December 14-18

DIBELS

Thanks for all your hard work so far with DIBELS. I'm glad that we are able to use the information gathered to identify students needing extra reading remediation. As you look over the schedule, please make sure ALL of your red students are progress monitored by the end of the day on Friday. With all the holiday events going on this week, you do not have to wait until Friday. You can come by my office and check out a device when you have time.
The middle of year DIBELS benchmark assessment schedule has been set and will take place on January 12, 13, & 14 in the afternoon from 12:30-2:30. Please check your email for the detailed schedule and plan accordingly.

Common Assessments

As you give and check your math common assessments please remember to let that data help to drive your instruction and your math remediation. If you need help with this please let me know. Thanks for your hard work in developing these assessments and analyzing them.

Happy Holidays

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas." ~ Peg Bracken.

December 7-11

Science Carnival

Thanks for all of your hard work, preparation and planning. The students were very excited and enjoyed the various science experiments and activities you exposed them to last week. If we plant the foundation and excitment now hopefully they will participate in our school science fair in the future.

DIBELS

Please check your class summary reports and make sure all of your red and yellow students have been progress monitored. This is the last time you have to check your yellow students until our middle of year benchmark. We will check red students once more the week of December 14-18. Thanks for all the juggling and time management it takes to get the remediation and assessments completed. Let me know if I can help in any way at all.

Planning Days

You can register now for your planning days this week in order to receive credit. I will be meeting with kindergarten and first grade teachers to train them on additional DIBELS assessments.

Need some inspiration? Check out the link below.

http://www.heartofateachermovie.com/

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

DIBLES

This is a reminder that all of your red and yellow students need to be reassessed by Monday, December 7th. Please let me know if you have questions.

Science

This is just a reminder that on Wednesday, December 2nd there will be a Science Assembly for 3-5 students at 10:30 and one for K-2 students at 1:00. Each assembly should last around 45 minutes. Also the 3-5 Science Fair projects will be on display in the hallways on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Thursday afternoon K-2 students will rotate through various Science experiments and activities on their grade levels. Students will be exposed to the scientific method to better prepare them to complete Science projects in the future.

AR Doughnut Sale

The AR committee is trying to raise some "dough" to buy items for the AR store at the end of the year. We will be selling a dozen doughnuts for $5.oo and individual doughnuts for 50 cents each on Thursday, December 10th during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal. If we have more we will also sell them during the holiday program that night. Please plan to support us and talk to your students about buying doughnuts. There will be a flyer going home in Wednesday folders. Thanks for your help!

Happy Thanksgiving!

DIBELS

This is just a reminder, if you did not assess your red students last week please do so before the end of the day. The week we return from Thanksgiving it will be time to reassess red and yellow students. This will be the last time yellow students are assessed before the middle of year benchmark. Red students will be assessed once more, the week of December 14th, before the middle of year benchmark screening.

Please note the following:

Kindergarten will be assessed on ISF/LNF/PSF/NWF

First Grade will be assessed on PSF/NWF/ORF

Second Grade will be assessed on ORF (3 passages). Students will not be assessed on retell.

Science Carnival

On Wednesday, December 2nd 3-5 students will attend an Energy/Science Assembly at 10:30 and K-2 students will attend at 1:00. Each assembly will last around 45 minutes. K-2 teachers please let me know how and when your students will rotate through various science experiments or activities on your grade level. You may choose to spread it out over both days or just use one day. The 3-5 Science Fair projects will be set up in the hallway so that it is convenient for you to do a walk through with your class on either December 2nd or 3rd. Let me know if you have questions.

**Have a wonderful break and enjoy time with your friends and family.**

This Week.......

"Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers." --Josef Albers

Curriculum Coordinator's Meeting
Kendra and I will be out of the building all day Monday for our monthly meeting. I will share new information with you at your next grade level meetings.

Literacy Folders and Math Cards
Please turn in your folders to me as soon as possible. I will look over them and return them to you as quickly as I can. Also if you have not given me a copy of your first quarter data sheet please do so. Thanks!

Testing
Second grade will be taking ITBS Wednesday through Friday morning this week. Please try not to call or enter the pod during testing. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks to all of our proctors!

Congratulations
Mrs. Hill and Mrs. Blevins' Kindergartners won the CiCi's Pledge Challenge. Way to go!

Happy Veterans Day!

DIBELS -

This is just a reminder that all of your red students should have been progress monitored twice now and your yellow students once. Please check with me if you have questions. Here is the progress monitoring schedule:
Week of Oct. 19 - Red
Week of November 2nd - Red & Yellow
Week of November 16th- Red
Week of November 30th - Red & Yellow
Week of December 14th - Red

Middle of Year Screening for All Students - Jan 4-14

After you sync your device the results are automatically available on mclasshome.com. Let me know if you are having trouble finding your results. Remember we can not go by the results on the device. We must use information on the class summary reports from mclasshome.com.

*K-2 Literacy Folders and Math Cards are due to me by Tuesday, November 10th.*

Testing
Please remember that second graders will be taking the ITBS test next week, November 18 through 20. Encourage ALL of your students to be here everyday because we have almost no time to do make-ups. I will be providing a Popsicle party to classes with 100% attendance all three days! Thanks for your help and support.

My door is always open if you need anything and thanks for all of your hard work and dedication to our students!

Welcome November!

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.
- Margaret Mead

DIBELS -
As we continue to progress monitor, please be mindful of the goals for the various screenings. Kindergarten students must recognize 25 sounds on the ISF screening to meet benchmark expectations. First grade students must recognize 50 sounds in order to meet benchmark expectations for NWF screening in January. Second graders must be able to read 68 words per minute in order to meet the benchmark expectations. Please continue giving your high and some risk students extra remediation and let me know if you need ideas or help.

**ALL Red and Yellow students must be progress monitored by Monday, November 9th.**

Testing - Shhhh!
Nov. 4-6 - CogAt Test (Second Grade)
Nov. 18-20 - ITBS Test (Second Grade)

Good News!!!

I applied for a Donors Choose grant to help fund the Math Literacy Library that I started in the media center! It was funded! I am so excited and with these additional books we can expand and continue to add more math picture books to the collection!
If you have an idea or plan and need funds, Donors Choose is a great way to make your dream a reality. Let me know if I can help you write up a proposal because I would be more than willing to help.
Rest, relax and enjoy your fall break!

K-2 Updates

DIBELS -

• If a student arrives "after" October 18th he or she cannot be considered for the BOY (beginning of the year). New students can be entered in the MOY (middle of year).
• Use mclasshome.com class summary reports to determine which students should be progress monitored
• If a student moves to green during progress monitoring, you're not required to continue progress monitoring (you may continue if you like). Remember, the purpose of this process is to make good instructional decisions.
• Please not below the correct way to record scores on the literacy folders: Example: 31/50 raw score/goal
• Ignore all divided boxes on the literacy folders.

Math Update

• Essential standards for K-12 math was approved by State Board of Education in September 2009. This will assist us with developing "future-ready" math students!
• Please let me know if you need assistance with the new math textbooks. I'm here to help!

Vocabulary Strategies - Presented by Rosie Turner

Looking for activities to enhance vocabulary instruction? These are some ideas that Rose Turner, WSFCS SIOP Coach, presented at the CC meeting.

1. Use It or Lose it!

• Introduce new vocabulary to students
• Have students create sentences for their neighbor using new vocabulary.
• Have neighbors share their sentences.

2. Trade-Trade-Chat

• The teacher creates cards that display words, illustrations of words, or statements or questions related to content concepts.
• Students receive one card each and stand.
• Teacher gives directions for the trading and chatting (while music plays) to begin. When music stops ask your partner the question on your card or discuss what the word means.
• Then just repeat until students have traded and chatted with other students.

3. Words Around the World

• Post words along with their meanings in different locations around the school.

4. Verbal Visual Word Association

• First divide paper into four equal sections.
• Write your word in the top left box and any root words, etc.
• Illustrate the word in the top right box
• Write synonyms or phrases in the bottom left box.
• Write background experience related to the word in the bottom right box.
• Create an action to represent the meaning of the word
• Share out!

Testing Updates

• CogAt - 2nd grade - November 4-6
• ITBS - 2nd grade - November 18-20

This Week......

Assessments
As we near the end of first quarter, it is time to assess. You should have your first quarter writing prompt. Please administer the prompt before October 28th and provide students with grade level appropriate paper. Also provide students with additional paper to plan their stories. Remember for Kindergarten suggested time not to exceed 30 minutes and for first and second grade students should receive 45 minutes to complete their stories. Teachers remember to exchange papers for scoring and use the state rubric. Please put the graded stories in the K-2 literacy folders, but no score is recorded on the folder this quarter.
First and Second grade teachers need to administer the first quarter math assessment as well before October 28th. Please let me know if you need help or have questions.
Don't forget to record the percentile on the class summary report for DIBELS on the back of the K-2 literacy folders along with running record, high frequency words and BPA information.
I would like to collect your literacy folders and look over them. Please turn them in to me by Tuesday, Nov. 10th. Thanks!

Planning Days
Your next planning day will be up and ready for registration by the end of this week. Kindergarten and first grade we will be examining your DIBELS data and doing writing training. Second grade we will examine DIBELS data, discuss common reading assessments and begin to create reading assessments.

Dates to Remember
Oct. 19 - Wiki Technology Workshop
Oct. 20- Staff Meeting
Oct. 21 - Smartboard Training -Part 2
Oct. 22 - Touch Math Workshop - Part 2
Oct. 23 - All Red DIBELS students screened
Oct. 26 - CogAT Test Training - 10:15
Nov. 4-6 - Second Grade - CogAT Testing
Nov. 6 - All Red & Yellow DIBELS students screened

This Week.....

Comprehension Skill: Summarizing
Marzano Skill: Reinforcing Effort

Please remember to send me an email or put a hard copy of your progress monitoring plan in my box. Mrs. Hartman and Mrs. Flynt will also be assisting with this process and helping you reassess some students. I will continue to share new resources with you to assist with progress monitoring. Please share anything you find with everyone as well. Remember you can post a comment and everyone can read it! This is a great easy way for us to share ideas and strategies with one another.

Check out this site for activities and strategies to teach reading fluency.

http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/teacher_resources/literacy_pages/fluency.htm

Reminders:
Oct. 13 - AR Refresher/Help Session
Oct. 14 & 21 - Smart board Training
Oct. 15 & 22 - Touch Math Workshop
Oct. 16 - First Grade Field Trip
Oct. 19 - Wiki Technology Workshop
Oct. 23 - Reassess High Risk (RED) students
Oct. 27 - Report Card Technology Workshop

New DIBELS Resources

I hope everyone has a plan for progress monitoring! Remember to find a time in your daily schedule for interventions. Some teachers are doing additional whole class lessons. Some are using their guided reading time to reteach and work on phonics skills. Find what works for you and your students. If you need help please let me know. I found a few more resources and I will continue to search and share what I find with you.

Kindergarten teachers here is a great site that would be great for a whole class activity on the smart board or at the computer center to help reinforce initial sound fluency. Check it out!

http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/games/pawpark3/pawpark3.html

This Week.....

Comprehension skill: Sequencing

Marzano skill: Classifying
I am going to place a copy of some graphic organizers that may be helpful as you teach this weeks skills.

Don't forget to go ahead and get those interventions in place for your identified students because we will begin progress monitoring next week!

"To be great we must collaborate!"

I hope your PLC meeting are going well and we can continue to learn from one another.

Guided Reading

This is just a reminder that if you haven't already please begin to meet with small groups. Students must learn to apply decoding and comprehension skills using text on their instructional level. Remember guided reading is part of balanced literacy instruction!

Thanks to everyone for all the hard work you put into preparing for curriculum night!

I found this great blog provided by the virtual learning consultant for North Carolina Virtual Public Schools. It contains ideas and great information about incorporating technology into our school and classrooms. Check it out!

http://www.thevlc.org/

Intervention Activities

I placed in your boxes today a couple of intervention activities that you can use with your red, yellow or all of your students. These reading activities target the DIBELS skill that students will be progress monitored on. If you have questions or need assistance please let me know.

Curriculum Updates

First I want to thank all of the K-2 teachers and our "sweep" team for a job well done! We have successfully screened every student for their DIBELS beginning of the year benchmark. Now as we analyze the data we are asking ourselves what is next?
The week of October 12th we need to begin progress monitoring by providing those high(red) and medium(yellow) risk students additional instruction. Please refer to the resources provided for extra activities and begin to plan which lessons or activities you will use and when they will fit into your daily schedule.
Resources Available:

• Phonics, Lessons, Letters and Words - additional lessons
• Reading A-Z
• Florida Center for Reading Research
• PALS

Curriculum Night - Thursday, October 1st (6-8pm)

This is a great time to share our new PBS school wide behavior system and communicate to parents clear expectations.

Don't forget to get your PEP's signed!

Kendra and I will have a table in the lobby. We are going to share a handout with parents about ideas to help with homework and internet resources. We will also be passing out homework bags with paper, pencils, erasers and bookmarks. Please remind your parents to stop by and see us!