the RAH
May 6-10, 2019
from J
Some thoughts as we go into next week-
First- Slow down. Encourage your staff and students to be human beings and not human doings. Create moments of personal, face to face connections and interactions. As an example, while visiting Marcie at Bissett this week, she shared about the influence of common board games in this arena. Kiddos love games, they have to take turns, follow processes, engage, applying thinking skills, and most games are easy to tie to learning. Another action I see that promotes this increased reading - both by the teacher and student selected. Reading is a great activity to slow down and calm down.
Second - related to not counting down the days, thanks for not doing this for students' sake. Having said that, let's not give them a reason to count down. This week a teacher shared with me, "I'm starting to be sad that i have limited days with my students." I'm confident this teacher will be working to have meaningful learning and purposeful connections through May 22, and I'm grateful for those of the same mindset throughout our system who are committed to making the last days count with the same commitment they did the first days of school.
Some schoolhouse chores:
-Working with your Explore liaison, encourage Explore for the students that need it most. Classroom teachers who are closest to the students are the best advocate..
-Update your 2019/20 school supply lists and have them on your websites.
Thanks for all you do! Enjoy Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6-10) and National School Nurse Day (May 8)!
Retirement Reception followed by Board Meeting
Tuesday, May 7, 2019, 04:00 PM
1359 East Saint Louis Street, Springfield, MO, USA
Retention & Promotion
from Mike-
Explore Recruitment Continues!
One of the many ways we work to foster student learning and growth is through our efforts to minimize the “summer slide” effect. Explore has shown over the past three years to have an impact on this trend with attendees showing less slide from their EOY to BOY iReady results than their non-attending peers in both reading and math.
Our team of principals have been working to get students excited about Explore and we appreciate your efforts to continue promoting and encouraging participation in this opportunity. We’ve seen some great ideas being put into practice -- from personal calls home to prize drawings from those students who have enrolled.
Thank you for the time you are putting into making this a priority and recruiting those kiddos who need this support the most.
PLC Summit - July 25-26 @ Kickapoo HS (GOCSD)
Our district is excited to be hosting GOCSD’s Professional Learning Community Summit featuring the principal of our nation’s premier professional learning community school, Troy Gobble of Adlai Stevenson High School in Chicago. This event will provide some great insights into the power of professional learning communities and kick start your team with collaborating around the four essential PLC questions:
What do we expect our students to learn? (Goals/Expectations)
How will we know they are learning? (Assessment)
How will we respond when they don't learn? (Intervention)
How will we respond if they already know it? (Deeper Learning)
If you are interested in bringing a team to this event, registration is $750 for a table of five and can be combined between schools. Click HERE for more information.
Cardinals Field Trip Wrap-Up
A big thanks to you and your teams for helping make this year’s Cardinal’s field trips a success. We were fortunate to get all three games in despite some rainy spots, and your students/teachers were great ambassadors of SPS while at the ballpark.
Senior Leadership Team
Wednesday, May 8, 2019, 08:30 AM
1359 E St Louis St, Springfield, MO, USA
SPLS TIP OF THE WEEK
Professional learning deserves high priority when it comes to managing our resources, including staff, money, and time. Consider how you might direct these resources toward equipping teachers at your site to offer excellent instruction to every student, every day.
When it comes to professional learning at your site, what teacher leaders and district-level employees might serve as helpful resources?
What options do you have for freeing up time for collaborative learning at your site?
If that last question intrigues you (and you’re ready to tackle a sticky challenge), this tool might be just what you’re looking for.
from Nicole Holt-
Induction Days
Here is a brief outline of the supports that new teachers and those new to SPS will receive during Induction Days 2019-2020. As you hire this spring, you may want to keep this information close to answer question from your newest hires. Please keep in mind they will also receive this communication from us via email during the on-boarding process.
The structure of Induction Days this year will run similarly to last year and teachers will have the following options:
Day #1:
District level support that includes device distribution, setting expectations for high quality teaching and learning, and job specific breakout sessions. Educators will have choice to attend one of the following days from 8-4 PM:
Wednesday, June 19 (KAC)
Monday, July 22 (KAC)
Thursday, August 1 (KHS)
Day #2:
All new hires will attend this day together as the following is provided: district level support that includes setting expectations for high quality teaching and learning and job specific breakout sessions.
Friday, August 2 (KHS) from 8-4 PM
Day #3 & #4:
Monday, August 5 & Tuesday, August 6
New educators work at their sites unless their role requires additional meetings.