Weekly Memo: March 21st-March 25th
"Overcoming Mediocrity & Redefining Excellence"
Message From: Ms. Stewart, Principal
"The Price of Excellence is Discipline. The Cost of Mediocrity is Disappointment."
Theme of the Week: MINDFULNESS
This is Water by David Foster Wallace (Speech On Mindfulness)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lu2e-q8ntM
F.A.T. City (Frustration, Anxiety AND Tension) facilitated by Richard Lavoie (Workshop On Children's Learning Disabilities)
Teacher Clinics SPOTLIGHT...
- Tuesday, March 22nd, ELA Teacher Clinic with Ms. Watts in Stanford University promptly at 7:35am.
- Tuesday, March 22nd, Math Teacher Clinic with Ms. Giarrizzo in Stanford University promptly at 4:10 pm.
- Wednesday, March 23rd, ELA Teacher Clinic with Ms. Romero in Brown University promptly at 7:35am.
- Wednesday, March 23rd, Math Teacher Clinic with Mr. Watson in New York University promptly at 4:10 pm.
School-Wide Instructional Expectations:
Please use the following checklist as a daily guide to ensure you are meeting expectations for a successful professional learning week for yourself but most importantly our scholars!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1F20_ufHTT0_IkIjJK48OY5cyDE2tuITHOzucBgVegeA
Monday, March 21, 2016
Team Planning Focus Grades K-5:
- Unfortunately, the majority of the March 2016 bulletin boards representing our scholars "best" work is below grade level standards according to the Common Core Learning Standards.
- Please use the following document during Team Planning to begin studying and understanding the correlation across grades:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5hvcxjxlctnbC1xNmQtb1ZoeTA
- A grade team walkthrough using the standards and the standards based bulletin board rubric must be used as the basis for providing feedback.
Staff Meeting 4:15pm-6:00pm
- K-5 Teachers & Teacher Associates: Examining Student Writing Using the Common Core Learning Standards & WriteSteps Curriculum Student Exemplars (4:15-5:15) & Grade Team Bulletin Board Feedback (5:15-6:00)
- S.T.E.A.M. Team: Gearing up for Carnegie Hall, End of Year S.T.E.A.M. Fair & Art Auction
- Code Blue Team: Streamlining Systems & Procedures for At-Risk & Students with Disabilities
Tuesday, March 22, 2016:
K-2 Common Planning
- Period 1: Writing Highly Effective Lesson Plan using Danielson Domain 1
- Period 2: Differentiated based on feedback from Ms. Stewart or Ms. Barrow
Thursday, March 24, 2016:
- Period 1: Assigning iReady Extra Lessons aligned to ELA & Math Common Core Standards
- Period 2: Creating individualized homework assignments based on Checks for Understanding & Independent Work Tasks.
Board & Parent Organization Meeting
- Please identify a grade representative who must attend the Board Meeting for all grade levels, specials, and code blue team.
- K-2 Formal Observation Reflective Questions Responses Due by COB. Please upload in the following folder on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5hvcxjxlctnNjk1RVBSNFNuT2c
IMPERATIVE REMINDERS/UPDATES:
- Effective Immediately, all teachers who do not submit their lesson plans for ALL content areas will have mandatory lesson planning times from 4:30-5:30 on Tuesdays and Thursday.
- Effective Monday, March 14, 2016, you must clock in and clock out in order to be paid. Failure to do so will result in non-payment. Also, effective immediately, you will be docked for each minute you report late to work.
- Teachers bulletin boards who have been identified by Ms. Stewart as below grade level are required to have updated bulletin boards completed by Monday, March 28, 2016.
- All students should use a common core aligned rubric to assess their work especially in writing.
- Interactive notebooks with tiered vocabulary is vital to comprehension. Checkout this article: http://achievethecore.org/content/upload/Liben_Vocabulary_Article.pdf
- For scholars demonstrating academic & social behaviors that gets in the way of their learning the following Child Study Referral Form https://drive.google.com/open?id=1y6rvzA-q8HOb_ALUARn7nlxZHs5EbVuPNnLMxHcAMiw. In addition, the Classroom Intervention Referral Sheet must be completed: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1maeu39w2RlSw0qtrWNk2GwvcYNSA1xCTNj3shvPPQrw
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT:
- Arts Engagement Has Broad Impact For Core Subjects: http://www.schoolimprovement.com/strategy-of-the-week/stem-benefits-of-hands-on-learning/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email
- Creative Classroom Solutions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6vOa5yLiGMkZTR1NW8xdkNlRjg/view?usp=sharing or visit the website: http://www.creativeclassroomsolutions.com