WATERFORD WEEKLY
December 14, 2015
Santa's Leadership Tip of the Week
DATES TO REMEMBER
STI Written Response 12/15-12/18
December 14: Cluster 7:05-8:05 a.m.; SIP Team Mtg. 11:30-3:00 p.m.; PTO Meeting 6:00 p.m.; Board Meeting 6:00 p.m.
December 15: Child Study 3-4 p.m.
December 16: TLT Work Day
December 17: TLT 3:10 p.m.; Polar Express Night 6-8 p.m.
December 18: Singing Off the Walls
January 4: Cluster 7:05-8:05 a.m. for 3-5; Cluster 3:10-4:10 for K/1; Happy Day Club 2:50-3:30
January 5: Child Study 3-4 p.m.
January 6: Chess Club 2:50-3:50
January 7: SOS Mid-Year Meeting 10-11 a.m.; TLT 3:10 p.m.
January 8: Elementary Principal's Meeting 8:45-10:30
Window D: 1/4-2/12
NWEA Testing Window: 1/11-2/1
Gail and TOI's completing running records on K/1 during the first weeks of January.
A VISIT FROM HOLLY THE ELF
LETTERS TO SANTA VIA THE NORTHPOLE MAILBOX
HMM.....IF YOU SEE IT IN THE "SUN" IT MUST BE SO!
CANDY CANES FRESH FROM THE NORTH POLE KITCHEN
LARRY'S YUMMY FRENCH TOAST BREAKFAST!
A LETTER TO HOLLY THE ELF FROM MRS. YODER'S ROOM
K STUDENTS MAILING LETTERS TO THE NORTH POLE
BETHANY DELIVERED 400+ TOYS AND CLOSE TO 1,100 FOOD ITEMS FOR OUR FAMILIES IN NEED
KUDOS FROM THE NORTH POLE
A BIG SANTA THANK YOU TO MR. "O" FOR HIS FRENCH TOAST BREAKFAST ON MONDAY TO CELEBRATE OUR HARD WORK AND LETTER GRADE! MRS. CLAUS SAYS THAT YOU FIX THE BEST NORTH POLE FRENCH TOAST!!
A BIG SANTA THANK YOU TO ELI FOR GETTING CANDY CANES FROM THE NORTH POLE KITCHEN. YOU HAVE RECEIVED A SPECIAL COMMENDATION FROM SANTA FOR YOUR WORK!
A BIG SANTA THANK YOU TO LINDA, ELI, AND JEN FOR HELPING TO SET UP AND CLEAN UP BREAKFAST WITH MR. "O" ON MONDAY! YOU ARE ALL ON THE NICE LIST!!
A BIG SANTA THANK FROM THE ENTIRE NORTH POLE TO JUNE AND ELI FOR MAKING SURE OUR WATERFORD FAMILIES WERE TAKEN CARE OF AT CHRISTMAS!! YOU EACH HAVE EARNED A KEY TO THE NORTH POLE FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND SERVICE OF KINDNESS TOWARDS OTHERS!! YOU ARE ON THE NICE LIST INDEFINITELY!!!
A BIG SANTA THANK YOU TO MARCIA KEHR (SANTA'S HELPER) AND THE STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAM FOR ASSISTING WITH WRAPPING, SORTING, AND HAULING FOOD AND GIFTS!! YOU HAVE EARNED A SPECIAL PLACE IN SANTA'S HEART!
A BIG THANK YOU TO MARK YODER, SARAH YODER, GAIL NICHOLS AND JULEA CIESIELSKI FOR WELCOMING CHANDLER EL TEACHERS TODAY, ALONG WITH LINDA FROM ELKHART, TO TALK ABOUT AND SEE OUR CO-TEACHING MODEL "IN ACTION." THEY HAD LOTS OF QUESTIONS AS THEY ARE EMBARKING ON THEIR OWN JOURNEY AND LINDA WANTS TO BRING A TEAM OF 18 BACK TO SEE 5TH GRADE AND 2ND GRADE!! WAY TO GO TEAM! RUDOLPH THANS YOU FOR GUIDING THE CO-TEACHING SLEIGH!!
Bryce, student teacher, will be leaving us Friday. We wish him much luck in future endeavors!
TLT Update
The TLT wishes each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
GCS News & Notes
Today’s Focus: Teams
“Being a leader is not about you. It’s about the people that are on your team and how you can help them be successful.”
Susan Vobejda
GOOD NEWS!...
Principals, There have been some modifications to the NIET school review process for this school year that I think may help address some of the past concerns. In particular, the number and amount of documentation requested to compile in advance has been pared down to just these four pieces which should be easily available:
1) School plan/goals
2) Cluster Long Range Plan (for the cycle of the observed cluster during the site visit)
3) TLT Long Range Plan or log
4) Post-conference plan samples (one from an administrator, one from a master, one from a mentor)
The above four can be saved on a thumb drive for the NIET reviewer (no need for compiling a big binder).
There will also be a questionnaire and a self-reflection form to complete. The questionnaire is mostly quantitative information that should not be overly time-consuming (30 minutes). The self-reflection may take a bit longer though, especially since this piece is new this year. However, this could be done during a TLT meeting.
Hopefully these adjustments will provide some relief in the amount of time it takes to prepare for a site visit AND still allow our schools to receive the feedback that is generated from an external review. As we learn more information, we will be sure to share it with you in a timely fashion.
TLT Meetings
On Friday December 4, we held two different district wide TLT meetings on the topic of interrater reliability, with both master teachers and administrators; AM was the elementary session and PM was with the secondary teams. I must say this was a very valuable district wide meeting.
There were excellent conversations with each group scripting two separate lessons and intentionally focusing in on specific indicators on the rubric:
Elementary – PIC, Academic Feedback, S&O, Activities and Materials, Assessment and Student Work
Secondary – Expectations, S&O, PIC, Academic Feedback and Problem-Solving (These areas for focus were identified based on district needs and/or identified by the team members)
As a part of their new learning and in their pursuit of the outcome, the elementary group (with all seven schools represented), were very tight in their scoring and in the identification of evidence, as well as in alignment with NIET reviewers. Likewise, the same was true for our secondary TLT members from GMS, GHS & Merit.
Out of all 11 indicators in two different lessons, only one performance area had a range of scores greater than 1. In that case, the scores were as follows: 11 scored it a “4”, 1 person scored it a “3” and 1 person scored it a “5” – the National raters scored it a 4,….Thus, although there was a variance of more than 1 with internal raters, it met the threshold of IRR established by NIET and the national raters.
AASA Commends Senate Passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act
Alexandria, Va. – Dec. 9, 2015 – Today, reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) took a step closer to reality as the U.S. Senate passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) by a strong, bi-partisan vote of 85-12. Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association, issued the following statement:
“AASA, The School Superintendents Association, welcomes the passing of the Every Student Succeeds Act in the U.S. Senate. We commend Congress for its collaborative work on this bi-partisan legislation, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). We applaud both the House and Senate for maintaining steady momentum for ESEA this summer and fall, and applaud Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray and Representatives John Kline and Bobby Scott for their leadership throughout this process.
“Reauthorization is critical to providing the nation’s schools with relief from the current law, which is both broken and lacking in the flexibility states and local school districts need to support student learning and achievement. Though not perfect, ESSA represents a strong step in the right direction because it restores a more proper balance on all levels. The legislation provides schools with workable federal education policy that supports state and local innovations. Our students deserve nothing less.
“On behalf of more than 13,000 school system leaders, today’s vote represents a major move forward in our commitment to support the success of every student, school and community across the United States.
“The next stop for ESSA is the President’s desk, where we expect Mr. Obama to sign the bill into law.”
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For specific questions about ESEA reauthorization, please contact Noelle Ellerson, AASA associate executive director, policy and advocacy, at nellerson@aasa.org.
**This new Federal bill replaces the No Child Left Behind bill. DW
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