Welcome Back
Weekly Memo 1.19.16
Welcome back to another great week at LTN354!
The start of the new year has been filled with professional leading and learning!
- R.A.C.E Strategy for 1st-5th teachers
- Rubric-based writings posted outside of classrooms
- Close Reading Professional Readings K-5
- Close Reading PD for 3-5 and Lit Circle teachers
- Instructional calendar planning sessions
Pizza and Practice (Parent University)
Please join me in sending a big shout out to Mrs. Freeman, Ms. Bussey, Ms. Wells, Ms. Wright, Ms. Cannon, Ms. Daprano, Mrs. Welch, Ms. Bush, and Mrs. Griffin for their planning, preparation, and leadership on Thursday, 1.14.16 at our first learning session with parents. We learned about the various components of the GAMS, walked parents through the GADOE practice test website, then broke out into content-based (Math/Literacy) sessions led by teachers.
Entrepreneurial Spotlight @ LTN354:
Last week, I met with a 3-man team of students in fourth grade with some big ideas. When they stopped by my office, they said, "We want to meet with you to share an idea we have." Long story made short, I was immediately sold on the concept and found myself planning their next steps. Effective tomorrow, these three boys, "The Cleaning Machines" will begin working in our classrooms during the dismissal window of 2:15-2:45 pm, daily. They will be stacking up chairs, sweeping floors, and straightening desks. They will service three classrooms per day, totaling 15 classrooms per week. Each student will be compensated one behavior buck per classroom, with a maximum pay of 15 behavior bucks! When I asked them how/why they came up with this idea, they mentioned the assembly we held on the 6th of January where I talked about using their ideas to make a difference. They also mentioned that their teacher encouraged them to bring this idea to me. Shout out to you, Ms. Capers, for fanning the flames of creative thinking and problem solving in your students!!!
Georgia Milestones Countdown: We are 51 days away from conquering this assessment! Congratulations to our teachers for their hard work last week as they reviewed their pacing calendars and prioritized standards. Our goal is to ensure sufficient coverage of the curriculum before the GAMS in April. Keep up all of the hard work in your teams and in your classrooms.
GAMS Saturday School Blitz: January 23rd
Select 3rd-5th grade students will participate in our intervention effort. Thanks to the 16 teachers who will serve this population of students!
Below are the upcoming actions for the week of 1.19-22.16
Tuesday, January 19th:
Spelling Bee- fourth and fifth grade students will participate in the cafeteria from 8:30-10:00 a.m. This event will impact our schedule in the following ways:
Power Hour will be held in the classroom.
We are asking that our PK teachers (Mrs. Ferguson, Ms. Thomas, Mrs. Arnold, and Bradfield) have breakfast in their classrooms.
Teachers of 4th and 5th should begin transitioning- (restroom break) at 8:00 a.m.
Lunch schedules will remain intact.
Collaborative Planning (GLT)
Tuesday, January 19th- Complete instructional calendars with teams
Afterschool PD- K-2 teachers will participate in the Close Reading PD with Ms. Cannon
Thursday, January 21st- All teachers who teach Mathematics will participate in a training on the electronic Data Driven Instructional Teams excel sheet. This will be our school-wide non-negotiable for math teachers. We will track all pre and post math data and create strategic action plans using this form. We have already seen this document in a word document format. This will be an easy next step for our teaching teams. I am most excited about the fact that Ms. Wells of first grade will be leading this session with teachers.
MVP Kickoff Ceremony: Thursday, January 21st- Our LTN mentors will meet with MVP mentees in the cafeteria from 3-4pm. Shout out to the 38 women who have stood up in service of our most valuable pearls!
MOY: Middle of the year testing begins next week. Each teacher should have received a copy of an assessment calendar for our MOY testing cycle. Please reach out to Ms. Bussey if you have questions/concerns. As you know, this time can be very hectic and stressful for both staff and students. You are encouraged to lean on your patience and preparation during this next cycle. This will be a critical opportunity to measure our effectiveness so far this school year. I am incredibly anxious to see what impact we've had on the performance and growth of our students. You are also encouraged to begin speaking positive words of success and effort to our students this week as we prepare for testing. We want our boys and girls to display perseverance and focus during this window of assessments. Thank you in advance for building our students up to meet the expectations ahead of them.