Shout-Outs & Celebrations
(Consider sharing your shout-out!)
- Thank you to Mr. Roche for leading our vertical teams around SIOP, the importance of vocabulary and academic language. Your knowledge, strategies and sense of humor are greatly appreciated!
- Thank you classroom teacher Ambassadors … what a refreshing mid-year check-in! And, many thanks to those providing coverage!
- Huge thanks to those offering suggestions for our upcoming renovation! LOVED your energy and enthusiasm at the input session! It’s going to be so awesome!!
- Kelly W & Andrea ... what a fabulous UN Council activity ... our students loved it! Thank you for the time and energy you invested to individualize the activities for each country. Wow.
General Updates
- Lockdown drills are periodically conducted to prepare students and staff in the event of a threat emergency on campus. Remember to review the lockdown procedures reviewed at the beginning of the year on the following video. In the cafeteria, the lockdown location is in the kitchen, behind the serving line. A copy of Lockdown FAQs was placed in your box.
- REMINDER: please supervise all transitions to and from electives, including those mid-transitions. We definitely notice an improvement in safety and efficient transitions with increased adult presence.
- As you are revisiting expectations this month, remember to reintroduce the purpose of the safe place, something every classroom is to have as part of our community agreements. The safe place is not a “naughty spot”, but rather a place to regain composure in moments of sadness, fear, frustration, or anger. One proven strategy is for teachers to close the safe place and model using it themselves for students. Then, having all students practice using the safe place individually before reopening it helps de-stigmatize it. Please see Judy, Katie, Leslie, or Mary with questions about the Safe Place as a classroom structure to support community.
IRT/Literacy Updates
- Future Vertical Team Professional Development Dates:
- 4/5 - 10:45-11:45
- 2/3 - 12:40-1:40
- K/1 - 2:00-3:00
- February 24th: K/1 will continue work around the NKT data and Core instruction. 2-5 will look at Case21 Math Data.
- March-May dates TBD
- Case21 assessments will be the week of January 30th. I have updated the schedule and I have added staff to help test as well as testing locations. Please check the schedule and make sure the dates still work with your plans.
- Scoresheets will be in your mailboxes. Please go through the scoresheets ahead of time to ensure that you have your entire class roster. I have blank sheets if needed for students who are missing.
- SSA students are included in the homeroom of their SSA teacher. Please plan to send your SSA students to test when their SSA class is testing. Check the schedule and touch base with their teacher to make sure you know when to send them.
- If you have any students who are MIB, please bubble them in before you return the scoresheets back to me.
- ***Do you have enough calculators for your Math test?
- mClass: (NEW INFO) The Home Connect Letter is to be printed and provided to parents after each benchmark period.
- The mClass window has been extended to January 30th.
- DORF BLITZ
- Prior to the Blitz, classroom teachers will provide Kristin and Kathy with a list of students who will NOT be assessed. (ie: red/yellow students or those who will be highly distracted in a blitz setting) Those students will be assessed either in class or by classroom teacher, an intervention or CCR teacher.
- Classroom teachers will bring their students to the Media Center at their designated time. Each adult will administer the DORF to a student. Remaining students will wait with the supervising adults and then will be rotated to the next available assessor.
- We will be administering DORF only. Kindergarten will not be blitzed on these days. They will receive support in the mornings during the window.
- Electives will run both days with students going to their 1st elective ONLY on Tuesday and their 2nd elective ONLY on Wednesday. The times are listed on the schedule.
**Please take the time to look at the proposed schedule. We did our best to avoid recess and lunch...if you notice an overlap that affects you, please let us know ASAP so that we can fix the schedule.
- Quarter 3 Resources:
- Q3 Math Alignment Lessons ~ Student and Teacher (those who requested) will be delivered as soon as they arrive.
- Math Major Work of the Grade: https://docs.google.com/a/wcpss.net/document/d/1SGP0Q0fPKMw2jeRV8Ss733YfWaUftGuBuwtt0yEhcSY/edit?usp=sharing
Magnet Updates
- TOURS - January tours are upon us. The magnet application window opened last week. We have full tours these next few weeks, until January 31. Please check your classrooms and hallways to make sure they are ready for visitors.
- MONTHLY GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES:
- GLOBAL SCHOOL PLAYDAY (is originally on February 1, however we will observe it on February 8 this year, since we will have no internet in the building that day).
- PLAY! No screens - No Structure
- Other than taking a few pictures, try to be invisible and let the kids play. Provide an hour of unstructured play, not playful teacher-led lessons. Do you realize how much reading and math is involved when playing board games? You will be amazed at what your kids do! Check out the link for more information.
- Don’t interfere with your students unless you see something that is not safe or hurtful.
- WORLD READ ALOUD DAY (is on February 16)
- World Read Aloud Day is celebrated by millions of people in more than 100 countries. It motivates children worldwide to celebrate the power of words and creates a community of readers taking action to show the world that the right to literacy belongs to all people.
Media & Technology
- Calling All Library Books: We currently have more than 700 overdue books in the media center. While many of these overdue books are a result of the holidays and snow days, we need your help to remind students to bring their books back!
- Media Center & mCLASS Blitz:
- The media center will close from about 9:30 to 1:30 on mCLASS Blitz days
- SHOPPING! Come visit the professional development book shelf next to the psychology/speech room. You are welcome to “shop” for any books on this shelf. Any books not taken will be sent to ERD land on Feb 13th.
- MTAC (Media & Technology Advisory Committee): We need 2 K-2 representatives and 1 more 3-5 representative to serve on this committee. We meet once a month in the media center. We need your help! Email Lynn ASAP! (vchristiansen@wcpss.net)
- Update to Campus-Wide Reimaging:
As the February 8th date approaches, please be sure to to read the following carefully.
1) Back up ALL files from your computers!
2) Then check to make sure your backed up files open on another device!
- Apply stickers from Kathy & Chris to your staff laptop and power cord
- Stickers will be in your mailboxes early next week
3) Bring your cleared, labeled staff laptop and power cord to the media center stage
- If your laptop is issued from central office, this will not impact your device - EXCEPT, there will be no internet on campus all day!
- If you have DELL desktops in your classroom, they will no longer work after Feb 8th. They are too old to be reimaged. We will work with grade levels to distribute the devices that we do have. We have to do our best to make it to the end of this year! Remember, EACH classroom will be getting a brand new laptop cart! YAAY!
- Previous Campus-Wide Reimaging Info (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!)
On Wednesday, February 8th, we will be having a campus-wide reimaging. (YAY!) Our server will be replaced with new hardware and the operating system will be upgraded. ALL computers will be reimaged. (DOUBLE YAY!)
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU:
- SCHOOL-WIDE: There will be ZERO access to computers or the internet via ANY devices (cell phones, iPads, laptops, desktops,etc) on Feb 8th.
- We will use this opportunity to participate in a Global Game Day, since we will not have access to technology. (More info to come!)
- You will need to backup ALL files from your computers by the end of day on February 6th. (laptops and desktops)
- BEST THING TO DO: Make sure the files you backed up exist, by trying to open the backed up files on another device BEFORE deleting on the original device
- You will turn in your staff laptops for 1 day for reimage. You must include power cord. Kathy and I will put labels in your mailbox. Attach these labels to both your laptop and power cord. Bring to media center on February 7th by 4:00 PM
- (from Chris) Thank you to my Wiley family:
I want to take a moment to thank EACH and EVERY one of YOU! January 31st will be my last day at Wiley. Wiley is my home and you are my extended family; this has been a very difficult decision. I will be working from home with my daughter and staying with my reserve unit. May you:
- continue to investigate and share the world,
- recognize the perspectives of your colleagues, students & community members
- communicate your thoughts and ideas in innovative ways,
- and take action to inspire growth, reflection & change!
I am honored to have been part of all things Wiley! See you on Fridays; I’ll be wearing my volunteer badge.
Important Dates
Happy Birthday ~ Carolyn Watkins - 1/22
This Week:
Monday, 1/23:
Tuesday, 1/24: mClass Blitz
Wednesday, 1/25: mClass Blitz
Thursday, 1/26: Staff Social (more information to come from Sunshine Committee)
Friday, 1/27: Make-Up Day (sorry) - WILL RUN AS REGULAR FRIDAY SCHEDULE
Upcoming Dates:
- January 30th ~ Magnet Tour
- Week of January 30th ~ Case21 Grades 2-5.
- February 1-15th ~ Kindergarten and 1st grade MOY NKT assessment window.
- February 6th ~ Quarter 2 Report Cards sent home in Monday Folders.
- Feburary 8th - Schoolwide Reimage project - no computer use
- February 8th - Third Quarter Electives Begin
- February 20th ~ MAKE-UP DAY