Westside Weekly News
January 14-18, 2019
PBIS, Restorative Practices, SOS
Beginning this semester, we are also implementing a GroupMe SOS system to alert the leadership team of emergencies when you need assistance with student behavior. Please refer to the resource provided by Kimere and Andra to help you determine if a student's behavior is a SOS or not. Major behaviors such as physical violence, overt defiance, and leaving the classroom are major behaviors that constitute an immediate SOS. Calling out in class, teasing others, and being disruptive, for example, are minor behaviors that are addressed by classroom teachers. These behaviors may become a SOS when after you have provided redirection and strategies to correct the behavior several times (3-4) within a day. Continue to utilize your teammate(s) and peace corners/cool down corners as intervention strategies in your classroom- especially when students need to take a break to regroup, are having a tantrum, teasing others, out of their seat/area etc.(Refer to the sheet of minor behaviors provided). It can be difficult sometimes to know what strategy to use to correct behavior. We are working on providing teachers with menus of behavior intervention strategies that can be used with specific targeted behaviors. These menus will be posted on the Google Drive for everyone to access.
Retention
1- Documented Tier 3 supports with 6-8 weeks of documented progress monitoring or Tier 4 placement with documented support.
2- Initial parent notification of intent to retain must be provided by February 1, 2019 through report card comments (or conferences with written documentation that possible retention was discussed) AND via a letter mailed home.
3- Second parent notification of intent to retain must be provided by March 27, 2019 via report card comments and mailed letter home.
4- Retention/placement meetings will take place between May 3- May 24, 2019.
5- Letters with the final team decision will be mailed to parents.
When determining retention multiple data sources are considered. Examples include progress monitoring data, MAP data, classroom performance/grades, teacher feedback etc.
Please email me names of students who will be potentially retained by January 31st. I will prepare the letters to be mailed home for the candidates.
Important Dates to Remember
January 15: Chipotle Spirit Night (4:00-8:00 p.m.)
January 16: 5th grade field trip- Robotics Explorers
January 17: 2nd grade field trip- MLK Center
January 18: Quarter 3 curriculum maps due for teachers grades 5-7; Quarter 4 curriculum maps due for all teachers
January 21: No School
January 24: 3rd grade field trip- Atlanta History Center
January 28- Faculty Meeting
January 29: Community Council meeting @ 7:00 p.m.
February 1: NAEP testing - 4th grade ONLY; send student work home
Staff Birthdays
January 15: Zipporah Taylor
February 11: Katherine Dillon
Westside Atlanta Charter School
Email: dana@wacs.us
Website: wacs.us
Location: 2250 Perry Boulevard Northwest, Atlanta, GA, USA
Phone: (404) 802-1350