Friday Focus - February 23. 2018

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*Our avid readers in kindergarten were so excited to share their books with one another. This was just a quick minute during a reading lesson so the lesson was kept mini. Their excitement for reading was evident!
*Students recording themselves reading and then wrote a reflection on their accuracy and fluency.
*3rd graders focused for 40 minutes as they read each others' fairy tales in a carousel walk. They not only took time to read every one, but left positive compliments and feedback. And some of their fairy tales were absolutely hilarious!!!  I'm sure you can see why I was personally entertained...

Events Next Week: Read Across America Week and Digital Learning Week!!!
*Remember - students should carry a book with them at all times to be prepared for the reading blizzards, but only you know when it's going to happen.

Monday - Hat Day
12:45 reading blizzard

Tuesday - Wear a Shirt You can Read
10:05 reading blizzard

Wednesday - Crazy Socks
11:00 reading blizzard

Thursday - Pajama Day
2:00 reading blizzard
6-7:00pm Snuggle up with a Good Book family night

Friday - Vocabulary dress up day
8:10 reading blizzard

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*Make sure to sign up for a day/time for a Tech Ninja to come to your class next week to teach a 30 minute coding lesson (see Ms. Abegglen's email for the google doc).
*Please get your student of the month names in by March 2nd.

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*Add Coding to Your Elementary Curriculum...Right Now
*Do you find yourself struggling with balance? It's definitely something I've been working on for years! I came across an article about a Teacher of the Year that ended up in rehab, although his transformation led to publishing the book, The Balanced Teacher Path to help others. I don't usually promote my own work here at school, so if you didn't know, I co-host a podcast called the PrincipalPLN podcast and we recently had the author on the podcast. If you're seeking balance, then I think you'll enjoy the podcast: Justin Ashley

Need an idea for your Vocabulary Dress Up word??
Just think of how many new words our learners will gain on Friday!!!

Friday Focus - February 16, 2018

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*After 4th graders individually presented their research report to the class, students were highly engaged in asking follow-up questions. They came up with great questions to find out more.
*After 5th graders dug in to different pieces of non-fiction text, the teacher acknowledged the reality that many of the students in class did not enjoy reading non-fiction, however, it was because as the text becomes higher level, the structure of the article and vocabulary becomes more difficult. It was emphasized that the better students become at identifying the structure of non-fiction, the better they will become at reading it and likely enjoy it more.
*3rd graders digging deep into the characters of their books, sharing evidence to back up their statement of why they thought their character was brave (or kind, or confident...)
*I sat in on several conferences...while I recognize most of tonight's conferences were students that there are academic concerns for, I sat in on many that started out identifying the student's strengths.

Events Next Week:
Monday - Professional Development Day
Tuesday - hat day $1 for AHA
Wednesday - MidQuarter reports to be sent home (if not already shared at PT conferences)


"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:

• You've heard from Dr. Thompson previously about the work that is coming out of the Greater Watertown Health Foundation to support school initiatives. One of the committees in their Every Child Thrives campaign is focusing on attendance to impact student learning that and I'm very excited about what this will bring for our district next year to support our work. Mrs. Stanton, Mrs. Nehls and I are on this committee and are currently working on possible goals and incentives for improving student attendance next year and would like to gain classroom teacher input. If you have some ideas or want to be a part of this discussion, please let me know. We will be scheduling a meeting in early March to gain input. 
• When logging minors/majors in Educlimber, please make sure to specify the date/time.  When you enter an incident, it automatically makes it be the date/time you are entering this. We want to have accurate information, so we can look at trends to see if there are any patterns in when behaviors happen.  

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

*Teacher-Student Relationships: A Little Thing with a Big Impact - the link will take you to Greg Wolcott's website, but if you scroll down you'll find his recent article in the ASCD journal. I look forward to our continued learning together on Monday!

Friday Focus - February 9, 2018

Events Next Week: Workout Week Attire for AHA (Happy Hearts for you!)
Monday - Mentors meeting in IMC
Wednesday - Just Dance for Happy Hearts Dance Party for $1 at noon recess (Teachers-just imagine how cool your students would think you are if you joined in for this fun...so would your heart!)]
Thursday - P/T Conferences 4-7:30 (Please bring a change of clothes so you are dressed professionally for these)
Friday - $1 Stuffed Animal for JRFH

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
Just some reminders from Mr. Lange's Trojan Way Update:

• Please remind students that iPads should be shut off (not powered off, just screens off) when transitioning in the hallways. Please stop and have students show you the right way if they need practice on how to walk in the hallway without looking at their screen. If it continues to be an issue after practice, reminders, then it can be written as a minor (tech violation).  We are trying to instill that student iPads are learning tools, not toys!
• If we have morning bus duty inside, please do not allow 5th graders to sit on the stage. They haven't been making poor choices on the stage, but their boots are dripping salt/water on the front of the stage, causing staining on the paint that doesn't look nice. 

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*Some Small Ideas to Help Students Self-Select Books Better (by Pernille Ripp)

Friday Focus - February 2nd, 2018

Events Next Week: All week--Jeans for AHA ($10 cash donation, or $15 to also be wear workout attire the following week!)
Tuesday - I'll announce students of the month in the morning (please get your names into the google doc)
Wednesday - staff mtg at 3:10
Friday - $1 hat day for JRFH

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*Please welcome Mrs. Wieneke as our new special education aide. For many of you, she will be a familiar face, because she is a Dodgeland parent.
*It's almost P/T Conference time again...please let me know if you have one that you would like me to attend so I can get it on my calendar.  Please also make sure to let me know if you have any students that you have major concerns with and would be considering possible retention. 
*I've seen some great pictures on class Facebook pages and some Dojo pages...f you happen to share some great pictures on your Class Facebook page that you would like to be re-shared to the school page, please let me know. It is a quick and easy way for the school Facebook page to spread the awesome things your students are doing (and I don't always get to check your class pages).
*Wednesday's staff meeting will be to share information with you regarding upcoming March Madness and ACP (Academic and Career Planning) lessons to be coming from Mrs. Breselow. 


Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My
*Looking for a new class transition idea while practicing content? Check this out: Managing Transitions