Magers Memo
March 30th, 2018
Monday is WORLD AUTISM DAY! Feel free to wear jeans & lots of blue-blue shades too, if you have them!
Congratulations Coach Hill! Power of 1!
Coach Hill is so deserving of the Power of One award! Coach works hard every day to make a difference in the lives of her students. She consistently works hard to build strong leadership skills in her students that help them to continue to be a better person, outside of her classroom! She builds deep relationships with her students. Her students love going to her class and seeing her in the school! Coach has even gone out of her way to help with a student that needed some extra attention and motivation! She took her plan time to play sports with a student that earned behavior points! The student loved it and it helped motivate them! Coach Hill, you are just ONE person but you make such a big difference in the lives of your students and your colleagues!
12 Strategy Review from Equity & Access Training
Please provide feedback to L.A. by completing this survey! Thank you!
Strategy #3: Rephrase
With the subtle technique, you do not directly point out the language that was demeaning. Rather, you restate it in a more inclusive way when the opportunity arises. This is helpful when you do not want to interrupt the flow of conversation, yet you want to leave more inclusive language in people's minds. For example, someone comments, "I'm not prejudiced against colored people. I just don't have any colored friends." Without directly addressing the term "colored" which is outdated and perceived by many as bigoted, you could respond: "I'm glad to hear you are not prejudiced against black people. What has happened in your life that has kept you from having African-American friends?" This allows you to delve deeper into this topic without sidetracking the focus of the discussion. You can always come back later and talk about more appropriate and respectful word choices.
Another time you might want to rephrase with more equitable language is when one group is set up as the norm, and everyone else is positioned as the exceptions or 'non-norm,' such as in the phrased "Both Christians and Non-Christians attended the ceremony." You could rephrase this as: "People of many faiths attended the ceremony" or "Among those who attended the ceremony were Muslims, Jews, Christians, and others."
Strategy #4: Ask a Question
This is an easy, low-risk, highly effective tool that everyone can use. You can change the outcome of a situation through the use of a non-blaming question. Some generic questions include:
"What do you mean, Bobbie?"
"What are you saying?"
"I don't think I heard you correctly. What did you say?"
"What is it that leads you to say that?"
Generic questions can be practiced in advance and used frequently. They must be sincere, open-ended questions. Refrain from questions that entrap or judge, such as "Why in the world would you make such an offensive statement?" A more advanced skill is to ask specific questions based on the particular situation. One way to do this is to Repeat and Question.
No counseling classes the two weeks of MAP testing-Mrs. Verfurth will be assisting with MAP testing (April 23rd-May 4th)! Classes will not be rescheduled.
Congratulations Tabitha Brown!
The relationships that Tabitha Brown builds with each of our Sequiota students shows what an impact one teacher can have on a person. Tabitha works endlessly to create meaningful experiences for her students. The effort that she puts into music programs, specials class, and Tribe Time shows that she enjoys what she is doing, and her excitement is contagious. If you stand outside of her classroom during specials, you will hear joking, laughing and students singing at the top of their lungs! These Sequiota students are so lucky to have a music teacher that cares for them as much as Ms. Brown does. It is for this reason that Jessica Ridder is presenting the Power of One to our wonderful, Tabitha Brown.
Happy April! Watch the video below for an April Fools Prank!
Friday April 20th, 2018
- French toast
- Eggs Benedict
- Avocado toast
- BLT bowl with chicken/salmon
- Farm hand Skillet
- Strawberry Parfaits
- Hou's Omelet
- Biscuits & Gravy
Orange juice, soda, coffee and tea will be included
Enjoy your "brunch"!!
Voting in the building-Tuesday, April 3rd
- Bruce will lock the doors to the gym hallway.
- Make sure you have your keys available.
- Use restrooms near APR when possible.
- Watch closely on recess duty, due to strangers in and out of the parking lot.
Thank you!
FYI-From Shellie Robertson, Occupational Therapist
Hello! To all of the special education teachers, counselors, nurses, principals, and even regular ed. teachers-I wanted to make you aware that Occupational and Physical therapists are available to do informal observations (these are observations of a student within the classroom environment, where we are “looking at the entire class” and due to the fact that we do not have signed consent from parents to be assessed/evaluated, etc, then we do an “informal” observation and make recommendations or suggestions to teacher that the several kids within or even that the entire class might benefit from to improve in the area of OT/PT). This is one of the ways that therapists support our schools, particularly for kids who are not being served or are not on caseload, giving teachers ideas/suggestions to classrooms from a motor standpoint. However, due to the high numbers of kids we are requested to observe or a child asked to make recommendations on, they are now all being tracked through the SPED department.
From now on, all staff will be asked to fill out a Motor Support Request Form. It’s an easy form to fill out (including student’s name, school, and concerns). After you submit it, the data is sent through SPED tracking and an email alert is sent to the school OT/PT indicating a request for Motor Support. We then add him/her to our list of kids to observe; I’ll do an informal observation in the order they are received (working around current schedule and caseload requirements) and will let you know what we see/think afterward.
Below is a link to the form to fill out, but please be aware that you must go through Google as your browser (if trying to use any other web browser such as Internet Explorer, etc., it’ll give you an error message and tell you that you need permission to fill out the form).
*NOTE: these forms are available for all staff to fill out and can be located on the SPS webpage and can be found in the Department Forms under Special Education Services.
Appy Hour, April 9th!
4th Quarter IGNiTE Appy Hour is here!
4:30-6:00 Monday, April 9
Kickapoo High School
What can I expect at Appy Hour?
Expect a casual learning environment led by your peers. Pick up a new tech trick, share ideas with colleagues, and choose topics that interest you. Oh, and there will be flair and yummy snacks, too.
We will be offering a limited number of childcare options for potty trained children.
Want to win prizes for your classroom?
Four lucky teachers will walk away with prizes for your classroom.
Join us for Teacher Tinker time prior to Appy Hour beginning at 4:00!
Tinker Time continues this year with all new choices to meet your needs developed by Learning Support! Choose from 4 topics including Novel Engineering, Gamify Your Classroom, Purposeful Coding, and Digital Scavenger Hunts. View Tinker Time descriptions here!
What will I be learning?
You will choose two from the following learning opportunities. Check out the recommended levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) to personalize your choices. :
Google for Littles
Little kids love the Google LTI. Use this learning tool to easily assign and share Google Apps in Canvas. They can do it sooooo can you! Beginner Level
The What, Why, and How of the Bitmoji
Learn how to create your own teacher Bitmoji, use it in your instruction, and have students create and use their own Bitmojis in the classroom. Beginner Level
Breaking Barriers with Blendspace
Want a simple and organized way to blend learning? Take your students beyond the four walls of your classroom and even beyond an everyday Canvas page. Create a multimedia lesson with easy to find resources to share with your students using Blendspace! Beginner Level
Using WeVideo to Increase Student Engagement
Come learn how to use WeVideo to flip lessons and have students submit work using the video platform. Beginner Level
At Play with Plickers
Plickers is a powerfully simple tool that lets teachers collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices. Give all students the chance to participate and engage in learning without feeling self-conscious. This session will show how actionable and instant data is now at your fingertips with Plickers. Beginner Level
Snail's Paced Guide to Canvas
Do you feel lost in Canvas and need to start back at the beginning? This session will help you get started at using Canvas as a way to better communicate with students and parents. Beginner Level
Engaging Formative Assessment
Organization of digital resources is key in any classroom. Luckily, Canvas Modules does the organization work for you. Hear how you can use Canvas Modules to facilitate meaningful book studies that your students can navigate with ease. Intermediate Level
Coding is Cool
Interested in coding, but not sure where to start? Learn how to use coding in your K-5 and SPED classroom. Come ready to problem-solve as you will have an opportunity to play with various coding resources. Intermediate Level
Build Your Own App with Appmakr
It seems that there is an app for everything now. Have you ever thought of what an app could do for your class or your school? Would you like to have a one-stop place for parents to check your class/school social accounts and access documents and links? Get a sneak peek of using Appmakr to design your own app. Advanced Level
Register HERE!
Stay Connected on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter and check out our Website
Email: clmagers@spsmail.org
Website: http://sequiota.spsk12.org/pages/Sequiota
Location: 3414 South Mentor Avenue, Springfield, MO, United States
Phone: 417-523-5400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SequiotaPTA?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @SequiotaIndians