I Have A WIN Dream

 Teachers,

Teachers,

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

I Have A WIN Dream —

As we start WIN time Monday for 1-3 grades and Tuesday for everyone, I want to share my dream with this program. I think we can get the students that need WIN time to about 10% of our school. When this happens we can have the aides pull students into small groups and teachers can work with the rest of the class on some differentiated activities or small group work. Once that happens we just need to maintain it. To do this we need our Tier 1, what everyone needs, lessons to remain great.  Engaging students, differentiating as students need it, reviewing and assessing to see what each student needs and assessing our lessons, and sharing our success criteria. We have the most amazing teachers in our school. We will always have a couple students in each class that can benefit from a WIN time. And hopefully the beginning of each year we will only need WIN time during the first months. Our next step is to start on Math WIN time. That is a plan we will be working on this year. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“The willow submits to the wind and prospers until one day it is many willows — a wall against the wind.” ― Frank Herbert, Dune

What’s Happening —

This Coming Week	In Two Weeks
Mon. Sept. 14 - Early Out Teacher Training Day- Red Bird Training 1:30 Mon. Sept. 14 - WIN Time Starts Tues. Sept 15 - Emergency Drill-Shelter in Place Tues. Sept. 15 - Picture Day Thu. Sept. 17 - Egg Drop Build Day Fri. Sept. 18 - Egg Drop Day	Sept. 21-25 - Friendship Week
September 21-25: Start With Hello Week

What I’m Learning about what Parents can do with their Students This Week —

Dreme Family Math

Homework. What to do for homework. Can’t be drill and kill because not all parents know how to help when a student gets lost. Can be review questions to see what the students remember from the lesson. How do we include parents on the lesson. Dreme Family Math. Real life activities with a math spin on them. Cooking is what they have right now. Geared to adding, subtracting, and measurement right now, but more are in their way.

What I’m watching On The Line This Week—

Pandas help zoo keeper sweep their pen

This reminds me of teaching a lesson in Kinder or First grade. Or just trying to prep while there are students in the room.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.

Back to the Learning

Teachers,

Here is your New Years dose of “5-Point Friday. 

Back to the Learning—

The next two months are the best months for learning. Students are coming off a two week stretch of relaxation and down time and are primed to start up their brains. They have been in school for 5 months and should know the rules, even though you will have to remind them perhaps for a few days, and they know the procedures of your classrooms. Now hold them to them and teach. Once it hits spring break they start thinking of the end of school and we have about a month and a half to keep them going before they need more entertainment in the lessons. A few reminders about testing. DRA is coming quickly after we start. WIDA testing is also here. Sage will open in March so think about when you want to start your writing testing. We will worry about the rest in April. Remember that testing is a snapshot of your students. It does not define them and it should not define you. It is data to help us know where we need to go next for us and our students. Thank you for all you do. Now teach like the wind... Sorry. I just watched the Three Amigos. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“The point of learning is not just to know things, but to be a different person– more mature, more wise, more self-disciplined, more effective, and more productive in the broadest sense.”

― Grant Wiggins

What I’m watching —

Kid President's Pep Talk to Teachers and Students

We all need a pep talk from the Kid President. Keep on Dancing!

Favorite Article This Week —

Are You Doing Your Own Homework?

Just a thought about homework as we start the new year. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you First Grade. Working with you in your PLC’s has been wonderful. Talking about students and how to work with those that are in need. Our discussions about students, curriculum, and your ideas for lessons have been fun to be a part of. Watching the work you do in the classroom is also a joy to see as your students work through your planned lessons. I appreciate all you do for your students. I know the students do also. Thank you for all you do. 

I am also thankful for everything all teachers are doing to increase the reading skills in your classrooms. After learning about teaching Phonics in the classroom from Sara and seeing and hearing the ideas going around about how to implement it into your classrooms is amazing. I am so excited to see how the DRA scores and Dibels scores improve this year. Thank you teachers for working to help our students be successful readers. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you. Have a wonderful weekend.