The Buzz 3/20/16
What you need to know to be in the know...
Our Mission:
Chandler Elementary will create a safe and positive environment where all students and adults work together using 21st century strategies to achieve high academic growth.
I appreciate that Team Chandler has many folks who have a little bit (or a lot) of Bob Ross in them. Patience oozes out of our building. We can have fun, and be positive. We take the challenges, and the challenging students and create successful learning opportunities. We understand how a growth mindset is essential to meeting the needs of our kids and helping overcome their challenges. Even in the stressful times leading up to Spring Break, when things seem crazy, testing is in full swing, and spring fever (along with other serious illness) is in the air, we calmly go about our days and work our magic of creating a sense of peace and clam, leaving our marks on the lives of our kids, and ultimately helping to create the portraits of successful, productive adults.
Thanks for what you do everyday! There is no way to express enough appreciation for your work and your dedication to students.
Basketball Coach Needed
Thank You!
Turnaround Award Winners
STEAM Resources
Introducing: The Buck Institute
I write today after spending some time with Central Office administration this week, and after a first meeting with our STEAM Team Steering Committee. We have begun thinking about our pathway to becoming a STEAM school. We have school site visits scheduled for the following two Mondays, and then will begin to plan out what our program will look like.
Project Based Learning will be a major block of our STEAM program. It will how we continue to engage students, plan instruction, and dive deep into standards. We recognize that this will require new learning for our staff, and are committed to finding the best organization to help us move through this process. After looking at what other schools use, meeting with multiple vendors, and thinking about the needs of our building, we have decided that The Buck Institute (BIE) is our best option.
We will contracting with this non-profit to help us learn the basics of PBL, and support us in our journey towards full PBL implementation. Above you will find the website where you can learn more about BIE. This summer will offer PBL 101 here at Chandler. This 3 day event will be required of all certified instructional staff. As soon as I have firms dates I will let you know, but I would imagine that this will happen in early to mid-July. During this time teachers will learn more about PBL, and begin working to plan a PBL unit. We are also looking at a BIE book to help us begin thinking about how this will look. If it seems like a good fit, we will purchase this to prepare for PBL 101. I look forward to sharing more about this in the near future.
Skyward
Notice: Support Staff Planning Day
Family Events:
March 24 - 1st/3rd Grade Music Concert 6:30 & 7:00 (Gym)
April 29 - Chandler TurnAround Award Dilly Bar Party 2:00 (Cafe)
April 28 - 5th Grade Family Science Night 5:00-7:00 (Gym)
May 6 - Muffins w/ Moms (during breakfast)
Triple P
Both Alison and Leon are trained in Triple P. Alison has written this short explanation of the program.
Triple P is a parenting program in the beginning stages of implementation in Elkhart County. The philosophy behind Triple P is that ALL parents, even the most stable ones, can benefit from support; and there should be no stigma attached to asking for help. Practitioners from schools, social service agencies, and churches have been trained to help parents find strategies to deal with common behavior issues. Mr. Bauman and Mrs. Romero have recently completed training and received accreditation as Triple P practitioners. Mrs. Romero is ready to begin working with our Spanish-speaking families. In the fall, Mr. Bauman and Mrs. Romero plan to begin a 3 part series of seminars in both English and Spanish. Please speak with Mrs. Romero if you have any questions.
Summer School - Welcome Chamberlain Students!
We are still looking for teachers to teach summer school, if you are interested please let me know by e-mail.
Just for fun:
TLT Update
TLT spent the week working on Inter-rater reliability (IRR). This is a critical TLT responsibility. IRR ensures that observers are scoring consistently, by providing a common understanding of what the rubric indicators/descriptors mean and examples of evidence that support them. It also helps to make sure when TLT members are supporting staff in an area, that we use common language, vocabulary, and better support teachers more consistently. We will continue working on IRR over the next couple of weeks.
From Central Office...
Today’s Focus: Talent
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
– Maya Angelou
Reflections to Guide Your Journey
Think back to one of your greatest achievements. Who helped support you and how did that make you feel?
What have you done recently to contribute to the positive feelings that someone has about themselves?
Who taught this to you? Have you had a chance to thank them for it?
2016 TELL Indiana Survey
April 11 - May 16, 2016
The TELL Indiana Survey is a survey of school based licensed educators to determine if they have the supports necessary for effective teaching.
Teachers & Administrators: This is your chance to inform the district and school improvement planning processes.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
Mrs. Laura Stieglitz - March 23, 2016
Calendar Items
Assessment E Week : Constructed Response
Monday
ALL School Cluster 7:15
STEAM Committee to Hamilton Michigan
Puberty Talk: Sommers/Norris
Chandler Chess Club Celebration 2:50 (cafe)
6th grade orchestra recruiting 4:00 (GMS Band room)
PTO Meeting 7:00 (cafe)
Tuesday
PLTW Conference (Hufford/Kauffman Out)
5th Grade Growing Up Talk 8:30
1st Grade Biking/Wheel/Pedestrian Safety 9:00
2nd Grade Reading Club 2:50
Chandler TLT 3:15
Wednesday
PLTW Conference (Hufford/Kauffman Out)
5th Grade Growing Up Talk 8:30
Safe Kids Kindergarten 9:00
Puberty Talk: Meade/Sommers
Orchestra - 3:45 (GMS)
Thursday
2nd Grade Reading Club 2:50
6th grade orchestra recruiting 4:00 (GMS Band room)
Chandler 1st Grade Concert 6:30-7:00 (Gym)
Chandler 3rd Grade concert 7:00-7:30 (Gym)
Friday
No School....Good Friday!
Just in case you forgot...
March Educators Toolbox
I took some time to look through this, and certify it as worth your time :o) There are lots of great resources and ideas on math, writing, STEM, and literacy. The March toolbox has specific strategies that you can implement within your classroom, not policy updates and information updates. The March edition can be found at:
Retention Candidates
Who knew?!?!?
150,000 - MONTHLY COPIES
20,000 - Less copies per month than a year ago (Way to Go!)
$17,500 - Annual copy budget for Chandler
$2,000 - Savings realized from the copy reduction (which was used for other needed classroom materials)
300 - Copies per month per student
13.6 - Copies per DAY / per STUDENT
3 - Number of schools who have more students than us
1 - Number of GCS elementary schools who make more copies per day
0 - Number of GCS Elementary schools who have seen a bigger reduction that us this year
$0.20 - Cost of in house color copy
$.005 - Cost per black and white copy
Performance Based Compensation Update
Health and Wellness Update
Updates and Information
Health and Wellness Center
Diane Resnick, NP will be on vacation starting today February 25th through March 4th. They were able to find coverage for her for all days accept tomorrow, Friday, February 26th. The Health and Wellness Center will be open tomorrow but there is not a provider there- labs and med refills will be available. I am sorry for the late notice.
Healthcare Bluebook
Please remember that we have a new tool to use related to health care cost and quality. It is called Healthcare Bluebook and it is available through your account at myCoreSource.com
Here is the information CoreSource has shared with us:
Healthcare Bluebook™ offers pricing information on an assortment of imaging tests, including MRIs, ultrasounds, mammograms, bone density and x-rays.
Knowing how much your care should cost you is critical for getting more value from your deductible. For example, in some areas you can pay as little as $95 for an ultrasound or as much as $550 – a difference of 500 percent.
You may save hundreds on care by having your doctor perform tests and services at cost-effective facilities.
Simply go to myCoreSource.com and click on the icon to look up the Fair Price™, compare provider prices and find great value in your area.
Some imaging tests can earn you a reward for choosing a Fair Price provider. Look for the “Go Green to Get Green” banner from Bluebook to see what your reward will be. This will only appear for tests that qualify for this reward.
Please remember to check your Aetna network related to any services or providers that appear on Healthcare Bluebook. This service is for a large population and includes services and providers that are not in our network.
Always clarify the network before using the facility and/or provider.
I have attached a flyer with further explanation. Let me know if you have questions about this product.
Health Risk Appraisals/March Mileage Contest
I am working on a schedule for Health Risk Appraisals at each school. I am also hoping to do a shortened version of March Mileage called 21 Days -Make a Habit. We will track exercise and points for 21 days instead of the whole month knowing that if you do it for 21 days you will continue it as a habit. J Look for more information at your school and via the Goshen Gets Going Newsletter.
Why is setting goals with students important?
NWEA Goal Setting
This week I got to observe some students completing a NWEA survey test in the computer lab. When they were finished I took a moment to ask them about their goal, and they didn't have one. In fact, after further conversation, I wasn't sure if they really even got the whole concept of what a RIT score was, what it meant, and why they should care.
The research above clearly states the need for students to be involved in setting their achievement goals. The beauty of NWEA is that it allows students to see their growth on a continuum that will go through high school, instead of starting over every year. Imagine the power in that possibility.
If you have not take time to set goals, or reviewed goals from the beginning of the year, with your students you need to do so. The sooner the better. Then have kids track their progress. I would encourage you to use a computer time to have kids check their progress and add a data point.
Need a Sub?
The sub line can be reached at:
574.533.9056