Collegiate Academy Heartbeat
Sunday, February 2, 2020
From the Heart
Team,
Reflections from my last few weeks in the classroom...
Overall my students do not feel a sense of urgency to engage in the lesson or complete work. They are working, but not with urgency. I am focused on changing that expectation. I would like us to work, as a team, to build that sense of urgency in our learning community. I am not talking about adding stress to students or a rigid voice in their ear of "get this done now". I am talking about "us" the teachers, being prepared with active learning lessons and creating a expectation of importance. We (the teachers) set the tone and create the learning environment.
I am struggling with the one hour class. There doesn't seem to be enough time to learn. Be sure every time students are in your classroom, you are prepared to push their learning for the entire time. We are here to support student learning, that's our job! As we approach February, be prepared for the entire 60 or 80 minutes, make learning fun, and challenge students to achieve beyond anything they ever imagined. Teaching is a gift...use it wisely!
I have attached an article on Building Urgency in the Classroom. Please read it this week and if you have questions, let's talk about it!
I will be out on Wednesday for all day meetings. Johannes Starks will be here Thursday afternoon for our Educate Texas/TEA visit.
Final count for the Class of 2024
GMS 47
CTMS 32
HMS 21
CMS 8
Out of District 2
New Phoenix 110
Let's do this in love,
Bobbe
The courage to love unconditionally breaks all barriers.
#PhoenixFierce
Together we will make a difference!
Matthew's Thought for the Week by Bobbe
I hope you enjoyed the jeans of January! For February you may wear jeans the entire month, if you have given "anything" to the Sunshine Fund. We are asking for $25, but if you can only afford $5, that's ok, just be a giver! Check in with Toni and she will give you a jeans pass for the month, if you have given anything this year. Take the pass and drop it by my office! Thank you to all that have given!
It's Always Interesting with Cav
I'll be out on Monday, but please remember to to do these things....
STAAR Teachers - Remember to complete your STAAR Reflection and Platform for Student Success prior to your morning meeting with Lauren and Bobbe this week.
Also, please complete this form for Instructional Technology, so that they can provide us with support tailored to our campus needs.
Lauren's Learnings
I hope you all had a restful weekend. I enjoyed our closing discussion on Friday because it showed that we have the ability to step out of our comfort zone and cross contents in order to brainstorm ways to build capacity in our students.
You should have received a calendar invite from me so that we can discuss your thought process in instructional design for the next upcoming unit. I don’t mean to be vague by using the term instructional design; this is a term that our district is using to encompass lesson planning along with implementation and reflection. This is unique because our district does not desire teachers to check a box by turning in lesson plans, but to have support and thinking partners as we design the best experiences for learning.
Please have your lesson plans ready prior to our meeting so that we can make the most use of our time together. If you have a certain area of concern, then I would love to be a thinking partner and provide support in whatever area of lesson design that you need. If we need more time, then I will find a way to make myself available to you to as we continue our discussion. Here are the main items that I would like to discuss in our time together:
· Pacing
· Differentiation
· Rigor & Relevance
· Alignment with GCISD’s scope and sequence
· Student Engagement
· Implementation of content
· Reflection
I’m attaching Mark Dye’s template for lesson planning because I like it, I use it, and it’s aligned with our bell schedule. You do not have to use this template, but I am sharing it because it’s great! However I think he would like you to make a copy before editing.
Upcoming Events
March 9 - 13 - Spring Break