Tiger Beat
Acton Weekly Update 9/7/18
FTCSC Hedgehog Focus
The Hedgehog Concept is based on an ancient Greek parable that states, "The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing." ... Hedgehogs, however, simplify the world and focus on a single, overarching vision, which they then achieve.
Coach's Corner
This week I want to provide two easy strategies that will help us write more effective mini-lessons. These ideas came from this professional development I provided last year at South Creek.
- Make sure your lesson has a clear focus. Don't muddy the water by trying to do too much at once. This seems simple but is hard to do.
- Offer your students overt instruction. Marzano says that the most important factor affecting students’ success is the teacher’s ability to tell students what they need to know and SHOW them how to do things they must be able to do themselves. Asking questions isn't enough. Educational Researcher John Hattie says the objective must be explicitly taught in a carefully sequenced curriculum, with built-in cumulative practice. The sequenced curriculum is extremely important. It's another way to say learning progressions. To help clarify this, let's look at the skill of main idea and key details. Unknowingly, we could be teaching a lesson that is completely over our students' head. If I'm teaching main idea and key details, I might start with a lesson on what a detail is. Then I might move to a lesson that categorizes details using similarities and differences. That will lead me to a lesson on which details are important and which ones aren't. If all those go well, I might think about introducing the idea of a main idea next. I don't want to start right out of the gate with the full standard. That's too much.
I will share some more strategies next week.
Counseling Corner
Conscious Discipline
As we roll this out, remember to BREATHE. I am working with the counselors on setting up a timeline for the year.
Right now the only expectation is to slowly shift morning meeting to the Brain Smart Start's four activities over the first semester.
You will continue to receive PD and handouts from me on these 4 activities:
1. Unite
2. Disengage Stress (Actively Calm)
3. Connect
4. Commit
Here's a great link to the four activities of the Brain Smart Start we went over Tuesday morning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXhDQW3-OxA
Remember the easiest thing to start with is adding the Disengage Stress activity. Have a student pick one of the 4 laminated icons and have fun BREATHING.
I will send a google link to the Brain Smart Start Handout that I received.
See me with any questions, and invite me to come video your class doing one of the calming activities.
PBIS
Weekly PBIS Focus Expectations:
Week 6-- Playground Expectations- Please find at least one opportunity to discuss and/or practice playground expectations.Housekeeping
Attendance: Please hold on taking attendance until 9:00 each day. Students who go to breakfast are sent back to class at 8:55 and should be in your room by 9:00. Also, If a student come in with a "tardy" slip, they should be marked absent so we can record the late minutes.
Put a post it note in my mailbox with one thing that was useful from this week's Weekly Update and your name on it and you will get a small prize from me.
3. Follow the link below to see the school board presentation from last week. It went really well and they loved seeing the great things you are doing in your rooms.
Trauma Informed Instructional Practices
FLOPPY NOODLE (Beginner)
What you do:
1. Say, "Show me how you reach all the way up to the sky." Demonstrate as you stretch your arms as high as possible.
2. Say, "Now put your hands on your toes liek this. Let's 'walk' our hands up to our knees, up our thighs, over our tummies, up our chests to our chins, across our mouths, noses, and eyes, up our foreheads all the way up to the sky!"
3. Say, "Let's stretch WAY up to the sky, stretch, stretch. Now be a floppy noodle! Bend at your waist, letting your upper body flop and bounce.
4. Say, "Put your hands on your toes. Now let's 'jump' our hands up to our knees, up our thighs, over our tummies, up our chests to our chins, across our mouths, noses, and eyes, up our foreheads all the way up to the sky!"
5. Repeat step #3, stretching up and then becoming a floppy noodle.
6. Repeat steps #2 and #3 using these movement words: tiptoe, march, slide
Helps the child to develop and enhance bilateral coordination, proprioception, vestibular processing.
Ways to make it more challenging: use only one hand at a time; ask child to be a floppy noodle all on their own not showing, describing.
Ohana Calandar
Monday 9/10/18
- Airways Training-Brook/Matt/ Allison/Tammy B/ Lauren
- Homecoming Float Meeting @5:30- join us if this sounds like fun to YOU!
- Collaboration- Team Focus
- CFA Training - Brook/ mat/ Danielle/ Alexis
- Collaboration- Emergency management plans
- CFA Training - Brook/ mat/ Danielle/ Alexis
Thursday 9/13/18
- Academic Team Meeting
- Brook Principal's Meeting
Friday 9/14/18
- Bus Evacuation Drills
- Matt at Coaches Meeting
- PIZZA LUNCH provided by FC!
Coming Up Before You Know It:
9/17/18 3rd and 4th
9/19/18 SOS Day
9/21/18 PTO Team A Thon
9/24-9/28*Anti Bullying week -DATE CHANGE
9/25/18 Nadine Tech Training- coverage provided
9/26/18 Waterford Training (info- coming soon)
10/2/18 PTO Meeting @6:30
10/3/18 Emergency Drills @10:00 AM
10/5/18 End of Quarter 1
10/5/18 Vision Screenings
10/8/18 PBIS Assembly @3:00
10/10/18 Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-7:00
10/11/18 Parent Teacher Conferences 4:00-7:30
10/15/18 Fall Break