Murphey Memos
Weekly Updates
Loving to Learn, Learning to Lead, Leading the Future
Character Trait of the Month: Courage
Brown's Buzz
Star Staff Member of the Week - Ms. Angela Mayberry
Shout out
Well done
Thank you
You are the best!
You did it!
Something to Think About
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, jr.
Our Goals
Reading composite from 40.1 to 45.1.
3rd Grade Reading From 28.9% to 30.7%.
4th Grade Reading from 37.9% to 42.9%.
5th Grade Reading from 51.0% to 56.0%.
3rd Grade Math from 44.7% to 49.7%.
4th Grade Math from 34.5% to 39.5%.
5th Grade Math from 37.3% to 42.3%.
By 2019, Murphey will decrease the achievement gap between all students and students with disabilities in reading from a 25.8% gap to a 20% gap as measured by the NC End of Grade tests.
By 2019, Murphey Traditional Academy will reduce the number of office discipline referrals from 58 to 50.
January 21st
- Holiday
January 22nd
Math/Science PLCs – 5, K, 1, 2
- ELA PLCs – 4, 5
- ELA Interim Assessments 3-5
January 23rd
- ELA PLCs – 5, K
- Math/Science PLCs – 5, 3
- Math Interim Assessments 3-5
- 3:10 IST
- Guilford County Science Fair - Walker out AM
January 24th
- ELA PLC – 3rd
- Walker out - training
January 25th
- Plans uploaded by EOD
- 4th & 5th data day (8:00 - 11:00 5th grade) (11:30 - 2:30 4th grade)
January 26th & 27th
Future Events
1/21
- Holiday
1/22
- Mandated Workday Cancelled - This is a regular school day.
- 4th & 5th data day
- End of quarter
1/28
- 2nd & 3rd data day - rescheduled for 1/29
- Mandated workday - parent conferences
- 2nd & 3rd data data (rescheduled to 1/30)
- IST moved from the 30th due to Equity training
- ILT training (Brown, Watlington, Thomas, Walker)
- Equity Training 3 - instead of a Tuesday meeting this week
- 2nd & 3rd data data
- CKLA Coaching Day #4
- 5:00 - 8:30 School Showcase (Magnet Fair) rescheduled for March 13th
- K-1 Data Day
2/6
- Report cards go home
Announcements
Guidance this week is Kindergarten and 1st grades.
Support for Bennett. Because of the late notice, we are going to give you another opportunity to support this institution. If you make the $10 donation requested by the district, you can wear jeans Tuesday through Friday. If you already gave $5 last week, you need only give $5 more. Please give the donations to Tracy. Thanks so much for your support.
Please review this email from Caroline. Caroline thank you for the reminder. Team, this is a very serious matter. A career ending matter. Please adhere. Hello teachers! This is a friendly reminder regarding IEP accommodations. Please make sure that you are providing the given accommodations for all EC students in your classroom. The accommodations are located on the IEP at a glance that were given to you at the beginning of the year. For example, if you have a student who receives read aloud for math in your classroom, the student should be sitting with you (either independently or with a small group) and you are reading the questions aloud to the student. If the student is reading significantly below grade level, they will not be able to access the math test. If they cannot read the test questions then you are really testing their reading abilities, not necessarily their math abilities. Remember that IEPs are legal documents and MUST be followed. I will make an accommodation cheat sheet for each teacher by the end of the week. This can be referenced to ensure that each student is given the correct accommodations. Just remember that this information is confidential. If you are unsure where the accommodations are located or need another copy of your student’s IEPs at a glance, please let me know.
This week, walk throughs will focus on what students are doing. We will provide feedback on how to engage students in conversation and/or grade level work.
The calendar has been adjusted to meet the demands of the weather days. Please access a copy on the district website. Note that our day starts with class meeting at 7:55. We will not adjust anything else. Class meeting will be 5 minutes longer. The workday on the 22nd has moved to the 28th. It is a required parent conference day. The quarter ends on the 25th. We are in school on the 18th and 22nd. We are in school on February 18th and March 28th.
Lunch duty monitors- please make sure that the music, microphone and the large speaker are turned on during duty. The music can't be heard without those components. Hold students accountable for silence during the music. As teachers, let's model for them as well by not talking to each other while the music is playing. Students lining up to leave the cafeteria are still expected to be quiet while the music is playing.
Silent lunch will not be monitored by the lunch duty monitors. If your class or a group of students from your class is on silent lunch, you are expected to stay with them.
Computer lab schedules will be posted on the door of the lab. Please sign up when you want to utilize the space. Actively monitor students to make sure they aren't mistreating the equipment.
If you need to tell your students what they will be having for lunch, here's the link to the lunch menus: Lunch menus
Make sure you read the February chapter of Growth Mindset Coach. You will need to activities for your class meetings. Also, post this month's mantra in your classroom.
Mid year PDPs are due soon. I will schedule meetings soon after the break. Remember to update your PDP details to describe the progress you are making toward goals. Be sure to include any relevant data.
Second round observations for those on the comprehensive and standard cycles have started. These observations are unannounced.
A Better Way To Praise
Last week, we discussed the difference between person praise and process praise. The same can be applied to constructive critique. Person critique is feedback that blames a failure or setback on a quality of the person: "You're not smart at math." Process critique focuses on the effort, or lack thereof, put into the task: "That strategy didn't work for you. What else could you try?"
Check out the examples below:
Person Critique: You really messed this up.
Process Critique: This didn't seem to work out for you. How could you approach this problem differently?
Person Critique: You did the best, but it's just not good enough.
Process Critique: You didn't meet your goal, but what did you learn.
Person Critique: Maybe piano just isn't your thing.
Process Critique: Keep practicing. Every day you get closer to mastering this.
Person Critique: You're such a naughty boy.
Process Critique: You made a bad choice. What will you do differently in the future?
Notice the difference? Person praise or critique is directly tied to a student's intelligence or some other personal quality, it can make him or her feel insecure about tackling challenges and potentially making in the future. However, when the teacher ties success or failure to effort, strategy, or action, the child is not evaluated globally but just on this one thing -- right here and right now. In this moment, it has nothing to do with being smart or stupid. In this moment, it has everything to do with perseverance and the process of learning.
ELA Curriculum Updates
DIBELS/TRC Assessments: DIBELS/TRC assessments will continue for kindergarten, 1st and 3rd grades next week. Look for a detailed schedule in your email. Please continue to work on DIBELS Next assessments right away. You don't have to wait for the scheduled assessment day to complete DIBELS Next assessments. I recommend that you assess at least 2 students per day on the DIBELS Next measures.
Data Collection Sheets: Remember to update your progress monitoring and any other on the data collection sheet located in the data collection files in the lesson planning folder.
Paideia Seminars will focus on courage in January and February. School wide Paideia dates are forthcoming. Seminar plans will be shared via OneDrive.
Math Curriculum Updates
3-5 EOG:
Teachers, please be aware that the math EOG for this year is a brand new test. Scores will be delayed in getting back to us. Please use the released test for your instruction. The Math standards have been reweighted on the new test. Here's the link: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/accountability/testing/technotes/eogmthspc18.pdf
REMINDER: Eureka Student Books for Transferring Students
When a student transfers from one Guilford County School to another, please send all three books the student is currently working in to the new school. If a students comes to you without materials, please let me know and we'll contact their former school.
New NCDPI Released EOG Tests
NCDPI has finalized a released form for each end-of-grade (EOG) mathematics test. The forms are available in a paper/pencil version and online through NCTest. The paper/pencil released forms are available at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/releasedformsScience Curriculum Updates
Feedback Requested: 5th Grade Science
Fifth grade science teachers, please provide feedback regarding the CIBL Weather Module using this Teacher Feedback link. The STEM Department would also like to collect student feedback using this Student Feedback link or this form, which should be sent to the STEM Department at 501 W Washington street via the GCS courier. All survey responses should be submitted by January 17. Contact Emma Linn with questions
Science Fair - Students who will be presenting at the GCS Science Fair will be going to the Natural Science Center on January 23rd. The snow date is January 29th. They will receive help to update their science boards when we get back.
STEM: Greensboro Water Resources Poster Contest
Greensboro Water Resources is sponsoring a poster contest for students in grades K-2. The theme is “Water is Life” and entries are due February 15, 2019. Please see this flyer for additional information and entry forms. Contact Latoya Harris (336.373.4601) with questions.
Forestry Teachers Experience
Grade 3-5 teachers are invited to apply to attend a summer professional development workshop that demonstrates all elements of forestry in North Carolina. Visit this link to learn more and to apply. Contact Amy Juliana, NC Forest Association Education Manager, at (919)-834-3943 with questions.
Title 1 Updates
As you know, Title I provides additional federal funds to use in improving achievement levels of our students specifically in reading and math. One of our largest responsibilities is keeping a documentation file to record how we are meeting the demands of that funding. There are 35 Elements we are required to submit electronically. It isn't difficult but very time consuming and specific. While the "official" checks of this documentation happen three times annually, I've found it's much easier to submit information as we go. Most of the information needed comes from the classroom teacher. For that reason, I've become your friendly pest continuously asking for information.
Here's a list of things needed for Title I documentation for your reference.
Interim and report cards for each quarter from each grade level.
parent contact logs
Parent/Teacher conference logs and documentation
Parent communication including social media posts, newsletters, etc.
Sample data reports
- I still need signed copies of the Parent Involvement policies from each classroom teacher. I will send individual notification if I have not yet received your copies.
Professional Development
AIG Add-On Licensure Scholarship Opportunity
As stated in the current AIG Plan, students identified as AG are to be taught by teachers who hold AIG licensure or have completed the district’s AG Professional Development. The AG Department provides a scholarship to K – 8 core subject teachers interested in obtaining their AIG Add-On Licensure. The scholarship provides full tuition to Elon University’s AIG Add-On Licensure Program. The application window is December 10, 2018 – February 8, 2019. For a copy of the 2019 – 2020 Scholarship Application, please click here.
Teachers interested in learning more about this opportunity should plan to attend the interest meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 4:30pm. Click here to RSVP. Questions regarding the AIG Add-On Scholarship should be directed to Dee Jordan.
Blended Learning Professional Network: Are you interested in earning Digital Learning Credits (DLC) while learning about blended and technology integration resources in GCS? If so, please join the Blended Learning Professional Learning Network! A live webinar will be held on Thursday, January 31st from 4:30-5:00 to provide an overview of this exciting opportunity! The network is open to all certified staff, including teachers, media coordinators, and administrators. Please register for the webinar using this link. Contact Dianne Woods with questions.