Hillcrest Hawk Happenings
The official newsletter of Hillcrest Elementary Staff
Supporting, empowering, & championing every single student, every single day, in every single way.
January 3, 2020
IMPORTANT DATES
TO ACCESS THE MONTH-BY-MONTH CALENDARS for the whole year, click HERE. Please know that these are still works-in-progress, so check back often to see the updates.
MUST READ
WELCOME BACK!
The next 6 weeks are likely the MOST IMPORTANT 6 weeks of the year. This is when students are at their best to reach their potential: the getting-to-know-you phase is over, the holidays are behind us, and spring fever and summer yearning are still in the offing. Set some rigorous goals for yourself and for your students; set them WITH your students, and show them how to make action plans and monitor their progress towards achieving those goals.
The next 6 weeks are the most important for ramping things up for students in advance of the NYS ELA assessment, and later the NYS Math Assessment. We have made some slow and steady progress over the past few years in our student proficiency percentages, and we need to be able to continue building upon those successes. Take some time (but not too much) to re-establish norms and procedures. Take some time to continue building those relationships with students that are key to their engagement and commitment to learning and meeting behavioral expectations. Re-connect with families, whose support will be crucial in these next 6 weeks. Think about how you can zero-in with a laser-like focus on the learning for each individual student, ensuring that their time being instructed and time grappling with work is worthwhile and a perfect fit for their stage in the learning continuum. And lastly, try to enjoy the hard work. make it fun, exciting, interesting, vital for you and for your students. If there is ever a time to dig deeper, try harder, go farther, do more -- it is now. There is no time to waste, especially during this optimal period of the school year.
What amazing things will you and your students accomplish in these next 6 weeks???
I'm confident that if we continue to foster positive relationships, use data to target our instruction, and make learning come alive for our students, we will surprise ourselves! I know we will get there; as I said, I'm confident in our abilities to make it happen. So confident, in fact, that I will change those thought-provoking question marks, and change them to exclamation marks:
What amazing things will you and your students accomplish in these next 6 weeks!!!
FIRST DAY(S) BACK
https://learn.teachingchannel.com/tch/blog/how-make-most-your-first-days-back
A RESOLUTION FOR YOU IN 2020: Turn your students & colleagues into trees.
STUDENTS TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR CHARACTER AT BOE MEETINGS
UPCOMING STATE VISIT
Provide feedback on NEW DISTRICT CODE OF CONDUCT (Draft)
PPD COURSES
Use this google form link to sign up.
LITERACY HAPPENINGS
FISH IN A TREE: How is the book study going in your classroom? Literacy Leaders will be sending some questions your way this week to elicit some opinions/thoughts from your students on the themes of the book. Let us know where you are in the book by submitting it HERE.
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH HAPPENINGS
Black Boys Don’t Need More Discipline, They Need Mentors A quick read by one African American mentor on the vital importance of mentors for the demographic that sees the most behavior referrals and suspensions at Hillcrest.
Outlawing Suspensions? Click here to learn about a new law in California about suspensions. What challenges do you think they will experience, and what benefits and opportunities might this practice afford students?
Skills, or Knowledge Gap? Very interesting article on How Testing Kids For Skills Can Hurt Those Lacking Knowledge excerpted from the book THE KNOWLEDGE GAP by Natalie Wexler.
Let Kids Get Bored Again - Not a recent article but a good one about how boredom fosters creativity and thought
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Literacy Focus:
A Lesson to be Learned from Mississippi (yes, Mississippi!) About Improving Reading Test Scores: Click HERE
While one could argue that Mississippi had no where to go but up, their approach to improving reading scores could influence our work as well.
Self-Care Focus:
Behavior Focus:
Kids These Days?! Why are they so disrespectful??
Physician: American Children ‘Immersed in a Culture of Disrespect’
Supporting Student Differences:
Your Strategies For Supporting Anxious Kids At Home And At School
MATH HAPPENINGS
- Meetings this week (Tuesday Grade 4 at 7:40, Wednesday Grade 5 at 7:40) with Anchala and Math Leaders to focus on Zearn.
PBIS HAPPENINGS
The SEL theme for the month of December is COLLABORATION. Please look for opportunities to connect classroom learning to the district's monthly theme.
INDIVIDUAL REWARDS
Members of the PBIS Committee met before the break and began to explore the idea of enhancing our individual rewards for students. We will be looking to implement a "ticket" system in the near future where students will be immediately rewarded with tickets by staff members when they demonstrate Honesty, Ambition, Wisdom, Kindness and Safety. Tickets would be collected, and can be redeemed on Friday mornings with Rachel. Stay tuned for more information coming your way soon!
SPECIALS HAPPENINGS
To submit something for this section of the Hawk Happenings in the future, submit it by clicking HERE and it will appear in the next Hawk Happenings.