Wildcat Weekly
September 24, 2018
Care in our Culture
Our Focus on Digital Literacy, Citizenship and Self-Regulation
Expecting students to pay attention when there is an open chromebook in front of them is a tall order, even for us as adults. Simple practice of gaining attention along with cues for device expectation can go a long way. Over the course of the year we will hopefully be able to share quick and easy strategies to help keep our frustration levels down. Below is a video I captured of Mr. Guffey practicing with his kids some simple and quick directions. Though each of us might have slightly different cues, just having the kids practice once in awhile might help solve some device management issues.
Some ideas to consider:
- When we want their attention, either for your presentation or fellow classmates, simply ask them to close the chromebook or take a few minutes to have chromebooks put away to avoid any temptations.
- Cell phones, giving the cue for kids to put them away or at least face down on their desks allows them to know their part. Even if this may have been covered before, adding this cue can help.
Monitoring and holding kids accountable to our expectations is important in establishing a culture of trust, being respectful and responsible. We are all in this together.
How do we want our students to FEEL? How do we want our staff to FEEL? How do we want our school to FEEL?
Well our first extended advisory is now in the books. I really loved seeing the interactions you all had with your kids! I saw many different activities and ways to interact. Something that stuck out to me was each of you had your own way of interacting and that hopefully made it more meaningful for you. I got to see a jenga championship in one spot, who was a skilled spoons player, and even got to know how our Jen and Drew came to be:) Those are just a few examples I saw, but what I felt around the building was a sense of belonging and joy, it filled my heart and hope it had a similar impact for you all!
Key Takeaway!
Some of you might know I am a race car fan. Besides loving the Cars movie and Lightning McQueen, I tend to have racing on in the background on Sundays, sometimes I even watch it. A saying they use in the business is, You have to go slow to go fast. Once in awhile in order for us to get farther down the road, it's important for us to slow down, breath and regain focus. Thanks for your extra work on Friday, we will plan for another one in the coming month!
"People will forget what you say, people will forget what you do, but people will never forget the way you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou
Oregon Edtech Cadre to Visit Wednesday
Please do not plan anything special, but if you are open to have a group come in and observe an activity, let me know!
Coming Up In PLC
September PLC Schedule
9/24 - Board Work Session in Library @2:45
10/1 - Edcamp Style PD
10/8 - Content Area PLCs
Common Sense Media Badge Challenge
My hope is that we all take part in learning more! In the light of professional growth, I challenge each of you to become Common Sense Educators. This will be a badge that you can earn. For now, I would ask that you look through the requirements on the Common Sense website.
I will try to have more details ready next week for our EdCamp. I have included a quick link to some facts and figures about kids and social media.
This Week's Calendar
Coming up this week!
Monday - 9/24 - PLC - Board Work Session @2:45 in the library
Wednesday - 9/26 - Oregon Ed Tech Cadre Visit - 1st period
Friday - 9/28 6th Tree to Tree
Quick Resource of the Week
Group Game Ideas
#Youdogoodthings!
Shout Outs!
The message below is a shout out to Tyler for his part in working with Malynda on some restorative justice practices...aka working with some 6th grade rascallyisms. Awesome Work!
I just wanted to reiterate how much I appreciated being a part of this morning's advisory exercise. Tyler - I don't get to see you teach very often and you were FANTASTIC. You addressed topics that I dive in to in greater detail in 7th grade, but you kept the experience so much more age appropriate for this younger bunch. Encouraging so much interaction with table groups and keeping a steady/fast pace with topics prompted kids to be engaged and invested the entire time. Most significantly, these students could have come to class expecting a lecture. Instead, you not only educated them, but you brilliantly allowed them to be part of a positive solution for our school in the manner in which you challenged them to respond and share. I would guess/hope those students not only gained valuable lessons, but also took ownership for past and future behaviors in a manner in which their heads were still held high from start to finish. If my Ellie had been part of that class, while I would have hoped she would have reported in the first place, had she not, your lesson was SPOT-ON from a parental perspective as well.
Thank you. I am blessed by your leadership and example and so grateful for a LaCreole(Whitworth :)) team all united in placing what is best for our kids first. - Michele and Malynda