Be Very Careful On The Line?

Teachers,

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

Be Very Careful On The Line? —

I was watching a video a couple nights ago of a police officer getting a call from a scammer that told her she needed to give him her social security number, name and address or the police would be at her house in 45 minutes. These scams are very common now. Please be careful and check out everything before replying to any text, email, or phone call that asked for any information about you. They are very slick about getting information in a couple different calls that they need to steal identity, find out credit card information, and other personal information from you. This is called social engineering. They plan how to get the information they need in different forms and at different times. Please teach your children, students, and your family about not giving any personal information to people they do not know. Here is a link to the video for your entertainment. Police officer Llink.

Quote I’m pondering —

“Education is a life long marathon of learning not a yearly race that starts again each year.” Unsure of author

What’s Happening —

This Coming Week	In Two Weeks
Mon. Sep 2 - Labor Day (No School) Tue. Sep. 3 - Afternoon Specials Start T-4th, W-2nd, Th-5th Sep.3—Sep.6 - Evaluation Pre-conferences	Mon. Sep 9 - Pie with Principal 9:30am (parent meeting) Mon. Sep 9 - Teacher Training (out at 1:15) Fri. Sep 13 - Tuacahn Assembly 10:30am Fri. Sep 13 - Staff Luncheon
Sep. 17 - Picture Day

Favorite Article This Week —

Teaching Students How to Ask for Help

This is one of the strategies we all want for our students. How to know when and how to ask for help. It is not something students come to us knowing how to ask for help. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Fifth grade. I really appreciate how you problem-solve before you come to the meetings we have had. Thank you for meeting and getting some ideas together. I appreciate your desire to help your students. I also appreciate when there is a need you are willing to move schedules and just do what needs to be done. I appreciate your help. Thank you for the extra things you do with “The Point”, and students council, and all the other opportunities you give your students as they get ready for the next level in education. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

Build Your Structure

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

Build Your Structure  —

I learned a lot about what Classroom Management was at the training a couple weeks ago. The trainer Trish let us know that we need to start with the teaching. I talked about teaching a few weeks ago. Teaching students how to behave in the classroom. Procedures and expectations in the classroom. The next piece was structure. Trish described structure as the way we arrange our classroom and activities to help students with behavior. There are a few points that she made about structure I wan to share.

• Why ever irritates you, make a change.  It will not get better unless you change it.
• More teacher involvement to be successful. Keep practicing and training.
• Physical, Procedural, scheduling. How can these things have a positive effect on student behavior. 
• Don’t give students down time.

As we set up the rooms we need to keep a eye on where are the places that students have the most behavior problems. Are there specific times they act out? What change can be made to help students. How can we arrange the room to make sure students are successful?

One of the things she really hit us with that was the myths we believe about students that we need to stop believing.

• Myth: Students are old enough to behave.
• Myth: Kids are fine if they know the expectations.
• Myth: Students should be able to figure it.
• Myth: If they haven’t gotten it by now…
• Myth: I shouldn’t have to repeat myself.

Remember the lesson about how long it takes for the brain to fully form. If the brain is not fully formed, can we expect a child(or 24 year old) to "get it" the first time? We are helping students form and grow. Within the teaching and structure it is important to remember everything should have important interactions with students. Positive interactions. Positive interactions are reinforcing the actions we want. Review the structure of the classroom and see how it works with the students. Sit in their chairs. Move where they move. See if any changes need to be made to accommodate their needs. Structure the room for the students to learn in. It was a great learning experience for me. Next on the list will be Observing student behavior in the classroom. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“The problem is not to find the answer, it's to face the answer.”

- Terence McKenna

What I am Watching —

60 second strategy: TUMS at the Door

A follow up on meeting students at the door. This can be a little much, but it is effective. Fist bumps and high 5’s.

Another Favorite Article This Week —

Teen’s surprising ‘worst day ever’ poem goes viral

How we look at things can decide how we act on things. I love this poem. One day top to bottom. Most days, bottom to top.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you teachers for taking a student (or more) under your wing to get to know a student that can be a challenge for you. This is not an easy task, especially in the beginning. It has been a wonderful experience for Kim to come into your PLC’s and hear how you will take these students and build a relationship of caring and learning for everyone. Thank you for stepping out and taking the challenge. The students you have picked will be better for it and you will see the change they will make over the next month. It just takes a little love and caring. Kim and I talk about the changes we have seen in the few students we see each morning before school. The relationships we have built and the sides of them we never saw before. Thank you for all you do for students. Thank you.

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

Scheduling

Teachers,

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

Scheduling  —

The one thing I have learned over the many years I have taught and mores since I took the job as a Teacher on Special Assignment, is scheduling. It is a nightmare. Trying to get everything in and not having someone get left out or have more than another is impossible. I am getting ready to start looking at how we will schedule or week next year with PLC’s, PE, and anything else we need to add in as we go through the year. WIDA is always crazy because of the amount of students we have that need to take this test. Scheduling DIBELS in two languages and then the Core Phonics in each language can also take up some time. We will also head into the SAGE testing in two months that will take a little time, but fortunately we have enough technology in our school that will keep our computer lab free. I tell you this because of the reactions with the scheduling. It has been generally positive and I understand when it is not. I have been there when my students had the worst times to do things and it always seemed that there was never a perfect time for anything. I have appreciated the input I have gotten with the schedules we have put together. We are trying to make them so that you have the most time possible to do what you need to do, teach. IF you have suggestions, please let me know. As we start the scheduling for next year, please let me know if you have suggestions. I do appreciate your flexibility and your understanding when it comes to the scheduling. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

 —Margaret Mead

Favorite Article This Week —

Want to help your kid ace the big tests? Make them laugh, not study

I am not saying students should not study. I am saying kids also need to laugh/. Interesting article.

Another Favorite Article This Week —

The New Reading Program Implementation Blues

We will be getting a new reading program next year. This is an interesting article from Timothy Shanahan about implementing a new program.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you for all you do. We have really done a lot of testing over the last couple weeks and everyone needs a big thank you for giving the tests, working with the schedules while we give the tests, and just being understanding. This is a big thank you for everyone in our school. Thank you.

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

Oh, Flip

Teachers,

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

Oh, Flip  —

Kim is taking a Principal's tech class, and in braving the class she will be given a little money for our school to be used for technology or professional development for technology. So the idea we came up with is to have a few classes for teams to implement blended learning/flipped classroom. The blended classroom/flipped classroom is using tech to provide more differentiation using video and tech activities mixed with traditional teaching, small groups, and rotations to differentiate learning in the classroom. I have seen it work from kinder to high school in different formats and to varying degrees.

We would provide the time and professional development to build lesson plans and build the tech for the classroom. I know everyone is thinking, this is a great idea. Learning about using the tech in my classroom and having the time to build the curriculum that will be used in the classroom? Sign me up… but wait. When will this happen? Will we be paid for our time? The thought is there are a few options. 

1. Get subs and take a few half days or a full days to work on the curriculum. 
2. Take time after school with a few options for times and days and get a stipend. 
3. Take a half or full day Saturday here and there with a stipend. This would be optional, but we would like teams to decide to do this. 

This is optional, but would be an opportunity to implement differentiation using tech and to build the curriculum to fit your classrooms. We have a google form for you to fill out on this subject. It is short, but will give us an idea what your thoughts are. Be a part of a way to provide a way to differentiate or personalize learning for your students. If you want more information, I can discuss it with you and your team. There are many articles on both subjects, especially in edutopia.org https://goo.gl/forms/fqfKngqoWILIQPLv2

Quote I’m pondering —

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” William Shakespeare

Favorite Blog of the Week —

Steve Borney's Blog: I'm on a Learning Mission

I found this blog this week and it has some amazing math ideas for lessons. Look through some of his older posts. Some great ideas here.

Favorite Article This Week —

Should We Test Reading or DIBELS

We have just tested DIBELS for K-3 and will be testing 4-5 next week. This was an interesting article about testing Literacy.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Lisa, Cami, Jaime, Jana, other helpers, and a host of Fifth Graders for helping with the afternoon snack. Lisa has taken the job of managing the snack and gets it to K-1 as well as handing it out to the students, with the amazing Cami, Jaime, and Jana. There are a few other helpers here and there and I really appreciate them also. With the meetings we have had which takes us away from the school in the afternoons, it is nice to have helpers to give the snacks to students. Thank you all for just takin over the snack and getting it out. Thank you for all you do in the school. It is the little things that make the big differences and keep everything in order so teachers can teach. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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

Glen Andersen

Title 1 Coordinator, Dixie Sun Elementary

STOIC

Teachers,

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

STOIC —

The training Kim and I went to the last couple days was an amazing reminder how important classroom management is to student learning. It provides a safe, civil, and productive school. The trainer, Trish, gave us amazing ideas that we will talk about in small doses and then do a full training on it the beginning of next year. We know that you do many of the things she talked to us about. The great things we learned were clarifications of ideas and information we have been using for years. We just need to tighten up on a few things. This includes  The first idea I want to share with you is stoic. It is an acronym for Structure, Teach, Observe, Interact, and Correct.

The first two are what we what we talked about the most.Teaching students how to behave responsibly in the classroom. So here are a few questions I want you to think about and if you say no to any of these questions, reteach your class. It is a great time of year to reteach the procedures and get them in the right way to learn. 

• Have you created lessons on expectations and explicitly taught them for classroom activities and transitions?
• Have you created lessons on expectations and explicitly taught them for classroom routines and policies?
• Have you provided teaching and reteaching as needed?

The part she stressed is creating lessons. Are they explicitly taught and expectations explained and practiced. The other part is Structure. Organizing the classroom for success. The thought I want to leave with you is the story Trish told about most high schools that have a rule about not wearing hoodies on their heads during school. But in the school store they sell hoodies. The lesson here is that if we are giving students the tools to break the rules, we are part of the problem. So the structure needs to be looked at and changed. One area we are addressing is playing tag during lunch recess. We take away tag and don’t put something in its place that provides the running and playing students need, they start getting in trouble play fighting, or playing tag again. So we need to change the structure. We are looking into adding some organized games during lunch recess to give students options to play and run. We hope to have these in place in the coming weeks. That is one area we needed a change. Look in your classroom and look for areas, times, or procedures where the most misbehaving happens. How can the structure be changed to avoid these behaviors? We are doing the same thing in the in all areas in the school. I will write about Structure and the rest of the STOIC framework in other 5 Points.

Quote I’m pondering —

“We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are.” —Anaïs Nin

What I’m Watching —

The Fastest Way to De-Fog Your Windshield

I love science. This is a good refresher course on the water cycle and condensation. I watched this a couple days ago and I am going to try this over the next couple days.

Favorite Article This Week —

Op-ed: Escaping the provocative self

I found this interesting and yet very informative. I need to look at situations this way. Especially when my kids are not happy with me.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Kirby for all you do. The care you put into this building and grounds to make it beautiful and safe makes you so important to our school. Thank you for helping everyone at lunch to open milk, open tacos and frozen juice. To clean up after all the students each day. Keeping our floors clean and shiny. Keeping your eye on all the little things that keep us safe. I appreciate your humor and putting up with all the crazy things we all do. We appreciate your helpers Jack and Nick as they take care of us at night. We appreciate their help and support as we do evening activities. We appreciate all you do, Kirby. We also appreciate Jack and Nick. Thank you for all you do to make our school a better place to be. Thank you.

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

Reflecting on the First Half

Teachers,

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

Reflecting on the First Half —

I’ve been watching a little football and I always wonder what the coaches say in the locker room at half time. It is half-time for us. Here are a few reflection questions to think about as we move into the next half of the year.

• In what area(s) do I wish I could better reach my students?
• Do I need to recalibrate my perspective on outside forces that I can’t directly control?
• Do I give my students the opportunity for frequent and authentic reflection?
• Is learning confined within the walls of our classroom?
• Am I doing all the “heavy lifting?”

Quote I’m pondering —

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.”

–Helen Keller

What I’m Watching —

Chromebook Crashcourse

This video is only up until December 31. There is also a way to win a Chromebook at the end of watching this hour PD session about Chromebooks. I learned that by Clicking CTRL+Shift+T will bring back a closed tab…so when students try to click off a tab they don’t want me to see, I can click that keystrokes and see what the last tab they closed was. I don’t use this often, but there are a few that I have talked with that I will check on. 

Favorite Article This Week —

Rediscovering Your Fulfillment as a Teacher

Sometimes we get into a bit of a funk and need a little pick me up. This is a good article to help get the focus back.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you for all you do. It is a pleasure working with all of you. Thank you.

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

Happy Holidays

Teachers,

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

Happy Holidays  —

Have a wonderful couple weeks of time with your family. It has been a busy year so far. The wonderful thing is that I am seeing changes in students and from what many of you are saying, the changes are starting to pay off. I get a snippet from students during lunch about what they are learning and many of the answers they give are positive. Students love you. You are all amazing teachers. Have a wonderful break. You deserve it.

Quote I’m pondering —

“Don't try to be perfect; Just be an excellent example of a human being.”

— Anthony Robbins

What I’m Watching —

Howe to Make Learning a Game

The author of “Ditch that Textbook” is having a free summit for educators. This is one of the online presentations. The Summit goes all this week and is available online until the 31st. Just thought I would offer a little online PD for you, if you want to do a little learning during your break. 

Favorite Article This Week —

Eating an Elephant

One bite at a time. A few words from Dave Burgess about eating an elephant.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you for all you have done this year. There has been a few changes that have been hard to adjust to and the testing we have done has given us a lot of data to look at. You have taken these changes and made them work. You are amazing teachers. You deserve all the thanks I can give. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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

Instructional Focus

Teachers,

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

Instructional Focus  —

One of the questions we asked at the training was about what our Instructional focus was at Dixie Sun. At our training this last week we learned from Patti Montgomery that this is an important part of our school is to have an Instructional Focus and to remind teachers of it often. What is the focus of our improvement in our school this year that has to do with Instruction. 

As Kim, Alma, and I looked at our needs in the school, and after having discussions with Jennifer, Sara, Patti, and Annette, we came up with three that we think need tightening up on. They are Engagement, Lesson Planning, and Explicit Instruction. At the training on Monday only ½ knew these. That is our fault. We should have been discussing this more with you. These are the three we will be talking about asking about as we come to PLC’s. We will be asking how your planning is and are you making sure you have the Explicit Instruction spelled out in your plans. As we come into your classrooms and see the great things happening, we will be looking at students to see their engagement levels in the activities they are doing. We should be able to ask your students what they are learning and they should know the objective and why they are working on this activity. We understand that there will be 10-20% of your class that might not know because they are learning to learn, but as engagement, and explicit instruction increases, most students should know why they are working on each activity and where they are headed.

I think one of the teachers put it well in a PLC this week, they said that “we are doing most parts of explicit instruction, lesson planning, and we are getting better at engagement, we just needed to be reminded which parts we were missing so we can improve.” I agree. We just need to be reminded of the parts and make sure we have them all included in our classrooms. You are amazing teachers. One of our goals for the rest of the year is to remind you of our objectives (Instructional Focus) to make sure you know what we are concentrating on. It is not subject based, it is Instructional based. We appreciate all you do.

Quote I’m pondering —

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

What I’m Watching —

Teach Teachers How To Create Magic

Don’t get stuck on the music part of the video and listen to the overall message he is saying. Create magic in your classroom. 

Favorite Article This Week —

Why Student Data Should Be Students’ Data

What should we do with all this data we are collecting on students?

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Julie, Jaime, Elena, Diana, and Teryn for helping in our training on Monday. As we talked with the teams throughout the school the one comment was made throughout was that they got to see teachers that used these strategies and skills in their classrooms. They also mentioned there needed to be more time. I appreciate that you were willing to take the time, from short notice, and share one amazing thing you do in your classroom. We have so many strategies and skills that are being used in our building that we can learn from. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for being the amazing teachers you are. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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

Checking In, Checking Out

Teachers,

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

Checking In, Checking Out  —

One of the ideas Kim and I wanted to work on this year were student discipline issues we have seen at our school. We don’t have serious issue, but we have some that get under teachers skin and sometimes ends up that the teacher needs a time out, or that the student needs someone to talk with.One of the new ideas we have heard about and are putting into effect this year is the Check-in, Check-out program. We have started small and are adding a few more students here and there. Some of the students really have made serious improvements, and some we are still working with. Let me explain what it is and how it works.

A student comes to my office in the morning before school, or right after school starts. Kim or I sit with them and see how they are doing, getting a feeling of how their day might be, and give them a minute to tell me something they want to get out. It is a time for us to build a relationship with them and they have a chance to be listened to, one on one. Then we talk about the “Check In” sheet. There are four things we talk about, “Listening to the teacher”, “Being on task”, “Appropriate talk with others”, and “Completing their work”. They have a chance to get a 2 (amazing, but not perfect), a 1 (part to most of the time), or a 0 (less than part of the time or nothing) during the morning, afternoon, specials, and during clubs. They set a goal of how many 2’s they will get that day. It might be 1, it might be 10. Theory set the goal. They take the Check In Sheet to their first teacher and they go on with their day. At the end of the class the teacher circles the numbers, gives a short explanation why they got the numbers they did, signs the paper, and they take it to the next class. At the end of the day, they “Check Out” with Kim or I by coming to the office before school is over and sharing with us how their day went. We discuss the 0’sand 1’s and celebrate the 2’s. We make a plan about what they will do to get 2’s in class and we send them home. After we have talked with their parents about the Check In sheet, the note goes home for the parents to sign and the student brings it back the next day when they get in their new Check In sheet. This paper is not a punishment. Even when they get 0’s it is not a punishment, it is a way to find out why they are getting 0’s and 1’s in class. It also helps us with patterns in their behaviors. 

If they are sent to the office because of a serious behavior problem, there will be a punishment of some kind. I personally like picking up trash and cleaning up our school during lunch. Then I can talk with them while we are cleaning the school up.

What we need from teachers is consistency in asking for the papers, taking a minute to talk with the students and don’t just circle numbers and push them out the door. We also need you to make sure they get to the office either before school or right after the bell. Some students in the upper grades can be sent after iReady time also. And the hard part is making sure you get the papers each day in the afternoon and send them to the office before school ends. It gets crazy with snack and other distractions as school ends, so if they are sent before the bell rings we can get them all and send them home. You can even send them before Clubs if you like. Please help us with this. Right now we have about 7 students, but we are hoping to have a few more and give Check in sheets to other people in our school. This gives students someone to talk with for a minutes twice a day along with the attention you give them as a teacher.  Thank you for all you do. We hope this program will help change a few of the behaviors that can distract a class and make your classroom a wonderful learning environment with few intentional distractions. From students.

Quote I’m pondering —

“Stick your neck out…it’s a lot more fun than sitting at home and watching other people do it.” 

– Sir Richard Branson

Favorite Video This Week —

Step your Steps

The Fitbit challenge has come to this! Red Mountain sent this out to all the principals. Enjoy the humor about our Fitbit Challenge.

Favorite Article This Week —

Training teachers in phonics should be prioritised, says thinktank

Ya. We know. We see the gaps and are starting to fill them with PD and a great Phonics program. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you First Grade. Thank you for taking the learning you have gotten and putting it into your classrooms the next day. Thank you fro working with your groups of students and never giving up on any of them. Working with the students that need a little extra and building them up and giving them a reason to learn. No stone unturned, no student left behind. Thank you for your passion. Thank you for your ideas. Thank you for telling us what you need to get to the next step. Thank you for all you do. You are appreciated. Thank you.

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

The Improvement Plan

Teachers,

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

The Improvement Plan  —

Our grade has dropped from a C to a D as a school. What does that mean? It means we need to help our students go deeper and build their successes. As Kim and I reflected on last year we found a few  hints we needed to adjust to make students more successful. The first hung we needed to do was find time for interventions. With our schedule it is not easy to find that time in our limited day, so the thought came to build in a club time for all students to participate in. This gives students intervention time as well as an extension for every student sometime throughout the year. The next thought we had was we needed to change up our English strand classes. This would take extra help moving students into a couple different classes as well as changing schedules around. This is still a work in progress, but the idea is that it will give everyone an opportunity to learn and it would mix the classes up in a way that every student succeeds. Scheduling has been an interesting challenge, but in he end it should provide great results. The third idea that came up was that Shelly needed help with the science. 30 minutes a week with every student does not build science mastery, or even come close. So we thought that science needed to be more prevalent in the classroom in the form of informational ready, which everyone is doing anyway. Adding more science practice, background knowledge, and science vocabulary in the classroom will help students be more successful in understanding the world around them. And the last idea was one that came as we read through what you wanted as teachers in the survey last year. More PD for Phonics, Language, reading comprehension, and writing. So we called in the big guns, Jennifer and Sara. Actually everything we reflected on came from thoughts teachers had as we talked about how to make our school a better, more successful learning environment. One last piece that we think will help us providing snacks and Tan’s Treats for our students. These programs will give food where it is needed for our students. I don’t like to say that we are teaching to any teat. What we are trying to do is make our school a more successful place for students to be successful in, especially as they leave us. We want them to be ready for everything life will throw at them. Education is a game changer for many students. Anything we can do to up their game is a bonus. If you have any ideas or thoughts about this plan, please let us know. We are always up for ways to make our school better.  

Quote I’m pondering —

“Most misunderstandings in the world could be avoided if people would simply take the time to ask, ‘What else could this mean?’”

― Shannon L. Alder

What I’m watching —

Imogen Heap's Mi.Mu gloves will "change the way we make music"

I love Imogene Heap’s music. When I saw a video about Imogene using gloves to make music I had to learn more. This, to me, is what our students are going to be doing in the future. Creating something to make life better, or more fun. I also wonder how this might change how we teacher or how students might learn…with a pair of gloves.

Favorite Article This Week —

Why Multilingual People Have Healthier, More Engaged Brains

This is our students. They have strong brains. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you. It has been a busy year so far and as we get deeper into the year I see how amazing the teachers and staff are at Dixie Sun. Working with many different staffs over the years it has been hard to get some engaged in trainings. There has been many times when the teachers would not get up and engage in the activity we were involved in. Not so here. We realize that if we expect our students to be engaged, we should also. When we are learning, we need to be learning. I appreciate the support you give whomever is teaching the PD. We get comments from everyone that comes to teach us that our teachers are engaged and wanting to learn. I just want you to know that you are amazing teachers. Thank you for all you do. Thank you. 

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

Addendum: I was reminded that another part of the plan was to add Mindset to our learning in the classroom. Teaching students and teachers about a growth mindset helps each understand more about how the brain works. It also builds persistence and that it is ok to make mistakes. Growth Mindset can increase learning in everyone because of their outlook on learning.

Your Passion is Showing Through

Teachers,

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

Your Passion is Showing Through—

I am tired. If I am tired, I am sure you are also. All the work you put into your classrooms. All the work you put into your lessons. All your preparation. All you do for the students each day is amazing. Thank you for all your hard work. The scheduling this year has been a little different and I hope it is working well. As we go through the year, please let me know your thoughts on scheduling and how it is working. We want to make everything as smooth as possible for you and the students. It has been wonderful going to your PLC’s and hearing how everything is going. Kim mentioned that it has been a smooth first couple weeks. Your Passion is showing through. 

Monday is our first teacher training. We will be looking at information from last year and see where we need to concentrate this year. Jennifer Throndson will be coming to see what we find and how she can set up the Professional Development her and Sara Weibke will be providing this year. We will be talking a little Sage, Dibels and DRA. We will be starting at 12:30. We will be in the science lab.

Quote I’m pondering —

“Wild animals run from the dangers they actually see, and once they have escaped them worry no more. We however are tormented alike by what is past and what is to come. A number of our blessings do us harm, for memory brings back the agony of fear while foresight brings it on prematurely. No one confines his unhappiness to the present.” – Seneca

What I’m watching —

Kurt Vonnegut on the Shapes of Stories

I watched this video years ago and used it in my classroom as I read stories to my students. I found that it was a great way to show the rise and fall of a characters attitude, happiness, cause and effect of the story, and what leads up to and after a problem. 4 and half minutes of story graphing.  

Favorite Article This Week —

Why It’s Imperative Educators Resist The Lure Of The Single Story

This was a good article reminding me that we need to fight against assumptions about our students. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers. This new schedule is a new way of thinking. A new way of managing your schedule. You have each taken the schedule and idea and made it your own. Thank you for working with this idea. Thank you for working with it so it benefits the students. Thank you for making a change that is not comfortable. Thank you for your willingness to take a risk. Thank you for being a pirate. Thank you for all you do.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

What’cha Doing This Summer?

Teachers,

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

What’cha Doing This Summer? —

When Kim pitched to me the idea of starting a book study of Harry Wong and Annette Brinkman this summer, I thought it was a great idea. Having a group of educators get together and discuss, model, and learn together about how we can help students better is always a great plan. If you have a chance, come and enjoy the great discussions we will have. We will post the days on the DSES Staff Information Calendar on your Google Calendar.

I also want to mention Twitter again. After you sign up for Twitter take a minute and search for some hashtags. Read or participate in a couple chats during the summer. They are about an hour long, but you don’t have to participate or even be there when it happens. You can read any chat that happened by searching the hashtag and reading through the tweets. The #tlap and read some of the tweets that are there. If you search for the #tlap hashtag on Monday nights at 7pm. you can read or participate as creative teachers from around the country discuss topics about improving professional practice. Another chat is #edchat that you can search or read and participate on Tuesdays at 5:00pm. If you are also interested in learning more about using tech in the classroom and how other educators use tech in their classes, Mondays at 6pm is #edtechchat. My favorite chat is one that I just found called #EduGladiators on Saturday mornings at 9:30am. Spend the hour or a few minutes reading some of the tweets and learn see what is happening around the country in education. 

Quote I’m pondering —

“Don’t buy complexity; the simpler you make your training, the better the results become.”

– Ryan Flaherty

What I’m watching —

Year End Gifts

I have to get in at least one more Gerry Brooks video before the end of the year.

Favorite Article This Week —

Talking to Yourself (Out Loud) Can Help You Learn

Just in case you hear me talking to myself you will know why.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Teachers. We have finished up SAGE and the scores look good. The scores are better than last year and the students are improving. This is all in part of every grade in the school. The 3rd grade scores reflect everything that has been done with the students from Preschool to 3rd grade. The scores in 4th and 5th grade show the work done with each student from time they started at our school until they test. Overall the scores have made good improvement. I can’t wait to see  the final scores after all is said and done. Thank you teachers for all you do with the students. Thank you specialists, paras, and aides. You are also a huge part in each student making improvements each and every year. Thank you everyone for all you do. Thank you.

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

Next Steps

Teachers,

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

Next Steps —

We are coming to the end of testing for the 3-5 grades. We have started looking at a few things we are going to do next year and how we will make it better than this year. We have set up the schedule with Jennifer and Sara for our Literacy training next year (It should be on your google calendar under DSES Staff Information). We are also working on the Tech endorsement at our school on Tuesday’s (As soon as I get the schedule it will be on the DSES Staff Information calendar) with elective classes starting this summer. Annette will visit us at the beginning of the year to get us started off on the right foot. 3-5 will be trying out a schedule that will move students around and  hopefully help every student be successful while adding in a little more science and social studies. Fifth Grade will be trying the schedule out in the final weeks of this year. It sounds like we will be doing a lot of learning next year. We will be starting a Dad’s program, called Watch Dogs, next year to see if we can get some dad’s into the school. All Grade Levels have been working on refining their GVC’s and Learning Targets to keep the rigor in the learning expectations and to help guide our teaching. We will do our best to help support and build on the successes we have had this year. One of the thing I have learned this year, and the list is long, is that the Dixie Sun teaches and staff are always willing to learn and grow. You are amazing. With the plans we have talked about and that you have had a hand in, through the surveys, we will bring you much of what you have asked for to help you grow professionally. We don’t want to overburden you, but bring you the training that you will use and implement as you teach next year. Please let us know how you are doing with the trainings. We want to make sure we can support you.

Quote I’m pondering —

“One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, right here, right now, in this single, solitary, monumental moment in your life– is to decide, without apology, to commit to the journey, and not to the outcome."— Joyce DiDonato

What I’m Still watching —

Decorah Eagles

The eggs have hatched. The babies are grey and not the eye candy you would think. But they are cute and it is so interesting watching them over time. Each bird has their own personality. Amazing wildlife up close. Another few weeks and they will be flying. 

Favorite Book This Week —

Teach Like A Pirate

Arrr. This book is about engagement, teacher passion, and unleashing your creativity as a teacher. Great read. Great ideas. Borrow my copy if you want.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Shelly. The Color Run was a success. Thank you for planning it all out and making sure everything was organized so it would run smoothly. It was well thought out and the students had a blast. AS I walked around the track during lunch one student walking with me told me over and over that it was he greatest night of her life. She could not say enough good about it. She never wanted it to end. Thank you for all you do for the school. Thank you for your dedication. Thank you.

I also wanted to thank everyone that helped with the color run. We use most of the color and it was fantastic. Thank you for your dedication to the students. thank you for all you do throughout the year to give our students the best opportunities to come together as a community and as a school. Thank you.

And one more Thank you for our Administrative Assistants. You deserved all that you got this week. Every letter, every gift, every bonus meal, every thank you. You deserve it all. Thank you Anita and Inez. You two are amazing. Thank you for all you do.

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

Building Student Understanding

Teachers,

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

Building Student Understanding —

I have learned so much from Bob Sonju in the last couple weeks. Bob mentioned that bas loved working with all the grade levels as you worked on your GVC's. I don't think we can ever be reminded of the PLC questions enough. 

• What do we expect our students to learn?
• How will we know they are learning?
• How will we respond when they don't learn it?
• How will we respond if they already know it?

Using these questions we set our GVC and Learning targets. Once we have the what we want them to learn we set up our program and find our tools that help us teach so we can move to the next question. To find out if they learned what we wanted them to learn and to see if we taught it well we assess the students. From that data we look at who did not get it, who did get it, and what we going to do next. The hardest part of the assessment is looking at our teaching practices as a team and finding out if there is something else we can change or tweak to improve our lessons. When we answer these questions we find our next steps and get to work. The work Bob did with us is the first step in this process. This is the first step in know what we want our students to understand. And that is our calling as teachers. To help every student, no matter their circumstance, no matter their behavior, no matter their attitude, is to give them the opportunity to learn and understand.

Quote I’m pondering —

“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.”

― Eleanor Roosevelt

What I’m watching —

Critique and Feedback - The Story of Austin's Butterfly

Irene Sent this to me and I loved the way Ron Berger helps students understand how to give critique a paper and how Austin used the feedback to improve the butterfly picture. Great lesson. Thanks Irene.

Favorite Article This Week —

State Assessment Time...

Another Lex Prin video. Need I say more? Thank you Jennifer for reminding me to look at this. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you fifth grade, Diana, Kristen, Cynthia, and Jennifer for all your hard work Thursday. You really took what Bob was teaching and dug in deep within the standards and came up with some great questions and discussions to help push yourselves. Thank you for working hard. Thank you for working together. Thank you for all you do for the students. Thank you. 

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

What Truly Matters

Teachers,

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

What Truly Matters —

SAGE testing has started and we are looking through the scores and they come in and are seeing some great things and some areas we wished were better. So what do we do with these scores? What do we do with any scores w get from our testing? What truly matters in our classrooms and what we do here at Dixie Sun? Is the test the end-all, be-all? No, student learning is what truly matters. Bob told us something during the K-2 training about assessment that stuck with me. 

1. Assessments determine who is proficient. 
2. Assessments show us who needs additional support to get the skill assessed. 
3. 3. Assessments determine which teaching practices get the best results.

The last one is a tough one. But it is also the one that helps students and teachers grow. Which teaching practice got the results we wanted and how to we take that practice from one or more teachers and have it work in other classrooms? If we keep doing the same thing and we are not getting the results, we need to look at our practice and change it a little. What truly matters is what is best for the students in our classroom. How do we improve learning in our classrooms? Assessments help us find out what is needed for students and what is best practice in our classrooms. It is not used for teacher evaluation. There are too many variables in that equation. How we use the data we gather from assessments is what truly matters. What will we do with what we know to help students learn and grow.

Quote I’m pondering —

“The future depends entirely on what each of us does every day; a movement is only people moving." —Gloria Steinem

What I’m watching —

Wait, What? (And other big questions)

Bob Sonju shared a piece of this video with K-2 during their team meetings this week. At least read the short article. It is an amazing video if you want to watch the whole commencement speech.

Favorite Article This Week —

The Pale Blue Dot

Bob also shared an article thing K-2 that talks about how we should think about how we should think in our lives. Read it. Ponder it. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Kindergarten, First, and Second grade. Watching you work in the meeting with Bob was amazing. i can see how your work will benefit the students and how your expectations will take our students to the next level. I loved watching the collaboration, the discussion, and the exchanging of ideas that made the curriculum more understandable for you and it will be more understandable for your students. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for taking the time to learn. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful 4 day weekend. 

Twitterpated with Learning

Teachers,

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

Twitterpated with Learning—

As teachers we should always be the head learner in our classroom. It can be anything, but we should learn something and then let our students what we have learned. Take a few minutes each week and talk to your students about something you learned and see how interested they are in it. That is one of the reasons I do this 5 point Friday each week. I figure that I should be learning something often and sharing it. One way I have kept up with learning new things is on Twitter. It seems silly to spend a little time on social media to learn about education, but it is a hot place for educational topics, if you know how to look. Many of the top education specialists, professors, administrators, and teachers like you are building a personal learning network to learn and grow from professionally. If you are interested, start small and take 5 minutes a week and do a little skimming and reading. So how do you start? Start by opening a twitter account at twitter.com. In your description write that you are a teacher and a few fun things about you. You can add to it or change it later. Add a picture. Then you are ready to do a little learning. Start by tweeting something and following a few people. Use the search and search a few people and click follow. If you have friends on twitter, follow them also. Here are a few suggestions. @gandersen07 @kimheki @dixie_sun @gcouros @alicekeeler @jmattmiller @burgess_shelley @bethhouf @burgessdave

Once you are following other teachers read a few tweets here and there and reply back to them to let them know your thoughts. to do that you hit the reply button and it will automatically add their name. Then you can write a short note and send it on its way. Check back later for a reply. You can also retweet their tweet to share it with your followers. If you have none, we will get you some. If you follow me, I will follow you and so will many of the others you follow. I will get into how to get into chats with other teachers around the world from our same grade level or just with educators in general. But that is another time.

Quote I’m pondering —

"If you have an arrogance that you have nothing new to learn, do not expect your students to have any different attitude." ― George Couros

What I’m watching —

The Death Crawl

When we think we can’t go another step or do one more thing.

Favorite Article This Week —

Data confirm the reason teachers should nag parents about missed assignments: it works

Parent communication is important as we teach students. Keeping them the loop about how they are doing in class can help their student do better.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Alma and Third Grade. Third grade had the idea of doing a pep rally for testing to get the 3-5 grade students excited and ready for the test. Alma ran with it and had the younger grades make posters and shot the footage for the video. Then she put together the pep rally and  gauntlet of high fives in the hallway. What a wonderful show of support to our upper grades knowing that everyone is behind them. Thank you third grade for the idea, and thank you All for making it a reality. Thank you for supporting our students. Thank you.

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

Reporting our Findings

Teachers,

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

Reporting our Findings—

I appreciate your help with the PD for next year. I think you have some great ideas on what you want and we will do what we can to set these trainings up so you can get the best professional development possible. We are talking with a couple trainers from the State office that will come down and teach you more about phonics (lower grades) and writing (upper grades). These are the two we are starting to set up right now. The next question I have is if we have PD come more than once, how often would you like them to coms to you have enough time to implement and write down questions before we have them come again? 6 weeks? 8 weeks? We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Send me an email and let me know. 

We are looking at this information and looking for the best options for training we can find. We have some amazing people within our district that we will use. We will get more information on what specifically we can do as we get closer to next year with those persons. There were also some other great suggestions that we will look for next year also. Thank you for your help with guiding our PD.

Quote I’m pondering —

“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” 

― Archilochus

What I’m watching —

NCAA Softball Player Carried by Opponents After Injury

This is what teamwork and Sportsmanship is all about. How does this relate to us with our students? With our fellow teachers? With our parents?

Favorite Article This Week —

Transforming School from Performance to Learning

I have talked to you about growth mindset before and one of the speakers at the Title 1 Conference spoke about it. This is an article he wrote about growth mindset in schools. Love the learning zone vs. performance zone comparison. What can we do to make outle classrooms a learning zone?

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Ines. I don't think I can say thank you enough for all you have to deal with. You are the one everyone sees first in he school. You know everyone in the school. You deal with my translating issues. Ines we would be lost without you. Thank you for all you do. And thank you for keeping our school organized with inventory. It is coming up and I know you are gearing up for it. We all appreciate your work, even if I had to give up Coke for, what is it now? Oh ya, 44 days. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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