Math Department 3rd-5th Grade
Week 33 News/Updates "Spring Fever & Peer Spotlights"
Spring is in the air and so is SPRING FEVER across many of our Schools!
Your #1 tool to combat the rise in unwanted negatively impacting time consuming behavior will be "Consistency".
Tips to Over Come Spring Fever and Maintain a High Functioning and High Impact Classroom during April:
- Be aware of your own stress level
- Know your triggers and have a "Plan B" or way to bring yourself back to a peaceful zone (for example: deep breathes, count down, can't go wrong with lotion, a picture of your family, etc. just have something that makes you happy)
- Revisit your classroom rules, procedures, expectations, consequences, discipline hierarchy, etc. with students. Do this as a grade level team first thing each morning (if needed).
- Make sure students are internalizing why they are working so hard and why you are pushing them so hard. Is it just for the test? Will it all be over soon? Or is there a greater purpose?
- BE FIRM and CONSISTENT! The biggest trend in all 4 schools this week was "inconsistency" with behavior expectations and consequences. Our students struggle to turn on and off their appropriate and inappropriate behavior. If they have a bad day with Teacher A chances are Teacher B will have a bad day with them.
- Have more frequent quick check ins with your teammates both grade level and non grade level if you share a hallway. During these quick check ins troubleshoot trending behaviors or problems and action plan. THE TEAM WILL ALWAYS BE STRONGER THAN THE INDIVIDUAL!
- Refuse to let day 2 be worse than day 1 and so on........
- Over the next 2 weeks find multiple times to treat yourself and don't let the day to day CONSUME you. This causes stress that affects your daily awareness, which affects your daily "withitness"!
Tips to Streamline all Teaching and Learning:
*Make sure after school tutoring and Saturday school pacing has been revised according to the newest data!
*Close the achievement gap on RED (far below basic skills) that are high priority (meaning highly weighted and focus skills). By doubling down on those Red skills in tutoring and on Saturday school you are narrowing your focus and taking the time to "Teach2Mastery"! You will see the pay off on TCAP in growth and proficiency!
*Running out of Item Banks????? STOP and CONTACT a Peer! The resources I am seeing across the district are amazing. Call a Peer, Call a Peer, Call a Peer!
Trio Spotlight Teachers of the Month: Shayla Jeffrees, Deneia Brooks, and Rebekah Berlin
These ladies are in the spotlight for their Exceptional Mock TCAP Data at their grade level! Check out their "Top 3 Tips" from Peer to Peer. Feel free to nominate a peer for our final Spotlight of the year which will happen in May. It will be extra special!
Katrina will send out a google doc with her open calendar times for the week before TCAP and part of Next week for small group Push In Support! She will avail herself on a first sign up basis!
Resource Hub on Sharepoint
Katrina Armor
Email: karmor@tnasd.org
Website: www.achievementschooldistrict.org
Phone: 9014949696