Village Voice Week 7
Jenkins Elementary
Updates for Week of September 28th, 2015
Jenkins faculty & staff, teamwork includes coming together in the beginning, keeping together creating progress and working together towards success. Stay the course!
Five Reasons to Amplify Student Voice
Question: Historically, what has been our most underutilized resource in schools?
Answer: Students.
In dynamic schools and classrooms, the student is the center of activity and action and student voice is valued at the highest level. Why emphasize student voice? This edition of Principal Matters! focuses on student voice and how it can positively impact learning. Here are five reasons that as principal or assistant principal you should want to raise student voice in all of your classes and around your school.
1. Learning is a social activity, and students need to speak. Research suggests that learning is social, so when students use their voice to interact with each other, the project, and the world around them they are able to more deeply connect their learning. Many students often don't remember things unless they repeat it in their words.
2. When students use voice, they more deeply engage in school. School shouldn't be something we do TO students; neither should it be something we do FOR them. It is best served when it's something we do WITH them.
3. Student voice helps learning become visible. How do we know if students are learning? When I walk past a quiet classroom, I wonder if anyone is learning. When students talk, we know what they've learned and what they've not learned. Student Voice gives us the formative assessment that can help us drive more effective instruction. For a deeper understanding of visible learning, please see John Hattie.
4. Students learn more than material with Student Voice. Many things that employers want from our graduates-- including communication skills, teamwork -- can be learned through Student Voice. When students speak with each other, they are given the opportunity to interact with peers, work together, respect others thoughts, and to more clearly communicate. The teacher can be very valuable to students when she helps students learn those skills. Some teachers use student’s difficulties in those areas as a reason to avoid student voice. Think of that irony! School offers a laboratory experience for students to interact with each other and learn lifelong skills that prepare them for College and Career.
5. School is more interesting as a participant than an observer. Students whose voices are welcomed and respected are more likely to enjoy being in school. With the advances in electronic communication, the children and young people who come to our schools spend their lives as participants. They tweet their ideas and thoughts directly to people across the world. They create six-second Vines, Snapchat stories, and pics on Instagram. Wouldn't it be a bummer for your voice to be heard across the world all day long except when you come to school? We are in a time when students and their parents have multiple choices regarding their schooling. If school fails to offer a place for them to be heard, won't they make a different choice?
By: Mark Wilson
Reflection for the week
Growth spurts require space to do things that are out of our comfort zone. Creativity, innovativeness and preparation for the next level require opportunities to establish new comfort zones.
By: John Maxwell
Safety and Security
Please wear your employee name badge daily. All visitors are expected to wear a visitor’s sticker. If you see a stranger without a sticker, please escort them to the main office area or call for assistance if needed.
Employee Attire
Professional business casual work attire is acceptable with appropriate footwear. Flip flops are not appropriate footwear.
Teaching and Learning
- Bell to bell teaching should now be happening
- Every minute counts when a child comes to school….use them wisely.
- The academic progress of your students is an extension of the time that you spend knowing each, every child’s needs and the instructional plans that you put in place for him or her.
- Remember to FOCUS on the “RIGHT WORK”.
Grading
Make sure that you have provided multiple opportunities to remediate student learning.
- Teachers must be prepared to document and explain how grades are determined. The grade book must be saved on-line.
- All grades will be recorded accurately in the electronic grade book. Parents may view student grades at all times though the Gwinnett County Portal. It is important that the grades are kept up-to-date weekly.
Professional Development
At Jenkins Elementary School, we are a professional work environment that will align ourselves with research based instructional strategies to enhance the overall learning of our students. We are life-long learners. At Jenkins Elementary, professional development is an instructional expectation for all.
What is STEM? In Gwinnett County Public Schools is the application of science, technology, and mathematics through the use of the design process to engineer solutions that enhance current systems and improves the quality of life. Effective STEM Instruction consists of several core elements, including rigorous lessons, Integrated Instruction, relevant experiences for students in the classroom setting.
Happenings in the Village
Tuesday’s – Chorus, Art Club,
Wednesday's - Witzzle Pro Club
Thursday's - Science and Yearbook Club
Friday's - Peer Leaders, Technology and Running Club
JES Learning Academy for K-5 students begins October.
Upcoming Events
9/29 Jenkins Benchmarks ELA (K-5th)
10/6 DDA SS (3rd-5th)
9/30 Jenkins Benchmarks Math (K-5th)
10/7 DDA ELA (2nd -5th)
10/1 Jenkins Benchmark Makeups
10/8 DDA Math (2nd-5th)…….2nd Grade –P.M. ELA
10/9 DDA Math-2nd only
10/2 Jenkins Benchmark Makeups
10/5 DDA Science (3rd-5th)
· Jenkins Benchmarks will be paper/pencil.
· DDAs will be online for all except 1st grade will be paper/pencil.
9/28 - 7:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. - JES Leadership Team Meeting- PD Room
7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. - Marvelous Monday- Cafeteria
9/29- JES Benchmarks begins
9/30- New Teacher Cohort 1 – 3:30 p.m.-Front Office Conference Room
September Birthdays
Michele Smith 9/2
Emily Bellamy 9/15
Melissa Trudel 9/16
Annie Bell 9/18
Aisa Mujkic 9/23
Faun Branch 9/24
Rachel Stoudenmire 9/24
Jessica Morse 9/30
WOW Schedule
- 10/1 Kindergarten
- 10/2 1st Grade
- 10/13 2nd Grade
- 10/14 3rd Grade
- 10/15 4th Grade
- 10/16 5th Grade
- Teachers will be provided full day planning.
- ALL students will participate in WOW activities!
- Snacks will be sold.
- Students will be asked to bring in at least ONE canned good for our can food drive for the Thanksgiving Baskets of Giving.
Applause…..Applause…to our own JES 2015 TOTY Stephanie Smith who has just recently been selected as one of the twenty-five semifinalists chosen by the 2016 Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year Phase I Selection Committee!
Congratulations to our own Rochelle Shipman who passed the ESOL certification examination!
Kudos to Faun Branch, Torrie Haines, Andrene Rozier, and Melissa Trudal for going an extra mile to “tidy up” and organize our book room. We THANK YOU for always providing us all with such TLC. J