HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
Weekly Memo 5.9.16
T-MINUS 14 DAYS...
To all the mothers of LTN, I hope your special day is going well. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful day with friends and family!
Welcome back to another great week at Love T. Nolan Elementary. Last week, Mrs. Wilson and the PTA led us in celebrating our teachers /staff during National Teacher Appreciation Week 2016. Special thanks go out to Mrs. Pullin and Mr. Clements who sponsored and arranged a beautiful display of food, drinks, and desert for our staff on Friday. Big Ups to Chef Clarence Martin, founder of Taste and C catering, for "throwing down" on the grill. His contact info is www.tasteandc.biz or 404.468.2349. Additional thanks go out to the many, unnamed who served behind the scenes to make last week a success! ONE LOVE.
Last week, we also woke up the Fun at LTN354 for three straight days of competition, teamwork, parties, and adults getting wet in a dunk tank at this year's Field Day! Thank you to Mr. Nelson, Ms. Grogan, and Mr. Averrett for volunteering themselves for the amusement of our children and families. That level of participation is greatly appreciated. Big thanks to the entire P.E. department, Special Area teachers, EIP staff, and our school assistants for leading this initiative with style and enthusiasm! The events were organized and student-friendly. There was a very positive vibe throughout the building as students tried to contain their excitement on their respective days. This was my very first Field Day in GA and I must say, I was impressed! Job well done, LTN.
On Thursday, May 5th, the AZ district team spent a full day with us conducting interviews with staff and observing classrooms as part of the UVA School Readiness Assessment.
Here are the initial findings from their visit with us:
Strengths:
- Instructional Infrastructure- Effective use of data analysis (Data Cycle). "This was the best we've seen in the AZ schools." They were so impressed with the DDIT cycle and our data chats that they asked me to prepare a training presentation for all principals and assistant principals in the South Learning Community/AZ. The highest compliment we received last Thursday was a from a district staff member who said, "I wish I could send my child to your school. This is the kind of instructional concern all schools should have."
- Talent Management- Effective use of teacher leaders to build the capacity of staff through PLs from our MLT and LLT. The incorporation of our Cycles Of Professional Learning to facilitate greater impact on shifting practices across the school.
- School Leadership- Systems and Operations at the school level are firmly in place to support the work of student achievement
Areas of High Impact (Growth):
- Vision around school-wide goals. It was not clear to the team that we all had the same vision of the organization through conversation with staff.
- ILT- Members reported that clarity might be needed in our communication with ILT regarding their purpose, roles, and responsibility. More work is needed in creating a shared vision with stakeholder input.
- Intervention- Although we have very clear tier I supports for our students, it is unclear what our processes are for supporting Tier II and III students (SST/ RTI , etc.)
Overall, our admin team was satisfied with the outcomes from this process as we were not surprised by the feedback that was shared with the SRA team. The areas of growth for our organization were already a part of our SY16-17 action plan and we believe those areas will become strengths as we circle the wagons and further galvanize our stakeholders in our vision for students and teachers at Love T. Nolan. Job well done, LTN. ONE LOVE!
On Friday, May 6th, the Kindergarten team led their Grandparent's Tea in the cafeteria from 7:45 to 9:00 a.m. Although I was unable to make the event, several grandparents reported that they had a great time engaging with their grandchildren! One grandparent commented, "This school is always doing something to celebrate children, and we love it!" Nicely done Kindergarten!!!
The Countdown is Real:
We are only 14 days away from our final days with students!!! Please keep in mind the following as we all decelerate towards a successful end of year:
- Daily Instruction: Our students still require and deserve opportunities to engage in academic tasks that meet their individual needs. Teaching and learning is still the expectation. All teachers should ensure that daily instruction is taking place for students during these final days. We have returned to our original literacy and math frameworks as guideline for daily instruction. This means that lesson plans should also reflect the activities students will participate in. Reminder: When our students are given busy/seat work all day, we not only provide a disservice to them, we increase the likelihood of inappropriate/aggressive behaviors in our classrooms. Thanks for making this process a success!
- All Other Expectations: Please be reminded of the expectations we have communicated this school year. These are also in effect until the last day of school. This time of year is often filled with many conversations with individual staff who neglect or overlook expected behaviors/action due to the limited timeframe remaining in the school year. We will remain professionals until FCS relives us of that responsibility for the summer months. My intent is help us stay away from conversations that directly impact TKES ratings in the area of Professionalism, Strategies, Lesson Planning, and differentiation. The following are a few key focus areas for us in these final days:
- Silent Passage in the hallways
- Tone and volume when redirecting students
- Refraining from physical redirection of students
- Recess monitoring protocols
- Bathroom protocols
- Lunch pick up and drop off timeframes
- Grading / reporting timeline (email coming this Tuesday)
Highlights this week:
Monday, May 9th
- 2nd formatives continue- be sure to upload evidence of standards 5, 6, and 10 within 24 hours of your formative.
- EOY Testing continues
- WNBA Fit Clinic walkthrough
- Admin Meeting 3-4:30pm
Tuesday, May 10th
- 2nd formatives Continue- be sure to upload evidence of standards 5, 6, and 10 within 24 hours of your formative.
- 5th Graders visit McNair Middle School from 10-11:30 a.m.
- WBNA Fit Clinic in the gym from 3:15- 4:30 pm. We will need at least 10 staff members to support this initiative on Tuesday. Please email me if you plan to attend.
Wednesday, May 11th
- 2nd formatives Continue- be sure to upload evidence of standards 5, 6, and 10 within 24 hours of your formative.
- Personalized Learning Team will meet with Mrs. Freeman in the Principal's conference room from 3-4pm
Thursday, May 12th
- 2nd formatives Continue- be sure to upload evidence of standards 5, 6, and 10 within 24 hours of your formative.
- MVP Closing Ceremony will take place in the gym from 3-4pm
- WINGS Closing ceremony will take place in the Cafeteria.
Friday, May 13th