Thanksgiving

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. 

Thanksgiving —

What a wonderful time to remember all that we are thankful for. So I shall keep this short. Enjoy time with your family. Enjoy the time you have off.

Quote I’m pondering —

“I try to be available for life to happen to me. We're in this life, and if you're not available, the sort of ordinary time goes past and you didn't live it. But if you're available, life gets huge. You're really living it."

—Bill Murray

What’s Happening —

This Coming Week	In Two Weeks
Nov. 26 - Reunification Drill Nov. 27-29 - Thanksgiving Break Nov. 29 - Black Friday	Dec. 4 - TAT
Dec. 9 - Teacher Training Half Day Dec. 18 - Intervention Meeting Day with Aides

Favorite Article This Week —

How to Analyze or Assess Reading Comprehension

I have been learning about reading comprehension lately. This is an interesting article on comprehension. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you kindergarten for helping with Heathers class while she is gone. Thank you Tui for taking notes and gifts to Lily when you went north. Thank you teachers for al you do to support each other in times of need. We need our immediate families and extended families when we are in need. Thank you for your kindness and love toward each other. This is something to be thankful for anytime of year. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

The Greatest Show?

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. 

The Greatest Show? —

There is a new projector in the gym. We have a new cordless mic system. As I watched the programs at the end of last year, it was hard to watch the video on a dim projector set on a cart that blocked the view for parents. When you have a program or something you will do in the gym it will ready for you. You can use one of your classroom Chromebooks or the Chromebook in the conference room. There are other options if you want to learn more. The easiest is to your presentation it in a Google Slides presentation. If you have a powerpoint you can put it in Google Drive and it will convert to a slides presentation. I can help if you need it. The projector is bright enough so we do not have to turn the lights off. That is a big bonus for assemblies and performances. We are figuring out the sound part of it right now. So far we have two mics and a way to plug in sound to play over the speakers. There is a mic for each side of the curtain so if the curtain is closed a mic can be used on each side of the curtain. And both can be used for the whole gym. It is pretty nice. One thing we would like to stress. Please try to keep students from throwing things at the projector. It is a bit hard to move back if it gets hit. But we understand accidents happen… If you have questions, please let me know. I think your performances with sound and presentations should be easier for others to hear and see. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“Here is my secret. It is very simple: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

— Antoine de Saint Exupéry

What’s Happening —

This Coming Week	In Two Weeks
Mon. Nov 18 - Community Council 12pm Wed. Nov. 20 - TAT 2nd Grade	Nov. 26 - Reunification Drill Nov. 27-29 - Thanksgiving Break Nov. 29 - Black Friday
Dec. 9 - Teacher Training Half Day Dec. 18 - Intervention Meeting Day with Aides

Favorite Article This Week —

We Are What We Choose

Choices. There are so many in our lives and some are more important than others.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you teachers for taking the time to talk with your parents. I appreciate that you are willing to take the time and build relationships with them. They need to feel that they are part of the team for their student and these SEP’s are important to build those relationships. Thank you for helping parents understand more about their child. Thank you for sharing with them what they can do to help their child. I can see the love you have for your students and it is shown in the SEP’s. In talking with a few parents they mentioned these things. Thank you for building that relationship. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

Positive Parent Conferences

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. 

Positive Parent Conferences—

What does a good parent conference look like? Just like the students, we need to build a relationship with the parents so if we call home for support they will be more apt to give it to us. Keep notes. Share an experience about their student. Share student data. Positive first and then something the student needs to work on. Always have a plan of something they can help with to support at home what you are doing at school. If there is an issue that needs to be discussed, discuss it as a brainstorming session so a plan comes out of the meeting. And end with a positive note letting the students and parent know the students can do it. Let the parents know that you care and together you will both help their child succeed in school. Let the parents know you are partners in their student’s learning. Most parents know how their child is and if they need help. They are always comfortable enough to admit it or show it. Teachers are usually the bearer of bad news for parents. Keep conferences positive. Keep all your meetings with parents as positive as possible.

Quote I’m pondering —

The more relaxed you are the better you are. That's sort of why I got into acting. I realized the more fun I had, the better I did it. And I thought, that's a job I could be proud of. It's changed my life learning that, and it's made me better at what I do.

—Bill Murray

What’s Happening —

This Coming Week	In Two Weeks
Nov. 11-15 - SEP Week out at 1:15 pm Mon. Nov 11 - Veterans Day Mon. Nov 11 - PTA Meeting 12 pm	Mon Nov 18 - Community Council 12pm
	Nov. 26 - Reunification Drill Nov. 27-29 - Thanksgiving Break

Favorite Article This Week —

Students Sitting Around Too Much? Try Chat Stations.

This is an interesting idea. Give students a topic and have them talk about it. What a great way to get them talking about content in English and especially in Spanish where they need the practice talking with each other.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Fourth Grade. Seeing you work together on building your assessments in Schoology was amazing. I appreciate you asking if you can take a day to learn with each other and work on curriculum and assessments. It was a long day, but it was wonderful seeing the outcome of what you did. Thank you for all you do for your students. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

Mindset

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. 

Mindset —

A couple years ago I took an online class from Jo Boaler, an incredible Stanford Math professor, about how students learn math. One of the things I learned from her was that I needed to change my mindset on how students learn. Mindsets frame what is going on in our minds. There are two mindsets. A fixed mindset or a growth mindset. The research Carol Dweck has done teaches us that a fixed mindset is an internal monologue focused on judging. A growth mindset has an internal monologue, but it is focused on implications for learning and constructive actions. The trick is to find what situations we use which mindset with and change the internal monologue from a judging one to a growth-oriented one. How does this apply to what we do here at school? How can a growth mindset change the way we teach, learn, and work with students? Curriculum? Student Engagement? Homework? Planning? Working within teams? Coke vs. Water (this ones for me). How does this apply to us? A growth mindset helps us to become a learner rather than a non-learner. Our school is full of growth mindset teachers. Full of learners.

Quote I’m pondering —

With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world.-- Dalai Lama

What’s Happening —

This Coming Week	In Two Weeks
Mon. Nov. 4 - Pie with the Principal 2:30 pm Tue. Nov. 5 - Reflection projects are Due Wed. Nov. 5 - TAT 3rd grade Thu. Nov. 7 - 4th PD Day Thu. Nov. 7 - Reflections Night 6 pm	Nov. 11-5 - SEP Week out at 1:15 pm Nov. 11 - Veterans Day Nov. 11 - PTA Meeting 12 pm
	Nov. 26 - Reunification Drill Nov. 27-29 - Thanksgiving Break

Favorite Article This Week —

When should reading instruction begin?

I never thought about this. One thing I thought was interesting was when Shanahan writes, “Often kids enter kindergarten or first-grade with the expectation that they are to learn to read that year. Spreading this expectation across 3-4 years can reduce pressure and anxiety.” Interesting thought.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Brenda for your constant help when I am unsure what the procedures are that have been set up over the years. The basic things, like where do we line up? How do certain things work? It is the little things that make such a big difference. I appreciate your help. I appreciate all you have done at  Arrowhead and during your career. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.