Wow - how great to have a four day weekend even if many spent one or two days catching up on work. Are you ready for a series of five day work weeks? This is great teaching opportunity. Let's make sure we take full advantage for student achievement.
It is hard to believe the Core Knowledge Fair is just a few short weeks away. When we started planning our inquiry units in August and October to match the new CCSS it seemed like forever away. Time is short. We are at the apex of focus. Remember - the students should be working harder than you! Make sure that you have them do the work, let them have ownership to demonstrate their learning. I have ordered stew and biscuits to serve for dinner that evening. Costumes have always added to the ambiance of the event. If you want or are willing to dress up I will find a way to cover costs. Talk about it with your team and let me know. If you need to rent a costume you need to go to the Costume Shop and reserve it. We create a P.O. and schedule pick up and delivery.
Reminder - Friday after school Nicole Flores will display Damsel Party items. These are personal protection items like mace canisters. You are invited to come and see with no obligation to purchase. Any proceeds are donated to child cardiomyopthy foundation, in honor of their daughter who died in December.
We have been selected to pilot a portion of the Smarter Balanced Assessment tied to the CCSS. I realize that this gives an added layer to spring testing but believe that it gives us (teachers) an opportunity to see what to expect which of course helps us better prepare students. When we are provided test information we only have a two week window of test completion. I will need you to have students give this their best effort as well as the spring ISAT. If we need to make adjustments to testing schedules to allow for breaks or other factors, please communicate that with me. We want the best of both and need both as we move forward.
I will be out of District three days next week - Wednesday - Friday. Wednesday and Thursday I will be attending a grant writing training. I fly out on Thursday to Portland for the NCEE conference where I will be co-presenting with Mike Cozakos on Friday morning. Toni and Brooke have agreed to lead the Character Assembly Friday morning, keeping it as short as possible while acknowledging the achievements during the past month. Plan to bring your students in a timely manner to the gym, as the first group is time dependent on the last group to enter. :)
Next week we are to readdress the Open Library expectation. Please refer to the matrix and help students to name the specific expectations. This week with Linda home sick, I stepped in a number of times finding students in groups of eight or more using open library time to avoid class and catch up on social issues. Please be aware of how many of your students are allowed out of class at a given time, encouraging them to have two books on their prescribed level and to return quickly.
I'm sure Toni is ahead of me and has already posted or requested volunteers to help with next Thursday's Jump Rope for Heart event, but if you have 30 minutes to share after school, I'm sure she would love your help turning ropes and tracking kids. :)
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