Friday Focus - March 27, 2020

Great Things I Have Noticed this Week:
You have been engaging and connecting with kids virtually, along with such great teamwork regarding student needs.  Thank you for all that you are doing!  You all have our professional trust and you have our families trust through this challenging time, now the next challenge is to try to engage students to want to learn virtually. And many of you are doing some really creative things to hook kids in. Thank you!


Upcoming Events: Virtual Spirit Week!!!!
Monday - 4pm 3rd quarter grades due
Tuesday - 11:00-1:00 optional tech session in BlueJeans for support
-optional 3:00 staff virtual happy hour in our bluejeans meeting space with a fun kahoot
Wednesday - 11:00 MS/HS Virtual faculty meeting -Would anyone like to volunteer to show/share a virtual learning activity?
Thursday - 11:00-1:00 optional tech session in BlueJeans for support

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*Reminder: If you are emailing a group of students or parents, please put them in the "bcc" section so they don't "see" each other on the email.

Virtual Learning Resources:
*All sorts of online learning ideas
*10 Tips to Support Students with Slow Internet

Tech Tip of the Week:

iPad Split Screen. Split screen allows you to see two apps on your iPad screen at a time. View this short video for a refresher on Split Screen.   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aprevyZw6PxKbq8pMK8kzRf6y1w_CxOx/view?usp=sharing

Just for You to Fill Your Cup:
*The Power of Positive Summit
*Self-Care Tips to Get You Through the New Coronavirus Normal
*Ten Strategies for Educators' Well Being: A Handbook for Schools During the Covid-19 Outbreak

Virtual School Friday Focus - March 20, 2020

Great Things I Have Noticed this Week:
*Despite being in a pandemic, everyone has stepped up with capes on:

• Started researching and sharing ideas with each other for virtual teaching.
• Started connecting with students, reaching out via email, Schoology and even starting 1:1 Bluejeans for students struggling at home and reaching out to teachers.
• Staff members working to put together care packages of materials for students to have at home. 
• Many staff members delivering lunches and packages.
• Staff supporting and helping each other out. 

As Dr. Thompson said, crisis reveals character, and your kindness and passion for our students, community and each other is shining through! I could not be more proud to be a part of this district!

Upcoming Events:
Monday - virtual learning activities start
Tuesday/Thursday - online tech bluejeans support 11:00-1:00pm if you want to drop in for help
Wednesday - 11:00 Virtual faculty meeting
-let me know if you have any students you haven't heard from (if you just send me this list at the end of the day or Thursday morning, then I can start making contacts)

Friday, March 27 - new date for students to turn in previous assignments, projects or reassessments
Monday, March 30 - teachers finalize grades by 4PM


Virtual Learning Resources for Teaching:
Using OneDrive to post videos (thanks Amanda!)
Four Strategies for Effective Online Instruction
What Teachers in China Have Learned in the Past Month
Students' Journals Could be Primary Sources

Professional Learning resources:
Ditch that Textbook online digital summit is back open :)
CESA webinars - two a day :)


Just for YOU:
Teachers, the Next Weeks of Online Learning Don't Have to Be Perfect
15 Ways to Practice Self-Care in the Time of Coronavirus

Friday Focus - March 13, 2020

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
Time change + full moon + lack of sub coverage + coronavirus...and you've all stayed calm for our students. Wow! You all are amazing!
With 2 full days of training and many meetings, I know I missed out on seeing a lot of other great things happening in our building. I thank you all for continuing your focus on learning and keeping calm even when social media/news gives the message of chaos. Thank you for being the thermostat in your classrooms to set the tone, rather than the thermometer and for helping to support each other!

Upcoming Events:
Monday -PD Day
Wednesday - Workout Wednesday and MS Faculty Meeting (agenda-Employee engagement survey results/feedback session)

Nuts and Bolts Notes:
*Bathroom clipboards - please continue to have students sign out to go to the bathroom, but leave the clipboards in your room. This is to prevent the spread of more germs (some students have been seen not washing hands in the bathroom and walking back with the clipboard. EWWWWW!)

*I know we're already to March when student behaviors begin to increase or they've been pretty developed by now. In the past couple of weeks, Mrs. Modaff and I have had a number of conversations with parents about repeated/ongoing student behaviors and heard similar responses from parents: We had no idea that these behaviors were happening in class, why didn't the teacher tell me? We would have given consequences at home.
I know contacting parents isn't always easy and it isn't why you went into teaching, however, it's an essential piece. At the least, please send an email to parents when you have behaviors in your classroom to let parents know from your perspective what is happening.  If you're ever hesitant to reach out to parent, please don't feel bad in asking for Mrs. Modaff or my assistance to either join you for a phone conversation or help you to write the email.


Tech Tip of the Week:
Is that higher-order task really higher order? Blog post from Cult of Pedagogy. This week a resource on those tasks that we consider high order for students learning. Great examples in this article: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/higher-order/ Reflective question, What do I want students to be able to do with this knowledge once the lesson is over?

Blogs, Tweets & Quotes:
*How Teachers are Talking to Students about the Coronavirus

Friday Focus - March 6, 2020

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*100% attendance for the ACT!!! Then our juniors/seniors got to hear from SEVENTEEN Dodgeland alumni!
*Students completed a vocabulary worksheet (which they all were focused and on-task with to complete). After completing/checking it, the class was told that they did a worksheet review instead of Kahoot, because of their poor choices on the last Kahoot review. The teacher asked if students preferred Kahoot for review or worksheet (all kids preferred Kahoot) and then asked if they could agree to appropriate choices if they do kahoot again...all hands went up in agreement. What a great approach to have a logical consequence that then gave students an understanding of what some of their poor choices resulted in and a reason to change their behaviors!
I think you'll also enjoy that one of our juniors came up with #WWTD? Which stands for What Would Ted Neitzke Do? :) Go Be Buffalo!
*I took a group of high school students to spend the day with Ted Neitzke for a student leadership academy. Ted had them go through the Mount Rushmore activity of identifying the 4 most influential people in their lives and what they learned from each. Afterwards, he passed out cards for students to write a note of gratitude to one of their people that will be mailed out. I could not believe how many of our students wrote cards to teachers in our building!!!  YOU make a difference!!!

Upcoming Events:
Monday - Mentors/Mentees book study meeting
Mon/Tues - I will be in the building, but in a PowerSchool webinar training 9-4 each day
Wednesday - HS Faculty meeting
Monday, March 16 PD day

Blogs, Tweets & Quotes:
*A great post by Thomas Guskey that supports the Target Based Grading and learning work we are doing: Multiple Grades: The First Step to Improving Grading & Reporting