SPRING RIDGE ES FRIDAY FLYER
August 26, 2016
SMORE NEWS FOR THE WEEKEND...
Wow! Do you believe we have gotten through our first week of school already? Hannah and I are amazed by the way students are falling into routines in the classroom. As we walk around, we are seeing reading routines established, math groups beginning by setting expectations for high rigor, students practicing walking in the halls quietly so that others can learn and assessments being done to drive our instruction. These are valuable expectations students are learning as we are working toward our school mission! Thank you for setting these high expectations in your classrooms and throughout the school!
Know Thy Impact! John Hattie
Teacher Clarity (d=0.75-more than 2 years growth) Important for the teacher to communicate the intention of the lesson and the notion of what success means for these intentions
Three questions that guide learning for students:
- Where am I going? (Learning intentions)
- How am I going? (Success Criteria)
- Where to next? (Feedback)
It is also exciting to see teachers already getting into the practice of writing learning intentions and students understanding success criteria as both are visible for learning in classrooms. Remember, assessments are your indication of what students learned from your instruction—you are the evaluator of your impact. These pictures are exemplars of visible learning in our classrooms!
Thank you for all you do for our students to ignite Success Through a creative Environment with an Achievement Mindset!
Patty and Hannah
Fire Drill Information
Homework at the Ridge
Staff,
Below is the communication that will be sent home to parents. Remember to continue to communicate with parents regarding units of study, creative ideas to strengthen home-school learning, build and ways to support their child’s instructional program. The paradigm of traditional worksheets, penalization/grading for non-completion, and just “busy” work for the sake of giving it, is not a practice we will continue to promote here as those practices are not supported by research—the rigor will continue.
Work completed at home should:
For students in the earliest grades, it should foster positive attitudes, habits, and character traits; permit appropriate parent involvement; and reinforce simple skills introduced in class. You may also look at pre-teaching research/videos that may be assigned for work at home (see Flipped Classroom for Elementary students).
Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
Homework at Spring Ridge
After a great amount of research and consideration, students at Spring Ridge Elementary will no longer have traditional homework assignments students are customarily graded and/or penalized for. If work to be completed at home is assigned, it will not be a traditional worksheet. If work is assigned, it will have a clear purpose.
The research has concluded that homework has no effect on the progress of elementary school children. While homework does make more of a difference to secondary schoolchildren, it has little or no effect on elementary students (Hattie, 2009). We believe in the benefit of students spending time on other productive activities, including reading and spending time with their family.
We have found that the traditional homework assignments weren’t leading to the learning and developmental outcomes that Pre-K through fifth grade students need. We have heard much feedback from parents that homework has caused: frustration, stress, fatigue, lost family time, and an aversion to an interest in learning.
In lieu of traditional homework, teachers will be communicating with parents to keep you informed regarding topics of current study, learning that can be completed independently and collaboratively with parents such as: handwriting, math facts, engaging educational computer programs, choice driven activities, and Arts Integrated/STEAM projects including integrated research and design projects, video research (flipped learning)—AND READING NIGHTLY!
Your thoughts matter to us. We will be asking for your feedback regarding this practice throughout the year—so please do not hesitate to talk to us and assist us as we strive every day to improve the educational services we are providing to your children.
Two ELO Opportunities!
AAE STEAM ELO ~
Looking for at least two teachers to work with EL and AA students that will be selected to work on accelerating their academic achievement—so we’re looking to place them in advanced classwork. This would be an exciting after school instructional opportunity for our students and we are looking at three six week “course” opportunities (and can be flexible as far as start time for the year) as the grant is written for two teachers to be paid per diem for 36 hours-so three--six week/two days per week/one hour each session.
Instruction needs to be aligned with our STEAM initiative and well planned and thought out—so if you’re interested in this opportunity—please let us know!
If you are interested please let us know by Sept. 15th—the instruction must take place before June 30th and transportation for students will be provided.
STEAM ELO ~
We are looking for 2 certified teachers for an exciting 6 week after school project with students in grade 5. We can be flexible with the 6 week time frame and the days of the week. But would need the program to be 2 days per week for the 6 weeks.
Pay is per diem and we also have planning days built in with both substitute and paid planning.
We will be getting a new high end 3D printer- with that printer, the students in the after school group will print a prosthetic finger for Rick Getzandanner. Rick cut off his finger many years ago and is willing to be our test subject. As part of the grant we have support from Oakdale High students, biomechanical engineers, and other support personnel.
Collaboration Begins 8/29
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N5Jw2GPpCyVbbtawoLlC9rwICd_Hqcoj9OJahmX9jJY/edit
SRES ignites Success Through a creative Environment with an Achievement Mindset!