Westwood Updates
Week of 3/16/15- 3/20/15
This Week's Happenings
Monday-3/16/15
Tuesday- 3/117/15
Wednesday- 3/18/15
2:20 Computer Lab - Staff Meeting
2:40 Computer Lab- SBAC training grades 3-5
* WEF Dining for Dollars- Islands -Carmel Mountain Ranch
Thursday- 3/19/15
Friday- 3/20/15
8:00 Friday Flag -
Fun Run - Check your box for a schedule
SBAC Training: March 18th Grades 3-5
SBAC Usernames and Password-
Please be on the lookout for an email from caaspp@ets.org. You will be issued an username and a temporary password, and will be asked to create a new password. Please have them keep this password in a safe place as you will need it for testing. They must login and establish their new password within 30 days of receiving the email.
Student Voice Lunch Forums
As part of our work with the LCAP plan and to support our District’s vision for “Personalized Learning for All Students” , we are scheduling student voice lunch forums. Basically, we want to give students the opportunity to share and brainstorm about the following key question that is being used at our Community Forums and on our InnovationU Challenge:
~ What types of learning environments and opportunities are needed to ensure that all students are fully prepared for college, career and citizenship, and how we should define and measure if our students are prepared?
Teachers in grades third - fifth are asked to use the Google Doc and select students to participate in our lunch forums.
Love on a Leash and SHOK Volunteer Thank You Cards~
Many teachers have inquired about sending Thank You cards to our volunteers that made read Across America so lovely. You can send cards to the following address:
San Diego Love On A Leash
P.O. Box 28325
San Diego, CA 92198 (yes, '98')
Kahoot - A
Many classrooms explored Kahoot last Friday for Digital Learning Day. This interactive game allows teachers to create quick quizzes that students play as a class on any device.
Check out this YouTube introduction to get started.
Reminders & Updates
Westwood Postal Service to Begin Soon
The Westwood Postal Service is set to begin, the program which allows Westwood students (and staff) to "mail" letters to friends in all classrooms.
The first step is to have each classroom identified by a town-like name, such as Shucago or Clarksville. You and/or your students may decide on your town name. The list of town names will be given to each class, and a copy will be posted at the "post office" in the library. Classes will also get an example of a properly addressed envelope. If you choose not to use envelopes, please have your students fold, tape and address the blank side of their writing paper. (Illegible mail will be returned to sender.)
Please email your town name to Brian K. by Friday, March 6.
Email Brian with any questions. Thank you.
UPDATE: Playground League and Circle of Friends
Here is the updated schedule. Please send students with their lanyards to stage for COF and to the cabin tables for PL.
Monday: Character Counts Leadership Group (4th & 5th Graders)
Tuesday: Kindergarten & 1st Grade Playground League
Wednesday: Game of the Month (all grade levels)
Thursday: 3rd Grade & 4th Grade Playground League
Friday: Circle of Friends (2nd & 5th Graders)From LSS
Innovation U- Get Your Voice Heard
On Tuesday, March 17, 2015, we will be launching our next InnovationU Challenge. This challenge is focused on helping develop our District’s vision for “Personalized Learning for All Students” and will provide input for this year’s LCAP plan.
Our challenge will focus on the following key questions:
ü What types of learning environments and opportunities are needed to ensure that all students are fully prepared for college, career and citizenship, and how we should define and measure if our students are prepared?
Your ideas and thoughts are essential to shaping our vision.
Our parents and community members are being asked to respond to these same questions at the Community forums. Our students will also have a chance in an upcoming survey to share their ideas and thoughts on these two questions.
We know that all of our staff on the frontline, working each and every day to help our students succeed. We need to hear your voices and ideas.
Once again, our InnovationU PUSD site will continue to serve as a “point of connection”, providing ALL PUSD employees the opportunity to:
ü Share their thinking on a specific topic/challenge;
ü View the thoughts and ideas of other employees; and
ü Experience the speed, efficiency, and power of social media to connect all of us.
Stay tuned for more information on how to access the InnovationU site and details about the upcoming challenge.
ELA PERFORMANCE TASK SAMPLES
For those teachers wanting some samples of performance tasks here are a set of assessments being used in other districts. These are grade specific, and can also be used by adjacent grades to give students familiarity with performance tasks.
We would recommend these as student centered, formative experiences. So, consider engaging students in analyzing what the test is asking, what would make a strong response, putting the rubrics (at bottom of page) into their own language, asking “What would you tell a new student how to score well on this question?” and/or perhaps having students develop and present exemplars. This may be a better use than giving them as summative assessments.
My Connect Courses - Your Quick Link to Resources
LSS has linked all your resources in an easy to use location called My Connect Elementary Courses. Click here to get access to great tools from Math Central, Writing Central, and more!
Upcoming Events
3/25- Minimum Day- dismissal at 11:20- Pro.Grow afternoon
3/27- 6th Annual Multicultural Fair- MPR
3/27/15 Spirit Day - Mismatch Day
3/30- Spring Photos