May 24, 2018

May 24

Here is a pic of the sisters before the wedding ceremony. It was a busy week! We are very excited to welcome Steven to our family. It was so nice to hang out with family we haven't seen in years. It was like a family reunion.

Would YOU come back to visit YOU? Ask yourself, have I engaged my students?  Have I made a lasting POSITIVE impression on them?  Have I connected with them on a level more than just with subject matter?  If you said NO to any of these, take a moment to reflect on your teaching.  ARE YOU MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT AND A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE?
C'mon!  We know it is the end of the year and this is the time to TRY NEW strategies to keep our kids engaged!  How can you avoid burn out?  How can you put an end to kids "resting" in your classroom?  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE about easy hacks to incorporate in your classroom including small groups, moving, learning stations and more!  There are even classrooms on our campus that are already ROCKIN' with this so go SEE THEM IN ACTION!! Our kids deserve it!

PLEASE READ RECESS BEHAVIOR: Students are beginning to push each other across on the the u shaped bar that they hang off of (I don't know the official name of this thing). This has never been allowed and for some reason students have started doing this. Students are getting hurt. Please be active during recess and make sure you follow up with students that this is NOT allowed. 

Don't miss out on this exciting and engaging PD where you can learn all new ways and ideas for engaging students, increasing your technical knowledge, and all while attending an "unconference"!!  Sign up NOW and don't miss out!  It's going to be FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you for sharing so many classroom/student presentations. It was so nice to see the students be respectful of one another and take a true interest in what was being presented! Way to be a DRAGON!!!

Play: Thank you Cecily and Melissa for putting on an AMAZING talent show! So fun!!

Choose your attitude: 

To actually choose how you respond to life, not just react, you must be intentional. Ask yourself throughout the day, "What is my attitude right now? Is it helping the people who depend on me? Is it helping me to be most effective?" NO EXCUSES!!

Make Their Day:  Thank you Laura and Kristin for creating the video for Thursday's board presentation. Thank you Melissa for having Battle of Books on our campus. Thank you Sarah for creating a beautiful yearbook and making sure not ONE student was missing!! Thank you Sarah and Kami for being coaches for GOTR!!

May 29- June 1 Report cards due to Jas

May 29-  Dragon Awards; AR party 
May 30-  Royal King dance starts 

June 1 Last day for MAP testing

June 5  8th graders at Six Flags; Staff meeting/social 3:15 at Mangels

June 6 Royal King Dance student show 5:00pm 

June 7 11:00 Promotion

June 8 Field day, report cards go home, minimum day

June 13 and 15 Genentech work days at SV from 9:00-2:00

May 18, 2018

May 18

It is the end of the school year and it is CRAZY busy. On top of the normal crazy busy we usually have in our household, my youngest sister is getting married on Friday. She is having a traditional Sikh Indian wedding and it will be a week long of festivities in Yuba City. We are very excited and look forward to catching up with family that we haven't seen in years. SO in the evenings I will not be checking my email and will not be getting back to you as quickly on my cell phone. I will be at work every day :) 

Of course, there are multiple videos and articles covering social and emotional supports for students and why it's so important.  We NEED to use these strategies and supports in our classrooms.  Why is this important?  Why should you care?  Check out this article on WHY you should care.  Additionally, besides the obvious, social emotional supports help engage students and improve achievement.  How can we teach that in class?  Take a look at this easy read article HERE to take some time in your classroom to help teach and promote empathy and emotional supports.  

At Thursday's Board Meeting we will be presenting this video about our Permaculture Garden. Dylan, Maya, and Mikayla will be our student representatives that will be talking about our K-8 Ag program. If you can make it out to support our students the board meeting will start at 6:00 pm. 

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment:  Here is some information from Jenn Roush:

Textbook Recycling for Spring 2018

PLEASE DO NOT THROW BOOKS IN THE DUMPSTER! FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES
BELOW FOR SUCCESSFUL TEXTBOOK RECYCLING:

Elementary Sites: Encourage students to keep math journals and Benchmark consumables. If you
need to recycle consumables or materials that are not Board approved please request boxes from
IMC. You can box materials and schedule pickup with the warehouse. All boxes must be clearly
marked with an “R” (recycle.)

K-6 and K-8 Sites: Encourage students to keep math and ELA consumables. If you need to recycle
consumables or materials that are not Board approved please request boxes from IMC. You can
box materials and schedule pickup with the warehouse. This includes any unused Go Math
for grades 6-8. Encourage students to keep used Go Math and Springboard
consumables. All boxes must be clearly marked with an “R” (recycle.)

So before your count-down is up, take a moment to consider these ways to finish the school year with a smile.

Divide, destroy and donate

The end of the year is the best time to clean for the summer. So divide your classroom into sections and choose a different section to clean every day, that way the task doesn’t feel so overwhelming. In those sections, make a choice of what needs to be destroyed (papers with names and personal information, tests, etc.) and what could potentially be donated to a student, another teacher, or another school. (Did you really use that stack of Anne of Green Gables books this year? No. You didn’t.) This also is a great time to decide if there is anything to give to a student—perhaps a book inscribed by you, or a project that was never returned. You’ll feel great leaving your classroom ready for next year.

Deliver simple gifts to your teammates

As any teacher knows, this job would be much more difficult without the teammates on your hall. Whether it’s the teacher who always took that trouble kid under his wing, or the one who never fails to bring baked goods to the team meeting—the end of the year is a great time to thank your colleagues for making the job that much better. Some ideas? Flowers, a potted plant, or even a bag of their favorite coffee or tea can go a long way.

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you Christina, Sarah, Robin and Carol for a wonderful Parent Tea. You did a great job of creating a beautiful event for our parents!! Thank you FERN for being a ROCK STAR and getting all make ups done today!!! AMAZING!!

Play: Thank you for supporting each other during testing.

Choose your attitude: 

To actually choose how you respond to life, not just react, you must be intentional. Ask yourself throughout the day, "What is my attitude right now? Is it helping the people who depend on me? Is it helping me to be most effective?" NO EXCUSES!!

Make Their Day:  Thank you teachers who were able to make it to the parent appreciation tea :)

May 21st-24th Spirit Week

Monday: Dress in Disney gear
Tuesday:Wear western gear
Wednesday: Dress like a tourist
Thursday: Team /Spirit  gear

Upcoming dates:

May 21 - MAP testing begins

May 22 - 8:45 Talent Show

May 25 and May 28  No School

May 29- June 1 Report cards due to Jas

May 29-  Dragon Awards; AR party 
May 30-  Royal King dance starts 

June 1 Last day for MAP testing

June 5  8th graders at Six Flags; Staff meeting/social 3:15 at Mangels

June 6 Royal King Dance student show 5:00pm 

June 7 11:00 Promotion

June 8 Field day, report cards go home, minimum day

June 13 and 15 Genentech work days at SV from 9:00-2:00

May 11

This year we went up 25% in expectations defined, 30% in expectations taught, 25% decision making. Overall implementation went up 20%!! WOOHOO!!

Student Behavior/Adult Responsibilities

As we enter our last weeks of school (who is counting?), it is absolutely critical that we consistently reinforce our expectations, routines/procedures. We are seeing spikes in incidents of student behavior. As the adults on campus, it is imperative that we are supervising all students at all times as we escort students to/from class and reinforce our expectations about lining up, etc. Please make sure that adults are at their assigned duty areas, not congregating. We are required as professionals to monitor and supervise our students' safety on the playground and we gather in groups as adults when we are supposed to be supervising, we are putting the school and the employee in potential liability. Additionally, it is also the adults responsibility to monitor students if you send them outside to work.

What I Wish I Had Known Before . . ..

I wish I had know that my student’s behavior was a language- that their actions and words were telling me something what they were feeling or thinking. I wish I’d remembered that they did not get up in the morning plotting to do things to frustrate me.

I wish I’d known that meltdowns and explosions usually meant my students were tired, or hungry, or bored or frustrated themselves. I wish I’d known that they needed an adult to help them find the words to express what was troubling them. But they sure didn’t need a frustrated adult.

I wish I’d known more about child development, brain development and behavior. I wish I’d known that growing up is a slow process. I wish I’d known how each development stage has its own way of seeing the world. I wish I’d known that most times they saw things differently from me.

I wish I’d listened more to what was true about their hearts and spirits and personalities.

Makes me smile every time :)

Campus Safety and Locked Doors:  During a recent meeting, the Governing Board took action to modify
Board Policy 3515, Campus Security.  The modification included the sentence "Campus security procedures
shall include a directive for staff to keep classroom doors locked at all times." It is important to note that
while the doors need to be locked at all times, they do not need to be closed at all times.  As long
as the door is locked, it can be propped open. The locking of the door, even if open, allows the
classroom to be quickly secured should the need arise to go into lock-down or lock out.

Happy Mother's Day

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you Fern for making sure SBAC make ups are being done in a timely manner!! Thank you to every staff member to ensure testing is going smoothly our first week.

Play: Thank you Daniel for juggling so many hats this year and still smiling every day!!

Choose your attitude: The school year is NOT over - continue to be positive!! To actually choose how you respond to life, not just react, you must be intentional. Ask yourself throughout the day, "What is my attitude right now? Is it helping the people who depend on me? Is it helping me to be most effective?" NO EXCUSES!!

Make Their Day:  Thank you for everything you DO to make sure our students are successful every day!! You are amazing!!

May 4, 2018

May 4, 2018

*TESTING STARTS MONDAY!!! Thank you Janice and Kristin for planning a fun assembly. Thank you Julie and Christina for singing. AND thank you staff for taking a chance and dancing for our students!! Showing them you are willing to take a risk.  PLEASE continue to encourage our students to DO THEIR BEST!  Remember to give gum 20 to 30 minutes into testing.

Please remember a few important links and reminders:

CAASPP Quick Start Guides For Teachers

Test Administrator Resources for Summative Assessments

Starting point for all testing: www.fsusd.org/assessment

Please remember: 

*Students DO NOT log into Chrome Books!  They go to the bottom left corner to "APPS" and select AIRSecureTest.

*Technical issues during testing: Let Jas and Kristin know first, then Call 399-5100

*Technical issues during testing: Let Jas and Kristin know and then Submit an FMX ticket
*Please be mindful during recesses during testing. The basketball courts will be closed for the next two weeks until 12:25. Students will not be able to hang out on the blacktop near rooms 21, 22, 23. 

THANK YOU SARAH FOR CREATING THIS FUN VIDEO!!!!

Check out this cool link for Ag lessons California Agriculture in the Classroom

Please welcome:

Here's a little bit about me. 

I am a former FSUSD student - I attended Nelda Mundy, KI Jones, Green Valley Middle, and Rodriguez High, from 2000-2013. I graduated from UC Davis last spring with my BS in Human Development and Education. Currently, I am in the process of completing my Multiple Subject Credential and Masters degree through National University. My goal is to become a K-3 teacher. My husband is from Ohio, and is currently a civil engineer in the Air Force. In my free time, I love to play with my dog, cuddle with my cat, write songs, eat food, and workout. 

Thank you again for this opportunity! I am so excited for the coming weeks.

Best,

Alanna Kazimer

Dragon Teachers

When I began your class I think I knew

The kind of challenges you'd make me face.

You gave me motivation to pursue

The best, and to reject the commonplace.

Your thinking really opened up my mind.

With wisdom, style and grace, you made me see,

That what I'd choose to seek, I'd surely find;

You shook me out of my complacency.

I thank you now for everything you've done;

What you have taught me I will not outgrow.

Your kind attention touched my mind and heart;

In many ways that you will never know.

I will remember you my whole life through;

I wish that all my teachers were like you.

By Joanna Fuchs

Thank you for being the best all year long!!!

We have been celebrating Staff Appreciation ALL Week this week! If you’re a teacher, you know that these last days of the school year can be some of the most hectic days of all: report cards are due, cumulative folders need sorting, and kids are stir-crazy, watching the windows with envy. So before your count-down is up, take a moment to smile about the growth your students have made this year.