)
- Kick Off for IB Unit 3 "How We Express Ourselves"
- 3:30pm- 6:00pm: Training for 3rd grade After School Program (computer lab)
- 6:00pm: Hispanic Parent Meeting (media center)
- 6:00pm: Parent Meeting for 3rd grade After School Program (multi-purpose room)
Friday, November 14, 2014 (Day 2)
- 8:00am - 8:30am : Real Men Read
- Happy Friday!!