Peek at the Week
10/05/15
Calendar
Monday, 10/5, 3-3:45p
Social Emotional Team (Alexander, Toller, Smith, Havenar, Sullivan, Wong)
Tuesday, 10/6, 7:45am
Black History Month Committee (Toller, Morgan, Parents, Anyone else interested?)
Tuesday, 10/6, 8:30am-10am
Make Up Picture Day
Weds. 10/ 7, 8am
Walk and Roll to School Day
Weds. 10/7, 4:30
Interim Housing Committee- (Morgan, Toller, Wong, Ratto)
Thursday, 10/15, 10:00am
Earthquake Drill
Tuesday, 10/27 SST Day #2
Upcoming Assemblies
10/23 Pacific Boychoir 1:15
12/1 Mr. Eco, 1:15 K-3, 2pm, 4-5
Moving Minds- Instruction and Academics
2015-16 Oakland Unified Big Question of the Year
2015-16 Big Question
How are we aligning strategies for all targeted groups to ensure closing achievement gaps?
Cycle Of Inquiry #2 Begins: 10/7/15 Math
Look For's This Week: Closing Our First Six Weeks of Creating a Positive Classroom Climate and Culture
Over the last six weeks you have all worked hard to create a positive classroom community and climate. These elements you have worked on are captured in the Oakland Effective Teaching Framework (OETF) Domain 2 and evidence is the following:
Teaching Practices:
● Uses body language and nonverbal cues to acknowledge students individually and convey warmth and respect (SEL).
● Accepts different registers of language and explicitly teaches their appropriate use in different contexts (code-switching) (SEL).
● Uses curriculum that describes historical and/or political events from a range of racial, ethnic, cultural, gender, and language perspectives.
● Uses and provides access to a variety of multicultural materials (e.g., literature, resources, toys/games, artifacts, realia, current events) that reflect students’ cultures and/or other cultures for students to learn about
Uses technology and digital resources (including online databases) to research diverse cultures, perspectives and opinions, and to engage in appropriate social action.
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Addresses systems of power and privilege, even in mono-cultural classrooms, in a way that decreases bias and increases equity (SEL).
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Uses ritual, recitation, repetition, and rhythm to support students in processing new information
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Incorporates cultural learning tools of memory, patterns and puzzles, talk and word play, and perspectives to engage students
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Incorporates music into the lesson as background for student thinking or to indicate transition and movement time
Student Practices we will look for are:
● Supports peers and offers assistance and encouragement (SEL).
● Listens and focuses on teacher or peers when they are speaking (SEL).● Makes connections between curriculum and personal community and culture.
● Describes classroom as a place where they feel accepted (when prompted) (SEL).● Describes teacher as someone who knows them and is interested in them (when prompted) (SEL).
Professional Development 10/7
Focus on Math
Bring: Your Purple Books, SMI Data, and any other math data
Mindfulness & Movement: Mrs. Collins
STIPs and Specials- You are always welcome, but your attendance is not required at this PD. Please work independently towards your own professional goals.
PEC Team:
Ms. Ghazi and Ms. Ratto, Please work towards your own professional goals.
Ms. Bri and Ms. Bowers, you should attend to join grade level teams that serve your students.
Online Support for the Units of Study in Reading
To give you the best possible send off to a year with these units. this collection of free Getting-Started Videos which are grade-specific mini-courses (k-5) will give you a great start to teaching the new Units of Study for Teaching Reading. K -5. You’ll be given a fast-paced overview of the sequence of units for your grade level, answers to predictable questions, and nuts and bolts help with the first unit. With Heinemann’s help, each mini-course is studded with video clips and images of classrooms.
http://readingandwritingproject.org/resources/units-of-study-in-reading
Chelsea is going to China!
I am excited to share that I applied and was accepted to be a delegate of the Hanban Confucious Institute as part of the 2015 Chinese Bridge Delegation of Educators from the United States, As a delegate I will participate in a weeklong program in China from November 9-19. Highlights include visits to Chinese schools, meetings with Chinese educators and students, cultural activities and educational workshops to learn more about the Chinese educational system.
I look forward to learning about the work of our educator colleagues in China and to share my experiences with you upon my return.
MOVING HEARTS
International Walk and Roll to School Day, Weds. 10/7
The International Walk & Roll Day is here! This is a great opportunity for everyone to care for our health, wellness, and environment by walking, biking, carpooling, and/or using public transit to school. There will be two Walking Buses that you can join at one of the following two locations:
Walking Bus #1 Edgewood and El Centro
Walking Bus #2:Back entrance to Dimond Park, which is the corner of Wellington and Canon.
Please arrive by 8:00am!
Also, to guarantee high participation, we ask that you please remind students at the beginning of the week about International Walk & Roll Day. If you have questions or comments, please email Coach C. at deborah.cuny@ousd.org for further information.
Need Some Social Emotional Support?
Student Support form (for COST)- turn in to Chelsea
Universal Referral Form (for behavior referrals to office)- turn in to Chelsea
RJ Support Form (for requests for class or student mediation support) to Coach C.
Countdown to Say Goodbye....
Moving Bodies- Operations & Logistics
Yard Reminders
Updated Yard & Recess Expectations from Ms. Sanchez
RECESS EQUIPMENT
1) Students are not allowed in P.E./Recess Equipment Room w/out teacher permission.
2) Students on upper yard must wait for adult to pass out equipment or go into room with adult.
3) Students on lower yard must wait for ball monitors to bring cart/equipment.
4) No Running on the donut.
Ball monitors (so far):Amjed, J.P., Keira, Seven, Caven, Noah
1) All Students must return equipment to cart/ball room after playing. CLEAN UP!
GAMES:
1) Hockey – Wednesday and Fridays. 2 minute games, timed by Ms, Sanchez or other teacher.
2) Football – Jason referee; Jason or other teachers pick teams; game ends on whistle.
3) 4 Square – Rules will be posted and reviewed at Friday meetings. A square DOES NOT make rules.
4) Giant 2 Square- Same rules as 4 square.
Off Limits/Unsafe Areas – Neon Green “No Go” zones.
Garden
Remember - G-R-O- WG- Go SlOW
R- Respect all living Things
0- Only sitting on the stumps
W- Woodchips stay on the ground!
School Photos Make Up Day- Tuesday, 10/6
All staff who have not had their photo taken, please do so on 10/6 in the garden with Mr. Londgren.
Photos Needed on 10/6 from 8:30-10:30
-Robert Litt
-Linda Morgan
-Lisa Walker
-Yolanda-Brown-Clark
-Erica Donnell
-Claudia McCarthy
-Philip Brown
students:
-Jack Probst-Bacchetti (Plambeck 4)
-Salaiyah Watt (Plambeck 4)
-Micha Jacobs (Smith 4)
-Kenneth Bryant (Smith 4)
-Arika Butts (Anderson 3)
-Aliyah Gibbons (Alexander 1)
Faculty Council Notes from September Meeting
F.C. Concerns and Compliments September 28, 2015
Concern: Teachers need planning time to read and implement Words Their Way. Focus on cutting and pasting --is not an end product that will impact SBAC scores.What will happen to the twenty minutes devoted to Writers workshop? Where is grammar taught? Who is providing scissors and Glue? I had planned on using my PTA funds for other projects.
FC Solutions:
Re; Impact on SBAC Scores
The purpose of WTW is not to raise SBAC scores. The intention of WTW is to support students in developing spelling. It also supports students in developing their sorting and classifying skills. The providing of WTW is to replace the green section of OCR which teachers in OUSD requested last year. It is also a differentiated program which allows students to be assessed and supported "where they are" rather than a one size fits all spelling program.
Re: Impact on Writer’s Workshop
Teachers in FC felt that at the beginning of the year it would be more time intensive and after that when students develop their independent time around it, it allows for small group work. It can be an opportunity to differentiate. Teachers may want to work with their PLC and share their daily/weekly schedule to find times. The teachers in FC have found times other than Writer’s Workshop to fit in this work and are happy to share this at their PLC time.
Re: Professional Development
Please request release time from Linda if you need extra coaching and support with WTW implementation (there are extra preps. built in for this purpose where she or another ILT member can support you by having you teach a lesson and be observed or observe a colleague teach a WTW lesson).
Re; Where is Grammar Taught?
WTW is not intended to teach grammar. It is to teach word parts, spelling patterns, phonological awareness. Grammar should be taught during the writing workshop in context as a mini-lesson writing lesson. Teachers on FC suggested doing shared writing lessons, using student work as examples as part of the editing process, modeled writing, etc.
RE: Scissors/Glue
There are scissors and glue available in the supply closet downstairs. Please email Ms. Toller or Ms. Lisa. If there are not enough available in the supply, we will happily order them for you. Teachers are not expected to use their PTA money for this purpose.
2. Concern: Our circuit needs to know how many PLC hours are possible so that we may roll W-T-W in a meaningful way?
Suggested Solution from Concerned Teacher:
PLC#1 Assign similar WTW lesson to all PLC members(Exa-e, ai)
PLC#2 PLC member bring student work and troubleshoot lesson.
PLC#3 PLC members popcorn upcoming WTW lessons, PLC are given 15+ min. to
read WTW book immediately to dive in.
PLC#4 PLC ditto above
PLC circuit estimates 4 hours PLC time is needed to do the above steps.
FC Solution
The PLC agendas are designed by the ILT lead in collaboration with the grade level team. If the team feels that they would like to dedicate time to deepening their WTW practice, this is a legitimate use of collaboration, simply let your WTW lead know.
Consider ways to try out the WTW in a modified way. For example, Brett Tankersley suggested to one teacher to forego the student testing for differentiated levels this year, and simply teach a whole group class lesson one day followed by a day of “sorting”-followed by another lesson the next day, and so on. In response to the proposed 4 hour PLC time. FC members reported that it hasn't taken an hour to assign everyone the same WTW lesson to try out. FC members reported in their PLC they are dedicating a few minutes at the meeting to discuss and share strategies.
3. Concern: F&P Students’ “letter” scores can drop over the summer. Or gain.
Suggested Solution from Concerned Teacher: Joyce Gordon (trainer brought in by OUSD to roll out Guided Reading @Chabot Space and Science Center) Recommends that Report card comments Be: At grade level, Above grade level, or Below grade level
4. Concern: There are too many children running around chasing each other in the morning. It is chaotic and a safety concern.
FC Solution: Sports equipment, jump ropes, a few balls-(a bucket of tennis balls). Ms. Sanchez is organizing the sports equipment to set up K-2 stations (chalk, beanbags, etc) and will train students. Chelsea will ask Ms. Sanchez's timeline to have this up and running. Chelsea will ask Fudge to open the sports room and Mr. Ross will take equipment out before school.
5. Concern: Classes in a grade level that started balanced, but now one teacher has several more students than another in the same grade level.
Suggested solution from Concerned Teacher: Create Fairness-or Grade level agreement solution. Balance classes with ”Last one in, first one out”.
FC Solution: Several students have left over the last two weeks creating some classes with a few more students than other grade level colleagues. All classes are under the OEA contract limit by grade level and Glenview is meeting the 24:1 average for grades K-3 required by LCAP. If you have the most populous class in your grade level and you feel your class size is limiting your ability to meet the needs of your students, contact Ms. Morgan about possible extra GIST for intervention support.