December 2, 2019
A Communication Tool for the Seven Hills Staff
December Fun Begins This Week!
K-2 TCRWP Lab Site on Monday, December 2:
Walk Throughs and Feedback:
Please note, we also host the Elementary Learning Team on Monday, December 16 for similar walkthroughs.
A note for departmentalized math and science teachers...we will continue to use the walk through form we started using the week before the break.
Focusing on the Wildly Important:
- Can you name the students in your classroom who are not making progress and the specific interventions they are receiving?
- For the students not making progress, are we doing everything we can to partner with the parents? Are parents fully aware of how far behind their students are and of ways they can help their child at home?
- Do we know what motivates the student? Does the student have a relationship with at least one staff member? If the answer is no...what are you going to do about it?
Tanya and I will update the data for November and share next week. Please be prepared to respond to these questions in/when asked:
From Tanya:
RTI- RTI- please remember to continue to progress monitor on your students in tier 2 and tier 3. We will have follow-up RTI meetings the week of Dec 16th.
From the CIT:
Spelling Bee:
- Please remind your Seven Hills Spelling Bee participants to study both the front and back of the study guide. I set up a timeline for them to assist with studying. Our campus spelling bee is on December 11th, which is different than what is stated on our yearly calendar due to a conflict.
DRA:
- The DRA testing window begins Monday! Remember, at Seven Hills all students are tested at BOY, MOY, and EOY even if they are on level. I will be testing Martha’s 5th graders during her absence, but please know that I’m available for you if you have questions about a student, need another opinion, or need help assessing. Here is important information from Sunni that was sent in an email:
PLEASE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO #3 BELOW!
When you enter Edugence, you will click on REPORTS then on LITERACY.
Once you are on the literacy dashboard, you will click on ENTRY SCREEN.
From the drop down on the page, MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE 2020, TEST GRADE (YOUR GRADE LEVEL), AND MOY. Please pay close attention to this! :)
DRA Assessment Reminders:
- DRA2 Text Levels Reported in Edugence: Each year, you report the highest independent reading level a student achieves. In order to find that highest independent level, you have to test to the instructional reading level for each student. For example, if you have a student who scores an independent text level 8, you should continue testing until you find the level that reaches instructional. If the student scored independent on a 10, but instructional on a 12, you would report the level 10 as their highest independent text level.
Text Level 28 and above: As you are scoring your DRA assessments, we wanted to take a moment to remind you that the comprehension for a level 28 and above can be at the instructional, independent, or advanced range to be considered on level. You would only go down a level if the comprehension falls in the intervention range. For example, as long as a student scores above a 14 in comprehension, you would continue to assess until they reached either instructional in oral reading fluency, and/or intervention in comprehension.
Administering Level 28 DRA We wanted to bring your attention to a small change to administering a level 28 DRA. In order to align to the work students do in text bands and within the units, see the changes below.
- Students read the text up to the point of the asterisks.
- Ask students the questions from the “before reading” section. Teacher scribes the responses.
- Students go off to read the remainder of the book. (this is the same as before)
- Students come back up to you when finished reading the text. Prompt students to do a verbal retell utilizing the written packet to prompt the retell, literal comprehension, interpretation, and reflection.
- Use the book Teacher Guide from your DRA kit (“Examples of Student Written Responses” section) to evaluate the depth of the response and use the DRA2 Continuum Rubric to mark if the response is “intervention, instructional, independent, or advanced.”
- When finished, provide the blank packet to the student to try the written response. (Their verbal retell will serve as an oral rehearsal.) You will use the written response for implications for instruction moving forward.
- We are focused more on if the student understood the book through retell and not on if they can write it all down.
- A note about WPM/Fluency: There are several aspects to fluent reading other than rate. Teachers should utilize the NAEP Fluency Scale to determine a fluency score. If a student’s NAEP score is level 3 or 4, but their DRA 2 Oral Reading Words Per Minute falls in the Intervention or Instructional range then the teacher should use his/her best judgment in determining whether or not to assess at a lower/ higher level text.
Assessments this week
K-5:
December 2-17 MOY DRA2
(due on the 17th by 5:00)
4th Grade:
Dec. 2 -6 4.ELA.2. Extreme Insects
4.ELA.3.CBA Grammar
BOY Writing-On Demand
5th Grade:
Dec. 6 - 10 5Math.2.Modules 4-6
Upcoming Assessments
1st Grade:
Dec. 13-17 1Math.2.Module 4-6
2nd Grade:
Dec. 17- 19 2Math.2.Module 4-6
3rd Grade:
Dec. 13-17 3Math.2.Modules 4-6
Dec. 16-17 3Science.2.Earth and Space 1
4th Grade:
Dec. 10-12 4Math.2.Modules 4-6
Dec. 9-17 4Science.2.Energy
5th Grade:
Dec. 6-10 5Math.2.Modules 4-6
Dec. 12-16 5Science.3.Earth
Dec. 16-20 5.ELA.3.CBA I Don't Want To!/
The Thick, Fat Pancake
From The Intervention Team:
Please let Ms. Goosey, Ms. Markham, or Mrs. Bryan know how we can better support you with the EL and RTI Paras and how you utilize the Paras in your classroom. Below are a few ideas as to how to use Rupa and Mario when they are in your classroom:
-Assist students with current lesson
-Lexia skill builders
-Lexia direct teach lessons
-Engaging Mathematics (grades 2-5 books are in the intervention classrooms)
-Work one on one with a student in the classroom.
-Work with a small group of students in the classroom reinforcing the current lesson.
-Math facts
-Assisting students with their writing during writers workshop.
-Have students read their bag of books to them.
Please remember, Rupa and Mario do not progress monitor students and they are not trained on E-Star.
Mario's Schedule: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BCN7QcbLT_yygCOzpeBbVF_jTYvVjweQ7nN2a2yPYRU/edit?usp=sharing
Rupa's Schedule: (pictured below)
From the Librarian:
What can I do to support you over the next few weeks? Is there a specific genre you are focusing on? Author study? Vocabulary? Can I pull books for you? Please remember to email me with titles of books you may need for upcoming units. Book orders can take up to 6 weeks. Week A schedule for this week. (prior to Thanksgiving week the schedule was open for everyone to sign up to bring their classes, I will do the same the week prior to Christmas break.) https://docs.google.com/document/d/12YyxQLcg83SMeiLeayduQZrVVEmCL-ruWW08I4UywlE/edit?usp=sharing
UIL Updates:
If everyone could send this home to parents that would be great!!
2nd-5th grade teachers: If you could find a few minutes to go over your grade level choices that would be awesome. 2-4th you only have 2 options for your kids to choose from.
If you feel led to lead one please let me know and I will add it.
When explaining the choices please go over that they need to mark first choice and second choice (5th you have 3 choices) on the google form
4th and 5th grade if you want to add it to google classroom they can sign up on their own.
UIL 2019-2020 Sign Ups are starting this week and running until December 6th!! If your child would like to sign up please fill out the google form. There is a brief description of each event on the form. Let’s represent Seven Hills in this amazing academic competition!!
2nd Grade- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GOhMeLu7qCVQK7qVDXpKsgDObJGvfpW211MKjyUcDoE/edit
3rd-Grade- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WcI_AE8jeT-d55Thx4DWi7bYtHoqgVfIe-sbABRLdPA/edit
4th Grade- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1A8IHIEoimkxHrHJ40cx8B6n5M3Id8MoU6VNxnypevOI/edit
5th Grade- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dp-RaxaEtyvGYVLRCFsNRTht6n9yJGBpnN6u26_uvEY/edit
Habit Huddle Connection:
Habit 5 Connection:
The common paradigm is for one to think, "I have to make sure people understand my point of view." In a highly effective, leadership, paradigm, one thinks, "I have greater influence with others if I truly understand them first." The principles of effectiveness in Habit 5 are respect, mutual understanding, empathy and courage. Seek First to Understand means we try to completely understand another person before presenting our own point of view. It means balancing courage and consideration and expressing our views with clarity and respect. Think about this:
Do the people, students/peers/family/friends, feel that you genuinely understand them?
Do you often find yourself interrupting other people to give advice, agree or disagree, judge, probe, or tell your own story?
Save the Date:
Save the Date: LIM Site Visit with Mound Elementary 8-10 am on Thursday December 5
Monday, December 2:
- K-2 TCRWP Lab Site in PLC Room
- Grade Level PLCs
Wednesday, December 4:
- Accountability Teams, 3:15 (Focus this week is WIGs)
Thursday, December 5:
- LIM Site Visit 8 - 10
- Professional Learning Meeting, 3:15
Friday, December 6:
- Sharpen the Saw Clubs
- Big Kahuna Party Bus (Permission Slips went out before the break - one teacher from each grade level will need to plan on attending with your grade level - schedule will come early in the week)
Saturday is Reindeer Romp
Happy Birthday to You: