Week 28 (no Week 27)

Hey Team,

I hope each of you are healthy and staying safe. It's been a fast-paced week with the many changes that have happened over this last week. I am encouraged by how well you all have acclimated to our new "normal" and thank you for dealing with the many emails.

I am encouraged by your willingness to support our students through all of the various adjustments that we all have had to make. I am encouraged that you all have made yourself available for your students and parents in whatever platform that you have chosen. 

As you continue to service our students, please remember to reach out to your parents and students no less than once a week. Even if you sent out packets, you need to check in. There should be a way for students to seek help if they need it. I commend those teachers that are in constant contact with their kiddos. Remember, you want to have balance in your lives. You shouldn't be constantly on call. I would recommend informing your families of your "office hours". This is a very stressful time and you need to take time for yourselves and your families. I would like to see what are doing with the students.

If you haven't done so already, I would like an invitation to your Google Classroom, YouTube sites, or any other means of communication with the students.
Lastly, my desire is for us to stay TEAM STRONG. If you come across helpful resources, share them with the wing in an email. Remember, we are stronger together! I will be checking in on you guys. Please know that I am here for you if you need me.

One last thing, please be careful of what you share with parents as it pertains to your thoughts about the length of school closure or any questions of this nature. You can use, "final decisions are still be determined." Feel free to forward any emails to me if you need to!

This still seems unreal but I am encouraged that things will get better!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

It is Parent- Teacher Conference week. All conferences will be held by phone. Use the forms from the email about conferences. The good thing is that most people are home and it should not be difficult speaking with 100% of your parents.

No M-Step Testing

Check out the latest on state testing! 

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/education/2020/03/20/michigan-students-wont-have-take-m-step-other-assessments/2885000001/

News to Know...

• Remember to check your email at least twice a day. 
• As of right now, spring break will happen as it was originally planned. Our scheduled return date is April 13th. Please inform your parents. 
• Remind parents of food service hours. They may pick up food from the school from 9:00am-2:00pm Monday through Friday.
• FYI, per NHA, we are not allowed to use any livestreaming platform for instruction. 
• Did you know that kids can log on to Google Classroom using their PS4 or Xbox 1.

Week 26

Hey Team!

I hope you all had a great weekend!  Wasn't the weather beautiful?  I hope you were able to get out and enjoy it!

End of the Year Observations

The EOY Observations start this week. I will be in your classrooms this week and next week to complete the observations. Please take some time to review the classroom framework before I visit.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Classroom teachers are beginning to schedule their conferences.  Please touch base with your classroom teachers to determine if there are conferences that they would like you to sit in on with them.

M-Step Pep Rally

There will be a M-Step Pep Rally on Friday April 3rd.   Ms. Abston and Ms. Dwyer will each be planning and holding a Pep Rally to get their students revved up for the MSTEP tests.  

During the M-Step Reward Pep Rally they will have music, an M-Step rap, cheerleaders performance, giveaways, noisemakers. The Blue Ribbon Honor Society will make motivational banners that will also be used throughout the school. During the assembly, there will  be announcements regarding the reward for the students that meet their goals for M-Step and NWEA. It should be a really fun!

Vertical Wing Meeting on Wednesday

This is just a reminder. Please come prepared. Below is a list of the questions that I gave you last week. Use this time wisely to help each other improve.  Please plan to join the Novice group (SpEd), or the MS group that you see (Specials). 

• How do you increase fluency in your students?
• How do you keep your students engaged and excited about writing?
• How do you get reluctant readers to read more?
• In honors classes, how do you compact math or ELA to keep your students ahead of the game?
• How do you run workshop for math? ELA?
• How do you increase student motivation?
• How do you teach test-taking strategies?

Specials:

• Trimester 3 begins on 3/9.   Make sure you send home your syllabus with the 7th and 8th graders today.
• Tech Refresh Day 3/11.  Tech will be in the classrooms.

Special Education...

• Team Meeting 3/11.  Please be prompt.  We will start at 8:40 am.
• Child Study - 3/12.  This will be the last Child Study where we will have new students going through the process.  

Intervention...

•   Progress Monitoring continues for AIMSWeb
•   Caseloads - make sure that you continue to stay updated 

News to Know...

Monday: Blackout day
Wednesday: Vertical Wing Meeting
Thursday: Beat the Streets Field Trip (Gr. 5-8), Last day for tutoring
Friday: Blackout Day, Early release @ 1:30pm, Book fair starts, 313 Day (wear your Detroit gear)

Week 25

Welcome to March...

Spring is on the horizon...I can hardly wait!  I am really looking forward We are entering into a very intense time of the year with upcoming report cards, parent teacher conferences, testing, etc.  As such we need to go back to revisit a few housekeeping issues that we need to address:

Staff Attendance   (Per the Staff Handbook):  It is my intention to provide you with your total absence number this coming week, so that you can monitor your attendance.  Also, going forward, we MUST put our absences in Frontline/Aesop.  There is a form in the main office to provide you support to do this.  Also, I am going to ask that you start to request a sub when you are going to be out for Planned and/or Unplanned.

Please be mindful of your attendance for the school year. It directly reflects your end of the year evaluation under professionalism. Remember, if you exceed 4 absences in a school year, the following disciplinary action may follow:

• 5 absences-documented verbal warning
• 6 absences-written warning
• 7 absences-final written warning
• 8 absences-termination considered

Arrival/Dismissal:

There are two options for Arrival...either 7:30 am or 7:45 am.  If you choose the 7:45 option, you need to let me know.  If you begin your day at 7:30 am, you are able to leave at 4:00 pm.  If you begin your day at 7:45, then your day ends at 4:15 pm.  I am asking that you please adhere to the times that you choose.

Also, we are asking that if Driveline runs long, due to the number of cars, please do not leave dismissal until Driveline closes.  This becomes a safety issue when we have children outside with minimal supervision.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Classroom teachers are beginning to schedule their conferences.  Please touch base with your classroom teachers to determine if there are conferences that they would like you to sit in on.

Report Cards

Report Cards are scheduled to go home on Friday, March 6.  Special Education Staff, you need to have your Progress Reports completed to accompany Report Cards and these are due to me by Wednesday, March 4th.  I will pass them on to the classroom teachers.  Special Teachers...please make sure your grades are in the grade book by Wednesday, March 4th.  

The 3rd Trimester begins on Monday, March 9th.

Vertical Team Meeting

On Wednesday, March 11th, instead of our normal wing meeting, you will meet with other teachers that teach the same instructional level as you do. Honors teachers will meet together, Proficient teachers will meet together, and novice teachers will meet together. Utilize this time to share strategies, challenges, and solutions. Our goal is to grow and learn from each other. Here are some questions to consider as you prepare for this meeting:

• How do you increase fluency in your students?
• How do you keep your students engaged and excited about writing?
• How do you get reluctant readers to read more?
• In honors classes, how do you compact math or ELA to keep your students ahead of the game?
• How do you run workshop for math? ELA?
• How do you increase student motivation?
• How do you teach test-taking strategies?

Have a great week...

Specials:

• Team Meeting on Thursday. Plan to discuss you plan arc for third trimester.
• Time to start working on Report Cards. Please plan to have your grades input by 3/3 so that they are available when classroom teachers need to print. Report Cards go home on 3/6.
• Trimester 3 begins on 3/9.  

Special Education...

• Time to start working on your Progress Reports.  Please have them to me by 3/3, so that I can distribute them to the teachers.  If you need assistance, please ask...
• Team Meeting 3/3.  Please be prompt.  We will start at 8:40 am.
• Child Study - 3/12.  This will be the last Child Study where we will have new students going through the process.  

Intervention...

•   Progress Monitoring continues for AIMSWeb
•   Caseloads - make sure that you continue to stay updated 

Important Dates

             March is Reading Month!   It is also "Dress Up"  Mondays....

             3/2 - Hat Day

             3/4 - Staff Meeting 7:30 am; Dean Prep @ Laurus

             3/5 - Blue Ribbon Students Field Trip

             3/6 - Trimester 2 Ends; Report Cards Home

Week 24

Welcome to the "last week of February" Team...

This week will wrap up our Moral Focus virtue of Courage.  I want to thank you for your courage...the courage you demonstrate every day! Thank you so much for enduring the difficult times that can occur with students, staff, and/or parents, while taking the time to remember that we all carry "invisible" baggage into each day which can impact the decisions and choices that are made.  

In addition, each and every day we have to practice with our students as we work toward the "end of year race" which is our interims, PSAT, M-STEP, and NWEA. We practice routines and procedures consistently, use our social contracts and moral focus to teach our students how to treat one another, and use our classroom framework to guide our planning and instruction to ensure our students are learning. 

I want to thank you for being courageous when going above and beyond to help our school community. You are my heroes!

Have a great week...

Specials:

• Team Meeting on Thursday, 2/26
• Time to start working on Report Cards. Please plan to have your grades input by 3/3 so that they are available when classroom teachers need to print. Report Cards go home on 3/6.
• Trimester 3 begins on 3/9.  

Special Education...

• Time to start working on your Progress Reports.  Please have them to me by 3/4, so that I can distribute them to the teachers.  If you need assistance, please ask...
• Child Study - 3/12.  This will be the last Child Study where we will have new students going through the process.  

Intervention...

•   Progress Monitoring continues for AIMSWeb
•   Caseloads - make sure that you continue to stay updated 

Important Dates...

              February - Staff Work Out Wear on Mondays

             

              2/25 - Beat the Streets Gr. 5-8 Assembly 2:30 pm

              2/28 - Progress Reports; Grade Book Closes

             

             March is Reading Month!

             3/2 - Hat Day

             3/4 - Staff Meeting 7:30 am; Dean Prep @ Laurus

             3/5 - Blue Ribbon Students Field Trip

             3/6 - Trimester 2 Ends; Report Cards Home

Week 23

Welcome to a new week Special Pops People...

I hope that you all had a nice Valentine Weekend and enjoyed having Monday off, as well.  This week I would like us to reflect on this months' Moral Focus Virtue...Courage. 

Courage comes in many forms.   Self-reflection takes courage. It takes courage to acknowledge that you do some things really well and some things not so well. The courage to identify where you need support is when you realize that we are always learning!

Our students, believe it or not, are very courageous. Every day they brave our classrooms with the same ideas that we self-reflect upon...that they do some things well and some things not so well. We can truly observe them so that we can provide the support they need but are sometimes afraid to ask for.  We can take time to learn more about them that will help them to engage more in our classrooms. We can take time to ask them about their lives and honestly take a minute to listen to them. Imagine what kind of classroom we would have if we did this MORE!

I dare you to champion a student in your class and continue to build them up. I pray that you are daily affirming them so that they know you care because children don't learn from people that they don't like. I ask that you make them feel that they matter to you because you were born for this! I beg of you to talk with them and not always "at" them. Looking within first and self-reflecting on what you can do better takes courage. Are you up for it? Who will you champion?

Important Dates...

              

              February - Staff Work Out Wear on Mondays

             

              2/17 - No School

              2/18 - Gr. 3-8 ELA Interims, 6-8 Math Interims

              2/19 - Gr. K-2 Black History Wax Museum 1:00-2:45

              2/20 - Gr. 3-5 Black History Wax Museum 1:00-2:45

              2/21 - Staff Potluck; Interim Scan By Date; Gr. 6-8 Black History Wax Museum 1:00-2:45

              2/28 - Progress Reports; Grade Book Closes

Week 22

Hello Team!

I hope that you all had a great weekend... I don't know about you, but I need a "SNOW DAY". 


Progress Monitoring

So, as a reminder...AIMSWeb Progress Monitoring must occur!  If you support a Novice Class or students in a Novice Class, PROGRESS MONITORING MUST BE DONE WEEKLY.  This includes Special Education.  NO EXCUSES!   I suggest that you schedule this to occur Tuesday-Thursday, so that if a student is absent, we can still PM them.

Students in the Proficient Classes must be Progress Monitored by their teacher every other week and students in the Honors Classes should be done once a month.


Interim Testing
Interim Testing #2 for Grades 3-5 Math will occur this week. Testing for 3-8 ELA and 6-8 Math will occur next week.  More information on K-2 testing will be coming.  It is the expectation that every student completes their Math/ELA interim, so if the student is absent on their class testing day/week you must insure that they do complete their testing.  

Wing Meeting Wednesday, 2/12 at 7:30 am.

Important Dates...

              

              February - Staff Work Out Wear on Mondays

             

              2/10 - Gr. 3-5 Math Interims

              2/12 - Count Day; Free Dress; Wing Meeting 7:30 am

              2/13 - Progress Reports; Spring Pictures

              2/14 - Half Day (12:00 pm); Red vs. Pink Day; Lockdown; No Specials

              2/17 - No School

              2/18 - Gr. 3-8 ELA Interims, 6-8 Math Interims

              2/19 - Gr. K-2 Black History Wax Museum 1:00-2:45

              2/20 - Gr. 3-5 Black History Wax Museum 1:00-2:45

              2/21 - Staff Potluck; Interim Scan By Date; Gr. 6-8 Black History Wax Museum 1:00-2:45

              2/28 - Progress Reports; Grade Book Closes

Week 21

Hello Team!

Happy first week of February!  I hope that you all had a great weekend and enjoyed the Super Bowl...game, halftime show and/or commercials. I don't know about you, but I am sure glad that January has ended.  It seemed to last forever....!

Well, we have completed the Middle of Year testing.  I want to thank each and every person who supported completion of it...NWEA, AIMSWeb and MSTEP Writing.  It truly takes a village...but the data obtained is so valuable to the grade level teams as they plan and prepare for End of Year testing. As such, we can't let up with our support...whether it be Instructional Support, Progress Monitoring, or planning, your job is invaluable and we must continue provide the assistance that the students and teachers are counting on.  

Progress Monitoring

So, as a reminder...AIMSWeb Progress Monitoring must occur!  If you support a Novice Class or students in a Novice Class, PROGRESS MONITORING MUST BE DONE WEEKLY.  This includes Special Education.  NO EXCUSES!   I suggest that you schedule this to occur Tuesday-Thursday, so that if a student is absent, we can still PM them.

Students in the Proficient Classes must be Progress Monitored by their teacher every other week and students in the Honors Classes should be done once a month.


Interim Testing
Interim Testing #2 will occur for grades 3-8 in February.  More information on K-2 testing will be coming.  It is the expectation that every student completes their Math/ELA interim, so if the student is absent on their class testing day/week you must insure that they do complete their testing.  

Rowden Out - Wednesday, 2/5.

Specials:

• We have a Team meeting this Thursday at 7:30 am

Special Education...

• Our Team meeting will be Thursday this week, as Hopewell and I will be out on Wednesday.

Intervention...

• Progress Monitoring...this is one of your top priorities.

Important Dates...

              

 
              February - Staff Work Out Wear on Mondays

              2/5 - Staff Meeting at 7:30 am

              2/7 - Wear Red Day $2.00; African American Dance Troup

              2/10 - Gr. 3-5 Math Interims

              2/12 - Count Day; Free Dress; Wing Meeting 7:30 am

              2/13 - Progress Reports; Spring Pictures

              2/14 - Half Day (12:00 pm); Red vs. Pink Day; Lockdown; No Specials

              2/17 - No School

              2/18 - Gr. 3-8 ELA Interims, 6-8 Math Interims

              2/19 - Gr. K-2 Black History Wax Museum 1:00-2:45

              2/20 - Gr. 3-5 Black History Wax Museum 1:00-2:45

              2/21 - Staff Potluck; Interim Scan By Date; Gr. 6-8 Black History Wax Museum 1:00-2:45

              2/28 - Progress Reports; Grade Book Closes