Westwood Weekly
Staff Newsletter - Week of January 7-12
Entering the New Year with a Commitment to Self-Care
Highlights this Week!
This Week:
Tuesday - Welcome to Russ Beaty, our new Resource Specialist!
-IEP Meeting for AF (2:30, D6)
-Initial 504 Meeting for AL (3:30, Office - TENTATIVE)
-Community Advisory Committee Meeting (7:00, Dent Center)
Wednesday - Community Coffee (7:30-8:00am)
-5th Grade Field Trip (Delta Discovery Voyage, 8:15-12:30)
-JCL Tutoring
-Care Team Meeting (10:30, Office)
-Teacher Discretionary Day
Thursday -
-Nancy at TK-Adult Principal's Meeting (7:30-10:00, WCC)
-Annual IEP Meeting for JF (2:30, B1)
-Initial IEP Meeting for JC (3:30, Speech Room)
Friday - Fire Drill
-Glitter Tattoos After School
Upcoming Events:
-College & Career Day (1/15) - More details soon!
-100th Day of School (1/28)
-STEM Fair (2/18)
To dos:
- Complete the Self-Assessment Survey (ALL staff members are expected to take the survey. Turn in proof of completion, and be entered to win a Starbuck's gift card!). Thank you to everyone who has already completed the survey!
This Week in AVID
Repost: Not all of our students do not share the same experiences over the two-week vacation. As we plan our lessons for January, please keep in mind that relational capacity activities benefit our students by creating a welcoming classroom environment full of energy and excitement. They also build a culture of safety, honesty and mutual trust. HERE is a collection of activities that will help ease back into the school routine in January.
Jeanne Johnson - AVID Instructional Coach
Google Classroom Add Code: 7uwcLg or eavk628
PBIS Weekly Focus
Life Skill of the Month - Caring/Kindness - As part of this month's focus, I am signing on as your Kindness Captain, and enrolling us in a Kindness Challenge: "You have the power to kick-start Kindness!" Step 1 is for you to sign up as a Kindness Partner. You can also check out related lessons and activities in our Cool Tools for Schools resource.
Focus Area of the Week – School-wide Rules and Expectations Review - It is critical when we return from long breaks, that we take the time to review our rules and expectations for all areas. Please revisit each Common Area, and re-teach the procedures and routines expected in each area. Complete the checklist, sign and return to Nancy by next Friday, 1/17. Actively acknowledge students who engage in appropriate behaviors in/out of the classroom using Wows and frequent verbal praise.
Preparation for the i-Ready Diagnostic 2
Prepare Students for the Diagnostic
Also, check out these 5 recent improvements to support your and your students' experiences with i-Ready.
Accelerated Reader is Back!
- Phone support: Call toll free (800) 338-4204. One of our representatives will be happy to assist you. Contact them anytime, Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. Central time.
- Live Chat: The link for the live chat is in the upper right-hand corner of your Renaissance home page when you are logged in to your site.
- Email Support: Email us at answers@renaissance.com.
- Renaissance Newsletter: Subscribe to our bi-weekly eNewsletter and stay informed about key product updates. You’ll also see tips to strengthen your implementation, and resources to accelerate students’ growth.
- Renaissance Royals: Renaissance wishes to invite you to join Renaissance Royals, our community for Renaissance educators! Watch this brief video to learn more: Renaissance Royals – Your Exclusive Community
In this community, you can connect with other educators to share ideas and best practices, give feedback on Renaissance products, participate in our National Honor Roll program, access resources to support your implementation, and participate in other fun activities to earn points that can be redeemed for rewards, such as professional development, gift cards, Renaissance swag, and more! Create an account and join: here.
Share this information with educators in your school and district so they can join, too!
Here’s the link to the Renaissance Royals overview on our website: Renaissance Royals.
STEM Fair Information
Please find attached the packet for our upcoming STEM Fair scheduled for Tuesday, February 18, from 6-7 pm. (Be sure to include this information in your classroom newsletters/communications).
Packets should have been sent home before the break. The entry form is due the first week back this Friday, January 10. The midway check form is due two weeks later on January 24th. Projects are due in the classroom on Monday, February 17th. This will allow time for projects to be presented and graded before being transported to the MUR.
All students, Kindergarten through Fifth grade are invited to participate in the Westwood STEM fair but it is mandatory for every 4th and 5th grader. Students in grades 3-5 must use either the scientific process or engineering design process in creating their project. An explanation of both the Scientific Process and the Engineering design process is included in this packet. Models, collections, reports, and demonstrations are not acceptable types of projects for grade 3 through 5. Grades 3-5: Please choose eight projects from your class that you feel are the best and submit the names to me by 2:30pm on Monday, February 17th.
Students may work on a project with another child or in a small group with a maximum of three. Fourth and fifth grade classrooms will receive a packet for each child while grades K through three will receive a few. Please let us know if you need additional copies. Also, the package is available online and a Google Drive folder labeled "STEM Fair". There is a Spanish version available online also.
Grades K-2 will submit a class science or engineering design project to have on display. The district is encouraging classrooms to display their EIE units on STEM Fair night, highlighted with a project board in a sampling of student projects. One EIE unit per school site may be displayed at the district showcase on March 21st.
As usual, the top two finishers and an alternate will be chosen from grades 3, 4, and 5. These winners will be announced that are Westwood STEM fair on the evening of Tuesday, February 18th. These top finishers will be invited to participate in the annual District STEM Showcase being held on Saturday March 21, 2020.
Please contact Kelly or Melinda if you have any questions.
Teacher of the Year Nominations
Mt. Diablo is looking for a nomination from each school site for Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year (TOY) 2020-21. Administrators, teachers, parents, and/or students may nominate classroom teachers who have demonstrated a passion for teaching, an ability to differentiate instruction to meet students’ needs, and teachers who connect with and support their school community. Please see the memo HERE for more information. A description of the Teacher of the Year process and a brief nomination form can be found at this link MDUSD Teacher of the Year Nomination Form 2020 and is located on the district website. Please share this information with members of your school staff, leadership team, SSC, ELAC, PTA, PFC, etc. All nomination forms must be submitted by Friday, January 22, 2020. Please contact Jennifer Sachs with questions
Donorschoose.org - Updated Policy
SEE NANCY IF YOU ARE AVAILABLE TO TEACH INTERVENTION FOR OUR ENGLISH LEARNERS
Assessment Reminders
i-Ready Diagnostic Results - A question came up about the difference between 'Tested Out' and 'Max Score' when reading i-Ready Diagnostic results. "Tested Out" means that the student did not need to take a particular subtest. "Max Score" means that the student took the subtest and achieved a high score.
- Optional IABs (3rd-5th) - Ongoing
- IAB Reporting System: Below is a link that will provide you with instruction on how to access the interim assessment reporting system as well as how to navigate the reports available.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xgo1YTEhn3Of45v8Z4riQ4ybX2OAdcvE/view?usp=sharing
Marathon Symposium
MARATHON SYMPOSIUM --- FEBRUARY 22, 2020 --- REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!: The 2020 Marathon Symposium registration is now open. This one-day, "Bring Your Own Device" event will be held on February 22 at Valley View Middle School in Pleasant Hill. A $25 deposit, collected at registration, will be refunded when you check in to the event on that day. The link for registration and information can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/77653693287
This one day event was designed with several purposes:
- To build collaboration and communication between staff members in MDUSD and its neighboring schools/school districts in the areas of innovative, student-centered learning, including a focus on integrating STEAM into all curricular areas.
- To introduce and share resources from and between educators and other professionals who are using them now.
- To provide professional development that is fun and engaging, with hands-on and integrated activities that apply to various grade levels and areas of curriculum.
Megan Gerdts
Instructional Coach - Ed Tech K-12