Curriculum Updates!!

Here are some updates from our last Curriculum Coordinators' meeting... Enjoy!!

*Dana Wrights*

• EOG dates have been changed!!!  Due to the snow days this year, the EOG will be administered May 23rd-26th.  Retesting will take place June 6th-9th.
• Gateways have been eliminated for 3rd and 5th grades; however, this does not affect retesting... All students who score a I or a II on any section of the EOG test will be retested.  We will also still follow local promotion requirements.
• The EOG tests will now affect students' 4th Quarter grades.  If the EOG score's grade equivalency is higher than the classroom average, the grade will increase by one letter grade.  EOG scores cannot bring a grade down.

*Benika Thompson*

• The District Science fair was a HUGE success!!  Elementary representation was fantastic.  (Yay to our own Ava, who one first overall!!!)
• Teachers need to start reviewing the Essential Standards to see where we are going...
• K-2 http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/standards/new-standards/science/k-2.pdf
• 3-5 http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/standards/new-standards/science/3-5.pdf
• Upcoming professional development opportunities:
• Notebooking in Elementary Science - March 28th at 1:00pm
• Grade 5 Content Sessions - April 7th
• Elementary Science Liasison Meeting - April 26th

*Janie Costello*

• It's time for a MOY DIBELS check-in!!  We had a slight gain from BOY to MOY from last year to this year - Yay!!  (A big gain would have been suspicious... We are showing a true instructional gain.)  We are doing better compared nationally than we were last year.
• However, our red kids are still staying red!  We must move them!
• DIBELS data TRULY SHOULD be used to guide instruction... The BEST way to do this is to analyze Individual Student Summary reports for red and yellow kids.  It shows data from previous years and provides a wealth of information.  Use this information to choose activities from the Florida Center for Reading Research (http://www.fcrr.org/) - Great ideas for I/E and workshop.

*Velvet Simington*

• Please look over the Powerpoint I emailed out earlier this week for tons of updates!
• The Common Core Standards should be promoting intructional change.  We should be changing our focus from mechanical facility to conceptual understanding.
• Grade level representatives who are attending the Formative Assessment training should be training their teams!!
• "Task selection is of paramount importance."

Happy Spring!!!

Don't Forget!

-March 23rd - 3rd Quarter Math Calculator Active Test

-March 24th - 3rd Quarter Math Calculator Inactive Test

-March 25th - 3rd Quarter Test Make-Ups

-March 25th - End of 3rd Quarter

-April 6th - 4th Grade On-Demand Writing Task

-April 21st - Kindergarten Screening

-April 29th - Spring Fling!

-May 2nd-6th - DIBELS EOY Sweep Week

They're Looking at YOU

I'm back to loving Tuesdays.

For the past few weeks, testing has taken over my days at work and I haven't been able to keep some of my school-day commitments.  Like working with the kids - my favorite. :)  In particular, up until this recent testing, I had been working with two first grade boys (who I adore!) every Tuesday afternoon.

And I missed them.  Their excitement, their big, questioning eyes, their zest for life.  Everyday during bus duty one of the boys would say, "When are you going to come get us again?!"  And I kept giving him a number - "5 more days!"  And he'd count down.

Well, luckily (for me) I finished up testing this past Tuesday morning, and couldn't wait to get my first graders!  I loved seeing their smiles when I picked them up from their classroom, I loved having them ask me over and over again, "Where have you been?!"  I loved how they wanted to tell me all about their weekends.

But most of all, I love how when I'm working with them, they always look at me for reassurance.  Like, I'll ask them a question, and while they try to figure it out, they'll peek at me from the corners of their big, brown eyes, trying to figure out if their guesses are on the right track.  Trying to figure out if I'll yell out in excitement, or if a frown of disappointment will creep across my cheeks.

After we finished our math tutoring session on pennies, nickels, and dimes, we started the trek back to their classroom.  We stopped at the secretary's desk because I wanted them to show off what they had mastered during our thirty minutes together.

"Ok," I said.  "How much is a nickel worth?"  And the little boy looked down at the floor, then slowly let his eyes drift toward my face - Oh those big brown eyes!  And he had the right answer on the tip of his tongue, and I knew he had it... And I wanted to shout, "Say it!  You've got it!"  But I also want him to gain the confidence on his own.  And he finally said the right answer, and there were cheers all around.  And the secretary said, "Isn't it so cool how these children are always looking at us - at the adults - for guidance?  For reassurance?"  And that got me thinking...

They are always looking at us.  Even when you least expect it, the kids are looking at YOU.  Looking at you as an example, as a role model, as a leader, as a comfort, as a security blanket.  Those innocent eyes (that may not always seem so innocent!) never stop looking at us.  And we can't ever forget how important we are to those big, brown eyes...

Don't Forget!

-March 17th - March Madness Dads' Basketball Game

-March 21st - 3rd Quarter Science Test

-March 22nd - 3rd Quarter Reading Test

-March 23rd - 3rd Quarter Math Calculator Active Test

-March 24th - 3rd Quarter Math Calculator Inactive Test

-March 25th - 3rd Quarter Test Make-Ups

-March 25th - End of 3rd Quarter

-April 6th - 4th Grade On-Demand Writing Task

-April 21st - Kindergarten Screening

-April 29th - Spring Fling!

 

Granola Bar or Poptart?

My husband and I have an alarm clock that has two separate morning alarms, which works well for us.  Not only because we get up at two different times, but because I DESPISE the sound of the standard, blaring alarm.  That ear-piercing beep is enough to send me over the edge at 5:15am!  So while he prefers the annoying beeping, I would much rather wake up to the radio.  If only I could go back to the days when I was young and my mom would whisper in my ear, "Time to get up, sweetie."

Don't get me wrong - I am a morning person.  You'll find me grumpy and bleary-eyed at 8:00pm, but once I'm up at 5:15am, I'm ready to get the day going!!  However, even with being a morning person, I think the way I wake up makes a difference in how I approach my day.

There is an old Winnie the Pooh episode where Piglet asks, "Pooh, what is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning?"  Pooh replies, "Well, I think about what I'm going to have for breakfast.  What about you?"  Piglet says, "Well, Pooh, I wonder what exciting things are going to happen to me today."

Now I love breakfast.  But what if thoughts of breakfast, thoughts of to-do's for the day, thoughts of things we are dreading were preceded with, "I can't WAIT to see what exciting things happen to me today!"  Wouldn't we all start our days on a much better note?  If we can't have our moms softly whispering into our ears to "Rise and Shine!", why don't we control the way our mornings get started with positive thinking.

Now, it's time for the decision - a granola bar or a poptart...?

Don't Forget!

-Feburary 28th - March 4th - Read Across America Week!

-March 2nd - Dr. Seuss' Birthday! (The Cat in the Hat is walking around Moore!)

-March 3rd - Multicultural Night

-March 17th - March Madness Dads' Basketball Game

-March 21st - 25th - 3rd Quarter Testing Window

-March 25th - End of 3rd Quarter