PIRATE PRESS
Fill yer sails with the amazing work of ye mateys at NP3!
January 27, 2020
CELEBRATE THE LEARNING CYCLE: SCIENCE
Their current learning cycle is on a skill that supports literacy essentials; construction of independent responses that include academic language, determining a conclusion, and showing reasoning and connection to learning. The evidence-based strategy they agreed to use to teach this skill is modeling. What's part of their learning cycle? Here are some of the ways to effectively implement modeling and is part of their methods:
- Model a think aloud of how to reason or construct a response.
- Work some of the steps (while leaving some for students to work) within a solution or problem so as to lessen the cognitive load for students.
- Give clear directions and purpose.
- Allow for practice and feedback.
- Develop a looks like/sounds like description with the students for each step and practice it.
- Use relevant examples and visuals.
- Identify the "extra" stuff and non-examples to provide clarity for what something is. If it's really important for students to know, add more clarity. And then add more. And a little more.
- Choose when to model: it's often effective to choose to model during specific parts of scaffolding where students need it most.
- Show a relevant model of a finished product and dissect it with students.
- Use thought and sentence frames.
- Model during new content when you have to consider sensitivity to the cognitive load.
- Modeling falls under explicit teaching strategies according to John Hattie at 0.57 effect size.
- Some of the steps Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey suggest in their book "Better Learning Through Structured Teaching" are to name the skill or strategy, share the purpose, explain when it's used, dig on prior knowledge, demo the skill, share what to avoid, and provide feedback on progress of the skill.
Pirates! Keep up the learning cycle work and consider areas of celebration for your own team's progress on this meaningful work! Congrats on your progress science! Arrrgh Mateys!
CELEBRATE DEBATE ACTION TEAM
CELEBRATE OUTDOOR CLUB at ROCK CLIMBING
ANNOUNCEMENTS
STAFF ONLY:
Pirate Praise: Praise week begins soon and your input is needed on when and where is best for someone to pop in! Your input is due by Thursday ya'll. Here is the doc. The process: pick one prep to join 3 colleagues and check out all things awesome - and add a public celebration for that strategy.
HS Showcase Rally: MS and HS student government classes are planning a rally for MS students. Plan for an all advisory, no enrichment afternoon on Jan 31.
Enrichment Changes: There have been some Enrichment changes. Please make sure you update your rosters.
AICs: Save the date! Q3 AICs are on Feb 5.
Shadow Days: Shadow days are right around the corner! 8th graders will be shadowing 9th graders after lunch Feb 5. 5th graders from NP3E will be shadowing 6th graders Feb 6.
Frontline Set-Up: If you have not already set up your Frontline information please do so now before you are in need of a sub! You can set this up on a computer or on your phone. Jen Bell sent an email on Jan 16 with all of the details. The phone app is user friendly and if you need help, please see Sharon Foster.
2020 Book Talk: Book talk date is Feb 13. Get your read on! Can't stop won't stop!
Trash Pick-Up Schedule: Tue Jan 28: Thurston and Sakanari; Wed Jan 29: Winburg and Gyorfi.
Semester 2 Duty Doc: The doc is completed. Please check for the finalized version.
6th SOM: The next one is Feb 21. Woot!
PARENTS & FAMILIES:
- 8th Grade HS Academic Night: Save the date! Tue Feb 11 at 6pm NP3 HS is having an info night. We encourage families to join who are interested in learning more about NP3 High and/or their child's transition to NP3 High. All grade levels are welcome to attend. Click here for more information. Any grade is welcome to join if they want to learn more info about NP3 HS.
- 8th Grade Promotion Info: Please view our updated 8th grade letter here and let your Advisory teacher know if you have any questions. The letter has information regarding 8th promotion for May 2020.
- Final DC/NYC trip meeting: The Final DC/NYC meeting for 2020 will be held Tuesday February 11th at 6:45 in the cafeteria after the NP3 High Info and Academic Night. Please bring $60 for luggage fees (checks made payable to NP3 Middle School) and completed Medical Consent and Behavior Form (see attached).
- Pennies for Patients: Students Govt is running their annual drive, Pennies for Patients to help raise money for the Sacramento Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Advisory classes will be collecting money/coins for the drive Feb 4- Feb 28.
- Basketball Tournament: Student Government is hosting a basketball tournament Jan 27-31. Teams of four will play against each other. Get your team together! Sign-ups coming soon!
- Gummy Baes: Student Government will sell "gummy bae" Valentine grams Feb 4-Feb 11. Grams will be passed out Feb 14 and will be sold for 50 cents each.
- Run for Rhett Spring Youth Fitness Program: Run for Rhett spring training begins Tue, Feb 11 from 3-4 pm on the track. This is a 6 week long training program that leads to the annual "Run Because You Can"-5k. Mandatory training sessions are on the following Tuesdays: 2/11, 2/18, 2/25, 3/3, and 3/10. Optional workouts on Fridays after school are on: 2/14, 2/21, 2/28 and 3/6. Sign up with Ms. Clark!
- "Doodle for Google": Google's annual art competition is on it's way! Use your imagination to create a Google doodle based on what kindness means to you. Winners of the competition can can be awarded a $30,000 college scholarship, $50,000 tech package for their school and their artwork would be displayed on Google.com! Click here for info on how to apply. Deadline is March 13.