The Weekly Update #4
September 5th, 2023
~News from the Nest~
October 22nd, 2023
A Message From Jenniffer...
In the Blink of an Eye!
Dear Staff,
And just like that, the Spooktacuar month of October leaves us and the the month of November gets ready to makes its debut! I'm not sure about you, but the older I get, the more quickly time goes. In the blink of an eye seasons change, years pass, and I am left wondering how in the world did I get this old! The days of my youth seemed to take forever, but now, time flies by so quickly. Perhaps this subtle revelation is planned by the universe as a gentle reminder to us to make good use of our time before there is no more. As we approach this new season of Thanks and Giving, let us choose to spend our time focused on the positive, excited about the possibilities, and relentless in our pursuit of BUILDing each other UP! I wish you and your family a weekend of rest, play and Happy Holloween happenings!
Fondly,
Jenniffer
The Science of Reading In Action!
Covering Duties
I think most of you know I spend most of my mornings playing musical people with my poor subs as we are short subs almost daily. Many days I'm also asked to juggle covering for a duty or two and it's becoming too much. You all have a partner (A/B schedule) for your duty. I am asking (with admin approval) that you all manage covering your duty by swapping a day with your partner if you have a morning or afternoon meeting. If your meeting goes into your day with a sub covering your class I will then of course cover your duty with that sub. This is just for short meeting before the start of the day or something after school.
I'm always here to help if an emergency arises, but please if you all can help reduce the number of requests, it will truly help.
Many Thanks!
Joe'l
Teaching Tips and Tricks
Staff, please enjoy a new edition to our News for the Nest... Teaching Tips and Tricks also known as...TT&T! We will highlight ideas that could be helpful to you in the classroom. Use it, Lose it, or Share it! If you find a great idea to share, let us know and we will include it!
40 Acts of Self Care for Teachers~ Please try one or two this week. You deserve it!
BUILDing A Schoolhouse of Gratitude!
Leading by Learning!
Thank you to our wonderful coaches and facilitators who launched our Cohorts and provided demonstration lessons! I love when we are able to learn from each other. Thank you to Vicky Moore, Nicole Briengar, Neisha McNamara, Teri Keb, Tina Marks, Taryon Balona and Tiffany Suetos!
Everything Math!!
This is your chance to sign up for different things I can assist you with math.
~Bring your class to room 40 to do a thinking task on the vertical whiteboards with Mrs. McNamara OR have me come to your class for a task.
~Model a number sense routine.
~co-plan or co-teach.
~Come to your PLC
~Invite me to a UPO day
Please be specific about what you would like to do from the list and also what standard you are working on in math.
Little Info that was sent in a email this week...
Hello Alamos teachers!
I wanted to share another math resource with you. It's called "Number of the Day", Eduprotocols calls it a "Math Rep". You can use these as a warm-up (number sense routine). You can load it on Seesaw or print out hard copies and put them in sheet protectors. There are even more if you search in Seesaw. Here is the link to the folder:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NRxmCd72LLfKzVv8s4SRYRB7L7bnYTRw?usp=sharing
They are also on the math resource hub all the way to the left.
Hi everyone! I wanted to share a handout you could give to parents if they are asking what they could do to help with math at home. It may seem more primary, but the older students who are struggling in math NEED these things.
Here is a doc that has a QR code of the document if you want to just show that to parents at the conference, and they can just scan it instead of giving them a paper copy.
Let me know if you have any questions.
SEL Tidbits...
Social Emotional Learning
The Monthly SEL Theme for October is Empathy and Kindness!
What is Empathy? Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings and experiences of others. Empathy is when you feel someone’s emotions along with them. We all think about ourselves, what we want, what we need, and how we feel, but sometimes we forget to think about what someone else is thinking and feeling. Being empathetic means that you understand how someone else feels. Being able to put yourself in their shoes.
Why is empathy important? Empathy is the root of all healthy relationships. It helps you know how your actions affect others, and what actions you need to take to be a good friend, and it helps you understand more about the people around you.Kindness is an intentional act, showing genuine, and selfless concern for others without expecting anything in return.
Morning Meetings TK - 2nd Grade
Keenan Evaluation ~ November 8th (tentative schedule)
Keenan and Associates will be conducting a mandatory evaluation of all campuses the week of November 6th. AES is slotted for Nov. 8th but this may change so we need to be prepared for the entire week.
During a typical SAM Prevention Evaluation, the Consultant will visit classrooms, offices, athletic
rooms/areas, theaters, gyms, locker rooms, labs, restrooms, student common areas, and other areas where students are or may be present.
The purpose of this evaluation is to (i) promote safety awareness, (ii) assist in the
identification of conditions which may pose a risk of injury, and (iii) provide recommendations
and/or suggestions to help mitigate the risks identified. Common violations noted during the inspection are listed below:
Classroom windows covered prohibiting sight into the room
Unsupervised students or isolated areas that make supervision difficult
Multi-person seating which could promote inappropriate interactions
In recent years, abuse claims against school districts have been on the rise, and the cost to defend employees have increased significantly. The guidelines we have in place help protect our students, staff and District and also help us to retain insurance coverage. Thank you for your assistance in following these guidelines, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Risk Management
Week of October 29th
Kindness Matters Week
Monday, October 30th
Tuesday, October 31st
- Spirit Day- Live Literature Day
- Tk-5th IEPs -All Day
Wednesday, November 1st
- No School- Staff Development Day
- Cohort/PD 8:30-12pm
Thursday, November 2nd
- TREASURE BOX Day - special day because of no school Wednesday
- COME BY THE OFFICE to check the printed Owl Star list, make sure your student is on it.
- Tk-5th IEPs - All Day
Friday, November 3rd
- Spirit Day - AES Spirit Wear
- 9:05 Flag Salute Assembly
- Lockdown Drill - 12:10 during Tk/Kinder/1st Grade Lunch
- PreK IEPs - All Day
The fix for OWL STARS!
So as we continue to try to trouble shoot the Owl Star list, I think we have found the problem. Unlike Google Docs which saves anything you type into the file, Google Sheets works differently. You must click return or click a different cell to save what you just typed. I tested this leaving my curser in the cell that I typed something and closed the spreadsheet and it warned me "changes may not be saved", I closed anyways and then went back in and it was gone.
SO PLEASE, be sure to hit return or click a different cell before exiting the spreadsheet!
PLEASE NOTE: Although I think we have the fix I will continue to have the list at my desk to double check. It is up to the teachers to stop by at a break before 2 pm to verify your names are on the list, if you are concerned. Names are still due on Wednesday, this is not an extended time to add students (unless it's a glitch). PLEASE NO MORE COMING UP TO THE PODIUM TO ADD A STUDENT, IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK THE LIST ON THURSDAY'S.