Sunday Shakedown
Weekly memo for Washington Elementary School
Principal Post
K-2- Repeated readings of the anchor text is key. The first time the text is read should be a straight through read without interruptions or annotations. Subsequent readings are the time to introduce those key questions, develop vocabulary, and highlight teaching points.
3-5- The key concepts to develop and emphasize REPEATEDLY with multiple texts are: main idea, theme, summarizing, and vocabulary development. If students can effectively apply these concepts, they will be in good shape for the assessment. In fact, most assessment items will assess students' skill levels related to these areas. More importantly, these are the key concepts that we use everyday as effective readers. Bring simplicity to your instruction by focusing less on individual standards and more on these big ideas.
As we work to collaborate on the importance of this read aloud piece, I appreciate you being POSITIVE, looking for ways to see this as what's BEST for our students, and for seeking to WORK TOGETHER to understand.
Student leaders: Principals in Training!
Engineers!
Engineers!
Celebrations and Appreciations
- Thanks to everyone for a GREAT first lockdown drill
- Thanks to Mr. Hefner and Mrs. Good for impromptu help with microphones
- Thanks to Mrs. Good for applying for a grant for our blacktop and basketball goals
- Thanks to all learning centers for a great Patriot Promise Pep Rally. The student led and created skit and speeches were terrific!
- Thanks to our assistants for continuing to be flexible while we are trying to complete our hiring of assistants
- Please keep Debbie Starnes in your thoughts and prayers as her husband recovers from surgery
- Thanks to Alex King for your work in seamlessly joining our SPED team. Your presence is valued.
- Thanks to Deb Hughes, Laura, ASAP teachers and Sue for a quick response to a K friend last week.
- Thanks to teachers for providing two adults on indoor pick up days
- Thanks to Michelle, Mark and Hope for the tedious work of deployment. Chromebooks are going out quickly!
- Thanks to Hope and Kevin who will offer training on Tuesday for all teachers on Google Apps for Education
- Thanks to the DB drama team! We will have superheros roaming the halls for VIP night (dressed in costumes that represent on of the 8 PP skills and will ask children about the skills as they roam the halls)
- Thanks to Sue Trent for securing at least three ASC team for all club days!!!
- Thanks to Diane Ivey and Donna Freeman for also being willing to be an extra set of hands during club time
Week at a Glance:
- Wolf at Handle with Care training until 10:00
- Counselor/admin meeting
- SST meetings
- Chromebooks training for all teachers (schedule in email)
- SST meeting
- BOE Meeting
- NOTHING
- School picture day
- Literacy collaboration with LCD
- Math collaboration with LCE
- Wolf out all day at Blended Learning Training
- Shasta at GWES this week
- Club time number 1!!!
- Shasta at GWES this week
- K-3 Collaborations
What has our InDeS, Shasta, been doing at GWES? She can work with you too! Want to chat with her? Visit LCD's extra room.
Resource Provider:
*Located resources for an upcoming Literacy unit for LCA 1st grade.
*Located Benchmark resources for an upcoming Literacy unit for LCE.
*Created posters of Sentence Stems to be used in ID paragraphs for LCE.
Curriculum Support:
*Integration of SS in Literacy block using Literacy units, as well as, identifying which standards for SS require further instruction (i.e. map skills, cardinal directions, etc.) with LCF 3rd grade. Discussed ideas for stations in Literacy and SS.
*Using sentence stems to answer constructed responses, as well as, writing prompts for LCF 3rd grade.
Other:
*Assisted in administering DRA to new students which will provide valuable information as teachers begin grouping students based on pre-assessments.
FYI
Please be reminded about our assigned zones on the playground for supervision. Clinic visits are already up and we want to ensure not just physically safe play, but positive peer interactions as well. The closer you are in proximity, the fewer chances kids will take.
4TH ANNUAL "STAR SPANGLED BANNER" MOVEMENT AND NATIONAL ANTHEM "SING-A-LONG"
The American Public Education Foundation team requests that you consider participating in the 4th annual "Star-Spangled Banner" Movement, a National Anthem 'Sing-A-Long.'
WHEN? Friday, Sept. 9, 2016 at 1:00pm EST
- Hashtag: #OhSayCanYouSing
- Website: www.theapef.org (see the home page & "Educate" tab)
TEAM Training
Vicky Treadway, associate principal at Lincoln Elementary, is offering an optional TEAM training opportunity. The same training will be delivered on two different dates and times (Thursday, 8/25 from 3:30-4:45 and Thursday, 9/1 from 3:45-5:00). Please click on the file below for details. The training is open to all teachers, though new teachers may find it most beneficial.
· TEAM Training by Treadway 2016
TNReady Parent Resources from the TDOE
The State has provided new resources you can share with your families that they hope will foster greater understanding about TNReady. The 2016 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 new TNReady Parent Resources page. The State website also includes a new FAQ page which provides additional information for parents and educators.
· Teachers, For the upcoming parent conference day on Sept. 16 , teachers may work 1/2 of the required time (3 hours) late afternoon/evening that same week ( Week of Sept. 12 – Sept. 15 ) and the other 1/2 of the time (3 hours) must be on the actual parent conference day ( 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM. ). Be sure the afternoon/ evening time is after the end of the required teacher work day.
Teachers can also choose to do the full 6 hours on the actual parent conference day—Sept. 16
Please send communication to parents regarding your time slot availability for the week.