Falcon Flyer
Weekly Update for the week of 9/18/17
OUTSTANDING NEWS!!!!
To celebrate, please feel free to wear jeans and your falcon gear and colors the rest of this week!
Now it is time to start raising money so that we have funds set aside for the programs we would like to put into place.
Selling Concessions!
Go, Taylor, Go - Show them how it's done!
DJ Positive
Feed the Positive Dog
It is so easy to get bogged down in the negative that we face each day...a student didn't turn in homework, technology didn't work just the way that we wanted it to, the list could go on and on, but instead focus on the positive of the day - the student that finally got the lesson, your coworker sharing chocolate, a conversation you had with the student that you hadn't been able to reach... focusing on the positive can make a world of difference! I challenge you to look for the positive each day this week!
News from Jen Ellison
September 19th Interims will be going home to all LMS students. Please see my email about double checking your gradebooks to make sure all grades are syncing. If you are having any problems please email me and I will be happy to help you.
Technology will soon be in all the hands of our LMS students. We will meet again on September 26th for PD to discuss using technology to help enhance our engagement and questioning in the classroom.
Please post the following link on your schoology page for students to use if they are having a technology problem. We will use this Google form to help with tracking and fixing student device problems. https://goo.gl/forms/XlGjcV1piUk6hLMn2
Words from Wendy
Encouraging a child to read outside of school has a significant impact on their success in school and beyond. Studies show that students that read at their independent reading level (98 to 100% of their Lexile level) can access text quickly and with few errors, and such reading builds an enjoyment that transitions into success at multiple levels.
According to Feitelson and Goldstein (1986), “light reading provides motivation for more reading. Students who read books in series (several books written about the same characters) developed reading fluency and the linguistic competence necessary to read higher quality material. They gained knowledge of the world, learned story structures, and became aware of literary devices by reading series books. Light reading became a stepping stone to further reading. Increased reading proficiency and fluency makes it possible for students to read more complex material. They often choose light reading for independent reading because they enjoy it, and they become more fluent readers in the process. Adults who encourage students to develop the reading habit through light reading can lead them to further reading. Students must take the first step of developing reading fluency before they can take the second step of becoming avid readers.”
Bernice Cullinan found that “the amount of free reading done outside of school has consistently been found to relate to achievement in vocabulary, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, and general information. Students’ reading achievement correlates with success in school and the amount of independent reading they do (Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding 1988; Guthrie and Greaney 1991; Krashen 1993; Cunningham and Stanovich 1991; Stanovich and Cunningham 1993).
Every child needs a book of their own to read. We encourage parents to take time today to visit the local library with their child, and watch the love of reading grow.
“Independent Reading and School Achievement,” by Bernice E. Cullinan, School Library Media Research, Volume 3 | www.ala.org/aasl/slr
Upcoming Dates
19Volleyball - Away
Meet with 8th graders - Business Showcase - 1st related
21ReWa Field Trip for the Innovation Academy
Football - Home
Fire Drill
22FCA - Gym - 7:30 a.m.
Induction Meetings
25Volleyball - Home
28Football - Home
Bus Evacuation - lunch time
29FCA - Gym - 7:30 a.m.
A New Take On Lunch Detention
Lunch Detention - Well Worth It
I've had students serve lunch detention on three separate occasions. The first two times I thought to myself, "Well, this is a waste of time." But today, that all changed. I kept a student who has been very disrespectful. I called his mother and found out she's having the same problem at home. I decided I was going to make him serve a lunch detention for his misconduct, and his mother agreed with me even though they haven't done much good with him up until now. He stayed with me while the other students left the room. While he was in there, I had him complete a Student Incident Report. In it he was to write what he thought his mother and I discussed in our phone conversation. His report was right on target.
After he completed the report, we talked about why he thought he had been behaving like he had. He wasn't sure, but I reminded him that he'd only been acting like this for the last week or so. I asked him why he'd had the sudden change. Again, he didn't know the answer. I told him that having him in class made me excited when I first met him and saw how capable he was. (This is absolutely the truth) I then told him that his recent behavior had really disappointed me because I thought he was going to be one of the leaders of his class. Then I asked him if he thought he could be a leader and not a follower of some of his classmates. He told me he'd try.
That took the fifteen minutes we're supposed to keep them for lunch detention. I walked him to the cafeteria and made sure he ate. When he returned for our second class together his behavior was much improved. I should've gotten my lunch and told him to get his and eaten together, but that'll be for another day. Who knows how he'll act tomorrow or next week, but it made all the difference today. Give lunch detention a try. It may be what you and the student need for a turn around, and remember, there's always tomorrow. Or as Annie says, "The sun will come out tomorrow!" A little cheesy, but oh so true.