Wolcott's Weekly "What's Up"
Office of Teaching and Learning 10.14.2014
Quote of Note
When we bombard students with positive messages, it becomes the message in their heads.
- @PrincipalKafele #nassp14
Congrats to Kameron, Connor, Megan and Michelle!
District 68 School Social Workers, Kameron Cluchey, Connor Durkin, Megan Maronn, and Michelle Strezo, were selected to present at the annual Illinois Association of School Social Workers Conference in Lisle on October 16th and 17th. During their session titled, “Tools for the Tiers”, staff will share implementation ideas, tools, techniques and strategies used to support student social/emotional growth. Almost 100 social workers from across the state have signed up to attend this three-hour morning session.
We are very proud these staff members for their willingness to share and highlight practices used to help our students’ individual growth and college and career readiness in Woodridge School District 68.
Food for Thought: A Balanced Approach to Challenge in Literacy Instruction
In this Reading Today article, literacy consultants Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris describe a common scenario: a student reading below level has guided reading every day, using books at her instructional level. Because she’s so far behind, she gets a “double dose” of reading – she’s pulled out for a second guided reading lesson, missing a lesson with a more-difficult text in her classroom. “Due to the lack of exposure to texts that stretch her,” say Burkins and Yaris, “her reading progress plateaus, which earns her even more time with instructional-level texts and targeted practice in word work.”
However, exposing students to challenging texts can be taken too far, say Burkins and Yaris. They describe a boy entering a New York State fifth grade as an avid, above-level reader who was asked to read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a dense text at the post-graduate level. No amount of scaffolding could make it comprehensible to this student and his classmates, and the eight weeks they spent on this unit sapped their enthusiasm and proficiency.
The answer, say Burkins and Yaris, is a well-crafted mixture of reading experiences based on an accurate diagnosis of each student and good teacher judgment. “Students need consistent interactions with texts of varying levels to develop reading proficiency,” they say. Here’s how they see four kinds of reading instruction contributing to all students’ growth:
Read-aloud – The teacher reads to students.
- Text level – substantially above grade level
- Accessibility - Probably frustration level for most students.
- Who does the work - The teacher does all the print work; the teacher and students work together to make meaning.
Shared reading – Teacher and students read a text together
- Text level – On or a little above grade level
- Accessibility - Probably frustration level for many students.
- Who does the work - The teacher and students do the print and meaning work together.
Guided reading – Students read from a common text with support from the teacher
- Text level – On readers’ individual level
- Accessibility – Instructional level for each student
- Who does the work – The student does most of the print and meaning work.
Independent reading – Students read from different texts on their own
- Text level – From below grade level through above grade level
- Accessibility – Multiple texts for each reader, varying from independent to frustration level depending on the amount of productive effort and students’ stamina
- Who does the work – The student does all the print and meaning, but intentionally varies the text selections to increase the amount of effort required to solve problems.
“Break Through the Frustration: Balance vs. All-or-Nothing Thinking” by Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris in Reading Today, September/October 2014 (Vol. 32, #2, p. 26-27), www.reading.org; the authors can be reached at tct.jan@gmail.com and
PLEASE NOTE: THIS SYNOPSIS PROVIDED BY KIM MARSHALL WWW.MARSHALLMEMO.COM
PARCC FAQ Document on Scheduling
PARCC Determination of School and District Readiness for Online Assessment
WEEKLY RESOURCES
5 Ways to Be Happier at Work
Monday
- Focus on "Get to" instead of "Have to" - While driving to work focus on what you "get to" do instead of what you "have to" do. With gratitude realize that you don’t have to do anything. You get to go to a job while so many are unemployed. Gratitude floods your body and brain with emotions that uplift you and energize you rather than stress hormones that drain you.
Tuesday
- Don't Expect your Boss, Co-workers and Customers to Make you Happy – Realize that happiness is an inside job. Our happiness has less to do with forces outside of us and more to do with what's inside of us. The way we think about work, feel about work and approach our work influences our happiness at work. For instance, just by making yourself smile you produce more serotonin in the brain-which makes you feel happier. You’ll also be happier when you focus on what you are giving instead of what you are getting.
Wednesday
- Don't Seek Happiness – Ironically if you want to be happier don't seek happiness. Instead share your strengths and decide to work with passion and purpose and happiness will find you. The research shows that people are most energized when they are using their strengths for a bigger purpose beyond themselves. Whatever your job, decide to bring passion to it and find purpose in it. I've met bus drivers, mortgage brokers, janitors and fast-food employees who are more passionate about their jobs and happier than some professional athletes making millions of dollars. Every job will get mundane and "old" if you let it but purpose and passion keep it fresh and make you happier.
Thursday
- Focus on Excellence instead of Success – When you focus on success you can easily fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others, looking over your shoulder, feeling envious, playing office politics, and competing against coworkers instead of collaborating. However, when you focus on excellence you measure yourself against your own growth and potential. You strive to be the best you can be. You simply focus on getting better every day and this makes work more meaningful and rewarding.
Friday
- Celebrate Together – While we shouldn't depend on others to make us happy, by building a positive team or support group at work we will be happier. So instead of expecting others to make you happy, you proactively create the positive relationships that enhance your engagement, productivity and happiness. One great way to do this to huddle with your team/group at the end of the week and have each person share their accomplishments, victories, and great moments of the week. This will produce great feelings on Friday that inspire you and your team to come back to work and make a difference on Monday.
Seven Keys to a Positive Learning Environment
Times for the October 22nd meetings at District Administrative Center (DAC) with Tom Hierck are as follows:
- 8:00 Sipley School Team
- 9:30 Goodrich School Team
- 10:15 Murphy School Team
- 11:00 Meadowview School Team
- 1:00 TBD
- 1:45 JJHS Team
October 31st School Improvement Day Outline
Certified Staff
8:00-11:30
- Home School Improvement Session (Certified Staff)
Support Staff
8:00- 10:00
- Mindful Practices SEL Training @ JJHS North Gym
10:00-10:30
- Travel back to Home School
10:30-11:30
- Home School Improvement Session
ALL STAFF
12:45-2:00 Break Out Session 1
- Department Meetings for Art, Music, ELL and Special Education Departments (if needed)
- Classroom Teacher Break out Sessions (Technology, Calkins Mini-Lessons, Calkins Conferencing, Math Curriculum)
- Support Staff Student Behavior and Support Training in North Gym
2:15- 3:30 Break Out Session 2
- Department Meetings for Art, Music, ELL and Special Education Departments (if needed)
- Classroom Teacher Break out Sessions (Technology, Calkins Mini-Lessons, Calkins Conferencing, Math Curriculum)
- Support Staff Student Behavior and Support Training in North Gym
PLEASE NOTE: Individual room assignments for grades and breakout sessions will be released by October 27.
On The Radar
- Develop October 31st AM School Improvement Day sessions
- Plan November mid-point student progress data review meetings with classroom teachers and interventionists
- Grades entered in Skyward- November 12
- Report Cards sent home- November 14
- Schedule Parent Teacher Conferences
- Discuss with staff or send out to staff reminders and ideas on how to run effective conferences
- Plan for a relaxing Thanksgiving break!
Principal To Do List
- Take time to celebrate progress made amongst staff at both the individual level and the building level.
- Take time to personally reflect on your progress and growth as a leader and celebrate your success.
Greg Wolcott
Email: wolcottg@woodridge68.org
Website: www.woodridge68.org
Location: 7925 Janes Avenue, Woodridge, IL, United States
Phone: 630.967.2035
Twitter: @TeachLearn68