Best.Staff.Ever.

Whew, it's been awhile.  So first, let me apologize.  I didn't realize how long it had actually been since I just saw that my last post was on April 8th - YEESH!  Time flies when you're having fun, right?!  Well, if preparing for EOGs is what you call fun!

As everyone knows, this is my first year as Curriculum Coordinator and thus my first year heading up End-of-Grade testing.  Now, I will never, ever, EVER think that my job is harder than teaching.  I think teachers have the hardest (and most rewarding!) job on the planet; however, I never realized how much work the Curriculum Coordinator put into getting ready for EOGs!!!  I am doggie paddling frantically, trying to stay above water with all of the To-Do's, all of the unknowns that come along with your first time of doing anything.  Whew... Is is June yet?

Now, don't get me wrong.  No matter how stressed I'm getting, I still love this job and appreciate coming to work everyday.  I've just been a bit more frazzled and nervous and overwhelmed lately.  So much so that today I decided I needed a B-R-E-A-K.  An EOG BREAK.  A break from all things related to getting ready for the big test.  Luckily, it's PLC day here at school, which means me sitting in on all of the grade levels' team meetings.  I've never needed time out of my office and with my favorite staff more than today.

Talk about a breath of fresh air!!  Today was JUST what I needed, because we have the absolute best staff there is.  Just being in the presence of the most thoughtful, talented, selfless, caring teachers helped me find the floaties I will need to stay above water throughout the next month.  I am so honored to work amongst such great people.  I truly believe we have the Best.Staff.Ever.

So on we trek toward EOGS and toward the end of the year.  Hopefully we can all lean on each other and depend on one another during our frazzled moments.  I just hope that during those moments we can all look around and appreciate each other and the fact that we truly work alongside some incredible people.

Don't Forget!

-Now - May 13th - DIBELS EOY Sweep Week

-May 9th-10th - Extend 1 Retesting

-May 10th - Extend 2 Administrator Training 3:45

-May 11th - Extend 2 Proctor Training 12:00

-May 16th - May 19th - Extend 2 Testing

-May 18th - EOG Room Check

-May 19th - EOG Class Grids Due to Peele

-May 20th - EOG Background Info/Survey

-May 23rd-26th - EOG Testing

-May 31st - June 3rd - Remediation Week

-June 1st - NCTeacher Review in Computer Lab 3:45

-June 6th - 9th - EOG Retesting

The First Day of School

Think back...

To the night before the first day of school.  We may have been sad about our summer coming to an end, but our stomachs were undoubtedly full of butterflies, our hearts skipped a beat, and our palms were maybe even a tad sweaty.

To me, there's nothing like the anticipation and excitement that comes along with the first day of school.  Packing a new lunchbox, picking out a new outfit... Yes, I still do these things, and enjoy every minute of it!

Why, you may ask, am I referencing the first day of school on April 8th?

Well, we just came back from Spring Break.  On Monday morning, one of our incredible teachers here at Moore stopped by my office during her Specials, and filled me in on the "pep talk" she gave her kids.  I was so inspired by her words, and told her this.  She responded, "Well, it just sort of feels like the first day of school!  Last night I couldn't sleep, I had butterflies, and so today I decided to try to pump my kids up."

And that got me thinking.  Remember how inspired we all are on the first day?  The skip in our steps, the gleam in our eyes, the excitement of all of the new ideas in our heads?  What if we approached each day - or at the very least, each Monday - with that same vitality?

I know, I know - we're exhausted.  We're counting down the days until summer break.  We are SO.READY. to be done with this year.  But let's face it, THIS YEAR is not going anywhere.  So we should make the best of it - give it all we've got during this last quarter.  Make it a goal to refresh ourselves over the weekend in order to approach each Monday with a "Let's do this!" spirit, with a "We can do it!" attitude.

Kids feed off of our energy, trust me.  So if we all make it a goal to inject the school with this energy, I guarantee we'll see a climate change.

If it means buying a new lunchbox and a new outfit every Sunday from now until June, I'm DEFINITELY in. :)

Don't Forget!

-April 21st - Kindergarten Screening

-April 25th-28th - Extend 1 Testing

-April 29th - Spring Fling!

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

-May 16th-19th - Extend 2 Testing

-May 23rd-26th - EOG Testing

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

Curriculum Updates

After a busy two weeks, it's some for some updates from the wonderful world of curriculum!!

*Toni Bigham*

• General Information
• We learned from Ms. Bigham that the district is trying to move to an electronic report card.  They are wanting to create a K-2 committee and a 3-5 committee comprised of teachers, parents, people from EC, the Arts, etc.  If you are interested in volunteering send me an email and I'll pass on your information.
• As a district, we are slipping in math!!  We've been putting so much emphasis on literacy, we've been letting math fall by the wayside a little bit.  EVERY teacher should be using math indicators.  Thoughtful planning MUST occur.  Concepts must be re-taught AND discussed in PLC's.  We HAVE to start using Common Formative Assessments (CFA's) as a central part of PLC conversations.  Essential Questions (EQ's) are SO important... should be posted, discussed, referred to, and closed with (discussed more later).

*Deborah Hartman*

• Formative Assessment
• There are so many types of assessments, but we have got to start focusing more on formative assessment.  All Curriculum Coordinators are currently going through the online NCFalcon Formative Assessment modules.
• Formative Assessment means actively, continuously assessing your students not just weekly, but daily, to ensure that concepts are being understood.  If we wait until the end of a math unit to test students, and a student fails, it's too late!
• Assessment is part of the Teacher Evaluation Tool (Standards I and IV).
• CFA's - Help us compare our teaching with each other.  We can all think we're great in our heads, but we don't really know without CFA's.  They are designed to be used to change instruction, to make us better!
• After Quarter Testing, teachers should NOT be going over every single problem or every single passage.  That's punishing the kids with the test!  Use the data (which is a sampling of the curriculum) to inform your instruction... pinpoint the students who struggle with particular objectives.

*Kim Wesley & Deborah Gaither*

• Math Updates
• Again, we need to pick it up in math.  Indicators and Week-by-Week Essentials are our STRONGEST math tools.  Every single teacher should be using them!
• Essential Questions are one of the easiest ways to tweak instruction NOW.  Posting an objective or a topic is not enough... We should be posting QUESTIONS that our math lessons revolve around.  These questions should increase rigor and higher order thinking for students.  We should use them to open up a math lesson, we should refer to them during the math lesson, and we should wrap up our math lesson with our EQ's.  60% of what teachers say during math instruction are questions, and are not planned.
• We received a GREAT resource called "Good Questions for Math Teaching."  If you are interested in borrowing it, first come first served!

*Benika Thompson*

• Science Updates
• Discussed the District Science Fair, which is tomorrow! (Go Ava!!)
• STC Kits - refurbishment requests will be sent out in April.
• Teachers must stop doing science in isolation!!
• Do you preview vocabulary?  It's one of the only ways students can be successful in learning new concepts.

*Janie Costello*

• DIBELS Updates
• Students who achieve benchmark (green) have a higher probability of becoming successful readers.
• However, green does not necessarily mean students are safe!  Green is only the 50th percentile, so students at the cusp of green need to be watched carefully.  Remember, you can Progress Monitor whoever you'd like!
• Students who are poor readers at the end of first grade are not likely to ever catch up.
• We analyzed district data for MOY versus BOY... We're keeping green kids green, but we're also keeping red kids red

*Patti Grant*

• Social Studies Updates
• The district is looking at doing more combining of Social Studies and Science next year.  They realize the day is so stuffed, but we cannot skimp on these subjects!!
• One of the main concepts they want kids to know is the Five Themes of Geography:
• Place
• Movement
• Human-Environment Interaction
• Region
• Location

And that's all for today!!!  Have a wonderful week!

Don't Forget!

-February 22nd - WSFCS Science Fair at SciWorks

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

-February 28th - Milkshake Chugging Contest... Wooten vs. Dixson vs. Peele (6:00pm at Chick-Fil-A)

-March 2nd - Dr. Seuss' Birthday!

-March 3rd - Multicultural Night

-March 17th - March Madness Dads' Basketball Game

Early Spring? Or Long Winter?

Yesterday, Punxsutawney Phil braved the cold to let us know whether to expect an early spring or a longer winter.  He didn't see his shadow, which means bye bye cold weather!  But wait...

Greensboro's "Woody the Groundhog" DID see his shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter.  But...

Lexington's "Lil' Bit the Hog" did NOT see his shadow, agreeing with Punxsutawney Phil that spring is just around the corner.

So what will it be?!  Capri pants and sandals or scarves and mittens?

All of this confusion got me thinking... Why do we so often worry about the things we cannot control?  Like the weather... Or if our team is going to win the Super Bowl.

Why don't we focus on the things we CAN control - like our reactions to present circumstances, our attitudes toward our lives and toward each other.  We can only play with the hand we are dealt, and we don't usually get to choose our cards ourselves.

So let's try to stay focused on the things in life we can control... I'll either be appreciating the crisp, cold air and the fire in the fireplace or embracing the warm sunshine and putting away my coats.

In the meantime... Bring it on, Mother Nature.

Don't Forget!

-February 2nd - 4th:  Moore Elementary Science Fair (Judging is TODAY... stay tuned for our winner!)

-February 18th - WSFCS Spelling Bee (Good luck to our school rep, Xavier!)

-February 22nd - WSFCS Science Fair at SciWorks

-February 28th - Milkshake Chugging Contest... Wooten vs. Dixson vs. Peele (6:00pm at Chick-Fil-A)

-March 3rd - Multicultural Night