March 26, 2010

ITBS Schedule - Thank you to Jeannie, Mark, Sue T, and Linda for meeting with me to discuss the ITBS schedule.  Mark and Sue will have items for teams to discuss at lunch today and from your feedback, I will put together a master schedule for ITBS week (April 5-9).   We will have a planning meeting on Wednesday, March 31st at 3:40 pm in Sue T's room. 

ITBS Rewards & Motivation- The student advisory met with me yesterday to brainstorm incentives for ITBS.  They are voting on those today so teams can use the results to decide what incentive they want to tie to reading and math.  I will be coming into classrooms next week (Wed-Thurs) to talk to students about ITBS, why we take them, what they scored before, our overall building scores from previous years and goals for this year.  Schedule your 30 minutes with me as soon as you can! I like the 5th grade's idea about setting goals based upon each classroom raising their scores by 1.0 GE and may look at setting the building goal upon that same concept.  This may be easier for students to understand and be motivated by to improve their scores. 

Saxon Discussion - See last week's FWR...has your team (and with the other grade level) discussed this yet?

Tutoring and Summer School - I have two people who have expressed interest in tutoring.  If you're interested, I'd like to meet with those teachers after school on Monday so we can begin soon.  If you're interested in summer school, please see me soon too.

Spring Dates - Teams should list all their spring events/dates and turn these in to the office so we have a master schedule.  Spring gets busy so please communicate, communicate, communicate!!

Food for Thought - Someone left an article on my desk entitled, "The End of Grade Levels?"  A very interesting read and something to think about as education continues the attempt to make changes to meet the needs of students in the 21st Century.  After reading the article, if you have feedback please click on the "Comment" link below and let us know. 

Dates to Note:
March 29 – 7:40 am mtg w/ Mr. Schmidt
March 30 – PTO Mtg @ IPS (5:30 pm)
March 31 – ITBS Planning Mtg for all involved @ 3:40 pm

April 1 – 7:15 am mtg for all classroom teachers
April 2 – No School
April 5-8 – ITBS week
April 9 – 5th Grade to Rose Theatre
April 9 – 4th Simply Electrifying Assembly (3rd grade visit)
April 12 – Board Mtg (6:00 pm)
April 16 – Comprehensive Portfolios Due for teachers on cycle!!

Website of the Week

Great interactive website for math, including a great one on fractions and decimals.

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate

March 12, 2010

Spring Break & Grades - Although the weather outside does not indicate spring, a needed break has arrived. Please find the time to reconnect with family and friends and get the needed rest you deserve. We will come back to 10 weeks of instruction which we all know will fly by us in a blink of an eye!  For teachers, Friday is individual PD and you may leave anytime after 2:30 pm. A reminder that grades are due, Tuesday, March 23rd. We will send grades home on Thursday, March 25th.

Saxon – Nita mentioned to me that the number of Saxon lessons remaining is less than the number of days left this school year. Next Wednesday’s PLC time may be a great time to map out math instruction for the last quarter. With ITBS two weeks after break, teams may want to map out Lesson days, testing days, and determine if there are days prior to ITBS week that teachers could focus on skills students have stuggled with so far this school year. The teams may come up with some building wide activities to mix students up too. Please consider days such as Track & Field day when you plan. This would be a great activity to do as a full team (or at least be in the same room so you can hear each other’s thinking) so Mark & Michelle will determine where the PLC meeting will begin on March 24th!

ITBS Week is April 5th-9th!! As always, this week sneaks up on us! Below is some useful information about the week. If I am missing something, please let me know.

* Scheduling * - Jeannie, Mark, Melissa, 5th grade teacher (??) and I will meet on Thursday, March 25, at 3:30 pm in the media center to plan a building ITBS schedule. We have had too many conflicts in prior years so this team will review the schedules to ensure it works for everyone.

* Incentives * - I will be meeting with the student advisory students on March 25th during lunch to brainstorm incentives for reaching their individual goals and the goals set by the state for reading and math. If your team has ideas they want on the list of possibilities, get those to me prior to that Thursday. Also, spending time this prior to then to brainstorm as a class would be great!!

* Goal Setting * - The week prior to ITBS, I will spend 30 minutes with every class going over the data (both grade level and individual students). We will talk about goal setting and if time does not permit during the session, students will take their scores back to the room to set the goals. We will collect those goals from the teachers so they can be entered.


DATES TO NOTE...
March 13-21 Spring Break!
March 22 – Board Mtg (6:00 pm)
March 23 – Barry absent; Bates is go-to person
March 25 – Bates, Haufle, Schafer, Barry & ?? schedule ITBS (3:30)
March 30 – PTO Mtg @ IPS (5:30 pm)
April 1 – No School
April 5-8 – ITBS week
April 9 – 5th Grade to Rose Theatre
April 9 – 4th Simply Electrifying Assembly (3rd grade visit)
April 12 – Board Mtg (6:00 pm)
April 16 – Comprehensive Portfolios Due for teachers on cycle!!

Website of the Week

I have sent this one out before, but worth looking at during your
PLC time next week. You can locate the skill your students are

lacking and the site lists vocabulary, resources and instructional

strategies to use. Questions – see me.

http://www.integratingstandards.com/index.html

March 5, 2010

Wireless Lab Sweepstakes - Any staff member can enter DAILY for a chance to win one of three grand prize packages including a 21st Century Classroom and a $5000 digital media grant from Discovery Education. Plus, over 20 additional technology prizes!  The first time you submit your entry takes 5 minutes - after that, it only takes entering your email.  Put this website in as your homepage until May 3!!  http://cdwg.discoveryeducation.com/wawl/index.cfm 


The Power of Touch - An article from the NY Times indicates a helpful touch can go a long way.  The evidence that such messages can lead to clear, almost immediate changes in how people think and behave is accumulating fast. Students who received a supportive touch on the back or arm from a teacher were nearly twice as likely to volunteer in class as those who did not, studies have found.


The Media Center will be closed for book checkout March 10, 11 & 12. Please make arrangements with Jan for all checkouts on Mon and Tues if possible. Katherine will be available for emergency checkout but ask Mr. Barry first as she is workin one-on-one with a 4th grade student. The 6th grade math students should plan on working in the classrooms those three days.  Students may use the lab with teacher supervision and please make sure the lab is shut down for break.


Technology Update - Mr. Deter informed our Admin-Cabinet team of a couple upcoming items to note.  First, we will be updating our media management system over Spring Break.  Training will involve media specialist and media paras.  Infinite Campus will be our new student management system (replacing School Master) and Bob will be working on a training schedule – the who, when & what – as we transition to the new system in 2010-11.


PTO is having a Carnival Meeting on March 9th at 5:30 at Inman Primary! If you can think of anyone else who would want to help with the Carnival - let them know about the meeting or let me know! Thank you in advance for all of your help (from Mrs. Maynes)!


Guest Readers & Speech Contest - Thank you to Jan for organizing the celebrity readers for every classroom and for helping get the speech contest set up.  I appreciate the classroom teachers and Ms. Bates for taking the time to watch the speeches.  Please congratulate all seven students and wish Christian Horn good luck at the district contest.  I do hope this continues!


Thank you - After meeting with many of you yesterday after school, I want to hit on some things I feel I left unsaid or did not emphasize well enough.  My departure this summer does not change your mission and work.  As you continue living as professional learning communities (whether formal or informal), your hard work as an individual, within teams and as a building will continue to lead everyone in the right direction. This is the advantage of working as PLCs. The leadership you provide for each other and your students is vital in continuing the success we have experienced.  I said it before, yesterday and will continue to state it - you are a wonderful group of professionals who work smart and hard to respond to the critical needs of all students...and staff.  :)  I do appreciate your kind words and encouragement yesterday, but do know that I will continue to support our work and mission throughout the rest of this school year.  That will not change. 

As always - see me if you have questions, concerns or comments. 

Dates to Note...
March 8 - Barry @ Equity Workshop (Halverson AEA 13)
March 8 - School Board Mtg @ Webster (6 pm)
March 11 - SAT (3:25 pm)
March 12 - 2 hr early out (Indv PLC)
March 13-21 Spring Break!
March 26 - Jeannie, I, Melissa, and one team member schedule ITBS (TBA)
April 5-8 - ITBS week

Worth repeating even though it is below...

http://arcademicskillbuilders.com/ - Great free site from link below!!

http://blog.4teachers.org/ - great resources, links and help for teachers!