Monclova Primary
Weekly Bulletin
Events for Week of May 6 - 12
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week
Monday, May 6
Bus Driver Appreciation
LPDC - 4:00 pm
Tuesday, May 7
Professional Development Day - No Students - 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
MAPS Dinner Out - 6:30 pm - Shawn's Irish Tavern
Wednesday, May 8
Nurse Appreciation - Breakfast Celebration- 7:45 am
Field Day
LEAP/Acceleration Meeting - 5:30 pm - media center
Thursday, May 9
Primary Principals Meeting - 10:00 am (Betsey out)
Blood Drive - 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Friday, May 10
1st Grade Field Trip - Imagination Station - 9:00 - 1:00 pm
Tornado Drill - 1:45 pm
Saturday, May 11
General 5K - 9:00 am
K-12 Art Show - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Announcements
Thank you:
to all the staff that took part in the health screenings this week. Over 20 staff members participated and learned more about being more healthy.
to all that supported and celebrated our Purple Star and military children.
Fay for a hugely successful, final wellness activity! You have out done yourself for the students and staff all year long. It was great seeing students and staff planking!
Reminders:
Tuesday is our last professional development day for the year. It will be a culmination of all the work done this year as well as discussing next steps to continue the work into next year. Please be ready to start at 8:00 am in the media center.
Agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X488W-viN1SRJ-GYvrTCvHzDxD6VhFq_AuG8amxb0aY/edit
MAPS will be celebrating staff this week by providing meals/treats in the lounge this week. The schedule is:
Monday, May 6 - breakfast beginning at 8:00 am
Wednesday, May 8 - Tony Packo's lunch
Thursday, May 9 - Rusty Taco lunch
Friday, May 10 - Ice cream bar
Field day is set for Wednesday, May 8 but the weather predictions are not good and getting worse. The rain date is set for Monday, May 13. Another Sign Up Genius for volunteers will be sent out to parents. Please plan accordingly for the back up date.
Please consider working with your grade level, another staff member or yourself to offer a special experience for families/students to win during the silent auction. These small/low cost items bring a lot of extra money in for MAPS, students and Monclova. Email Amanda Bialecki at amandabialecki@yahoo.com if you will be offering something to the silent auction. Thank you to those of you that have already reached out.
The building calendar is filling up, please make sure you are keeping up on the events. Most events on are the staff calendar and the live calendar on our website.
May 7 - No School for students, professional development day
May 8 - Field Day
May 9 - Blood Driven
May 11 - Generals 5K/Health Expo/Art Show/Plant Sale
May 13-17 Right to Read Week
May 14 - Puppeteer presentation
May 17 - Family Fun Night
May 21 - Kindergarten Patriotic Program
May 24 - 4th grade talent show
Words of Wisdom and Action..............................
We are always trying to make students feel comfortable while responding to questions out loud or sharing a piece of work or asking questions. Below talks about a couple of resources (some which I know are used in our building) to monitor student responses through technology. Keeping technology resources purposeful and not just sitting and playing games is true tech integration.
3 unexpected ways tech can humanize learning by Stacey Roshan
April 29th, 2019
If you want to make students know how important they are, use tech to personalize learning
My biggest goal as a teacher is to make every one of my students know how important they are and how invested I am in their learning and well-being. I want students to enjoy learning and to walk out of my classroom with a new level of confidence.
Technology allows me to do this because it lets me bring a whole new level of compassion to my teaching. Here are three ways I use technology to personalize learning for all of my students.
1. Shifting from content delivery to identifying and addressing student needs
One of the first ways I used technology for learning was to flip my classroom. That is, instead of delivering content during class and giving exercises as homework, I had students learn the content at home by watching videos with embedded quizzes. Using Edpuzzle, I was able to turn a passive video into an active learning experience for my students.
The embedded quizzes enabled me to view student’s responses. I could instantly see the number of times students watched each portion of the video as well as when each student watched and completed the assignment. The detailed information I received about how students were processing the material — before they even walked into my classroom—was transformative.
Armed with this data, I could shift my focus in the classroom from delivering the content to addressing the questions that students were actually struggling with. Not only were these analytics powerful indicators for me, the instant feedback also helped students gauge their understanding as they took in the information. This is when I first realized I could empower students to take ownership of their learning. I now use Edpuzzle to engage my students in all video content I ask them to view.
2. Creating a safe environment for all students to participate in class discussions
All teachers know that some students are vocal and shine when they are called on to share their work, while other students wilt with embarrassment. As an introvert myself, I am well aware of how the traditional classroom dynamic can be painfully uncomfortable. I remember the almost paralyzing fear I often felt when I had to respond to questions on the spot. I am an analyzer and like to take my time thinking things through.
To address this situation, I again turned to technology. The first time I saw what Pear Deck could do, I knew it would be just the tool to allow all students to contribute their work without feeling put on the spot. Pear Deck is an interactive presentation tool that allows students to engage with a lesson from their own devices.
As a math teacher, I am big on seeing how students work through problems. Instead of leaning over a student’s shoulder or waiting to collect papers to assess how students are doing, I can ask students to respond to questions during the lesson on their own devices and then I can see in real time whether they understand the content.
Once I know that all students have had enough time to think through their answers, we move the discussion to the board to analyze the responses. Because Pear Deck does not display student names on the projector, we talk about the right answers and analyze the wrong answers without students feeling called out for being wrong. There is tremendous learning in this critiquing process.
This tool allows me to gives students who need time to craft a reply from behind a screen the chance to do so. When we present all responses on the board, those students who thrive when they are given the chance to speak up in class have that chance, while shy students can sit back and listen knowing that they have already contributed.
Technology allows us to engage students in ways are not be possible without it, and Pear Deck is a prime example of a tool that I use to give all students a voice.
3. Emphasizing a reflective process to get insight into student needs
I want students to understand that the process they use to arrive at their solutions is often more important than the answers themselves. I want the shy, quiet student who is never the first to raise her hand to have the same opportunities to present as her outgoing peers.
That’s why I use Flipgrid—a threaded video discussion platform—to give all students the chance to engage in reflective activities. Students respond from their own space at their own time, so they can process, think and practice before responding.
In my math classes, I use this tool to ask students to create video solutions to problems. This actually allows me to reduce the number of problems I assign because I can clearly hear how students are processing material and how they are connecting concepts. This lets me quickly identify areas that are shaky and need more attention. It is such a simple way to get insight into student needs and immediately help them strengthen understandings.
Students are still talking to one another, and a community of learners is still central to the design of this tool. But instead of hearing from only several students during class, Flipgrid requires all students to respond.
A safe way to respond
It’s important to understand that these tools are not about having students simply hide and type behind their computer screens. Technology provides a safe space for all students to respond.
Still it’s key that teachers cultivate a real sense of class community in how they structure activities and have students interact with and respond to classmates. These tools help teachers create a forum that is conducive to all students.
Edpuzzle can prime a student with information ahead of class time so that she has a chance to let the topic marinate before class discussion. Pear Deck allows a student to form and type a response before elaborating vocally during class discussion. With Flipgrid, a student can rehearse and post a video response, then review what her classmates have said and formulate a response back to them.
When used thoughtfully, edtech can allow all students in the classroom a chance to actively participate in a format that is most comfortable for them and create an environment that allows their voices to be heard.
Tech offers multiple ways to demonstrate learning
Embracing technology has allowed a major shift in the structure of my classroom and provided a level of care and individualized attention in my teaching that would be hard to replicate without the tech. The reality is that we can gain powerful insight into student needs and provide them multiple ways of showcasing their understanding and expressing themselves when we carefully think about how the technology enables us to transform the design of our lessons.
Technology can allow us to free up the time and space in our classrooms to get to know the whole child and to bring a new level of compassion to our teaching. Using the analytics we gain from these tools and hearing from each student in the format that feels safe and comfortable to them, we can tap into each student’s individual strengths, personalize learning, and gain powerful insight into ways to help each student build their confidence and experience new levels of success.