Hawk Herald
News and Notes for Teachers- October 8
Dear Staff
We have a short week ahead. Growth mindset messages to students about their academic goals and growth is important.When mid-term grades are less than ideal, students can start feeling discouraged. Let's remind them of the importance of perserverance.
P.S. Objectives and essential questions are up in almost all classrooms!
Have a great week.
Mary
Home Ec room
Conferences
You have voted and 75% of you want conferences 11/7 and 11/8 evenings:
Wednesday evening-11/7 5:00-8:00 and
Thursday evening-11/8 4:00-8:00
Dinner will be provided on Wednesday.
Academic Seminar: Principal directed
Dimension of Classroom Environment and Culture and an overview of SLGG requirements and the new Self-Reflection/Professional Goals process.
Meetings and Events
Monday-8-Check the advisory calendar for daily lessons
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=barrazaj@hsd.k12.or.us
Tuesday-9- Mary at admin meeting all day
- Team Meetings- 8:00 pod 3https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1339OnmkMEfKlkmdlzSxwFnSKXFNYBKzXieRsw_xzYUs/edit#gid=1301180161
Wednesday-10
- Academic Seminar-Principal Directed 7:50
- Attendance meeting 10:10
Thursday-11
- Team Meetings- 8:00 pod 3
Friday-12-Non contract day-No school
Tardy Sweeps
Continuing sweeps this week.
Perform tasks
Opens 10/8 (afternoon)
Due 10/27
Focus of the week
Goal is 50% of lesson.
Getting Students Deeply Engaged in Learning
In this article in Principal, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey (San Diego State University) say that many students pretend to be engaged when their minds are elsewhere. Principals observing classes can be fooled by students sitting up straight with their eyes on the teacher, when in fact very little learning is taking place. Effective teachers, on the other hand, ensure that their students are cognitively engaged, see themselves as learners, and take responsibility for continued learning. Here is what’s going on in those classrooms:
• Students know their current level of understanding. “It’s hard to know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’re starting from,” say Fisher and Frey. Self-assessments and pre-tests are key tools; they also save class time that might be spent teaching things students already know.
• Students see where they’re going. “Learning targets, objectives, or intentions are not a secret,” say the authors, “and students should not have to infer what they are learning.” It’s also helpful for students to know specific criteria for success.
• Students have options. “When students have more choices,” say Fisher and Frey, “their commitment is often higher, and their willingness to struggle through a task improves.” A range of learning tools – graphic organizers, note-taking approaches, other resources – can empower students to choose those best suited to the task at hand.
• Students seek feedback. “When feedback is unsolicited, it is easier to ignore,” say the authors. Some teachers give students nonverbal ways to signal when they need help.
• Students see errors as opportunities. There’s little anxiety about making mistakes; in fact, the teacher might highlight the most interesting error of the day for the whole class.
• Students monitor progress and adjust strategy. This comes naturally when students know their starting point and destination and have rubrics and probing questions to guide them along the way.
• Students know what they’ve learned and can describe it to others. There are also opportunities for them to engage in peer tutoring.
South Meadows Middle School
Email: mendezm@hsd.k12.or.us
Website: http://schools.hsd.k12.or.us/southmeadows
Location: 4690 Southeast Davis Road, Hillsboro, OR, United States
Phone: 503-844-1220
Facebook: facebook.com/SouthMeadowsMiddleSchool