RNNE Team and Family Launcher
Goal-oriented and intentional.Intervention.Authentic Team.
Opening Message: Your "Lollipop Moment"
Take time to watch this video.
We have worked hard to develop, grow, love and create a loving school experience for our students and their families. Whenever I read our network's tag line, "rethinking elementary school from the ground up," I feel so blessed to be on a team of educators who are blazing the path and setting the high bar for what that looks and sounds like for our Rocketeers here in Tennessee as well as throughout our network.
We are each committed to create ongoing moments where we impact the lives of our Rocketeers and their families despite how much naysayers and critics in society have given up on them.
We are committed to the tough days, the valley moments and the emotional exhaustion because we know that in doing so, we are building a better tomorrow for our students which is preparing them to excel independently as powerful adults.
I first watched this video at our network's Principal Retreat this past spring. It impacted me greatly in understanding just how much each of our actions as educational leaders touch the lives of students and families every single day.
Always recognize your impact as an educational leader and that know that your impact is making the difference in the lives of our students, their families and on our team.
This week, you will find a lollipop in your mailbox with a blank note attached to it. Throughout the week, fill out the note for someone on our team who has made a "Lollipop Moment" in your life (either this week or in the past) and place it in their box!
This week:
1) Recognize the "Lolliop Moments" in yourself and others.
2) Breathe deeply every single day. This sounds simple, but you'd be surprised at how often we live/lead lives where we are not breathing deeply at least once each day. Lynne uses the mantra "I walk the new green Earth" when breathing deeply throughout the day to help her focus and visualize on the positive. Seriously, breathe deeply at least once (but shoot for more times) each day.
3) Give yourself and others abundant grace/unconditional love. People (big and small) make mistakes - give yourself forgiveness for mistakes as well as others.
Love you always,
Christa
Academic Focus Area
Circulate during Independent Practice - "Targeted Teaching Time"
Our school-wide goal is for every teacher to be at a 3+ on the Targeted Teaching Time row of the RSED Intellectual Prep Rubric by 9/25.
There are several strategies that can be used, but one way that is efficient and allows you to maximize your time in the right way, is by employing the "dot around" method.
This can be found on pages 185-186 of your Teach Like A Champion books.
1. You assign students independent work (do now, stop and jots/response to questions during guided notes, You Do).
2. As they are working, you circulate to each student to observe their work based on the targeted questions you're looking to observe. Use this chart (or one that works best for you to record information you receive as you circulate) to note student mastery levels.
We have ordered this clipboard for each teacher to carry as you are circulating during this time. It has a compartment to hold pens, markers, stickers, etc. to reinforce student work. The clipboards are here! We will have all clipboards delivered to your classroom (if you haven't received it already) by EOD Monday. Please feel free to grab one from the big box sitting behind April's desk if you'd like to before it is delivered to your classroom. We have ordered enough clipboards for all Humanities, Math, Learning Lab and ISE teacher.
3. While observing them, if you notice an error, just simply place a dot on their paper/next to the question item.
4. After you have finished circulating, make an announcement to the class similarly to this: "If you have a dot on your paper, this means that you need to go back and restate the question in your answer." "If you have a dot on your paper, this means that you need to go back and explain how you arrived at your answer."
To help build your muscle with becoming strong in strategic circulation and identifying student errors, I have created a chart here with a quick example of what error analysis and correction could look like. Keep this/something like this with you while you're circulating so that you can refer back to how to respond and help a student with their error.
*You will need to preempt students for this by telling them in a similar fashion "I will be walking around while you are working independently to check your work so that I can see just how much your brain is growing! If I place a dot on your paper, continue to work until I tell you what to fix so that your brain can grow even more! I'll do this by making an announcement to the class."
There are many different ways to employ the "dot around" strategy. Check out the link above and here for other ideas on how to make this unique in your classroom space.
Cultural Focus Areas
Student Joy and Engagement
Student Response to Correction
Student Tracking (teacher and peer)
Our school-wide goal is for 100% of teachers to be at a 3+ on each rubric row for the three areas as outlined on the RSED Student Culture Rubric by 9/25.
Student Joy and Engagement
3:
1.Most students seem to be joyful and excited to be in school
2. 80-90% of students are engaged in classroom activities
3. Older students internalize and model behavioral expectations with minimal teachers supervision
4. 90% of students exhibit professional posture
- bring in humor/jokes into class
- class chants/songs
- nicknames for students
- dancing
- student celebrations
Student Response to Correction
3:
1.Fairly quick
2.Silent
3.Teacher correction is nonverbal (tap on the desk, hand signal, etc)
4. Neutral/ Respectful
5. Behavior does not reoccur within the same period
Student Tracking
3:
1.100% tracking of teachers
2.80% tracking of peers
Highlights from the Walkthrough
AMAZING work to EACH OF YOU for the passionate, hard work that you have put in EVERY SINGLE DAY to develop, grow and make our school truly a place for love, learning and joy for our Rocketeers each day. While this road may not always be easy, know that our students are blessed to have each of you championing for them and fighting for them each day.
WAY TO GO FAMILY!!!!!!
- Positive Framing from teachers - warm tones and positively framed statements used with students
- Strong overall student behavior compliance - 90%+ throughout the school
- 90%+ on task compliance with students in the Learning Labs
- Hallway transitions that were urgent
- Strong co-teaching relationships in classrooms between Humanities and ISE teachers
- Vocabulary reinforced with total physical response
Focus Areas: we will be focusing on these over the next few weeks via coaching support, CPT focus areas, small group PD and school-wide PD
- Stronger alignment in the intellectual prep process (Unit Assessment --> VoE --> Unit Plan --> Intellectual Prep Plan (including Do Now, Activator) --> Homework
- Quicker In-class transitions with clear walking paths
- Increase in positive narration
Again, thank you for the hard work you have each put in thus far! I'm excited to dig deeper into tightening the outlined focus areas so that we can continue to make this a place of love and learning for our Rocketeers!
Message from our amazing PBIS Team: Cool Down Space in Your Classroom
Cool Down Corner/Reflection Space
It is important to provide students a place to cool down and reflect when they are struggling behaviorally. Sometimes two minutes in a reflection space can be the difference that keeps a child from spiraling and continuing down a negative path.
Every classroom should have a cool down space available for students. Students can be sent here as a consequence, as decided by GLTs or students can opt to go to the cool down space on their own if they know that they need a moment to compose themselves.
Each cool down space should be in a location in your room which does not distract from instruction, but where the teacher still has supervision on the student.
Each cool down space should be tied into your Kimochi's/RULER curriculum, and provide a place for students to sit down and reflect.
The PBIS team is creating grade level appropriate reflection sheets to share with you. Once these are shared, please teach the procedure and make them available to students in the cool down corner.
Attached are 4 examples of cool down spaces already in existence around the school. Please reach out to your GL PBIS representative if you have any questions!
The expectation is that all classrooms have a designated Cool Down Space by Friday, October 1st. Reach out to your grade level manager if you have any questions about setting up your classroom's Cool Down Space.
Tennessee State Board of Education Rocketship School #3 Appeal Vote: Parent Rally
Our parents and families have an opportunity to show their support for the charter application as well as possibly have their voices heard through shared testimony during this time.
Please see the picture below of the flyer that will go home to families about this next week so that you are prepared to direct families to the correct person when/if they share their interest in participating with you.
Upcoming RNNE School Events
September 21st:
- School Action Research Meeting around RNNE's School Discipline/Consequences| 4:30pm PD Room 212
October 5-9th:
- Fall PD Week: On campus days 5th-7th; 8th-9th staff flex days
October 13th:
- Rocketship United Academy's Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
- There will be an all-region event that evening (you should have received an invite for it by now from Jennifer Barnett from the Network Team).
- "Calling All Fathers" Event hosted by Cory Beal - more information will be coming out soon
October 21st:
- Kindergarten Field Trip
October 23rd:
- First Grade Field Trip
October 30th:
- Parent Coffee: 8:30am
- Fall Fiesta (formerly known as the Fall Festival/Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration): 6:00pm
Christa Out of Town:
- I will be off campus this Tuesday afternoon - Friday morning visiting an Uncommon School in Newark, New Jersey with James Robinson (principal of RUA), Brittany Kinser and Sharon Kim from the Schools and Humanities Teams. The school we are visiting is their network's first turnaround school and had students entering with similar diagnostic reading and math scores as ours, so we will have a chance to observe their work in action, thought-partner with their school leaders as well as consider some possible interventions to implement here in Nashville for our Rocketeers.
- As most of you know, I am a fellow with the RELAY Graduate School of Education's National Principal's Academy Fellowship. I was there for a grad program session this summer and I will go throughout the year to join back up with the other principals and school leaders in the program. I will be out Thursday afternoon (October 15th) - Sunday, October 18th for our Fall Intersession date.
Attendance Update
As such, beginning on Monday, September 21st, you will submit attendance using paper rosters.
Instructions for submission:
- On Monday, all rosters will be in your mailbox. Please check there for your roster before going to your classroom.
- Only mark "P" in PEN ONLY for students who are present in your classroom through 9:00am.
- If a student is not in your classroom, please leave the box next to their name blank.
- Send down a responsible Rocketeer at 9:00am to bring the attendance roster to Mrs. Rogers and Ms. Vega in the front office.
- Check your box each morning for the attendance roster to be placed there by Mrs. Rogers and Ms. Vega the prior afternoon. On Monday, when you get your roster, please write your teacher name at the top so that Mrs. Rogers/Ms. Vega can place your roster back in the correct box.
*The roster will have a space to record attendance for each day.