The Dream Team
10/11/16 Weekly Memo 14
Table of Contents
- Middle School Priorities
- Be Fearless
- A Message from the Coach
- Week at a Glance
- Put this on Your Radar
- Good Things
- $500 Grant Opportunity
- Literacy? SEL?
- Internal School Review Information
- Addendum to ABCs for Absences
Middle School Priorities
Big Rock 1: School Learning Climate
- Literacy through first 20 in every Humanities, English, Spanish, & Specials class and STOP closure method in every class & Math Fluency through first 20 in every Math & Science class.
- SEL through mindful practices, good things, and team building during advisory.
Big Rock 2: Professional Capacity
- Individual Development Plans for personalized growth including specific coaching and support.
- Grade Level and Content Level Teacher Leadership.
Big Rock 3: Parent, School, and Community Ties
- Engaging families through family nights and volunteer opportunities.
- Developing Partnerships to invest the community in our school.
A Message From the Coach
Hello There!
Wow! This week has flown by and I am not upset about it! This tells me that the year is quickly escaping us and we must ensure that we are consistently pushing scholars to new heights!
This week I reflected on quarter 1 and I thought about how much we have to be thankful for; most scholars have shown growth, scholars who have never passed a CA before has added that accolade to their transcrip and it is exciting. I know, we still have work to do, but it is a necessity to stop and think about all of the things we've done well and celebrate them.
I couldn't be more thankful for such an awesome team! My leadership team is incredible, and you all make my day so much brighter! I know this field is tough but their is no better place to be than here- to see scholars grow and develop as the year progresses.
I'm excited for what's to come!
The Dream Team Will Fight!
Sincerely,
Andrea
Week At A Glance
Monday, October 17th: A Day
Business Casual- Wear Black per the Sunshine Committee
Morning Meeting at 7:22am in the library (Sunshine Committee in-charge)
Peters Out
Tuesday, October 18th: B Day
Business Casual
Morning Meeting at 7:22am in the library
Wednesday, October 19th: A Day
Business Casual
Morning Meeting at 7:22am in the library
PD begins in the library at 3:15pm
Breakouts in the following:
Math/Science in 353
Humanities/ELAR/Span in 361
Non CA tested teachers in 351
Thursday, October 20th: B Day
Business Casual
Morning Meeting at 7:22am in the library
Luna Out Williams' ISR
Golledge Out Williams' ISR
Friday, October 21st: A Day
Business Casual
Morning Meeting at 7:22am in the library
Parks Out
Fluker Out
Thomas Out
Moutry Out
NorthPark Trip (Mr. Kelley-put in a request for a sub)
Saturday, October 22nd
Parent University!!! 10am-2pm
Put this on your radar
Monday, October 17th
Stand Up for Others Week
Sunshine Committee in Charge at Morning Meeting
Where Black Please be on time
Thursday, October 20th
Golledge Out ISR at Williams
Luna Out ISR at WIlliams
Friday, October 21st
R. Thomas Out
Parks Out
Saturday, October 22nd
Parent University 10am-2pm
Monday, October 24th
Red Ribbon Week
Twin out against drug day
Tuesday, October 25th
Super Heros defends drugs day
Wednesday, October 26th
Report Card Conferences
Red shirts for Red Ribbon Week Day
Thursday, October 27th
Golledge Out
Silly Socks Against Drugs Day
Friday, October 28th
Golledge Out
Black out Against Drugs Day
Thursday, November 3rd
Parks Out for North Hills ISR
Friday, November 4th
Middle School Dance
Good Things...
Mrs. Parks says..
- Shout out to Ms. Golledge for planning Parent U, it is going to be amazing!!
- Shout out to Mr. Gardner for holding scholar accountable to expectations!
- Shout out to Dr. Cantu for pushing scholars to articulate justification of their responses.
- Shout out to Ms. Pietroboni for leading an amazing Math team meeting.
- Shout out to Ms. Harris for being vulnerable during the Math meeting.
- Shout out to Ms. Landis for providing such great feedback during the Math meeting!
- Shout out to Mr. Kelley for an amazing Parent U sign!
- Shout out to Mrs. Soto for jumping right in and planning your very first Spanish story!
- Shout out to Mrs. Brown for putting together the AR letters for scholars, and parents to better understand AR and for creating the Reading Log!
- Shout out to Mr. Luna for leading a successful collab day!
- Shout out to Ms. Gracia and the MS volleyball team for being undefeated and making it to the district tournament!
- Shout out to Mr. Houston for leading the leadership team in an amazing DFFS deep dive! So excited about the next steps!
- Shout out to Ms. Iwule & Ms. Mack for an incredible number of cheerleading participants!
- Shout out to Ms. Heinze & Ms. Harris for completing their first quarter as teachers!!! Way to go!
- Shout out to Ms. Thomas and Ms. Arellano for assisting with Data and Desserts!
Ms. Golledge says...
- Shout out to Mrs. Parks for being my Parent U right hand man.
- Shout out to Mr. Henry Wilson for always helping middle school.
- Shout out to Ms. Heinze and Ms. Moutry for a great collaborative lesson.
- Shout out to Ms. Prince and Ms. Norton for presenting at Parent U!
$500 Grant Opportunity for Teachers- Deadline is October 21st!
Please visit link below for $500 Teacher Grant opportunity for Uplift Education District educators.
https://www.saveonenergy.com/teacher-grant/
Interested in winning $500 for your classroom? SaveOnEnergy.com® is looking for the best lesson plans for teaching students about energy or sustainability.
Now it's your turn to create a lesson plan for our second annual Teacher Grant that can help kids learn about energy. We encourage lesson plans that vary in scope and topic, and you're welcome to cite any helpful information you find on the SaveOnEnergy.com Learning Center. All lessons must check off every requirement on the list below to be considered.
Encompass energy and/or sustainability knowledge.
Be appropriate for a grade level from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Include goals and how you plan to measure students’ understanding.
Include a fully detailed description of the lesson plan, handouts, etc., with a list of all materials needed.
Be created by one teacher without use of existing prepared educational materials outside of those available on SaveOnEnergy.com.
Encourage student development through participation opportunities.
LITERACY? SEL?
LITERACY
Our goal for literacy is for scholars to gain/have...
- The ability to read text accurately and fluently
- Enough background knowledge and vocabulary to make sense of the content
- The knowledge and skills in using reading strategies that improve understanding or repair it when it breaks down
- The ability to think and reason about the information and concepts in the text
- Motivation to understand and learn from text
SEL
Our goal for social & emotional learning is for scholars to...
- Be able to self-regulate their emotions
- Understand themselves and what pushes them
- Become intrinsically motivated to do what is best for themselves
- Develop grit, perseverance, tenacity, and determination
- Feel a sense of belonging in school and in various aspects of their live
Doing so will ensure that scholars are able to thrive in any environment in which they are placed. We understand that many middle-schoolers lack impulse control and we also understand that the lack of self-control can have far-reaching impact that we do not want our scholars to face. So we have set parameters that provide scholars with clear expectations, avenues to talk about their feelings, and a space to model self-control.
Internal School Review Blackout Day November 7th
ISR: We will host our Internal School Review (ISR) on Monday, November 7th, and we are excited to get feedback from a diverse group of leaders in our network. This is a great learning opportunity for our school and for the ISR team participants. Below are details about the process so that you know what to expect:
- What is the purpose of the ISR? Central to the ISR is an approach to professional development grounded in self-reflection and assessment, observation and feedback, and peer mentoring and problem-solving. The ISR process allows leaders in all capacities across the network to engage in team problem solving and provide valuable feedback to Campus Leadership Teams.
- Who is on the ISR team? Campus Directors host an ISR team comprised of leaders across the network (e.g. Managing Directors, Campus Directors, Uplift administration, Deans, Curriculum Coordinators, Instructional Coaches, Content Teacher Leaders), peer partners (local charter schools), representatives from key programs (e.g. IB, TFA, Teaching Excellence), and consultants acting as process observers.
- How should I prepare for the ISR? Teach and plan a regular lesson like you would do on any other day. The ISR team will need to see an authentic lesson to get an accurate snapshot of the instructional day. You will need to print your lesson plans for the day of the ISR and post them in a visible location in your room.
- o What should I do during the ISR? You will not need to make significant changes to your day. You should plan on attending any regularly scheduled meetings, teaching typical lessons, and completing your normal duties, unless notified by someone on the Leadership Team.