Staff Weekly Update
For the Week of March 14th, 2016
An Evening with Jacqueline Woodson . . .
If anyone is interested in attending, please let me know! I'd love some company with me and then getting a bite to eat in the Traders Point area afterwards would also be fun!
THANK YOU, SGE!!! THE STAFF AT ABE *LOVED* THEIR COFFEE TREAT!
It's that time of year . . . 4th graders visit Z-West!
Just to keep you in the know, here are the details of the Z-West visits for our students and parents:
Thursday, March 17th
- 9:30 – 11:00 - 4th grade tours/concert
- While the students are on the tour, Z-West will provide a breakfast snack for the teachers
- 6:00 – 6:45 in the LGI Room
- Special Ed Parent Meeting
- 7:00 – 8:00 in West Hall
- ALL Parent Meeting
April 14th
- 9:15 – 12:00
- Music Teachers visit SGE 4th graders
The Buddy Bench is Coming!
Mrs. Cox will be working with a group of students to "train" other students to reach out to the students that sit on it and how to best play with them during recess.
Must you have some trained students in your class in order to have your students reach out to those that sit on the Buddy Bench? Absolutely not. However, we do request that you please have a thoughtful and intentional community circle about how to best support those that sit there in a kind and caring way.
Family Science Night - Your help needed!
If you are interested but weren't able to attend last Friday morning's meeting, PLEASE reach out to him.
Emails with future meeting dates will be sent out again soon! THANK YOU!
- SGE KDG Round Up date is: Thursday, April 7th (it's much earlier this year)
- Rooms used will be the gym + the music room
- Music on this date will be held in room 127
- NO staff meeting on this date . . . NEW date for staff meeting will be Thursday, April 28th. Please mark your calendars accordingly!
- Also, our MAY staff meeting will be changed to Friday, May 27th - Teacher Record Day
- Our format for this date will be the same as last year.
- You will ALL get the full details once they have been finalized - just in case parents as you questions about it.
- Soon, you will all get a blurb to copy/paste and also place in your parent communication newsletters. As soon as we get the information + sign-up link ready for the Friday Flyer, we will also send out to teachers, too. Thanks!
Tuesday Take-Away: MULTI-SENSORY LEARNING
What is Multi-Sensory learning?
- Intentionally using a child’s senses to help them learn. It integrated visual, auditory, tactile (touch) & kinesthetic (movement) learning elements.
- These different elements activate different parts of the brain while learning.
- Not every element is in every lesson, but thought is put into incorporating activities that activate the senses throughout the lesson.
- All children can benefit from multi-sensory instruction. It can be particularly helpful for children with learning and attention issues.
Multi-Sensory Strategies for the Classroom
- Begin by teaching the children that different parts of their brain do different things. This link from the Alzheimer’s Association shows different parts of the brain working while doing word tasks. I tell students that I want to be sure as many parts of their brain light up as possible while we are learning.
- When students are learning a sound, letter combination, or word, have them trace the letter or word on their desk with one or two fingers. This gets that tactile component into learning. I have students trace things in a tray of sand or on a carpet square for extra input.
- Sky writing is a great technique that gets kids moving. It can be used to study sight words, words in a word sort, or a new letter or sound. Have students stand up. Put the arm of whatever hand they use to write straight out in front of them. It should be stiff, like a marker. Take their opposite hand and place it across the body on the shoulder of their dominant hand. With their arm straight, have them write letters, sounds, or words in the air. I like to do this three times for each letter or word to get multiple repetitions.
- When students are taking a spelling test or writing a dictated sentence, be sure they are looking at the teacher’s mouth while she is saying the word or sentence. This activates the eyes in what can be only an auditory experience. Have students repeat the word or sentence before writing it.
- Sliding up chips into sound boxes can get kids moving and getting tactile input while working on sound activities. Go to the K-1 student center activities from FCRR for more information.
- When children are spelling a word, teach them to tap out the sounds on their fingers to isolate each sound and help them keep track of sounds while they are writing. This technique is known as simultaneous oral spelling. Students repeat the word, tap out the sounds, and say the letter names while tapping the same fingers, and then write the word.
- Whenever possible, pair hand or body motions with things the students are learning, such as definitions.
- There are many resources on the web for multi-sensory activities. This link will take you to a page with oodles of activities. About halfway down the page there are links for integrating each sense into learning.
7-Day Forecast: Your Typical Spring Weather!
***ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS***
Two emails coming your way . . . this is per our staff meeting agenda:
- #1 - Google Form that I am requesting you please fill out as a grade level/team or individually. More details will be in the email, but it is about seeking input for future purchases with our PTO Enrichment Fund dollars.
- #2 - DRAFT version of our End-of-Year checklist. I would love your input if there is anything else I need to add, delete, or reword for better clarity and understand!
ABM - Spring Cleaning List . . . ABM staff will be working during spring break shampooing the cafe carpet, a few (not all) hallways, etc . . . Please let Alison Maxey know if there are any other areas that you see in your room or anywhere else at SGE that needs to be added to the spring cleaning list. We cannot promise it will get done, but they have requested your input in order to ensure they can get as much as possible. Thank you!
Intentional Teaching blog . . . by our very own, Allison Spillman! We all know how knowledgeable Allison is, but now thanks to her blog, the whole world can benefit from her professional insight. Click here to read her blog and to sign up to receive notifications of new posts.
Here are our beautiful birthday friends for March 2016!
*If you are NEW and we do not have your birthdate, please email Alison so we can recognize you on your special day! Thank you!*
March
17th - Vicki Watson
2015-2016 Lifelines
August - Cooperation
September - Respect
October - Flexibility
November - Gratitude
December - Generosity
January - Responsibility
February - Friendship
March - Perseverance
April - Self-Control
May - Integrity