Murphy Team Update
For the Week of Sept 23-27
Our Mission
Lapeer Community Schools is a dynamic community organization embracing our students with a quality learning environment, developing independent and confident learners for the future.
Nuts and Bolts for the Week
Monday, Sept 23 -
- K PLC
- 3rd Grade ML-PBL Training
- Gardiner to Skinner Lake in the AM
- Pake to Skinner Lake in the PM
Tuesday, Sept 24 -
- 3rd Grade ML-PBL Training
- A Fire Drill is highly likely
- Collaboration at 7:30
- SAT at 7:30
- I'll be out in the afternoon
- Bond Proposal Town Hall Forum at 6:00
Wednesday, Sept 25 -
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade PLC
- 4th Grade ML-PBL Training
Thursday, Sept 26 -
- 4th Grade ML-PBL Training
- 1st Grade Bake Sales
- I'll be at the K-5 Admin meeting in the PM
Friday, Sept 27 -
- 4th and 5th grade PLC
- 5th Grade ML-PBL Training
The Fall Book Fair is Coming Up in October
Wednesday, October 23rd through Monday, October 28th
- Book Fair Preview
- Book Shopping
There will be a K-2 Assembly and a 3-5 Assembly where one student per grade level will win a $10 voucher for the Book Fair on Wednesday, October 23rd in the Gym
*The Book Fair will be open during Conferences for families.
Upcoming School Visits
As a Reward School teachers and administrators are interested in coming to Murphy to see what's happening here so they can take ideas back to their own schools. It's a tribute to the work you all have had a hand in and an opportunity for us to showcase our school. We'll also receive valuable feedback to further our own growth!
- Tuesday, October 1st
- Tami is organizing an opportunity for some new Mayfield teachers to observe in Traci's room
Sanilac County Teachers Visit:
- Tuesday, October 22nd
- Kristal White is organizing an opportunity for Sanilac County teachers and administrators to visit a Reward School
- They are targeting K-2 classrooms and specifically looking for Essential 4: Bullets 1-5
- More information including schedules will be provided during PLCs as it becomes available
- Essential 4: Bullet 1 Rhyming and Blending
- Essential 4: Bullet 2 Sorting Pictures by Sound
- Essential 4: Bullet 3 Sound Boxes
- Essential 4: Bullet 4 Blending Sounds in Words
- Essential 4: Bullet 5 Spelling with Sounds
Sanilac County Teachers Visit:
- Thursday, October 24th
- Kristal White is organizing an opportunity for Sanilac County teachers and adminstrators to visit a Reward School
- The visiting team will be in first through third grade classrooms
- They are targeting Essential 5: Letter-sound relationships, word study, and phonics items
- More information including schedules will be provided during PLCs as it becomes available
- Essential 5: Instruction in Letter and Sound Relationships
Sign Up Sheets
MAP Testing takes priority for Open Lab Time
Remember to Keep Powerschool Updated Weekly
5420A - REPORTING STUDENT PROGRESS
The cooperation of school and home is a vital ingredient to the growth and education of the whole child. It is the responsibility of the school to keep parents informed of student progress in school. The following procedures have been established to ensure effective communication with families regarding student progress:
A. All teachers, E5-12 are expected to maintain an electronic grade book.
B. Electronic grades for students in grades 3-12 are expected to be updated weekly in order to maintain communication.
C. Progress reports need to be available to parents at the midpoint of each term since all parents may not have access to electronic systems. Following the midpoint of a term, if a student's grade falls below the passing level, contact should be made with parents either by phone, e-mail, or written notification.
D. Teachers should respond to parent grading inquiries in a timely manner.
E. Parents appreciate personal and specific feedback regarding the progress of their children. Teachers should contact parents directly when a significant change in a student's academic progress is noted. Elementary teachers are strongly encouraged to include personalized comments on end of term reporting.
Helping Children that have experienced Trauma (and we know we have them)
So what can teachers do to help students in their classrooms who have experienced complex trauma? In her work with educators, Joyce offers the following four strategies.
1) Recognize that a child is going into survival mode and respond in a kind, compassionate way. When you notice that a child might be having a difficult time, start by asking yourself, “What’s happening here?” rather than “What’s wrong with this child?” This simple mental switch can help you realize that the student has been triggered into a fear response, which can take many forms. For example, the student might:
- Get a “deer-in-the-headlights” look
- Turn red and clench his or her fists
- Breathe more rapidly
- Begin moving because his or her body is getting ready to run or react
- Burst into tears or look as if he or she is about to cry
It’s worth noting that not all kids will act out. However, for those who do, once you recognize the trigger, kindly and compassionately reflect back to the child: “I see that you’re having trouble with this problem,” or “You seem like you’re getting kind of irritated,” and then offer a couple choices of things the child can do, at least one of which should be appealing to him or her. This will help the child gain a sense of control and agency and help him or her to feel safe once more. Over time, if a student who is experiencing something that is frightening or harmful sees that you really care and understand, then he or she will be more likely to say, “I need help.”
2) Create calm, predictable transitions. Transitions between activities can easily trigger a student into survival mode. That feeling of “uh oh, what’s going to happen next” can be highly associated with a situation at home where a child’s happy, loving daddy can, without warning, turn into a monster after he’s had too much to drink.
Some teachers will play music or ring a meditation bell or blow a harmonica to signal it’s time to transition. The important thing is to build a routine around transitions so that children know: a) what the transition is going to look like, b) what they’re supposed to be doing, and c) what’s next.
3) Praise publicly and criticize privately. For children who have experienced complex trauma, getting in trouble can sometimes mean either they or a parent will get hit. And for others, “I made a mistake” can mean “I’m entirely unlovable.” Hence, teachers need to be particularly sensitive when reprimanding these students.
To use Rick Hanson’s words in his presentation at the GGSC Summer Institute of Educators: “Nurture the hell out of these children.” Capture those moments when the student is doing really well and point it out to build his or her self-worth: “Wow, I love how you sat at your desk for a whole five minutes” or, “Thank you for helping your classmate.” When you need to re-direct the behavior, do so privately and in as calm a voice as possible.
4) Adapt your classroom’s mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is a fabulous tool for counteracting the impact of trauma. However, it can also be threatening for children who have experienced trauma, as the practice may bring up scary and painful emotions and body sensations.
If you use mindfulness in your classroom, you might consider using the following adaptations that the UCSF HEARTS program and Mindful Schools created:
- Tell students that, if they wish, they can close their eyes at the beginning of the practice. Otherwise, they should look at a spot in front of them so that no one feels stared at.
- Instead of focusing on how the body feels, have students focus on a ball or other object they’re holding in their hands—what it feels like and looks like in their palm.
- Focus on the sounds in the room or of cars passing outside the classroom—something external to the body.
By breaking mindfulness practice down into these elemental components, the child is more likely to have a successful experience—and thus be more willing to practice in the future.
5) Take care of yourself. This actually should be number one! The metaphor of putting on your own oxygen mask first before putting it on the child is very true in this situation.
Data Days
LAB Days - REVISED DATES AND FULL DAYS
LAB focus - finding the right balance of Student-Centered Instruction
focused on Essentials 1 & 7:
- 1st Grade
Wednesday, November 13th
- 2nd Grade
Monday, November 18th
- Kindergarten
Tuesday, November 19th
- 3rd Grade
Wednesday, November 20th
- 4th and 5th