Coming Soon to Arno…

Sept. 26

5th Grade Camp Parent Meeting 7:00

Sept. 27

Sbonek IEP per schedule

Sept. 28

Staff Meeting 7:50 a.m.

Sept. 29

Principal’s Meeting 9:00

ICC 4:00

PTA Mad Science Night

Sept. 30

Tornado Drill

Arno Vision

Arno Elementary will provide a system of support to empower and inspire students

to become collaborative learners that strive for academic excellence

Meet the Teacher

I am still waiting on a couple of numbers, but it looks like we fared around 60% attendance for Meet the Teacher.  Hosting a meet the teacher before school begins like many other districts may be something to think about, especially when considering the upside of possibly more attendance.  We can talk about how that could look through the year, as many of you expressed interest.

Goals

Please make sure that you have filled out a goal meeting time to meet with me on your Professional and Student growth goals Sept. 30.   Remember, non-tenure has an Oct. 1 deadline to fill out the self-assessment, tenure has until we meet for your final eval to do the self-assessment.  If you have any issues logging in, let me know- but I expect that we will wrap this up within a couple of weeks so I can start observations and walk throughs.

Staff Meeting

Just a reminder- we will be having a staff meeting on Wed. Sept 28 at 7:50.  Please plan on being on time as we only have 30 minutes.

Math in Focus

Please take a look at some of these resources I found on the program, you may have some use or even sending to parents

Math in Focus Website (For grades K-5)

• Video of a Sample Problem – Multiplication Comparison Bar Model
• Bar Models Tutorials and Practice
• Bar Models, Addition and Subtraction with small numbers – Tutorials and Practice
• Bar Model Drawing Support and Practice
• Video of Bar Model Drawing with Fractions

Virtual Manipulatives

• K – 2 Virtual Manipulatives – English
• K-2 Virtual Manipulatives – Spanish
• 3 – 5 Virtual Manipulatives – English
• 3 – 5 Virtual Manipulatives – Spanish

Grade and Chapter Specific Help

Student Books Online

• Kindergarten – English
• Kindergarten – Spanish
• First Grade – English
• First Grade – Spanish
• Second Grade – English
• Second Grade – Spanish
• Third Grade – English
• Third Grade – Spanish
• Fourth Grade – English
• Fourth Grade – Spanish
• Fifth Grade – English
• Fifth Grade – Spanish

Grade Level Support Videos by Chapter

• Kindergarten Chapter Videos and Parent Support Videos
• First Grade Chapter Videos and Parent Support Videos
• Second Grade Chapter Videos and Parent Support Videos
• Third Grade Chapter Videos and Parent Support Videos
• Fourth Grade Chapter Videos and Parent Support Videos
• Fifth Grade Chapter Videos and Parent Support Videos

Math in Focus Interactives – Student Tutorial, Practice and Quizzes

• First Grade Interactivities
• Second Grade Interactivities
• Third Grade Interactivities
• Fourth Grade Interactivities
• Fifth Grade Interactivities

Daily 5 Tip of the Day

Should an Entire Class Read to Self at the Same Time?

5th Grade Camp Meeting

FYI- the parent meeting for camp will be on Monday, September 26 @7:00 at the Allen Park Center for the Arts. 

PTA News…

The preparation for Fourth Annual Arno Fun Run  is well underway.  The PTA and school community are excited for this event on Friday, October 7 .

On Line Donations

We hope that you are finding the Get Movin’ Crew on-line donation website easy to use and are able to share with friends and family.  We are on track to meet our goals for this year and are so grateful for all you are doing!  Go to http://www.thegetmovincrew.com/ and Click on the Star if you haven’t had a chance to register yet and share the message about our Caring Cougars Making Tracks.

Also, please remember to join us for all the fun this Thursday at the PTA Mad Science Night.  Info Below

madsciencenight

Italian Dinner 

A message from Kelly Meister,  the APHS PTSA VP.

We are hosting our annual Homecoming Italian Dinner next week, on September 30 from 5-6:30 pm at the high school.  Thank you for your support and I hope to see you at the Italian dinner!

buon-appetito

MTSS Community Letter

Please take a moment to read a letter to the community about Multi Tiered System of Support in AP.

mtss-introduction-letter-to-elementary-parents-sept-20-2016

Homework Help

Coming Soon to Arno…

Sept. 19

Dibels Testing starts

Superintendent Forums begin

Sept. 20

Dibels Testing

Superintendent Forums continue

Danielson eval training- Steve all day

Sept. 21

Dibels Testing wraps

IEPs per schedule Jenson

Fire Drill 12:00

SIP meeting 3:45

Sept. 22

Nothing Scheduled

Sept. 23

Nothing Scheduled

Arno Vision

Arno Elementary will provide a system of support to empower and inspire students

to become collaborative learners that strive for academic excellence

PLC’n at Arno

4th Grade Discussing Plans for the Week

Dibels Next…is coming soon

DIBELS ASSESSMENTS

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Next is a standardized set of general reading outcome measures. The measures assess for(depending on grade) phonological awareness, alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency with connected text, vocabulary, and comprehension. The measures are designed to be short (1-3 minutes) and can be used as a universal screener, as well as a progress monitoring tool. The purpose is to identify students at-risk of not meeting grade level reading benchmarks and to provide such students targeted supports immediately.

This year, we will be administering the DIBELS in grades K-5. The number of tests per student will vary based on grade level.  A team of trained staff will be administering the DIBELS this fall.  On the days of assessment and the day and time (AM or PM) you can expect students to be pulled for assessment from their class. Once again, these are very brief assessments and will take less than 3-5 minutes per student. The 4th and 5th grade DAZE portion will be administered as a whole class. With instruction the exercise takes approximately 5 minutes.

We will starting with our team from Arno on Sept. 19-21.  They will be pulling from one grade level per half day, starting with K.  We will have follow up info on the data portion.

Please read the article below for further information

dibelsparentguide

Goal Reminders…

As previously discussed at our staff meeting we will be using an on-line evaluation platform to house all of our evaluation data each school year.

In case you were not present, or may not remember the process, I created a step by step instructional video for you to watch.  This will help guide you throughout the process of logging into the system and creating your goals.  

After you watch the video, feel free to log in and get started.  Click the web link below:

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

Log On Info:  your email address (ex: darga@appublicschools.com)

Password:  Password (you will reset this after you log in)

* After you create your goals, don’t forget to hit “Save & Submit” to share with your building administrator.  Again, I would like you to schedule a goal meeting with me after Sept 19

Here are some additional resources to assist you with the process.  

 stages login

​​

 Student Growth Goal Example.JPG

​​

 Professional Growth Goal Example.JPG

Meet the Teacher

Thanks for a great evening for parents at last night’s Meet the Teacher.  We had a good turnout, awesome looking classrooms,  and everyone seemed very happy and excited for the school yea!  Now the year is off and running!!!  Please make sure I get a copy of your sign in- in whatever form it is, and your total count

 

PTA Fun Run…

Hello Arno teachers! What a busy first week we’ve had! Whew! As you know our Fun Run has launched!

 The PTA wanted to let you know of a simple way to view your Classroom Fun Run report!

This can really help our PTA overall goal if we have your support emailing, blogging, FB, tweeting, whatever you can do to help promote this event! Let families know how important their support is for student & staff benefits! You can bookmark this attachment and the link will work the entire time, in real time. All you need to do is open the attachment, download it, and click their “Team” name that is highlighted in red. This will bring you to your live Classroom page.

Drills so far

So far so good on drills- some observations:

• I did observe some teachers popping their heads out of their room quickly, this is the correct procedure with lock down.  As part of the hurried routine to lock up, you need to do a fast scan of the hallway to make sure there are no kids wandering that need to be grabbed.

• Fire drill went well- but there were still some doors open.  It is important to close your doors as they are fire rated- which is meant to save your room long enough to hopefully not catch on fire.  Please make sure you are closing your door on the way out, and carrying your roster to do a line check.

Our next drill is Wednesday at lunch, 12:00.  This will get a little more ‘interesting” to implement.

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/

Welcome Back to the 2016-17 School Year!!

Coming up at Arno…

8/29

New Teacher Orientation at Riley 1:00 p.m.

8/30

 Elementary Staff report to Bennie for Math Training 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

9/1

New Family Open House 12:00 p.m.

9/6

All staff report to APCA 8:00 a.m.

9/7

WELCOME BACK, Cougars!  School begins at 8:30 a.m.

Staff Changes for 2016-2017

We are excited to introduce new staff members to the Arno family this year- Cristina DiCarlo (Kindergarten), Nickie Stanely (Kindergarten), Erin Higgins (Fourth grade), and Kristin Tillery (In for Brown).  These wonderful teachers come to us with multiple years of experience and bring with them the skills necessary to provide Arno students with an excellent education.  Please read their biographies below for more on our new additions.

It is also with regret that we say goodbye to Tracy Walkup, fourth grade.  Tracy and her family followed their heart back to home in Tennessee  where she plans on getting another teaching position.  The entire Arno family wishes her well and hopes that she enjoys her new adventures.

One final change is the addition of a 5th special this school year.  Carrie Solak (former fourth grade) will be taking on a new role housed in our computer lab as Media Tech class.  This class will explore digital citizenship, collaboration, creativity and and critical thinking with technology as the spring board.  Book checkout will still occur, but will now be within the Media Literature special taught by Colleen Byrne and will be housed in the media center.

Meet the New Folks…

Hello! My name is Cristina DiCarlo and I will be joining the Arno staff as one of the new Kindergarten teachers. I graduated from the University of Michigan- Dearborn with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education as well as earning my ZS Endorsement. While working toward my degree, I was a lead preschool teacher at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Early Childhood Education Center. I completed my student teaching at Bennie Elementary School and then continued to substitute teach within the Allen Park Public School district. Prior to coming to Arno Elementary, I taught 2nd grade at St. Frances Cabrini Elementary School for two years. I’m truly grateful to be a part of such an amazing community and I cannot wait to meet with you all. I look forward to an exciting school year and new adventure!

Hello!  My name is Erin Higgins.  I am very excited to join the Arno Staff as a fourth grade teacher.  My teaching experiences range from Kindergarten through 5th grade.  I graduated from Eastern Michigan University, with a B.A. in Elementary Education in 2006.  In 2010, I received an Early Childhood Endorsement from the University of Michigan – Dearborn.  I was a substitute teacher, a Title 1 teacher, and even a Library and Media Teacher before becoming a classroom teacher.  I have spent the last 3 years teaching 4th and 5th grade.

I can’t wait to work with the Arno staff, students and parents.  I am looking forward to a wonderful and exciting year at Arno Elementary!

Look for Nickie and Kristin in our next post…

MORNING LINEUP

In an effort to keep our students safe, the elementary buildings in our district have instituted a new line-up policy.   Starting on September 8th, students will line up INSIDE on a daily basis this year regardless of weather.  This is an initiative based on feedback from the Safety Committee and our district families, and will hopefully alleviate the conflicts that have been escalating as students and parents wait outside for the bell to ring each day.

On the first day ONLY, students and their families will line up in the “normal” spots OUTSIDE– as they have for several years in the past.  Beginning on the second day of school (September 8), STUDENTS ONLY may enter any door at 8:20 a.m. and will line up sitting outside their classrooms, as we have done on rainy or cold days in the past.  Optional- you can place a bin for books to be left out on a desk in your hall.  Please reinforce the expectation for students that when they arrive, this should not vary form any other instance in which we have had to line up indoors.  The main doors will be open for breakfast daily at 8:05 a.m. and safeties will be on duty at all other doors and in the hallways beginning at 8:20 a.m. to greet students and supervise.

In addition, we will be assigning 1 parapro to be a monitor during those 10 minutes daily.

Prior to the first day, I will be asking for your help in determining the space your students will need for sitting in the hall in case we have to make any adjustments, and practice with your students so they know what to do.  Safeties will be on duty to assist in the halls and at the doors.  Thank you for your support and cooperation with this initiative.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Arno Staff 2016-2017

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.

Interventions

I noticed that on many of your schedules, you have built in intervention- Fabulous!!  Please also remember to look for those opportunities during the day- there can potentially be time to do a quick assessment, work with a child one-on-one, or even a small group if that can be the focus.  I understand the need to check papers and things while at your desk, but please consider the kinds of assessments or interventions you could do that would not require you to have a stack of papers to check- all while the class is working on other assignments.  Moving to more fluid formative assessments can reduce those stacks of papers you need to go through, and providing timely feedback and mini-interventions can go a long way towards success- a win for everyone!  

NEW FAMILY OPEN HOUSE

Next Thursday, September 1, is our New Family Open House at 12:00 p.m.  At this time, our new Arno families will be coming to check out our wonderful school.  If you are around and are able to help guide our new families on a short tour, I would really appreciate it.  In the past, families have loved spending a little time with our great staff and learning all about Arno!  Please let me know if you think you’ll be able to help out so I can plan accordingly!

Teacher Professional Development Dates

This year, the district calendar reflects 8 half-days of teacher PD that is required by the state.  Those PD dates feature no school in the afternoon, 11:40 dismissal.  The dates for this school year are as follows:

10/12        10/31        11/8        12/7        1/18        2/1        3/8        3/22

21 Things for Chromebooks Basics

Video worth checking out…

http://mistreamnet.org/videos/3714

New Process for Breakfast and Lunch Program (Highlight at Meet the Teacher)

Parents can setup a free account online at https://www.mypaymentsplus.com/ . They will need their child’s student id number to setup the account and can get the id number from parent connection,  the school office or the FS office. To view their child’s meal account information and/or make payments, they can go online at https://www.mypaymentsplus.com/ (link is on our website).  There is a small transaction fee charged to make online payments.  The lunch program will continue to accept cash or check as we always have.

Parent Information:

Parent website: www.mypaymentsplus.com

Parent support line for questions: 1-877-237-0946

Coming up at Arno…

Final Week…

June 13

Board Meeting honoring PTA Presidents 7:00

Ad Council 9:00

Trionfi Boccabella 9:00

1st grade Bowling 9:45

PAWS Assembly per schedule

June 14

Half-day- Dismissal 11:40

Super Cougar Tea 9:00

Class Lists per schedule

June 15

Half-day- Dismissal 11:40

L.S. Parent meeting 9:00

Kindergarten Picnic 9:00

Warneck/Kalis to Bocaabella 9:00

A.L. Meeting 1:30

June  16

Last day for students- Dismissal 11:40

5th Grade celebration 9:00

June 17  

Last day for teachers

It’s been a great year!

It has been my pleasure to spend this first year at Arno as principal.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all the warm welcomes, friendly faces, and support I received from students, parents, and staff.  I am truly blessed to have been in such a place that cares so deeply about education, and each other.  As I reflect on the year, I have seen first hand the “whatever it takes” attitude throughout our halls in helping every one of our kids learn.   Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of Arno and many blessings onto you for the next school year.

Thank you, 

Steve

You know its the end of the year when…

If the entire class gets 100% on any assignment, Todd made an agreement to do something fun.   This is the first class that actually cashed in on the promise when they successfully completed a social studies assignment 100% across the board.  see if you can guess what he had to do…

PAWS is coming!!

This Monday will feature our PAWS visit via PBIS.  Schedule is below, Go Tigers!!

9:00-9:20 Grades 4 and 5

9:30-9:50 Grades 2 and 3

10:00-10:20 Grades K and 1

Super Cougar Tea Schedule

A reminder for our Super Cougar Tea event schedule

Super Cougar Tea – Tuesday, June 14th 

9:00-9:20 Grades 4 and 5

9:30-9:50 Grades 2 and 3

10:00-10:20 Grades K and 1

Class Lists

Just a reminder of the schedule below for class list review.  Please come to the meeting with your lists completed.

In case you missed it…

We had the pleasure of having current graduating students, who were also former Arno students,  march through our halls one last time to the sound of loud applause.   Some of the seniors even found a hand print on the wall that they painted so many years ago.  Congratulations to all of our AP High School graduating seniors.

No Backpacks please…

Please note that students may continue to carry backpacks through Monday, June 13.  They will no longer be allowed for the next 3 half days leading up to the last day.

Data Informed Accessibility

Making Optional Needs-based Decisions (DIAMOND) Project Educators interested in better addressing the universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations of students have an opportunity to participate in an educator survey conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes and nine states, including Michigan. The goal of the Data Informed Accessibility – Making Optional Needs-based Decisions (DIAMOND) project is to develop professional resources for educators to help them with making optimal decisions related to accessibility and accommodations in the classroom and on state assessments.

Please complete this survey by Friday, June 17, 2016. The survey includes approximately 24 questions (the number depends on specific item responses) and should take no more than 30 minutes to complete. The link is to the survey is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TP98X9S

The final question of the survey asks about your willingness to participate in future DIAMOND activities. If you are interested in participating in these activities please share your contact information. This information will not be connected to any project publications, as all project findings will be reported anonymously. If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to contact Dr. Vitaliy Shyyan via email at shyya001@ umn.edu or by phone at 612-624-8561.

4th grade takes to the sea… 

Color Run Fun…

The skies were sunny and it turned out to be a perfect day to run around a get a splash of color doing.  We had a great turnout, over 200 parents and kids showed up for the fun.

Poetry Pals Field Trip

 Second/5th Grade Book Buddies Math Olympics

Coming up at Arno…

June 6

Grade level scheduling per schedule

SIP Team meeting

June 7

K Screeners

June 8

3rd grade to Greenfield Village

June 9

Middle school walk w/Sandy and Michelle

ICC 4:00-6:00

June 10

3rd grade metro parks

Final Week…

June 13

Last full day

Ad council 9:00

1st grade bowling 9:45

Trionfi Boccabella 9:00

PAWS visit 2:00 per schedule

Board Meeting- honoring PTA president

June 14

1/2 day- Dismiss 11:40

Super Cougar Tea 9:00

Class list per schedule in the p.m.

June 15

1/2 day- Dismiss 11:40

K picnic

Warneck and Kalis to Boccabella 9:00

L. S.  parent meeting 9:00

June  16

1/2 day- Dismiss 11:40

5th Grade celebration 9:00

June 17

Last day for teachers– Happy Summer!!

Arno Vision

Arno Elementary will provide a system of support to empower and inspire students

to become collaborative learners that strive for academic excellence

Attention all M-STEPers

M-STEP Online Administration Survey We are seeking feedback from District Assessment Coordinators, Building Assessment Coordinators, Assessment Administrators, and Proctors regarding the online administration of the Spring 2016 M-STEP. The results will be used to guide decision-making regarding future enhancements and development. Please complete the Spring 2016 M-STEP Online Administration Survey (https://baameap.wufoo.com/ forms/zn820u711qrrxk/) by June 17, 2016.

Summer Reading Program called Whooo’s Learning will be kicking off by June 1. In summary this is what you need to do:

1. Watch the student tutorial video with your class beforeJune 1st.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q19t41Po4YQ

2. Go to the link below and click on Summer Reading folder.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B6CO0MyjGmyJRzA0NVVpSmJZSU0

3. Copy and distribute your designated student logins (organized by teacher).

4. Copy and distribute the parent instructions PDF. (You may want to combine both documents to just have one 2-sided flyer to send home. These PDFs are also below.

The videos and passwords for your use are in the Arno news folder, where you find daily announcements- you will see a summer reading folder in there.

Happy Reading!

summer reading

Field Day 2016

The weather was hot. but there was much fun to be had at this year’s annual field day.  Some fun events and lots of good friends made for a perfect day under the sunshine.  Enjoy some snapshots of our great day!

New Food Service System

We are pleased to announce a new Food Service system,MyPaymentsPlus, that will show up-to-date meal balances and will also allow you to make online payments directly to your child’s meal account!

In order to view your child’s meal balance and/or make online payments, parents will need to create a free account at: www.MyPaymentsPlus.com  A link to the site is on the Food Service page of the district website – http://apps.k12.mi.us/about-us/food-services/, and also available through the Allen Park Public Schools Mobile App (Search: Allen Park Schools).  Once you’ve created an account online, you may wish to download the free mobile app (Search: MyPaymentsPlus)

Setting up an account is an easy one-time registration.  You will need your child’s student ID number, which is located in your ParentConnection under the Demographics tab.

Additional information, including program features and free mobile app, is included in the flyers attached.

We hope our families enjoy this new convenience and look forward to a successful program launch!

Thank you

Have a great last full week!

Coming soon to Arno…

May 31

K DRA Day

Middle School Band tour 9:30 Grades 4 and 5

June 1

IEP Meetings- Sbonek

Field Day P.M. per schedule

June 2

Field Day full day per schedule

Principal Meeting 9:00

June 3

Third Grade Metro Parks Presentation

Arno Vision

Arno Elementary will provide a system of support to empower and inspire students

to become collaborative learners that strive for academic excellence

Coming up…

Building a common schedule on June 6

Class lists on June 14th (they must be complete prior)

Class of 2016–District Building Parade

On Friday, June 3rd, we will initiate a new APPS tradition–a memory walk for our graduating high school seniors.  They will first report to the middle school and then proceed to the elementary they attended around 1:30, in full ceremonial attire.    The idea is similar to the clapping parade of 5th graders we have on their last day, so we will have them enter through the K doors and wind up through the 5th grade doors.  Please have your classes ready to pop out in the hallway around that time, I’ll update.  Once they have departed the area, please return to your classrooms.

Summer Reading Program called Whooo’s Learning will be kicking off by June 1. In summary this is what you need to do:

1. Watch the student tutorial video with your class before June 1st.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q19t41Po4YQ

2. Go to the link below and click on Summer Reading folder.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B6CO0MyjGmyJRzA0NVVpSmJZSU0

3. Copy and distribute your designated student logins (organized by teacher).

4. Copy and distribute the parent instructions PDF. (You may want to combine both documents to just have one 2-sided flyer to send home. These PDFs are also below.

The videos and passwords for your use are in the Arno news folder, where you find daily announcements- you will see a summer reading folder in there.

Happy Reading!

summer reading

Parent videos

Mary Howard Week 4

Please take a few minutes and read an excerpt from Mary Howard’s book on RtI.  Its discusses critical issues that must be in place to be successful with kids.  Todd and Beth have now joined the RtI team for next year, let me know soon if you are interested.

An effective RTI literacy framework meets the following criteria.

• It maintains a healthy balance between explicit skill instruction, guided practice, and independent application. The RTI framework Chapter 1 The Paths Leading to the RTI Crossroads / 15 The intent of RTI is to ensure that students receive rich literacy experiences every year in every setting with every teacher, not merely in some years in some settings with some teachers. Howard  supports varied instructional practices that reflect the gradual release of responsibility (Pearson and Gallagher 1983). Learning occurs through teacher modeling, shared and guided instructional support, and independent practice. Explicit instruction allows teachers to intentionally demonstrate important reading skills and strategies to build a solid foundation. Teachers can than offer a diminishing system of support with shared or guided reading as students apply and practice these skills and gradually transfer their learning to independent use. Independent application is the end goal.

• RTI casts differentiation as integral. RTI makes the classroom teacher the primary provider of thoughtful and well-planned intervention. This is impossible if the predominant form of instruction is whole group. RTI must include flexible grouping that allows teachers to target instructional needs and adjust instruction within and beyond the general curriculum. This includes a wide variety of homogeneous and heterogeneous small-group experiences, such as carefully organized day-to-day guided reading, student conferences, and side-by-side activities. Teachers will need professional development support to effectively orchestrate the varied experiences that avoid a one-size-fits-all mentality. Perhaps the very reason so many children struggle initially is this all-encompassing approach to instruction, where the core reading text is often too difficult.

• It embeds learning in a wide range of authentic literacy experiences. Instruction includes teacher-directed, teacher-supported, and independent activities, such as teacher read-aloud, shared and guided reading, independent reading, and peer collaboration. Learning experiences revolve around meaningful, high-interest resources and active student participation rather than passive learning and trivial paper-and-pencil tasks such as worksheets. Rich learning places students at the center, reading authentically and discussing real books. These experiences illustrate the view that reading is relevant and pleasurable and imparts this message to students.

• It emphasizes quality talk through daily sustained discussions. Teacherand peer-supported discussion revolves around interesting resources that promote high-level thinking. Good teachers use these collaborations as rich springboards to thinking. They value teacher-supported whole-group, smallgroup, and peer activities that make talk central. Unfortunately, the increasing demands that come with teaching to the test have led teachers to abandon effective activities like small-group literature circles in favor of whole-group directed discussions. The stories in basal programs are emphasized, while more authentic and engaging material that promotes higher thinking is ignored. Worse, teachers are often told what questions to ask, discouraging the natural dialogue that arises during authentic discussions.

• RTI emphasizes the thinking process behind successful comprehension. Good teachers purposefully build strategic knowledge into their literature and writing lessons and reinforce a range of effective meaning-making strategies such as using semantic, structural, and visual cues to figure out text challenges; reading between the lines; using phonetic clues to figure out tricky words; or calling on one’s prior knowledge. They focus on understanding by using every opportunity to promote active reading through thinkalouds and other demonstrations; and teacher-supported, peer-supported, and independent learning. They capitalize on the reading-writing connection, engaging students in writing short, simple texts that students can then use to practice reading. They purposefully reinforce knowledge or reteach to bring about understanding.

• It is rooted in an environment that reinforces and extends learning. Students actively participate in a range of meaningful experiences, independently or with peers, that reinforce and extend learning. Management systems exist not to control students, but rather to promote independent engagement in meaningful literacy that continues even when teachers leave the room or meet with a small group of students. Fluency work promotes meaning and builds deeper levels of understanding rather than focusing on speed. Activities that emphasize meaning and celebrate repeated reading, such as readers theater, dramatic reading, and peer sharing, are valued, and blocks of time are dedicated each day for these critical experiences.

• It gives students a prominent role in their own learning. Effective teachers know that learning cannot be about mastery if it remains a mystery. They have high expectations and make these expectations clear as students become co-collaborators. They engage students in generating essential learning goals and rubrics, charts, and other ongoing references to guide reflective conversations. They view student conferences as opportunities to reflect on past and current goals or establish new directions. Effective teachers encourage students to use peer- and self-assessment to celebrate successes and set new goals. They illuminate learning through explanations and carefully planned activities rather than label it with happy faces and red marks. They spend time demonstrating skills and providing support as children acquire new learning through ongoing feedback and guidance.

• It supports the reality that motivation and learning are inseparable. Effective teachers refuse to buy into the misconception that independent reading of self-selected texts is a poor use of time. They enrich these experiences with guidance and feedback and recognize the value of reading easy, interesting texts over dull grade-level ones. They believe a classroom library is essential to a well-balanced learning environment, and teach students how Chapter 1 The Paths Leading to the RTI Crossroads  to access it on their own. They celebrate reading workshop as a way to encourage independent reading, confer with students, and offer immediate feedback. They recognize that the potential for learning increases the more students are motivated to learn, and they create an environment to nurture this motivation.

• It emphasizes resources at appropriate levels of challenge. Students are not subjected to texts and tasks that are frustrating; instructional support and scaffolds are in place to ensure that every experience is pleasurable and meaningful. Massive numbers of interesting narrative and expository texts are available. Instructional activities revolve around slightly challenging enrichment texts and teacher-supported learning, reinforced by texts students can read independently. Teachers don’t give grade-level texts to students who are reading below grade level; they use supplementary resources that acknowledge context, instructional setting, and level of support as essential considerations. In short, teachers ensure that every student has books that they can—and want to—read. Successful reading experiences are paramount.

Court Yard Cleanup

A big thanks to Mrs. Solak’s Class for cleaning up the Arno courtyard!  We appreciate you helping make our school beautiful!

High School Jazz Band Visit

We recently had a visit from the high school jazz band that rocked the gym with some great music!  Our 4th and 5th graders were treated to an awesome start to their day and we loved seeing some of our former Arno kids!

Detroit Tiger Safety Outing

Color Run Forms Due Friday!

Coming soon to Arno…

May 23

504 Plan Meetings

MTSS 4:00

May 24

IEP Meetings Sbonek

1st Grade DRA Day

SIP Meeting 3:45

May 25

Elementary Jazz Band Tour grades 4 & 5 9:00 in the gym

Tiger Ball Game for safeties 11:30

PTSA Council Meeting 6:30

May 26

3rd Grade DRA Day

V.K. Meeting 7:30

APMS Orientation all 5th grade to gym 9:00

May 27

Book Checkout Ends

May PBIS extra recess

PBIS team meeting all day

May 30

No School- Memorial Day

Attention all PTA Members!

Mary Howard Week 3

“We need to build strategic knowledge, independent problem solving, confidence and competence.  Give them a repertoire of strategies”

Key to Tiered support- A STRONG Core- Please review the concept of guided math below and answer the following questions on your own or comment on the blog…

1. Do I differentiate now for math?

2. If not, how do I meet the individual needs for my students?

3. If this is not my practice, what are ways I can incorporate guided math into my class classroom (with math talk)?

4. How do I know if students are understanding the content and how to give feedback to them so they can use this in their learning?

Guided Math Best Practices

Guided Math Best Practices combine Guided Math with current Math Best Practice Ideas.
1. Meets individual needs.
2. Diversifies for special education needs.
3. Scaffolds average students to algebra and story problem connections.
4. Challenges high achieving students with algebra and story problem connections along with extension activities.
5. Promotes mathematical thinking using Mathematical Process Skills.
6. Utilizes engaging, concrete, hands-on activities that promote mathematical understanding of concepts.
7. Incorporates daily spiral review.

Angela Bauer uses these Guided Math best practices and trains teachers to use them in a guided math format. Her teacher professional development workshops detail how to use these best practices in math in any classroom. The following video was created by North Shore School District 112 in Highland Park, Illinois after Angela Bauer had trained their Kindergarten through 8th grade staff.

Guided Math incorporates best practices from Eric Jensen.  His book called Brain-Based Learning details many aspects of best practices to use for optimal student growth.  Page 331 summarizes a list of these ideas.  Guided Math uses many of these ideas. Here are just a few!

• purposeful and consistent pre-exposure
• multiple exposure & activation for 1-3 days
• often rich with talking and activity
• emphasis on context, meaning & value
• learning is also action, movement
• search for questions
• immediate, dramatic feedback
• mobility, face each other, partners, groups

• limit the amount of material to practice
• limit the amount of time to practice
• determine the frequency of practice
• assess the accuracy of practice

In conclusion, Guided Math Best Practices are helping to transform teaching because the real results are these practices are transforming students into mathematicians!

RtI Arno Team

If you are interested in the joining the Arno RtI team, which will not meet until fall, please let me know.  I can still get you Mary Howard’s book for the summer.  On the team so far…

Sandy, Michelle, Stella, Cindy, Barb, Todd, and Cathy

Play Ball

Don’t forget to remind your safeties of our Tiger Game that is coming up!  We will be departing the building around 11:30 so please listen for the call down.  Thanks!

New Food Service System

We are pleased to announce a new Food Service system, MyPaymentsPlus, that will show up-to-date meal balances and will also allow you to make online payments directly to your child’s meal account!

In order to view your child’s meal balance and/or make online payments, parents will need to create a free account at:  www.MyPaymentsPlus.com  A link to the site is on the Food Service page of the district website – http://apps.k12.mi.us/about-us/food-services/, and also available through the Allen Park Public Schools Mobile App (Search: Allen Park Schools).  Once you’ve created an account online, you may wish to download the free mobile app (Search: MyPaymentsPlus)

Setting up an account is an easy one-time registration.  You will need your child’s student ID number, which is located in your ParentConnection under the Demographics tab.

Additional information, including program features and free mobile app, is included in the flyers attached.

We hope our families enjoy this new convenience and look forward to a successful program launch!

Thank you

Grade Level Scheduling for next year

I have set aside floaters on Monday, June 6 to help us further along our trek into an MTSS system in which your grade level will work on a common schedule framework for the fall.  I will try and coordinate with Barb, Michelle, Stella, and Cathy to have them available to forecast kids that you will have next year and how that will mix in.  The goals for your schedule should be:

• Common Language arts block (to accommodate tier work, practices like guided reading could be staggered- or at the same time depending how you view it)

• Common Math Time

• Common time for science/SS would help planning for the rest

• Within your common times, please review your current practices so that we can maximize instructional time.  This would include recess time not exceeding 25 minutes (plus lunch) daily, exception of K,   I don’t mind some initial morning recess, but by week 3- that needs to be over.

• Review your morning arrival work- valuable on-task time is there for the taking.  We do not have preps until 9:30- What a great time to plan some grade level interventions!

• Please review the non-negotiables that were agreed to by the grade levels.  I should be able to see these practices going on in your room.  Please let me know what materials and/or training I can provide to get us in the right direction.  Please highlight these items and their times in your schedules- that I would like to have to me by June 17 in whatever format look you wish

• If your grade needs additional time, please see me for some options, please remember the preps are common so as to offer time to meet among the grade- that can be an option

• Working with Michelle/Cathy/Barb/Stella should offer insight to build your schedule around instructional time, not when a student is pulled out.

Please understand that this starts to allow us to implement various degrees of tiered intervention in the classroom, grade level, and building.  Please let me know if you have any suggestions as we move forward.  I will have info on classroom placement for students very soon.  I understand that there may unforeseen obstacles that come into scheduling in the process, try and get as close as you can to the above.

K-5 non negotiables

Grade 2

M-STEP Is Done!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to 4th grade on wrapping up their testing and the whole building for completion of the M-STEP this year.  It certainly has been a process but I feel that you have all prepared the kids in an exemplary way and have given us the best scores we could ask for.  The state data is supposed to be in by mid August, so I will share what I can, when I can and we will certainly get the data team on this when its time.  Again, great job on test completion, I look forward to our scores!

Great Job 4th and 5th Graders!!

What a great performance by our 4th and 5th graders at Tuesday evening’s concert performance with Mr. Skebo at the helm.  It was a great “Road Trip” theme, perfect for this time of year.  Very impressed as always with our Arno talent!

Mrs. Kalis’s Book Clubs

Reading a good book and collaborating with partners are some of the best practices we can do in classrooms.  Please enjoy some pics of students in Mrs. Kalis’s class enjoying their book clubs

Math Groups and Skill Practice in Mrs. Smalley’s Room

Junior Achievement

Mrs. Hool’s class working on a group activity with their Jr Achievement representative from Ford Motor Company.

Rover Rap Up

These past couple of weeks, we have showed pics of the 5th grade students getting trained in building “Rover” type vehicles from kits- with instruction from real world engineers.  There was a culminating event between all rooms last week in which their vehicles had to perform distance tasks within team competition.  Team building and collaboration is big college and career skill.

Off to the River Raisin…

Our second batch of 5th graders recently took a field trip to the River Raisin Battlefield.  A little history of that battlefield area:

From January 18th to January 23rd, 1813, the north bank of the River Raisin became a battleground where the forces of the United States and Great Britain fought each other for the control of all of Michigan and the Lower Great Lakes.  At stake was the destiny not only of the 2 countries (United State and Great Britain), but also the future of Frenchtown, (known today as Monroe Michigan) and of Canada, and of Tecumseh’s alliance of Native-American tribes.

NWEA TESTING

Our third round of NWEA Spring testing began this week with 3rd grade Reading and math.  Our staff use this assessment to measure the growth that students have achieved in Reading and Math over this school year.  Students will be taking the NWEA assessment on Chromebooks in their classrooms in grades 2-5.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Coming soon to Arno…

May 16

Ad council 9:00

May 17

PTA Calendar meeting 3:00- Sarah, Nicole, Melissa

4/5th grade concert 7:00

May 18

Scholarship night at APHS 7:00

May 19

Kinder screener day

Teacher Eval Committee- Steve, Carrie 4:00

May 20

SIP Team meeting-all day- Sarah, Carrie, Megan

Kids Hope Party 2:00 in cafe

Mary Howard Week 2

Voluminous reading is an intervention – struggling readers need to read 200% more and not in books that don’t challenge them.  So with that thought in mind, how many opportunities do you have in your classroom, and push at home,  for struggling students to just be able to read a book?  What kind of opportunities can we create within our classroom walls (or beyond) for this to happen?  

High interest books that make their heart sing are a big component in all grades as  kids can transcend their reading level 2 years when they are interested in reading the content.  Keeping that in mind- how do we go about choosing the books we have available in class?  What kinds of books might reflect that in your classroom?  Are students allowed to participate in choosing at least some of the material they want to read?  

Some Research…

According to Worthy (1996), it is not sufficient to provide books that are geared solely to a child’s instructional reading level. When reading level is solely considered, below level basal readers are generally used for instructing struggling readers. Reading such “baby books” often makes struggling readers feel more defeated. Focusing on student interests in selecting reading materials may be more beneficial in promoting reading success than a focus on level. It turns out that interest is far more significant than readability. When students have strong interest in what they read, they can frequently transcend their reading level (Worthy, 1996). Many educators and researchers consider interest to be an essential factor in all learning (Hidi, 1990; Schiefele, 1991). Students who do not enjoy typical school texts often fail to engage in reading, and may develop a lifelong aversion to reading. Even if they are not initially struggling readers, “reluctant readers tend to gradually lose some academic ground, because wide Journal of Inquiry & Action in Education, 3(2), 2010 32 | Page reading is related to increases in general knowledge and reading comprehension” (Williamson & Williamson, 1988).

RtI Arno Team

If you are interested in the joining the Arno RtI team, which will not meet until fall, please let me know.  I can still get you Mary Howard’s book for the summer.  On the team so far…

Sandy, Michelle, Stella, Cindy, Barb, and Cathy

Thank you Teachers

Thanks!

Your Arno PTA

Author Lynne Smyles Pays Arno a Visit

Our upper grades enjoyed listening to another Michigan author on Friday.  Lynne Smyles, former school teacher, has written several books called “Michigan History Nightmares” and shared some of them with the students.  I am ordering 10 copies of each of her books if you wish to use them in group in the future (It will be in the book room Barb is getting together).

In addition, an order form went home today if the students wish to order a copy.  Lynne will be back next Friday to fulfill orders- please be sure that all book order forms are in by next Thursday, May 19

Smyles Book Order Form

Rover Project

Over the next two weeks, engineers from Bosch will be working with 5th grade teams to produce “Mars Rovers”. Students will learn the value of team work and persistence as we work on this project together. Each of the rovers will be tested for distance and accuracy. On May 12th we will have a school-wide competition of the rovers. Good luck 5th grade Jr. Engineers!

5th grade class testing their Rover engines.

Off to the River Raisin…

Our 5th graders recently took a field trip to the River Raisin Battlefield.  A little history of that battlefield area:

From January 18th to January 23rd, 1813, the north bank of the River Raisin became a battleground where the forces of the United States and Great Britain fought each other for the control of all of Michigan and the Lower Great Lakes.  At stake was the destiny not only of the 2 countries (United State and Great Britain), but also the future of Frenchtown, (known today as Monroe Michigan) and of Canada, and of Tecumseh’s alliance of Native-American tribes.

Dr. Hall Guest Reader

Enjoy some pictures of Dr. Hall reading to the 4th grade classes on Tuesday.  She has been coming in monthly this school year to read to our students and they love it!

Coming soon to Arno…

May 9

Kindergarten Roundup 6:00

May 10

Lock down drill- final drill of the year!

Skebo obs 10:25

May 11

PBIS meeting 3:45

May 12

2nd grade DRA day

Spring Beautification 5:00

May 13

Author Lynne Smyles assembly 8:30 grades 3,4,5

MSTEP

Teacher Appreciation Week

MTSS

Last week, I had the great pleasure of attending a conference on Response to Intervention with Dr. Mary Howard.  Usually at a conf, I’m happy to walk away with a couple of good things- this time around I couldn’t type fast enough with all the great strategies and ideas to help us reach all our learners.  Dr. Howard has been on the RtI scene for some time now and published many books on it. Please take a moment to visit her web site when you can.  http://www.drmaryhoward.com/    In the meantime, I will share some things, quotes, info, websites, etc. that she covered that day.  Remember this is a work in progress- we are building the system and are adding two big components, Student Review Meetings to discuss interventions- and a common grade level schedule for the fall.

In addition, I would like to form a building RtI committee to start looking at what defines an Arno student at a tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3- as well as our plan to make parent contact in students in tiers next year.  We will talk at our first staff meeting, then hopefully meet sometime in the end of September for the first time for those interested.  If you are interested right now and would a copy of her book to read over the summer, please let me know.

In speaking of intervention, Dr. Mary Howard said “Increase the level of intensity and sense of urgency- greater frequency, smaller groups. ” 

I am working on a plan now for building the class lists for next year.  I will let you know when that will be.

MiSTAR DNA

Thanks to Brian for training most of our 4-5 teacher on Thursday in DNA, since most staff has some training, please try to use system at least once before the end so you can continue your learning.  Brian is our expert, let him or I know what questions you have.

Also, thank you to Barb Chuby and all of our Arno aides for helping watch all the rooms so this could happen.  We could not have done it without you!

Daddy/Daughter Dance

What a great time we had at the Daddy/Daughter dance that was held at the Red Fawn recently.  The girls and their dads were treated to a delicious dinner, dessert, and of course, plenty of dancing fun.  Thanks to the PTA, all of the volunteers, and  especially Amy Muse for coordinating all of the festivities.

New PTA Board

Congratulations to our new PTA Board that was sworn in at last night’s PTA meeting.  Introducing your new board…

Congratulations to 

Jeni Sauve- President

Amy Muse- Vice President of fundraising

Julie Hegedus- Treasurer

Shannon Mihalik Secretary

We look forward to working with our new Board on all of the exciting things our PTA does for our students!

Rover Project

Over the next two weeks, engineers from Bosch will be working with 5th grade teams to produce “Mars Rovers”. Students will learn the value of team work and persistence as we work on this project together. Each of the rovers will be tested for distance and accuracy. On May 12th we will have a school-wide competition of the rovers. Good luck 5th grade Jr. Engineers!

Junior Achievement

Representatives from Ford Motor Company were in Lisa’s room this past week working with the students on income and expenses.

Mr. Skebo and company gettin down

Jump with Jill

The whole gym was rocking with good exercise and singing about healthy eating when the Jump with Jill Tour rolled into Arno for our 3rd- 5th graders.  Please be sure to ask your child what they learned about healthy eating and what things (like soda) they should stay away from.  Enjoy some pics below

You’re invited to Arno Planting Day!

On Thursday, May 12th at 5:00pm we start off the evening with a pizza dinner in the caféteria!  

During dinner, we will have Arno friends/families sign-up for stations around the school to help beautify!

After dinner, everyone will head to their stations with their gardening tools to pull weeds.

After weed-pulling is complete at your station, it will be time to plant, then mulch, your designated area. Please bring your own gardening tools! If possible, please indicate the plants and quantity below that you will be bringing so we can plan ahead the planting stations. If you cannot make it to the event, we will still accept and appreciate any plants you are able to donate.  

Many thanks,

Arno’s Green Team

NWEA TESTING

Our first round of NWEA Spring testing began this week with 4th grade Reading and math.  Our staff use this assessment to measure the growth that students have achieved in Reading and Math over this school year.  Students will be taking the NWEA assessment on Chromebooks in their classrooms in grades 2-5 over the next few weeks.

M-STEP UPDATE

Way to go, Arno 3rd  Graders!  Over the past two weeks our 3rd grade Cougars completed several segments of state assessments.  Our students were tested in the following categories:

• ELA Computer Adaptive
• Math Computer Adaptive & Math Performance Task

I would like to thank our staff and families for working together to prepare our students to be “test ready”.  Our students persevered through the test experience, and thanks to our tech department, our technology continues to handle the test with very few issues!

Initial score reports are beginning to be available online to our administrative staff.  As soon as we are able to share, I will get the information to you!

Fourth graders are up next — beginning the week of May 9th.

BE SCHOOL SMART NEWS

Please follow this link for some great information that comes to us from Detroit Public Television!  Be School Smart Newsletter

Downriver Parenting Institute

“Helping Children Become Successful Learners”

Please see the flyer for more info

May 10 DPI flyer

Have a great weekend and I hope you enjoyed your teacher week!!!