Tuesday, September 5, 2017
What a FABULOUS, MAGICAL week!
WE DID IT!!! We opened a new school and got every child home EVERY day!!! You managed to win the hearts of each student along with their parents. The feedback that is coming back to me is excitement and a fire that parents haven't seen in their children! Thank you for making that happen for them. Thank you for making this a place to learn about life!
I am working on getting books out to everyone and clearing out the hallway and storage closet. I am ordering shelves for the closet so that we can store design challenge items so if you need something, you can always check there. Hopefully, this will help get some things out of your rooms. I need you to keep your teacher resources that go with your adoptions. We have seriously little to NO storage. If this is a problem, please let me know once everything has been delivered.
We have a list of supplies on order. Once we get those, if there are things you are finding you need in your classrooms, email me and I will do what I can.
I am interested in possibly sending 2 teachers to the gifted conference in Houston November 29-Dec 1 (barring no issues from the hurricane). Please let me know if you would be interested in attending this 3 day event. I'll see what I can fund if we have interest. If you find a MUST GO TO conference, please let me know so I can plan accordingly for it.
I will get a presentation date tomorrow for our Power of 10. We will have to meet to get our design ideas and who is doing what. I'll get more information tomorrow. So excited!
John Wink is one of my favorite presenters. He just makes sense. I enjoyed the article below and wanted to share. Please comment with your thoughts by Friday before you leave. :)
http://leadlearner2012.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-5-prerequisites-to-rigor.html
If you haven't filled out a form to give to Greenville Educational Foundation, I would encourage you to do so. Forms are at Lori's desk and you have until the 15th to sign up.
Please make sure you are prepared for each PLC as we begin unpacking your PAs. I want you to look for ways to "STEMify" your PAs when possible. It doesn't have to be huge challenges with each PA but add a technology piece - especially for those kiddos who have already provided you evidence early on that they have mastered the skill. Which will give you some differentiation opportunities.
Dismissal is running like clockwork! Y'ALL TOTALLY ROCK!
WEEK AT A GLANCE:
Wednesday -6th Crystal's Bday - Iteam Meeting 3:45-4:45 Science Lab - all teachers
Thursday - 7th - PLC for grades 3-5; set up for Grandparent's Day @3:45 (Tonya will let us know - short and sweet decor) for those who volunteered; Robotics parent interest meeting @5 p.m. PTA start up meeting 6-8 p.m. I would like as many of you that can attend to please come support.
Friday - 8th - Grandparent's Day during student lunch time.
Typically, I will send these out on Fridays so you will know what's coming each week.
School WILL NOT be open this week-end. I will open one weekend per month and ask for air. I will open September 23rd from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and 24th from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. I will touch base and make sure that someone actually wants to work in the building. :)
Don't forget the Pinner's Conference in Arlington on September 30. Please let me know if you are interested in going with me.
Thanks for all you do! You are an amazing staff and I can't believe that I get to be here EVERY. SINGLE. DAY with y'all!
Don't forget to post a comment about the article.
SK loves ROCKETS!
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I really related to the content knowledge and expertise prerequisite. It was said that, "the barrier to rigor is not knowing the complexity of the standards." I related to this because Science is a new content area that I've had to teach this year. I have had to spend countless hours researching and reading to make sure I understood everything on a much deeper level, so that my students can then do the same. In our planning meetings, Stephanie Hensley made the point that students often struggle with science because teachers do not take the time to understand it themselves. If I do not fully understand something I cannot plan engaging activities or be excited about it. Therefore, my students will never be excited about learning the content or engaged in it.
ReplyDeleteYes yes yes!!!! The invest you are making now will so pay off in the long run. I always think to whom much is given much is required. I truly believe we have been given a gift at STEM and that requires us to dig deeper than we ever have. Couldn't be more proud of you!
DeleteWhat a powerful read! I want the book! Relationships and routines and procedures are paramount. It is the foundations of a strong beginning. We must build the relationships so our students trust us to facilitate their learning. We are their cheerleaders but they are responsible for their actions - (educationally, socially). Giving them choices to try new learning strategies in a safe environment allows them the opportunity to take a risk to extend their personal learning. Delivering high expectations and support helps them gain personal growth.
ReplyDeleteChandler let me know if I can support you.
STEM was made for teachers like you! This is so natural to you and I appreciate every single bit of yourself that you put into everything you do!!!
DeleteWhat a fantastic two weeks! I feel so blessed to get to come to our school everyday!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what John Wink write in every sense!I would love to do a book study with his book. As educators we have to stop buying into "buzzwords" and look at how learning really happens. His five prerequisites for rigor are just good teaching!
"We don't teach content, we teach kids"
BE AWESOME TODAY"
Girl, don't steal my thunder! I will get everyone a copy of his book because I love it that much and in the spring I we will do a book study. :)
DeleteThis was a great read!! My favorite part of the entire post was when he said, "you have to set kids up for success first and you have to set then up to WANT to succeed." You do this by building relationships, even with the hardheaded ones, right from the beginning. This is the only way you can motivate your students to perform at that "next level" of level that everyone is expecting now days. This have changed so much this year all over the district and I, too, have found that my way of teaching has required much more research and resources than in years past. I think sometime we get complacent in our teaching and forget that we need to up our game to get our students to up theirs! I know this is an old saying, but I feel it is still true today....Good teachers never stop learning and if they do, they are no longer good teachers. I think that is something we all need to remember.
ReplyDeleteYou are spot on! Excellence is a standard now and not something to strive for. We cannot be excellent if we all aren't willing to be stretched. It's a lot now but the investment both for yourself and for our students will far out way the sleeplessness now.
DeleteThis is from Crystal she couldn't get hers to post. "Rigor requires routines and procedures for self-directed learning Resources are the tools, and routines are the behavioral organization structures needed to reach rigor. Without routines, rigor will be replaced with teacher-directed dependency."
ReplyDeleteI am a big advocate of establishing routines and procedures to set a strong foundation in my classroom. I think that rigorous learning can not be accomplished if you do not have a classroom that is organized and knows how it runs. Rigor is based on a foundation of routines and procedures. You have to have a class that is ready to learn instead of ready to be reminded.
I agree with every aspect of this article, especially the part where he said "There has to be a solid foundation in place before teachers can successfully deliver more rigor..." This just reaches home with the Kinders. We have to build that solid foundation for them to grow on before we go too far with them and they get lost in the sauce. I feel at times they want to push these kiddos too fast and cram too much at them at once. They do this because they want them to achieve higher scores and whatnot, but if things were to slow down the foundation of the students would be stronger. With a very strong foundation, these students could achieve so much more because they would "understand the why" instead of just passing the test. That's my two cents on it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a PHENOMENAL and richly blessed new school year this has been!
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love this article! It is spot on as we begin a new year at this innovative school! The routines and relationships that we form now pay HUGE dividends as we progress throughout the year to meet the needs of our students and encourage them to stretch, grow, learn, apply and create more than they thought even possible of themselves. As I move to become the facilitator in guided learning, it is important that I establish a strong foundation of routines and procedures for the students to practice, know and excel so that they can be confident in their independence in finding tools, resources and self-management as I meet the needs of ALL the learners in my classroom. Establishing strong student-teacher and student-student relationships and expectations fosters a safe learning environment - the base foundation upon which students grow and excel. Even the most reluctant learners will stretch if they feel safe, respected, nurtured, and valued.
Passion would be another word I would add to this article. Relationships, routines, and knowledge of content all fall short if the teacher is not impassioned about the content and the relevance this has in their students' lives. Kids love learning when their teacher is passionate about the knowledge they are imparting to young minds. I often feel like my role is more of an educational evangelist than a teacher, as I LOVE learning and have a deep desire that my students will be just as captivated, inspired and excited to join me in the journey.
We've had so many "light bulb" moments these past two weeks as they have been given the think time required to scaffold prior knowledge that often gets a bit dusty over the summer. One can almost see the luminescence in the classroom intensify as these young minds experience their "aha" moments! This instructional practice provides students with the confidence they need to make bridges to new content and move forward with a burning desire for more in-depth learning, collaborating with their peers, and producing creative products showcasing their mastery of new knowledge and skills.
I tried to reply yesterday from my school computer but it wouldn't work so I'm replying from my phone today. I really liked this article and I just want to say "ditto" to Crystal's comments. Rules and procedures are sooooo important to set the environment to allow for learning at any level, with or without rigor. And I'm just saying...if more rigor and higher expectations are desired in academics, then we have to have more rigor and higher expectations in behavior as well...they go hand in hand.
ReplyDelete