Sunday Shakedown
Weekly Memo for Washington Elementary
Principal Post
As I looked at the calendar below, you will see that we have several up coming assessments. These assessments, primarily formative, have a great purpose. It is important that we remember the nature of these assessments and do not allow ourselves to see them as a compliance issue or an external add on to your curriculum. We, as educators, often trust that our teaching is effective because we ourselves delivered it. We observe students regularly, so we trust that they have learned everything delivered in the process. However, if we shift our mindsets to see these assessments as the bullets below describe, it really becomes the teaching/learning cycle -not just an assessment.
- Formative assessment is not a test but a process—a planned process involving a number of different activities.
- One of those activities is the use of assessments, both formal and informal, to elicit evidence regarding students' status: the degree to which a particular student has mastered a particular skill or body of knowledge.
- Based on this evidence, teachers adjust their ongoing instructional activities or students adjust the procedures they're currently using to try to learn whatever they're trying to learn.
As we complete these assessments, we will meet to review and adjust our next learning goals for students, identifying next steps and continuing to craft a path that leads children to be proficient. This is where we "trust the process".
Thanks, celebration and appreciation:
- Thanks to RATS team for welcoming a visiting musician and dancer
- Thanks to Traci Harris for her morning support, we have several students beginning to sign up for this
- Prayers of comfort for Kayla Stevenson who lost her grandfather Friday afternoon.
- Thankful news: Chromebooks should be here this week for fourth grade
- Thanks to Erik and Emily and other members citywide who came out Saturday to build our Lego League tables.
- Thanks to Laura and team for great work on RTI2B interventions
- Thanks to Lauren Spencer for getting the field day lunch put together
- Thanks to Cherie Herald for getting the t shirt order together
- Thanks to our great subs---last week in LCB I witnessed the group of retired teachers going down the hall together like a tribe of rebels, laughing and carrying on before heading in to battle. It was a treat to see them teaming up and working together.
Week of September 18-22
Faculty meeting-Begin promptly with Laura and team at 3:15, move to LCE at 3:40 for Table top exercise (remember, we would like a few assistants to stay for comptime if anyone can)
College and career dress up-JSMS colors/shirts
First Lego League meeting with select 4th and 5th grade students after school.
Tuesday:
District wide planning day 3rd grade ELA, 5th grade math
Club day 2-if you are out for the above, make sure to leave explicit plans for clubs or find another adult to cover.
4th grade math collaborative
LCA Portfolio meeting 2:00-3:30 (Angie, Sherri, Stephanie, and Mechelle-we would like you to cover this last hour of the day. See LCA teachers to check in)
Innovative Solutions to Behavior Cohort 3:45
College and Career Day 2: Dress in DB colors/shirts
Wednesday:
Stream Specialist Andrea Fissel at GWES all day. Let her help you plan you next project, hands on lesson, or add STREAM to your next unit.
Birthdays with the Principals
College and Career day 3: College t shirt day
Class meeting walkthrough in lCD
Thursday:
Class meeting walkthrough LCA, LCB
Literacy collaborative in LCA
Friday:
Field Day
A look ahead:
Quarterly writing assessments k-5 Sept 18-29
Full DRA Sept 18-Oct 5
4th math/5th ELA planning on Oct 2
2nd grade planning Oct 3
Class picture day Oct 4
Flu Shots for students on Oct 5
Professional Learning day at GWES on Oct6
For Your Information:
- We will visit the centers we didn't get to see for class meeting on Thursday. (Wed for LCD)
- Evaluations: your LOE can be found in TN Compass. This will guide you in knowing how many evaluations you will have this year. Sue and I plan to begin later this week. Please let us know if you have any questions!!
- Remember our dedication to 2 positive parent contacts a week. This can be note, email, or call. The power of depositing in a parents' emotional bank account is critical to a supportive relationship.
- Remember to give your $7 to Angie if you plan to order Chick-Fil-A for field day lunch
Professional Learning
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz4pwkANLjvoc0hGb2k0WE8yMkU/view?usp=sharing