Friday Focus - April 30, 2021

 

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*Incredible flexibility with testing and makeup testing...and construction noise!
*Great teamwork in several situations to provide coverage and to coordinate for student needs.
*I heard from several faculty that our high school students were very focused and seemed to be trying their best on the ACT Aspire. I even heard several students on their way out of school talking about how they thought they did and had a few ask me when they will get their results...out of genuine care for how they did. 
*Students were writing their own newspaper articles about historical events they learned about. 
*At the end of a class period, the teacher gave time, asking for what questions they had (not, "are there any questions?"). The class was given time to pose a question to a partner and then asked for the best questions from the lesson that they felt all students should know the answers to. 

Upcoming Events:
Teacher Appreciation Week - something special is coming, but please know we appreciate you every week! 

Wednesday - Workout Wednesday. NO MS/HS faculty meeting, however, please see below to sign up for a meeting 

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*Faculty meeting sign-ups - For the next few weeks, I would like everyone to sign up for one meeting (specific to middle or high school).  This is a meeting I would like to have in person, woever, we don't have a large enough space for us all to gather with social distancing. We will have small group meetings with the purpose of hearing feedback from all of you. Sign Up HERE

*Between middle and high school, I have about 30 students to complete makeup testing so if you wonder where I am...I'm likely with students testing. :)

*Last week planning...we will not be having an exam schedule the last week of school. The last day of school (half-day) will have a shortened class period schedule. 

*Middle School faculty - Just letting you know in advance... NO ONE will have access to the middle school during the summer due to renovations. This means that you will have to plan for whatever you need from your classroom, because you won't get back in after Sunday, June 6th. 

*Alternative Compensation Forms: Since we have not been using MyLearningPlan/Frontline for the Effectiveness Project this year, you will be completing your Alternative Compensation forms via a google form (we figured this would be much easier than retraining you on how to get into that side of frontine to complete the form). Please submit your professional development activities on this Google Form. It is all the same information you've submitted before. Since this is a google form, you may want to write up your reflection information in a separate document and then copy/paste to the form. This will need to be completed by June 15. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Blogs, Tweets and Quotes:

*Pile of Words: Drive Deeper Engagement with Vocabulary at the Beginning of a Unit, Text, or Project

*End Your School Year with What Matters Most "Beginnings set the tone, but endings don't just come together on accident. There's something special about a narrative that ends really well."

Friday Focus - April 23, 2021

Great Things I Noticed this Week:

*Staff collectively problem-solving student behaviors in the HS faculty meeting and some follow-up planning among colleagues about specific students to team up together to support and hold some students accountable (it reminds me of Ted Neitzke's story!)
*A teacher meeting with students at the back of the room individually to review their current academic progress and how they can improve. I heard some specific "next steps" mentioned as the teacher met with students individually. 

*Middle school students focusing on their state Forward exams in ELA and Math...and flexibility amongst all of our middle school faculty for testing and a different schedule than the bells!

*This week I got to see our high school virtual learners for ACT Aspire testing...it is amazing to see some students that I literally haven't seen in over a year. I cannot wait until they are here in the building for real! 

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday - Workout Wednesday. ACT Aspire testing for 9/10th graders (NO school for 11/12th). 

Friday - Ms. Mosher's last day with us
Friday after school/Saturday - FFA plant sale

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*Alternative Compensation Forms: Since we have not been using MyLearningPlan/Frontline for the Effectiveness Project this year, you will be completing your Alternative Compensation forms via a google form (we figured this would be much easier than retraining you on how to get into that side of frontine to complete the form). Please submit your professional development activities on this Google Form. It is all the same information you've submitted before. Since this is a google form, you may want to write up your reflection information in a separate document and then copy/paste to the form. This will need to be completed by June 15. Please let me know if you have any questions.

*Just a reminder: If you have a student who has been home on blended learning for a while and you're concerned about their lack of progress, please let me know. We send attendance letters when they are repeatedly absent, but if they are always online they won't get an attendance letter. If they don't seem to really be "there" when online and/or are not turning in work/assessments, let me know, because we still have warning letters for that. 

Blogs, Quotes & Tweets:

*The Magic of Mistakes: 4 Ways to Boost Critical Thinking with Mistake Analysis 

Do you use any of these strategies? What new strategy would you like to try in your classroom?

Friday Focus - April 16, 2021

 

Great Things I Noticed this Week:

*What a great week to see our students shine: FBLA state competition, the robotics team is advancing to state for the first time, first middle school track meet, business classes competing with schools from across the state, students staying after school for the math meet, high school students beginning tutoring struggling students, and FFA members completing tasks to run for an FFA officer position.  We have many incredible students!
*Last Friday's groundbreaking ceremony was SO exciting with everything that is to come. I don't know if you could see through the live feed, but our music students were so happy to perform for the first time in over a year!
*I overheard a student talking about TikTok and had to do a doubletake on what I heard...she was talking about booktalks on Tik Tok. That's right, she gets new book ideas on Tik Tok! (I thoroughly enjoyed when another student responded with, "I swear if they make Tik Tok educational..." LOL).
*In a conversation with a parent new to Dodgeland, he shared that he has been so impressed with our school/teachers supporting his child that he plans for his next child to transfer to us next year. 

*I'm lucky to have gotten to see faces we haven't seen in a long time...our virtual students coming in for state testing. Even though they were coming to take a test, they seemed excited to be in school!

Upcoming Events:
Monday - 6th graders taking state Forward exam in the mornings

Tuesday - 2 hour delay schedule for middle school students for 7/8th graders to take the state Forward exam first thing in the morning (this will impact ms students ability to attend high school classes)
*MS home track meet 

Wednesday - Workout Wednesday/ HS Faculty Mtg at 3:00 (agenda includes ACT Aspire plans and hat discussion)
*I will be proctoring ACT Aspire to our virtual students in the IMC, along with Forward makeups/virtual learners

Thursday - 2 hour delay schedule for middle school students for 7/8th graders to take the state Forward exam first thing in the morning (this will impact ms students ability to attend high school classes)

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:

*Now is a great time for a bit of technology Spring cleaning! Please encourage students to clean their iPads, and please consider cleaning your iPad and the screen of your digital display board (SMART board or Viewsonic). The cleaning process is the same for both: spray the pink disinfectant spray onto a microfiber rag and wipe down the surface. 

*The 7th annual Summer Technology Boot Camp is coming up this summer! Please fill out this survey to share feedback by Thursday, April 22nd. Watch your email for more specific information from Kay and Christina regarding Boot Camp. 

Blogs, Quotes & Tweets:
*Cult of Pedagogy always has great resources/ideas. At this time a year as students get squirly, here's a tip to help you: Distract the Distractor

Friday Focus - April 9, 2021

 

Great Things I Noticed this Week:

*Students and staff members supporting our students who lost their brother, showing kindness and compassion.
*Great ideas generated in the high school faculty meeting. 
*Guest speaker joining a class virtually to talk about her job. 
*Creative use of spring weather - students wrote down on a piece of paper triangle, square and circle and go to walk and talk with a partner to share their thinking of the current lesson: Triangle - 3 important things they remembered. Square - one thing that "squared" with their thinking (agree with) and Circle - anything still "circling" in their mind (question about their learning). 

Upcoming Events:

*8th graders will be taking the Forward Social Studies exam in Social Studies class periods. 

Workout Wednesday

*Faculty Meeting flip flop of levels to... Middle School this Wednesday, April 14. High School meeting on Wednesday, April 21st. This will allow MS to be ready for Forward testing the week of April 19th and HS will be ready for the ACT Aspire on April 2

Blogs, Quotes & Tweets:

*How to Have Behavior-Changing Influence with Students