Friday Focus
Dec. 1, 2017
Principal's message
Good afternoon!
Three weeks of opportunities to make real gains and have an impact on student learning await us! Please do not let up on the hard work you and your students have done as we move into our December weeks and early January weeks. The breaks that we have over over the Thanksgiving week and the 3 weeks to come is nearly equal to a full summer and we do not want our students to experience a “Christmas slide”. We must maintain the focus we have had up to this point through holiday fun and the busy-ness that sneaks into our daily lives. Our instructional priorities remain the same during this time. It's important that we are relentless in our practice to include guiding reading and math problem-solving block even if LA or Math is shortened due to an assembly or other "holiday" fun. This guided reading expectation is especially crucial for our struggling readers, so if you can’t get to all your groups during one of these crazy weeks, our strugglers must have it every day. Guided reading books should continue to go home (with possibly extra ones going home over the Christmas break with our struggling readers). Students should have time and are expected to write every day between now and Christmas. Thank you for using every minute that you have with students to create a lasting impact!
S. Conklin
BrightBytes Survey Information - ACTION REQUIRED
Teachers
Our school has partnered with BrightBytes - an educational research organization - to explore our use of technology for learning and evaluate access. We invite you to answer a few questions about your technology use and access by taking this quick survey.
Parents-Copy and paste in your weekly parent email/Newsletter.
Dear parents and guardians of students at Beck Elementary,
Our school has partnered with BrightBytes - an educational research organization - to explore our use of technology for learning. We invite you to answer a few questions about your technology use and that of your student. It should take less than 5 minutes to complete on any device with internet access. Please click here to take the survey.
Students in grades 3-5-You can have students complete this through a core class or in home room. The teacher can write the tiny URL on the board and student can progress through the survey. www.BByt.es/NJ8KL
Please have student Survey completed by Tuesday and send out to parents on Monday. Thanks!
What's on your mind?
No reflection question this week! I really want you to have time to read and digest Ch. 2 of our Visible Learning Book study. Please make sure you are prepared for Ch. 2 discussion on Thursday, Dec. 7th when you meet in your book clubs. Thanks!
Math Learning Cycle
For our next Principal PLC, we've been asked to visit math classrooms and collect the following data:
- Look at student's problem-solving Journals and look at the quality of explanations and justifications.
- Observe student-led discussions
- Students working in PAL
- Problems that challenge all students
Our principal cohort will be here on Dec. 13th and we will be visiting several classrooms to look for evidence of the things mentioned above that way we can plan and support teachers where needed. We will be including some teachers on these walks so it will be a great learning experience for all!
S. Conklin
Important Dates
- Dec. 2 - Choir performance at TC Christmas in the Park, 6:30 p.m.
- Dec. 4 - Progress Reports
- Dec. 9 Reindeer Romp,
- Dec. 12 - Instructional Rounds
- Dec. 13 - Principal Cohort 1:00-3:00
- Dec. 14 - Medlin Performance 3-5, Staff Holiday Party 6:00 (Ethan Dee's House)
- Dec. 15 - Spelling Bee 8:30
- Dec. 21 - Holiday parties (4th, 1st, 2nd), Early Release 11:40
- Dec. 21 - Staff Holiday Luncheon 12:15-1:30
- Dec. 22 - Holiday parties (5th, Kinder, 3rd), Early Release 11:40
- Jan. 8th - Staff Development, Elvis' Birthday
- Jan. 9th - First day back