http://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=7577
Hello Amazing Howard Staff,
Here’s a good real-life number talks math problem teachers can use with your students that will greatly help school secretaries in the future. “If school normally starts at 7:55am and there is a 2-hour delay, what time will school start?” We lost count of how many calls we had Thursday morning answering this question. One even made it to the top of the 4J Twitter post.
Thirteen items of note for this week:
• Staffing Information Update – I shared information last Tuesday in an email and at Tuesday’s Staff Meeting, but for a quick update we are still waiting to get our staffing for classified SPED, ESC, PE, Music, TSS, and BEST allocations. ESC is the main one holding me up sending out some staffing scenarios, but I’ll at least send out some licensed classroom scenarios Monday if I haven’t heard anything before then. Based on feedback so far on classroom configurations, we’ll likely have three classrooms at each grade level and the remaining 1.0 FTE would be for a fourth 2nd or 5th grade classroom or would be divided between the two with two 0.5 FTE facilitating teachers.
There will be an optional staff meeting Wednesday this week at 1:30 in the STEAM Room to discuss potential scenarios.
Next week I’ll meet with teams for input on scenarios, which are on the building calendar (KG 3/5 @2:30, 1st 3/5 @3:00, 2nd 3/6 @2:30, 3rd 3/6 @3:00, Classified 3/7 1:15, 3/8 4th @2:30, 5th 3/8 @3:00, Licensed Specialists 3/9 @2:30). Teams should let me know if these dates or times do not work. The following week I’ll notify staff of the final staffing plan that I’ll submit to HR, which his due March 15th.
• Earthquake/Fire Drill Monday at 1:30 – Since last week’s Earthquake/Fire Drill got snowed out, we’ll instead hold the drill this Monday at 1:30. I’ll announce the drill ahead of time for students. Remember there are many resources for teaching Drop, Cover, Hold at The Great Oregon Shakeout. Linked here is a copy of the Evacuation Map & Lines.
• March PBIS Focus: Safe Bodies – The March PBIS monthly focus is Safe Bodies. The PBIS team created a PBIS/CSC Cheat Sheet that matches our PBIS monthly themes with corresponding Caring School Community (CSC) class meeting lessons. This is an easy way to tie the two activities together.
• Library News – Two items of note form the library:
• Book Fair News! – Teachers please be sure to stop by on Monday to fill out your wish lists if you haven’t. Have a quiet time to look at the book fair. We received some amazing titles this year. Thank you for bringing your students to the book fair, everyone did a wonderful job. The kids are so excited! Teachers could you please remind students that our Literacy Night Free books are in the classroom not the book fair, there was some confusion today with some students.
• Library Book Returns – Please do not have students bring library books back this week and instead have them keep books in the classroom. We don’t really have the space to check books in this week.
• Adding Students to Fast Math/Fraction Nation – For upper grade teachers, while trying to add new students to Fast Math and Fraction Nation last week, Erin figured out that Fast Math is a site license, so there’s no limit to how many students we can add, but Fraction Nation has a limited number of license, so students are only added by request. Howard’s license count may have reached it’s limit already, but there’s currently enough extra licenses in a district pool and I also suspect there may be some students listed who have moved.
If you have new students move in, Fast Math updates new students at the start of each week. If you get a new student who can’t access Fast Math, send a request to add them to 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu, and add “Fast Math” to the subject line and include the student’s name that you need added. If you want to request a student be added to Fraction Nation, also submit a request through 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu with “Fraction Nation” in the subject line with the name of any students you want added.
• The One and Only Ivan Picture Book – I just ordered a copy of the picture book version of The One and Only Ivan story, called Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla. if anyone would like to borrow that from me ahead of Literacy Night.
• REPEAT: Literacy Night, Thursday, March 1– Great job getting those Literacy Night projects ready to show off! We’ll have sign-in sheets for each classroom and each family that signs in will get a book delivered to their classroom the following week. We decided for the dinner that pizza and cookies will be much easier and are ordering over 800 slices this time, so we should be safe from running out this time. The schedule will be:
5:30-6:00: Free Dinner (cafeteria)
6:00-6:45: Visit Classrooms
6:30-8:00: Scholastic Book FairTalk Literacy Night up to your students and let them know that the Roadrunner Mascot will be there!
• REPEAT: Literacy Night Staff Dinner – We’ll have a variety of pizzas and salads from Mezza Luna for staff this Thursday at 5:00 in the Staff Room. I’ll also be picking up a variety of drinks, so let me know if you have any special requests.
• REPEAT: Classified Staff Help at Literacy Night – We could use about 6-8 classified staff members to help set-up, serve, and clean-up in the cafeteria for Literacy Night. If you’re able to help, we can offer trade time or extended contract. Just let me or Corianne know if you’re able to help.
• REPEAT: Artist in Residence Schedule – I emailed updated info on Friday that the new artist is starting Monday, along with the updated Artist in Residence Schedule. I’m working to shift a few of the dates/times around to not conflict with Tier III Reading times, so I’ll let individual teachers know if there are any changes to the above linked schedule, but nothing will be changing for this week’s schedule.
• Dr. Seuss Recommendations – Ever wonder what Mr. Chinn’s 2nd and 3rd grade class used to do for Read Across America? I used to read to my class a lesser known story by Dr. Seuss that terrified me as a child, but also fascinated me, called What Was I Scared Of? about a disembodied pair of green pants that chase the main character through a dark forest the entire book. I also showed my class part of a little known movie called The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T which was the only live-action film Dr. Seuss ever worked on. It’s a musical about an evil piano teacher who dreams of chaining 500 students to a massive piano he wants to force them to play.
• What’s the Right Amount of Homework? – Decades of research show that homework has some benefits, especially for students in middle and high school—but there are risks to assigning too much. For elementary age students, the focus should be on cultivating a love of learning, and assigning too much homework can undermine that goal. Howard actually did away with Homework one year, but we have since drifted away from that. Read this Edutopia article as to what’s the right amount of homework.
• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Google Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:
February 26 (M)
Artist in Residence #1 Begins
Book Fair Opens
12:30, Allan to Formal Observation
2:30-3:30, Site Council Meeting (Conference Room)
4:00-5:30, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Ed Center)February 27 (T)
11:30, Allan to Formal Observation
2:30-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Mellissa/Mariah’s Room, RM23)
6:00-7:00, Howard Kindergarten Orientation (Library)
7:00-8:30, Building 4J’s Future: Bond Community Forum (Kelly MS)February 28 (W)
1:30, Optional Staff Meeting to Discuss 17-18 Staffing Scenarios (STEAM Room, RM16)
2:30-3:30, Student Care Team Meeting (Conference Room)March 1 (H)
PBIS Monthly Theme – Safe Bodies
9:30-3:30, Allan to TAG Workshop (Lane ESD)
2:30, Allan to Pre-Referral Meeting (Conference Room)
5:00-5:30, Staff Literacy Night Dinner (Staff Room)
5:30-8:00, Literacy Night5:30-6:00: Free Dinner (Cafeteria)
6:00-6:45: Visit Classrooms
6:30-7:30: Scholastic Book FairMarch 2 (F)
No School – Howard Academy/PD Day
8:00-12:00, Staff Meeting (Cafeteria)
12:00-4:00, Planning TimeMarch 5 (M)
Classified Employees Appreciation Week
1:15, Allan to Formal Observation
2:30, Allan Meeting w/KG Team, Staffing Input (Room 2)
3:00, Allan Meeting w/1st Grade Team, Staffing Input (Room 11)March 6 (T)
8:15-11:15, Allan to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)
10:50-12:05, 5th Grade Human Growth & Development
2:30, Allan Meeting w/2nd Grade Team, Staffing Input (Room 23)
3:00, Allan Meeting w/3rd Grade Team, Staffing Input (Room 18)March 7 (W)
Title 1 Progress Monitoring Day – No Groups
10:50-12:05, 5th Grade Human Growth & Development
1:30-2:00, EA Supervisors Meeting/Staffing Input Meeting (Room 26)
2:00-3:30, 4J Elementary EA Behavior Workshop (Ed Center)
2:30-5:00, Allan to Pay Grade Evaluation Meeting (Ed Center)
4:00-5:00, Allan to North Region Admin Meeting (NEHS)
5:00-8:00, University of Oregon Science Class at Howard (Rooms 16 & 20)March 8 (H)
10:50-12:05, 5th Grade Human Growth & Development
2:30, Allan Meeting w/4th Grade Team, Staffing Input (Room 27)
3:00, Allan Meeting w/5th Grade Team, Staffing Input (Room 9)
7:00-8:30, School Bond Spanish Family Forum (Library)March 9 (F)
2:30, Allan Meeting w/Workshop Team (SPED, ELD, Title), Staffing Input (Room 10)March 10 (SA)
9:00, OBOB Lane County Regional Tournament (Thurston HS)March 11 (SU)
Daylight Saving Time – Spring Forward!
It’s hard to believe we’re already be into March and that summer is only 3.5 months away!
Allan