September 18 - TIPSS visit
September 18 - 5th Faculty Meeting
September 19 - 4th Faculty Meeting
September 19 - School Board Meeting @ 7:00
October 1 - Math training - 6th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
October 2 - Math training - 4th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
October 3 - Health Screening in the Annex
October 4 - Imo's night (fundraiser for MS)
October 4 - No School - Collaboration Day
October 7 - PBS Meeting
October 9 - Math training - 5th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
October 10 - Leadership Meeting
October 15 - 6th grade faculty meeting 3:00
October 15 - Grade window opens
October 15 - Flu Shots - Gym Lobby
October 16 - 5th grade faculty meeting 3:00
October 17 - Earthquake drill 10:17
October 17 - 4th grade faculty meeting 3:00
October 21-29 - Book Fair
October 21-25 - Red Ribbon Week details to come
October 22 - Math training - 6th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
October 24 - Math training - 5th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
October 24 - Grade window closes
October 25 - PBIS Day Assemblies: 4th 8:00-8:40, 5th 8:50-9:30, 6th 9:40-10:20 Parties: 4th 11:20-12:20, 5th 12:20-1:20, 6th 1:20-2:20
October 26 - PBMS Fun Run
October 28 - Math training - 4th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
October 29 - Fire drill 9:00
October 29 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:00-9:00 (reports handed out at conferences)
October 31 - No School - Collaboration Day
November 1 - No School
November 3 - Daylight Savings Time Ends
November 4 - PBS Meeting
November 7 - Leadership Meeting
November 11 - Veteran's Day
November 13 - Grade window opens
November 13, 14, 15 - 6th SINGS to Mobile, AL
November 14 - Math training - 6th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
November 17 - Grade window closes
November 19 - 2nd Quarter Mid terms go home
November 19 - 6th grade faculty meeting 3:00
November 20 - Math training - 4th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
November 20 - 5th grade faculty meeting 3:00
November 21 - 4th grade faculty meeting 3:00
November 25-29 No School - Thanksgiving Break
December 4 - Math training - 5th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
December 6 - Spring Fling
December 10 - Honor Choir Concert
December 12 - Leadership Meeting
December 17 - 6th grade faculty meeting 3:00
December 18 - 5th grade faculty meeting 3:00
December 19 - 4th grade faculty meeting 3:00
December 20 - Grade window opens
December 23-January 3 No School - Christmas Break
January 5 - Grade window closes
January 7 - Math training - 6th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
January 8 - Math training - 4th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
January 10 - PBIS Day Assemblies: 4th 8:00-8:40, 5th 8:50-9:30, 6th 9:40-10:20 Parties: 4th 11:20-12:20, 5th 12:20-1:20, 6th 1:20-2:20
January 13 - Math training - 5th grade Room 618 3:00-4:00
January 20 - No School
January 21 - PBConnects
January 22 - Intruder Training 8:00 at Kay Porter
Lately. I have been spending a lot of time visiting with each of you about growth plans. Growth plans are one of those things we have to do each year as part of our evaluation process. You pick something out that you want to get better at, we meet and discuss, and we assign a baseline score to where you are now.
By now, you all know that I want this to be a meaningful experience for you. I want you to really stretch yourselves and try to improve your practice. I don't want to have a follow up meeting in the spring and someone not be able to tell me how they are getting better. Why is this so important?
I strongly believe in the idea of a growth mindset. I know it's a current buzzword that people throw around when talking about students and learning, but I believe in it. Here is an article on the subject. The article talks about kids needing to have a growth mindset, but then it goes on to talk about teachers and how important it is for them (you) to also have a growth mindset. The author says, "A second principle requires that schools provide opportunities for teachers to try new things and make mistakes." That is what your growth plans are for, so don't be afraid to try something and fail. As Henry Ford once said, "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."
Mike Rutherford has a book titled The Artisan Teacher. In his book he talks about building on your strengths. He also focuses on 23 themes or techniques that teachers use. These themes are signs of quality teaching and are something all teachers should aspire to do in their classrooms. These themes aren't new. Doug Lemov has 62 techniques and Robert Marzano has 9. Again, the important thing is to improve instruction. So, I am going to focus on one of these themes in each blog post (see, I set goals, too).
Rutherford breaks the 23 themes down into three categories. Technical, Scientific, and Artistic. I'm starting with the technical stuff.
The first theme, and one of my personal favorites, Clear Learning Goals is the ability of a teacher to identify and precisely express what students will know and be able to do as a result of a lesson. Rutherford points to Stephen Covey's 7 Habits, habit number 2 is to begin with the end in mind. Well before the lesson begins, the successful teacher has created it in their mind. They know what they want the students to know and be able to do by the end of the lesson. We do this through the "I can" statements that I see in your classrooms. However, I think it is important that we go over those goals as we teach our lessons. It's not enough to write them on the board and expect the kids to read it. The goal is to create a mental image (for teacher and student) of a desired future state. A clarified goal or outcome.
Rutherford lists some success principles:
- Clear learning goals describe student learning, not classroom activities.
- Clear learning goals describe both content and performance.
- Clear learning goals contain clear verbs.
- Clear learning goals pervade the lesson, not simply begin the lesson.
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