ENSC Weekly Notes
September 15, 2014
Calendar Changes
During the October 31 eLearning day, teachers will be involved in professional development activities at ENHS. There is much planning that needs to be done between now and October 31 for a productive and valuable eLearning day for our students. Teachers of K-6 students will be involved in grade level meetings in the next few weeks and will have an opportunity to discuss and plan some common activities. As a district, we will need to discuss and address important elements such as how will we provide lunch for our free/reduced students, how will FLS and LS students be served, and how will teachers have contact with students.
As a district approved by the IDOE for eLearning days, ENSC will also be approved to use eLearning days for weather cancellations. We will take advantage of this opportunity; however, we will use our built in days first and it will also depend upon the number of days cancelled. Essentially, using eLearning days is not our first "go to." With all of that said, consider the October 31 as a "practice" for eLearning days in place of cancelled days when we receive all of the snow that was recently predicted.
In addition to the eLearning days being added to the calendar, the Class of 2015 graduation is set for Sunday, June 7. With the use of eLearning days and built in snow days, we do anticipate holding graduation on this date!
School Grades
it is our responsibility to provide a quality education that meets the diverse needs of our students. ENSC will continue to regularly assess our students, provide support to close the achievement gaps, expose students to multiple opportunities that help them plan for their future, and also prepare them for the annual test.
I know that the teachers of ENSC work very hard to meet the needs of our students and at the same time, I also know you will not take these test results lightly!
Referendum FAQ #2
How did the proposed middle school project go from $24-$25 million as stated last fall to $37.8 million?
Last fall during the initial exploration community meetings, estimates were provided for renovation of the current 7th and 8th grade building and compared to the cost of building a new 7th and 8th grade building. Through discussions with the community, the Board decided to build a 6th, 7th, and 8th grade building. By moving the 6th grade from the elementary buildings to the middle school building, the population is increased by 50 percent and 14 additional classrooms are needed. This changed the estimated costs from $24-$25 million to $31 million
All Star
This week's cookies go to....
South Side Elementary - 99.2 percent
Rome City Elementary - 99 percent
East Noble Middle School - 98.6 percent
North Side Elementary - 98.1 percent
Avilla Elementary - 96.5 percent
East Noble High School - 96.5 percent
Wayne Center Elementary - 95.6 percent
Web Links
Constitution Day Resources - http://tinyurl.com/2014ConstitutionDay
Ideas for differentiating instruction - http://tinyurl.com/DifferInstruction
Ann
BUILDING AND CURRICULUM NOTES
Curriculum
Writing Instructional Timeline Progress
As you enter the second week with a focus on the development of a class rubric, this week make sure that students in your classroom have an opportunity to use the rubric they develop on anchor papers and samples of their own writing. For students in grades 4th-8th, see what they now think about their ISTEP essays from last year. You can obtain the PDF of their answers by logging into INORS or going to your administrator.
As we get closer to the genre study sections of the instructional calendar, make sure to mark your calendars for the following trainings at South Side Elementary. All teachers are teachers of writing so everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.
September 18, 2014 from 3:30-4:30 PM – Narrative Writing
October 15, 2014 from 3:30-4:30 PM – Informative/Expository Writing
In preparation for the upcoming genre studies, become familiar with the vocabulary from the writing standards that your grade is responsible for. Also, identify the small shifts that occur in the standards as you climb through the grade levels. You are not responsible to teach a concept from the beginning each year. You are building upon the previous knowledge of the students.
Narrative Vocabulary Articulation –
Informative/Expository Vocabulary Articulation –
Persuasive/Argumentative Vocabulary Articulation - https://eastnoble.sharepoint.com/sites/curriculum/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc={80C19858-4C7F-4A48-9AA2-78170A9F805D}&file=Persuasive%20Argumentative%20Vocabulary.xlsx&action=default
South Side Elementary
South Side’s grade level update this week comes from our Kindergarten classes! In Kindergarten, we have been working on many different and wonderful things. In writing this week, we have created a class rubric for one of the 6 traits and continue to establish procedures in writing. Each Kindergarten class is creating a classroom rule book using photographs of South Side Students.
In math, students are learning about shapes. They have been sorting shapes of all kinds. Students learned that shapes can be found everywhere! Kindergarten searched for shapes in magazines as well as in the classroom. They enjoyed looking for and finding shapes everywhere. We even had a “Math Snack,” making shapes and finding shapes with the food we eat.
In reading, students are learning all about characters and settings. Students are now familiar with the Daily 5 and are on daily reading rotations. They continue to build stamina and independence with Daily 5. Kindergarten students now know fifteen sight words, and that list grows every week!
Wayne Center Elementary
Second graders are working hard at Wayne Center Elementary. The students are working on their positive behavior to be a part of dessert Friday. Any student who is on purple or above all week without moving any magnet gets to eat lunch with their their teacher and get a dessert treat.
Second graders also started working with Mrs. Munk from the Kendallville Public Library. Mrs. Munk is working with the students on science related topics. She started by having a discussion on what is science. She followed up that discussion with introducing pushes and pulls, talking about how every push and pull is a force. The second graders are looking forward to working with Mrs. Munk every Wednesday!
Lastly, sixth graders and their parents attended a technology meeting Thursday night. During the meeting, tech coach Mr. Yoder quizzed students and parents on digital citizenship through the use of Kahoot. The students raced to answer the questions to see who could earn the most points. All the questions served as a reminder to students of how they can be good digital citizens. Mr. Yoder also demonstrated how parents can access their child’s grades and assignments through PowerSchool and Canvas. The evening ended with some fun door prizes for the students.
Alternative Learning Center
It was a short, but busy week with earning credits. Several students finished up classes they started at the beginning of the school year and are ready to move on to their next class. The ALC is exploring new choices for electives that are now being offered through Apex (web based academic program), so students will have more options for classes in the near future. Knight's Kloset, EN clothing bank, has picked up with appointments this week, with the cooler weather rolling in. Please continue to make referrals and tell others about this great EN resource!
Avilla Elementary
OUR entire third grade is off to a great start this year. They are learning about science and the movement of sound. This week we started on how sound travels to the ear. They are doing hands on activities with Miss Leah from the Kendallville Public Library. They are also learning about different cultures with reading fables around the world. A speaker will be coming in shortly to tell a tale about a specific culture with food, music, and a game!
The next few weeks will be very busy here at Avilla. OUR 5th graders will be going to Camp Potawatomi this Wednesday and Thursday. Progress Reports will be sent home with students the week of September 22nd. On September 30th we will be having an anti-bullying convocation. The following day, October 1st, OUR kindergartners through 3rd graders will be traveling to Huntington University for the day and OUR 6th graders will be traveling to BizTown. The Huntington University trip is part of the Noble County Promise. We then will host Grandparent’s Day on October 2nd. We are hoping for another very large crowd that day as in the past.
East Noble High School
The Algebra 1 classes are off to a great start this year! Algebra 1 is now a module system where students progress through the indicators by showing mastery. Students who do not show mastery are receiving extra remediation help before, after and during Academic Lab with the new Algebra remediation AL classes. Students in Algebra are also practicing CCR standards questions on their computers. Students practice their questions twice a week for their bell work exercises. Students are encouraged to work with their group members and discuss problem solving strategies on how to solve the problem. Students love practicing for the test using the same technology that the test will be given in!
Also, Homecoming week is quickly approaching! Homecoming week is September 22-26. Students are very excited about the dress up days, the multiple homecoming activities, and the football game Friday night! It will be an awesome week! Go Knights!
East Noble Middle School
Eighth grade students began their water quality field trips this week. It's a great hands-on experience for our students learning about water and what's in it. Merry Lea was our stop this week, where students got to canoe, skim water (with waders on!) for macro - organisms, use microscopes to see up close the organisms they found, and learn about testing water quality and temperature.
Rachel's Challenge visited ENMS this week. Students experienced a very emotional anti-bully presentation. We have an active Friends of Rachel club that acts as student liasons.
Strides are being made in grade improvements. Students will be setting goals soon to reach this year. And students are signing off on a student pledge to Maximize Their Potential every day.
North Side Elementary
The week at North Side began with fourth and fifth graders learning about the hazards of drug abuse. Students worked in groups with local volunteers learning about a variety of dangers and warning signs when it comes to drugs. The evening ended with dinner with their parents and a presentation from a Noble County judge. North Side appreciates all the work and planning that went into the evening by LEAP of Noble County!
Rome City Elementary
It was a big week at Rome City Elementary School!
The week started with Monday being Grandparent’s Day. At 8:00 a.m. grandparents began arriving for breakfast and by 8:30 we had a total of 132 grandparents at school! After enjoying a morning meal with their students they were invited to visit classrooms. Each classroom planned special activities and treats along with demonstrations for grandparents to experience what we do at school every day.
On Thursday Mrs. Scherer and Miss Bolen ventured to the YMCA Camp Potawotami in South Milford. Although the weather was not perfect, the kids still had a great time. The trip encouraged team building by offering canoeing, hiking, archery, rock climbing, Underground Railroad, and a campfire with entertaining campfire stories.
Rome city 6th graders had a large number attend their laptop/parent night. Students and parents learned about digital citizenship alongside one another, as well as proper use of their computers. Parents were also given some refresher information about PowerSchool, and learned new information about Canvas. Parents like the idea of Canvas and the fact that students could do so much on it from home, making it easier for missing work, e-learning days, and assignments from teachers.
Thanks to the Elkhart Teacher Store, 5 Rome City teachers were able to bring back to school books, paper, and many other wonderful supplies. You never know what you are going to get but it is always worth the trip.
East Noble School Corporation
Email: alinson@eastnoble.net
Website: eastnoble.net
Location: 126 West Rush Street, Kendallville, IN, United States
Phone: 260-347-2502
Facebook: Facebook.com/eastnoble
Twitter: @ENobleSchCorp