Bobcat Bulletin
Week of September 30, 2019
This Week's Events
- District Collegial Chairs Meeting at RW- 4:15 - 5:30
Tuesday 10/1
- Picture Day
- MTSS 10:00 am
Wednesday 10/2
- Walk to School Day
- Student Count Day
- Collegial Chairs Meeting - 8:00 am
- Math Coach at Amerman (4th and 5th full day)
Thursday 10/3
Friday 10/4
- NWEA Closes
Next Week's Events
- Devon at 1:15 meeting
Tuesday 10/8
- SIT Meeting All Day
- Fire Drill - 1:00pm
Wednesday 10/9
Thursday 10/10
Friday 10/11
Due Dates
October
- Meeting to review growth plan
Blue Office Door - Make sure you start carrying your fob
The blue office door finally has its new security feature installed. Starting Monday in order to get out of the office from the blue door and into the school, you must use your fob. This means you need to remember to start carrying your fob at all times. You can get into the office from the hallway without a fob, but you will not be able to get to the hallway from the office without a fob. You will need your fob on you at all times starting Monday, September 30.
October Math Investigation of the Month
Here is our first Math Investigation of the Month. Our youngest Bobcats can simply count the number of people/objects or name simple shapes while our older Bobcats can add to that by thinking about fractions, types of lines, and using other math vocabulary. One of the goals is for the students to realize that math is everywhere.
If you could please go over this with your students by October 9 and have your observations in the hallway on or before October 11, we will have two weeks to do a gallery walk with our classes.
If you have any suggestions for future Math Investigations of the Month, please share them with me, and the Math Committee will look them over. We are always happy to receive suggestions (this month's came from Julie Warum--thanks, Julie!).
Fall Courtyard Clean-up
Here is the Fall Courtyard Clean-up Schedule. The schedule covers two weeks. Every class should sign up for one to two slots during this two week period. Classes can signup together. This is a great buddy activity or a way to get your brain breaks in.
Parent volunteer are welcome to come during your designated sign up time. Please ask for donations of yard waste bags. We will provide some to you as well. Please be aware that some weeds will require rubberized/leather gloves for pulling. Please ask your students to bring these in if they have them at home.
The slots are an hour long, but feel free to manage the time in a way that works for you around your humanities schedule. For this reason, it is okay if two classes overlap.
Let Cori know if you have any questions.
Extended Time
Thanks for a very productive ET on Wednesday! I loved finally being able to meet with everyone. I know that we are on our way to being on the same page this year (remember Denmark Elephant). Keep the three C's in your mind: Communicate, Compromise and Compassion. I also hope you are thinking of your word for this year. We will be using it later.
If you were not able to talk or finish talking with your grade level teams at ET about the Bridges assessment sections, please use your collegial time to finish these conversations. I know those of you that started these conversations found them meaningful and beneficial. You might talk about how you will use the knowledge that you gained about the different assessments, the timeline for assessments, and how you might use the assessments to inform instruction. Here is a link to the materials used. I will include our "data pops" in the next Bobcat Bulletin. Our next ET will be Wednesday, October 16th.
Now that I've been observed...how do I upload and label evidence into pivot again?
1. Upload, name, and code evidence to a specific indicator.
2. To check where you have evidence by indicator.
LC Corner - Curriculum, Literacy & Learning...oh my!
BALANCED LITERACY - WHERE TO BEGIN? - Interactive Read Alouds
You may be asking yourself what new resources fits where within the Balanced Literacy Framework. Here at Amerman we have heard about Interactive Read Alouds (IRA) over the past few years and many of you have always used quality literature as mentor texts and ways to launch your literacy block time and/or to model thinking and comprehension conversation strategies. Fountas & Pinnell’s IRA resources just puts quality texts and lesson cards right at your fingertips.
According to the F&P/Heinemann website this resource “ is the foundation for literacy instruction, and is organized into 25 text sets that reflect a global perspective with a diversity of characters, settings, and topics. Each text set contains four to six high-quality picture books with engaging illustrations that represent a variety of authors and illustrators, topics, genres, themes, and text structures. Each set of texts has been carefully curated around a connecting idea, central theme, or study of a particular author, illustrator, or genre.”
According to most Balanced Literacy Frameworks Interactive Read Alouds are meant to be a whole class experience interacting with the same text. It becomes the mentor text for your mini-lessons and provides valuable opportunity for modeling and student talk and discussion. It is an integral part of the best practice of the gradual release of responsibility in all areas of literacy. When you have about six minutes, take the time to view this short video about using Interactive Read Alouds. It begins with a first grade class and then half way through shows how picture books and read alouds work in a fourth grade class.
Focus Lesson Using Interactive Read Alouds
When you are sifting through the wealth of resources that now fill your classrooms, (4th & 5th - I’ve been told they are on their way), you can jump into the IRAs and see what genre sets work into your plans OR you can dive into the Mini Lesson Resource and see where each IRA connects with each minilesson. However you choose to make the resources work for you, remember the value in modeling and practicing thinking, speaking and writing about what we read.
More on F&P Mini Lessons to come….
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Three Signature Practices
Here are the links to access the CASEL Playbook for Three Signature Practices. I think you will find several ideas to use in your classrooms. I am also including links with additional ideas for welcoming routines and closure activities. Have fun!
Good News From School Postcards
Do you remember how much you loved getting mail as a kid? It always brightened your day. The office now has "Good News for School" postcards that are available for your use. Please feel free to send as many home as you would like. We all know positive feedback from school is a great way to build relationships and trust.
Postcard are located on the shelf behind the copy machine in the office. Completed post cards can be turned into the office and we will get them mailed home!
Testing Tidbits
The bulk of the Fall NWEA-MAP testing is complete! We do have nearly 80 make-ups to finish this week. The window closes on Friday.
Make-ups will begin on Tuesday, schedules to be sent out on Monday. With so many students needing make-ups, we will need everyone to be flexible and understanding with the schedule.
You have all been so great with the moving of devices and helping sessions run smoothly. I have adjusted the device sign-outs to include the devices we will need this week. Most of them have been freed up.
Remember if you have any questions, just ask. LaManna’s new extension is 2144.
Fountas and Pinnell Webinar - “The Power and Purpose of Text Levels”
Fountas and Pinnell hosted the “The Power and Purpose of Text Levels” webinar on September 23rd. The hour-long conversation reviews common misconceptions and right the reality on leveling, classroom libraries, and what Fountas and Pinnell say to districts mandating levels in ways they were not intended. Put into practice practical tips on effectively utilizing levels in literacy instruction and communicating progress to parents/guardians.
AE Data Dock - If you haven’t already, be sure to save this link to your Drive.
In Amerman’s Data Dock you will access to data from previous years and of course you will find this year’s trackers.
The window for F&P BAS officially starts this week and you have till November 1st to complete and enter data.
Many of you have already given your writing pre-assessments for narrative, informational and opinion, please remember to add both the range and scale scores to this tracker. You do have till the end of November for data entry.
If you need to locate the prompts and rubrics check in here.
Reminders and Requests
- If you would like to copy your growth plan from last year...please click How to Duplicate a Growth Plan for the directions
- ALICE Lessons will be taught on Monday, September 30th. Here is the link for the ALICE lessons folder: ALICE Lessons
- Remember to login to Navigate Prepared so we can review accounting for our students at the October ET. If you have not received an email, contact Judy Huggins or Rebecca Pek to assist you in accessing the site.
- Consider sharing your expertise during a 40 minute session at the District Best Practices Palooza on November 5th. Sign up using the following link. Best Practice Palooza, Session/Topic Interest Notice
- Safe Schools Required Employee Trainings: This is your VERY early reminder to please be sure you have completed your annual mandated Safe Schools modules. https://northville-mi.safeschools.com/login . You may simply login using your email address. “Suggested” training modules are optional, but “required” modules must be done by late October.
Dismissal Duty
Week of 9/30
- Bus - Hanes
- Loop - McDougall, Babich, Hartnett, Isenberg
Week of 10/7
- Bus - Willerer
- Loop - Cowger, Pinkelman, Rohrhoff, Wayne
Random Useless Facts
Cats have over 100 vocal sounds, dogs have only 10.
- The past tense of the word dare is durst.
- Baby robin eats 14 feet of earthworms every day.
- According to an old English system of time units, a moment is one and a half minutes
- Elvis had a twin brother, Jesse who died at birth.
- A pig’s snout is called a gruntle.
- The average mattress contains 2 million house dust mites.