The Lion's Den
Week of October 29, 2018
What's Going On at Christian Park?
October 29 (B) - Lesson Plans due in Google (9:00 am); Monumental Running Club (4:15-5:00 pm); Volleyball v. Fairbanks 105 (6:00 pm)
October 30 (C)- ELA PLC's
October 31 (A)- PBIS Team Mtg (7:45 am), Monumental Running Club (4:15-5:00 pm)
November 1 (B)- Math PLC's, IPS District Principal Meeting (8-11:30), Cub Scouts (4:15-5:00 pm)
November 2 (C)- Blue Friday/Jeans Day
(A,B,C next to date denotes the Related Arts schedule)
News and Notes
NEW INFORMATION
Great start back after Fall Break! I appreciate the hard work to ensuring we are consistent with expectations and are also pushing academics. We have hard work ahead of us, so let's keep the positive momentum!
On Thursday, we will be hosting the IPS District Elementary Principal's Meeting. We will have some PD during this time, which includes instructional rounds. Instructional Rounds are when we, as principals and district support staff, visit classrooms to observe and provide feedback to me around a specific area of opportunity. This is not evaluative in nature and is a great opportunity for us to showcase the hard work we are doing. I am meeting with the district team tomorrow to plan and will share final info, including a schedule, after we meet.
The 2018 IPS Showcase of Schools is coming up on Saturday, November 10th from 10 am to 2 pm. It will be held at the Indiana State Museum. We will have a table/booth and I would love to have some company there to showcase and discuss the great things we are and will be doing at Christian Park. For every hour you serve, you will receive two hours of comp time.
If you would like to sign up, there will be a sheet posted outside my office beginning tomorrow. Thanks!!!!
Long observations will conclude this week. Please be prepared to meet after your long to review what we saw. Remember....your evaluation is a "growth process", designed to ensure you are stronger educators by the end of the year. All of us have room for growth....embrace the mindset!
The 2018 Boys Basketball Team has been finalized. The list of players can be found by clicking here. Once we receive the schedule, we will send it along. Mr. Webb and Mr. Dancy will be the coaches. Student-Athletes will sign a contract and have standards for behavior and academics.
Please be mindful that Christian Park is a public park and individuals are allowed to be out there while we are. That being said, if you see anything remotely suspicious, notify the office immediately so that an admin can investigate. Please don't try to look into this yourself or not report it. Safety, especially in this time in our world, is paramount!
SafeSchools training must be complete at this time. I will be reviewing reports and sending emails to those staff that have outstanding assignments.
REPEAT INFORMATION
Staffing Update- I am interviewing a candidate for the bilingual assistant position. Additionally, i am waiting for quality applicants for the K-2 Instructional Coach and Title I Instructional Assistant positions. If you are interested in being a part of the interviews, please let me know.
Lesson Plan link for the week is below. Click on it and drop in lesson plans. Reminder- you can use the lesson plan template that works for you. Components required include:
- Standard- Identifier is fine, don't need to write it out
- Skill being taught- explicit through the I CAN statement
- Gradual Release- how are you modeling, practicing, and releasing for collaborative/independent practice
- Checks for Understanding- how are you checking every step of the way to ensure students are "getting it"?
The Staff Handbook is still attached below. You are expected to know the information in the handbook. Please make sure you review it carefully. I cannot stress the importance of this, particularly the CPS Reporting Protocols. When in doubt, REPORT!!!
Heavy Lifting!
Continued updates on our BIG ROCKS below:
PBIS-
- Continue to push ROAR procedures throughout the building and reinforce our students with the PRIDE Cards. I am working on getting the PRIDE Store set up so that it will be easy to use and have items that students want to purchase.
- Reflect on the PD provided by Peace Learning Center on Monday and the focus on restorative vs. punitive disciplinary practices. I really appreciated the open and honest conversation we had and expect this will translate down to our students.
MTSS-
-Thank you to everyone that has signed up to meet with Ms. McCrocklin regarding MTSS Tier II Conferences. As we continue to work on core instruction, we also begin to layer in Tier II interventions for those students that require additional support based on their data. See Ms. McCrocklin for additional information!
Growth Mindset-
-Ms. Hill shared some great information about Ch. 3 of our Growth Mindset book study. How are you passing this along to your students? Are you using the lessons provided in the book? How are you practicing this work yourself? We ALL have the ability to learn something new and this takes time. It doesn't happen overnight. BUT IT CAN AND WILL HAPPEN WITH OUR STUDENTS....AND US!!!!