Progress Monitoring

 Teachers,

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

Progress Monitoring —

We are starting Progress Monitoring(PM) next Monday. This week we will go oversaw to Progress Monitor and put our groups together. If we have time we will set our Pathways Goals in mClass. The reason we do Progress Monitoring is to see the progress of our students, but to also see what is workin and what needs adjusting. This is an important part of our WI time. We will PM the skills the students are working on in WIN time and see how they are progressing. We will make the adjustments as we look at these reports each month. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“What is troubling is being average and settling for it.” Adul Gwande

What’s Happening —

This Coming Week	In Two Weeks
Mon. Sept. 21-25 - Friendship Week	Mon. Sept. 28-29 - Annette Brinkman observations Tues. Sept. 29 - K-1 Anette PD 2-3:30 Wed. Sept. 30 - Observation Debriefing
September 21-25: Start With Hello Week

What I’m Listening and Amazed by This Week —

Marble Machine

I am enamored his 4:30 minute video of the Marble Machine. How do people ever think about doin this?

What I’m Learning about This Week—

The ‘What’ and “Why’ of Social-Emotional Learning

We have opened the Wellness Room and students are able to use its calming effect. We keep track of who goes and when they go to get a sense of a pattern with each student or when there is a need for Amanda to take a little extra time with a student.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful weekend.

Specials are Coming, Specials are Coming

Teachers,

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

Specials are Coming, Specials are Coming —

We are close to starting specials in the afternoon. This will be a learning experience for all of us. Please be patient as we get this started. We have 3 classes your grade levels will be going to. We understand there are 4 and 5 classes in each grade level. Please put your classes into 3 groups. Please review how to act in the specials classes. We would like you to walk your class to the first special and help them get situated in the class before going to your team meeting. Please pick them up at the end of Specials so you can take them back for the ending bell. Kim and Glen will meet with you at the first Team meeting each month. We will be starting Specials after Labor Day.

We will also start interventions right after Labor Day. During the team data meetings, we will get the students grouped according to their needs and start working on lessons for the students. If you have questions or concerns, please let me or Kim know. We want this to be as successful for the students and teachers as possible. 

Quote I’m pondering —

"HOW we praise students can have a big impact on their mindset and achievement. Praise the effort." - Jo Boaler

What’s Happening —

This Coming Week	In Two Weeks
Tues. Aug. 27 - Acadience testing (All day) Wed. Aug. 28 - Team Data 9-5th, 10-3rd, 11-1st Wed. Aug. 28 - SEP Conf. 4-7pm Thu. Aug. 29 - Team Data 9-2nd, 10-K, 11-4th Thu. Aug. 29 - SEP Conf. 4-7pm Fri. Aug. 30 - PTA Room Mom Meeting 1:00	Mon. Sep 2 - Labor Day (No School) Tue. Sep. 3 - Afternoon Specials Start T-4th, W-2nd, Th-5th
Mon. Sep. 9 - First teachers training ½ day. School out at 1:15. We will have a guest presenter and then work on Professional Growth Plans.

Favorite Article This Week —

An Updated Guide To Questioning In The Classroom

Here is an article to help with questioning in the classroom. I really like the cube. You will need to adjust for your grade level.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you, kindergarten teachers. What a week as you started your classes after getting them into the right places. We get the bus riders back to their parents and you have been amazing with the students. We appreciate your patience as we get help for you with your big classes. This will be an amazingly successful year. Thank you for the time you take with your students. Thank you for the love you give them as they start their first full ½ day in school. Thank you, kindergarten teachers, 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.

It’s the Hap, Happiest Time of The Year

Teachers,

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

It’s the Hap, Happiest Time of The Year  —

Seriously? The kids are wired, the air is freezing, and the stores are crammed with crazed shoppers. Yes it is the happiest time of the year. This is the time of year when the students are going crazy because art is close to Christmas, and the change in the weather. Weather has an effect on everyone. With the change in the weather comes children getting sick and that changes a child’s (and adult’s) attitude quickly. Everyone gets out of sorts this time of year. The key is to remember we as adults have the same things happen to us and we need to remember that can change how we act and react to normal situations. Take a step back and remind yourself that they are children. You might have to tell yourself that over and over again. A few more educational activities are great this time of year. They will come back after the break the same child, but more ready to learn. We can do this. It is only a couple of weeks until the break. Hold on. Keep it together so the students know that you still love them. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong, because someday in your life, you will have been all of these.”

—George Washington Carver

What I’m Watching —

Don't Eat The Marshmallow!

A quick lesson on how to be successful in life, using a marshmallow.

Favorite Article This Week —

100 Blocks a Day

Nothing like our day laid out into 100 blocks. A little math. A lot of thought. Something to think about, track, or make it an activity for you or your students. Graphing, adding, multiplying, dividing, changing, growing, or do nothing. whatever you want it to be.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Amanda for putting together and coordinating the Warm the Soles night. The happiness as students opened their packages from America First Credit Union was priceless. I saw fist pumping, jumping for joy, smiles, laughter, and parents just happy their kids have shoes this time of year. Some of the shoes they took off have been ready for the garbage for months. Thank you for setting that up. Thank you to the teachers that were there to support and help that night. I know everyone is not able to be there, but I hope you are able to help when these activities come up. The students love to show off to their teachers their new kicks every year. Thank you Amanda and everyone that helped that night. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful weekend.

My Mission Call

Teachers,

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

My Mission Call—

Baruti Kafele (@PrincipalKafele), a presenter at the Title 1 Conference, asked some important questions that I want to relate to you. 

• “What do you do that demands school-wide excellence?”
• "What is my purpose for being in this school and does it drive what I do and say?”
• "What is my educator mission? What is the thing that I want to accomplish and will stop at nothing to get it done?”
• “ Do I treat my teaching/leadership as a job or a mission?”
• “Am I being intentional?”

These are tough questions to answer. This takes a lot of thought and reflection. The easy answer would be to educate children. But what are the answers to these questions?

Some of these students have more on their plates than we will ever understand. Education takes a back seat to their issues at times. Relationships with students are important. They need to know they matter. that is my mission. That is what I want to improve on and make sure students understand. They matter.

So what are your answers to these questions? I am still working on my answers. When I find them I am sure they will evolve and change. Reflection on them will take time. Take some time and reflect on these questions, then make your answers your mission. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“It’s lonely at the top. Ninety-nine percent of people in the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for mediocre. The level of competition is thus fiercest for ‘realistic’ goals, paradoxically making them the most time- and energy-consuming… The fishing is best where the fewest go, and the collective insecurity of the world makes it easy for people to hit home runs while everyone else is aiming for base hits. There is just less competition for bigger goals.” - Tim Ferris

What I’m watching —

Road Tripping with Kids

This is similar to road tripping with Administrators. Everyone has been a part of this somehow. Enjoy. 

Favorite Article This Week —

Splat!

This math-based website has free lessons that make students problem solve the answers under the splat on the page. These are great for collaborative centers for students to find the answers and explain their thinking. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Shelly, Alma, Anita, Inez, and Amanda for helping at school while Kim and I are learning how to make our school better. We have information to bring back and help our school be the best ever. We have ideas the share and programs to suggest and for you to look at. We cannot do this without amazing people that help lead the school while we are home. Thank you. We also appreciate every teacher for all you do. We know that while we are gone the students will be cared for and taken care of like they always are. Thank you for being the best teachers. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. It will be wonderful to be back in the school. Learning. Have a great weekend.

What are Your Intentions

Teachers,

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

What are Your Intentions —

I have been talking to my son about dating these last few weeks and we talked about his intentions for dating. Is he looking for a girlfriend or is it to get out and have some fun with friends, or to find what he is looking for when the thought of marriage comes up in 10 years... It was a great discussion we had. Then I thought about teaching. An intentional teacher makes  every moment count in the classroom. Creating lessons that use learning targets from end to beginning. Creating common formative assessments and working backwards. Teaching beyond the subject. use the opportunity to integrate something extra into every lesson that adds to the learning. A life lesson. Science or social studies into a language or math lesson. Building and using learning targets and GVC's to guide what our lessons are going to look like so we know what the learning will look like. That is what makes our teaching intentional. When there is intention, there will be lessons learned and successes to be celebrated. I know that you put a lot of thought into your lessons and teaching. There are amazing lessons going on all day long. Making each lesson a piece of the puzzle that will end up in a masterpiece of learning in the end helps every student maximize their potential. Being intentional in our teaching helps each student maximize their potential. Students deserve every lesson to be intentional. Every lesson should fit into the puzzle. As I watch our fifth graders get ready to show-what-they-know I know they will show how they have progressed through their years at Dixie Sun. They are the masterpieces we have helped build. They show our intentions. Celebrations are coming, I can feel it.

Quote I’m pondering —

“What is learned out of necessity is inevitably more powerful than the learning that comes easily.” -Malcolm Gladwell

What I’m watching —

Text Talk Time

I was at a training this year and as I was looking through the videos I have kept to watch again, I found this one and watched it again. Great lessons and amazing questions to get students thinking and talking. It is a fifth grade class, but great questions work for most grade levels. 

Favorite WebsiteThis Week —

Google Forms Basics in 7 Steps

This is an easy way to make a quick test, survey, ask opinions, or give students a chance to be a part of decision making. This is a quick tech training. East to do, easy to use, and it gets information put together quickly in beautiful graphs. Enjoy.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Amanda. Thank you for working with our students that need a little guidance and help in social areas. Thank you for all you do with Safety Patrol. Thank you for being here at our school to help with issues we are not always prepared to work with. Thank you for being our counselor. Thank you. 

Thank you Fifth Grade. Interviewing for a position is not an easy thing to do, especially when there are great candidates. Not as great as #freakingpaul, but Daryl  is a great fit and will do well in Fifth Grade. Paul will be taking his amazing teaching to another school where he will shine. Thank you Fifth grade for all you have done with your students. Thank you for all you do. Thank you Paul. Take luck and care for it.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful weekend.

Little Things

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

Little Things —
I am a huge fan of the band Van Halen. I have been since a friend played me their first song on their first album. They were a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners type of band. They innovated and created their own path through rock and roll history. But there is a story about them that always intrigued me. It goes something like this (From entrepreneur.com, ):

Buried amongst dozens of points in Van Halen’s rider was an odd stipulation that there were to be no brown M&M’s candies in the backstage area. If any brown M&M’s were found backstage, the band could cancel the entire concert at the full expense of the promoter. That meant that because of a single candy, a promoter could lose millions…
To ensure the promoter had read every single word in the contract, the band created the “no brown M&M’s” clause. It was a canary in a coalmine to indicate that the promoter may have not paid attention to other more important parts of the rider, and that there could be other bigger problems at hand.
Whenever the band found brown M&M’s candies backstage, they immediately did a complete line check, inspecting every aspect of the sound, lighting and stage setup to make sure it was perfect. David Lee Roth would also trash the band’s dressing room to prove a point — reinforcing his reputation in the process.
Van Halen created a seemingly silly clause to make sure that every little detail was taken care of. It was important, both for the experience of the fans and the safety of the band, to make sure that no little problems created bigger issues.

As teachers we need to look for the little things that need our help. There are times we find something amiss in a student's learning and we need to search every aspect to find what is needed and address it before it becomes a bigger issue. The band did not put that clause in to be funny, they put it in to make sure the experience of the fans and the safety of the band was taken care of. Everything we do is about the experience we give our students, the learning we design, and the opportunities we create for our students and their future. It’s the small things we sometimes lose track of in our lives. Even the little things like a smile or a positive comment makes a difference. A little thing like a smile at any given moment can make a student feel good and know that someone cares. If things do not go right you don't get to trash your room, but you can check and recheck what you are doing to make sure you are doing the little things, because those are things that can help as our students learn.

Quote I’m pondering —
“If the cat wishes to leave the room, he makes no fuss about it and does not annoy you with vocal opportunities; he selects a position near the door. Now you may change his position, but you cannot change his purpose: his purpose is to leave the room; and he knows that opportunities come to those who are ready.”
― William Lyons Phelps

What I’m watching —
What Homeless Keep With Them
We have a small population of homeless in our school. This article with accompanying videos put more of a face and background on who we are working with when it comes to the homeless.

Favorite Article This Week —
10 Things High School Teacher Can Learn From Elementary Teachers
This is more of a reminder of all the things you do as an elementary teacher. Nice job.

A Big Thank You —
Thank you Kindergarten. I love that you problem solved how your grade level would increase your imagine Learning usage. We appreciate that you came up with a solution and then came to ask its that works with the schedule. First grade also mentioned how well the students are coming to them more ready for first grade. Thank you for your hard work.

Thank you Amanda for the Shoe project. It went so smoothly and the students had the biggest smiles on their faces. Thank you for taking care of our students and helping to keep them warm, shoed, and giving them a place to feel listened to. thank you for watching out little ones.

An one more thank you to Fourth grade for having everything put into CSIP and putting together a plan to get it put in each week. That really makes our meeting more about the students and not about entering numbers into CSIP. Thank you.

There is so much going on in our school that is wonderful. thank you for all everyone does. Thank you.

I appreciate you and your the work you put in for the students. Have a wonderful weekend.

P.S. I just wanted to use Van Halen in one of my messages.