K8 Weely Memo

Points of Interest

Parent-Teacher Conferences - Action Needed

Please make sure that all conference letters have been sent out. Additionally, please send an email or make a call to confirm that the scheduled conference time will work for the family.

As you prepare for conferences, please collect the students' work samples, print out FastBridge family reports, and prepare classroom data to share with parents.

Book Orders

Bailey did an excellent job ensuring that each of the scholastic book orders for your classroom were properly connected to your classroom accounts. She collaborated with Ann and Scholastic to ensure that our purchase order will be received correctly. The district will be sending payment to cover all the orders, but please note that the purchase order process may take a little longer than usual.

Pi Night

Don't forget, this Thursday is Pie Night! If you signed up for a game table and need any assistance, please get in touch with me. The setup will be from 3:30 to 4:30 PM, followed by a team meeting at 4:45 PM. Families are expected to arrive at 5:00 PM. 

I hope you're excited for this fun-filled night, packed with math activities!

Interim Assessment - Action Needed

3-8 grade teachers, please be sure to signup to complete an interim assessment block by the end of the month.  This will be a great talking point for your parent-teacher conferences. 

The IAB is a standardized test that evaluates 3-8 objectives. As a teacher, you will receive valuable assessment data from the test, and students will become more comfortable with the test format. I request all teachers to sign up for their assessment time and create a focused testing environment that resembles our SBAC environment. 

Even small environmental changes for students can result in significant gains in academic performance. Therefore, for the interim assessment block, please ensure that all items are cleared from the students' table tops, the student lab tops are set up, and the required resources such as pencils and scratch paper are ready. We must create a testing environment that minimizes distractions, anxiety, and unreliable test scores. 

I want every student to notice an environmental change when they walk into the room to take the test. Not only will the students practice the assessment, but we, as staff, will also do the same. All teachers should actively monitor the testing progress by moving around the classroom to observe student engagement.

Here is an Interim Assessment Overview sheet. 

Classroom Walk-Throughs

I thoroughly enjoy being your classrooms and witnessing the great teaching and learning.

In classroom walk-throughs, I look for stated targets, outlined lesson segments, and clear lesson plans. I also look for evidence of a positive learning environment and effective classroom management.

 

8th Grade Field Trip to EWU

Bring signed permission slips to Rebecca Abercrombie. We hope to have all these slips turned in this week so we can get a final headcount! 

Character Strong

6th Grade

27	Connecting Motivation & Emotions	Session 27
This is the 1st of 2 emotion-focused sessions that build on earlier emotion sessions in this grade. In this session, we work to understand the different ways people can notice and feel emotions in their bodies. Being able to notice physical sensations related to emotions can help us catch them early and use emotion regulation strategies before emotions get too intense.

 

7th Grade

27	Learning to Compromise	Session 27
This is the 1st of 3 sessions on handling conflict. This session is about compromise. Being able to compromise is an important skill that helps us resolve conflicts and handle disagreements with friends, peers, and in group work. In this session, we work together to better understand compromising by coming up with solutions to scenarios that require compromise.

8th Grade

27	Developing Strategies for Teamwork Challenges	Session 27
This is the 4th of 6 sessions on teamwork. In this session, we reflect on ways to handle challenges that may come up when working in groups.

Calendar

Monday - 03.11

• Office Stand-up Meeting, 9 AM

• Student Support 10-11 AM

• Office Meeting 1 PM

• Whitworth at 3:30

• MS Leadership Club @ Library 3:30-5:30PM

Tuesday - 03.12

• BLT Meeting 4 PM

Wednesday - 03.13

• MTSS Round Table, 7:45 AM

• Admin Meeting, 9:30 AM

• Brett out at 3:00 PM

Thursday - 03.14

• MTSS Planning 10:15-10:45 AM

• Pi Family Night Out, March 14

Friday - 03.15

• Student Access Day

UP and Coming Events:

• Regular Scheduled School Day, March 22

• Middle School Spring Sports Start, March 25 

• Conferences and Early Release, March 26 and 27

• 6-8 Charger Assembly 

• Spring Break, April 1st to April 5th