Lincoln Lion Local Buzz
Fall Break Edition
Catch up on your PLC Reading
Just a friendly reminder that the first designated section of your PLC is this upcoming Tuesday. Most of you looked to read the first section of your book. I look forward to discussing your books with you all.
Safety Patrols
Safety Patrols will start their watch over our school on Monday. Please remind your students about the changes in dismissal. Our patrol's will be opening car doors for students. Students will need to wait for the safety patrol to open the car door for them. This will be new, and some students may forget, but if we remind them frequently of the changes in the upcoming week, things should be running smoothly in a week or so. Thanks for your support of this new leadership opportunity for our kids.
High Expectations Teaching
This Monday we will be working on chapter 6 in High Expectations teaching. This chapter focuses on teaching effective effort. We spent a lot of time before TNReady last spring hoping to support students prepare for the intensity of testing. This chapter revisits many of the ideas we covered last spring. What if we really focused on teaching effective effort outside of the testing window? What would that information do for our students as they attempted to be their best every day. If you have the book with you over break, please take a few minutes to skim the chapter and refresh your memory. Summer is seeming so far away these days.
Folks Visiting The week we get back
Please note that Elementary Principals will be at Lincoln on Wednesday...at the exact time that we will be administering flu shots in the conference room. It is going to be a GREAT morning full of happy visitors and screaming children. Kidding. Not Kidding. We'll have a schedule for you for the flu shots likely Tuesday afternoon. In addition, we will have a member of the Tennessee Behavior Supports Project coming in on Thursday. It may be one person, or a team, who will come in and use a "look for" list to assess where we are with our behavior supports at Lincoln. You or your students may be asked questions about what we do here for behavior. Just answer honestly. Like an observation I hope that we are just doing what we "do" and get honest feedback on our progress and next steps. On Wednesday, the elementary principals will be in classrooms likely between 9:15 and 10:00/10:15. We don't look for anything in particular, but really enjoy looking at kids engaged in the curriculum. This is what is most helpful to help us calibrate where our schools are in the pacing of the units of study in each grade.
Tech Corner
Please remember to always do a work order for your technology troubles. If you want your work done quickly, do not stop Susan in the hallway. While she wants to know what is going on in your room, to get it address, you must do a work order.
Walkie Talkie Reminders
It is vital that we are following protocol when calling for assistance on the walkie. At no time should a student's name be used. In addition, you should not be describing what is happening over the walkie. A level 1 or 2 is all that is required. We've had a few instances where teachers are describing what is happening in detail not realizing that the walkies on the other end are in parent meetings or ear shot of visitors. Please honor the confidentiality of our students. Do not give extra information over the walkie unless asked to, on channel 2.
Please refer to your Staff Handbook for all walkie talkie expectations if you have any questions or need a refresher.
Another look at Social Emotional Learning
We are making great strides with our school wide changes to be proactive and to address student behavior head on. The attached article is a confirmation that we are on the right path and, while every day isn't roses and sunshine, we are making progress. I'm excited to see what the audit from the Tennessee Behavior Project will tell us about our next steps.