Sept 12

Coming up at Arno…

Sept. 12

Ad council 9:00

Sept. 13

Lockdown Drill 10:00

B.M. meeting 8:30

Sept. 14

PBIS Meeting 3:45

Sept. 15

District Safety Committee 9:30

Title 1 Parent night 6:00

Meet the Teacher 7:00-8:00

Sept. 16

No events

 

Welcome Back…Scenes from around town

 

Thanks

Thanks to everyone for helping our first week back go smooth.  As I traveled around the building the last few days it was amazing to see how focused the kids were and how quickly they adapted to their new rooms- that certainly is a testament to your skills!   Thanks again and hats off to you for a great start!

 

From the Daily 5 Corner…

 

Classroom Setup Mirrors Your Beliefs by Gail BousheyWhat we generally find is for beliefs to change, people’s experiences have to change first.—Iris Bohnet When I walked into Cindy Ruptic’s first-grade classroom, the first thing I noticed was the desks. They were clustered in groups of four, and each group had its own potted plant and a small bookshelf for personal and library books. Nothing new, you say? Maybe not, but it was new to me. I was still setting up my classroom with desks in straight rows, and my classroom didn’t have its own library. Even worse, my teacher’s desk—more like a shrine, to be honest—took up a fourth of the room. What was Cindy thinking? How would she ever be able to teach students who weren’t facing her? And what did she know about teaching that I didn’t? For me, seeing Cindy’s classroom sparked the first of many conversations about classroom design, student learning, and best practices for teaching. Does a new classroom arrangement prompt us to reconsider our beliefs about teaching? Or does the gradual evolution in our teaching prompt us to rearrange our classrooms? Honestly, I’m not sure, but I suspect there’s a bit of chicken and egg going on here. What I do know is that every aspect of our teaching environment sends a message to all who enter. That message should be that this classroom is an interesting place, a comfortable and safe place, and a place where students are actively engaged in their own learning. When you look through the door of a classroom, you get a glimpse into what that teacher believes about students, their learning, and the way teaching is best delivered.   No matter how your classroom has been set up for this year, remember that it is not only your students who will be growing this year. You will be growing, too. How is your teaching improving, and how can that be reflected in your classroom? https://www.thedailycafe.com/daily-5

Room Configuration

In order to address the need for student collaboration as part of best practice/turn and talk- please make sure you have students set up in table groups as opposed to rows.  This will continually give you the ability to facilitate collaboration within your room.

Stages

Please remember to write your 2 professional growth goals (1 literacy, 1 math) plus your one student growth goal in the Stages platform.  I shared the Stages google doc with examples on how to do both.   Please send me a date/time that works for you to discuss the goals starting the week of Sept. 19- Oct. 4

https://live.stagessoftware.com/user/login/

PTA

Please remember that the contest for membership drive is still running.  The winning class gets a prize with the most memberships and the winning teacher gets $100 Scholastic Dollars to use! Be sure to talk it up and motivate your kids!!

CONSTITUTION DAY

From the Curriculum Department:

Since the new school year is almost upon us, I wanted to put a reminder out that Constitution Day is also right around the corner.  Therefore, please ensure you and/or your teachers conduct some sort of “educational program” to commemorate the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 16th (as the 17th falls on a Saturday this year).  Please use the Google form link you received in your email to document your Constitution Day activities!

For a variety of resources, you can go to:

• http://www.constitutionday.cc/
• http://constitutioncenter.org/constitution-day/
• http://www.scholastic.com/browse/collection.jsp?id=391
• https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/

Here is the specific language related to this statute:

Constitution Day Public Law 108-447 requires all educational institutions receiving federal funds to hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17, 2016, for the students served by the educational institution. If the 17th falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, the law allows the celebration to be held during the preceding or following week.

In order to demonstrate our compliance with this law, I am required to submit documentation to the state.  Therefore, please send me the details related to how your building is honoring Constitution Day by Sept. 21st.

 

POSITIVE COMMUNICATION

Please take a few minutes to read this article on the importance of positive communication.  Please consider making an effort to reach out with good news or a kind word through email, Class Dojo, or a phone call weekly this year.  Every little bit counts. http://blog.williamferriter.com/2016/07/02/simple-truth-kids-want-to-be-noticed/