Bobcat Bulletin
Week of September 9, 2019
Welcome to Your First Bobcat Bulletin!
I know I have said it many times, but thank you for being so welcoming. I really enjoyed getting into classrooms this week. I am going to donate my copy of the book, Don't Eat Your Classmates to the Amerman Library so students can check it out if they wish.
You will receive this bulletin weekly. This will be your main source of information of all things Amerman related. To cut down on emails, I will try and save information so you only have one place to look each week. At the bottom you will find a pdf of the bulletin for those of you that like to print out or save. This week's bulletin is going to be super full of information, I apologize ahead of time. Please make sure you take time to read.
In an effort to get to know you, and for me to get a better understanding of how I can support you in the classroom, I would like to meet with each of you for a brief 1-1 meeting. My goal is to meet with everyone within the next couple weeks. Please feel free to stop in or schedule a time to meet, whatever works best for you. I look forward to partnering with you this school year and into the future.
This Week's Events
Tuesday 9/10
Wednesday 9/11
- Patriot Day - Wear Red, White and Blue
Thursday 9/12
- Devon at 1:15 meeting
Friday 9/13
- 3rd Grade Heritage Festival 9:00 - 12:30
- Lunch/Recess Time Change - See schedule below
- Heritage Festival Parade - 6:00pm
Next Week's Events
- Media Center Open
- Devon at 1:15 meeting
Tuesday 9/17
- Constitution Day
Wednesday 9/18
- Curriculum Night 6:00 - 7:30 pm Info Coming Soon
Thursday 9/19
- Fire Drill 2:00pm
Friday 9/20
- Math Coach - 3rd grade and 5th grade at Moraine
Due Dates
Friday 9/13
- Self assessment in Pivot
- ALICE lesson taught. ALICE Lessons
- LIM goal posted in your classroom (classroom mission as well)
Monday 9/16
- Emergency lesson plans are turned into the office (3 days of lessons)
Friday 9/20
- Daily schedule is turned in
- Students paperwork all turned in
Friday 9/27
- Growth plan completed in Pivot
- All of the Habits have been taught in your classroom as a review. Specific lessons should occur throughout the year.
Lunch Schedule Change - Friday, September 13
K-2 11:15 - 12:00
4 GE & 5 11:40-12:25
4 ALPS 12:05 - 12:50
3 12:30 - 1:15 (Lunch first)
Newsletters/Weekly Communication
Thank you to everyone that has already bcc'd or cc'd me on their weekly newsletters. If you have not done so yet, please start to make it a habit to send me your weekly communication, I want to make sure I know what you are communicating in case a parent has a question. That way we are both on the same page.
Fountas & Pinnell Classroom -- The First 8 Weeks
Marco sent this to you this last week, but wanted to make sure that you saw it to help you plan for F&P!
Kindergarten - 8 Week Instructional Plan
Grade 1 - 8 Week Instructional Plan
Lesson Plans
I know all of you are professionals and do an excellent job writing lesson plans. However, here is just a friendly reminder about lesson plan expectations. Teachers are responsible for having complete lesson plans at all times. Each teacher is expected to have his or her next day completely planned prior to leaving at the end of the day, and plans are to be left out. To ensure excellence, lesson plans should follow this two-step rubric:
- Each classroom lesson should include: anticipatory set (bell ringer), prior knowledge, mental practice, guided practice, wait time, substantive conversation, monitoring and adjustment, independent practice, active participation, collaborative learning, adjustment for learning styles, higher-order thinking skills, application to the real world, and authentic assessment. These do not need to be explicitly written in your lesson plans.
- All lesson plans should have a direct connection to a CCSS. This will be indicated in lesson plans.
- All lessons should have a clear focus point or teaching point. This focus point shall be written down in a place visible to the teacher, the students, and anyone else that may enter the classroom. The focus point should be written in child friendly language using an “I Can” statement.
Reminders and Requests
- If you have not yet filled out the staff survey I put out, please do so by the September 13, 2019. http://bit.ly/AmermanStaff2019
- As you are emptying boxes, please break them down, operations appreciates this.
- If you are able to stack your chairs instead of putting them on the tables, it would help custodial out. That way they don't have to move the chairs to clean your table tops.
- If you take your class somewhere (not lunch or humanities) please let the office know. That way were know where to find you if we need you or a student.
- Constitution Day is September 17th, please see the links below for resources if you need them. http://www.resa.net/curriculum/curriculum/socialstudies/highlights/constitutionday/webresources/
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/
Dismissal Duty
- Bus - Cowger
- Loop - Beson, Vertrees, Long, Wayne, Rohrhoff
Week of 9/16
- Bus - K. McMaster
- Loop - T. McMaster, Pavlich, Wells, LaManna
Random Useless Facts
- A baseball weighs between 5 and 5.25 oz.
- Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.
- By raising your legs slowly and laying on your back, you can’t sink in quicksand.
- The mask used by Michael Myers in the original Halloween was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white.
- Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.
- Most lipstick contains fish scales.
- John Wilkes Booth’s brother once saved the life of Abraham Lincoln’s son.
- The word “cleave” is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.
- It takes 17 muscles in your face to smile, 43 to frown.
- Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest.
- Topless saleswomen are legal in Liverpool, England – but only in tropical fish stores.
A Bit About Devon
This is my 19th year in education. I spent 11 years in the classroom, where I taught a variety of classrooms from first grade to middle school mathematics. The last 7 years of my career has been in administration, most recently as the Principal of Weston Elementary in Imlay City where I spent 5 amazing years.
I live in Waterford with my husband, Bryant, our 7 year old son, Mason and our 5 pound fluffy monster dog, Chewbacca AKA Chewie. We live on a lake, so I enjoy many outdoor activities. My favorite is running, I run every day. I have run two marathons and I am hoping to run another in the fall of 2020. I love all things Sci-Fi and Fantasy. I could talk for hours about Star Wars and Harry Potter.
Email: caudillde@northvilleschools.org
Phone: 440-821-3262