Good Monday Morning, everyone!
I hope you all had a restful weekend and got to enjoy the changing seasons—fall is definitely on its way, and I love it!
We had two busy bees in our K8 building this weekend. Due to our growing 4th-grade class, we’ve divided the class and brought on a long-term substitute, Ms. Beth Coffey. She and Ms. Barr worked hard to convert the solution room into a brand-new classroom. The Coffey-Barr team (yep, that’s their name!) did an amazing job!
Please swing by Ms. Coffey’s room today and give her a warm welcome to our team!
The solution room team will be using the PT/OT space on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. On Wednesdays, they'll be in the K8 conference room. For students serving lunch detention, they will eat at the back table by the cabinets in the cafeteria before heading to the solution room. Thanks for your flexibility and support!
Have a fantastic week!
~Brett
John Hattie's research in "Visible Learning" highlights the factors that significantly impact student learning, using effect size to measure their influence. He ranked 138 influences on learning, and found that the average effect size of interventions was 0.40—using this as a “hinge point” to gauge what truly works in education.
Check out the Barometer of Influence infographic below. As you review the blue zone of desired effects, think about the actions you're already taking to help accelerate student learning. Are there strategies or points you're hitting in your class?
This Friday’s LID will include time to reflect on and discuss tracking student progress. If you have a strategy, action, or artifact you’d like to share with the team, please let me know—I’d love for us to learn from each other!
Looking forward to collaborating,
Upcoming K-8 Emergency Drill:
On Wednesday, September 18th at 9:30 AM, we will hold a K-8 emergency bus drill and bus expectations day. The drill will take place in front of the school. This will be a valuable opportunity to reinforce these expectations in a hands-on manner, ensuring that our younger students are clear on the importance of bus safety and behavior.
Thank you for your dedication and support in maintaining a safe and orderly transportation environment for all of our students. Let’s work together to ensure that safe, responsible, and respectful expectations are clear and consistently upheld. I appreciate the Teamwork in dialing our kiddos in and being intentional in addressing our current bus behaviors.
A detailed schedule will come out by the end of day tomorrow.
Interactive Classroom Engagement
As we work to increase classroom engagement, I encourage you to reflect on our CharacterStrong training and how both facilitators modeled movement within our training. How are you utilizing primary partners, core four, and circle groups within your learning environment? Please work to enhance your classroom engagement with these strategies.
Additionally, be sure to explore the LoHi Toolkit, which includes low-burden, high-impact resources that are easy to implement. Please share an experience with me!
Swis Data
The SWIS referral system(https://app.swis.org) is now up and running. Thank you for using it to log your classroom-managed (minors) and office-managed (major) referrals. Below is a snapshot of last week's referral data.
Our Swis data shows that classroom referrals (32) far exceed referrals in other locations, such as the playground (9) and hall (5). This suggests that classroom disruptions are a key issue to address.
Here are some PBIS strategies to reduce classroom disruptions:
1. Establish Clear Expectations
Teach Expectations: Revisit and explicitly teach the behavioral expectations for the classroom. Use clear, concise language and practice routines regularly.
Post Expectations: Make classroom expectations visible with posters and reminders. This will help reinforce positive behaviors throughout the day.
2. Positive Reinforcement
Classroom Rewards System: Implement a system where students can earn points, tickets, or privileges for meeting expectations. Recognize positive behavior more often than negative.
Shout-Outs and Praise: Publicly acknowledge students who are modeling expected behavior. This encourages others to follow their example.
3. Engage Students Actively
Structured Transitions: Keep transitions between activities smooth and quick to minimize downtime and off-task behavior.
Interactive Lessons: Use engaging activities that allow for movement, collaboration, and student choice to maintain focus and reduce disruptive behaviors.
4. Collaborative Problem-Solving
Student Voice: Involve students in creating solutions for improving classroom behavior. Hold class meetings to discuss issues and potential rewards for positive change.
Parent Communication: Regularly communicate with parents when positive behaviors are exhibited. This strengthens the home-school connection and reinforces expectations.
These strategies promote a proactive approach, reducing classroom disruptions and creating a more positive learning environment. Please see Bailey if you need charger cards.
Kids to the Office/Nurse Office
Student traffic through the office has become problematic. Please remember that minor referrals should not automatically result in sending students to the office or the solution room. Instead, use strategies to address issues within your classroom when possible.
This also applies to visits to the nurse’s station. Last week, we had two days with over 40 visits to the nurse, which significantly impacts both instructional time and office efficiency. Please try to resolve minor situations in class before resorting to office or nurse’s room.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued support in keeping our school running smoothly!
Imagine Learning
Please be sure to see the forwarded email from Mr. Spear regarding the Imagine Learning resources. At this Friday’s LID, all math teachers will be attending the second PD session on Imagine Learning.
Positive Encouagement Language
As we work to maintain a positive classroom culture, remember the power of positive language. It not only helps address behavior but also fosters receptive listening, builds inclusivity, and guides students in resolving conflicts. According to PBIS, the recommended ratio is 5 positive messages for every 1 corrective message. This approach helps reinforce positive behavior and create a supportive classroom environment while also addressing areas that need improvement.
Your tone sets the standard for communication, so let’s continue using positive language to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all students!
Data Analysis Tool
Please remember to use the Data Analysis Tool to document student learning and understanding of essential standards. It’s a great way to demonstrate how your instruction is aligned with assessment (Marzano 6.1).
Instructional Rounds
Starting this week, I’ll be popping into classrooms for informal observations, which will be documented in eVAL. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the great things happening in your classrooms and celebrating your hard work!
During these observations, I’ll be focusing on:
Clear Learning Goals – Are students aware of what they’re working towards? (1.1)
Direct Instruction – How are you delivering lessons that engage and support student understanding? (2.1)
Content Standards – Are lessons aligned with the established standards? (4.1)
These informal visits are a chance for us to grow and improve together. I can’t wait to see the creativity, dedication, and student learning in action!
Great job everyone with FastBridge testing last week! So many of you were able to get almost
every student tested in ELA and Math. At the end of last week I handed out lists of students who
needed to finish up testing and will be updating those lists Tuesday. Also, don’t forget to have
your students complete the My SAEBRs and teachers need to complete the SAEBRs online
piece for each student as well. If you need help, please reach out to me!
K-5 teachers, we will be having our first Data Day this Thursday, September 19th. You will be
getting the schedule today! I’m looking forward to meeting and discussing what interventions will
look like and watching our kiddos grow! Please bring with you the learning targets you will be
focusing on through October.
Also, I will be touching base with some of you today and pulling kids who need additional testing
and others who need extra support.
Monday, 09.16
Picture Day
Brett Feeding Tube Training, 8:30-9:15 AM
Off Campus Meeting, Brett’s out from 9:15-11:15 AM
Office Meeting, 1 PM
Gradient Learning 1-on-1, 2 PM
MS Volleyball @ Selkirk, 4PM
Tuesday - 09.17
OSSI Collaboration, 9:30 AM
PLC Time @ 7:15 - Meet as Grade Bands
Student Support Team- K8 Conference Room, 10 AM
Wednesday - 09.18
MTSS Round Table, 7:45 AM
Bus Expectations, 9:30 AM
MS Volleyball @ Home, 4PM
Thursday - 09.19
Data Team Meeting
P2P Check and Connect, 7:15 AM
K8 Sped Support Meeting, 8 AM
K8 PBIS Counselor Coaching, 2-3 PM
MS Football @ Odessa, 4 PM
Friday - 09.20
WSU 8th Grade Mentoring Training Session #2
LID
UP and Coming Events:
Elementary Charger Assembly, September 26
EP&O Levy Community Meeting, 09.23 from 3:45 PM to 5:15 PM at the Springdale Community Church
Parent Conferences, Oct 2 and 3rd 12:30 PM to 7:00 PM
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