The Gratz Weekly Scoop
September 19, 2016
Character Ed Word for August and September: Respect
Thought for the week:
-Robin Sharma
Collaborative Learning Time for 9/19/16
Meet in Library; We will use this room and the Computer Lab
- Data Team Training for Staff from the PLC reps for GBE
- Bring something to write with and paper
- Your amazing smile and team collaboration! :)
Big Events for Next week:
- Star Testing Make Ups will be made up until the 1st of October. Talk to Samantha about having those students that still have this need to get in and take this assessment for Math and Reading.
- DRA Scoring will continue during the RTI time by team members as the need is seen.
- Decorating for Homecoming -- PTO is taking this over and has decided to meet Monday at 5 to start working on things for our trailer. We have an 18ft trailer and truck. We are in need of 20 hay bales, and staff interested in riding that day in the parade. Add your name to the GBE Float list if you are interested. This will be posted on the break room door.
- Homecoming Game Friday night!! It starts at 7 pm and will be an exciting event! I am a little partial as the mama of #9. :) Please come cheer on our boys if you able. We play the Marshall Owls.
To Do's:
- Check Google Calendar each week.
- Buddy rooms turned into Mr. Samuel by the end of this week.
- Update Parent Involvement Log from Open House and Curriculum Night and share with me by October 3rd. I will use this information for our Building SIP Goal.
- Lessons for the week prepared and out daily on everyone's desk for us to see when we walk through. Small group lessons prepared also and visible.
- SLO testing windows you are using shared with me. (Remember the final date all data is due for SLO's in your template and the scoring guide (similar to last year) is due by January 31st, 2017. Scoring guides will be shared out later through Google classroom.
- First round of SLO's scored and templates and baselines completed and turned in through Google classroom by September 19th.
- Those who do Smart Goals instead of SLO's follow the same requirements and deadlines as the SLO's. Turn your Smart Goal forms into my door labeled with your name please.
- Send Spartan Tutroing Letters home to students invited on Monday, September 19th. These are due back by the 23rd. Encourage parents to get those in on time.
- This year to assist with Spartan Tutoring, I will be asking classroom teachers to help me in contacting parents that have not returned these by the due date. On Thursday, if your student has been invited and has not RSVP'd you will be asked to reach out to the family also to get the confirmation they are or are not attending.
- ELO's for Math- the pacing and calendar needs to be completed this week
- ELO work for ELA, SS and Science will start - I will meet with two reps from each team to get these captured quickly. It will take one meeting to get the initial work done. The pacing will be done more by what you have in place and re-adjusting to what shows to need more focus. I will send out info to teams when we start this work.
- Norms for teams are due to me by the end of this week. 9/23- please place a hard copy in my door and keep one to be reviewed by your group each meeting.
Building Info/Staff Info:
- If I have not met with you yet, please know that I've had to shift some to do's due to other needs within the building. I do plan on doing short face to face talks with everyone throughout the year.
- Jean's days are on the calendar. They are designated as Donation Denim Days OR Spartan Spirit Days.
- As committees begin to have their first meetings, please adhere to the protocols listed on the list of committee's within our Staff Handbook. Once our decided upon norms are set, I will add these to the cover page for the committees to be adhered to as well at each meeting. Check the GBE calendar for all upcoming committee and team meetings each week.
- Star Reports will not go home at Mid Quarter. These will be sent home/shared at Fall Parent Teacher Conferences. If a parent would like their students results early that is possible. See Samantha Buxton or myself if you are unaware of how to share those results. These will be updated in SIS as we finish this Benchmark window this month.
- Spartan Tutoring Student Lists will be solidified on Friday by Lindsay Overfelt and myself. These will be shared with teachers prior to the start of Spartan Tutoring on October 3rd.
- Mid Quarter is Friday, September 16th. Grades need to be in SIS by the 21st for Melissa. Progress Reports will go home on Friday, September 23rd.
- I will be sending out some staff surveys in regards to our first Faculty meeting and our PD day coming up in October. To take a temperature check on needs of staff for these events.
"Happy Birthday to You"
September
Lisa Simms- 3rd
Sarah Lewis- 22
Ellen Miller-26th
Looking ahead at events for GBE:
September
9/19 Week of Homecoming; Spirit Days - see the calendar; Spartan Tutoring Letters Go Home to invited students; Homecoming PTO Decorating mtg at 5
9/23 Early Out at 1:00; Homecoming Parade: Mid Quarter Grades Go Home; Spartan Tutoring Letters due back to school.
9/28 GBE Picture Day- Melissa will have a schedule out and we will have PTO helpers that day
9/29 McDonald's Cookie Sales flyer Goes Home
9/30 Spartan Spirit Assembly at 8:35 All Grades- Mr. Samuel will have out the seating arrangement for these assemblies prior to this date; Run a prior discussion about what it will look like and our GBE Expectations during assemblies please. Take your lunch counts on the day before the assembly. Turn into the office that day or the next morning before going into the assembly.
October:
3rd- McDonalds Cookie Sales $ due- info will go home prior; Spartan Tutoring Begins
5th- Walk to School Day; Author Visit for Students - Beth Vrabel
7th to the 21st GBE PTO T-shirt sales begin - online
12th Bike to School Day
17th No School Teacher Work Day
21st End of First Quarter; Sonic Drink Choices due in the Google Doc
24th-28th Scholastic Book Fair at GBE
25th Parent Teacher conferences- evening only
27th Early out at 1:00 PT conferences continued in evening; Spartan Spirit Assembly 8:35 All Grades
28th No School
31st Halloween
Check the calendar for other team or committee meetings each week! This is an absolute must in order for everyone to be on the same page. Please take this professional responsibility upon yourself to stay up to date. I will not be listing each team/committee meeting in the newsletter each week, as it bogs down the newsletter and is available in other areas for teachers and staff.
Teacher Support
Groups work on a different section of a text or concept and become experts on that section. Then, restructure the groups so each new group has a member that read or worked with a different section of the text/concept. Each "expert" will share their work with the rest of the students in the group.
How could you use this in your classroom? Try it and share with your team!