Panther Proclamation
Tremont Montessori School, February 11-16, 2024
Announcements
MP3 Interims are due tomorrow, Monday, February 12th.
Please note, this Wednesday, February 14th is a big day. There will be a preschool parent meeting and a Valentine's Day Tea Party for middle school girls in the media center.
Vertical Planning A Group during 2/14 admin minutes: Literacy – CH& EL: fluency priorities in early literacy (prep for PD Day); and rubrics/ checklist comparison/calibration for Writing in upper grades and middle school.
Friday is Professional Development Day. We will have Equity & Me sessions led by Facing History from 9am-12:15 pm. Please make sure you have your workbook with you and something to write with.
A walkie talkie should be taken to lunch/recess daily. Also, any class headed to Jefferson library should take a walkie talkie with them. They are charging in the front office near Ms. Faison's desk.
Encore Week: D
Virtue of the Week: Conscience
Upcoming Events
February 12, 2024: MP3 interims due
February 13, 2024: Accreditation Teams/Committees (Admin minutes); Celeste at SLI
February 14, 2024: Jackson at SLI (am); Vertical Planning Teams (Admin minutes)
February 14, 2024: Children House Parent Meeting, will start at 9:30 AM with Coffee Hour, then tours
February 16, 2024: Professional Development Day --No School for Students
February 19, 2024: President's Day--No School
February 20, 2024: TBT
February 21, 2024: Staff Meeting
February 22, 2024: Celeste at Network Meeting
February 23, 2024: TDES UO and D2 & D3 due
February 26-March 1, 2024: McCormack out on AMS accreditation site visit
February 27, 2024: TBT; BLT
February 28, 2024: Family Group meeting (Admin); UCC; BLT
Testing and TDES Trainings
Last week in our monthly staff meeting, Simona Palermo, our school's testing coordinator, presented the training for testing administration. Additionally, Principal Celeste and UCC Chair Sandie Flowers presented the 3rd quarter TDES presentation. Both slide decks are attached below for your review. Here are a few important TDES dates to remember:
- Paraprofessional D2 & 3 data should be entered prior to conferences with your evaluator and all items must be completed by 3/15.
- For teachers in an off year for evaluation, you must complete your Professional Growth Plan check in prior to 3/15.
- All unannounced observations and post conferences must be completed by February 23, 2024.
Those administering assessments, remember to complete and turn in the documents your received from Ms. Palermo.
Black History Month Lessons and Resources from National Education Association
If you're commemorating Black History Month in your classroom consider preparing by reading Learning For Justice's Do's and Don'ts of Teaching Black History and Black History Month is Over. Now What?, and listening to our podcast on teaching Black history meaningfully (below) to ensure students get the most out of Black history lessons. Read the full article here.
Notable African-Americans (beyond the usual names...)
Often, during Black History Month, students are encouraged to research an important Black hero to celebrate. Typically, we see students studying the same 15-20 people every year. This year, if you plan to participate in research or story sharing, please make it a goal to expose our students to some of the lesser known, yet just as relevant /important figures. Below are a few lists you can use, if needed.
https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/news/g4431/black-history-month-unsung-heroes/
https://www.wrhs.org/resources-for-african-american-history/
https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2017/02/notable_african-americans_with.html
https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/g25954127/african-american-historical-figures/
Black History Month: "African Americans and the Arts" Door Decorating Activity
The social committee is presenting a Black History door decorating activity for this month. We would like all classroom participation for this activity. February is Black History Month lets decorate our doors with some cool history facts about the contributions African Americans have made to our nation.
I recently learned that each year there is a different theme for Black History Month. This year theme is "African American and the Arts". This should be a fun activity and the social committee would want full participation from everyone. This would help bridge that gap between staff and students and help with connecting with our student population.
How to Help Students Develop Empathy and Navigate Social Media
This week's Panther PRIDE virtue is empathy, which coincides nicely with the presentation Upper Elementary created for their families on building empathy in children and internet safety. Information and resources can be found below.
Bullying vs. Conflict
As we discuss empathy and the courage to confront bullying the Tremont Montessori community needs to be on the same page about what bullying is, as well as some other behaviors that sometimes get called bullying but are not. It is also important that we help students work through conflicts directly and effectively (not just tell them to walk away or tell an adult). They need to practice expressing themselves with each other when issues arise. Ms. Krissy Curtis has this bulletin board in the Planning Center and she and/or the WAVE mediators can help support lessons and conversations about the differences.
CMSD 2023-24 Core Values and Goals
At last month's leadership meeting, CEO Morgan outlined the district's strategic priorities and core values as well as his 5-year goals (attached below). In order to achieve the long-term goals, goals have been set for each school. While projections will be prepared by grade level, Tremont Montessori's OST proficiency goal is 37% overall passage rate in ELA and 25% overall in Mathematics. The waterfall data snapshot table (attached below) shows the OST progress over the course of students' academic careers so far. The way to read the chart is to start at the 2022-23 school year and track proficiency passage rates backwards. The huge impact of the pandemic is obvious for each grade, but this shows that our students are improving. Our current 6th grade class, for example, went from 13% passing the ELA OST in 2020, to 39% of them passing last year. The waterfall chart also shows that even though our proficiency in math has been low overall, every grade except between 3rd and 4th grade (a major transition year) improved last year.
The OST checkpoint assessments are an essential tool for exposing our students to test-like questions (practical life in the 21st century), for showing us where their misconceptions and gaps are, and--when used as pre and post assessments-- for giving students a sense of the impact/progress their efforts make. The student conferences are also imperative-both to prepare for February parent-teacher conferences, which should be student-led with the older students, and for to set individual, specific goals.
Remember, our collective goal is to prepare our students for high school. What we do in K matters; what we do in 2nd grade matters; what we do in 5th grade (... you get the idea). The waterfall chart shows us the collective efforts against one measure, the OST. The strategic priorities and core values of the district are grounded in more than the state test. Their sense of wellness, safety and belonging are also important measures.... and for us, our AMS accreditation. We are, after all, educating the human potential!
Anchor Your Instructional Work Plans in the State Standards
PublicSchoolWorks Training
All staff are required to complete a series of professional development via PublicSchoolWORKS videos. Admin minutes have been provided and will continue noted in the Important Dates calendar above. Below is additional information to help you successfully complete this required training:
- Go to: https://www.publicschoolworks.com/Pages/training.asp?di=913&euid=468124&dia=hwd92After you log in, click on "Your Course List" and then click on "Start Course" for each course listed.
- The PublicSchoolWORKS site works best with Google Chrome.
- Your username is your first.last name in lower case letters (i.e., jane.smith) and your password is your 6-digit employee id number.
- You do not need to forward copies of certificates to anyone, unless instructed to do so; however, you can print a copy for your records. You can access certificates at any time through the PublicSchoolWORKS portal.
If you experience any technical difficulties while completing your training, please contact the PublicSchoolWORKS customer service number at 1-866-724-6650, option 4.
Translations Apps
In an effort to assist CMSD staff in “Translations To Go,” The Multilingual Team has researched and recommended some free apps that can be downloaded to your phone or tablet from the
Apple App Store and/or Google Play completely for free for both staff and students. Check out the document below.
Tremont Montessori School Staff Handbook
Staff Handbook & Link to the Appendices
Some people expressed difficulty opening linked documents in the Appendices. Here is the link to access the folder of documents: 2023-24 Staff Handbook and Appendices
Everyone is expected to complete a staff handbook sign off page (attached below).
About us
Email: tremont.montessori@clevelandmetroschools.org
Website: https://www.clevelandmetroschools.org/tremont
Location: 2409 W 10th St, Cleveland, OH 44113, USA
Phone: (216) 838-9850