Friday, April 29, 2016

As we finish out the year I know we have a lot of testing...Forward, MAP, F&P, PALS. As we continue to learn with our students, I urge you to stay positive.  Assessments will take instructional time out of our days so those times that we have with our students outside of the testing time needs to be positive for our students and for you.  Can you allow students more of a chance for choice in their learning?  What new activity might you try?  How can you be a learner with your students?  Why not invite another teacher in to co-teach an activity together?  Maybe you could have a guest speaker or guest student?  The ideas are truly endless.  Don't let testing get you and your students down. :)

Events Next Week: emails continue Monday-Wednesday for the I.O.T.W.Y.M.B.T.N… W.Z. Contest
Monday - It's mid-quarter already! Please send progress reports home this week. :)
Wednesday - FUN staff meeting to conclude the I.O.T.W.Y.M.B.T.N… W.Z. Contest and celebrate Teacher Apprecation week! All support staff are welcome to join us too. :)
Thursday - I will be out of the building at a workshop
Friday - Vision screening for grades 1/3/5

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*I hope to make a decision on the READ 180/Intervention position by next Friday, so please let me know if you've thought about this, but just haven't talked to me yet.
*Please join us in saying goodbye to Mrs. Riesen and welcoming Miss Alicia to take over for the remainder of the school year.
*Congratulations to Mrs. Pasewald who will be staring her new position in the District Office!
*With all of these changes, I am working on trying to make sure we have enough coverage of students needing special ed aide support and for recess/lunch duties. *I wonder if I would be more successful at trying to spin plates? ;)
*MAP testing is set to go. Please do not feel you must get it in right away, because I am NOT hard set on that SLO deadline. (Seriously)  Also, Mr. Modaff is working to try to get the brand new app ready to go for 2nd-5th grades to make your MAP testing lives easier.

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
I don't want to provide a bunch here this week, because I feel JUST ONE is really important at this time of year:

Dear Teacher On the Tired Days

Friday, April 22, 2016

Watch the Talent Show video to get this!

With most of my moments consumed by all things testing, I have missed being in classrooms to see all of the great learning happening lately.  But I was grateful for the awesome Talent Show to get to enjoy seeing our students perform and see our staff work together so well to pull off such a great event that brings families into our building.  I am always amazed by the coordination and planning that goes into this event; from try-outs to rehearsals, encouragement to students with last minute nerves, and of course the staff talent.  It is a great celebration to enjoy with our Dodgeland Family!  So, if you missed it, you must check out the staff show (and feel free to share with your students)...

Events Next Week: Forward Testing is taking place each morning in 3, 4 or 5th grades so please keep the hallways quiet.

Monday - We will have some visiting teachers in a few classrooms to observe Math Expressions. I have already been coordinating with those that will have them join their classroom (and follow-up to confirm today!)
Wednesday - Workout Wednesday :)
 Health Insurance Informational Meeting
 Administrative Professionals Day (make sure to thank our awesome ladies in the offices!)
Thursday - FFA Petting Zoo (sign up for a time in the mailroom)
  4K Screening
Friday - 4K Screening
Staff Social Lunch

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*Not Enough Time in a Day (Did that peak your interest?!)

Friday Focus - April 15, 2016

Events Next Week:
Monday - Professional Development Day
Wednesday/Thursday - State Testing (Forward exam) in 3/5th grades in the mornings. Please keep quiet hallways :)
Thursday - Dodgeland's Got Talent Show 6:00pm
Friday - Staff Social Lunch (3rd/Breselow/Stanton)
Grandparents Day for K-2nd.

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*For Monday's PD Day-please plan to bring your current writing unit books to our grade level time in the morning in the IMC.
*With many special guests in our building on Friday, please dress professionally that day and enjoy your jeans or even workout attire on our PD day.
*3-5th grade teachers: Please have your students open up the DRC app on their iPads to make sure it loads. We found in the middle school that about a dozen students had to have the app deleted and reloaded by Mr. Modaff. The sooner he finds out if this is needed, the better.  We also learned that we will need to use Casper Focus to get the test started so I will be working on making sure Casper focus groups are correct for testing.

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*A great story to think about on a student's choice to not miss school: Lessons from a 10 Year-Old What would your students choose?
*Got Stuck?
*Dan McCabe ‏@danieldmccabe: 

30 minutes ago

Your most challenging students are your greatest source of learning. #edchat

Friday Focus - April 8, 2016

Great Things I Noticed this Week:

• I got to sit in on a book group and hear great dialogue among 4th grade students... "What I heard you say was..." "I disagree with you, because..." "I was really surprised when..." I had never read the book they were discussing, but had to add it to my to-read list while listening to them.  At times their conversation could have been a model for some adults!
• A 5th grade class had a Skype conversation with their favorite class author in the KSCADE room. Each student had prepared a very thoughtful question to ask the author about his experience or work as a writer to help them as writers. As a former teacher, the author also shared that he's a fan of Lucy Calkins Writing, so our students are "in good hands."  :)

Events Next Week: 

State Forward testing starts in the middle school, so I may be on their side of the building to assist, but I'm hoping for smooth sailing! :)

Wednesday - Grade Level PLC meetings - as shared in our staff meeting, I'll be out of the building most of this day and you each have your long to-do's to discuss. I'll have report cards to revise in your mailboxes by Monday for you. 

Thursday - 4th gr Biography Fair 8:30-9:30

Friday - Jump Rope show at 2:00 in the HS gym

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:

• Have you heard any great comments or other positives since we started our Snack Pack program through The Gathering Source? If so, Mrs. Vitale is looking for any teacher to share with her in a video clip that she and her students are making for a Public Service Announcement. Your quick contribution to this will benefit our students, The Gathering Source, the high school students making the PSA and the community that will get to see it. Please email myself or Mrs. Vitale if you're interested. 
• Parent letters about our development of class lists will be going out next week (these were in your packets at the staff meeting, but I forgot to tell you!) As these are returned to school you can either hold on to them until we meet for class lists or put them in my mailbox and I can hold on to them until then. 

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!

*12 Common Reasons Students Don't Read & What You Can Do About It

*We often think about student mental health, but here's another factor to keep in the back of your minds with struggling students: Kids' Grades Can Suffer When Mom or Dad is Depressed

*6 Sweet Mindfulness Videos for Young Kids

Blog post on Using Quotes in the Classroom

Friday Focus - April 1, 2016

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*I visited several classrooms on Tuesday and was impressed with how students in each room were on-task and focused on learning....after a 5 day break filled with a snow day and Easter candy. It was your classroom procedures, expectations and getting right back "into the groove" that had them right back on track!
*I have been so fortunate to see student writing across grade levels that just amazes me...we have several grade levels currently writing persuasive pieces on topics of interest them, filled with interesting facts and reasons to not only persuade the reader, but hook the reader in to read all about why.
*In a disciplinary conversation with a student and parent, the teacher focused on the incident as an opportunity to learn from and made the connection to what they have learned about having a growth mindset and how this mindset could help the student move on and grow from this incident. This type of response to a student's mistake in behavior (versus just focusing on the consequence) is what can help the student learn and grow.

Events Next Week:
Monday - 3rd quarter report cards distributed
  *Boy Scouts presentation for interested K-4th grade boys during their noon recess
  *3:15pm Forward Exam proctor training in the IMC

Wednesday -I'll be out of the building in the morning for EduClimber training
1:00 Spelling Bee for 2-5th grades in the Elem Gym
3:10 Elementary Staff Meeting in the IMC

Friday - 2:30 3rd Qtr Dodgeland Pride Assembly

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*Do They Care? Empathy Book Clubs
*Opportunity to Read
*Reading mini-lesson idea: "Who's Talking? A Dialogue Lesson"

Click HERE for the vocabulary games