Team Thomson News & Notes
October 8, 2017
Important Information for You!
Building Compliment
I received the email below from Mr. Worthing after his Watch DOGS day. His daughter Ellie is the youngest of his three children, so he has been to Thomson several times for various programs and events. I asked if I could share his email with you and he was fine with me sharing...
Mrs. Miller,
Please thank your staff for a wonderful day. You have an exceptional group, I am very pleased with the caring / professional approach that I witness everytime that I come to Thomson. It is great knowing that Ellie will get to learn from such a special team.
You should be proud.
Thanks again,
Matt Worthing
Reading Mr. Worthing's email confirms that the hard work that we all do every day does not go unnoticed and that it makes a difference. I was so proud of our staff while reading his message. I hope on a day or even during a week when you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed you can reflect on this and it helps remind you how important you are in the lives of our children and their families. You're impact on them goes far beyond what you believe!
Shared Reading vs. Shared Text
In conversations with various staff members, there still seems to be some confusion about the difference between Shared Reading and a Shared Text. Anytime all the students are engaged in reading the same story they are reading a shared text, but that does not mean that they are participating in shared reading. For example, the high frequency word books that are used to teach students high frequency words and various concepts of print would be considered a shared text, but not shared reading.
In Balanced Literacy, Shared Reading is a daily 15-20 minute reading of the same text that all students have access to (a shared text) all five days of the week. However, each day of the week has a different focus:
- Monday-Read the shared text, focus is on Meaning/Comprehension
- Tuesday-Reread the text, focus is on Decoding
- Wednesday-Reread the text, focus is on Understanding the Structure and/or High Frequency Words
- Thursday-Reread the text, focus is Word Work and/or Phonics
- Friday-Reread the text, focus is Extension Activity and Fluency
Flu Shot Clinic for Staff
VG's pharmacy has offered to provide a flu shot clinic for staff members in every building. While I know that not everyone gets a flu shot, for those that do what an efficient way to get it done. I have set up October 17th from 8:00-9:00 a.m. in the Thomson Library. If you are interested in getting a flu shot, please sign up on the sheet in the lounge.
MERT, and Crisis Response Teams
Where am I, and what is my role, in all of this?
Medical Emergency Response Team - MERT- This team has been trained to respond to any medical emergency, outside of an opioid overdose*, that may occur within the school. Members of this team include: Anna Wojo, Michael Romanik, Amy Chorley, Erin O'Connor, Megan Campbell, Emily Williams, and me. Anna and I are trained in the use of Narcan which is used for opioid overdoses (and yes, we have Narcan in the school for emergency purposes).
Crisis Response Team - This team has received, or will be receiving, intensive training in regards to Emergency Restraint and Seclusion, CPI and CPR and will be on call when situations of this nature arise. Members of this team include: Amy Chorley, Erin O'Connor, Christine Gretch, Jason Vannest, Megan Campbell, Michael Romanik, and me.
In addition to these teams we also have our leadership team and school improvement teams. So what is your role as a classroom teacher? If you are not listed as a member to one of these teams your job is to continue teaching as usual and to keep students within your classroom. I can already hear the 'what ifs'...What if it is time to go to specials? What if I have a student who has to go to the bathroom? What if… I can come up with answers to numerous possible situations, but can never answer all questions regarding various situations. That said, I am asking all staff to think beyond black and white and move into the gray area of deciding what to do (aka common sense). You all are capable of making decisions in the best interest of students.
5D+-Observations and Lesson Plans
I will be finishing up Growth Plan meetings and have observation time scheduled this week. As a reminder, you have 48 hours to respond to 'Noticings and Wonderings'. This year I will be asking all staff to upload their lesson plans to the 5D+ site after an observation. This is not a weekly requirement, only to be done after I have been in your classroom observation. To upload your lesson plans, you will…
Select “Evaluations” on the Pivot tool bar
Click Documents from the drop down menu.
Click the green Add Document button
Choose Upload Your Document
Click Choose File Locate file
Add document description
Click green Add Document button
This will allow you to share your lesson plans with me without having to print them off or turn them in but will allow me to easily view them at any time throughout the evaluation process. Please remember this is only required after an observation.
Quotes Worth Reading
Growth Mindset Quotes...
"All things are difficult before they are easy."
"If you don't make mistakes you're not working on hard enough problems, and that's a big mistake."
"It's not that I'm so smart; it's just that I stay with it longer."
"If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."
Thomson Elementary
Home of the Thomson Teddies!
And..
Where Kids Come First and Futures Begin!
Email: nmiller@davisonschools.org
Website: www.davisonschools.org
Location: 617 East Clark Street, Davison, MI, United States
Phone: 810-591-0911
Celebrations & Announcements
Important Upcoming Dates:
- Week of October 9th-PLC Week
- Monday, October 9th-PTO Fundraisers are Due, they will be using the conference room for counting.
- Tuesday, October 10th-Child Study Day; Science Curriculum Meeting, 4-6 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 11th-Staff Meeting, 7:35 a.m. (Agenda: Balanced Literacy/Reading Now Network; Behavior Update)
- Thursday, October 12-ELA Meeting, 4:15-6:15 p.m.
- Monday, October 16th-Math Curriculum Meeting, 4:15-6:15 p.m.; PTO Meeting, 6:30 p.m.-
- Tuesday, October 17th-Behavior Team Meeting 7:15 a.m.; Staff Flu Shot Clinic, 8-9 a.m.; District SI Meeting, 4:15-5:15 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 18th-Baffling Bill visits; $5 Pizza Lunch
- Thursday, October 19th-Fire Drill
- Friday, October 20th-Leadership Team Meeting, 7:15-8:15 a.m.