Bobcat Bulletin
February 24, 2020
This Week's Events
Monday 2/24
- WIDA Testing 2nd - 5th Grade (Speaking)
- 31A Due
Tuesday 2/25
- Devon at OVS in AM
Wednesday 2/26
- Math Coach (Impacted Teachers already Notified)
- ET in MakerSpace 3:50 - 5:35
Thursday 2/27
- Math Coach (Impacted Teachers already Notified)
- ROAR Assembly 2:00 (4th and 5th)
- ROAR Assembly 2:45 (K - 3)
Friday 2/28
- Leap into Reading Read-in
Next Week's Events
Monday 3/2
- Devon at 1:15 Meeting
Tuesday 3/3
- Data Dig All Day - Conference Room
- Devon at OVS 12:30 - 2:00
- Lighthouse Meeting 3:30
Wednesday 3/4
Thursday 3/5
- 3rd Grade Music Informances (5:30 Wells/Charboneau, 6:15 Mooney/McDougal, 7:00 Parnin)
Friday 3/6
Looking Ahead
March 9
- Math Coach
- Collegial Chair - 4:15pm @ RW
March 10
- No School - PD Day
March 13
- Author Visit - Alan St. Jean
March 16
- Family Game Night
March 19
- 5th Grade Music Concerts 6:00 - 8:00
March 24
- Amerman Hosts BOE Meeting 7:00
Diamonds in the Rough
I found this while scanning the interwebs this past weekend. I feel it is so very true for many of our students.
“It can be said of most, if not all, children with whom we work, that they are “diamonds in the rough.” Underneath even the most cautious, guarded-with-defenses exterior is a child with talents, skills, and dreams looking for a place for the sparkle to emerge and be seen. Some diamonds are camouflaged better than others. Even so, diamonds are still present. All children have ‘sparkle’ no matter how tarnished they may appear. Our tasks as educators include looking for, finding, and affirming, (polishing) “diamonds in the rough.”
You make a difference, you are one of the most important people in the lives of your students. Embrace that and “polish” each and every one of them. They are all lucky to have the master teachers and staff we have at Amerman!
Observations
Round three observations are complete! I will be sending out my follow-up emails this week. If you would like to meet in person rather than email back a response, I would love the conversation around teaching and learning.
Round 4 will begin March 2. While there will be noticings and wonderings during round 4, there will not be any written feedback unless you ask for it. The goal, is to be done before testing season is upon us. Thanks for being prompt in providing me answers to my noticings.
The Hill
There have been a number of questions surrounding "The Hill" lately. The number one question is, "Can students play on the hill?" The answer is, no. For safety reasons, we do not allow our students to play on the hill at recess, especially when it is covered in snow and ice. In the warmer months, there is a walking path they are allowed to use that takes them up one side and down another side. They are never allowed to just run up and down it.
For consistency purposes, I ask that you enforce the same "Hill Rules" when you take your students out for a brain break in the afternoon. The Hill is off-limits during school hours (except for the walking path during warmer months). If students want to run, roll and slide down the hill, they can do it when they are their parent's responsibility, not ours.
The Leader in Me Website
On Thursday, Elizabeth, Blake, Christine and I met with our LIM coach to look at where we are and what we need to do for recertification and beyond. We paired up with Thornton Creek for our coaching day and it was great to have the time to bounce ideas off of eachother.
One thing that I noticed is several people have not had logged into the newly update website. I encourage you to check it out. I sent out an email while I was at coaching with the log in instructions. Please take some time to explore the website. Feel free to use your collegial time.
LC Corner - Curriculum, Literacy & Learning...oh my!
As we continue to consider the various ways we can differentiate in our classroom, whether through content, process or product/assessments, let’s take a moment to review what Carol Ann Tomlinson has written about the topic extensively.
In the 3rd Edition of her book How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms, Tomlinson clearly lays out for us what is and is not differentiated instruction. The chart below serves as a sound reminder for us to refer to and help us to build our understanding of differentiation as it relates to instruction. Which ones do you think you do well as a teacher? Which ones could you learn more about? Which ones do you have strategies you would share with others?
FYI - March is Reading Month 2020
NHS ATHLETES TO READ AT AMERMAN - You have the opportunity to have a very special guest reader for your students in March. We are partnering with the NHS Athletic Department. They will send student athletes to us on Monday, March 23rd. They are able to come at 9:30 and 10:00 and will bring a book to read aloud to your class.
Follow this link to sign-up or decline this offer: March 23rd NHS Athlete Guest Reader Sign-up
This document has all the school-wide dates and events that you will want to know about and may want to share with your families. Closer to March we will share it out in the weekly Bobcat Broadcast.
2020 MIRM Optional Fun Calendar
This calendar is full of activities for readers to do all month long. It is an optional calendar that you can share with your students and families.
Check this link out for all our goals and incentives this year. We hope to have Pizza Cutter coupons again.
We’re hoping that at least 80% of the building will meet their reading goals for the month because when we do, Mrs. Caudill will come dressed as a Star Wars character for our March ROAR Assembly. Follow the link for more details.
And here’s the link to all of this year’s themed goal sheets: Reading Logs
Remember goals can be by minute, by title, by page or by book. It is your call as the teacher and what will work best for your students this year.
Members of the Bobcat Boost Team will be around the last week of February so your class can randomly select the genre for your door. Read the link for more details.
“The Hidden Impact of Screen Time on the Developing Brain”
March 2, 2020
4:15 PM - 5:45 PM, Northville High School, Auditorium
You are invited to join us on Monday, March 2, 2020 to hear Katey McPherson, a well-known educator, speaker and advocate for protecting the health and wellness of our kids, particularly as it relates to the digital landscape of today’s world. This presentation is open to Teachers, Administrators, Parents, and ALL interested Community Members on “The Hidden Impact of Screen Time on the Developing Brain.”
In this presentation, you will learn how neuroscientists, sociologists and psychologists continue to process the incoming data on what is the exact impact of screen time on the developing brain. Katey provides keen insights into the types of screen time as well as how trusted adults and parents can guide and mentor students both at school and at home. She will discuss how we can collectively support the future of America by stepping into the digital divide instead of creating a larger one.
We hope to see you at this powerful learning session!
(Katey McPherson is also our Keynote and Breakout Session speaker at Parent Camp on Saturday, February 29, 2020. Hope you can join us there too!)
Steam Fair 2020 - Sign-Ups Needed!
STEAM Fair 2020 Our Planet: Solving Today's Problems to Open a World of Possibilities for Tomorrow is coming this April (4/22/2020)! We would love to have any and all STEAM/Science/Art presentations and projects that you may have! FOSS Science, Mystery Science Labs, IQWST Science, Science Fair, classroom science and Maker Space projects are all welcome.
NEW THIS YEAR! This year we will be giving awards in the following categories - Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. Awards are: Most Creative, World of Possibilities (best aligned to STEAM Fair Theme) and Judges Choice.
Sign up here to be part of STEAM: STEAM Fair Sign Up
Welcoming Rituals and Optimistic Closures
I am seeing some wonderful examples of both of these throughout the building! Thank you so much for implementing these into your daily routine...they're an integral part of our Social/Emotional goal for the year. Please see the links below for more examples of Welcoming Routines and Optimistic Closure Routines:
- Click here for the the CASEL Three Signature Practices Playbook. It has LOTS of suggestions for Welcoming Rituals and Optimistic Closures
- Click here for more Welcoming Routine examples
- Click here for more Optimistic Closure examples
Dismissal Duty
Week of 2/24
- Bus - Parnin
- Loop - Tiba, Hartnett, Rohrhoff, McDougall
Week of 3/2
- Bus - Willerer
- Loop - Cowger, Wayne, Isenberg, Pinkelman
Random Useless Facts
- More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes.
- The drink “7UP” used to contain lithium (an anti-depressant).
- A seagull drinks salt water because it has special gland that filer out the salt.
- The average American visits a fast food restaurant six times a month.
- The United States has never lost a war in which mules were used.
- For $150 you can become a licensed dead animal hauler in Texas.
- The fear of long words is called Hippopotomonstros-esquippedaliophobia.
- Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn’t wear pants.
Happy Birthday!!
- February 26 - Elizabeth LaManna
March 5 - Sue Segerstrom
- March 7 - Bridget Beson
- March 26 - Megan Wilson
- March 30 - Robin Long
Now that I've been observed...how do I upload and label evidence into pivot again?
1. Upload, name, and code evidence to a specific indicator.
2. To check where you have evidence by indicator.