The Serpas Scoop
Week of January 1 - 5, 2024
Full Circle
Fast forward to present day...... As of January 2, 2024, this time of year won't be AS painful because my sister gave birth to my beautiful niece, Evelyn Grace. What an amazing GIFT she is! And I'm going to venture to say, my Daddy is full of happiness to know his "girls" are now full of happiness too.
There's always a silver lining and a ray of sunshine after every storm. Sometimes it just takes awhile to find it.
Reminders & Info - READ ALL!
- REPEAT!! Meeting coverage - If you have a meeting during recess, then it is just your "day" to stay in. Everything else is worked out amongst your team. All we do is provide coverage for staying inside unless it's indoor recess.
- Have you scheduled your observation with me or Karen if you need one this semester? Please do so ASAP!
- Secret Staff - January's gift is something COZY! Don't forget to give your secret staff person their gift sometime this month!
Important Dates!
- January 8 - Anchor Meetings
- January 9 - BLT mtg & PTO Board Mtg
- January 10 - Early Release & Karen out
- January 11 - 1st Data day and Christy out
- January 12 - Buddy Mtg & Christy out
- January 15 - MLK Day - No School
- January 16 - Faculty Mtg
- January 19 - Community Mtg
REPEAT!!! Push the RESET button/Time to GO!
- Are you still giving positive referrals and OFTEN?
- Do you have anchor charts posted in your room with academic vocabulary? They should REMAIN THERE AND be referenced often!
- Do you have Data Charts posted of CFAs and Benchmarks where you and the students can track progress? **Taryn Richter has a great example!
- Are you resetting classroom expectations? January is a perfect time for that!
Answering the 4th Question!
Ask the student to write “I wonder” questions in the margins of their assignment. Accept all student-authored questions that demonstrate reflection on the material, even those that show out-of-the-box thinking. This can work for any subject. In math while learning percent, a student might write, “I wonder what percent of my classmates had cereal for breakfast?” In science, “How do the phases of the water cycle change on lands close to the equator? Close to the Arctic Circle?” In social studies, “What would my day look like if I lived in South America during this era?” This practice encourages critical thinking, deep reflection on the material, imagination, and questioning assumptions.