April 1, 2019
A Communication Tool for the Seven Hills Staff
STAAR:
Thank you everyone for participating in S'more STAAR Training last week. There will be updates sent throughout the week about testing next week. Please read each email carefully.
Seven Hills will be a closed campus to visitors and volunteers on Tuesday the 9th and Wednesday the 10th. Please share this information with your parents.
STAAR Reminders:
ALL STAFF MUST BE GENERAL SECURITY TRAINED! If you were not able to attend our training on Tuesday afternoon, please arrange a time to get trained by contacting Tanya.
Staff who will be giving Oral Administration of the test will have an additional training on Monday, April 1st after the Writing Flamingo Meeting. Bring your manual.
Grade-level training-Wednesday during conference in team leader’s room
Everyone who is giving the STAAR test next week - Remember to read your manual.
4th and 5th grade teachers - make sure you are talking to your students about their accommodations. They need to feel comfortable with what they will be receiving.
Testing rooms and halls must be prepared for testing by the end of the day Friday. Please help each other with this room prep. DO NOT remove everything...please just cover. We have Lighthouse Review the week after STAAR. When your room is cleared, you will have a "Looking Good for STAAR" sign placed outside your room.
STAAR Schedule Information:
- Lunch on STAAR Days: There will be no change to the lunch schedule. Testing will be done prior to lunch.
- Recess on STAAR Days: Recess will continue as normal. You may choose indoor or outdoor recess. Kinder and 1st please only use the K-1 Playground. 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th please only use the field outside the 2nd grade rooms to minimize testing disruptions.
- Specials Schedule on STAAR Days: (see picutures below)
Final Round of Sharpen the Saw Clubs:
Thank you to Lighthouse Team members for making sure everyone had updated their Sharpen the Saw Club slides. Hopefully everyone read the notes below and responded accordingly. The slides and signups are ready in the Team Drive in Google. All students need to be signed up by Wednesday.
Tentative Dates for Round 4 StS:
- April 5
- April 26
- May 3
- May 9
- May 20
- May 23
Previous Communication Sent About Sharpen the Saw Club Concerns:
It was discussed in the Lighthouse Team Meeting this afternoon that some clubs may not be balanced, leaving some clubs with very few students and others with maxed out numbers. Sharpen the Saw Clubs are an opportunity for students to find their voice, use their genius, and develop the whole child. After discussing the imbalance, possible solutions, and the purpose of clubs and the way they were designed with the Lighthouse Team this afternoon, I wanted to share a few points to consider for this round and when planning the next round:
- If you are a K-2 teacher, please look at the current sign ups and see where you might be able to reduce any imbalance by offering students a different club choice. Please do this by the end of the day on Wednesday so that teachers can pull current club lists to take attendance on Friday. Note that because there were a few clubs not open to Kindergarten students, Kindergarten was allotted more spots in some clubs.
- When you choose to partner with another teacher, you will have up to 44 spots open in the club. It is the teachers’ responsibility to plan accordingly for the potential of a large group – space, activities, materials, etc.
- If there are specific material needs, let Kim Blackburn know.
- Do not add any “open” spots to the list without talking to Kim Blackburn.
- If a teacher does not use all the spots allotted them in a particular club, another teacher can reach out to them to take the vacant spot.
- Round 3 begins after spring break. There is plenty of time to be thinking of new, fresh ideas for clubs to offer in the final round. You may remember that I encouraged everyone to consider changing things up this round. The purpose of the clubs is to develop the whole child and engage students in choice based learning opportunities. We need to make sure we are offering high interest, engaging, clubs for all grade levels to choose from. If we don’t offer relevant clubs, then we are not using the instructional time wisely and we might reconsider how the time is spent.
- For round 3, consider breaking away from your friends and teammates to offer additional clubs for students.
- Student led clubs must have an adult sponsor, a plan for the club, and a slide for the slide show before asking me to approve the club. We have students proposing clubs and then not following through. Part of this leadership opportunity is taking full responsibility for the planning and preparation of the club. Are there student led clubs that might be great for K-2 students – where older students lead younger students?
- When the call for slide show revisions and checks goes out, be prompt and complete by the due date.
- Once sign-ups go out, do not make any changes to clubs without talking to Kim Blackburn. Do not cancel clubs, change the topic of clubs, combine clubs, etc.
- If you are absent, make a plan for your club. Sending students back to their homerooms is less than desirable for a variety of reasons and presents safety concerns.
- Make sure you are practicing your protocol for making sure all students return to your homeroom after clubs.
- Make sure you are taking attendance at clubs and accounting for students when they arrive.
If you have questions, concerns, ideas, please let me know or share with your Lighthouse Team representative.
Sharpen the Saw Clubs are GREATNESS…thanks for all you do to make them possible!
Austism Awareness Day Updates From PACEE:
Staff and Students Wear Blue with Jeans on Tuesday for Autism Awareness Day.
Tuesday, April 2nd is world Autism Awareness Day. In an effort to showcase our AUSOME PACEE students I’ve got a couple of ideas. One of them I need your feedback on for SURE.
1. Interactive myth buster board
Students could have the opportunity throughout the week to vote “True” or “False” for 5 statements about autism. They would do this by putting their teacher’s name on a slip of paper (provided on the board) and voting. At the end of the week the class from each grade level with the most correct votes could earn ice cream. (correct answers would be given during announcements throughout the week).
2. Daily Activity
I plan on sending out a small activity, video, or read-aloud each day to staff members. These should only take up to 5-7 minutes and are things they could incorporate into habit huddle for the week.
3. Student Showcase
I’m working this week on gaining parent permission for each student to share their story with their peers. We are working during social studies this week to learn about autism in PACEE and about who we are. We plan on taking that information and creating a 2-3 minute video per student to share with the school next week (if given parent permission). These videos would be sent out to showcase 1-2 students each day and show others that we are AUsome kiddos!
Tanya and I will begin scheduling your End of Year Conferences soon. We have decided that conferences will be completed between April 15 and April 26. You will receive calendar invites for your conferences. If the date and time of the conference will not work for you, it is your responsibility to collaborate with your appraiser to schedule a new date and time. All End of Year Conferences must be completed by Friday, April 26.
In preparation for your End of Year Conference please complete the following by Monday, April 15:
- Domain 4 Reflection in Google Drive:
- https://forms.gle/WxwmMwxQgFNhCsKQ6
- This form allows staff evaluated on the TTESS instrument to reflect on each dimension within Domain 4. The evidence provided in the form will be used to prompt discussion during the End of Year conference and complete the ratings. Staff have the opportunity to upload pictures to support each dimension. While the photos are optional, they can provide valuable evidence. The form limits staff to 5 pictures in each dimension. Choose carefully.
- I recommend completing the reflections in a Word or Google document and copying them into the Google form.
- Goal Setting Reflection in Edugence:
- All staff should have had their goal setting forms “returned” to them in Edugence. If you cannot open yours, please let your appraiser know.
- Staff are completing the “Evidence of Goal Attainment” section as well as providing any evidence to support Part 1 #1 and #2
- The evidence provided in the form will be used to prompt discussion during the End of Year conference and complete the ratings.
It is our hope that the Google form will help you carefully consider Domain 4, setting us up for reflective and meaningful End of Year Conferences. Please put first things first. Do not wait until the last minute to complete your reflections and compile evidence. Remember, everything is due Monday, April 15.
Also, if you have not yet read your observation post conference form, added any comments you would like, signed, saved, and submitted, please do so by Friday, April 5.
Please let Tanya and I know how we can help you! We are looking forward to End of Year Conferences!
- What can you do in your classrooms this week to incerase the percentage of students meeting target minutes and units?
- Are you having students complete Skill Builders as a formative assessment when they complete a lesson? Students should be able to complete the tasks paper pencil. If they are unable to transfer, then we need to set them back to review that lesson.
- Are you monitoring students who have been assigned direct lessons? These are low prep and high yield! They will help close gaps!
- Are you looking at the Resource Hub for lessons and activities that might align with Lead Time small group needs, work period small group needs, etc.?
- Remember, you can use the direct lessons in small group for word work!
Remember, student trajectories will reset tomorrow, April 1st!
Habit Focus of the Week: Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
First seek to understand
There are four basic types of communication:
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
- Listening
In comparison the many hours spent learning how to do the first three, the last type of communication has been neglected, says Covey. “Comparatively few people have had any training in listening at all.” He explains that seeking to first understand involves a paradigm shift: we typically seek first to be understood. We have a tendency to listen with the intent of replying rather than that of understanding. We’re generally either speaking or preparing to speak, most often considering what the other person is saying only based on our own experiences and points of view.
Empathic listening
When another person speaks, we’re usually “listening” at one of four levels:
- Ignoring: not listening at all
- Pretending: “Yes. Hmm. Right.”
- Selective listening: hearing only selective parts of the conversation
- Attentive listening: paying attention and focusing energy on the words that are being said
Very few of us ever practice listening on the fifth level, the highest form of listening: the empathic listening level. Empathic listening involves getting inside another person’s frame of reference, with the intent of true understanding. Seeing the world the way other people see it allows us to understand how they feel.
Then seek to be understood:
According to Covey, it takes a great deal of security to go into a deep listening experience because we open ourselves up to be influenced. We become vulnerable. “Because you really listen, you become influenceable. And being influenceable is the key to influencing others.” This is why habits 1, 2 and 3 are so foundational: because they us allow us to remain centred and aware of ourselves, therefore handling vulnerability caused by an external source with confidence.
Think About This:
The next time you have an opportunity to watch people communicate, cover your ears for a few minutes and just watch. Look for emotions that are being communicated, but that may not come across in words alone.
Campus and District Announcements and Updates:
- Make This a Priority Please: Make Sure Grade Level Student Achievement Google Document is Updated with Benchmark Data and 5th Grading Period Data by the End of the Week. Remember, this data is used for a variety of reasons, and it is important that it is updated consistently.
- TTESS Goal Setting and End of Year Conferences: Tanya and Kim will begin scheduling conferences in April. The information for collecting evidence for Dimension 4, goal progress, etc. will be sent in a separate email. Please plan on having all of this completed by April 13. End of Year Conferences will be completed April 16 - 27.
- FLEX Days: Have you completed the required hours for your 2018 - 2019
FLEX agreement? Do you have documentation of completion of these hours? Tanya and Kim will be confirming these with teachers. Please be prepared to share evidence of completion or your plan to complete the requirement. Remember, if the hours are not completed, the employee is docked pay at the daily rate for the number of hours not completed.
- Save the Date for NISD 2019 - 2020 Professional Learning: The NISD PD calendar has been approved. I attached a document outlining the dates and other important PD information/requirements in the weekly update email. Please read carefully. We will discuss your PD plan for next year in summative conferences.
- Attendance Snapshot Time: Staff, it is imperative that attendance be completed DAILY at the 9:30 reporting time. Funding is connected to this reporting, and should the district/campus be audited, failure to report attendance at the snapshot time could result in loss of funding for all of the students in your classroom on each day that attendance was not completed at the reporting time. Please be advised that reporting attendance is connected to T-TESS discipline 4.
- Reminder About Volunteer Etiquette and a Proactive Plan: We value our volunteers. We know that so many things would not get accomplished if it weren't for our volunteers. Please remind your volunteers that they must be respectful of grade level teams needing to make copies during their planning period. If your volunteer needs to be trained on how to interrupt a big job, please talk to Lacy. In an effort to promote synergy and proactive respect of all parties, when volunteers are here to copy big jobs, they need to use the copier in the lounge. I understand this is not the fastest machine and that bulk paper is in the back. When you know a volunteer is coming, your team needs to prepare the materials needed...paperclips, colored paper, reams of white paper, etc. on a cart and have it ready for the volunteer. Please also make sure you ask/remind your volunteers to complete their volunteer logs. :)
- Copy Paper in the Front Office and Lounge: Every effort is made to stock paper in the front office. If you use the last of the paper in a printer, the copier, or in the cabinet in the lounge or behind Marina's desk, be a leader and tell someone.
- Why is the Closet in the Back Locked? No, it isn't to keep staff from supplies. This is a text book room and must be keyed with a different lock than the master. If you need anything that is kept in this closet, simply ask.
- Air Fresheners: Dr. Warren reminded all campus leaders a while back about the district directive established several years ago regarding air fresheners, including diffusers, plug ins, etc., in our classrooms. I sent communication to our campus about this. This directive is in place because of allergies students and staff suffer from. Please be aware that this directive is still in place. Understand that this means we cannot use any type of air freshener, diffuser, plug in, etc. in the classroom. If you were not aware of this directive, had forgotten, or thought it had been lifted, etc. and have anything of this nature in your classroom, please remove it immediately. Dr. Warren continues to receive communication from concerned parents regarding air fresheners. He should not receive a call concerning Seven Hills. Thank you so much for your attention to this directive.
Student Screen Time:
Recently, Dr. Warren addressed the community regarding screen time. Around the same time, I also shared a reminder in the S'more about screen time. What you read below is an expectation...not a suggestion, as it supports student engagement, promotes achievement, reduces the potential of misuse, and aligns with the message our Superintendent sent to parents.
Additionally, students are frequently accessing personal devices during the school day for non-instructional purposes. Because we have district devices available, there should not be a need for students to access their personal devices during the school day.
It is my expectation that you take time to reflect on student technology usage in your classroom.
- How much screen time is afforded students? I
- s this screen time limited to instructional use such as Imagine Math, Lexia, research?
- Do you allow for device usage during "free" time? If so, do you pre-determine what students are allowed to access? What are your practices to ensure student appropriate usage of devices? With almost half of our students identified as At-Risk and/or receiving Tier 2 or 3 intervention, I seriously question any time seen as "free time." Please know that parents have reported students indicate they use technology for non-instructional activities during "free time."
- How do you monitor usage?
- Do you need to have a conversation with students about appropriate usage? Do you need an administrator to support this conversation?
- Is technology being used during inside recess? We have a plethora of board games in the building, Lego sets in the Library, and the STEM Carts that can all be used for inside recess. Go Noodle is also a great way to get some physical activity in during inside recess. Coach Grounds has hula hoops. Students can hula hoop in the hall, etc. What can be done to engage students beyond the device?
- Lunch is an opportunity for students to engage in social interaction with their peers. We need to set students up for success with engaging in appropriate conversation and interaction with other students. When devices are brought to the table, we send the message that the social interaction is not valued. Not to mention, we increase the liklihood that a device will be damaged. I understand that some students work during recess and the devices are simply brought to the table before or after recess, I hope you will consider where you can set devices so they are not brought to the table.(I do also struggle with Lexia and Imagine Math being punitive...but value logical consequences...think about this...if the same students work on Lexia at recess everyday, yet still do not complete units, is this effective? How can Tanya and I partner with you on these situations?)
Technology is not a babysitter. Students should be engaged in an instructional task when on any device during the school day. Thank you for your careful attention to this expectation.
From the CIT:
Assessments this week:
- Kinder: None
- 1st Grade: April 1-3 1Math.5.Modules 7-9
- 2nd Grade: April 2-4 2Math.5.Modules7-9
- 3rd - 5th Grade: None
Assessments for the following week (April 8-12):
- Kinder: April 11-15 KScience.5.Life Science
- 1st Grade: April 8-19 1Science.5.Chicken Life Cycle
- 2nd Grade - 3rd Grade: None
- 4th Grade: April 9 STAAR Writing
- 5th Grade: April 9 STAAR Math and April 10 STAAR Reading
From the Intervention Team:
We have an RTI PLC Monday morning and we will not be meeting with students.
Caroline’s Schedule
8:00-9:00 3rd Reading
9:05-10:25 5th Grade
10:30-11:30 4th Grade
12:30-1:30 3rd Grade Math
1:30-2:20 4th Grade
2:20-3:00 5th grade
Jeanne’s Schedule
8:05-9:10 Kindergarten Reading
9:15-10:20 2nd Grade Reading
10:30-11:30 2nd Grade Math
12:30-1:00 1st Grade Math
1:05-2:05 Kindergarten Math
2:05-2:20 1st Grade Problem Solving
2:20-3:00 3rd Grade Lead Time
From the Librarian:
BOOK FAIR is this Week! It is going to be Dino-Mite! If you have any sort of dinosaur/Jurassic Park clothes, wear them on Monday.
This is the buying schedule for the book fair, feel free to adjust your time slots as needed. You are also welcome to send 1-2 students to shop at anytime that works for you
.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15KBpxVxJZjrDXXTVEwsg_5NEjc0uVrGbo8M8w4KQpmA/edit?usp=sharing
Please include this information in any/all communication you have with parents/guardians this week.. Please share the online fair link too.
Spring Book Fair Information:
Our book fair will run from Monday, April 1 at 7:20 - Monday, April 8 at 10:30. Only cash and credit cards are accepted, no checks. Please be sure to include 8.25% tax to the price of the item.
*Lunch with a Loved One will be held on Wednesday, April 3. Join your student for lunch then drop by the book fair. Please RSVP to your student’s teacher prior to their lunch time on April 3.*.
Something new this year, we also have the option of shopping on the online book fair. It benefits our school and offers titles that are not in the physical fair.
http://onlinebookfairs.scholastic.com/entrance.aspx?FID=3952213&direct=Y
Thank you all for dropping by to preview the fair last week! I really enjoyed seeing all of you! If you haven’t picked your 5-6 titles for the Wish List Box, it’s not too late!
Save the Date:
Notes:
- Book Fair Week
- Lighthouse Review Date April 16
Monday, April 1:
- Intervention Team PLC and RtI updates
- Dr. Griffin visits 7 Hills, 1:00
- No ILT Meeting
- Flamingo Meeting to Provide 4th Grade Writers Feedback Before Their BIG Test, 3:30 - If you have a 4th grade writing buddy, YES, you need to attend
- Grade Level PLCs
- Lighthouse Action Team Meetings (Lighthouse Review and Career Day Planning and Preparations)
- Autism Awareness Day - Wear blue with jeans
Wednesday, April 3:
- Staff may wear jeans and school shirt as part of fall campus fundraising incentive
- Book Fair Lunch With a Loved One
Thursday, April 4:
- Leadership Teams Meeting, 3:30 (Preparation for Lighthouse Review -any staff member welcome)
- National School Librarian's Day
Friday, Aoril 5:
- Sharpen the Saw Clubs Round 4
- POSSIBLE Site Visit...They have not confirmed...this would be a great opportunity to practice a tour and classroom visits one more time before Lighthouse Review
- Halls and rooms muct be ready for STAAR
Happy Birthday to You: