Dos Rios Elementary
Weekly Rocket News * April 16, 2018
Principal's PLC-Connection
Dear Dos Staff Family,
- 7:30 Supervision Time (to clarify - being AT your supervision location AT 7:30 is considered on time)
- Dismissal Supervision (you are escorting your students to the sidewalk and remaining on supervision until students have dispersed)
- Progress Monitoring - How are we doing on schedules to finish the year? Please let us know if you need assistance.
- iObs Professional Growth Plans - Growth plans will close on May 1st. Please make sure you update any information you want taken into consideration on your plan BY May 1st.
We still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do to end our year successfully. Please remember, as I've said since day one, "Instructional time is sacred." Our students deserve our best until the last day. Thank you again for all your hard work and efforts this year. I am confident that Dos Rios will continue to soar to new heights.
Mrs. Annamarie Dowling-Garrott
Breakfast Monitoring Requirements - from Food Service
Due to a recent Food Service Dept. review by AZ Dept of Education, errors were found in how teachers are counting the number of breakfasts being claimed in the classroom. For 30 school days, April 9th to Monday May 21st Food Service will need paper documentation of how many students take breakfast in each classroom.
Starting Monday, April 9th in the breakfast bag will be a file folder with each classroom teachers roster of student. They will be marking this roster for the 5 day week. The marked rosters will be turned into ADE at the end of the 30 days for audit documentation. So, please don't scribble notes on the class roster and don't draw a line down the entire list making us guess that every student in the class was present and ate breakfast.
If a student takes a reimbursable breakfast, the teacher will place a checkmark, X or something by the students name. Inside the folder will be a note of what equals a reimbursable meal for that day. At the end of breakfast, place the folder back in the breakfast bag. At the beginning of each of the 6 weeks, will be a clean 5-day roster that will be marked.
See downloaded page at bottom - hope it answers all the questions sheet.
Kendell K. Paty
Food Service Director
Union School District
623-478-5010
Weekly Launch Codes
Week-at-a-Glance
Monday 4/16
- Middle School PLC
- PBIS Planning Day (pending subs)
- Bus Evacuation Drill (see schedule below)
- "Weekly DOS of PBIS” 3:15-3:30
Please note you are contracted until 3:30 daily, this meeting is mandatory for all teachers.
Tuesday 4/17:
- PLC’s
- 4th Grade Grand Canyon Field Trip (Dowling-G chaperone)
Wednesday 4/18:
- District Math Challenge
- Specials PLC
- Early Dismissal / PD: Writing 1:30-4:00
- Kinder: Union Library (Michael Welsh)
- 1st Grade: District Office - Curriculum Conference Room (Kelly De Rosier)
- 2nd Grade: Union Conference Room (Leticia Barrett)
- 3rd Grade: Hurley Ranch Library (Leticia Castro)
- 4th Grade: District Office - Board Room (Randy Watkins)
- 5th Grade: Hurley Ranch Conference Room (Ashley Salamacha)
- 6th Grade: Dos Rios Conference Room (Leah Simopoulos)
- 7th - 8th Grade: Dos Rios Library (Ryann Miller, Annamarie Dowling-Garrott, Laurie Richards)
- Special Areas: Ms. Hills Classroom to review Student Events (Audrey Hill: Field Day, Musicals, Project Unified, etc)
- Special Areas: Ms. Hills Classroom to review Student Events (Audrey Hill: Field Day, Musicals, Project Unified, etc)
- TEAM Lead Mtg. 4:05-5:00
Thursday 4/19:
- Dos Talent Show 5:00-7:00
- Rehearsal 1:00-3:00 in gym
Friday 4/20:
- NO SCHOOL - Enjoy your 3-day weekend
Classroom Observations Scheduling
Please make sure you have signed up for your Formal Observation. If you are applying to return, interviews will only be scheduled and conducted after your 2nd Formal Observation is completed.
ALL OBSERVATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED BY MAY 1st.
How to Motivate Students at the End of the School Year
How to motivate students and keep them on task at the end of the year is challenging at best, especially after state tests are over. In fact, the more we prep kids for tests, the harder it is to keep kids on task after testing ends. Yet, keeping kids motivated at this time of year is actually much easier than you might think. Since kids are more chatty and restless at this time of year, it’s just a matter of funneling that energy into something constructive
Here are 12 effective strategies to turn students' end-of-the-year energy into instructional success.
Learning Centers
One of the easiest ways to keep kids on task is to create some simple learning centers and allow students to rotate through the activities with a partner. If you haven't used learning centers before, you might be surprised at how easy they are to implement. Here are some additional ideas and strategies on my learning center page.
Literature Circles
If your students are bored by reading a basal text or doing test prep worksheets, they will definitely enjoy Literature Circles. The easiest way to get started is with Classroom Book Clubs, a relaxed and fun method that’s perfect for the end of the year. You can find loads of Literature Circles strategies on my website.
Class Scrapbooks
Creating a class scrapbook is a terrific way to wrap up the school year. Let each student design his or her own special page. The front of the page can include their name, a photo, illustrations, and other personal touches. Have each student write you a letter about the school year and glue it onto the back of his or her page. Add a student-created cover, laminate all pages, and bind the finished product with plastic comb binding.
Cooperative Learning
Cooperative learning activities are naturally motivating to students. Being able to discuss ideas and interact with other students is a sure-fire strategy for keeping kids involved. The key is to establish clear guidelines for classroom management so the fun doesn’t become chaotic.
Read Aloud Marathons
There never seems to be enough time to read aloud during the school year, so it’s wonderful to have more freedom to do so after the pressures of testing are over. Instead of reading just 10 minutes a day, I enjoy spending 30 minutes or more sharing great books with my kids.
Class Newsletters
Involve the whole class in this meaningful writing activity, and everyone will end up with a treasured record of your school year. Start by brainstorming all the special events that have occurred throughout the year, and then ask each student to write about one of the events. Select a few students to serve as editors who compile all of the stories into one newspaper. Add digital photos, scanned artwork, quotes about the school year, awards and accomplishments – the list is endless! To conserve paper, produce the newsletter in digital form and email it to parents. Be sure to print one or two copies for students to share in the classroom.
Fun Friday
A weekly incentive can work wonders to keep kids on task at the end of the year. Try to involve at least three teachers on your grade level in this weekly activity. Set aside a 30-minute block of time on Friday for “Fun Friday.” Each teacher signs up to host a different activity: Inside Games, Outside Play, or Study Hall.
In order to participate in Fun Friday, students must complete all homework and other assignments for the week. Those who don’t do their work spend the time in Study Hall, while the others can choose between Outside Play and Inside Games. You can find a Fun Friday sign-up sheet to use with this activity on my Odds N Ends page.
What could be more fun than a board game tournament that’s educational as well as exciting? Many families have Scrabble boards in their closets that they can lend to your class, and setting up a tournament is easy. You can find complete Scrabble Tournament directions and printablesfor the event on my Odds N Ends page.
Outside Learning
When the weather turns warm and sunny, everyone longs to be outside. Many activities like reading, writing poetry, doing science experiments, or playing math games can be taken outside. Ask students to bring beach blankets or towels for these special times. Even a few minutes spent outside for a read-aloud session can offer a quick cure for the end-of-the-year blues.
Team Challenges
From Egg Drop Challenges to Tower Building, team challenges motivate students to think creatively and work together in order to solve a task. You can find many such activities that integrate math and science at the AIMS Education Foundation website. One of my favorites is to have kids create Puff Mobiles from straws, large wooden beads, and paper. Go to their website at http://www.aimsedu.org and search for the Puff Mobiles activity.
You can also find these types of activities at the NC Science Olympiad website.
Ed Tech & Online Learning Games
I’m amazed at the number of free and inexpensive online learning games available. If you have a computer in your classroom, you have access to all sorts of online games such as the skill races at Arcademic Skill Builders or the stories read aloud on StoryLine Online. I’ve also begun to research iPad and iPod apps for kids, and I’m excited at what’s already available.
Check out 20 Amazing iPad Apps for Educators or Online Learning Games Kids Love.
Multimedia Projects
Challenge your students to work alone or in teams to create multi-media presentations. Possible topics include anything from a recap of the school year to their dreams for the future. If you think "multi-media" means PowerPoint, think again. Check out Prezi, Animoto, and Slideshare for some exciting alternatives.
With these strategies, learning is still the name of the game, but the learning goes far beyond tested skills. Your students will discover hidden talents and have fun doing so. Furthermore, the end of the year will become a time to celebrate, a time to share great memories of special times together.
Helping Students With Anxiety, Depression and Trauma In Your Classroom
There are specific things any classroom teacher can do each day to help students who struggle with anxiety and depression be more successful in school and in life.
Think of your class in three sections:
Start of Class
What are things you can do from the very beginning of class to help students who have anxiety?
Middle of Class
How can you adjust instruction to better meet the learning needs of students who have experienced anxiety, depression or trauma?
End of Class
What can you do with homework, grading, and your communication at the end of class to help all students be successful?
In the next week I will be sending you specific strategies to address these three different parts of your class, but the first step is to become aware the problem and be empowered to be part of the solution.
I know this:
There are thousands of variables that are OUT of my control as a classroom teacher.
But I also know this:
There are a small number of variables that are IN my control... and I can work to make my classroom, my lessons and my communication better each day.
So one thing I always keep in mind:
I should spend my time focusing on and working on the things that are IN my control, rather than OUT of my control.
Focusing on this lowers my stress and my own anxiety! Boom!
Have a great rest of your day! Feel free to email me with specific questions, comments or experiences you have in this area! I would love to hear from you!
-Pat Quinn
http://www.classroommentalhealth.com/
P.S. I have created a one-day seminar to help any teacher, instructional coach, administrator or counselor help students who struggle with anxiety, depression or trauma:
Helping Students With
Anxiety, Depression and Trauma
In Your Classroom
Every classroom has students who struggle with anxiety, depression and trauma.
This one-day seminar will show you exactly how to help these students thrive in your classroom and in life!
Sign up now to learn:
-- How to create a classroom environment that supports students with anxiety & depression
-- How to design lessons that help students with anxiety, depression and trauma
-- Homework, Grading and Communication Strategies that help students with mental health issues
Featuring National Expert Pat Quinn!
For complete seminar information go to:
http://www.classroommentalhealth.com/
Session 1: Creating an Environment for Success
Every day in your classroom there are students who struggle with anxiety and depression. This session will show you specific things that you can do to help these students succeed in your classroom! Every session of this seminar will give multiple examples at the elementary, middle and high school level.
Session 2: Designing Instruction that Works for Everyone
This session will give you a step-by-step plan to help teachers deliver effective academic lessons to students in any classroom. The instructional strategies taught and demonstrated during this session are evidence-based to help support students with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. This seminar is perfect for Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Principals, Instructional Specialists, Department Leaders, Mentors, Superintendents, and anyone involved with improving the instruction that teachers use in their classrooms!
Session 3: Homework, Grading and Communication Strategies
You have probably heard about “trauma-informed education” and maybe even received training on how to identify certain mental health issues in your classroom. Are you aware that there are specific strategies that you can easily implement in any classroom to help students with anxiety and depression achieve success in your class? This session will detail many of those strategies. Every session is loaded with steps you can take the very next day in your school to help ALL students succeed!
Graduate Credits Available!
For complete information and registration visit:
http://www.classroommentalhealth.com/
P.O. Box 272
Slinger WI 53086
USA