Captain's Log 9a

Captain’s Log #9a

Welcome to a new OCE staff member! Janet Baxter joins us today in her role as intervention teacher.

School Improvement Plan – SIT will meet this Friday (3-2) at 8:00.  Everyone is invited to attend the meeting.  The team will have updates from the Literacy and Behavior/Climate committees.

Leap into Literacy Week!  WOW!!!!!!!!!  All of you are fantastic!  The energy and excitement around the building is contagious.  It is so exciting to walk around and listen to the students and teachers talk about the books, minutes and READING!  Thank you for making the minutes week such a success!  This week will be FANTASTIC!  Looking forward to PJ day and to Wednesday evening!

Half-Day Planning Writing Session –

Session #3 (track 2 is out)

February 29th - 4th grade (8:30-12:00) and 2nd grade (12:30-4:00)

March 1st - 3rd grade (8:30-12:00) and kindergarten (12:30-4:00)

March 2nd - 5th grade (8:30-12:00) and 1st grade (12:30-4:00)

http://www.empoweringwriters.com/staticpage/node/0/seasonal-lessons - Empowering Writer’s lessos and ideas.

Growth Data-- Thank you to those of you who completed the Plus/Delta for our Early Release.  A few staff members asked;  what we are doing, or, what more can we do to help our students grow?  This year we have in place a few systems and structures that were not in place across all grade levels in previous years. Two provide direct instruction for our students; Team Time and Response to Intervention (more focused on foundational skills and progress monitoring this year).  Both are key processes to enable us to utilize our time more effectively and target student needs.   Through strategic scheduling, PLTs are meeting weekly and focus on four questions (which includes looking at data, reviewing/creating assessments)  and daily common planning time for Mate Talk, if needed, and grade level conversations, e.g., field trips, purchases, etc.

PLT Survey—PLT survey results are in! Thank you to those of you who took time to answer the questions honestly about your teams.  This information will give us a direction for conversations this year, and possible direction for the SIP.  More to come later.

Response to Intervention –.  RtI is one way in which we are addressing the growth of our students.  If we can determine their need and monitor their growth/ or lack of growth, then we know next steps.  It provides us the information now…not at the end of the year.   Many of you have asked for more information on RtI.  Let me know what kind of information you would like, e.g., Goal line/Aimline/Target line, foundational skill, etc.  Remember, we are all learning together.   Your questions have been instrumental in helping to move the process forward this year.  It is through the RtI process we have the diagnostic instead of the autopsy data. ***I attended a meeting the other day and the state is now stating that RtI now means..Responding to Instruction. ***

Case 21-  We continue to get news as to when we will receive, and give the assessment.  The data will give us another opportunity to review and support all the learning and teaching that has taken place so far this year.  It will also provide us information for the gaps in learning.  If 80% or more of the class knows the information, then we can remediate the few and move on for the rest of the students.  If less than 80% know the material then we review as a whole group and enrich those who already have it. (Sound like Team Time?)  Case 21 is one more “tool” in our bag in helping to identify where to put our time (which is precious) and resources.  Each of you are skilled in creating, giving, and analyzing assessments, it will be nice that on this one, you don’t have to create it, or grade it, just give and analyze the data.

Boosterthon! – ***From our PTA***Did you notice, OCE is turning into a jungle?  There is a bit of mystery in the air...It is our next fundraiser, BOOSTERTHON!!  Our PTA is so excited to present a new fundraiser that will take place March 19th--30th.  This fundraiser is expected to do quite well for us and in fact will hopefully meet or exceed our goal to give back to the school for the year.   In order to do that we need everybody on board!!  Below are some initial dates that we have firmed up for our Boosterthon.  

Here is their website for you to take a look at what they do...how they incorporate character traits and learn how to be a team player.   Following along those lines, regardless of fundraising or not, EVERY child can participate in the fun run and EVERY child will receive a t-shirt.  What an amazing idea!!  http://boosterthon.com/blog-post?officially-announcing-the-2011-2012-boosterthon-fun-run-character-theme

We truly are so excited over this and really hope for the best.  A ton more information will come home, but we wanted you the teachers and administration to be aware of what is going on since the school has begun its transformation!

Teacher Resources of the week

http://storybird.com/ -  Want the students to create a story?  Go to Storybird and check it out.  Parents love getting to read the stories at home.  Great for Leap into Literacy week!

http://classroom.booksource.com/ - for us non “D’s” to support classroom library organization

http://coolcatteacher.visibli.com/share/jG4Wjk - “largest teacher network of teachers in the world.

Teacher Link of the week

http://www.showme.com/learn - “Our community has created thousands of amazing lessons”.  This website are video demonstrates and lessons on a variety of skills.