Monday, December 31, 2018

First Post for 2019

Staff,

One the eve of 2019, I wanted to remind you of the MAP assessment window when you return. The winter is optional, but can be a good support for your Mid-Interval SLO Review due on January 31st and your 18-19 SLO in general. Here's a link to the MAP Scheduling Document.

Again January 2nd is a work day. I have meetings in the am, and I will be back in the building in the pm if you need support from me.

Finally, I wanted to share an article from Educational Leadership that aligns very well with PBIS and our work this year with Love and Logic Classroom strategies. It is a long read, but I felt it was something you might want to skim or read later when you have time.

Getting Consistent with Consequences

Mike Anderson
Applying consequences for student behavior is hard to get right. Here's how to do it better.
Few topics cause as much angst in schools as consequences for problematic behavior. Colleagues can view the same challenging behavior and have wildly different ideas about an appropriate consequence. Educators can struggle with the proper use and role of consequences in schools even more than with academic issues. Why is getting consequences right so hard?
I'll explore here several ideas about consequences. One thread runs through them all: Using consequences effectively requires taking a nuanced view of disciplinary situations—and that's hard. Most of us would prefer consequences to be cut-and-dried. If a student does X, then Y should happen. This perhaps explains the appeal of one-size-fits-all approaches like "three strikes and you're out" or zero-tolerance policies. These systems are comforting because they seem to offer quick, easy solutions. We can feel like we've done something and get back to teaching.
When we step back, however, we realize that the reality of teaching students appropriate behaviors is much more complex. Punishing a student for a misbehavior offers us the illusion that we've held that student accountable, but have we really? Or have we only created a façade of accountability without actually helping that student learn and grow?

Common Stumbling Blocks

Let's consider six reasons educators struggle with consequences, and how we might avoid each obstacle and employ consequences more effectively.

1. "Consequences" Means Different Things to Different People

One reason adults in schools often struggle with reaching common ground on consequences is that when we use the term consequences, we're not all talking about the same thing. There are several different types of consequences for problematic behavior, so we should be clear about which type we're discussing or using.
Natural consequences don't require any adult action or intervention; they simply happen. If Maria doesn't wear a coat to recess on a chilly day, she'll be cold. If Markus cheats while playing a game with other students, they might not want to play with him anymore. Natural consequences can be great learning opportunities for students, as long as they're not overly damaging. We wouldn't, for example, let a kindergartener jump off the top of the play structure. A broken leg is too harsh a teacher. Similarly, we wouldn't allow a sophomore to simply not do any work all semester without support or intervention.
Logical consequences differ from natural ones in that they require adults to implement them. If Brad is getting overly silly while working with a friend, his teacher might tell him to find another spot to work. According to Jane Nelsen1  , effective logical consequences fit four criteria: they must be related to the behavior, respectful of the student, reasonable for the student to carry out, and (whenever possible) revealed in advance so the student knows the potential consequences of their actions ahead of time. These kinds of consequences can be powerful in maintaining calm, safe, and respectful learning environments.
Punishments are the antithesis of logical consequences. They're often harsh and frequently involve shaming students. Kelly is building towers with her base-10 blocks instead of using them to solve math challenges. Her teacher calls in an exasperated tone, "Kelly! Clip down!" Kelly walks to the front of the room with her head drooping and moves her clip from yellow to red. Jamal is fooling around in the cafeteria and spills milk all over the floor. The staff member on duty declares, "Oh, Jamal! You're going to stay after lunch today to mop the whole cafeteria floor!" Punishments do more harm than good. They can breed resentment and diminish students' sense of self, often leading to even more disruptive behavior in the future. They can even model bullying, in which people with more power (teachers) impose their will on others (students) through force.

Doing It Better

By planning ahead, educators can gain more consistency and ensure they rely on natural and logical consequences rather than punishments, even in the heat of the moment. Why not have a group of teachers generate a list of common behavior mistakes kids make in your school? For each mistake, teachers can consider whether any natural consequence is likely to work, brainstorm logical consequences to try, and consider common punishments to avoid.

2. We Try to Get Consistent with Consequences Before We're Consistent in Beliefs

Many factors go into our personal beliefs about effective discipline. The way we were raised, both at home and in school, is a huge one that often lurks below the surface. Our teacher-preparation programs and internships play a large role in how we view discipline in schools, and even the way we approach problem behaviors as parents can impact how we interact with students. With so many factors influencing how we view discipline and so many various (often conflicting) methods floating around, it's easy to see why approaches can differ greatly from one classroom to the next.
There's an underlying instinct in schools to view discipline the way U.S. society views parenting—you do your thing, I'll do mine, and we stay out of each other's business. A colleague commented that she sees schools having more success adopting (and implementing with fidelity) common academic curricula than behavioral ones. Educators seem to be more comfortable being responsible to each other around, say, literacy strategies than around discipline strategies.
This presents a huge problem when we work toward a more consistent implementation of consequences in a school. In several schools in which I've worked, there's a difference in philosophy between classroom teachers and administrators and counselors, which is evident when students are removed from classrooms for disruptive behavior. Teachers sometimes believe that students should be penalized—shamed and punished—when they're sent out. Counselors and administrators often believe students need to be calmed down—reregulated—so they can get back to class and reengage in learning. Teachers see kids come back to class looking calm (and even in a good mood!) and feel like they haven't been supported. ("I send them out of the room, and nothing happens!") Administrators see teachers looking upset when they bring a student back, and feel unappreciated. ("I helped get an out-of-control kid back in control, and the teacher isn't satisfied!")
While these two groups have a different set of beliefs about the goals and purposes of consequences, it's going to be almost impossible to come to any kind of consistent implementation of practices. Additionally, resentment is likely to build between staff members.

Doing It Better

As a faculty, work at coming to a consensus around a few shared positive beliefs about children and discipline. (Examples: All kids want to do well. All students want to be a positive member of a community. All students need caring adults in their lives.) Begin by having everyone brainstorm their own list. Next, join people together in pairs and have them create a list of positive beliefs they share. Then, have partners join together into groups of four, and again, have groups create one list of shared beliefs—ones that are positive and that all agree on. Continue this process until you have come together as one group. Use this list whenever discussing discipline challenges in the school. Ask, "Are we acting in ways that are consistent with our positive beliefs?"

3. We Want Consequences to "Work," but Haven't Defined What That Means

Teachers often think, "I'm looking for a consequence that works." But what exactly do we mean by "works"? This gets to one of the most complex issues surrounding consequences. Knowing how to choose the right reaction to misbehavior requires us to understand what consequences can and can't do. Let's look at this issue more closely.
Consequences can stop misbehavior in the moment. If we have a class rule that says that we will be safe, and two students are shoving in line, we split those students up. This creates a tone of safety and order.
Consequences can get students back on track. If Jesse is playing Fortnite on his phone instead of working on his research project, and you say "Jesse, put your phone on my desk. You can get it back at the end of the period," you've just acted as Jesse's prefrontal cortex, enabling him to get back to work.
Consequences can be part of how students learn. Stacy is playing with her snack. Her pretzels drop on the floor and she spills her milk, then asks for another bag of pretzels. "Nope," we reply. "Students get one bag of pretzels. Here's a dustpan and brush to clean up the mess." The natural consequence of losing her snack and the logical consequence of having to clean up help Stacy learn to be more careful.
Consequences can't teach missing skills. As Ross Greene notes, punishing a kid doesn't teach that kid the skills he or she needs to be successful.2  Even natural and logical consequences can't teach capabilities that students don't already possess. If a student doesn't have the self-soothing skills needed to handle frustration, giving her a consequence when she melts down over a test won't help her the next time a test rolls around.
Consequences can't work as our only strategy. Imagine if we tried to teach students to write by simply circling their errors and making them rework their writing. While this might be one strategy to use as students are revising and editing, we know that they'll also need direct instruction in effective writing strategies, time to practice and make mistakes, and a nurturing environment.
So, what should we expect from consequences that "work"? We should expect that consequences will help us manage students' behaviors in the short-term, allowing us to put out little fires as they pop up. If we want to reduce future fires, we'll need to engage in lots of proactive teaching.

Doing It Better

Educators might brainstorm two lists: one of consequences that help manage behavior in the moment and one of strategies other than consequences that teach positive behavior and support long-term growth in skills. The first list will contain things like making a student who runs in the hall go back and walk. The second will include strategies like modeling appropriate behavior or collaboratively creating rules with students. Hang these lists in the staff room as a reminder to use strategies from both lists.

4. We Miss the Middle Ground

When we don't use consequences at all (or wait too long to use them), we become permissive. When adults set limits but don't follow through, students feel unsafe, which often leads them to push limits. It's almost like they're begging us to be in control—to keep them safe. A high school student recently told me about a kid who runs into class and vaults into his chair each day. His teacher always says, "Don't do that again," and he replies, "Okay." The next day, he repeats the performance. The student telling me this story was exasperated at both his classmate's immaturity and his teacher's inaction.
However, the overuse of consequences—especially punitive ones—also leads to an unsafe climate. When teachers yell, levy harsh punishments for minor mistakes, or are overly controlling, the classroom climate becomes one of fear and resentment. Both permissive and punishment-heavy cultures put students, especially those already on the edge, in a place where it's almost impossible to learn well.
An important part of getting to that sweet spot between permissiveness and harshness is getting clear about how consequences feel for students. Again, this is nuanced and tricky. On the one hand, if a student has to leave the classroom because she was out of control, she may feel bad—but we shouldn't make feeling bad the goal. To invoke shame ("Terry! Why am I not surprised that you're out of control again?") isn't productive or respectful. At the same time, we don't want the consequence of being removed from the room to feel like a party. Sitting quietly with a book or working on a jigsaw puzzle might soothe a student's spirit, helping him regain control so he can rejoin class. But if the student's allowed to play video games or is given candy during a time-out, this might send confusing messages and inhibit his ability to calm down.
When we're in that desirable middle ground, consequences help a classroom feel safe, orderly, and predictable. Students understand that mistakes, both academic and behavioral ones, are part of the learning process, and that their teacher is there to support them. They aren't necessarily happy when they experience consequences, but they aren't devastated. The overall tone of the classroom is one of firm caring and support.

Doing It Better

Educators can help one another get a feel for that middle ground. They might brainstorm a variety of different responses to behavior challenges, intentionally coming up with some that feel overly lenient or overly harsh. Teachers could then sort the examples into ones that feel too permissive, ones that seem too harsh, and ones that feel about right, and discuss the scenarios for which they have different opinions.

5. We Act with Emotion, Not Reason

Using consequences effectively requires educators to react with reason and logic when our inclination is to be emotional. When a student says something mean to a classmate, we feel outrage for the child who is insulted. When annoying pencil drumming interrupts a lesson (once again!), we feel frustration grow. When a student flips a desk in rage, we are scared and hurt, which can lead to our own feelings of anger. We may even subconsciously seek revenge, wanting that student to hurt like we do.
Of course, the last thing students need (especially students from backgrounds full of trauma) is more anger in their lives. Our students need us to be strong enough to react with reason, not emotion. They need to see what it looks like when mature adults respond to frustration in calm, respectful ways. And they need to be treated with dignity and respect, especially when they're in a crisis.

Doing It Better

Educators can help one another practice reacting with reason. Small groups of educators might engage in role-plays. Give each group a scenario in which a student is struggling with a problem behavior and the adult must respond appropriately. Let each group choose appropriate responses and then act out the scene. Try each scenario a few times so each teacher can practice being the one to respond to a student.
Create your own personal list of strategies to use for controlling your frustration and anger. Taking 10 deep breaths, consciously relaxing your muscles, or walking a few brisk strides gives you some movement to help calm your emotions. It might be helpful to frame the challenge objectively ("This student is having a hard time") instead of personally ("This student is doing this to me"). Keep this list handy to refer to in the heat of the moment.

6. We Misunderstand Consequences' Role in the Big Picture

There's a common misunderstanding about the role consequences play in the broader picture of discipline. Too often, educators view consequences as the center of the picture and see all other supportive strategies—like teaching skills, modeling appropriate behavior, and building relationships—as tangential. In fact, relationships should be at the center, with all other strategies seen as tangents. Without relationships, everything else falls apart.
This shift in perspective helps teachers change the question they often ask when considering consequences—"What's the consequence that will fix the problem?"—to a better question—"Is there a consequence that might be part of how we help this student?" Instead of looking for the right-sized firehose that will prevent future fires, we look for the one that will help in the moment, and we realize that other strategies will play a greater role in supporting long-term positive behavior.
That shift is especially helpful for our most vulnerable students, those who've experienced trauma and chaos at home. It's a sad irony that kids who often aren't strong enough to benefit from the potential teaching power of consequences are the ones most likely to be hammered with frequent punishments. At the same time, kids who have the emotional stability and behavioral skills to learn from consequences are often excused from them ("She's a good kid and usually on track. I'll just give her a warning.").

Doing It Better

To help shift their view, adults in a school might create their own visual model representing the relationship between consequences and other strategies. Depict relationships at the center and show many other strategies connected to that element. Keep this image where adults in the school can see it as they develop responses for kids struggling with behavior issues.

Digging Deeper

Consequences are tough. On the one hand, they're critically important. Like a rumble strip on a road, they help set clear boundaries and keep students and teachers safe—so that challenging behaviors don't spiral out of control. At the same time, we must not over-rely on them, because they have limited power to teach positive behaviors. Additionally, educators shouldn't adopt black-and-white consequence systems, since children are all different and each situation is nuanced—and yet a school that doesn't have a consistent approach to consequences will create anxiety for everyone. So we must engage in robust conversations with colleagues, developing more consistent beliefs and understandings of the role of consequences and practicing appropriate responses. When we do this, we create a school culture that's structured and safe while also supportive and respectful of students.

Resources on Effective Discipline


Check out these texts for a more thorough exploration of respectful approaches to classroom management. Each can work as a guide for individual teachers or a resource to support a group.
Better Than Carrots or Sticks by Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey. (ASCD, 2015).
Discipline with Dignity by Richard Curwin, Allen Mendler, and Brian Mendler. (ASCD, 2018).
Lost at School by Ross Greene. (Scribner, 2008).
Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen. (Ballentine Books, 2006).
Teaching Children to Care by Ruth Charney. (Center for Responsive Schools, 1992).


Sunday, December 16, 2018

Reminders for the Week Before Winter Break

Staff,

        Now that you've had time working with the Jan Richardson lesson plan format, I am going to have you complete a self assessment on where you currently think you are with your implementation.  On Tuesday, our building SMART Team will dig into the rubrics, and during your common planning time on Thursday, you'll complete the self assessment with the rubric for the lesson plan you've been using the most. Here's a link to the rubrics, in case you'd like to view them ahead of time.

        On Wednesday, we'll have a brief staff meeting at 3:55pm in the media center, and on Friday our All School Sing Along will start in the gym at 2:55pm. Also don't forget to complete your school perceptions staff survey, if you haven't already.







Sunday, December 2, 2018

Business Items for the Week

Staff,

Just a short blog with upcoming dates from this week on report cards, common planning time and the 3rd-5th grade concert.

  • Monday, December 3rd:  sledding begins at recess. 
  • Tuesday, December 4th:  Day 5 progress monitoring in Mrs. Lindstrom's room and report card data uploaded by 11:59pm.
  • Wednesday, December 5th:  report cards printed.
  • Thursday, December 6th: 3rd-5th grade dress rehearsal 2:45pm, evening performance 6:30pm and report card grade revisions due by 11:59pm.
  • Friday, December 7th:  report card revisions reprinted and report cards sent home with grade level understanding your report card document. 

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Using Choices to Prevent Power Struggles and Reporting Preparation

Staff

At our Tuesday staff meeting, first we will introduce the next Love and Logic classroom strategy: using choices to prevent power struggles. After this, the rest of the time is yours to prepare for filling out your report cards on Friday. Both Lisa Skoyen and Amy Wise will be in attendance to answer any of your standards based reporting questions.  Linked within your grade level folder, you'll find the ELA report card rubrics embedded into your table of contents document.

For those of you utilizing mindfulness activities in your classrooms, Edutopia published a wonderful article this fall on brain breaks and focused attention activities. Here's the article. I found it gave good examples of what type of activities help energize and calm students.

One last reminder, tomorrow is a Day 5 and set aside for your grade level teams to continue your collaboration around utilizing the Jan Richardson lesson plan format.

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Thanksgiving with Mr. Rogers



As we near Thanksgiving, I thought these words from Mr. Rogers were timely. His message of supporting our neighbors and remembering the encouragers who have "helped you to love the good that grows in you" are as important today as it was when Mr. Rogers first gave this speech.



Sunday, November 11, 2018

Some Reminders

Staff,

During your Day 5 common planning time on Tuesday, Chris Strop will be joining meetings to check in with classroom teachers regarding any behavioral support needs. A reminder that our staff meeting was shifted this week to Wednesday at 8:05am. The two agenda items will be Love and Logic: setting limits with enforceable statements and PLC time to collaborate around Jan Richardson guided reading lessons. Please bring any of your resources you'll need to plan guided reading to this meeting. 

Now for the bad news . . . it's anticipated that Skyward will not be ready for grade entry until the week of November 26. Because I am not sure what day it will be available that week, we have not yet set a timeline for when entry will need to be done or when progress reports will be expected to go home. I will update you as soon as we know.  I'm so sorry for this inconvenience!

Friday, November 2, 2018

BAS Roll Through, Love and Logic Strategies Review and Celebration Reports

Staff,

On Monday, during your common planning time, Amanda McCarthy and Kara will be reviewing with you the important updates within the new F+P Benchmark Assessment.

On Wednesday, November 14th Chris and I will be rolling out the next Love and Logic classroom strategy:  Setting Limits with Enforceable Statements. We will also quickly review the previous strategies listed below.


  • Neutralizing Arguing:  broken record . . . I respect you too much to argue . . . Probably so . . .  I’ll listen when you voice is calm
  • Teacher/Student Relationships (friendly eye contact, smiles and friendly touch) One sentence intervention:  I notice that . . . Will you stop doing that just for me?
  • Delayed Consequences:  Oh, no this is sad. I’m going to have to do something about this. But not now . . . later . . . try not to worry about it. Then “plug holes” in your consequence
  • Empathy:  says to a child: You are capable! Because we love you very much, we care about how you feel. But because we love you so much we will not rescue you from your problems or poor decisions. Deliver a strong dose of empathy, or sadness for the child, before you deliver the consequence.
Examples of empathic statements:
This is so sad. This is hard. Oh, this is never good. Bummer.
Oh man.

Finally thanks again for all your hard work connecting with students and families through greetings, goodbyes and postcards home. It is now that time of year to fill out celebration reports for the great things you see your students doing. You should have copies of the Celebration Reports in your PBIS binders.


Monday, October 22, 2018

Jan Richardson Guided Reading Lesson Plan


At our early release this Friday, I will have a very brief staff meeting in the media center to review the collective commitments below. Please bring your Jan Richardson resource and sources of ELA student data (instructional reading levels, MAP data, anecdotal notes, letter/sound checklist, assessment summary, etc.) for planning a guided reading lesson. From now, until we meet again with Carolyn in January, here are some of the collective commitments, we'll need to agree upon at the Friday meeting.

Collective Commitments
  • Provide letter tracing and small group instruction for Pre-A learners and guided reading for readers at the Emergent, Early, Transitional and Fluent levels. 

  • Use our PLCs to plan guided reading and commit to using student data to drive the process. Below are the Jan Richardson resources to use to analyze student data. 
  1. Pre-A lesson:  Letter/Sound Checklist (306)
  2. Emergent Lesson:  Assessment Summary (61)
  3. Early Lesson:  Assessment Summary (114)
  4. Transitional lesson:  Assessment Summary (168)
  5. Fluent lesson:  Assessment Summary Assessment Summary (229)
  • Engage students in meaningful literacy activities when not involved in guided reading. When these activities are writing based: think authentic writing yes, worksheets no.  
  • Instructional coaching (four touch points) provided to each classroom teacher. Lesson planning meeting prior to teaching, observing the coach teach a lesson (or you teach and Amanda observes), coach observes you teach and a debriefing meeting with you and Amanda. 
  • In each regular education classroom (K-5) at least one guided reading group should be done with fidelity, from now until January, following all of the Jan Richardson components. This builds the foundation for a guaranteed and viable guided reading curriculum.
  • Support implementation through PD, the PLC process, coaching support and classroom walk-throughs. 

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Love and Logic and ELA PLCS

Staff,

At Tuesday's staff meeting, the Love and Logic topic to be covered by Chris Strop is empathy. The remainder of the staff meeting is set aside for your teams to continue on with your ELA PLC work. Make sure you bring whatever items you need for your PLC.  If your team hasn't already, make sure you agree on when you are going to commonly assess your essential learning. This Thursday is your next Day 5, please use this time to also build on the work you'll complete on Tuesday.


Sunday, October 7, 2018

Tuesday Staff Meeting

Staff,

This Tuesday at our staff meeting, Brian and Chris will assist us with two of the Love and Logic Classroom strategies. Please also bring your laptop to this meeting because you'll be taking a very brief survey to help get a baseline on our knowledge of trauma-informed care. This survey will help us, as well as the other elementary buildings, with our next steps to support our students who have experienced trauma. 

Before the meeting on Tuesday, I will be sending staff the link to the survey and the password. Please do not take the survey prior to the meeting, because I have some directions when starting it. Thanks!


Sunday, September 30, 2018

Day 5 and Late Start This Week

Staff,

On Tuesday, during your Day 5 meetings, I'll review with you our SMARTgoals for the 18-19 school year, and how your SLOs can help support our overall building goals. Please bring to these Day 5 meetings your ELA curriculum guides because I will be giving you copies of your grade level MAP continums which we will be aligning to the ELA curriculum guides on Thursday.

On Thursday, we will have a staff meeting at 8:05am in the media center to get you ready for your SLO writing. If you have time prior to Thursday, please log into mylearningplan through class link and review your strengths and areas for growth within the standards/indicators from last year's professional goal setting plan found in your 17-18 evaluation folder.



 Later on Thursday, you'll be updating your reflections within the professional goal setting plan for 18-19. You'll also have time on this day to dig into the MAP continuum to align concepts and skills to your grade level's ELA priority standards. 

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Won't You Be My Neighbor

Staff,

This past Friday, it was the 51st anniversary of Mr. Fred Rogers recording the first episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In honor of this day, Google shared the following Doodle on their search engine (see below). The Doodle, "aims to be a reminder of the nurturing, caring and whimsy that made the show feel like a television visit between Mister Rogers and his young viewers." I found it the perfect introduction to our movie night on Tuesday. Again we will start at 4:00 pm in Mrs. Filarsky's room.



On Monday, During your Day 5 common planning time, continue your ELA work using the four questions PLC document you started last week during our staff meeting. Again please focus on a ELA priority standard you want every child to meet.

At our Tuesday staff meeting, we'll check in to see how the first two Love and Logic Classroom strategies are going:  Greetings and Neutralizing Arguing. Chris will then introduce the next one:  Delayed Consequences. Here's the agenda for the staff meeting. Please also bring your EDM4 Manual so you can do some planning during the second half of the meeting.












Sunday, September 16, 2018

PLC Staff Meeting


Staff,

At our staff meeting, we will start with some celebrations from the first week. Be thinking of anything you might want to share from the following categories: student learning, collaborating with colleagues or results of our work.

The Love and Logic Classroom strategy to be rolled out on Tuesday is neutralizing arguments. Our ELA PLC agenda item will be focused around digging into the ELA curriculum guide to understand how the priority standards are infused into these revised documents.  Teams can also work on deciding which priority standard they'll plan, teach and assess together. I have linked the District essential document google folder.  Within your grade level's folder, you'll find the table of contents, it includes a link to the deconstructed priority standards which are helpful for your planning too. Here's a link to the agenda for Tuesday. Hardcopies will be at your table.

On Wednesday, during your Day 2 curriculum common planning with Teaching and Learning, they will be going over report card changes now that we also have priority standards for ELA. These meetings will be held in our conference room.

Over the weekend, I came across this Edutopia article regarding greeting students at the door. It highlights the benefits for both students and teachers. I found it reinforcing of the greetings and goodbyes we've collectively committed to this year.





Sunday, September 9, 2018

Welcome Back

Staff,

I am looking forward to a great first week of school with you and your students. On Tuesday we have our staff meeting at 8:05am to review the NH staff guide. I'll have some quiz questions to highlight important information found within it. Staff are welcome to come a little early on Tuesday (7:30am) to help us get our flags displayed along the front sidewalk. Our Patriot Day program will start at 2:50pm by the flagpole.

On Thursday, September 13th we will have our PBIS stations. Please refer to your PBIS binder for your station schedule. Then Friday is our first PLC common planning time. Your work will be focused in digging into the new ELA Curriculum Maps. 

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Final Week

Staff,

Thank you for all you've done to make the 17-18 school year a successful one for our students. On Monday the petting zoo will be here from 10:00am-1:00pm. K-3 teachers have signed up for times, but there are some openings if intermediate grade levels want to try to view. Here's the schedule with the times still available. 

Our last day of school at a glance.


9:00 am - All School Meeting
10:30 am - Yearbook Signing
2:10 - 2:40 pm - Specialists covering afternoon recess for teachers.
2:45 pm - Kickball

No Specials

Finally, starting at 9:00am on Monday, certified staff can draw times in the office for checkout on Wednesday. Teachers on cycle for evaluation, who have not reviewed their end of year SLO with me, will need to do this on checkout day. Teachers not on cycle for evaluation will have their SLOs finalized after Wednesday. Please double check that you have submitted both your PPG and end of year SLO.

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Last Full Week of School Updates

Staff,

We are sprinting toward the end of the year with so much to do in the next week and two days. A reminder to have your end of year SLO and PPG submitted to me by 11:59pm on Monday, May 14th. 

Other events happening this week are the following:

  • Monday, May 14th:  5th Grade Track and Field at EP Rock
  • Tuesday, May 15th:  4th Grade Track and Field at EP Rock
  • Wednesday, May 16th;  4th Grade Field Trip to Warner Nature Center
  • Thursday, May 17th:  K-3 Track and Field Day, Fun Run and First Grade Field Trip to Como Zoo
  • Friday, May 18th:  Second Grade Field Trip to the MN Zoo and  5th Grade Farewell at 2:45pm
Finally here's an update on a couple of our end of year building SMARTgoal indicators. As a building, we met one of our big reading achievement goals:  55% of K-5 NH students will be above the 60 percentile on MAP (College and Career Readiness). As a building, 56% of K-5 NH students scored above the 60 percentile on the reading MAP (College and Career Readiness). Also regarding reading MAP growth, we had above average results spring 17-spring 18 for our 1st-5th graders. MAP now combines the percentage of students who met their projected RIT and percentage of projected growth met for an overall percentile called the median conditional growth percentile: as a building our students had above average growth 57% (last line of the report below). I wanted to share with you some great achievement and growth news based on your hardwork and the hardwork of your students. Bravo!

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Staff Meeting, Late Start and Upcoming Events

Staff,

At our staff meeting on Tuesday, we will watch a video of author Sherry Turkle Alone Together. I had an opporutnity to hear her this past summer. Her ideas were powerful regarding the impact of technology/social media, not only on our children, but also on ourselves. As we get close to summer vacation, her message may assist you, and those of you who have school age children, to find a healthy balance with technology use. Here's an interview with Sherry Turkle, in case some of you would like to know more about her ideas before Tuesday:  NPR Interview.  Here's also another NPR article regarding Lonely Americans

On Tuesday, we'll also review the school events occurring during our last three weeks of school. A reminder that our last late start is this Thursday. This time is set aside for you to work on your SLOs and PPGs. Teachers and specialists here is the link regarding your work locations on Thursday:  May 3rd Late Start.

For your end of year SLO, you'll reflect on and answer these three questions:



  • Summarize the end-of-interval status of your goal and the process you used to support the growth of your target population.
  • Were there environmental or contextual implications that impacted the results of your SLO? If so, please explain:
  • Lessons learned:


For your PPG you'll reflect on this statement:


  • Evidence of Progress Toward Professional Practice Goal:






Sunday, April 8, 2018

Teaching and Learning Updates and Late Start

Staff,

     At our Tuesday staff meeting, Teaching and Learning staff will be presenting on ELA and math. Some of the topics will include ELA priority standards, the three year plan for ELA and new information on the math profiles of progress.

     During the Tuesday late start, regular education staff will be meeting with me to either fill out the online class placement surveys for their students (K-4) or filling out the AIM sheets for middle school placement (5th grade teachers). We will start promptly in the media center at 8:05 am. Here's a link to the guide that will help you with the online class placement forms. Before Thursday I will be emailing out the access to this form to classroom teachers. After I do, I will send a follow up email because the email has been coming through to teachers in their spam.

     Most special education staff will be meeting with Fafani at ASC during the late start for training on the Child Outcome Summary Form that is required by DPI


Sunday, March 25, 2018

Spelling Fidelity

Staff,

At our Tuesday staff meeting, prior to the suicide prevention presentation, we'll spend some time on spelling fidelity, one of our reading foundational skills SMARTgoal targets:  100% of teachers will utilize the spelling curriculum with fidelity. Most SMART Team members have already been observed teaching spelling using the form below. During the months of March and April, the rest of classroom teachers will be observed to assess where we are at with our implementation of our spelling curriculum. On Tuesday, I'll also share some of the data we've already collected from the observations done with SMART Team members.





Sunday, March 18, 2018

Documentation Questions

Staff,

Last week I shared with you some of our Educator Effectiveness resources. For those of you on cycle and working on your reflections, I recommend using the mylearningplan questions found at the top of your documentation log to guide your reflections. I find them user friendly and easy to follow. As a reminder, our staff meeting on Tuesday will focus on updating classroom supply lists and reviewing artifacts and documentation log writing. Please bring your supply lists to revise.

Artifact Reflection Prompts (MLP Documentation Log)
1.  Describe how this artifact provides evidence for this standard.
2.  Describe how this artifact impacted your professional practice and knowledge.

3.  Detail the impact on student learning this artifact demonstrates

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Upcoming Educator Effectiveness Items

Staff,

With the early start and end to our year, some of the timelines are earlier for Educator Effectiveness components. For those of you being evaluated during the 17-18 school year, artifacts are due the first Friday in April (6th).  Below I have linked the timeline, the teacher/specialist components and artifact reflection guidance to assist you with your EE work for the rest of the year.  All of these items are also available in the tabs above this blog. 


Educator Effectiveness Timeline: Month by Month

 Educator Effectiveness Teacher Components 2017-18

Educator Effectiveness Specialist Components 2017-18

Artifact Reflection Prompts






Sunday, February 25, 2018

Math Staff Meeting and Second Trimester Reading Data

Staff,

One last reminder to bring your EDM4 resources to our 8:05am staff meeting on Tuesday. Lisa Skoyen will be giving an update on third trimester standards, and then the remainder of the time is yours for preparing for the math lessons you'll teach upon returning from break. Again teachers not delivering the EDM4 curriculum need not attend.

Below is our building's instructional reading level data for the first three assessment periods:  first trimester, mid year and second trimester. As of second trimester 82% of our K-2 students, 78% of our 3-5 students and 80% of our total students (K-5) are meeting or exceeding the February benchmark. A reminder on Thursday, progress monitoring meetings will be occurring in Mrs. Lindstrom's classroom. 










Sunday, February 18, 2018

Forward Exam Proctors

Staff,

This week's staff meeting is focused on Forward Exam administration for proctors. Teaching staff who don't proctor the Forward Exam need not attend. I have included the presentation below for teachers who are proctoring but have a meeting conflict not allowing them to make this staff meeting. Proctor teachers not able to attend should watch the DPI test administration training video included in slide four of the presentation.



Sunday, January 28, 2018

RTI and All School Read In

Staff,

On Tuesday, our staff meeting will focus on revisiting why Response to Intervention is so important to our students and the criteria for students to access tier II and tier III interventions. At this staff meeting, I will be sharing the evolution of the state of Wisconsin's vision for RTI over the last decade. To give you time to reflect on these visuals, I'm sharing them below in the order when they were first presented (oldest to most recent).

Original Pyramid Type Visual to Explain RTI



Updated Visual by WI DPI 2010



Most Recently Revised Visual Rolled out by WI DPI during the 2017-18 School Year


On Friday of this week, we will be kicking off "I Love to Read" month with a read in at 2:50pm in the gym. The PTO is going to announce the classroom winner of the box top competition then. Also staff who are participating in creating a taped book talk, Kelli can help with this anytime you are ready. However, I am also setting time aside at 9:00am, after our late start staff meeting on responding to reading/Forward exam preparation, for staff to tape their book talks. We're going to share these talks on the news and also send them to parent to generate excitement for reading in February.   

Friday, January 12, 2018

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Staff,

Here's some school resources, for those of you looking to infuse some MLK Day learning on Monday. Both links have lesson plans for elementary age children.

NEA MLK Resources

Education World Resources

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Guided Reading Tips from Fountas and Pinnell

Staff,

       Here are some ideas from Fountas and Pinnell to help you get the most out of your guided reading time. On Wednesday, January 10th we have out progress monitor meetings during common plan time in Mrs. Lindstrom's classroom.

Twelve Tips for Powerful Teaching in Guided Reading Lessons

The following are some guiding principles that may help you get more power in your teaching:
  1. Notice the student’s precise reading behaviors.
  2. Eliminate ineffective behaviors and help the reader do what proficient readers do. 
  3. Select a text on which the reader can learn how to read better- not too difficult and not too easy. 
  4. Teach the reader not the text.
  5. to read written language not words.
  6. Teach for the student to initiate effective problem-solving actions. Use clear precise language that passes the control to the reader. 
  7. Only ask the student to do what you know he can do. 
  8. Don’t clutter the teaching with too much talk. 
  9. Focus on self-monitoring and self-regulating behaviors so the reader becomes independent. 
  10. Build on examples of successful processing. 
  11. Teach for fast responding so the reader can process smoothly and efficiently.
From Guided Reading: Responsive Teaching Across the Grades by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Copyright (C) 2017 by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Published by Heinemann.