Quote of the Week:
"We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn." Mary Catherine Bateson
Celebrations!
Newest Clipper Baby has arrived!
Congratulations to Amanda Svenson on the birth of Jaxon Svenson, Saturday September 22! Jaxon arrived at 11:03 AM, is 7 lb 3 oz, 21 inches long! Congratulations to the happy family!
Happy Birthday!
September 23: Karen Davis
September 26: Dawn McPherson
Tracked out
Track 1
Thank you!
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding...wait that is my phone message to parents. :) I really do mean it to you and to our parents. This has been a very trying time for everyone as we have readjusted to the buses not being here before 4PM. I appreciate each of you for working together to make it easier for the students and each other.
Calls to the classroom
It is the mission of the front office NOT to disrupt instruction throughout the day with calls to your class for any reason, unless in an emergency.
Because of the buses, many parents are calling throughout the day to change their child's transportation, all phone calls to your classroom with a change in transportation will take place beginning at 3:30 in the afternoon.
Transportation Information
Below is information to be copied and pasted into your weekly newsletter to parents.
Transportation questions? Call the Transportation Customer Service Center
In order to better serve our families, the WCPSS Transportation Department has created a centralized Customer Service Center. Beginning Monday, September 24, WCPSS parents from any school transportation district may dial (919) 856-7890 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. to reach a customer service representative.
In addition to calling the Customer Service Center, parents may continue to contact transportation by filling out our online feedback form, or emailing transportation@wcpss.net with the school name, student’s route number (indicate morning or afternoon), bus stop, student’s first and last name and parent’s daytime contact information.
To request a new stop, parents may continue to use our current stop request form.
Professional Development:
Professional development is something we all want but often have a difficult time fitting into our schedule. How do we continue to focus on student growth and our own professional growth? We know the two go together, but the TIME factor gets in the way.A few weeks ago I sent a link to a Teaching Channel math lesson. I found in brief conversations, many did not look at the video for multiple reasons. So, I decided, if our Professional Development is key to our growth, which is in turn key to student growth, maybe it shouldn't be at the bottom of the Captain's Log, but more at the top.
Many times an article and video can be part of your PLT. Below is an article Setting the Stage for Differentiation. (maybe a 3 minute read) The Rick Kleine link below is also mentioned in the article. The video link for the Skateboard school is very good, but is more lengthy and focuses on finding the interest of older students.
https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2012/09/17/3-ways-to-assess-your-class/?utm_source=Alpha+List&utm_campaign=b3bdddaa91-Newsletter_September_22_2012&utm_medium=email
Take a few minutes to view the Rick Kleine's video (5.27 minutes) providing one-on-one differentiation during read-to-self. Many of you are already providing this level of instruction, you just haven't made a video. This is an excellent way of providing each student with the individual conferencing needed to develop reading skills and to build stamina as we move to non-fiction text. You can also see him recording his assessment after talking with the students.
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/personalize-reading-workshop?resume=0
Common Core
You will be hearing more about the 4 Phases of Common Core training in the next few months. FYI...You are well on the way to completing the first two phases. When your teammates return from training either in ELA or Math it is essential your grade level makes time for the training to take place at your PLT and grade level meetings. That is a part of phase 1 & 2. Remember RIGOR is part of Common Core.
Question to many of the Principals the other day ..."Are your teachers posting the objectives on the board in "kid friendly language" each day?" We can write the objective on the board to satisfy a requirement, but the real question is "Do the students know what the objective of the lesson is when asked?" I know I have walked into several rooms and seen the objectives on the white board AND the students KNEW what they were to be learning. That is setting high expectations for your students and seeing results! :)
You are doing a super job and it is overwhelming, as we dig deeper into Common Core and Essential Standards. I was working on CMAPP the other night and thought WOW my teachers are great! CMAPP has lots of resources, mini-lessons, pacing guide and more, which are great but can be overwhelming at times! Thank you for continuing to do a great job as we go through the CC/ES journey together. We will continue to see our students demonstrate high growth through your on-going dedication and efforts!
What's happening this week?
Searching for...
We have found three document cameras during "cleaning" and moving rooms. Now, we are in search of two IPads! The IPads in question have the WHITE trim and were purchased at the end of the year. Two have been located and are currently being sync'ed (is that a word?) to match our BLACK trimmed IPads. It is critical we find the two IPads. Thank you in advance for helping us locate them!
OCE 2.0
Monday, September 24 in the media center at 4:00 or as soon as most of the students are gone. Rahensia will be presenting on Interactive Presentations and Heather will present Study Island.Assistant Principal of the Year Interview Committee Visit:
All of us are excited Travis has been nominated as AP of the Year. He has been granted permission to have the Interview Committee interview at OCE! Travis has contacted members of the staff which will be interviewed by a central committee. Travis will be at OCE around 12:30 to say "Hi" and to talk with staff members selected. I know each of us wishes Travis the best in this incredible honor! I will let everyone know when the announcement is made October 11!5th grade heads to Washington DC!
This Wednesday and Thursday, we will send our first group of 5th graders to Washington DC. This is an exciting time for the students, parents and teachers. Each group we are sending this year will get to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We wish them a safe and fun trip!SIP Committee meetings
Friday, September 28 at 8AM, SIP Committees will meet in the assigned rooms. Check out the SIP bulletin board for more information.
Early Release on Friday 9/28!
Early Release will be packed with learning based on the SIP. We will begin at 1:45. Topics for Early Release: DreamBox, Suicide Prevention, RtI Tier III, and updates.
Schedules
Schedules are being reviewed by selected members of Leadership Team and will be posted by Wednesday to the Wiki. FYI...there are few changes to the schedule.
E-Mails
I have received feedback on the amount of mass e-mails you are receiving each day, and how important information is getting lost in the red/bold black list. In an effort to decrease the amount of information e-mails, the Captain's Log will become the source for sending out information that is not time sensitive.
While Ms. Beckham is getting everything up and running in the Media Center, she will continue to send e-mails directly to grade levels in an effort to get timely information. Quick e-mails; e.g., Lost red bag, Do you have??, will continue as always.
FYI: The Professional Development bulletin board is now in the Staff Lounge. Check it out for the most up to date information.
Looking Ahead:
Case 21- Week of Oct 1-5: Tracks 1, 2 and 3
FYI: Track 4 will take Case 21 the week of Oct 21-26 and follow the same schedule as below.No special or lunch time for any grade levels will be impacted by Case 21.
Below are the dates and times for Tracks 1,2,and 3.
Tuesday, October 2 Reading
Wednesday, October 3 Math-Calculator Active
Thursday, October 4 Math-Calculator Inactive
Friday, October 5 Science (5th Grade only)
3rd Grade
|
10:30-11:45
|
4th Grade
|
9:20-10:25
|
5th Grade
|
11:50-1:00
|
Benefits Staff Meeting: November 5 at 8:00 AM
We will have a Staff Meeting on Monday, November 5 at 8:00 AM, for the purpose of being made aware of benefits offered to employees. I tried to schedule the meeting on a track in day, but was unsuccessful. If you are tracked out, no worries. I am working with the representatives to be available to meet with individual staff members later in the week or following week.
