Happy New Year 2016

Happy New Year!

Can you believe it is 2016?  
How did you celebrate the new year?  
Here are New Year Traditions around the World!

The New  Year brings time for reflection on the past year and resolutions for the future.
Here are the top 12 reflections for teachers.

You will reassess students and reflect on your SLO.  You will make predictions toward meeting the SLO and reflect on actions needed for the remainder of the school year to help every individual grow as a reader.
Time and support will be provided!









Jan. 5- PLC- Reflection on Professional Practice Goal (PPG)- Protocol will be in your box Monday

Jan. 5-28- Gather Midyear data for SLO 
       Jan. 29-F & P Due  (Formal if SLO)
       Jan. 11-22- MAP Data- Choice 
       Jan. 11- Feb. 19- PALS Optional


Jan. 18- 8-4 Professional Development Day-  Unpacking Standard 5 and SLO Midyear Preparation

Feb. 4 & 9- Midyear SLO Review
Sign up  here for an individual conference if you are on cycle or if you are not on cycle you can meet as an individual or as a team.  

This is the format for the midyear meeting.  Here is a sample video so you know what to expect.
In My Learning Plan,open up Goal Setting Review and answer the following questions:

I hope you have  a Happy 2016.  

Please comment on a tradition, resolution, or prediction for 2016!  

December in Public Schools

December in Public Schools  

December can be a stressful and challenging time for students and staff, personally and professionally. Every December public school teachers and administrators face the difficult task of acknowledging the various religious and secular holiday traditions celebrated during this time of year while balancing the need for sustained high quality teaching and learning.  In an effort to help create a school environment that celebrates diversity by respecting differing points of view concerning religions, the following suggestions are offered.

·      Public schools must never appear to endorse religion over non-religion or one particular religious faith over another.

·       Public schools must be careful not to cross the line between teaching about religious holidays (which is permitted) and celebrating religious holidays (which is not).

·       Religious music, literature, art or other religious activities should not dominate school activities.  School events, assemblies, concerts and programs must be designed to further a secular and objective program of education and must not focus on any one religion or religious observance.

·       Religious symbols are not appropriate seasonal decorations in public schools. At the same time, students should not be restricted from choosing to express their religious views in course assignments (e.g., artwork, personal narrative).

My goal is to provide an inclusive learning environment for all students.  Every student should feel welcome and represented at a public school and should be able to participate in every activity we have.

High quality standards-based instruction and student learning is the expectation in December as it is throughout the school year. Holiday activities, parties and showing of videos should be a minimal part of the school day.  Maintaining routines are important to increase student learning and minimize behavioral difficulties.

Great Reads on this topic!

Religious Holidays in Public Schools

How-handle-religious-holidays-public-schools

Keeping Kids Motivated During the Holidays

If you have any questions, please contact me.

To celebrate each other you are invited to come to Hudson Perkins on Dec. 17 from 7:15-8:30 for breakfast/ staff meeting.  Menu

Dec. 10- Guided Reading Micro-teaching

On Dec. 10 we have a late start from 8-10:30 in our building.

I am asking that prior to Dec. 10 every teacher videotape themselves teaching guided reading or teaching a class.

Music, PE, Art, Media, Counselors, Psychologists, Early Childhood , Gifted and Talented, ELL, Motor may choose to meet together at the location of their choice. Here is a google doc for your plans.

EBD, Speech, SLD:  You may stay in the building or work as a district team.  If your small group is meeting separately send plan to Terri Gulbranson if under student services and building principal.  If you supervise EA's working in the am include their plan. You do not have anything to complete within the google doc.

Immerse
What is micro- teaching? Micro-teaching is an organized training method where a teacher plans a short lesson, teaches it to a group of students and then reflects on their teaching afterwards. The session is video recorded for either individual or peer review.
Micro-teaching

Why are we going to do this?
Micro-teaching has .88 effect on student learning according to John Hattie from Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Related to Achievement.

Investigate
8:00-8:15- Review Rubric
Guided Reading Micro-teaching- Teachers who teach guided reading
Stronge Standards Micro-teaching- Other teachers
Hard copies will be in your mailbox on Friday. 
They do NOT need to be turned in.

8:15-8:45- Watch video and fill out the evidence above. 
You may pause the video to review. Pausing and reflecting is a great technique to use with students when viewing videos.

Coalesce
8:45-9- Reflection

• What did you see that confirmed your strong practice?
• What is one thing I can do to improve my practice?
• Do I need support from my team, the instructional coach, the Principal?

Go Public
9:15-10:45- Collaborative or Individual planning for Guided Reading 

Ideas:
1.  Guided Reading Lesson Plans- Fill in Lesson Templates and put in the baggies with guided reading books.  I have printed copies of the lesson plans in the workroom.  Collectively we can plan and leave lessons for our colleagues in the baggies.  The SMART  Team wants lessons to be written and shared.
Jan Richardson Lesson Plans

2. Explore online Resources
Comprehension Toolkit Articles
Short texts
News ELA
2014-15 Professional Resources Exploration
Blog Exploration
HP Media Resources

3. Choice

You can videotape another lesson and review it with your instructional coach or your grade level team.

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From Nancy Dressel:

Here are 3 tools you can use to record video from a webcam on a laptop or chromebook.  They are in order from easiest to hardest to implement -- they also move from a 5 min recording limit to unlimited.

Clip Champ App - Limit of 5 min.  

1. Install and open the app

2. Click record video

3. Enable webcam

4. Click start recording 

5. Click stop recording

6. Click Share - select Google Drive or YouTube

Screencastify - extension - Limit of 10 minutes

1. Install the extension

2. Click on the extension

3. Allow access to the webcam

4. Click no the cam tab to only record from the webcam

5. Click start recording

6. click stop

a new tab will open, it should automatically save in Drive

Youtube My Webcam - Limit 15 min (unlimited on verified account)

1. Go to YouTube and sign in with your school email and echalk password (if you are already signed into your HSD google account when you click sign-in it will automatically sign you in.

2. Go to Youtube My Webcam 

3. Allow access to your webcam

4. Click start recording

5. Click stop recording

6. Click blue continue button

7. Name the video and select unlisted or private.

8. Click Save.

To verify your YouTube account, to be able to record more than 15 min:

1. Click on your account (email or profile icon in upper-right corner and select account setting (gear icon).

2. Click on view additional features

3. In the longer video section, select Enable.

4. Complete the process of receiving and entering a verification code.