October 27, 2017

October 27

Many of you have asked for an update on Dylan’s hand. I appreciate the support and concern. He went to his three week check up on Tuesday and they said his hand is healing very well, despite the scare post surgery. He can move his fingers, he can make a fist, and has full flexibility!! Yay! The picture above is pre and post surgery. The bumps will always be there but now at least two of them are not controlled by the tumor- or so we think. This disease is so rare so it is all a trial basis. In the past year (2017) he has had to wear a mouth expander, got braces, wears a retainer on his bottom teeth at night, got glasses, has to do PT three times a day on his hand, wear special glove, AND he just got head gear to wear at night as well. At least he does it with a positive attitude. Not one complaint yet and he has his sister’s support who just says, “Dylan has a lot going on.” Can’t argue with that!!

Please be walking around when doing yard duty. Standing in one place and talking to another colleague takes the attention away from our students who need active supervision. Students forming a circle around you and talking to you also takes away from being active during supervision. The data that we will share at our staff meeting  will clearly identify that we NEED TO BE WALKING AND MONITORING BEHAVIOR. 

I attended the second day of our PBIS training and in the training they touched upon the 5 (positive):1(criticism) ratio and it’s not just about praise. It has to do with

• ·        Relationships
• ·        Rapport
• ·        Academic Engagement

They shared a great graph that showed in elementary school praise is given once every 11 minutes. In middle school once every 24 minutes! What a difference!

From a teacher:

“I came to school this morning with the lessons from yesterday fresh in my mind. I decided that I would focus on positive behaviors today, and try and let the negative go away on its own.  I started the day with a quick carpet talk, telling students how proud I was of all their good work and asking them to continue for today. I addressed a few issues but then it was off to work. I called students to my desk, or leaned over to talk to them every time I saw something respectful or helpful. At the end of the day, I sat at the carpet with them and asked if it was different today as compared to yesterday. I had 20 hands fly up and the comments ranged from, “you were nice” to “you liked us.” Talk about immediate feedback. I am sure every day will have new challenges and one day is not forever, but I believe that the first step to having a great day is being positive.” – George Kastanis, 3^rd grade teacher

Writing prompt should be finished. We will be grading it on November 14^th at our grade level meeting from 3:15-4:45 in the staff room. If you have already graded (with 2 readers) your papers and entered grades in academic conference worksheet you will not need to meet in the staff room to grade papers on November 14th. 

AR party will be on November 9th. We will be combining our October and November awards on October 27th. We will NOT have Dragon awards in November. I changed the schedule on the calendar.

Halloween day costumes: follow school dress code, no weapons, no blood, no masks.  Make sure food brought in on October 31 follows food policy guidelines. 

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you Christina and Patty for making a scarecrow for the Rotary competition and the school. Thank you Kami and Anthony for teaching our student how to create yummy dishes straight from the garden. Thank you Heather, Alee, and Jennifer for taking your kids to Wooden Valley so they could get a first hand look how wine is made. Thank you Fern and Leigh for supporting ALL of our students ALL the time!! Thank you Sarah and Cecily for helping out during after school dismissal. Thank you Melissa, Mindi, and Denise for going ABOVE and beyond to make sure our students have a caring and nurturing classroom environment. Thank you Brandon for stepping in last minute and leading the cookie dough assembly. 

Play: Get out in the garden and have some fun. We got new benches and wheelbarrows. Go check them out.

Choose your attitude: Your attitude can decide how you will feel for the rest of the day- EVERY DAY!!

Make Their Day:   Make at least one positive phone home this week. 

October 20, 2017

October 20, 2017 

NO EXCUSES UNIVERSITY – INTERVENTIONS

Culture of Universal Achievement

Collaboration

Standards Alignment

Assessment Plan

Data Analysis

Interventions

“Once children are taught what they need to learn and then assessed for their levels of proficiency, there needs to be appropriate, data-driven academic interventions to help students who are not on track to be proficient by the end of the year.  There also needs to be similar social interventions, because children who are emotionally well adjusted are much more likely to be academically successful.”

During our Academic Conferences we discussed interventions for our students.  In reviewing the data, we have moved past the excuses and how we can help them at school :)

When we review data, we focus on what the students don’t know and how we are going to provide interventions to support the students learning.

We have now completed MAP assessments.  What are you doing with the data?  What interventions have you put in place?  Here is an example:

If your student scores have low RIT score.   You are able to drill down into the results to determine on which standards the students need support in.  As an example in Math, when one drills down further into the data,  you may notice that the majority of the students struggled with expressions and equations.  A smaller number also struggled with use functions to model relationships. Then the teacher is able to develop very targeted lessons that can be delivered in a small group setting.  The teacher does not have to re-teach the entire class.  Targeted, immediate intervention will have a positive impact on student achievement.

We have just finished giving our whole school writing prompt.

11 Storyboarding Apps To Organize & Inspire Young Writers

www.teachthought.com/apps-2/11-storyboarding-apps-organize-inspire-young-writers

iPadifying the Writing Workshop

www.mguhlin.org/2013/10/ipadifying-writing-workshop-ipad-ipaded.html

We have Mystery Science for you. It is a great online resource that we paid for this year.  If you go to mysteryscience.com from a district computer you will go directly to an account that will allow you access to a one year subscription.  It is free and if you use your Google sign in and you will have access to lessons for your grade level.  DO IT!  You will have great lessons at your finger tips.

AR party will be on November 9th. We will be combining our October and November awards on October 27th. We will NOT have Dragon awards in November. I changed the schedule on the calendar.

District Science Fair

We would like to invite you to participate in the district science fair this year on Friday, March 16, 2018 at Armijo High School, from 4:30-6:30pm.  Any science or STEM students from grades 6-12 are encouraged to participate.

Please check the website for more information.  The site includes important dates, entry forms, general guidelines, and helpful resources.  If you are a science fair veteran and have resources to share, please send them to us and we will include them on the site.  
Feel free to pass on to any interested teachers.


EDIBLE EDITORIAL
Fall Seed Saving Tips, by Benjamin Eichorn
As plants go to seed in cooling temperatures across the northern hemisphere, now is a great time for gardeners to begin storing seeds. In this week’s edible editorial, “Farmer Ben” Eichorn explains the importance of seed saving and provides tips and resources for collecting and preserving seeds for future growing seasons.

Learn more about seed saving and general gardening from Ben’s book, Edible Gardening.
A Handful of Seeds, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center School Garden Program
This resource provides a seed saving curriculum for kindergarten through sixth grade. The lessons explore seed saving techniques, the history and political context of seed saving, the biology of seeds, and more.

Halloween day costumes: follow school dress code, no weapons, no blood, no masks

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you Daniel and Patrick for organizing a fun game of four square. Thank you teachers for playing this morning. Thank you for making some AMAZING scarecrows!! 

Play:  Come out tonight and support our PC. LET"S HAVE FUN TONIGHT!!! 

Choose your attitude: Your attitude can decide how you will feel for the rest of the day- EVERY DAY!!

Make Their Day:   THANK you for making posters, cards, and letters to our first responders- they appreciated it!! 

October 13, 2017

October 13, 2017

Wow it has been a week! So RELIEVED that our school and so many other homes have been saved. I truly believe that they were saved because of the support we received from SO many different states, FEMA, military, and MUCH more. I know many of us know families who have lost their homes and our hearts go out to them at this time. If any of you would like to get together tonight to debrief, have a drink, and maybe play some cards, are welcome to go to Sarah Daly's home.  They've had people there each of the last few nights and it's been really nice to see faces of friends and share experiences.  I'm a fan of community and so is she! 

5:00 -1759 Nantucket Court, Fairfield

Please let Sarah Daly know if you plan to come by.  

FAQ for Return to School on 10/16/17

Is there a message you want administration/site secretaries to provide to parents and community about air quality?

The school campus and classrooms are safe.  We will continue to monitor air quality in the region and respond accordingly.

Message from Kris:
Dear All Staff,

At this point, we anticipate resuming classes and all student activities on Monday, October 16.  Currently, all previous evacuation advisories, orders and road closures remain in effect.  At this morning's Emergency Operation Center briefing, however, we learned, that if all goes well, the evacuations will be lifted for our attendance area prior to Monday.  Please keep in mind that this can change.  

The good news is that the additional personnel support provided to fight the fire has resulted in some containment, as well as an increase in the ability to prevent the fire from spreading. (Bulldozing, fire retardant, air support, and back fires)  Much of the smoke can be attributed to the controlled back fires.  I cannot express enough my appreciation for the various county and city agencies and those who joined us from other state that have worked tirelessly around the clock to keep our county safe.

We will be sending out an all call to parents and staff in both English and Spanish later this afternoon and again on Sunday regarding the status of school on Monday.

This morning, I was able to get a Highway Patrol escort out to Suisun Valley.  Mike and Ken from maintenance joined me.  They checked out the classrooms, and things seem pretty good.  We will continue to monitor the air quality.  Currently, the air quality is a bit worse in the Cordelia area.

I do want to thank our administrators who have also been working tirelessly throughout the week to react, strategize, and plan during this crisis.  I also want to Nancy Dunn who joined us the last two days for meetings.  We have all learned a great deal.

Our goal is to resume all classes and student activities on Monday.  Staff members who are concerned about air quality may consider bringing a face mask to work.  We anticipate that the air conditioners which pull air from outside may be off on Monday.  Some staff members are bringing fans from home to help with air circulation.  Our maintenance team has some fans, but they will be responding to larger areas such as multi-purpose rooms or cafeterias that need additional air flow.  Again, all of this is based on Monday's outside air quality.

I have been in communication with superintendents from around the area.  Napa Valley Unified will be closed on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week.  They are in a very different situation that we are.  They had schools that lost power, internet and phone systems down, students and staff members who lost homes, and fires raging on both sides of them.  All Solano County schools anticipate being open on Monday.  Solano Community College is scheduled to resume classes on Monday.  Vallejo Unified has a previously scheduled staff development day so students will not be present on Monday.

Unless something changes, this will be my last ALL STAFF update until Sunday evening.  Sorry folks, no Friday letter this week!  :-)

#BeSafe #BeKind #BeAware

What is communicated to teachers and staff?
We will meet as a staff in the staff room at 8:00am (15 minutes) on Monday. I will have a poster for each staff/class/students to write thank you notes to our first responders. They are our HEROES!! Your room will smell a little smoky- the whole area smells smoky. If it is unbearable let me know. Please administer the writing prompt sometime this week. As long as it is finished by Friday. Picture day has been rescheduled. Please send progress reports home this week. Please be kind to each other- it has been a very stressful week!!

Will there be after school activities for students when we reopen?

Yes, all activities will resume as normal. The Health Department has issued guidelines to include with information to parents. Web page shows air quality: This information is linked here.

Will there be district sponsored Professional Development during the school day next week?

No.  We think teachers and students will want to be together next week.

Will there be after school activities, including Professional Development, for staff when we reopen?

Yes. There will be after school activities for staff. Activities from last week are being rescheduled.

If I am a staff member who’s been significantly impacted by the fire, what do I need to do?

Request a substitute in Absence Management (AESOP), as normal. If you plan on using Personal Necessity for more than two consecutive days, you need to submit a leave request. If you are sick for more than five consecutive days, you will need to submit a medical leave request to Human Resources. A medical leave request will require a doctor's note. If you have questions or concerns, contact Jennifer Taylor at jennifert@fsusd.org or (707) 399-5083.

Am I being docked for my absences on Tuesday, October 10 - Friday, October 13?

We are working on an agreement with all our employee units regarding Tuesday absences. F-SUTA has agreed in concept with the district regarding this matter. Wednesday - Friday are excused absences with no need to report to Absence Management (AESOP).

Can students wear face masks?

Yes, as long as the mask is a medical or dust mask. Halloween masks are not appropriate. 

How do sites access mental health support if that is needed next week for staff or students?

1. We will have Garret Miner on site on Monday.
2. Students and/or staff will be able to self-refer or be referred to the school psychologist or mental health clinician, as per standard procedure.
3. Site Administrators and /or mental health staff will provide Employee Assistance Program information to staff seeking continuing support. I will have flyers at our 8:00am meeting on Monday.
   

The MAP testing window was to close this week.  Has the window been extended?

Yes, the testing window now closes Friday, October 20th

When will the GATE testing window close?

The GATE testing window  now closes on Friday, October 20th

Will we need to add days to our instructional calendar to “make up” for the days that schools were closed?

The District will be applying for a waiver with the California Department of Education.  If approved, we will not need to “make up” for the days the schools were closed.  We will provide updates as we receive them.

How will the days missed affect the budget?

The District will be applying for a waiver with the California Department of Education.  If approved, the number of missed days are not included in the attendance reporting calculation for apportionment.

Will staff be allowed to access school this afternoon or over the weekend if they wish?

No.  Staff is NOT be able to access the school site, unless the site administrator opens the school during a designated time. I will be on site on SUNDAY from 9:00am- 1:00pm. STAFF WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BE ON SITE WITHOUT ME.

Will Harvest Festival still take place on Friday?

YES!! It will be a nice way for the entire community to come together and be thankful, but it is very short notice. We will see what we can pull off in one week. If we ALL work as a team I think we can do it!!

I TRULY LOVE OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR SCHOOL!! I look forward to seeing everyone Monday!!

Jas

October 6, 2017

October 6, 2017

 Have you caught the fever, I mean FlipGrid Fever?

    Just a few days ago, FlipGrid launched brand new updates and options that were designed with educators in mind! FlipGrid is a tool that easily allows for students to record responses to a topic using the built-in camera in their device. Topics can be based learning objectives, reflections, used for reading logs, and more! Check out FlipGrid Blog to learn more about the recent updates!  CHECK OUT HOW A TEACHER AT SV IS USING FLIP GRID BELOW

https://flipgrid.com/7dc00b

NO EXCUSES UNIVERSITY – DATA ANALYSIS

Culture of Universal Achievement

Collaboration

Standards Alignment

Assessment Plan

Data Analysis

Interventions

“It is one thing to have a sophisticated system of regular, formative assessments, but if that assessment data is not collected, disaggregated and reported in a timely and user-friendly manner, it becomes almost unusable.  We believe data must be easily accessible, openly shared, and deliberately arranged.”

There are three main components to data management:

#1:  Easily accessible

#2:  Openly shared

#3:  Deliberately arranged

Easily accessible:  We are so fortunate to have two data systems that provide us with on-the-spot data about our students, our schools, and our district.  If you have not become proficient on MAP, you are missing out on valuable tools that will help guide your conversations and actions.  The best part of MAP and Illuminate is that both systems are accessible to our staff.

Openly shared:  During our collaborative time with grade levels, we have shared multiple data sets that include district and site-level academic achievement.  We should currently be working with our school’s formative (or Common Core) data and providing intervention now.  Next week, we will be looking at writing. 

Deliberately arranged:  Over the last few weeks, we have been hearing lots of thoughts about student achievement – reasons for increases or decreases.  One of our commitments is to be specific when we talk about student achievement.  Student achievement data is readily available and we need to use it to describe academic progress.  Furthermore, as you look to each data set, make certain you drill down to the student level.  Don’t just look at the data from the 30,000 foot view.  Remember…data doesn’t always answer questions.  More often than not, it raises questions. AND DATA BELONGS TO THE STUDENT!

Halloween day costumes: follow school dress code, no weapons, no blood, no masks

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you Daniel, Heather H., Sarah, Anthony, Kristin, Mindi for being part of the RJ team. Thank you Fern, Leigh and Melissa for being part of a 2 1/2 IEP meeting. Thank you Patty for being our EL coordinator. Thank you Janice for being a great resource for MAP. Thank you Julie for meeting with our new teachers and keeping them informed. 

Play:  5th grade thank you for making cooking FUN!!! 

Choose your attitude: Your attitude can decide how you will feel for the rest of the day- EVERY DAY!!

Make Their Day:   THANK you Mindi and Vicki for making our day in the front office!