Wednesday Words
January 9- January 16 2019
Nurture-Personalize-Engage-Succeed
New Prospect Elementary School Staff Notes
Staff Spotlight
ACTION ITEMS:
1. Turn in nominations for Teacher and Professional of the Year!
2. Screen certain students on Fastbridge aReading and aMath (see email from McLeod)
3. Continue with BAS testing
4. Complete Hardship form if needed
Staff Birthdays!
January 5th- Emily Rottner
January 9th-Susan Bohnet
January 11th-Nicole Galante
January 12th-Yael Eisenstadt
January 12th-Ashley Loftus
January 12th-Carol Moore
UPCOMING EVENTS
January 9th PBIS meeting 2:45 in Collaboration Room
January 10th Mama's Pizza Spirit Night
January 11th PBIS pep rally 1:30pm in the gym
January 14th Club and New Student Pictures
January 18th Teacher and Professional of the Year Nominations Due
January 25th BAS Complete
Teacher and Professional of the Year Nominations!
The requirements for Teacher of the Year are:
- All level 3’s and 4’s on this years’ TKES observations
- No Letters of Concern
- Have not been TOTY in the previous 4 years
2017-2018: Diana Zarzour/Patrick Harris
2016-2017: Brandy Davis/Susan Messina2015-2016: Erin Streck/Amy Batley
2014-2015: Betty Burns/
Student Hardships
More information can be found at:
http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divisions/ops/plan/Pages/HardshipInformation.aspx
TAG Month
Teachers! Did you know that Governor Deal has proclaimed January 2019 as Gifted Education Month in the state of Georgia? This can be a time of advocacy for gifted students and for gifted education, emphasizing the importance of challenging all students to reach their potential and meeting advanced learning needs. Each week throughout the month of January your NPE TAG team will be sharing some articles and interesting information with you about gifted students and gifted education that you can apply to your work with these students in your classrooms.
Changes to the Milestones Schedule
A few important notes:
- In ELA and Math, sections 1 and 2 of the test will be administered on separate days. This means that 3rd and 4th graders will test for a shorter time each day, but will test for 5 days instead of 3. 5th graders will have an additional 2 days of testing for Science and Social Studies.
- 4th graders will not take their EOGs until the second week in May. This is the most significant change and the rationale for it is in the e-mail below.
The administrative team has already started looking at how these changes will impact the school and we will communicate our plan when it is developed. Your input is important, so please reach out and let us know of any impacts to you and your students that we need to consider.
Curriculum Corner
One of my new years’ resolutions (that I’m actually going to keep) is to learn something new to add to my instructional toolbox and then share that learning with you! This learning can come from book, an article, a video, a podcast or a post on social media. The learning will take no longer than 10 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
If you haven’t joined The Elementary Math Family on Facebook, you are seriously missing out. I am a part of that all of the Units of Study Groups and some Principals groups on Facebook and I learn so much! I’m thinking of actually starting a professional Facebook account, but I like the easy access in my personal one.
Here is my learning of the week:
From Greg Coleman
Watch the Number Sense within 10 Routine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIQX231VQSc&feature=youtu.be&disable_polymer=true
Watch the Decimal Math Talk Routine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_EyY-AfzbU&feature=youtu.be
Having some challenges with student behavior?
BAS Reminders
- BAS will be required twice a year: Beginning of the year and in January
- You will NOT have to input BAS into the spreadsheet, but please have them all completed by Jan.25th. Diana will meet with each grade at the end of January to show you how to input scores into illuminate.
- We recommend you knock out your BAS the first week back with kids in Jan.
- This semester we will help teachers to become more confident and comfortable with running records as part of their classroom norms. This will take the place of the end of year BAS.
STEAM DAY-February 14th
Tech Tips from the Vanguard Team
Drones in Education
Drones offer a wonderful opportunity to engage your students. They are easy to set up, run, and maintain. Drones can support STEAM activities and provide a window into future careers.
You can connect them with your curriculum in surprising ways as well. Mr. Foster has several drones purchased via Vanguard funding and will be glad to demonstrate their use. Here are a few links on the subject:
Edutopia:
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/7-ways-use-drones-classroom-heather-wolpert-gawron
EdTech:
https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2018/03/drones-students-tackle-complex-topics
TheJournal:
https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/07/25/drones-take-off-in-education.aspx
Drone Racing:
https://www.multigp.com/media/partnership-sponsorship/scholastic-drone-racing-league/
Mystery Science and Read Works by LaWanda Estes
Jan. 16th in Mrs. Estes's Room
Makerspace 101 by our SWAT Team
Jan. 17th at the Makerspace Area
Hyperdocs by Suzanne Petersen
HyperDocs, transformative and interactive, can replace the worksheet method of delivering instruction. With strong educational philosophies built into each one, HyperDocs have the potential to shift the way you instruct with technology. Come learn tips and tricks for creating a HyperDoc of your own!
Jan. 23rd in the Design Lab
Gimkit by Kelly Beasley
Do you love using Kahoot or Quizizz? Gimkit is a interactive game show for the classroom that requires knowledge, possible collaboration, and strategy to win. Gimkit allows your students to answer questions at their own pace, earn $$$, and buy updates to get more “money”. Come learn how you can make Gimkit a crowd pleaser in your classroom today and stand back watch the fun!
Jan. 31st in Ms. Beasley's Room