March 9

March 9, 2018

On Thursday I spent the day at a PBIS training. It was a great reminder of systems. Our students are forgetting the Suisun Valley way and how to be a DRAGON. I came away with great reminders. We should be teaching/reviewing expectations at least 10 times a year. We need to be make sure that we are doing this with INTEGRITY: teach character ed. lesson 10 minutes every day, circles either weekly/biweekly, always tie back misbehavior to our school rules (Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, hand out TONS of positive!!! What I walked away with, if we ALL do this as a team, we will SEE a behavior shift- that is the GOOD news J

TIPS Problem Solving Elements:

The Problem Solving Process to do with your class:

·       Do we have a problem?

·       What is the precise nature of the problem?

·       Why does the problem exist, and what can we do about it? (Hypothesis and Solution)

·       What are the actual elements of our plan? (Action Plan)

·       Is our plan being implemented and is it working? (Evaluate and Revise Plan) Check in after lunch recess every day until it becomes a habit. IF WE ALL DO THIS IT WILL CHANGE BEHAVIOR

What is the goal? (What do we want to see?)

BEHAVIOR IS A MESSAGE (APPELSTEIN, 1998). WHEN CHILDREN AND YOUTH MISBEHAVE, OFTEN IN VERY SERIOUS WAYS, SUCH AS SETTING FIRES, COMMITTING VIOLENT ACTS OF AGGRESSION, OR CUTTING THEMSELVES – IT’S AS IF THERE IS A NEON LIGHT FLASHING OVER THEIR HEADS, ANNOUNCING: I NEED HELP! I NEED HELP! FORTUNATELY, ADULTS CAN RESPOND TO THESE CALLS FOR HELP WITH AN EFFECTIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGY. STRENGTH-BASED PRACTICE IS A PROVEN APPROACH TO GUIDING OFF-TRACK LIVES THAT POSITIVELY TRANSFORMS OUR MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

Overall our academic discourse for February was AMAZING!! I was able to visit 19 classrooms.  We definitely have gone up in our DOK 3 levels and DOK 2.  In your grade level meeting on March 20 you will discuss and take notes on what is the difference between DOK 1vs. DOK 2? What is the difference between DOK 2 vs. DOK 3?

WELCOME TO SUISUN VALLEY

My name is Trevor Nogueira, I graduated from Pacific Union College where I played basketball as well as Cal State Monterey Bay.  This is currently my second year in the district and love teaching PE. Younger kids know me as stitch as I frequently do the voice from Lilo and Stitch. If you see him on Monday please take the time to introduce yourself. 

Please welcome Gloria Olivares as part of our yard duty team on Monday. If you see her please take the time to introduce yourself.

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you for to EVERY staff member for reminding our students to be kind and to DO THE RIGHT THING!!

Play: Have a great weekend!

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:  Fill out a good news referral and make a student’s day. Hand out caught you doing something right tickets like CRAZY!!!

March 2

March 2

I heard this on the radio this morning on my way to work. A teacher, Marcey Raymond Kusper, had her students discuss school protests to honor the 17 victims of the Florida shooting. One of her students said, "I think it's stupid. How about you make friends with 17 kids you normally wouldn't instead of walking out of school." She said a great conversation took place in her classroom. Students said smile at 17 people you normally wouldn't smile at, say a kind word to 17 people who might not have someone to speak to, open up your heart to 17 people who might be hurting, offer friendship to 17 people who might have had none. Now that could change the climate of the school. 17 reasons for change . . . 17 reasons to make a difference. What is your 17? I like that slogan. Our students at SV are reporting that students are being mean to them during recesses. How can we teach our students to be kind to each other? BTW this is happening at all grade levels at Suisun Valley :(

Check out this cool report in Illuminate. See Melissa Beck for details. 

Here’s a great info-graphic and acrostic tool to think about high-quality and effective English
learner instruction as you are giving feedback in the lessons you are observing… Thank you
Howard Kornblum for sharing this.

Meta-cognitive learning

English language acquisition (EAL) teachers can enable ELs to adopt the habit of reflecting on the process of acquiring language.  Having students think about how they gain language skills makes them active learners of English and fosters their ability to apply strategies more independently (Hattie, 2012).  Teachers can build this reflection into any activity.

Reading: What strategies did you use to comprehend the text?

Writing: How did you communicate your ideas?

Speaking: What did you do to help others understand you?

Listening: What can you do to understand what others are saying?

These two in-depth articles provide further research that suggests planning metacognitive reflection into instruction.  One is from Teaching Excellence in Adult literacy, and the other is from Prof. Bill Jenkins from the Keck Center for Integrative Neurosciences at the University of California.

We will be evaluating our SPSA at our next staff meeting . Please take the time to look it over so we will be ready to work. We will then gather any feedback to help guide our SPSA plan for the following year =)  I KNOW you're excited about that!!

Here is a link to our SPSA 2017-2018:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B01G0KBLi4LvZU1SQnhGaEo4TGM/view

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Be there for your students teach character education every day! It does make a difference! 

Play:  Dr. Seuss day was today! So fun celebrating reading!

Choose your attitude: Have you said anything positive about your students today? A colleague? If you did, let them know :)

Make Their Day:   Make a difference in 17 students lives that you DO NOT know.

THROUGH THE FISH PHILOSOPHY, WE BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PEOPLE WE WORK WITH, THE STUDENTS WE TEACH AND THE PEOPLE WE LOVE.

February 23

February 23

Winter MAP data by grade level compared to Mean Status Norms. Overall our students have made a lot of GROWTH!! You should be very proud of your hard work!!

GRADE	Reading RIT SV	Reading RIT MEAN
1	171	171
2	193	184
3	200	195
4	209	203
5	213	209
6	220	214
7	219	216
8	224	219
GRADE	Math RIT SV	Reading RIT MEAN
1	178	173
2	197	186
3	199	198
4	211	208
5	216	217
6	221	222
7	223	226
8	230	229

Tell me and I forget.

Teach me and I remember.

Involve me and I learn.

~Ben Franklin

Sound familiar?  We have all heard this quote and we MUST truly drill it into our teaching.  How can we be MORE intentional with our teaching??  How can you incorporate movement since NO ONE loves to sit for close to an hour?  Please take a moment to read THIS ARTICLE about ways to make it a natural thing in your classroom!!

We will be evaluating our SPSA at our next staff meeting . Please take the time to look it over so we will be ready to work. We will then gather any feedback to help guide our SPSA plan for the following year =)  I KNOW you're excited about that!!

Here is a link to our SPSA 2017-2018:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B01G0KBLi4LvZU1SQnhGaEo4TGM/view

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Be there for your students- make sure they know their RIT scores and the growth they have made. 

Play:  Dr. Seuss day is on Thursday. What fun reading activity have you planned ?

Choose your attitude: Have you said anything positive about your students today? A colleague? If you did, let them know :)

Make Their Day:   Thank you for focusing on writing this week and showing students rubrics and how they work with their writing.

THROUGH THE FISH PHILOSOPHY, WE BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PEOPLE WE WORK WITH, THE STUDENTS WE TEACH AND THE PEOPLE WE LOVE.

February 16, 2018

February 16, 2018

Student engagement (one of THE MOST important things in teaching), building relationships with our students is CRITICAL to how effective we are as educators.  We cannot simply close the door, turn our back, ignore the signs, or pretend that our kids DO NOT need us.  They do.  Plain and simple.  So how can you build these relationships with 30+ students in your class?  Some ways can be simple.  Check out THIS ARTICLE on some of the "golden rules" of easy peasy ways to make SIMPLE connections.  C'mon people.  Don't they deserve it?  Don't YOU?

WOULD YOU WANT TO BE A STUDENT IN YOUR CLASS???

IF YOUR STUDENTS DIDN'T HAVE TO BE IN YOUR CLASS, WOULD THEY SHOW UP ANYWAY??

Grades 3-8: Please start practicing SBAC

It's a good time to start having students explore the CAASPP Practice & Training Tests. This will help prepare them for the CAASPP summative that they will be taking in just over 8 weeks. CDE has just released the California Science Test (CAST) Training Test as well. Please go to www.fsusd.org/assessment and click on the green button "SBAC Practice & Training Tests" to access the site. Students and teachers can access as a Guest at school or home. Once you get logged as Guest, you'll need to select a grade. Be sure to select Grades 5, 8, or 10 if you want to take the California Science Test (CAST). 

COLLEGE ESSAY CONTEST - begins Feb. 26

Have your students pick up a packet from the front office if they are interested in competing in our college essay contest. K-8 will be asked to write an essay explaining why they want to go to college. The winners of the contest will have their essays published on the school website and read their essay at the College Week Assembly. A drawing will be held for a Kindle Reader one for K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. Each grade level winner (there will be one for each grade) will receive a $10.00 gift card to Barnes and Noble. Let’s get excited about college!!

Read Across America: March 1: Be ready for a fun event on March 1!! I am so excited. We have people from the district office and community coming to read to every classroom. Please have a book ready for them to read. A schedule will be emailed to you from Kristin as soon as all RSVP's have been confirmed. Students (or you) will come in their pjs or dress as their favorite character.

 

Here are some websites for Read Across America:

http://www.pinterest.com/teachingblogadd/read-across-america-ideas-for-teachers/

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom-solutions/2012/02/five-ideas-perfectly-bookish-read-across-america-celebrations

http://www.seussville.com/Educators/educatorReadAcrossAmerica.php

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Be there for your students and have lunch with them.  

Play:  Sunny Days are FUN!!!

Choose your attitude: Have you said anything positive about your students today? A colleague? If you did, let them know :)

Make Their Day:   Thank you for making a students day and buying a LUV-A-GRAM!!

THROUGH THE FISH PHILOSOPHY, WE BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PEOPLE WE WORK WITH, THE STUDENTS WE TEACH AND THE PEOPLE WE LOVE.

February 9, 2018

February 9, 2018

Resources to teach black history month

CLICK HERE OR CLICK HERE

I know I have published this before and it's WORTH the read again.  Take a look at these 5 Tips for Avoiding Teacher Burnout so that we get to see your smiling face each day!  Want some ideas on Time Management skills so that you don't get burned out?  Check out these EASY IDEAS and suggestions to help you along the way!  

Here is a great pic (hard to see so click the link to take you directly to it) about 10 things every teacher should be able to do on Google Classroom, including manage multiple classes, invite co-teacher to a class, create a resource page, create quick exit tickets and polling (my FAV!!) and MORE! Check it out! 

Don't have money to take your students on a field trip. Check out this link for virtual field trips. So cool!! CLICK HERE

Parent Club has planned a SV McTeacher's Night on Tuesday March 13th, 5:00-7:00.

Four to Five teachers are needed to help hand out food and samples to customers during those hours.

If you would like to participate, please respond to Carole Nack and I'll sign you up.    =)

It's going to be FUN!!!

FEBRUARY 20 grade level will be focused on analyzing MAP data 

MARCH 20 grade level will be focused on grading our writing

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There:  Thank you Cecily, Carole, Melissa, Robin, and Michelle for leading our PD on Tuesday. We appreciate your hard work! Thank you Daniel for helping out when we didn't have a sub.

Play:  How do you incorporate play in your classroom?

Choose your attitude: Have you said anything positive about your students today? A colleague? If you did, let them know :)

Make Their Day:   Buy a luv-a-gram for a student! Make their day!!

THROUGH THE FISH PHILOSOPHY, WE BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PEOPLE WE WORK WITH, THE STUDENTS WE TEACH AND THE PEOPLE WE LOVE.

February 2, 2018

February 2, 2018

ANNNNDDDDDD here are more and more ideas on effective teaching strategies for our students.  These are SIMPLE.  EASY.  NOT COMPLICATED.  seriously,  give them a try!  Easy strategies from simply believing in them and validating their self worth, to creating an active learning environment, and enabling our students to become active citizens, read THIS ARTICLE for more!!

WOULD YOU WANT TO BE A STUDENT IN YOUR CLASS???

IF YOUR STUDENTS DIDN'T HAVE TO BE IN YOUR CLASS, WOULD THEY SHOW UP ANYWAY??

Support our student council and buy a luv-a-gram (Feb. 1-12) for your students. You may want to check with student council and get a list of students who may not receive one and buy one for that student. This is a great way to make their day and support our school!

MAP and Khan Academy for Math – great resource HERE

Character trait for this month is citizenship HERE

Add your Padlet fish moment HERE  for staff meeting

Assessments:

MAP testing window is from Feb. 5^th -23^rd. We recommend that you give MAP testing the first two weeks so the last week can be held for make ups. We will not need to create a testing schedule for this since everyone has their own chomebooks now J

Our district writing assessment will be administered February 26 - March 16 for our K-5 schools. Teachers that teach grades 6-8 will have January and February to get the test done.  Their window is larger to allow them to pace the test with Springboard which has larger units than Benchmark and may take longer to cover the content of the testing genre.  The genre for all grades is opinion/argument.  K-1 will use the prompts from the last two years, 2-5 will use the performance tasks from Benchmark Unit 5 and 6-8 will use the same prompts from last year.  Grades K-2 will be paper pencil and all other grades will be done on Illuminate.  For grades 2-5 it will be helpful if teachers finish unit 5 prior to the test to give some context for the test and to make sure the content of opinion is covered.  This would follow the pacing guide for the year with Unit 4 done in January and Unit 5 done in February.  Shelley Ghannam is putting the details together for everyone so questions can be directed to her if you need details.

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There:  When people need you, they need you.  Setting aside distractions and judgements to be fully present is a sign of respect.  It improves communication and strengthens relationships.

Play: You can be serious about your work without taking yourself too seriously. Play is a mindset more than a specific activity.  It allows you to throw yourself with enthusiasm, creativity and CURIOSITY, into whatever you are doing, in a way that is natural, not forced.  “Playing” with ideas helps you find solutions to everyday challenges.

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?”

Make Their Day:   Simple gestures of thoughtfulness, thanks and recognition make people feel appreciated and valued.  When you make someone feel good, you feel good too.Thank you Patty and Christina for the beautiful flowers and for updating our bulletin boards in the hallway and at the district office!

THROUGH THE FISH PHILOSOPHY, WE BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PEOPLE WE WORK WITH, THE STUDENTS WE TEACH AND THE PEOPLE WE LOVE.

I APPRECIATE AND RESPECT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.