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.

Labor Day…Take the Day off

Teachers,

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

Labor Day…Take the Day off—

Our first 3 day weekend and finally a day to take a moment and relax. I hope you take these days and do just that. Even if it is for just a couple hours. Do something you enjoy. Read, watch a movie, ride a bike, go on a hike, play a board game, anything that will get you away from school for a couple hours. It will be here when you get back to thinking about it. The amazing thing about teachers is that we never stop thinking about what we can do for our class. When we shop we always think about how that game or activity would help your students learn a little better. There is nothing wrong with that. That shows love fro what you do. Sometimes you need to let yourself get away from school. 

Quote I’m pondering —

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes...Including you. -- Anne Lamott 

What’s Happening This Week —

Monday, Sept. 3 - Labor Day (No School)

Tuesday, Sept. 4 - OEK Starts/Preschool Starts

Tuesday, Sept. 4 - Team Leader Meeting at 2:30 in Science Lab

Wednesday, Sept. 5 - Dibels for grades 1-3 possibly Kinder

Friday, Sept. 7 - Bike Safety Assembly at 1:30pm

Friday, Sept. 7 - Bike Rodeo in back of school at 2:15pm

Friday, Sept. 7 - Utah Food Bank Truck from 2:15 - 3:00pm - Any help would be appreciated

Favorite Article This Week —

Arrows Across America

Last year I found this website about the Air Mail Routes that flew in the20’s and 30’s. They built large concrete arrows that airplanes could navigate by at night. How cool is that. The closet one to us is on the Bloomington Outlook. Take a hike. Actually it is a short, steep uphill walk. Pretty cool though.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Heather for all the beginning IEPs you set up to take care of our students that need extra. It is a tough time of year to get everything sorted out and put into a schedule as you work around everyone else schedule. You are a needed resource in our school. Thank you for taking care of the students. Thank you for getting everything ready for the teachers and parents. Thank you and your aides for all the work that is done. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful 3 day weekend.

Teachers,

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

How Long Until I Am Finished Teaching?  —

This is a hard time of year. We are starting into testing for the older grades and the students are getting antsy because of the warm weather. Do not give up on the students. Do not let them get to you. They need everything we can give them. In my first year of teaching I learned that we stop teaching students once the end of year test is given and start doing activities to make it until the end of the year. They did not tell me this specifically, but through conversations, I learned this. So my first year went in that way. End of year testing, then activities. It was when I sat down with my principal a couple years later that we started to discuss the end of the year. So when is the last day we stop teaching students? Are there days we should not teach students and just put on a movie or take up a day by just having an activity or game day? We should be teaching every day when the students. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, there should be learning going on. We can’t give up the precious time we have with our students. We give tests all year long. We have the expectation that they will take the tests and that they will see the results so we all know what we need to work on next. The end of the year should be the same. Give the data to the students when we have it and show them what they need to work on. We have so much to get through. Use the time we have throughout the year until the last day we can teach and provide learning activities for students. I understand the last week of school is tough. Provide learning activities that students can learn from. Putting them on a computer at letting them go is not learning. Accountability should be held for each activity.

Quote I’m pondering —

When You allow the environment to control your psychology, you are not going to win.” – Tony Robbins

What I am ReWatching —

Simon Sinek - Start With Why

I taught a little this week in one of the classrooms and the one thing I could have done a lot better was to start with the why. Why do students need this? And it needs to be a great answer, not something they do not really believe they need.

Favorite Article This Week —

Research shows detrimental effects of laptop use in classrooms

How do we use our laptops in the classroom? This is an interesting article about things we need to be careful of. Tech is great, but not the end-all-be-all.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you, Jana, for all you do. Every Club day, Jana waits at the end of the hall to make sure her students are with her and ready to go before she takes them out to the Library. Every club day she stands at the corner and reminds students to walk and helps them if they need help. Every day Jana walks around the Big Toy on the playground during lunch to make sure all students are safe. Everyday Jana takes care of the library and makes sure everything is running as smoothly as it can. Thank you, Jana, for all you do for our students. Thank you, Jana, for all you do for the school. Thank you for all you do Thank you.

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

What did I learn this week?

Teachers,

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

What did I learn this week?  —

This is a question everyone should ask. What did I learn this week? If we haven’t learned something, we need to start learning something each week, or each day. This week I learned that instead of just having a student apologize when they hurt someone, but to do a little extra for that person can make a big difference than I ever thought it would. I also learned that when a student starts to add compliments as their punishment, they realize they can make others happy, and they are a little happier. I have seen student smile more than I have all year when they tell me the compliments they give each day. I learned that giving students technology an not having a purpose and an accountability piece to the tech activity gives stuns a license to either do nothing or do something they would rather do on the computer. I learned that Phonemic Awareness and Phonics can determine if s student will read well in third grade. I also learned that reading comprehension is not base on answering questions, but how students use strategies like Monitoring their own comprehension, generating questions, using mental imagery, summarizing, using graphic organizers, and answering questions as they read. If students use these strategies and understand the words they are reading using PA, Phonics, background knowledge, and vocabulary, they will comprehend text. That was just a piece of what I learned, and I want to know more about each of these things. What I you learn this week?

Quote I’m pondering —

“It is better to know how to learn than to know.”  — Dr. Seuss

What I am Watching —

60-Second Strategy: 7-Minute Writes

I used to see 5-minute writing in some classrooms where the students wrote for 5 minutes and did not stop. It was not graded, it was just for students to write. This is better. 

Favorite Article(s) This Week —

The Gap Between The Science On Kids And Reading, And How It Is Taught

An interesting article about how important phonics and phonemic awareness is for reading. Interesting thoughts.

Reading Rockets - Reading resources for teaching reading. You may need to dig, but there is a lot here.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you, teachers, for all your hard work with the students. We were at this Literacy Academy and as we went over all our Dibels data and Core Phonics data, we found the improvement in the scores to be amazing. The work you are doing with the students is showing. I know that many of you have mentioned that you are seeing the difference in your classrooms. It is wonderful how you will take a learning strategy and implement it because you know it will help students. When Jennifer an Sara bring us strategies and show us how it will make our students successful, I love that we see them being used in your classrooms. It is also great to see in these meetings we go to that we are going things in our school that research is telling Gus we should be doing. That is all because of you. You are where the rubber hits the road. Your classrooms are where the learning and success happens. Thank you for all you do for students. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

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

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

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.

And We Are Off

Teachers,

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

And We Are Off —

Our first week is almost over and we made it through. I have watched everyone as you power through our first 5 day week in years. It is so easy to start off with a 3 day week, but I have seen you push through this week and the students love being at our school. I have heard so many great things. So many students love the rotations in the upper grades. All I can say is that the students are relating to me the Passion you have in your classrooms. You are truly Pirates showing you are willing to take risks and travel to the ends of the earth for that which you value… Students. 

We will be starting Specials next week. You will need to be with your students to make sure they know how to get from one class to the next. I will open the training room for you to use if you want to meet there between your students rotating specials. Kim and I will come in and talk to your team about how you are doing and discuss interventions and extensions. I also wanted to remind you that we are starting Tech class next Tuesday. We can do hard things because we are Pirates! Arrrr.

We are off and running.

Quote I’m pondering —

“Being a reflective teacher could be your own best personal professional development." —Robert John Meehan

What I’m watching —

First Week of School Stress

Starting off with a short Gerry Brooks video. Enjoy.

Favorite Article This Week —

5 Questions to Ask Your Students To Start the School Year

A good article to start the year. Get students involved in their own learning. Get them thinking about their education. They might not have the answers right away, but it might get the seed planted.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you for all your preparations and work you put into your classrooms and curriculum. Thank you for building relationships with your students. Thank you for being the best teachers for the students at Dixie Sun. You deserve a huge thank you for all you do. Every one of you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work.

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.

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.

Budgeting Thoughts

Teachers,

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

Budgeting Thoughts —

I went to a Title 1 meeting today and we talked about a few things I thought you might like to know. We talked about iReady. Some of the schools are having a few issues like the computers are freezing and kicking students out. Please let me know if this has been the case in our school. Sherry Ann will be heading to a meeting on Monday morning and I would like to know if there is something we need to let iReady know. The Diagnostic should be done soon so we can see more progress from the students.

We also talked about Title 1 money for next year. This will effect all of the Title 1 schools in the district. As more charter schools come on line in Utah we are seeing our education monies being distributed more and that leaves us with less money for programs like Title 1. Dixie Sun will still be a Title 1 school because we have a high Free/Reduced Lunch population. There are 13 Title 1 schools in Washington County. So our district is coming to a crossroads. There are a couple different options our district needs to look at.

• We can have less schools be Title 1, which will leave those schools with less Aides, no iReady Lab, no Title 1 money, and anyone paid out of Title 1 will need to find another school. 
• If we cut back 2 schools, that will leave us with what we have now. 
• If we cut back 4 schools, that will give us a little more than we have now. 
• If we keep the same amount of Title 1 schools we have in our district, we will be losing a good chunk of money because it will be spread out more. 

So the question we are looking at is do we cut schools that need the money, but are on the bubble, or do we keep it the same and everyone gets a budget cut? I would be interested to hear your opinion and reasons.

If you would like to know more about this, please come and talk with me. The decision will be made in the next few weeks by the district, but we can share our thoughts about the decisions. If you have questions, please ask.

Money will always be an issue in education. It always has been and it always will be. But if we use what we have wisely and for the progress of students, we will always get the best results. But money does not always compensate what really matters in a child’s education, a great teacher. 

Quote I’m pondering —

"Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think." - Albert Einstein

What I’m watching —

The Gifts of ADHD

“Often the conversation about ADHD is about what students can’t do”… this is a very short video trying to help change minds on how we could look at ADHD. 

Favorite Article This Week —

All The Mathematical Methods I Learned In My University Math Degree Became Obsolete In My Lifetime

The part I love in this article is when he talks about needing a deep understanding of the skills, not just how to compute numbers. It also talks about how important number sense is in our world today. Interesting.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you teachers for your understanding as I try to schedule WIDA. I think I am pretty good with a schedule until I get something I have not had any experience with (WIDA) and we go with what happened before. Unfortunately, every year is a little different and brings with it a new set of challenges. So I adapt and learn. I just appreciate your willingness to do what is needed and help us get through this process of testing. It is a privilege to work with you. Thank you for all you do, especially when it comes to my learning process. Thank you fro your patience with me. Thank you.

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

Time for a break

Teachers,

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

Time for a break —
Christmas break is a needed time for all educators to take time and reflect on the year you have had. It gives us two weeks to have fun with our families and forget some of the things that have happened in the first five months of the school year. When students come back from Christmas break they seem to be a little different. Most of the time they are a little more mature. They do come back ready to see their friends, teachers, and get back into school. Please take the time to enjoy your holiday. Don’t spend too much time at the school preparing, especially new teachers. You need the time off. Enjoy your time with your family. Enjoy time away from school. Enjoy the season. Enjoy life.

Quote I’m pondering —
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you.”
― Anne Lamott

What I’m listening to —
Radio Garden
Just in case you are missing home and want to hear a radio station from anywhere close to home. I love the Hawaiian and LA radio stations, but they have many here from around the states and around the world. Check out Barrow, Alaska. Then look it up on the map. Yes, there is a radio station there. Put on the headphones and go home.

What I’m watching to —
12 Days of Christmas
This is great version of this song. Have a great holiday vacation.

A Big Thank You —
Thank you teachers. I appreciate all that you do. I am in awe of the amazing things you do with our students in the little time you have with them. I know it feels like there is no time and very little getting done, but in the end, the students remember the teachers who gave time to them and loved them. The academics is important, but the learn better when they are loved. Thank you for loving the students. They are better because of it. You are wonderful. Thank you. Just Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful Christmas break. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Do You Know Where You Are?

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

Do You Know Where You Are? —
Here is another tech lesson that you might want to know, or not. On your phone is a wonderful program that helps locate where you are. This is very helpful when using maps so you can find someplace, when using the Krispy Kreme app so you can find the nearest Krispy Kreme, and if you have the right app, it can help you find out where your car is parked in the Walmart parking lot. The helpfulness of this program changes when you find out that it might be geotagging your pictures, tagging where you are on Facebook or Instagram, or other location options for apps you use. I see the problem with this being that anyone that has access to that picture can see where it was taken. Where you are on vacation, at the local hangout, at your house... the geotag actually is part of the picture. So to disable that you need to turn off the location services on your phone.

On an android phone it is all combined so when you turn it off, you will also turn off the location services for maps and apps that you want to help you using location services. You can turn it off in Settings>Location. There is history that keeps track of where you have been and Reporting that gives apps access to your position. Turning off history will prevent it from keeping location information. If you turn off reporting, it will not geotag your pictures, but it will also not let you see where you are on the map.

On an iPhone you go to settings>privacy>location services and disable specific location services for specific apps. It will give you options like never, while using app, and always. Always means if the app is in the background it will use your battery while keeping track of where you are. You will want location services for maps, weather, find my iPhone, and magic guide if you are a Disneyland fan. Photos, Facebook, Instagram, twitter, camera and other social media apps should be set to never.
If you have a windows phone, you will go to settings>location services and turn it off. It is similar to android that when you turn it off, it turns off the maps location services.

Remember to pay attention to the pop ups on your phone when it asks if you want apps to monitor your location. Most apps do not need it. Game apps have started to ask for location services so they can see if there are players near you. That also shows others where you are. Don't get freaked out about this, but be security minded, especially if you have kids that use a smart phone.

Bonus: there are apps to help track your kids. Make sure those apps have location services a turned on. My kids know that their phones are trackers also, and they do the same to me. Location services are awesome when you going somewhere and you want to use the maps feature, but can be a detriment when others can see where you are. Have a safe and secure day.

Quote I’m pondering —
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." -Steve Jobs

Favorite Article This Week —
Teaching Text Structures
Text structures is huge when reading everything, except narratives. I found this article with its accompanying video and slideshow. I hope you enjoy it.

Second Favorite Article This Week —
DOK in Content Areas
I know, two articles? Where is the video to make us better people? I loved both of there articles. Sorry Here are some charts that help show what DOK looks like in different content areas. I know some of you are working on DOK questions in your lessons.

A Big Thank You —
Thank you Alma. Thank you for all the work you put in for everyone to be better teachers. You always have a full schedule taking care of coaching and finding resources for teachers. We know how hard you work make if everyone better. We appreciate all the time you put in and the help you give. Thank you for all you do for our school. Thank you.

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

Searching

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

Searching —
If has been a busy month and I did not get to the tech training that I wanted to do. We just had so much we have been doing as a school that I thought another thing would push everyone over the edge. So I will start here. Searching. Not googling. Searching. I was listening to my wife talk about why she can't find a certain document for work because the name was changed and she does not know how to find it. So here are a few rules when naming documents. First rule is to name it so you can find it. Long names are fine. Sentences are not. When you are sharing a document, like lessons plans, with someone, put your name on it. It makes it easier to find and it will not get mixed up with someone else. When you are searching for a document in google Docs, the search will look through the document for words also. So if you forget the name of the document, search for a prominent word or phrase in the document and it should be able to find it. The last thing I want share with you is about sharing. If you do not want the people you share with messing with your document, select the view only box and they will be able to see it, but not add too it. I hope this helps as you are naming documents and searching on your computer.

Quote I’m pondering —
"There is much more to life than increasing its speed." Mahatma Ghandi

What I’m watching —
Why It's Time To Forget The Pecking Order at Work
Another TED talk that talks about super chickens and how to make teams work better together.

Favorite Article This Week —
100% is overrated
I always think about how many times my teachers told me I was smart because I got 100%. Then I think about the times I did not get 100% and how I felt that I was not as smart as I should be. I like how this article suggests we change our labels.

A Big Thank You —
I want to thank a couple of our unsung heroes at school. Our lab aides, Nicola and SherryAnn. They help our students with usernames and passwords, collecting data for Imagine Learning and iReady. They keep us on track, and we need that. Thank you for all your hard work with our students and especially keeping us where we need to be. Thank you ladies. Thank you.

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

Technology

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

Technology —
Technology in the classroom is an amazing tool to help in our teaching. It opens up the world to our students which can be amazing. As we use more technology in our classrooms it means more opportunity for teachers and students. It also means more management to see that students are doing what they are supposed to. Procedures need to be thought out. Students need to be trained. But what we can do with the Chrome books and Google Drive in the classroom is incredible. Using our Chrome books gives us opportunity to share devices and still track what each student is doing because their history and bookmarks follow the student, not the device. iPads will still be used in Kinder and First Grade to offer them apps that will help them learn but still gives us the ability to lock them into an app.

Wifi has been spotty lately and should get better soon. Have an alternative plan if it shuts down. have the students shut their Chrome books and read for a minute or work on something else. If you get them trained to do something like this you will know when there is a problem and if it is one student or the wifi. Have a wifi checker and when it is back up get them started again. Management. Plan for everything possible.

We will be having a optional tech trainings every couple weeks starting in October. We decided to wait until October to give you another month to settle in. The trainings will be short and will be about tech you use or will use everyday in your classrooms.

Quote from Calvin and Hobbes I’m pondering —
Calvin: They say the world is a stage. But obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines.
Hobbes: Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.
Calvin: We need more special effects and dance numbers.

What I’m watching —
The Power of Yet
When a student does not get a concept the first time, they get frustrated. We get frustrated. The power of yet is a mindset that they might not get it now, but they will. So the answer to a student that says, “I don’t understand this” is, “You don’t understand it yet, but you will”. Yet give students hope. It gives everyone hope.

Favorite App This Week —
Explain Everything $4.99
I don’t like paid apps, especially expensive ones, but this app is amazing. It is a whiteboard app that you can draw on, record video or take pictures on, and even record what you are doing on a web browser. So what you say? We have used it for tracking students for spelling, recorded students reading during one minute timings (adding notations during the reading), and had students cut out words for a word sort on the app. There are some amazing things to do. It is worth the price for me. If you don’t like the price, Doceri is a free app that is similar but not as powerful. There is a Chrome Book app (there is a cost here also) that is great for touch screen devices.

A Big Thank You —
Thank you Lisa Wright and her team. Scheduling the individual help for our LLI students is a nightmare. Lisa worked through the DRA scores and found the students that need the most help. Her team is amazing on how they work with each small group. With all the schedules they needed to work around and with as many students they needed to work with, it was a huge undertaking. Thank you Lisa and your team for all you do at our school for the students. Thank you.

I appreciate everything you do for the students. Have a wonderful weekend.