Anchor Weekly
A newsletter for Alta Vista Staff~Week of April 13, 2020
Don't Forget! Next Week's Calendar
- Monday, April 13 at 9:30 am: Alta Vista Google Meets Link: https://meet.google.com/opc-uaud-ooo
- Tuesday, April 14 at 3:00-6:00 pm: FINAL CALL FOR TECHNOLOGY/MATERIALS PICK UP Volunteer Here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U1sfiQmvrcizM4_7UBIk0IhEszbfwx_ivmEOEgykZn4/edit?usp=sharing
- Tuesday, April 14: Email/text Ms. Orchard a picture of when you were a baby or young child.
- Wednesday, April 15 at 9:30 am: Alta Vista Google Meets Link http://meet.google.com/ywj-esoc-fnn
- Wednesday, April 15 at 10:30: Region 12 Math/Science Brunch Bunch Zoom Link http://Description:bit.ly/esc12BrunchBunch
- REQUIRED Wednesday, April 15: "We Care Wednesday" Phone Call to All Families
- REQUIRED Grade Level Check In on Thursday, April 16: Sign up here as a grade level
- Friday, April 10 at 9:30 am: Leadership Team Meeting
Weed of April 20: Paraprofessional Performance Appraisals with Helton via Zoom
Captain's Log
I hope that everyone has a very blessed weekend. Many of us celebrate Easter, which is a celebration of rebirth. While you may not be able to spend time with your extended family, count your blessings and enjoy your time with those closest to you. I feel that this experience during the past month has been a "rebirth" for many of us about what matters most.
If you purchased an autism shirt from Ms. Arthur, it would be great if you would send her a picture of you wearing the shirt. You can email or text her at 254-733-0652.
Mrs. Helton's Week At A Glance
- Monday-Meetings all day
- Tuesday- Transformation Waco Zoom Meeting (AM); Material Distribution (PM)
- Wednesday-We Care Wednesday Phone Calls
- Thursday-Grade level check ins
- Friday-Leadership Zoom Meeting at 9:30 am
Staff To-Do List
- Email/text Mrs. Orchard a picture of when you were a baby/young child (4/14)
- ALL STAFF-We Care Wednesday Phone Calls (4/15)
- Grade Level Check-In/PLC (INCLUDING AIDES) (4/16)
- Become familiar with reporting/assigning lessons in HMH, ImagineMath, Envision & Stemscopes (4/20)
- Recognize student effort by adding their story on our Anchored in Excellence Sheet (Ongoing)
- Behavior Team: Classroom Remodel Wish List
- Add items to the Wish List including Summer Professional Development (ongoing)
Weekly Facebook Challenges
Starting this week, we will be posting a daily video of a fun themed activity. This week is robots! Besides something fun to do, we also want to give students away to complete one of their assignments without having to use technology.
By posting in the comments, students will continue to enter their names into a weekly drawing for a family game pack.
On April 20, we will roll out a new theme and any staff can sign up to make a fun video/activity to go with the weekly theme. You can sign up HERE. You can make a video, do Facebook Live on the Alta Vista page, have a Google Hangout, or more!
Again, this is just something FUN and OPTIONAL to do because we know families are getting bored. It's also a way for us to connect with kids and show them our silly side! Here are the activities for the week of April 13:
Monday-Build a Future City or Robot out of things around your house and take a picture. Ms. Helton will be sharing her creations. Write about what your robot or city looks like.
Tuesday-Take a picture of you reading a robot book (or any book). Ms. Spark will be reading a robot story aloud. Don't forget to tag #WacoISDReads
Wednesday-Dance like a robot and take a picture! Ms. Malcom will be showing you how to do the moves. Make up your own robot dance moves and write about it.
Thursday-Game Time! Play Would You Rather with a family member and take a picture. Ms. Maynard and Mr. Ward will show you how! Write about what type of robot you would rather be.
Friday-Draw a robot and take a picture! Ms. Orchard will show you how. Describe your robot with at least 10 descriptive words.
We Care Wednesdays
Keep up the great work connecting with families this week on Contact #5. Remember this is REQUIRED FOR ALL STAFF. If you are a non-homeroom teacher, leave your name in the comments column.
PLCs
Mrs. Helton will be meeting with every grade level (including the grade level aides) this week on Thursday for a quick check-in. Please sign up as a grade level for a time HERE. This is a required activity for this week.
Agenda:
-Celebrations
-Know & Show Feedback
-Professional Development
Tech Support
Parents can connects with Ms. Boggess during virtual office hours by calling 254-710-9134.
Instructional Materials & Online Assignments
Last call for technology distribution will be on Tuesday, April 14 from 3:00-6:00 pm.
Students are receiving a folder of paper-based activities that they can complete in lieu of online assignments if they don't have technology or need a break. You can see what was included HERE. Again, these are optional! Parents can send you a picture of the work for "credit."
Online Assignments can be viewed HERE. Remember that Special Education students have a different pack of work to complete; see Mrs. Salazar for any questions about those materials.
VERY IMPORTANT! Going forward, if teachers choose to use a video chat feature when offering instructional support, they should use Google Meet rather than Zoom. The technology department shared that Google Meet is a safer option when providing support in this way. This was mentioned in the message sent on Monday, but we want to make sure teachers know to make the switch. Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe!
Family Support from Mr. Ward
-From Mr. Ward
PD Opportunities for Online Programs
Please see the video below for more information about ImagineMath and how to access their professional development tools. Students may still work on Dreambox if they prefer but I want to see how ImagineMath works out for us.
Region 12 Lesson Study
"Noel and I have noticed that our conversations about math outside of Lesson Study have been much more in depth than they were before. It’s been great working with Jennifer, she’s made it easy for us by breaking the process down into manageable pieces." -Mrs. Haskett
"I love the Lesson Study! The opportunity to look into where our students struggle across grade levels and study in depth the whys is so valuable. The hard part, of course, is finding a remedy. We have studied what the math literature says about why students struggle with the focus standards and studied what it says about how to address instructional needs of each kind of learner. I think we have all grown professionally. I know that I have, and I sat through a whole summer of Master Math preparation! Another realization for teachers has been how what they teach and how well they teach it impacts student's learning as they move through the next grades. I think this has been a very valuable experience for us!" -Mrs. Spark
We are currently considering how we could continue Lesson Study next year with a group focused on developing a READING lesson. The main commitment is participating in a weekly meeting, but what you will get in return is so much more. Depending on the grades/teachers that participate, it could be during conference time or after school. Please email Mrs. Helton if you are interested in participating and really diving deeper into the reading TEKS.
Self-Care for You!
With the recent passing of Mr. Perry, I think it’s important we spend some time talking about grief and it is no easy topic to discuss. Even if you did not personally know Mr. Perry, his death may impact you in many ways as a community member. Many of us are experiencing grief and/or loss of other things in addition to this recent news. So, please give yourself time and space to meditate on what’s happening and how you feel.
This article gives an informative approach to how we can process grief and a few great definitions of the different forms of grief we might be experiencing. The five stages of grief are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. There is an additional shock factor that includes feeling paralyzed or emotionless. These may not be clear cut for everyone, but we may find comfort in putting a name to our feelings.
The most important thing we can do for ourselves is to extend grace. We all fill many roles and wear many hats, and at this point juggling those on top of this crisis is no easy feat. Give yourself grace, give your loved one’s grace, and encourage them to do the same. It’s often hard to continue to be kind and patient with ourselves during this uncharted time. It’s important to continue to practice self-compassion, especially when faced with grief.
Take time to enjoy the small things this week. Get active, watch movies, cook, and breathe deep. Find ways to laugh, it is truly a medicine! Every day is one step closer and we know you are doing the absolute best that you can, and we thank you for that!
Staff of the Week
Ms. Pina has been doing an amazing job of calling families for "We Care Wednesdays!"