General Updates
Open House: Please note that we will open the doors to our parents Thursday, September 29th. The evening will begin with a general kick-off meeting and introduction of staff at 6:00pm in the media center followed by two information sessions (6:30 and 7:00) in your individual classrooms. Please be prepared to showcase an overview of the community you establish in your classroom, accompanied by curriculum highlights and general information. Please plan with intentionality to convey information that will be worthwhile for those that attend. Teaming teaching pairs should plan to present as a team (Dow/Perlanski, McCann/Robertson, Womack/Murdick, 5th grade team). *Free childcare is provided by the YMCA in the cafeteria. **When discussing homework, be sure to highlight authentic, meaningful tasks that will supplement your work in the classroom. Specifically, provide question stems to promote rich dialogue about reading experiences! Don't leave parents 'high & dry' to figure things out on their own!
Renovation: Last week, the board presented a long-range plan for renovations, and Wiley’s renovation is targeted for the 2018/19 school year. During that time we are slated to relocate to a “swing space” at the Ninth Grade Center in Garner (intersection of Hwy 70 and Timber Drive). Leslie will participate in the initial meeting of the design phase this week with members of WCPSS facilities & construction, administration, and the architect team. This is an exciting time for Wiley, and we will keep you posted each step of the way! As such, please direct questions about the renovation to Leslie.
Picture Day: Picture day will be on Monday, October 3rd. There is a sign-up sheet in the office. Please use the pencil provided in case we have to make corrections.
General Reminders:
~Please remember to turn off your projectors when not in use to be responsible stewards of our resources.
~Have students pick up paper, etc. off the floor each day and place trash bins in the hallway by 4:15pm.
~Bell dismissal times for electives are as follows. For safety and supervision, all students should be leaving the classrooms at these times. 4/5-10:38, 11:18, 11:58, 2/3-12:28, 1:08, 1:48 K/1-1:53, 2:33, 3:13 Please see transition supervision descriptions for your posts here.
Breakfast Trays:
Please collect breakfast trays and take them with you to the cafeteria for recycling.
IRT/Literacy Updates
- mClass: Just a reminder that the mClass window closes end of the school day on Monday, September 26th. Please let Kristin or Kathy Foglia know if you are having trouble completing your TRCs before this date.
- mClass and Gradebook: To clarify, mClass is not an assessment that can be used for a grade in Gradebook. It is best used as a benchmarking tool to make decisions around core and small group instruction.
- Interim reports: Interims for grades 2-5 should be completed during the week of September 26th. Please send them home in Monday folders on 10/3. Kindergarten and First grade will not send interims home for Quarter 1, and, MCLASS letters and NKT information will be shared during October conferences. Language and Elective Teachers, please make sure you have interims in teacher mailboxes by Friday end of day so teachers can add to their interims. Thank you!
- Conferences: Conferences for all grade levels should be held before report cards are sent home. We are hoping to use these conferences as a way to prepare parents for what they will see on the report cards and to explain our Tier II process. Identifying those students who will need the extra layer of support and explaining to parents what this means will hopefully help to cut down on parent referral requests after the first report card goes home. Teachers will receive a letter to go home with interim reports (2nd-5th grades) that will clarify the mClass Home Connect report and Tiered Intervention. K-1 teachers will receive the letter as well, to accompany the Home Connect reports that are shared at conferences. *NOTE: Home Connect letters do not go home with K/1st students, but are instead reviewed at fall conferences.
- When is your Read Aloud time? K-2 Teachers, I would love the chance to come and read to your students. In order for them to feel comfortable with me being in your room, I feel that it is important that they get to know me. Please email me with a day and time that would work best for you. I am so looking forward to reading to and with your students!
- Opportunity for Teachers to participate in a WCPSS DEN Ambassador program. Would you like to learn more opportunities about how to use Discovery Education to break down the wall of your classroom, or to make your lessons more interactive and innovative with SOS? Come join us for the DEN Ambassador Program. For additional information, click HERE
Magnet Updates
- FIRST UN COUNCIL MEETING
- Please review the overview plan for our first United Nations Council meeting this week! Please email or see Chris or Laura with questions.
- GLOBAL READ ALOUD (October 3 - November 11):
- GLOBAL READ ALOUD BOOKS- ACTION NEEDED Please take the time as a grade level at your next planning meeting to decide which book(s) you plan to use for the GRA and how many copies of the books you need. (The sooner the better, so we have time to order.) If you are using the Picture Books we plan to order/provide a couple sets of all the books to share among teachers, let us know which books you may not already own and need us to provide. Please fill this form out so we can make sure to have what you need to make this a successful event for Wiley! Click HERE for the form.
- Jeff Carpenter and Julie Justice are two Professors at Elon University, and they are doing a research study about the Global Read Aloud. The purpose of the study is to describe and analyze the Global Read Aloud (GRA) project and to understand the perceptions and motivations of participants in the GRA project. They are looking for about 6-8 teachers to be observed during Global Read Aloud-related activities for 1-3 sessions. Their focus is the Global Read Aloud and not what you do, or how you do it as a teacher. If you would like to help these professors out please let me (Eman) know, so I can let them know. Thank you for helping out some fellow educators.
- MAGNET FAIR - Saturday, November 5th - ACTION NEEDED
- Please remember to sign up for the Magnet Fair on Saturday, November 5th. Please discuss with your team and sign up HERE. (I need all language teachers and at least one member from each grade level (if possible more from K).) Also, please consider helping with Setting up on Friday after school if you are unable to make it on Saturday. THANK YOU!
- UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL GOALS WEEK - September 18-24
- Did you know that this week 193 leaders among others met in NY to discuss how they plan on moving forward with the Global Goals. Take a few minutes to check out some of the latest action/videos that came out of this week on this Smore. (https://www.smore.com/p3ct9) These are great resources to use as you think about which Global Goal your grade level team plans to incorporate during First Quarter.
Instructional Technology Facilitator (ITF)
- Break Box Video: Here is a video I made for our older students using My Simple Show. Please continue to help your students understand the Safe Zone or Safe Spot in your classroom. It’s a great topic to revisit during morning meetings. Remember that the Break Box is just one tool available to students in your Safe Zone. If you need help with this space, please email Chris. I would love to help!
- LEGO Education at Wiley: Next week a link will be posted to the playbook. You will be able to sign up and reserve LEGO learning materials for your class. I will host several 30 minute LEGO orientation sessions throughout the year for staff. I would love to co-teach a LEGO lesson when you are ready!
- LEGO BuildToExpress (Grades 1 - 5, can be used in all subject areas)
- LEGO StoryStarter (Grades 2 - 5 for Literacy)
- LEGO MoretoMath (Grades K to 2)
- LEGO 3rd - 5th Math Kids (built by Eman and Chris)
Important Dates
Happy Birthday: Kathy Foglia - 9/30
This Week:
All Week: PDPs with Admin
Monday (9/26):
Tuesday (9/27):
Wednesday (9/28): PLTs; Intervention Team Mtg (plus Yuko, Hela, Matt & Zandra) @ 8:00am in Professional Learning Center (lounge); *Media Center closed from 9am - 12pm for renovation planning meeting
Thursday (9/29): Open House & PTA Mtg - 6:00 - general meeting, 6:30 & 7:00 - in-class sessions
Friday (9/30): Early Release Schedule; UN Council Mtgs @ 12:25 - Lunch times adjusted in the Playbook; Early Release - staff lunch provided by 2nd grade families
Looking Ahead:
Fall Pictures – Monday, 10/3
Walk to School Day – Wednesday, 10/5 (more information to come)
Staff Meeting – Thursday, 10/6 @ 7:45am
This Week’s To-Do List
- Take a look at the ‘Walkthrough’ slides presented at last week’s SIP meeting - lots of great links, of particular note are the links to grade level specific ‘I can’ statements.
- Turn in schedules to Leslie.
- Complete self assessment in teacher evaluation application.
- Review plan for our first UN Council Meeting.