Monday Memo
5.9.2013
From the Principal....
The month of May is here and in full swing. However, there is still valuable instruction that is underway! Together, we must ensure that all of our students are receiving quality instruction until the very end. In my walkthrough's particularly through the end of the day I am noticing "free time" and "reward activities" in many classrooms on a recurring basis. While there is certainly a time and place for celebrating the work and success of our students, please do so with great care and always account for this instructional time in your lesson plans. High quality instruction through out the day is the expectation. We are almost to the end, but not quite. Hang in there and finish strong. If it helps, think if of May as the month of missed opportunities....were there lessons or experiences that you didn't get to in the year? Can you extend field trip lessons into classroom activities? Can you use the technology at hand to take virtual field trips or collaborate and connect with experts or other schools? Can you take leap into a project-based learning opportunity for a few weeks? Are there some LoTi lessons from LoTi Lounge you may want to try?
Next Year- At -A -Glance
Before we dive into the landscape for next year, it's important to be reminded of our vision and goals.
Arthur Elementary will build a 21st century learning environment that promotes collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and innovation. We will accomplish this with a whole-child approach where each child is safe, healthy, supported, engaged and challenged.
We must keep our focus on this vision to direct our decision-making, always asking : "Does this get us closer to achieving our vision for learning? "
There are two types of individuals in a school.... those who support the vision or those who stand in division. There is only room on our journey for those who can fully support the direction of our school vision.
District Focus:
- Balanced Literacy with Guided Reading Book Rooms & Classroom Libraries (Scholastic). This is the reading curriculum. A focus on literacy centers, reading and and writing workshop model of instruction in the classroom.
- OKCPS High Impact Instructional Practices : Learning Goals and Feedback, 21st Century Skills, Higher-Level Thinking, Rituals and Routines, High Expectations, Engaging Students , Effective Scaffolding, Interacting with New Knowledge.
- Continue in progress with the Great Commitment (Strategic Plan)
Site Focus (Directly supports the district vision and our school vision)
- Implement use of eBackPack. Please watch the self-directed training videos. We will provide more support when we return.
- Expand upon our focus with the LoTi HEAT framework, going deeper with with authentic connections and student engagement.
- Daily 5 (reading) literacy in support of the district's Balanced literacy with guided reading. Daily 3 is a similar math construct.
- Continue to expand our development of a personalized and blended learning model with the use of Dreambox and Lexia. This complements the Daily 5 and works well together.
- Build up on our STEM integration that was started a few years ago. Reaching more of our students with STEM opportunities including a STEM Room and additional field trips.
- Select classrooms on a voluntary basis who would like to explore project-based learning with a curriculum called LAUNCH . This curriculum is provided to schools for free from an non-profit called Project Lead the Way (PLTW) .
- Parent Involvement- Smart Start, Parent Information Nights, Homeroom Moms & volunteers.
- Culture of Possibility- College and Career exposure and exploration activities.
Important Dates
May 2-13 EOY STAR Screening
May 2-13 Pre-K ELQA
May 9-13 District Wide Pre-Enrollment
May 10, PLC & Apple Professional Development Coaching On-Site.
May 10, Faculty Meeting- Site RSA Training (30 Minutes)
May 19, Arthur Elementary Community Advisory Board Meeting at 4:00pm
May 20-25 3rd, 4th, 5th EOY RSA Conferences.
May 26 OSDE SIG Schools Meeting at Arthur at 9:30 -11:30 (Media Center)
May 26 EOY Awards 3rd & 4th at 1:00pm 5th & 6th at 2:00pm
May 27 EOY Awards Pre-K & KDG at 9:00 am 1st & 2nd at 10:00am
May 26, EOY School-Wide Picnic (Sack Lunches) 11:00-1:00pm
May 23-25 iPads will be collected for reconfiguration for the next year (further details to be determined)
May 27th Last Day of School for Students
May 27 5th & 6th Final Walk 1:30pm
May 30 No School/Offices Closed
May 31 Last Day for Teachers- Records Day (Optional eBackpack Webinar 12:00-1:30)