Friday Focus - September 30, 2016

Great Things I Noticed this Week:

*A class review of what they had learned in the digital citizenship unit with a game of jeapordy.

*Class lesson/discussion on empathy asking students to hold up their whiteboards to show how they felt about different scenarios. Here were their answer choices:

The class discussion emphasized that everyone responds to situations differently and then led into the role that this plays in digital citizenship...especially how people perceive written messages in different ways. 

*Students reviewing rounding as they moved around the room to round numbers and then self-checking with QR codes for immediate feedback. Way more fun than a review worksheet!

*Overheard by a group of students working on a project: "We're not ready yet...the power of yet, let's get it done!" That class has been learning all about growth mindset!

Events Next Week:

Monday - Elementary staff meeting 3:10-3:45 

 -MidQuarter (reports can be saved for P/T Conferences)

Tuesday - Fundraiser orders/$ are due

Wednesday - I plan to announce the September students of the month at 2:45pm. Please send your students down. (And get your name in if you haven't already!)

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:

*Please let me know if you have any P/T conferences that you would like me to be a part of. 

*The Gathering Source is having a Fall Fest on Saturday, August 8 to raise continuing funds for the service they provide families in need.  Find out more about it HERE. 

*Monday's Staff Meeting agenda includes a growth mindset activity and looking at our school data. 

*Now that we are in full swing (it's already October next week!) I'm getting into classrooms as much as I can. I have several goals when I'm in classrooms and when I'm in your room it could vary:

-I may be there to check-in with a student (and hopefully prevent them from visiting me in the office!)

-I may not want to go back to the piles on my desk and would much rather hang out with kids! (FYI: if you're ever having a rough day, there's nothing like the random comments of 4K kiddos to make you laugh!)

-I may be staying to observe student learning and provide you with feedback. 

When I'm in your room and stay for a while with my iPad, there's a good chance you will receive an email or a mylearningplan form from me as a means of providing you with feedback. My narrative emails will often include "I noticed..." with what I see happening in the room and "I wonder..." or another reflective question. These are reflective questions that you can just ponder, reply or have a discussion with me. As I have shared each year, my goal is to be in your classrooms with a "coaching hat." I may pose a question to you that stretches your thinking that is not meant to be intrusive or evaluatory, but is a question to have you reflect on why you do what you do. When you are reflective and consciously aware of why you do what you do, you will continue to utilize effective strategies for students in your classroom. So, unless I specifically say, "I have a concern..." then you have nothing to be nervous about when I'm in your room. I am just in there wearing my "coaching hat."

If you ever feel you need more or different feedback, please don't hesitate to let me know what you need!

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!

*Protecting Student Writing Time

*We've been challenged with this tweet:

You can show your class the video made by this school at https://t.co/Kgcl7r5zyY and type the password kind323you.

Friday Focus - September 23, 2016

Great Things I Noticed this Week:

*1:1 conferences with students to give student ownership of their reading goals for this year and this quarter. 

*2nd graders working to improve their fact fluency using XtraMath. They got excited by seeing each set that turned green (because they were mastered) and seemed eager to get back in to practice/master additional facts.

*3rd graders learning how to have book club conversations. 

*A 5th grader finished reading a novel and passed it on to me, because she said it was so good and knew I would enjoy it. I love that we have a school community of readers that make book recommendations to others, including the adults!

*Our interventionists met for hours to collaboratively analyze data to shore up our reading intervention criteria.

Events Next Week:

Monday - Color Day

Tuesday - Hawaiian Day

 - Staff flu shot clinic after school

Wednesday - TyeDye or Neon (or both!)

Thursday - Western/Cowboy Day

Friday - Dodgeland Pride

 Homecoming Pep Assembly 1:00 (I'd recommend having backpacks packed up before hand...just in case)

 Early Dismissal 2:20

Parade 4:30 (line-up at 4:00

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:

*Please take pics of your kiddos with each dress up day to share. I'll have a google drive folder for Homecoming week or you can just email me. I plan to post pictures at the end of each day to our school Facebook page. 

*I will be sending out emails regarding MAP make-up/completion testing for next week. 

*This is Caryn's last week with us in the District Office, after 32 years of dedicated service to Dodgeland. Please make sure to say goodbye and wish her well into retirement. :)

*Thank you to those of you who have shared your tech integration in the Schoology Group. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's what I shared last week: 

Staff Schoology assignment-yes you read that right, I've given you all an assignment.  Please go into Schoology and the group "Dodgeland Elementary Staff." Once you are there go to the discussion on "Technology Integration Share." (It's the only discussion prompt so far.) Please post at least one time to share one way you have integrated technology in your classroom so far this year.  I encourage you to check back to see what others are sharing to get ideas and reply to ask further questions if needed. Please do this by September 30th.  Don't be afraid to ask a friend if you need help getting into the group. 

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!

*Figuring Out Which CAFE Strategy to Teach

*Ideas for Planning Small Group Instruction

* Nancy Alvarez ‏@techwnancy  Sep 20

Nancy Alvarez Retweeted Gail Molenaar

If we don't teach kids how to manage stress, we will have more and more future mental wellness issues.#ECEchat

Friday Focus - September 16. 2016

Great Things I Noticed this Week:

• Productive grade level PLC team meetings to re-establish norms, along with collaborative conversations...I can tell this will be a great year!
• After a class downloaded a new app to their iPads, the teacher then spent a few minutes showing how the app worked before moving into their next lesson that they were going to be using the new app.  As our students move forward this year, slowly adding new apps as they learn their purpose, they will continue to view our iPads as learning tools!
• Collaborative discussions to help problem solve how to meet all of the needs of our students with IEP's, both in the regular classroom and special education rooms. It's a tough puzzle to solve, but we can do it together!
• 5K and 4th grade buddies meeting for the first time: The 4th graders interviewed their Kinder buddy, using a template on their iPads to record both of their responses to learn more about each other and then inserted a picture of them into their buddy document. 
• A class discussion on sharing information (for Digital Citizenship) that ended with students coming up with their own "Golden Rule" about posting online.
• A parent of one of our new students shared with the teacher that her son used to always be sad when it was time to go back to school, but this year he just loves coming to school every day! 

Events Next Week: 

Monday - Picture Day-this will take place on the stage. When your class is called down you will come through the music hallway.

-EP Training at 3:15 in the IMC (PGG/SLO/Surveys...necessary for new teachers, optional refresher for everyone)

Tuesday - Fundraiser Kick-Off Assembly 2:15 in elementary gym

-Home Trojan Jr (5/6th grade) Football game at 6:00pm

Wednesday - Workout Wednesday (Wear your workout gear and get in some extra yoga or steps with your kids...it will do you all good!)

The following week: Homecoming! If you have any class newsletters to send home, please include the reminder that Friday, Sept 30th is an early release at 2:20pm to prepare for the parade. 

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:

*Grade Level PLC Mtg times are on the staff google calendar now. Please remember to bring your 1st math unit book/test with you. 

*If you've been eager to use Educlimber, but bummed that your students weren't in there it should all be fixed now! :) 

*Staff Schoology assignment-yes you read that right, I've given you all an assignment.  Please go into Schoology and the group "Dodgeland Elementary Staff." Once you are there go to the discussion on "Technology Integration Share." (It's the only discussion prompt so far.) Please post at least one time to share one way you have integrated technology in your classroom so far this year.  I encourage you to check back to see what others are sharing to get ideas and reply to ask further questions if needed. Please do this by September 30th.  Don't be afraid to ask a friend if you need help getting into the group. 

*Just a reminder that all newsletter submissions now go to Marie and I.  The district newsletter is gone so we are beefing up our elementary newsletter. The first one is due by September 20th. 

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!

*A great... no a must read: The Worst Class in X Years by Pernille Ripp.  

I felt that the key point in her post was:

"....always look for the good first.  To always praise, to always point out how great of a group this group is.  To change the group narrative in some small way.   To always assume that this will be an incredible year no matter the reputation of a group."

Friday Focus - September 9, 2016

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*5th graders generating thoughts about what they already know about fractions, adding their responses to a class padlet before digging in to the first math lesson.
*First graders taking their digital citizenship pre-tests, along with the help of additional staff in the room to help. We are definitely on track to become a common sense media certified school!
*3rd graders starting out the day focused on reading their good fit books, even before the first bell of the day.
*Teachers submitting pictures/news for the school Facebook page...thank you for helping to share the great things happening in your rooms!
*We survived our first Rainy Day...oh the bus procedures, indoor recess...whew! Thank you to Lisa for giving us a reminder on our perspectives of a rainy day.

Events Next Week:
Monday - Packer attire day (yes, jeans are ok)
-Elementary Staff Mtg 3:10 (in our awesome meeting room)
Tuesday - 6:00pm home game for our 5/6th gr Trojan Jr Football team
Wednesday - 3:15pm Support Staff meeting
Friday - school t-shirt $/orders due
-I will be out of the building for a DAC meeting/workshop

The following week:
Monday, Sept 19th - Student Picture Day
Tuesday, Sept 20th - Fundraiser Kick-Off assembly at 2:15

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes
*Monday's staff meeting agenda includes:
    -Celebrations...please plan to share something to celebrate!
    -F&P Benchmark essentials
    -Our school/staff team norms
    -Further information about grade level PLC team planning focus

*Would you be interested in joining the K-12 Academic & Career Planning (ACP) committee to help generate ideas that will help build a foundation for our students as they move into middle/high school? We already introduce our students to college/careers in 5th grade when Moraine Park comes to speak to them and when they get to go tour the UW Madison campus, but maybe you have other ideas to start even younger?  Let me know if you would like to be a part of this committee or if you'd just like to share an idea.

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*Do We Really Have Time for Digital Citizenship?

Read more about setting up writing partners HERE.

Neat idea for math to read more about HERE, although I'd recommend calling it something different. ;)

Friday Focus - Sept 2, 2016

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*I heard many great parent comments on their way out from Open House about the excitement in our building. Many students were excited about little welcome "gifts" they brought home with them (i.e. balloon, popcorn, "rockin" guitar pencil). Several students were excited about getting a letter or a postcard in the mail from their teacher.  One parent told me how much she loved using 2 different photo booths to take back to school pictures and said, "You guys make back to school so much fun!"  What great ways to create a welcoming classroom for parents and students!
*One of our new students told me at lunch time: "I'm SO glad I came to this school, I just love it!"
*When I asked another student how his first day was going he said with excitement, "This is going to be my best year ever!" and then began rattling off all of things that were so great about his new classroom!
*I observed a handful of times that staff members were helping each other out (tech issue, needing copies, taking the others' class to specials so the other could make a phone call home, offering to cover a class, a couple of you helping out in the ms/hs). Your teamwork is amazing!
*Teachers working together in their grade level team to look at student data in EduClimber.
*I know that we always talk about Dodgeland Pride and I was amazed by how much I've already seen/heard this part of your classroom discussion with your students.
*To go along with our social media efforts and the above mention, I even saw #DodgelandPride on a class rules chart.  I saw several teachers already posting great Open House and first day of school pictures to their classroom Facebook pages and Dojo feeds. As I saw this picture below shared on Twitter (in reference to the book, The Innovators Mindset) I just had to share it with you, because #DodgelandPride is about our community!!

REMINDER FOR TODAY -- Please come and join us for an ice cream social after dismissal in the commons. This is a great chance for us to connect with one another and share our celebrations from the first 2 days of the school year.  :)






Events Next Week:
Monday -please enjoy a relaxing labor day, because I know you have been laboring a lot to get ready!!!

For your future lesson plans, please mark down:
*Monday, Sept 19 Student Picture Day
*Tuesday, Sept 20th kick-off assembly for the fundraiser. Time TBD


"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*I know you're just waiting to get started on MAP testing. I will have the assessment window calendar ready for you by Tuesday so you know when you can start testing. Feel free to start F&P if you feel like your class already has the Daily 5 stamina.
*Check-In on Bucket Filling: Have you read a Bucket Filling book to your class to talk about the concept?
*If you cracked open the iPad case, have you started talking about the Code of Conduct for Technology?
*Check-In on Launching Writers Workshop:

• Do you have materials figured out and placed in easy to access spots? Do your students know where they are?
• Have you started teaching those routines that will help keep the mini lesson mini and the active engagement efficient/effective? This includes transitions to the carpet (possibly assigned carpet spots), teacher cues to signal your writers, partners for the active engagement, etc. 

*If you are looking for additional resources to help you talk about Growth Mindset with your students, Class Dojo has a nice series of videos HERE.

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*If the video of J-Mac in our staff meeting captured your heart, then you might enjoy the follow-up video of where he was 5 years later: J-Mac Five Years Later. His coach continues to have a connection and allow him to make an impact....much like how I see many of you still connecting with former students, evidence of the impact you made on them in your classroom!

Click HERE to read the article