Monday Common Core Professional Development: Matt sent you an email with all the information you need for our training. This is just a follow up to that email.
8:00-3:30: Please be at Orchard Hills and ready to begin at 8:00.
Special Class teachers will be with the grade level they worked with when we went to Willard North.
Bring: Common Core Binder & Handout Matt put in your mailbox
Lunch = 11:30-12:50 Enjoy!
Wrap-up at 3:30!
PD Plan Conference Wrap-up: Tuesday is the last day for PD plan conferences. Be sure to stop by my office at your assigned time, or drop by if no one is scheduled, to do your reflection conference. There is so much good stuff going on at Willard East! It is very exciting to hear from each of you how much you are learning.
Behavior Support Team will meet Tuesday. This will be a mid-year check up. Please bring celebrations/comments/feedback regarding R.O.A.R.
4:00-5:00 Matt’s room
Leadership Team Thursday. An updated agenda will be available in your Google account this week.
Digital Citizens in the making!!! – Below are links to classroom “Kidblogs.” These are a work in progress but feel free to comment on any posts the students have created. They will be thrilled to see what you have to say. Tune in next week for an update on some ideas how to use Kidblogs.
More resources for “Listen to Reading”- Those of you who are using iPods for “Listen to Reading” listen up! You can make an icon on your homescreen for Tumble Books then the kids can go to “iPad Books” and listen to well over 50 books by now. Once the kids “log in” they have access to the iPad books. (I tried this on my iPhone this weekend and it worked like a charm.)
TGI Monday? Yes, actually! I organized lots of ideas this weekend and I’m ready to get started for the week.
First I must share a couple of “funnies.”
First one: My assignment for the weekend was to plan one week of Guided Rdg. lessons. Matt and I decided the best plan for a substitute was to use A to Z Reading books. (Matt you may want to skip this part as you will think I have learned nothing:) I am very familiar with A to Z reading but I have never actually put together one of the books. After about an hour of making various copies, stapling, un-stapling, taping, re-stapling, copying again…………I came across the “How to assemble a book” video tutorial on the A to Z website. Matt did tell me that Lisa S. was trained to do this but I wanted it done for a sub first thing. Guess I learned my lesson.
Second Funny: My photo printer has not been working, therefore I have not posted pictures on the Principal’s Brag Board all semester…….Right before Christmas break Matt showed me where the photo card slot was on the laptop that I HAVE HAD FOR 3 YEARS!!! Needless to say I can now print and post pictures on my brag board. Feel free to send as many students as you would like;)
Early-out: Today I will meet with the Literacy Team members in Matt’s room to go over plans for next Monday the 16th.
January 16th PD Day: Next Monday our PD day will be dedicated to Common Core information.
We will meet at WOHE 8:00 – 3:30. You must be at WOHE ready to start at 8:00AM
You will need to bring your Common Core binder
Lunch will be on your own and you will actually have 1 1/2 hours!!! Woo Hoo!!!
You will spend most of the day in district grade level teams.
Special class teachers will be with the grade level you were assigned when we worked at North last semester.
Radios: You may pick up your radio out of the back conference room in the office. ALL have been charged and new re-chargeable batteries have been ordered to replace radios that do not hold a charge very long.
Instructional Excellence plans due Friday: The number of hours approved will depend on how many of you submit a plan for 2nd semester. Please make a copy for yourself before you turn in the final copy.
DRA/Reading Scores: You need to give Betty a copy of your 2nd semester Reading levels. We will also use these Thursday when we move cards on the Assessment wall but Betty has to have a paper copy.
Text messaging: Friday morning I sent a staff text message about the costume day. If you did not get that text bring your cell phone to the office and we can get you set up.
Professional Development Plans: In the fall you turned in a PD plan. It is time to reflect on that plan. I will post a sign-up sheet to meet with me either Friday or Tuesday to go over your plan and discuss your progress.
Student Council Wednesday after school: We will be working on Valentine Grams
Salary Meeting Thursday: Dr. Medlin sent an email last week regarding a salary meeting. Our meeting is scheduled Thursday at 4:00 at WC. It is not a mandatory meeting but you are welcome to leave as soon as the students leave to make it to WC in time for the meeting.
Update Classroom Websites: Please take a tour of your classroom website and update any links or delete old information. This is a great place for your weekly communication with parents and then you can just send them a link. What if I did not update this memo weekly? How would you know what is going on??? Just something to think about. If you update and your website and send a link to parents weekly or bi-weekly they will go to your website before calling me or you for the information.
And just in case you are still awake and need a bedtime story…………
Just a reminder that Report Cards are scheduled to go home on the day we get back Wednesday. HOWEVER, we will not be able to print them until the afternoon on Wednesday. You need to have everything ready for Betty to print by Wednesday afternoon. Any classes that we can have printed and ready to send home on Wednesday we will send home. If we do not get through them all and have to send some home on Thursday we can make arrangements to do that. Having checked with the other elementary building I have been told theirs are going home Wednesday. Let’s try for that but Thursday at the latest.
Tiger Pride Assembly FRIDAY: December and Semester Recognition
We will recognize 4th grade Honor Roll at 2:15. This is for 3rd and 4th Grade only. (4th Grade please turn your names into the office ASAP Wednesday.)
At 2:30 K-2 can begin to come to the gym.
Don’t forget your academic awards. There are copies in your mailbox. You can do up to 4 but you are only expected to do 2. We are out of the “Pencil” award certificate so I put a generic “Award” certificate in your mailbox.
Perfect Attendance – There are about 10 Fazoli’s certificates in your mailbox for monthly perfect attendance. We will also recognize Semester Perfect Attendance but that will be a certificate given on stage.
There will be an assembly agenda in your box before the assembly so you are familiar with the schedule.
Grade level meetings Thursday: All grade levels will meet on Thursday in Matt’s room. Even K & 1 since Tiger Pride conflicts with their grade level meetings.
Extreme Makeover “Office” Edition: The office carpet was replaced with tile over the break! There are few finishing touches to be completed before we return so the office may not be ready first thing Wednesday morning. Lisa will start at Willard North and Betty will be at Lisa”s desk while we get Betty’s desk set back up. It is going to look very nice.
That’s all for today! Enjoy sleeping in tomorrow:) Looking forward to hearing from all of you on Wednesday.
Rather than send a HUGE memo Tuesday I might try to send a couple so you can get your feet wet gradually:) Seems like yesterday I was typing last year’s “Happy New Year” memo.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETTY – Jan. 4th (the day we return to work)
Routine and Behavior Review: For the first 2 weeks back to school we will need to review behavior expectations. It may seem like our vacation went very quickly, but it went just quickly enough for our students to forget every classroom/school routine we taught them last semester:):)
Classroom routines – You will want to go back over your “I” charts and your behavior matrix. You may even want to make a new matrix. You might notice very quickly upon giving a simple direction that students forgot where and if there are sharpened pencils in the room:) You laugh, but I love to hear your stories after the 1st day back.
Tiger Tokens – Handout lots of these right from the start! How many 50 or 100′s charts have you filled up? If you want to do small goals like 25 pt. charts go for it! Display your completed charts full of tickets in the hallway!
School-wide routines – S.S.S. PLEASE enforce this diligently the first 2 weeks back to school. It will pay off tremendously when we get to February and what seems like the longest month of the year.
Teacher Doodies – Be sure you are on doodie in the morning and afternoon. 8:10 is morning doodie time and 3:35 is afternoon doodie time.
Morning work reminder – Students should not miss recess for not completing morning work.
Be thinking about proactive ways to start your new year off on the right foot. Then share your ideas with others. I found so many neat ideas on Pinterest I thought I would share a few:
Hopefully you are enjoying your time off! Due to all the traveling we have been doing I have extra time to be on my phone, ipad, or computer in the car.(When I am not driving of course!:) Most of you have heard of or mentioned Pinterest but if you have not taken full advantage of it I might suggest that you take a second look.
Matt showed me Pinterest a couple months ago and it became my new late night “hobby.” Meaning whenever I was putting my kids to bed I was on Pinterest:) Below is a screen capture of some my “boards” (like a bulletin board of my favorite stuff.)
You will notice that there are both personal and professional “pins.” Don’t look too close or some of the ideas I have for you guys wont be a surprise:):)
It is exciting to see how many teachers share their ideas with the world through personal blogs and websites. Some teachers put all their lessons, pictures of their classrooms, crafts, organizational tips out there for everyone to see! Any one of you could share all your ideas with the world too.
Well, if you have time to explore I suggest exploring Pinterest!!!
You may now return to your regularly scheduled Christmas break!!!
