Colt Round Up
Friday, October 13, 2017
"Students learn as much for a teacher as from a teacher." - Linda Darling Hammond
With Appreciation:
- Way to Go teaching team! We got 95% of all students assessed in iReady Math, and 94% of all students assessed in iReady ELA
- Bravo to Ms. Cassidy for presenting at the CA Science Teacher Association conference. Her presentation was well attended (especially for a Saturday evening!) and the feedback was wonderful. Liz is very excited about incorporating more STEM/STEAM activities in our Fun Fridays and other free choice times. Consider chatting with Liz if you are interested in learning more!
- Big thanks to Vickie, Karen, Irma, Tricia and Pam for serving as Check In Check Out mentors for some of our students. We are seeing better days thanks to your friendly check in and our teachers' diligent efforts during the day!
New Information/Things to Do:
- PTC CARNOWEEN: It will take over our school on Saturday, 10/21. We'd love to have our staff stop by to join in on the fun! Here is the event flier and the online sign up (http://signup.com/go/XqstXcB). Please share this info with families in your newsletters/emails/communication channels.
- STUDENT TEACHER?: Are you interested in hosting a student teacher? Being a master teacher is a wonderful way to explore your own teaching philosophies and to help mentor and inspire a teacher looking to enter the field. Email Jen if you are up for the challenge!
- COLT PRIDE TICKETS: Please be sure your students put any tickets they've earned into a bucket (let Jen know if you need one) - we'll ask every staff member to pull 2 tickets on Friday, 10/27 in the morning; winning ticket holders will be invited to the red tables at 2:30 on Friday to enjoy a special treat!
- OCT. 16-20 is FALL DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP WEEK: the focus is on evaluating sources/fake news, social media, smart device use/gaming and positive online presence. Click here for resources and curriculum ideas you can incorporate into your classroom.
- SCHOOL BOARD MEETING: LCES is hosting the school board meeting on 10/17 at 7 pm. We'll be showcasing our VAPA programs - with an emphasis on our art docents. We'd love to have you join us!
- TEAM SELFIE: Please take a team selfie for our staff room wall. You can email it to Tricia or text it to Jen (702 324 6884). This has been difficult to get accomplished because we are all so busy - can you take 1 minute in your PLC meeting or at lunch this week to make this happen?
Focus on Best First Instruction - October is about beginning with the end in mind
Keep in mind, we are looking for PROGRESS, not perfection...so give it ago and aim to be adding targets for ELA and Math daily by the end of October.
Older Stuff/Reminders
- WORK ORDERS: Staff can access the work order for Markus on your staff drive under “CUSTODIAL WORK ORDER” folder. It is a typeable form then you can just email it to Markus.
PBIS Corner
GAMES to PLAY!
Each month, we'll ask you to incorporate a new game into your PE routine so we can use that game at recess. This month, it's HULA HOOP TIC TAC TOE! Check out this fun relay game! Here is a website with the rules and a video showing the kids playing. Here's a video with way fun music! We heard this week that 1st grade modified this game a little to make it work for them...email 1st grade for more info!Free Play - Playground: https://peacefulplaygrounds.com/unstructured-recess/
DOCUMENTATION - WHEN?????
We'll be talking about our PBIS forms at our staff meeting...we plan to make an adjustment to them to clarify when you document...if you provide a tangible consequence (i.e. a time out or loss of privilege), then you SHOULD fill out a form AND you SHOULD make a contact home (in person, phone or email).
If it feels silly to call home about something, that might be a red flag to consider. Is it really a major discipline issue or if perhaps it's something you can handle using your classroom management system.
Upcoming Meetings/Activities:
Where are Jen & Will the week of 10/16? (our schedules are a little crazy!)
- Will is at LCE in the afternoon this week, and will be out on Tuesday, 10/17 at a PBIS training
- Jen will be on campus Monday and Wednesday-Friday. She'll be at the PBIS training on Tuesday, 10/17 (we WILL still have our staff meeting!) :) Jen will be leaving campus early on Wednesday and Thursday for district meetings
- Darren will serve as our Teacher in Charge on Tuesday, 10/17
- The district elementary admin team will be on campus on Monday, 10/16 from 8:30-11:30 am. We'll be visiting classrooms (teachers have been notified, so don't panic!)
- Skip Langdon will be doing walk throughs with Jen & Will on Friday mid-day
LCES is hosting the School Board meeting on 10/17 at 7 pm. We'd love to have you join us! There is a prize in Jen's inbox! :)
To Consider:
- Our team does a great job handling potential mean or bullying behavior. Here's a Love & Logic infographic that I shared with families this week - it may give you a perspective or new language to use when supporting children. :
- Rigor is a new buzzword in education. I found this interesting article that examines the definition of rigor in context of the CA CCSS.