JWL Weekly Update
Volume 6 * Issue 29 * February 26, 2018
This week . . .
Starbucks!
- 4:30 - 5:30pm (come and go as you need)
- Starbucks at ___
- Buy raffle tickets for $1 each for some great prizes ($10 Starbucks card, a pound of coffee, and a mug!)
Keep your eye on the the prize!
Every. Day.
You are the light to so many--and not just to students. You encourage and support your teams. You help our parents.
Thank you for ALL that you do!
We're tough!
I resent that statement many days. I don't know about you, but I don't feel very strong sometimes. That's where our teammates help us. Just knowing we're not alone helps. Knowing we have others to call upon when we feel weak builds our connections and helps us overcome the tough times.
History does repeat itself... about this same time each school year. This is a tough time. BUT, you are even tougher. We have a tough team that can outwit, outlast, and overcome any tribulation that stands in our way!
Let's stick together as a fortified team!
Write this down:
- 2/26 - 3/2: Life Principle--Citizenship (Boyd);
- Dr. Seuss Week: see below for daily details
- 2/26:
- Cat in the Hat: wear hats with usual school dress code
- Starbucks, 4:30 - 5:30pm
- 2/27:
- Wacky Wednesday on Tuesday (yep! that's wacky)--wear wacky clothes &/or hair (inside out, backwards, etc) with usual school dress code
- SSTs 7:30am, 3:45pm, 4:15pm
- PLCs
- SALT Meeting @ 4:15pm
- 2/28:
- Spring Picture Day (individuals & class pictures)
- Fox in Socks: wear crazy socks
- ARDs 1:15 & 2:00
- SST @ 2:00pm
- 3/1:
- Green Eggs & Ham: wear head to toe green
- PLCs
- 504 @ 9:00am
- Awards Luncheons
- SST @ 7:30, 3:45 & 4:15
- 3/2:
- Dr. Seuss Parade: dress up as favorite character, and we'll have a parade!
- 3/3: Saturday Academy (3rd, 4th & 5th grades)
Heads Up:
Tutorials & Saturday Academy Updates
- Thank you to those that have been contacting parents and updating the tutorial logs! I greatly appreciate your help.
- Tutorial students will need to be released at 3:43pm on their tutorial day to the library where they will receive their snack. They will await pick up from tutorial teacher there. **This is to be sure students that have parent permission do in fact stay instead of sneaking on the bus at 3:45pm.
- If you have not had students attend, please send your 2nd or 3rd notice; a personal phone call would be a great idea as well. Tutorial letters in both English and Spanish were shared with you last week.
- Please remember to complete the online Google form (button below) to mark attendance and snack consumption.
- Each Thursday buses will be provided to take students home after PM tutorials. Please be sure parents are aware of this as last week we have 5 buses ready to transport student home and 0 rode.
- What can we do to help make tutorials and Saturday academy more supportive and productive? A couple of you have asked that we not provide you with additional resources, if this is a genuine request, please email me so I can track needs accordingly.
T-shirts for Sale
- JWL's Relay for Life: Example shirt hanging by copier/lounge. Thanks to Ms. Hedke and Mrs. Holloway for organizing our team and shirt sales!
- Autism Awareness shirts are still available; order by 2/28! (Thanks for the extension!)
Punch Cards
Students must earn 20 punches to earn special event; students should be able to earn 4 to 5 punches per day. Ideas for punches (signatures with dates) include:
- being present (attendance) **This is crucial that students are present to learn.
- turning in assignment (no zeros)
- showing sincere effort on task/assignment; showing growth mindset
- earning an 70% or higher on a test
- earning a 100% can be TWO!
- leveling up on Lexia or Dreambox
This week students will be working to earn art time. We will need teachers to donate construction paper or manilla paper and loan some scissors, glue & crayons when your students come for their time.
Cycle 3 to Cycle 4
After spring break, we'll post the scores to see if we've met our Cycle 3 goals. I'll be posting our Cycle 4 goals soon so we can be prepared as we are planning instruction from now to STAAR and EOY.
Have we been following our cycle 3 goals?
Cycle 3 Goals
K-2 Reading:
By the end of the cluster cycle, all students will increase their teacher made pre to post test score by at least 20%, using strategies that focus on MAKING CONNECTIONS.
Strategies: Thinking Maps (Fiction & Nonfiction focus)
Rubric Focus: PIC
March 2018 Goal: Each student has minimum growth of 4 DRA levels from BOY.
3-5 Reading:
By the end of the cluster cycle, all students will increase their teacher made pre to post test score by 20% using strategies that focus on USING TEXT EVIDENCE.
Strategies: Close reading; Question stems
Rubric Focus: ACT
Spring Benchmark Goals
3rd: 30% at Meets
4th: 31% at Meets
5th: 30% at Meets **Update: 22% at Meets per Spring Benchmark
K - 2 Math:
By the end of the cluster cycle, all students will increase their teacher made pre to post test score by at least 20%, using strategies that focus on OPERATIONS.
Strategies: VISA/ # & Label; One-Step Word Problems
Rubric Focus: TH
Unit 8|9 test goals:
K & 1: 80% at Meets Standard
2: 65% at Meets Standard
3 - 5 Math:
By the end of the cluster cycle, all students will increase their Fall Benchmark test score by at least 10% using strategies that focus on ONE STEP PROBLEM SOLVING.
Strategies: VISA
Rubric Focus: TH
Overall Score Goals by Spring BM:
3rd: 35% at Meets
4th: 35% at Meets
5th: 45% at Meets **Update: 21% at Meets per Spring Benchmark4 Writing:
By the end of the cluster cycle, all students will increase their score comparing fall benchmark to weekly checkpoint by at least 20%, using strategies that focus on Editing: 4.15D (mechanics), 4.21B (capitalization) and 4.21C (punctuation).
Strategies: DOL Daily &/or CUPS | ARMS
Rubric Focus: FEED & ACT
Spring BNCHK Goal:
Each student improve by 20% from fall to spring benchmark. **Update: 26% improved 20% or more from fall to spring benchmark.
5 Science:
By the end of the cluster cycle, all students will increase their Fall Benchmark test score by at least 20% using strategies that focus on SCIENTIFIC METHODS (5.2 A-D).
Strategies: Formulate questions & Inference
Rubric Focus: ACT; QU; FEED
Overall Score Goals by Spring BM:
5th: 75% at Meets StandardFood4Kids
Shared Resources
Let's help students understand that practice is not to harm them, but to help. Also, we need to not make practice so dull and boring. Let's make it engaging and fun! See below for links to some interactive review game boards.
Accessibility Features (ALL) and Designated Supports (Meet eligibility)
Also, be sure you are documenting used accommodations consistently. I will need to see your documentation for accommodation use the first week of February. This documentation consists of you recording what accommodation(s) are being used with which students on which assignments and the outcome (grade? progress?) . This can be done in your grade book or in an anecdotal format.
If an accommodation is not effective, it needs to be removed from their accommodations list. To do so, you'll need to ask for an ARD, 504, or SST meeting depending on how student is served.
Also to reiterate, the SST, or RTI, committee can approve effective accommodations in SST meetings with appropriate data to support decision.
Upcoming Events
- 3/5 - 3/9: Life Principle--Service (McFarlane); National School Breakfast Week
- 3/5: TELPAS window opens
- 3/6: 3rd & 4th Reading Benchmarks; SALT Meeting
- 3/7: College day; 3rd & 4th Math Benchmarks, Grades due; Grade Level meetings @ 4:15pm
- 3/8: PLCs; 5th Science Benchmark; PTO Meeting @ 5pm; Family Math & Health Night 5:30 - 7pm
- 3/9: Jump Rope for Heart; Progress reports go home
- 3/11: Daylight Savings (spring forward--lose an hour)
- 3/12 - 3/16: SPRING BREAK
- 3/19 - 3/23: Life Principle--Humanitarianism (Savell)
- 3/20: Severe Weather Drill; SALT Meeting
- 3/21: Faculty Meeting @ 4:15pm
- 3/22: PLCs
- 3/24: Saturday Academy (3rd, 4th and 5th grades)
- 3/26 - 3/30: Life Principle--Patriotism (Tauer)
- 3/27: PLCs
- 3/28: ARD @ 12:30; Teacher Choice Sessions @ 4:15pm
- 3/29: PLCs
- 3/30: HOLIDAY
- 4/1: Easter Sunday
- 4/2 - 4/6: Life Principle--Perseverance (Morgan)
- 4/2: STAAR Alt2 Window opens
- 4/3: PLCs; SALT Meeting @ 4:15pm
- 4/4: TELPAS window closes; Grade level meetings
- 4/5: PLCs
- 4/6: Grades due
- 4/7: PTO Daddy/Daughter dance
- 4/9 - 4/13: Life Principle--Resiliency (Bass)
- Assistant Principal Week
- National Library Week (we're celebrating this next week with Scholastic Book Fair)
- STAAR testing: 4W, 5R, & 5M
- 4/10: STAAR 4W & 5M
- 4/11: STAAR 5R
- 4/12: Report Cards go home; PLCs; PTO meeting @ 6pm
- 4/14: Saturday Academy
- 4/16 - 4/20: Life Principle--Courage (Yuen); Book Fair; Volunteer Appreciation Week
- 4/17: PLCs
- 4/18: Faculty meeting @ 4:15pm
- 4/19: PLCs; Awards luncheons
- 4/20: Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
- 4/23 - 4/27: Life Principle--Fortitude (Way); EOY DRA2 for 4th & 5th only
- 4/24: PLCs
- 4/25: Teacher Choice Sessions @ 4:15pm
- 4/26: PLCs
- 4/28: Saturday Academy
Last week's nominees:
Kelela Cooper nominated by Ms. Kuhn
When she is struggling in a concept in class she always pushes herself and doesn't give up.
Staff Shout Outs!
At the end of each month, we'll take all the staffers that have been celebrated via shout outs and vote for our staff members of the month.
Thank you to all that have placed your nominations.
Last week's nominees:
Mr. Lester
Not only did he give his time out of the classroom to help us out, he hung in there with the 5th grade boys on our trip to Pine Cove! He went above and beyond!! Thank you so much Mr. Lester!
Kassandra Esquivel
She is doing an amazing job with the kids and in the library. Always supportive and eager to help with resources. If we miss our time because she is in a classroom she finds a way for us to get library time in some other way. Delighted to have her her!