Friday Focus - Nov. 16

Image by Krissy Venosdale

It's been a long (or maybe too quick?) couple of weeks with WKCE testing, end of the quarter, math visits, etc.  I really appreciate your dedication to our students and our ongoing learning.  While visiting Appleton with the 3/4th grades, we had great conversation, learned a lot, but also got affirmation for the incredible work we are doing at Dodgeland.  I can't wait to hear the continued discussions next week during our PD time on Wednesday.

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes
*Notes from grade level meetings can be found HERE Thank you to Joyce and Jenny for taking notes while I was out giving make-up WKCE tests!
*Monday's staff meeting will be "flipped." If you haven't heard the term flipped classroom yet, this is when a teacher has students watch a video/lesson at home and then they do the actual work in the classroom. With this busy time of the year and an XPD session Monday at 3:30, I really just have some informational things and there's no reason to meet in that case (especially with PD on Wednesday). So I am going to "flip" our meeting and make a brief video clip with the notes of what I would share in our meeting.  I will post it this weekend in place of my Monday Musings post.  Please just plan to watch it some time next week. If you are sad that we're not meeting, feel free to meet with me after school ;)

Events this week:
Monday- no meeting (see note above)
Wednesday - Professional Development Day
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Blogs, Pins, and Tweets...Oh My!
*If you are "grading homework," you are in a sense grading the home support/lack there of of all of your students. (@Joe_Mazza)
*"Great teachers teach at the speed of learning. They teach the student, not the lesson."(@Blankenship_S)
*How to deal with an Energy Vampire by Jon Gordon

For students struggling with attention span: Cut a file folder into strips. The shorter the attention span, the smaller you will cut the strips. I cut this one into 3 parts. Students open 1 flap at a time and always begin at the top and work their way down. Students complete the work that they can see when a flap is open.