I would like to once again come around to all of your rooms to give you a holiday 30 minute break, and read Christmas stories to your kids. Please stop by or send me an email when you would like me to come in.
Arno Christmas Lunch
It’s that jolly time of year again for the Arno Ball Room to shine for our staff Christmas lunch. Our lunch is scheduled for Dec. 15 starting at 11:00 (you will have an hour lunch) 5th grade, you start around 10 minutes later. I will get out the revised lunch schedule, I know it cuts into some preps- please let me know if I can help. It will be an international christmas smorgasbord with swedish meatballs, stuffed cabbage, Hawaiian chicken, and Stella’s own Spanikopita (yes there will be baklava too), salad, and rolls. Please let us know if you cannot make it.
Founders Day
Founders Day is quickly arriving! It is a celebration of all the amazing things going on within our school district. Do you know of an outstanding program, volunteer or staff member? If so we need you to nominate one! You can access applications by using this link or picking up a paper copy in the magazine rack across from the Arno main office.
All nomination forms must be submitted by Tuesday, November 29th
You cab submit your nomination by emailing us at arnopta@gmail.com or by turning it into the main office in a sealed envelope marked “Founders Day PTA.”
All nominations will be placed on a ballot and voted on by members present at the December 8th PTA meeting. The name of the person who has submitted the nomination will be kept confidential. However the written description on why the person or program is deserving will be read out loud. We encourage you to submit nominations so that we can reward some of our amazing program lead volunteers!
The person or event that secures the most votes per category will be notified and honored at the Allen Park PTSA Council Founders Celebration! It will be at The Red Fawn on Monday, February 20, 2016 at 6:00 pm. Dinner tickets will be available in the office for purchase and all are invited to attend a wonderful adult evening and celebrate the great things happening at Arno!
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ART OF GIVING PROJECT
Art Drop Boxes will be available in our office for collection of this project:
The ART OF GIVING is a project that is very near and dear to my heart, just as ART is at the HEART of Blake. Although this project is very personal, with all of us working together, it has the potential to impact and uplift so many others. I began the Art of Giving when my boys were small. The Bowman boys, like many chronically ill children, spent countless hours in the hospital. They tire of the many, often painful, procedures; however, these procedures are their means of survival. Art therapy is a very vital part of these children’s care. It creates a positive direction, allows them to express their emotions about their health, and is a different approach to cope through ART. I have had the rare opportunity to see first hand how amazing art therapy is for these children; please consider joining us during our Art of Giving event, the reward is priceless. ~ Kim Bowman
I hope you enjoy your much needed break and want to again share how thankful I am to be surrounded by such caring people that devote their lives to kids!
Get some rest and enjoy your break
Christmas Story Time
I would like to once again come around to all of your rooms to give you a holiday 30 minute break, and read Christmas stories to your kids. Please stop by or send me an email when you would like me to come in.
Arno Christmas Lunch
It’s that jolly time of year again for the Arno Ball Room to shine for our staff Christmas lunch. Our lunch is scheduled for Dec. 15 starting at 11:00 (you will have an hour lunch) 5th grade, you start around 10 minutes later. I will get out the revised lunch schedule, I know it cuts into some preps- please let me know if I can help. It will be an international christmas smorgasbord with swedish meatballs, stuffed cabbage, Hawaiian chicken, and Stella’s own Spanikopita (yes there will be baklava too), salad, and rolls. Please let us know if you cannot make it.
From the PTA
Arno Spirit wear is back! Please see the flyers below to some very cool Arno swag
Founder’s Day
Founders Day is quickly arriving! It is a celebration of all the amazing things going on within our school district. Do you know of an outstanding program, volunteer or staff member? If so we need you to nominate one! You can access applications by using this link or picking up a paper copy in the magazine rack across from the Arno main office.
All nomination forms must be submitted by Tuesday, November 29th
You cab submit your nomination by emailing us at arnopta@gmail.com or by turning it into the main office in a sealed envelope marked “Founders Day PTA.”
All nominations will be placed on a ballot and voted on by members present at the December 8th PTA meeting. The name of the person who has submitted the nomination will be kept confidential. However the written description on why the person or program is deserving will be read out loud. We encourage you to submit nominations so that we can reward some of our amazing program lead volunteers!
The person or event that secures the most votes per category will be notified and honored at the Allen Park PTSA Council Founders Celebration! It will be at The Red Fawn on Monday, February 20, 2016 at 6:00 pm. Dinner tickets will be available in the office for purchase and all are invited to attend a wonderful adult evening and celebrate the great things happening at Arno!
Book Fair breakfast
Please mark your calendars for Nov. 22 for a PTA sponsored breakfast in conjunction with the book fair. At the breakfast, you will get to choose your book fav for classroom donation, as well as possibly a door prize. The breakfast starts at 7:30- hope to see you there!
Ahh…the sweet smell of pumpkin, pies, and everything that reminds you of FALL IS HERE!!
Time to rake some leaves into a pile and JUMP ON IN!! WOO-HOO!!! But, jumping isn’t just for kids…adults can enjoy it too in the safety of their own Community Center! So, if you’re a mom, grandmother, aunt, sister, step-parent and have a son, grandson, nephew, brother, or a step-son that attends Arno, come join us for some jumping fun at our annual Mother/Son Night Event! We will have Bounce Houses, food, cotton candy, and a professional photographer to help you capture your night! Have more than one son, grandson, etc. that attends Arno?? NO PROBLEM! You don’t have to choose, they can all join in on the fun (if they attend Arno)! Please see the attached flyer or visit our Facebook page (Arno Elementary PTA) to get the link for the flyer. Save the Date, November 17 from 6-8 pm. We hope to see you there!
-Reflections entries are due today, Friday, November 11 by the end of the school day. Please get your entries into the Arno Main Office so we can discover what your story is. Participants will be contacted with upcoming celebration details once all entries are collected for judging.
Do you know of an outstanding program, staff member or volunteer here at Arno? We need you to fill out a short Founders Day form to nominate them! Forms are available across from the office and links are on our FB page. Please submit them by email at aropta@gmail.com or return to them to the office in a sealed envelope marked Founders Day. All entries received in the Main Office MUST be in a sealed envelope per new rules this year.
The Holidays are approaching fast and we are excited to announce we will have new spiritwear products to offer for everyone on your gift list! Order forms will be going out soon.
ARGH MATEY’S!!! Our Bookaneer Book fair will also be here soon! Another way for you and your students to get something special for the people on your lists and your teachers wish lists! So, save the date for a swashbuckling, good time! Monday, November 28-Friday, December 2nd. Look for a sign up genius to come out soon with volunteer opportunities to earn scholastic dollars to use at the Book Fair!
Speaking of holiday shopping, we’ll see you on Saturday, November 12th getting at the High School for our annual Holiday Fever craft and vendor show and mom-2-mom sale! All these wonderful opportunities to shop and support your school and community! We couldn’t be more thankful!
Founders Day is quickly arriving! It is a celebration of all the amazing things going on within our school district. Do you know of an outstanding program, volunteer or staff member? If so we need you to nominate one! You can access applications by using this link or picking up a paper copy in the magazine rack across from the Arno main office.
All nomination forms must be submitted by Tuesday, November 29th
You cab submit your nomination by emailing us at arnopta@gmail.com or by turning it into the main office in a sealed envelope marked “Founders Day PTA.”
All nominations will be placed on a ballot and voted on by members present at the December 8th PTA meeting. The name of the person who has submitted the nomination will be kept confidential. However the written description on why the person or program is deserving will be read out loud. We encourage you to submit nominations so that we can reward some of our amazing program lead volunteers!
The person or event that secures the most votes per category will be notified and honored at the Allen Park PTSA Council Founders Celebration! It will be at The Red Fawn on Monday, February 20, 2016 at 6:00 pm. Dinner tickets will be available in the office for purchase and all are invited to attend a wonderful adult evening and celebrate the great things happening at Arno!
A few other reminders…..
REFLECTIONS entries are due this Friday
MOM/SON NIGHT is quickly approaching! Turn in those RSVP’s! See attachment if you need another copy!
Hope to see you shopping at the PTA HOLIDAY FEVER craft show and mom to mom sale this Saturday at the high school! If you have a last minute opportunity to volunteer with us at concessions please get in touch with us by responding to this email or messaging us on FB! For those of you who signed up to donate supplies don’t forget to drop them off at Arno tomorrow!
Thanks!
Math resource game
This is a great free math resource for elementary students that is super fun and engaging. It’s a fun adventure game that has kids create a wizard and battle other wizards and creatures by solving math problems to cast spells! It’s fun!
Big THANKS to Brian, Art, and Eileen for an awesome job in presenting Think Central to our elementary staff. Great job to the team, you view their presentation below.
The bookmark has been added to all elementary student Google accounts. It can be accessed by having the students log in to the Chrome devices, then going to the top left of Chrome, selecting “appublicschools.com Bookmarks”, and choosing the Illuminate entry from the list.
Each teacher has edit rights to their own respective page. Any bookmark or document they want their students to see, they can simply add them to that site, and all students will be able to access it from the Chromebooks and lab Chromeboxes at any time.
Lastly, if staff members are logged into Chrome (follow these steps if not), then the staff members can also follow the above steps to access that Share Bookmarks Web Site.
Book Fair breakfast
Please mark your calendars for Nov. 22 for a PTA sponsored breakfast in conjunction with the book fair. At the breakfast, you will get to choose your book fav for classroom donation, as well as possibly a door prize. The breakfast starts at 7:30- hope to see you there!
NEW TO THE WEB
Please visit the newly updated Phys Ed and Art websites created by Ms. Dalton and Mrs. Cunningham! You will be able to keep current on what’s happening in our special areas by visiting these websites often. Links are located on the right side of the blog, or check them out here:
This is not just a great Halloween picture, but a picture of the people who come to Arno everyday, work their hardest, use the best strategies in the classroom, adapt to the flow of new changes, and make every kid feel special at our school! I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate that, and I appreciate you and everything you do. What we do everyday is under the umbrella of what’s best for kids- it’s not easy, we may not always have the time for it- yet you all pull together and make the good things happen- not just the things that the state or feds want, but the kinds of things that build good people through your morning greetings, hugs, a smile, or just words of encouragement. Thank you for all you do as we enter what surely will be a great November!
From the desk of Phil…
It was a SCARY Halloween at Arno….
Progress Monitoring Training Schedule
Dear Elementary Staff,
As promised, Phil Pittman (aka Dr. Dorf) and Matt Sokol (aka Dr. Dibels) will be returning to your buildings to provide inservice regarding the administration and scoring of the progress monitoring component of the DIBELS Next assessment.
Subs will be available to cover your classes during the inservice, and our time together will not interfere with your planning period for that day.
Reading Aides, Reading Specialists, and Speech Therapists may attend any session(s) deemed relevant to your assignment. Resource Room teachers are encouraged to attend during the Kindergarten and 5th grade portions as subs will be available to cover your classes during that time, and you will be exposed to all subtests that involve progress monitoring.
The schedule is as follows, with subtests covered in parentheses:
***Lisa, they have requested if you could join the 5th grade team time, otherwise it puts us short on subs because they are only sending 6 total
____________________
Arno Elementary – Thursday November 10, 2016 (Location TBD)
9:00 – 10:00 am Kindergarten teachers (FSF, PSF, NWF)
Please mark your calendars for Nov. 22 for a PTA sponsored breakfast in conjunction with the book fair. At the breakfast, you will get to choose your book fav for classroom donation, as well as possibly a door prize. The breakfast starts at 7:30- hope to see you there!
From the PTA
HERE YEE! HERE YEE!!!
The elections are approaching fast just like our weekend! Please remember to get out and VOTE!!
Speaking of voting….I vote that we have more cool assemblies like the Rory the Lion Leadership Assembly we had on Thursday, November 3rd! A BIG “Thank You” with much Love from all of us at Arno to Mrs. Warneck for setting that up for us!
Voting will also be taking place for our annual “Founders Day” nominations starting next week. Founders Day is a way for us, as a community and as a school, to show others how much we appreciate and respect all the hard work someone has done “Above and Beyond” in various categories. Some of these categories include: Outstanding Educator, Business, PTA Member, etc. Applications will be available by link on Arno’s PTA Facebook page and an email link to members on Monday, November 7th. Paper Copies of all applications will be available in the main office Tuesday, November 8th. You can submit your completed application by email or turn into the office in a sealed envelope marked “Founders Day PTA”. Voting will take place at our next PTA Meeting which is scheduled for Thursday, December 8th at 6:30 pm in the Arno Cafeteria. Members present at that meeting will have the opportunity to vote on all the nominee’s. The winners of each of the categories will be notified and acknowledged at the Founders Day District Banquet being held on February 22nd at 6:30 pm at Crystal Park Banquet Center. It’s important as a community to show those who do take the time to go above and beyond how much we appreciate them and all the things they do. We can be quick to judge and leave bad reviews, but oftentimes we do not always show our gratitude, so please consider setting time aside to submit a nominee.
Our Reflections campaign is coming to an end soon. Set some time aside to show us what your story is and get your submissions in by, Friday, November 11th.
Mother/Son Night out is approaching! Flyers were put into teachers mailboxes today and should be coming home with your student(s). Please get your RSVP’s in soon. We have had a tremendous amount of support from the community and we hope you can join us for this fun event!
Save the date for our first Book Fair of the school year! Monday, November 28- Friday, December 2nd our Media Center will be transformed into a Buccaneer Book Blast! Look for more details to come in the following weeks, as well as, a sign up genius to volunteer and earn free scholastic dollars while doing it.
Thank you to everyone for all your support. Have a Great Weekend and we look forward to seeing you at a meeting soon!
Remember to check our Facebook page, emails, and the school blog for information.
Roary theLion...
The Media Center is about to be plundered by PIRATES!!! Our first Scholastic Book Fair is almost here! Wee Matey’s can stake their claim to treasure a bounty starting on Monday, November 28 through Friday, December 2nd. So, mark your “X’s” on the calendar and look for further details next week! ARGH!!!
HOLIDAY FEVER 11/12/16
Dear APPS Staff & Families,
Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Holiday Fever event on Saturday, November 12 from 9am-3pm at the APHS. This annual event includes a Craft/Vendor show, Mom 2 Mom sale, Tin-Can Auction and lunch concessions. All proceeds from the Holiday Fever event benefit the PTA/PTSA Council scholarship fund for this years graduating seniors. Please see the attached flyer for event details.
If you would like to volunteer for this event or donate an item for concessions, please click on the Sign-Up Genius link below.
Marshall Hegedus enjoyed a day of being in the top spot at Arno in his role as Principal for a Day (Top Fundraisers). He got to experience first hand all of the work that goes into running a school and how fun it can be to get to experience all of the kids at Arno. Great job Marshall, I couldn’t have done it without you! Mr. Zielinski
Conferences- In this week’s blog
Parent/Teacher conferences this fall will be taking place on Nov. 30 (5:00-7:30) and Dec. 1 (12:45-7:30), Dec. 1 is also a half-day- 11:40 dismissal. This year for conference sign-up, we have once again chosen to use a web based tool called signup genius. Many of you may be familiar with it as a number of Arno staff and the PTA have used it in the past for various events. Using this tool allows you to have the ability to choose times that are best for you while looking over the slots available, as well easily scheduling siblings.
Each teacher at Arno has their own signup genius link to click and choose times. In a couple of weeks, we will be posting all of the links in the blog, and you will get a link from your teacher as well. Simply choose the teacher and click an available slot, then go and repeat for siblings in other classrooms. We will have a computer available in the office if you are not able to access the program. There will not be any paper sign up this year
Remember:
To be on time
If you have more than one child, please don’t schedule back to back as you will need travel time to move around the building
Fun Run fun with Limo and Lunch for our top fundraisers!
We had an awesome time together as the Arno top fundraisers got treated to lunch at Red Robins and a limo to get us there. What great weather we had to head out in our decked out limo!
A special shout out to Red Robin for great service from a very friendly staff, which really topped off the afternoon! Thank you to all of our contributors for the Arno Fun Run!
Workshop
From yesterday’s PD, several course offerings were given that you may be interested in. If you have an interest in group reading instr, Close reading, or Writers Workshop- let me know and may be able to swing some cash for a small group.
After hearing some of the concerns, time seems like a common thread. I found this article for some additional insight…
CREATING A READER’S WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Happy Thursday, friends! Today marks the second week of our Reading in the Wild summer book study. If you are just joining us and missed the first week (Wild Readers Dedicate Time to Read), you may check it out here. Without further adieu, Our hosts for Chapter 1: Creating a Workshop Schedule that Works for You are Jivey from Ideas by Jivey and Chelsea from Flip-Floppin’ Through 3rd Grade.
Today I’m sharing with you the Reading Workshop schedule that worked for me and my group of 5th graders. This year I taught 3 reading classes, each with 30 students. The first class of the day I co-taught with an amazing Special Education Teacher. ohmygoodnessiwouldnthavesurvivedwithouther. My other two reading classes weren’t intentionally ability-grouped, but generally the second class was on-grade level, and my third class was above-grade level.
With that said, I had 55 minute class periods (including a transition time), so most days it turned into 52ish minutes. Our District has a veryspecific format or “blueprint” for classes that I was expected to follow daily. You’ll see the format below – flashback, mini-lesson, guided practice, exit slip, and then, small groups/reading workshop.
Every. Day. Friends. No. Wiggle. Room. So, we made it work!
What are flashbacks?
In our district, flashbacks are 3-5 multiple choice questions that open all of our classes. They are very intentional Common Core spiral reviews of skills. Flashbacks are not intended to review materials being taught right now or even content taught a week ago. Rather, we flashback to topics already assessed. Since I am 1:1 iPad classroom, we use the free Socrative app to take our flashbacks {and it’s AMAZING!}.
What’s a Kagan Structure?
Kagan is all about cooperative learning – not group work – with frequent modeling, celebrations, community building, and brain breaks…sounds fun, right? Kagan structures hold every student accountable and eliminate ‘hogs’ and ‘logs’ in the learning process. Every person in our district is Kagan trained and it has TOTALLY revamped my idea of my classroom. Hands down, it is the best training I’ve received. I have shared more about Kagan here! What about read aloud?
We started every reading with a poem read orally, but in terms of novels read-aloud, each homeroom teacher read with her class before or after lunch for 10-15 minutes.
How Do You Run Workshop?
Fantastic question! I’m going to give you several answers. They show how much I’ve changed as a teacher and how my reading period changed throughout the year.
First, I am about to be really honest with you. I waited way too long before introducing reader’s workshop. Until October or so, my mini-lessons were not mini and my flashbacks were not flashes…With encouragement from my mentor and knowing the importance of the workshop time, I tamed my mini-lessons, flashbacks, and everything in the middle. At first, my “workshop” was very structured. I gave students no autonomy or control. I know, I know, I know. The thought of giving up control hurt my mind and I could fight the nagging question – “Will students really make the choice that they need most or just the one that is easiest for them?” With that said, my first workshop schedule (October – January) looked like this – 13 stations in a 2 week rotation. Students went to 9 stations in the two-week period {one a day, assuming that 1 day out of 10 we did not have time for workshop.} Students did not go to every center.
Students spent 17-19 minutes at each rotation and accomplished one task a day. Students worked in groups of 2 or 3 and were grouped with the closest person(s) academically at that time. I regrouped students every two weeks (if needed) based on Common Assessments (tests), flashbacks, exit slips, and teacher observation. During centers, I kept the below chart on the board so students knew where to go, and a timer going on the TV.
We’re friends now, so let’s be honest with each other…it really wasn’t workshop. In fact most of the actual work was being done by me – creating, printing, laminating, assembling, and checking. The students were LOVING the activities, and they loved working in groups, but it wasn’t sustainable. It was exhausting.
After a literacy coordinator visited during our Professional Learning Community time, my co-teacher and I decided to move more toward the workshop model giving students choice, responsibility, and autonomy using a monthly choice board. (Please note – this was never perfect, but it worked so much better!) Students chose which activity to complete based on the goal we had set for them. They were expected to visit one activity in each learning section (time spent reading, common core skills, word work) every two weeks. Many of the squares take several days to complete, so some students might only make it to 3 squares, while some students (often my students who struggle with building reading stamina) might make it to five or six squares in a two-week period.
If a station required more directions or explanation than I could fit in a box, I included an audio QR code to share my expectations with students, as well as, the “I Can” statement.
With the choice boards, the majority of our workshop time centered around our classroom library. Only in the Word Work column are students not actively engaged with reading material. This was the most important shift with our schedule and truly got to the heart of what reading class should be…reading! Students spent more time reading books of their choice, responding to their reading, and sharing their reader (informally by sitting next to a friend and sharing while reading) or in a more formal way as shown above.
Additionally, only the 2nd and 3rd Word Work choices changed every 2 weeks, so students knew what to expect, and I spent more time working with students rather than managing workshop!
With the choice boards, students still had access to some of our print-and-cut centers/materials, but would often trade an activity out if they needed more practice or if they were struggling with their stamina and needed to change courses. I upgraded from manila folders to more durable and organized Sterilite bins. You can read more about how I organize these materials by clicking below.
While students are at their chosen station, what are you doing?
During workshop, I am doing one of three things (1) conferring with a student (2) assessing students (3) meeting with a small group. When I am conferring with students one-on-one, I use a Google Doc (similar to the one Miller provides in her book) to take notes. In my small groups, we focus on target-intervention (Common Core skills that were not initially mastered). Typically, the same group of student visited me 2 or 3 days, before I take days off to confer or pull another group.
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Well friends – confusing enough? My workshop style definitely changed throughout the year, and by the end of the year, it was glorious! My kids loved having choice and independence. One day we even ditched the lesson plan and workshop-ed the ENTIRE class period. IT WAS AWESOME.
Now, share with me, how do you run your workshop? What works for you and your students? What doesn’t work? If you’re a blogger, awesome! Link up your posts/ideas. If you’re not a blogger, that’s great, too! You can read/follow and comment. We want to hear your advice, thoughts, and ideas for the classroom, too. The more teachers we have joining, the more amazing our classrooms will be this fall! Next week, we will be reading Chapter 2: Wild Readers Self-Select Reading Material.
Roary the
