Falcon Flyer
January 2021
Riverview Elementary
Website: http://re.usd232.org/pages/re
Location: 21550 West 47th Street, Shawnee, KS, United States
Phone: 913-441-0808
Twitter: @riverviewfalcon
Principal's Message
Welcome back to a new calendar year! I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable winter break. Our staff was able to kick off 2021 with some excellent professional development on Jan. 4, provided by FranklinCovey through our Leader In Me membership. Honoring Martin Luther King Jr., his timeless view on education is strikingly similar to what we are working toward here at Riverview:
"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.
Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."
--Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our "End in Mind" is to develop students into leaders of the classroom (and their own personhood!) who are practicing essential 21st century life and work-ready skills so that they are successful while at Riverview, and for years beyond--not only in terms of content, but also character.
Have you ever heard of the See-Do-Get model? What you See (your paradigm), influences what you Do (practices), which bears out what you Get (results). The more traditional teaching paradigm (how you "see" a teacher's role) is that "teachers control and direct student learning." In this context, the teacher's role is to manage students and be in control -- of teaching, student behavior, and assessment. This traditional paradigm can extend to how you "see" a student's role: that students are expected to comply, complete their work, and remember and recall the right answers. Learning tasks are then design to reinforce these paradigms-:: traditional paradigms = traditional learning tasks = traditional (passive) student engagement. Unfortunately, if teachers "see" their role through these lenses, what we Get (results) might be teacher burnout, student disinterest and apathy, and lessons/assessments that rely on compliance and fact recall rather than curiosity and lasting learning.--Yikes!
Shifting to "We learn," rather than "I teach."
Using the same See-Do-Get model for a 21st century teaching approach, our staff is working to shift toward a paradigm (what we "see) that puts the focus on whether or not true learning is taking place, rather than if traditional teaching has occurred. When students are learning how to learn, they can become empowered to lead their own learning. They know where they are, and where they need to go, and the teacher helps facilitate how to get there! When instruction is empowering, students and teacher learn together, and the classroom becomes learner-centered rather than teacher-centered. Staff learned about empowered teaching practices that focus on the whole child (what we "do) such as the importance of building trusting relationships with students, the importance of collaborative planning and reflection, and how to design lessons that revolve around student-led learning that invites higher levels of engagement (what we "get") and learning retention.
Ignite Curiosity -- Empowered teacher mindset: "I want to engage with my key lesson concept through students' intuition, prior knowledge, and life experiences."
Investigate - Empowered teacher mindset: "I want to release students to discover for themselves the key lesson skills through scaffolding, and asking questions to push discovery.
Invite Connections - Empowered teacher mindset: "I want to ensure that everyone has met the learning target, and that students have an opportunity to learn from each other. My role is to ask questions to guide them to insights and learning, not to tell them the answers from the get-go."
The Empowered Learning Approach aligns with the neuroscience of learning. Brains can grow new cells, change existing ones, and rewire connections ("paths") to each other. When teachers do most of the talking and students do most of the listening, a path may be created, but it can be temporary, and when challenged students, will revert to old ways of thinking. When students talk and create their own meaning and answers, they create a pathway that sticks. This is where real change--and learning--occurs.
We already know a LOT about how the brain works to learn best:
- Students need to feel safe to learn
- Students learn better in collaboration with peers
- Students learn better when they don't have to sit still and have opportunities for movement
- Students need time and space for reflection to make learning stick
- Students need to practice what they are learning--Neurons that fire together, wire together! Recall can strengthen neural pathways, but analyzing, evaluating, and creating, enable deeper understanding and retention.
- Students learn better when prompted with higher order thinking (HOT) questions, instead of asking lower level "fact only" or "right there" questions.
We as a staff are excited to continuously improve in empowering our students' learning-- to ignite their curiosity with each lesson, to investigate rather than lecture, and to invite connections for students to make on their own rather than be told.
Using the See-Do-Get Empowered Approach at HOME
As I participated in this training, I could not help but make my own connections to these concepts and paradigm shifts, as a parent myself. Do you ever feel like a Task Master at home?! Some days it feels that way. At home, I reflected that I frequently use "I" language rather than "We" language...I could just hear myself with my own children..."I need you to brush your teeth." "I want you to make your bed." I realized I was keeping the main eye on their schedule and daily routine, and that my own children are capable of being empowered to take it into their own hands if I would only give them the chance.
I am trying hard to shift my Mom paradigm, too! Instead of "telling" my children what to do all morning, I am working to involve them more by shifting my own actions (what I "do"). I am trying to rephrase what I say to be more empowering: "Where do these dishes belong after breakfast?" "What should you do next if you are done eating?" "If we want to leave the house by 7:45, what needs to happen?" By rephrasing how I speak at home, I want to get Win-Win Results, in which more ownership is given to my children, rather than having all of the control rest with me, so they can feel empowered and successful at home.
In your own household, how often do you find yourself saying "I need you to____." as the task master? How might an Empowered approach or "We" language be utilized at home or in your family? It's a worthy and interesting question to reflect on as we journey along with our students and children throughout these important years in their development.
Thank you for taking time to learn about what we have been learning about as a staff! Here's to 2021 being a year of positive change and new paradigms!
Sincerely,
Beth Mildren
Principal
On Deck: Upcoming January Events
JANUARY:
January 15 - HALF-DAY for students; 8:45-12:10 pm. NO LUNCH will be served on the 15th. Parents, if you need to have a different going-home change method for the half-day OR for second semester, please reach out to your child's homeroom teacher.
Jan. 18 & 19 - NO SCHOOL for students. Grade cards will be posted the afternoon of the 19th, parents will receive an email alert with instructions for how to view these in Skyward.
Jan. 20 - Start of Third quarter/Second Semester -- For students returning from Optional Remote to back on-site, or for those changing Optional Remote teachers, these new Changes take effect on Jan. 20, please be aware! We are very excited to seeing new (and returning!) faces on our campus on Wednesday, Jan. 20!
**On January 20, we will also be starting a REVISED A-E Daily Rotation Schedule. Please be on the lookout from your classroom teacher for your specific Essentials classes on each A-E Day. You will also receive an attachment of this revised document in your Friday email from Mrs. Mildren.
January 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
After King’s death, a bill was introduced in Congress to make King’s birthday a national holiday. At the time, only two other individuals had holidays in their honor, George Washington and Christopher Columbus. Six million signatures were collected for a petition for Congress to pass the law, and is considered the largest petition in favor of an issue in US history.
Martin Luther King’s unparalleled contributions to racial justice for black Americans have been revolutionary. On Martin Luther King Jr. or MLK Day, schools and offices are closed, but people fully participate in remembering and honoring everything King has accomplished. His values and historical place in American history are discussed and advocated, to educate communities and coming generations on the importance of equality and King’s influence. Movies and documentaries on his life are shown, and businesses and organizations run by and for the black community are shown support.
5 Lesser-Known Facts about Martin Luther King Jr.:
His birth name was Michael.
The civil rights leader was given the name Michael King Jr at birth. Later, his father changed his own name as well as of his son to Martin Luther, after the Protestant Reformation leader.
King started college at the age of 15
King skipped grades 9 and 12, and enrolled at Morehouse College in 1944.
‘I Have a Dream’ was not his first speech
6 years before his iconic speech at Lincoln Memorial, King spoke during the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom in 1957.
King was imprisoned a lot.
According to the King Center, Martin Luther King went to jail 29 times.
His last public speech foreshadowed his death
In his last speech the night before he was assassinated, King said, “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now, I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”
Why Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Important
He worked to advance civil rights
The words, leadership, time, and energy King devoted to civil rights helped end segregation in the United States and worked to eliminate unfair practices throughout the nation that negatively affect the black community. He helped organize rallies, gave speeches across the country, and mobilized thousands of people to help end racial injustice.
He inspires us
MLK inspired millions of people in his lifetime and continues to inspire us to this day. Across the globe, activists look to King for inspiration and courage. Modern movements for racial equality and justice, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, are extensions of the work that he started
He promoted civil disobedience
King's tactics and manner of protest were largely that of civil disobedience. This including sit ins, marches, and disregard for unjust laws. Many of us follow his example today when protesting and adopt the tactic of civil disobedience.
How to Observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Learn MLK’s full history and narrative
Take the time to learn more about MLK in depth. Read his works as well as those of his family to learn more about this remarkable man and learn the stories as he told them.
Make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day more than just a day off. Take time to both understand and support civil rights and the issues facing communities of color. MLK and his contemporaries did a lot for the advancement of civil rights, but there is still much to be done.
Have a conversation
Creating dialogue and having discussions about racial injustice is important. Through conversation, we educate each other, share experiences, and work to create a brighter future."
*Citation: All information and text comes directly from NationalToday.com
FALCON FACULTY SHOUT OUT REQUEST
If you’d like to nominate any staff member for the district’s Making a Difference Award, you are encouraged to give district-level recognition! Please click here, thank you for your support! Making a Difference Nomination Form
Thank you for considering participating in either activity, it is a bright spot when shout outs are announced at the building or district level!
Information about COVID-19-Related School Communications
Defining a Case of COVID-19 Disease and the Infectious Period
A person is considered a case of COVID-19 disease if they have tested positive for the SARSCoV-2 virus by a diagnostic test. Based on what we currently know, a case is considered infectious three days prior to the onset of symptoms through at least 10 days after the onset of symptoms. For cases that do not have symptoms, the infectious period is considered as three days prior to the date the sample was collected through a minimum of 10 days from the date the sample was collected. Cases must remain in isolation until they have met the criteria for release from isolation set by state and/or county health departments.
Defining a Close Contact
A person is considered a close contact of a case if they were within six feet of the case for ten minutes or more without masks, or if they had exposure to secretions (for example, being coughed or sneezed on). People who are close contacts of a COVID-19 positive or presumed positive individual during that person’s infectious period are considered exposed and should quarantine. Close contacts are recommended to remain in quarantine until they have met the criteria for release from quarantine set by state/county health departments.
General Notification Letter
Schools will send a general notification letter to families and staff when an individual or individuals connected to the school test positive for the virus.
Low-Risk Notification Letter
A person may receive a low-risk notification letter indicating they may have had a low-risk exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Although the risk of developing COVID-19 based on this exposure is low, watch for symptoms of COVID-19. Symptoms include, but not limited to, fever, cough, loss of smell and/or taste, chills, fatigue, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, muscle aches, chest pain, headache, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, sore throat, and runny nose.
High-Risk Notification Letter
A person will receive a high-risk notification letter from Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) indicating they had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. JCDHE carefully considers all information when determining isolation and quarantine recommendations. If a person was identified in the case investigation, their proximity to or nature of the interaction with the positive individual was enough to put them at higher risk for contracting COVID-19. Because the exposure is considered high risk and per public health recommendations, students will be excluded from school for 14 days from the date of last exposure, if no other exposures occur.
District Lost/Damaged Technology Policy
-1st Incident: No Fee;
-2nd Incident: $25.00;
-3rd Incident: $50.00 and
-4th and Subsequent Incidents: Actual cost of repair/replacement
The repair cost structure will reset annually for elementary students. In the event a device is stolen, a police report must be filed with local law enforcement and a copy of the report submitted to school administration to prevent being charged the replacement cost of the device.
Accessories and parts that do not carry a warranty are charged at actual replacement cost.
Replacement cost for lost crayon (digital pencil for iPad):
-1st Incident: $25.00
-2nd and Subsequent Incidents: $50.00 (full replacement cost)
Replacement cost for lost/damaged charger:
-1st Incident: $11:00
-2nd and Subsequent Incidents: $22.00 (full replacement cost)
Paraprofessional Substitutes needed!
USD 232 is in need of paraprofessional substitutes who are flexible and willing to substitute throughout the district on an as needed basis. Stay-at-home parents make great substitute paraprofessionals! The ideal candidate is caring, compassionate and dedicated to the students’ success by looking for ways to support the teacher and making a positive difference in the lives of our children. Becoming a para sub is a great way to support the district, our students and our teachers which is needed now more than ever. It is very flexible; you can accept or decline sub needs based on your own schedule.
To learn more about becoming a substitute paraprofessional for the district, please speak with your Principal or contact Human Resources at the USD 232 District Office. Ready to apply? Click here > Paraprofessional Substitutes for USD 232
USD 232 is looking for School Nurse Subs
Part-time Positions available throughout the school district to sub on an as needed basis.
Must have a current Kansas RN license.
Hourly rate: $20.00/hour
Please apply online
Want to Stay Informed? Sign Up for schoolNEWS ALERT
Sign up for Text Alerts
Receive emergency information, school closings, early dismissals and administrative reminders on your mobile device. This text and email service is free, but check with your mobile provider as text messaging and data rates may apply.
To subscribe >> https://www.usd232.org/Domain/83
Community partner Country Club Bank is providing support to ensure this service is available in USD 232.