Sunday Shakedown
Weekly Memo for Washington Elementary
Principal's Post
In a recent article Dr. Ailshie shared with me called "The Schools Students Want to Attend", Some of the highlights (below) reminded me of why I was so invigorated by these project plans. It is the right work. It is challenging work, but the outcome may be just we we need in our schools. Three of our teams, LCC, LCF and LCD will be beginning projects soon. Remember that our feedback from last year was to increase the critique, revision and reflection during projects in order to create a more advanced outcome. When you can, LCC, LCF, and LCD, I would like you to post your project posters on the wall in the office as we did last year (four quadrants-project summary and driving question, public product, key knowledge and success skills, and student voice and choice). We will all stop by this week to provide insight and feedback. The other teams, we will do the same with your PBL when it is time.
- Engaged students are more likely to learn, experience satisfaction from learning, persist in challenging work, and improve academic achievement.
- Engagement typically declines as students move to higher grade levels.
- Engagement is the lens through which students see school and is their window for hope.
- Students who have a teacher that gets them excited about the future are 30 times more likely to be engaged learners.
- We need to foster trust and responsibility in students.
- What we offer students tells them what we value.
- Learning goals should be clear, relevant, and appropriately challenging
Thanks, celebrations and appreciations:
- Congratulations to ECLC teacher, Savannah on her wedding this weekend! We all wish you years of happiness.
- Thanks to all who assisted in our site visit and for those who allowed our time to be uninterrupted
- Thanks in advance to all the preparation you have done for parent conferences. It means so much to families to know you know their children so well.
- Thanks to Elyse for bringing baby Eden by this week! She was beautiful.
- Thanks to Traci Harris and Erik Heller who attended the Do the Math presentation. We now have kits available for tiered math interventions. Please check with Erik and Traci if you have a tier three student who needs math RTI. They plan to re-deliver, but if you are in need, check it out. The tubs are in the bookroom
For Your Information:
As you are making your appointments for conferences, please remember to forward a copy of your conference schedule to Amy Duncan. Also, we need these schedules for those calls we receive from parents who forget when their appointment is scheduled. Also-new this year-for after school conferences, we will set up chairs in the lobby. You must walk down to greet your parents. Due to SACC/ECLC students still being present, we need to secure our entrance. It was decided in leadership team last spring that we would walk down to welcome parents. Thanks everyone for your cooperation.
Want to fill someone's bucket? Thank them with a note on the thank you board! It would be great to fill the board to celebrate each other.
If you have not turned in PTA dues for this year, please make an effort to join. I would love to hear that we have 100% membership. At our last meeting I was informed that they will be making a large sum donation to each learning center (around $1000.00). You can use this money as a team to buy club supplies, project materials, instructional tools-anything you have dreamed of! What a wonderful and generous surprise. Joining PTA is just a small amount for such great support.
· DRA Training
· This training takes place at the beginning of the DRA window. This course will be helpful to new teachers and is a great refresher course for all teachers on administering the Developmental Reading Assessment.
· When: Tuesday, September 20, from 3:45-5:00
· Where: TN Room, ASC- 400 Clinchfield Street, Suite 200
Participants: K-5 Teachers
From Andy True: At this week’s BOE meeting, we presented a draft KCS calendar for 2017-18. There was one issue on which the board is seeking feedback, the location of Spring Break 2018. The Board has asked for feedback related to whether or not to keep it where it is (the week before Easter), or move it to March 19-23, to better accommodate the D-B Band/Orchestra trip to NYC… They leave the 15th and return the 21st. They would like your input as to whether or not siblings/families of band member potentially attending would impact your school’s operations. If you feel there will be an impact or would like to share how your school will be affected by the band/orchestra trip, moving Spring Break a week earlier, or keeping it where it is, please get that to me by the end of next week (9/16). I will compile those thoughts to share with the Board at their October meeting. Thanks!
· Target grants for are available through Oct. 1. They will give $700 to schools to be used for field trips. Jackson has won this grant in the past, and the link to apply is below if you are interested in going for it this year. Target is offering several of these grants and is willing to give more than one to a district. Let me know if you have questions or need any help.
https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/grants/field-trip-grants
The State has provided new resources you can share with your families that they hope will foster greater understanding about TNReady. The2016 TNReady Parent Guide and supplemental Guide on TNReady Supports for Students with Disabilities walk through many of the questions the State has received from parents. These guides outline changes to timing and structure. There is also a one-page handout that explains, at a high level, the role of assessments. These guides can all be viewed online at the TNReady.gov website by going to the newTNReady Parent Resources page. The State website also includes a new FAQ page which provides additional information for parents and educators
Professional musings:
For those of you planning projects, remember you can create a free membership to the Buck Institute site and find a wealth of project ideas, planning resources, and information about the 8 elements of project design.
A note to Dr. Ailshie from BOE president Eric Hyche is below. See if you might want to try out this Google tool:
Lyle,
I learned about Google Expeditions at ISTE this past summer. If you are not familiar with it, check it out here:
https://www.google.com/edu/expeditions/
See the email below. Google is inviting teachers and other partners to create content for Google Expeditions. That is actually one of the primary reasons I bought my 360-degree camera a few weeks ago.
I would love to partner with any teachers, INDeS, students, or anyone else who has an idea for a possible Expedition. I can supply the camera and the technical expertise if they have a great idea for how to incorporate it into a lesson. Creating Google Expedition lessons that would then be available other teachers around the world would be great exposure for KCS's STEM vision!
Thanks! Please forward to anyone who you think might be interested.
InDeS Roles for the week:
Instructional Coach - Modeled Writing in third grade for compare/contrast using "Do What", TIDE, and Evidence-Based Terms
Curriculum Coach and Resource Provider - Brainstormed ways to address the needs of a student who is significantly below grade level, provided resources such as modified writing plans and instructional resources
Learning Facilitator - Assisted with uploading ELA/SS texts and videos to Google Classroom.
FYI --
**ELA Training for Mentor Sentences - I attended the Mentor Sentences training. If anyone was unable to attend and would like for me to go over this with them please let me know.Week at a Glance:
- Wolf to meet with LCF students at 8:30
- No faculty meeting (rescheduled for the 19th)
- Trent in Knoxville for TEAM evaluation training
- Trent in Knoxville for TEAM evaluation training
- LCC to Bays Mountain for their project launch event
- Wolf leaves at 3:45 for principal meeting
- 8:30-9:30 k-5 math walkthroughs with Dr. Arnold (no expectation, just observing math practices)
- LCF to Bays Mountain for their project launch event
- LCE and LCE collaborative meetings (math focus)
- No school for students
- Parent conference day (please let me know if you would like to have administrators in any of your meetings)