AD Connect
4-1-19
Hi, I'm From Harris Hill, and I'm Here to Help!
I will apologize in advance for when I meet with you having to ask questions that I am sure for which Kristin already knew the answer. As I will likely be doing your evaluation, I will try to make sure we cover a few topics from the rubric over the next few encounters to ensure I have a clear idea of the systems in place on each of your respective campuses.
Follow Kristin's Progress
Here is the link for the Caringbridge. Her church family will help keep it updated.
Name the Gap, Name the Fix
Last week’s message “Beyond the Power Zone” prompted some great conversations about checking for student understanding and providing feedback. While we understand the value of the process, teachers sometimes struggle with doing it effectively. The most frequent issues we notice while conducting walks is teachers either miss errors as they circulate around the room or they spend too much time with one student.
The ultimate goal of effective monitoring and feedback is for the first teach to result in greater student success. In order for that to happen, every student must be monitored and provided feedback. Spending long durations with a handful of struggling students will prevent that from occurring. Below are steps teachers can take to achieve greater success:
During independent work, begin checking student progress immediately, even if its something as procedural as annotating paragraphs, underlining titles, restating the question, etc. Don’t wait until students are deep in the work to begin checking their progress and intervening.
When a student makes an error, simply name the error and tell them how to fix it. Don’t engage in a lengthy discussion about why they made a mistake or ask them if they know what mistake they’ve made.
Remind them you will be returning to them to check their progress. This allows the student to grapple with the task and ultimately take more ownership for the learning rather than waiting for the teacher to walk them through every step or provide the answer.
Remember the value of anchor charts and journals. When naming the fix, remind students the resource they can use to aid their work.
When more than a couple of students are struggling with the task, regain the whole class’ attention and do a quick reteach.
Taking Care of Ourselves
As leaders, it’s our job to take care of our employees, but we, too, have to be healthy in order to do that. Any job can have stressful elements, even if you love what you do. In the short-term, you may experience pressure to meet a deadline or to fulfill a challenging obligation. But when work stress becomes chronic, it can be overwhelming — and harmful to both physical and emotional health. While you can't always avoid the tensions that occur on the job, you can take steps to manage work-related stress.
Work-related stress doesn't just disappear when you head home for the day. When stress persists, it can take a toll on your health and well-being. We care about you and your good health! Below are some steps to manage your own stress, and they might be worth sharing with your employees, too.
Track your stressors. Keep a journal for a week or two to identify which situations create the most stress and how you respond to them.
Develop healthy responses. Instead of attempting to fight stress with fast food or alcohol, do your best to make healthy choices when you feel the tension rise. Exercise is a great stress-buster.
Getting enough good-quality sleep is also important for effective stress management. Build healthy sleep habits by limiting your caffeine intake late in the day and minimizing stimulating activities, such as computer and television use, at night.
Establish boundaries. In today's digital world, it's easy to feel pressure to be available 24 hours a day. Establish some work-life boundaries for yourself. That might mean making a rule not to check email from home in the evening, or not answering the phone during dinner.
Take time to recharge. “Switch off” from work by having periods of time when you are neither engaging in work-related activities, nor thinking about work.
Learn how to relax. Techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises and mindfulness (a state in which you actively observe present experiences and thoughts without judging them) can help melt away stress.
Talk to your supervisor. Together, come up with an effective plan for managing the stressors you've identified, so you can perform at your best on the job.
Get some support. Accepting help from trusted friends and family members can improve your ability to manage stress. Remember our access to EAP benefits as well!
*Adapted from The American Psychological Association
MAP Testing
MAP and Mock Data
New!! *ES MAP MOY - heat map for individual grade levels/subjects
New!! *ES Heat MAP - heat map with no CBA data, only Mock and MAP data
New!! *Grade 5 Reading Growth - this reports calculates student growth from last year’s STAAR to this year’s Mock test, using the same formula as the state accountability calculations
Upcoming Events
April 1-Aspiring Administrator Academy Meeting, MAP window opens
April 9 - 5th Math and 4th Writing STAAR
April 10 - 5th Reading STAAR
April 12 - GEF Golf Tournament
April 15-Excel Awards at CCC, 6th grading period begins, fire drill due
April 19-Student-staff holiday
April 22-New Image Awards at CCC
April 23-Teacher of the Year Luncheon
May 6-GISD Retirement Celebration
May 13-3rd & 4th Math STAAR
May 14-3rd & 4th Reading STAAR
May 22-MAP window closes
Nester's Schedule
Tuesday: Coaching, Walks
Wednesday: CIA Meeting, AD Meeting
Thursday: Coaching, Walks
Friday: Coaching, Walks