Gator Run Friday Focus - October 17, 2014

I have been in Orlando the past two days attending a special training.  I was selected to be a part of the Florida Department of Education Commissioner's Leadership Academy.  The Academy is made up of 150 school, district and state administrators throughout the State.  We are working on a year-long project to develop a shared understanding of and a common language for effective instructional practices in order to make informed decisions that will positively impact the learning of our students.  I am thrilled to be part of this group as I know that my own learning will be heightened and that I will be able to bring back best practices to Gator Run that will benefit our teaching and learning.  As part of this Academy I will be visiting several schools in the State and attend two other conferences throughout the school year.  

• NESS meeting Monday at 2:15 in Mrs. Heyman's room.
• Puzzle Pin for Autism sale next Tuesday and Wednesday.
• SAC meeting on Tuesday at 2:15 in the Media Center.  
• Family Nights at the Carolina Ale House.  One next Wednesday and the other the following week.  
• Kids of Character names are due to Ms. Felton by next Thursday.
• Next Thursday is also an Early Release Day.  We will be meeting in the Media Center at 1:15 for a training on the RtI process.
• Next Friday is an Employee Planning Day.

Quote of the Week: "There are two primary choices in life: accept conditions as they are, or accept the responsibility for changing them." - Dr. Denis Waitley.  What choice are you making about your current situation?

Gator Run Friday Focus - October 10, 2014

     This week our Team Leaders traveled to Everglades Elementary.  We had an opportunity to visit classrooms and collaborate with the other Team Leaders from the Weston elementary schools.  While walking through the school and visiting classrooms, what hit me was that it was apparent that the students were writing every day.  I saw firsthand text-based writing in several classrooms.  In addition there were writing samples throughout the school, posted in classrooms and in the hallways.  Everglades is in our SES (SocioEconomic Status) band and they have outperformed our school on FCAT results. 
     My takeaway from the visit is that our students should be writing every day.  Writing is the most important component of literacy to me.  Through their writing, students demonstrate comprehension, are able to interject their opinion and provide text-based evidence.  One of the rooms that we visited was a fifth grade class where the students were presented an article about football and whether children under the age of 14 should be playing.  The class was asked to work in groups to read the article, choose a side of the argument and then write a defense of their opinion using evidence from the article.  There was authentic engagement in this learning experience because the article was of interest to them.  What are some types of articles that would work with our students?  How about an article focusing on the use of Minecraft in school or one that states that soccer is the best sport?  Or how about we ask the students what they are interested in and find articles for them to read in their areas of interest?  Our students are not going to be able to reach higher levels if we do not present opportunities for them to write every day.  Writing in this way is a surefire way to bump up to higher DOK levels.  I cannot wait to see evidence of this type of writing as I visit classrooms and samples posted throughout the school.

• We will be hosting two meetings in the very near future.  One of them is my Sub-Cadre, which consists of our Director, Mark Narkier, and several Principals.  This will take place on October 29th.  The other meeting is on November 7 and is for the Team Leaders of the elementary schools in Weston.  We will be visiting classrooms on both days.  
• Our Book Fair continues until next Wednesday. 
• Team Collaboration is scheduled for next Wednesday afternoon.  Please continue to plan for high level DOK activities.  
• Wear Pink Day is next Friday.  My mother is a breast cancer survivor so I have a personal stake in helping to raise awareness about this type of cancer.  I encourage all of you to get checked.  Remember that early detection is the best protection. 

The Search for "Innovating": I just posted on Edmodo some information about vocabulary instruction.  Please check it out and join in the conversation by responding to my post.  I am looking for a high level of participation on Edmodo.  I would love to visit classrooms where some awesome vocabulary instruction is taking place.  Remember that Innovating means that the strategy is working for 100% of your students. 


What You Might Have Missed on Twitter this Week:
Here's an article that I posted this week from the Sun-Sentinel about the new State Assessment - Testing Worries

I posted some great things I saw in classrooms this week.  Here are some pictures from my visits:

Let's keep it up.  I know there are great things happening out there.  Invite me to your room when awesome is taking place!  I would love to Tweet about you. 

Quote of the Week - This is a great quote about the RtI process.  We will be holding a Faculty Collaboration about RtI on the afternoon of the Early Release Day on October 23.  

"If the water in the aquarium is dirty, it makes little sense to single out struggling fish for corrective treatment.  The first corrective treatment that should be applied is: clean the water in the aquarium; all the fish will likely benefit from this action." - Amelia Van Larsen, Pasco County Schools

Gator Run Friday Focus - October 3, 2014

Mrs. Heyman shared a great resource with the NESS groups this week that I thought would be beneficial to everyone.  She read a book she was inspired by called The 5 Minute Teacher by Mark Barnes.  I really enjoyed the section she shared about video use in the classroom.  How many of you use videos in your instruction daily?  The following information is directly from Shari's notes:

Plan to the Minute Model example:

1. Directions 3-5 minutes

2. Collaboration 12-15 minutes

3. Whole Group Q&A 5 minutes

4. Video presentation 1-3 minutes

5. Small group inquiry 6-8 minutes

6. Sharing 4-5 minutes

7. Reflection 8-10 minutes

“Video should be an integral piece of daily instruction.

The right videos can serve as invaluable springboards.”

Examples of video use in the classroom:

www.learnitin5.com/5-Minute-Teacher-Resources-0

• Team Leader Day is next Tuesday.  We will be meeting at Everglades Elementary at 8:15 AM. 
• FAIR Training for 4th and 5th grade will be next Tuesday at 2:15 in the Media Center.
• Our Fall Book Fair kicks off next Wednesday.  There is an evening Book Fair beginning at 5:30.  It would be awesome to see a majority of our teachers at this event.

Quote of the Week - I posted this on Twitter earlier this week.  Thought I would share it here as well.  Very relevant to our conversations about assessing what we instruct. 

Learning is the purpose; not the teaching.

Gator Run Friday Focus - September 26, 2014

• Team Collaboration Days are next Monday and Tuesday.  Please see the CAB Calendar for details.  You will be meeting in room 851.  Please use this time to investigate CPalms further and plan some higher-level DOK learning experiences. 
•  There is a NESS meeting on Monday at 2:15 in Mrs. Heyman's room.
•  Next Wednesday and Thursday we will be holding our first CARE PLC meetings.  Please see the CAB Calendar for your team's day.  You will need to bring the results of your first reading and math formative assessments to these meetings.  The other day please meet with your team for Team Collaboration.

 Quote of the Week - "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

Gator Run Friday Focus - September 19, 2014

As we work to create more experiences in higher DOK levels, it is also vital that we ensure automaticity in mathematics.  Please work each day to provide practice for your students according to the following required fluency list:

 

K - Add/subtract within 5

1 - Add/subtract within 10

2 - Add/subtract within 20

      Add/subtract within 100 (pencil and paper)

3 - Multiply/divide within 100

      Add/subtract within 1,000

4 - Add/subtract within 1,000,000

5 - Multidigit multiplication

• Kids of Character names are due to Ms. Felton by Monday.
• Fall individual pictures are next Tuesday and Wednesday.  Please refer to the schedule sent by Ms. Felton.
• Our first SAC meeting of the year is next Tuesday at 2:15 in the afternoon.  Please join us if you can. 
• We have a Faculty Collaboration for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade next Wednesday at 2:15.  We will be reviewing the CARE process for our PLCs.  There is Team Collaboration for K-2 on that day.   
• No School next Thursday.
• Sunshine membership drive next Friday at 7:20.  

Quote of the Week - "Not all gifts are equal for all students." - Kevin Baird.  Something to remember as we plan learning experiences for our students. 

Gator Run Friday Focus - September 12, 2014

I would like to have a Genius Hour conversation on Monday afternoon at 2:15 in the Media Center.  If you have already signed up for the Genius Lounge or plan to do so in the near future, please join us.  We want to provide support and guidance to you as you go forward with this exciting endeavor.  For those of you are in Clubs or who have a conference, I will hold another conversation in the near future.

• Boosterthon continues next week, culminating with the Fun Run on Friday.  If you are new to the school and haven't been part of a Fun Run before, please see your Team Leader to ensure that you are prepared.
• Next Thursday is an Early Release Day.  We will have a Faculty Collaboration at 1:30 in the Media Center about vocabulary and a faculty Edmodo discussion.
• Interim Reports go home next Thursday.
• Please be aware of which of your students do not have media clearance for external sources.  Ms. Felton and I will begin sending out pictures and video from your classrooms and we want to respect privacy choices.  

Quote of the Week - Planting a little seed before next Thursday's Faculty Collaboration.  “A man with a scant vocabulary will almost certainly be a weak thinker. The richer and more copious one's vocabulary and the greater one's awareness of fine distinctions and subtle nuances of meaning, the more fertile and precise is likely to be one's thinking. Knowledge of things and knowledge of the words for them grow together. If you do not know the words, you can hardly know the thing.” - Henry Hazlitt

Gator Run Friday Focus - September 5, 2014

It's hard to believe that it's only the end of the third week of school.  To me it feels like we are much further into the school year.  Ms. Felton and I are attempting to finish up our Snapshot Walkthrough observations by the middle of next week.  We will then begin scheduling Formal observations.  Please understand that because of the size of our faculty, it is vital for us to begin this process early.  But let's put aside talk about observations for a moment.  What I want to speak about today is highlighting all of the wonderful things that are taking place in your classrooms.  As the "Storyteller-in-Chief" of our school, I want to spread the word about the amazing learning experiences that you are providing our students.  Please invite me to your classroom when you have something awesome planned (and I hope that you have something awesome planned every day).  Have your students invite me as well.  I find that they are extremely excited to have me come in to see them at work.  I want to get the word out about what you and your students are doing.  Our community and the world need to know about our unbelievable Gator Run teachers and what you do every day.  I want to blog about you, Tweet about you, Facebook about you.  You deserve to be spoken about and praised.  Remember that our new motto is "Imagination to Innovation: Follow Your Passion at Gator Run".  Anytime you are doing something that focuses on our motto, invite me in!

• There will be a Sunshine membership drive next Friday morning.  Let's get 100% signed up!
• Boosterthon Pep Rally next Wednesday morning.
• Open House for Pre-K - 2nd Grades is next Wednesday at 6:30 pm.

Quote of the Week - "Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless." - Mother Teresa.  Choose your words wisely.