Birdneck Briefing
Weeks of March 26th, Spring Break, and April 9
Upcoming Dates and Events Weeks of March 26, Spring Break, and April 9
March 29 - Lifetouch Spring Pictures
March 30 - Staff meeting 9:00 am
April 4 - April 6 office open.
!!!!!!!!!!!SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!
April 9-13 National Library Week
April 9 - PBIS team meeting 3:00pm
April 10 - Light it up Blue - Autism Awareness
April 10 - PTA Executive Board meeting 5:00pm
April 10 - Math Night
April 11 - Grade 3 MOCA program in A1
April 11 - SCA meeting 3:00pm
April 12 - Grade 3 MOCA program in A1
April 13 - Purple Up Day for Military Children
April 13 - PreKindergarten Field Trip to Zoo 9:30am
April 10 - PTA meeting/Math Night 6:00pm (See JoAnn or Kim if you can help out)
This is your Captain Speaking!
Hello Birdneck Family,
Well, you made it to the final 2 days before Spring Break. This is the time of year when stress levels get high. The pressures of upcoming tests, getting all of the curriculum taught in a short amount of time, spring fever behaviors arising in students, worries of entertaining families for the holiday, and many more. I hope you are able to take a couple of days to yourself and simply relax. You deserve it!
Communication is key! Most problems that occur or angst among colleagues stems from miscommunication or lack of communication. I pledge to do my best about communicating information to staff in a timely and systematic way but will need your help to be sure our office is aware of all events or information that needs to be shared. I will use our Birdneck Briefing (Smore) to get out pertinent information to the whole staff. Emails are great for logistical questions, but true concerns are best dealt with in person. If any serious concerns do come up, I prefer to have a human to human - face to face conversation.
The Birdneck staff calendar should include all events that occur in our building. Kim Melby should receive any and all calendar requests so she can post them on the calendar. If you have fieldtrips waiting for approval, please let Kim know even if your events are waiting in the approval process. Mrs. Melby and I will be reviewing the Birdneck calendar to scan for any errors this week. Help us help you! Please take time with your grade level to review the next couple of months to see if there are any events that are incorrect or need to be added to the calendar. This includes fieldtrips, grade level events, use of the Flexible Learning Space, or anything else that should be posted on our school calendar.
If there is an important matter that you feel needs to be discussed, please come talk with one of the administrators directly so we can help address any concerns in an efficient and timely manner. Please take a few minutes to read the article below with suggestions of best practices of communication.
Captain Out,
RV Yoshida
Effective Communication Between Workplace Peers by Leigh Richards
Can't we all just get along? Sometimes that seems like the question that is on most people's minds as they attempt to navigate the sometimes frustratingly political interactions in the workplace. Effective peer-to-peer communication can go a long way toward helping to establish mutually respectful relationships that can not only improve employee satisfaction, but that can boost productivity as well.
Commit to Building Relationships
Each person is responsible for the success of our own communications. By committing to building strong, respectful communications with peers in the workplace they're one step closer to making it happen. Taking personal responsibility for effective communication means being open-minded and willing to change behavior and communication preferences to accommodate those around them.
Seek First to Understand
Motivational author Stephen Covey said it best--"Seek first to understand." Many people jump to conclusions about the motivations of their coworkers, often attributing negative intent when none was intended. Effective peer-to-peer communications can benefit from taking time to first fully understand the other person's point-of-view by asking open-ended questions and listening--really listening--to the answers.
Avoid Defensiveness
It is not uncommon to react defensively when a coworker criticizes or disagrees with others. But, effective communicators learn to monitor their reactions and avoid defensiveness. Doing this can be difficult and requires a commitment to taking responsibility for communication. A good practice is to ask questions before responding. This not only helps to make sure that people understand the other's point-of-view, but can also buy some time while attempting to manage a response.
Make It Social
While much interaction with coworkers will take place in the work setting, taking advantage of opportunities to interact on a more personal level can help improve relationships. Companies often sponsor activities and events to help employees bond and connect. Take advantage of these opportunities to get to know coworkers in another setting where you can get a better idea of who they are and develop relationships outside of the stressful work environment.
Welcome Diverse Viewpoints
One of the benefits of interacting with others, especially those with different opinions or backgrounds, is the ability to broaden perspectives as they begin to understand other viewpoints. Effective peer-to-peer interactions can benefit when employees are open-minded and take time to listen, consider and respond appropriately to opinions that are different from their own.
Be Honest And Direct
Relationships can be damaged when employees avoid direct communication and talk about others "behind their backs." Make a commitment to interact directly and honestly with peers even with those interactions may be difficult and stressful
Shout Outs!
If you would like to give a SHOUT OUT to a colleague, it is as simple as sending an email to RV to be added to our Shout Outs each week!
“We realize the marks we leave in life
Aren’t made of stone or steel
But rather of the lives we’ve touched
And how we make folks feel”.
-Mark Sanborn
Shout out to Sara Awbrey for working so hard to get attendance edits cleared up. She has been diligently communicating with parents to let us know the reasons for their student’s absences.
I would like to send a shout out to Taressa Frazier. Her dedication and concern for the students at Birdneck has been a tremendous asset to the school. Her involvement with Birdneck has spanned over a decade, starting when her son came here in first grade. She is a wonderful teacher, mentor, tutor and friend, whose passion and commitment to education is immeasurable.
Shout out and a thank you to Rhonda Harrison for all of her extra help over the past few weeks with our young preschool gentleman. They have needed some extra love and mentoring and Rhonda has gone out of her way to check in on one young man in particular and really take him under her wing. She has bonded with him in a friendship that we believe will last for years and he is motivated every day to make the right choices in order to spend more time with Mrs. Harrison and to impress her. In turn, this has motivated the other rowdy boys in our class to “impress” Mrs. Harrison and work for her hugs at the end of each day. It truly takes a village in our school and Mrs. Harrison taking time from her lunch and her breaks to check in on our little ones shows them how safe and loved they are by all at Birdneck. This is so important to establish at such a young impressionable age with these vulnerable young men. Thank you, Rhonda, for going above and beyond and loving on our special ed babies!
Shout out to our PBIS team! You all are doing a fabulous job!
Thanks for all of your Shout outs this week!!!!!!!!!
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers
Autism Awareness
Nearly a quarter century ago, the Autism Society launched a nationwide effort to promote autism awareness, inclusion and self-determination for all, and assure that each person with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is provided the opportunity to achieve the highest possible quality of life. Each year, with special emphasis during the month of April, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) supports autism awareness by encouraging students and staff to become partners in the movement toward acceptance and appreciation. In support of these efforts, VBCPS is encouraging schools to provide activities during the month of April that will help students and staff increase their awareness and understanding of individuals with autism.
A variety of resources to support these efforts can be found on the following webpages: Autism Society of Tidewater Virginia, National Autism Society Awareness Month and School Event Ideas from Autism Speaks. Of particular note are resources from the Virginia Department of Education regarding best practices for educating students with ASD: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/disabilities/autism/ and Guidelines for Educating Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Thank you for your efforts in support of this endeavor. Please forward any pictures with captions highlighting school-level events supporting autism awareness to your assigned coordinator.
PBIS updates
Hello Birdneck Eagles!
Emphasizing our PBIS expectations and reinforcing them with eggs will make things go much smoother in our school. Rose wanted to thank everyone for their participation during the PDP. In addition, she said it was clear that our staff truly cares about supporting students while working towards their academic and social/emotional growth. In order to receive credit for the course, please click on the following link and complete the reflection piece. https://goo.gl/forms/1C1Xb9078IeKh54r2
Here are the slides that she used, in case anyone would like to read over/dig deeper.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1j-8E0ROZWX7tMgqIRAa1MYAgPyjOkTVJ6CSZQFz3vEo/edit?usp=sharing
Remember, we use the same teaching process for behaviors as we do for academics. Teach, Model, Practice, Reinforce(Eggs!), and Reteach. We look forward to seeing you and your students come up with some creative ways to teach, learn, and practice our school wide expectations! Thank you for all that you continue to do to support our students.
Go Eagles!
-Your PBIS Team
Thank you for all that you continue to do to support our students.
Dyslexia Training
As a result of the new VDOE license renewal requirement for all teaching staff to complete the Dyslexia Awareness Training Module (http://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching/licensure/dyslexia-module/story.html) housed on the Virginia Department of Education website, VBCPS is requesting that all PreK-12 teachers who teach language arts must complete the forty-minute module during this school year, whether they are up for license renewal or not. Teachers who teach language arts are being asked to complete this to module by the end of the first semester, to ensure that they are knowledgeable when attending meetings in which dyslexia is discussed. As this is a new license renewal requirement for all staff, the completion of this task is being monitored by the Department of Human Resources, Office of Licensure.
Join our PTA
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Join the PTA! Our goal is to have 100% Staff participation!!!!!!!!!
Support Birdneck Elementary students by joining the PTA. Don't miss out on the benefits from joining the PTA. Receive over $300 in savings... all for just $5 for a membership. Check out the PTA website at http://birdneckpta.weebly.com/
BIRDNECK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
BIRDNECK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
BIRDNECK MISSION
The mission of Birdneck Elementary is to dedicate ourselves to the success of all children, preparing them to meet today's expectations and tomorrow's challenges.
BIRDNECK VISION
Children are our future. We are dedicated to their success.
BIRDNECK BELIEFS
We believe in a collaborative community in which teachers, administrators, students, and parents work together for student success.
We believe in creating a safe, nurturing, and positive environment in which all students can strive for excellence and achieve their individual potential.
We believe we will prepare our students for success by providing 21st century learning and developing within our students critical thinking, effective communications and problem solving skills.
Website: http://www.birdneckes.vbschools.com/
Location: 957 South Birdneck Road, Virginia Beach, VA, United States
Phone: 757-648-2120