Week 17

 

Hi Team...!

Congratulations on your return back to work and on the completion of your first week of teaching in 2025!  I noticed so many good things happening in classrooms this week...a re-emphasis of expectations, routines and procedures, small group ELA instruction, teachers up and circulating in the classroom, and interim 2 review and prep to name a few.  I truly appreciate the focus that you are all showing as we begin this half of the school year.  Everything we do now is focusing on preparing students for MSTEP. 

This is going to be a busy week as we continue to prepare for Interim 2 and the K-2 Assessments.  Hopefully, it is a good one for all!

Instructional Week 17

As you can see by the title of this blog, we are in Instructional Week 17.  It is extremely important that we stay current with our instructional pacing.  If you are behind, please work with your team to compact your instruction/lessons in order to be current.  This needs to be done asap.

Phones and Ear Buds

Just a couple of "Beginning of Year" Reminders:

• Phones - the only time you are able to be on your phones during your work day...7:30-3:30...is during your prep time and lunch time.  This includes no use during arrival and dismissal times.  
• Ear Buds in their ears.  Teacher are not to have ear buds in your ears at work.  We do not allow this for the students and we need to model these expectations for the students.

Drive Line Expectations

Drive Line is to be projected on the classroom whiteboards so that the students watch for their name and door colors.  Teachers should not be using their phone to utilize Drive Line for dismissal.

GLTs/03s

We will be having Grade Level Team Meetings and 03s next week.

Grade Book Weighting

Just a reminder of our discussions prior to break we discussed re-vamping our Grade Book Weights.  These support our Standards Based grading that our cohort utilizes and that Mrs. Bullard conveyed to parents before holiday break.  The weights are as follows:

• Final Exams (Interims) - 40%
• Assessments (Unit Tests; Achievement Board Writing Final Drafts) - 30%
• Quizzes (Grammar/Reading Comp/Math Weekly Quizzes; Exit Tickets "NHA Approved", Social Studies/Science Quizzes) - 25%
• Homework (Homework Packets, Spelling Tests "NHA Approved", In-Class Assignments, etc.) - 5%

Please make sure that you adjust your various gradebooks to reflect these changes.

Winter Tutoring

Winter Tutoring begins the week of January 27th (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday).  3-5 Tutoring will focus on our Bubble Students first and then parent request.  I am sending out invites no later than Monday, 1/13.

Interim 2 Testing

Students will be taking the Interim 2 tests during the week of Tuesday, January 22. Please continue to prepare your students for testing via content and test taking strategies.  

Classroom Newsletters

Please remember that it is an expectation for you to provide a weekly newsletter (via SchoolConnect) to the parents.  I need you to make sure that I am included on this, so that I receive it.

Gradebook

Make sure grades are up to date by Mondays at 8:00 am.

COMMON ASSESSMENTS

Please remember to relate to your parents via newsletter, that Thursday is our weekly test day and make ups occur on Friday if necessary.  Students need to be in attendance so that they can take these tests, as we will not provide unlimited time for students to make up missed tests.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Monday, January 13 - Committee Meetings 3:35

Tuesday, January 14 - Dean Day - Wheeler and Schofield Out

Wednesday, January 15 - Dean Day - Rogers and Rowden Out

Friday, January 17 - BLACK OUT Day for Teachers; "White Out" Dress Down $ 2.00; Progress Report Day

Monday, January 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, January 21 - Interim 2 Testing Begins; K-2 Numeracy Testing Begins; BLACK OUT Day for Teachers

Monday, January 27 - Blue Ribbon Induction 8:30 am; National Junior Honor Society Induction 10:00 am; Wing Meeting 3:35 pm