RNNE Team and Family Launcher
Goal-oriented and intentional. Intervention.Authentic Team.
Fierce Urgency of Now.
Continue to push forth with urgency towards stamping the key understanding for Rocketeers while also maxmimizing every minute of instruction with tight pacing and and momentum.
We now have ~6 weeks of solid instruction left with our Rocketeers before we begin our end of year testing. That also means that we only have ~6 weeks of core instruction remaining with our Rocketeers before their end of year assessments.
In the words of many around the NFL ,"Play 60 minutes. You've got to finish." In our world, you've planned, prepped, rehearsed, taught through illness, down days, up days, okay days for weeks and months; now, let's make it all matter by finishing hard for our Rocketeers.
Our team can make it happen. Our team will make it happen.
Let's make it happen,
Christa
Check out one way that Auburn made sure that despite a (narrow) lead in this bowl game, they made sure to FINISH strong with some "umph" and urgency!
Academic Focus Areas
For each content area/grade level, focus on stamping the key understanding for students this week in class discussions, turn and talks, after a cold call or taking hands.
KEY FOCUS AREA:
After a Rocketeer responds to a question, follow up with one of the questions below:
- What did you do to get your answer?
- How do you know (repeat student's answer)?
Push students to respond to these questions using a complete sentence.
*You should be listening for Rocketeers articulating how they used the key points to arrive at their answers and that they correctly arrived at the answer using the correct key points. Use your exemplar responses from your lesson plans here to help guide students who reveal a misconception/misunderstanding in their answers.
In this past week's lesson plan review, the Instructional Leadership Team has noticed progress in:
- There was an increase in the amount of exemplar responses that had tagged key points in your lesson plans submitted last week!
- 62% of submitted lesson plans reflected tagged key points in exemplars last week and this past week 87% of submitted lesson plans reflected tagged key points!!
Our push for this week in lesson plans is:
- Tagging Key Points: This week, let's work to hone in on tagging key points to each of our exemplars so that we are able to make our follow up to student misconceptions, class discussions, turn and talks, etc. more purposeful for Rocketeers.
- Our goal for this coming week is to have at least 90% of our lesson plans submitted with tagged key points for each exemplar response.
Fierce Urgency of Now: Data Shout Outs!
Culture Focus Area: Work the Clock
Progress:
- Bathroom/Hallway Traffic - Make sure that anytime a Rocketeer exits your classroom, they have the appropriate pass with them (HALL or BATHROOM).
- Work the Clock - there has been palpable progress in this area in one week! There is a feel of high energy and momentum throughout the building and in several spaces! Continue to show the clock, use boost statements and have tight timing so that students aren't having down time to get off task.
Push:
- Strong Teacher Radar - there have been an increased amount of instances of peer to peer conflict (hitting, pushing, name-calling/teasing, etc.) as well as student's being out of class without permission. Maintain a tight radar on what is happening inside of your space at all times so that you can prevent misbehavior from evolving into something egregious as well as sending a message to students that you are hyper aware of what is is taking place in your classroom at all times.
- Parent/Family Communication - continue to reach out to parents/families to keep them updated about what is happening with their Rocketeer at school - especially if you have noticed a sudden downward shift in their behavior. Consistent communication sends the message that we value them and their input about ways to be the best for their child.
Work the Clock
Work the Clock chapter from "Teach Like a Champion 2.0"
Online Timer (can be displayed from your computer or tablet)
Student-Facing Urgency Focus:
Positively acknowledge your Rocketeers for showing urgency this week by:
- giving them an urgency sticker
- rewarding them with an urgency Habits of Excellence LiveSchool point
- rewarding them with a core value rocket
- creating an "urgency" competition in your classroom - examples: transitions, clean up from centers, reading stamina, etc.
Ms. Bing rewarding Rocketeers she was passing by in the hallway with URGENCY stickers!
Another Rocketeer about to be rewarded by Ms. Bing!
A 2nd grade Rocketeer standing proud with his URGENCY sticker!
Urgency
Work the Clock chapter from "Teach Like a Champion 2.0"
Online Timer (can be displayed from your computer or tablet)
Student-Facing Urgency Focus:
Positively acknowledge your Rocketeers for showing urgency this week by:
- giving them an urgency sticker
- rewarding them with an urgency Habits of Excellence LiveSchool point
- rewarding them with a core value rocket
- creating an "urgency" competition in your classroom - examples: transitions, clean up from centers, reading stamina, etc.
A 1st grade Rocketeer showing URGENCY in her reading during the bathroom break!
A 1st grade Rocketeer showing URGENCY in her reading! She was so into her book!
A 3rd grade Rocketeer proudly showing off his URGENCY sticker!
TN Ready Testing
They will take "Part 1" this week and "Part 2" at the end of April -May.
As you may have heard, the test is more rigorous than previous years. As a result, our 3/4 math and Humanities teachers and Rocketeers have been working really hard to prepare for their rigorous math, ELA and Social Studies tests.
Testing at any point of the year is tough and high-stakes testing brings on a lot of pressure to for both adults and students. This week, please share some love and encouragement with our 3/4 team - both students and teachers!
Next week will be a low school leader support week as most school leaders will be utilizing the final days to prepare Rocketeers for the test and will be serving as test administrators during the test.
We thank you in advance for your patience and support as we work to create a strong testing environment for our Rocketeers as they embark on a test that is new, rigorous and high-stakes in regards to their academic records.
Here is a great guide in breaking down the differences in test demands for students compared to how they were tested in the past versus how they will be tested now. This is a great way to see how what you're teaching to your K,1 and 2 Rocketeers now will translate to in later years in 3rd and 4th grade. I encourage you all to check it out!
During the testing window, there will be limited school leader classroom support in the morning portion of the day as well as for some portions of the afternoon due to Ms. Hickey, Mr. Song and Ms. Thomas all serving as test administrators for cohorts.
TN Ready Testing
2nd grade team - for any transitions, use the BACK stairwell only and ensure that Rocketeers are in a zone 0 to help maintain a tight testing environment. Please use only the gym restrooms for any restroom breaks that are scheduled to take place before 11am.
Cumulative Testing
Thank you in advance for your understanding and you will get them back as soon as testing is done.
*Be sure to place a strip of masking tape with your last name and room # on each of your Chromebooks so that they can be identified easily once testing is over.
A 1st grade Rocketeer sporting TWO URGENCY stickers!
A 3rd grade Rocketeer proudly displaying THREE URGENCY stickers!
Third graders showing URGENCY in their writing!
We need to be at 100% by March 11th! Please reach out to Christa if you have misplaced your code!
Weekly Events
Monday:
K-2 Launch| 8:00am
Tuesday:
No Launch
Wednesday:
No Launch - to ensure that all testing procedures run smoothly on Day 1 of testing
Thursday:
K-2 Launch
2nd grade - join Kinder and 1st for Launch
Day 2 of TN Ready Testing
Thursday PD| 2:30pm
Friday:
Day 3 of TN Ready Testing