Gator Run Friday Focus - February 13, 2015

Each week a large number of our students suggest Wonders of the Week to me.  One of the main reasons that I am posting a weekly Wonder is to get our students thinking and coming up with their own questions.  These are questions that they should be answering for their own Genius Hour projects.  I am again imploring you to include Genius Hour in your classroom.  This is such a great way to get students excited about school and to become an expert in something that interests them.  I would love to visit your rooms when students are presenting. 

• No school Monday.
• Team Leader Day on Tuesday.
• Jump Rope for Heart on Wednesday.  Please refer to the email sent by Coach Cliff.
• PLCs are scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.  Please remember that this is time for your team to discuss the results of your most recent formative assessments.  
• PTA General Meeting on Thursday morning.  Our awesome chorus will be performing.
• Kids of Character names are due to Ms. Felton on Friday.

Quote of the Week - "Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind." - Henry James

Happy Valentine's Day!

Gator Run Friday Focus - February 6, 2015

     I appreciate everyone's efforts this year to participate in meaningful PLCs centered on discussion of common formative assessment results.  I think that this video really showcases how beneficial learning and growing from common formative assessments can be - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FldnHUgjTcM (you will need to have your YouTube configuration set). 
     This is only the first year of this process for us and I know that we will grow and become a school that is a model for how PLCs should be run.  You are all part of an amazing faculty and I am so proud to work with each of you.  A true sign of a great teacher is one who continues to grow not because they have to, but because they want to become better for their students.  

• NESS Meeting Monday at 2:20 in Shari Heyman's classroom.
• Principal's Honor Roll Breakfast Tuesday at 8:30.
• Interim Reports go home on Tuesday.  
• Class pictures will take place next Wednesday through Friday. 
• Faculty Collaboration for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade only on Wednesday at 2:15 in the Media Center.  I have some information on the FSA that I will send out to those teachers beforehand for you to preview so that we can focus our time on a lively discussion. 

Quote of the Week - Thanks to Carrie Velasquez for sharing this one with me!  I just had a discussion with one of our 5th graders about this very concept. 

Gator Run Friday Focus - January 30, 2015

I mentioned previously this year that I am doing work with the Department of Education Commissioner's Leadership Academy.  Through this group I have been learning an instructional framework called the 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning.  This past week we visited Dillard 6 -12 and used the tool as we observed 4 different classrooms through the lens of determining the purpose of each lesson.  I think that the questions that we used to guide our walkthroughs really helped me focus on how important it is that each of our lessons have a purpose that is clearly communicated to our students, that our students know how they will demonstrate mastery, and how what we are doing is related beyond the classroom.  Here are a few of the guiding questions that we used, as I think they can help all of us as we are planning learning experiences for our students. 

• What is the learning target(s) of the lesson?  How is it meaningful and relevant beyond the specific task/activity?
• How are the standard(s) and learning target communicated and made accessible to all students?
• How does the learning target clearly communicate what students will know and be able to do as a result of the lesson?  What will be acceptable evidence of student learning?

•  Our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will be taking the BAFS (Broward Assessment of Florida Standards) next week.  Ms. Felton will send out a schedule today.
• Interims are due to Team Leaders next Monday and to Ms. Felton on Wednesday.  
• Team Collaboration is scheduled for next Wednesday. 

Quote of the Week - So, the several members of the 2nd grade team went to dinner recently and they brought me back fortunes from their fortune cookies.  Here's a good one from those - "Don't pursue happiness - create it."

Gator Run Friday Focus - January 16, 2015

• No school next Monday.
• Report cards go home next Wednesday.
• PLCs are scheduled for next Wednesday.  Remember that this is the day that you should be reviewing data collected from your common formative assessments.  

What You Might Have Missed on Twitter this Week:

Great article about how standardized testing is killing curiosity, hope, student (and teacher engagement) - Better Tests, Better World

A lot of unfortunate truths here, but I think this teacher really hits some points about how we are all feeling about the state of education right now.  Virginia Teacher of the Year Tells Why He Resigned - Virginia Teacher

Quote of the Week - "The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience and hard work, we will be brittle in the face of adversity." - Joshua Waitzkin.  I love this quote about having a growth mind set vs. fixed mindset.  I think that this video will highlight this concept for you and I believe that it will help you in your personal life and in working with our students - The Power of Belief

Gator Run Friday Focus - January 9, 2014

• Next week is Spirit Week.  Please refer to the schedule sent out by Ms. Felton for Friday's Spirit Walk.
• We are hosting the Zone Team Leaders and Principals next Tuesday morning.  We will be meeting in the cafeteria and then walking throughout the classrooms.  The Zone Team Leaders have visited all five of the other Weston elementary schools during the past two years and now it's our turn.  This is a great opportunity to show off our awesome school!
• Report Cards are due to Ms. Felton on Tuesday.
• Team Collaboration is scheduled for Wednesday. 
• Gatoraid meeting next Friday.

Quote of the Week - "Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone." - Pablo Picasso.  Give your all each day, each moment.  I refuse to live with the regret that my loved ones didn't know how I feel or that I didn't do what was important when it should have been done. 

Gator Run Friday Focus - December 12, 2014

BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device - What does it mean?  I'm sure that you saw the email from Mr. Acosta detailing how to access the wireless network.  Being a BYOD school will allow us to move closer to a 1 to 1 ratio of students to devices while we continue to pursue future computer purchases.  Here is an article that might help explain the direction that we are going in: BYOD  I know that not all of you will be comfortable with this right away, but please understand that this is the direction that our school (and all of education) is moving towards.  Our students are on their devices outside of school a lot.  This is their method of communication and research.  While this might not be a world that we are all a part of, we need to understand that this is our students' world.  There are numerous possibilities that will now exist for you when you are ready to take the leap.  One example is that you would be able to utilize student response apps or websites in a fun way as formative assessments to understand if your students "get" what you are teaching them.  You might pick up some ideas if you attend Elyane Hollander's or Lynn Mitchel's sessions during next Thursday's Teachers Training Teachers event.  We will further discuss this when we return from Winter Break.  

• Holiday parties continue next week.  Please see our CAB Calendar for scheduled dates/times.  
• Thursday is an Early Release and the last day before Winter Break for students.  That afternoon we will be holding a Teachers Training Teachers professional development.  This will take place from 1:30 - 3:00.  You will have an opportunity to visit several of your colleagues' classrooms and learn what they have prepared for you.  I am sending out a copy of the flyer for this PD.
• Next Friday is a Planning Day.  Mrs. Knapik and I would like to meet with our primary teachers for a brief discussion about writing and math in your Team Leader's classroom.  We will adhere to the following schedule: 8:30 - 1st Grade; 9:00 - 2nd Grade; 9:30 - Kindergarten.  

Quote of the Week - "Start strong, stay strong, and finish strong by always remembering why you're doing it in the first place." - Ralph Marston.  Let's finish the first half of the school year strong.  Think about our amazing students and have some fun with them next week!

I know am probably beating a dead horse with a number of you, but I am going to keep pushing you to become active on social media.  I personally utilize the following sites for the following reasons:

• Instagram allows me to post pictures of things that are happening in our school.  This has created a whole new connection with our students outside of the school day.  Our students love to see themselves mentioned on Instagram.  I'm pretty sure it's why I get invited to classes so much lately!  (And no comments on the number of selfies that I post!)

• I have been posting numerous pictures to our school's Facebook account.  Facebook is mostly used by our parents and allows them to see inside of the school on a regular basis.  I hope that this transparency helps them to feel more a part of our awesome school.  

• I know that I talk about Twitter a lot and I have encouraged all of you to participate.  Twitter is the way that I feel connected to educators throughout the world, sharing ideas and learning from each other.  You are really missing out by not being a part of the educational community that exists on Twitter.  I honestly believe that I have learned more from my few years being active on Twitter than in all of my previous years in education.  The walls of the classroom and the school are being torn down people.  Don't get left behind. 

Gator Run Friday Focus - December 5, 2014

• Team Leader Day is next Tuesday.

• 4th and 5th grade Spelling Bee is next Tuesday afternoon.
• Our next PLCs are next Wednesday afternoon.  
• Puzzle Pins for Autism will be on sale next Thursday and Friday outside the cafeteria.
• Kids of Character are due to Ms. Felton next Friday.

Quote of the Week - "If you can see a positive side to everything, you'll be able to lead a much richer life than others." - Celestine Chula.  I know that at times this year seems like the most difficult, overwhelming school year ever.  I totally understand the stress that everyone is under (I feel it too).  However, working together is the only way that we will get through this.  We cannot always dwell on the negative.  It will overtake you and you will never be able to see the positive (and believe me, there are many positives to what we do).  I'm sure most of us didn't get into education in its current state of accountability and testing but this is the job as it currently stands.  My advice to you (and to myself) is to try to stay positive and rely on each other as we navigate through the remainder of the school year.  Time goes by extremely fast and when we get bogged down in the negative aspects we are missing out on the many amazing things that are happening in our school.  Let's not look back and regret that we didn't appreciate the time that we have together.  

Video of the Week - I am going to answer the question again - "Why Genius Hour?".  Please take a look at this video.  This is a young lady in Mrs. Carafiello's class was so passionate speaking about her topic - memory.  She conducted an experiment with her class and had all of enthralled with her presentation.  I know that there is limited time in our week but if we can carve out some time for our students to choose what they would like to learn we will reap the benefits of motivated children.