Panda Ponder"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." -Dalai Lama Shout Outs (Bucket Fillers)
Happy Birthday to...Ms. Rucker 10/5 Principal Foster 10/5 Ms. Goens 10/11 Counselor Brown 10/24 Ms. Lowe 10/25 Meetings THIS Week
EVENTS THIS Week
Intervention Block and the Reading Lab ClarityIntervention Block: (Homeroom Classes)
Update on Panda Community GateringsThe Panda Community Gathering Committee is so excited for this Friday’s second PCG! In an effort to speed up the entire event, we will do a few things differently. Please read below so that we can all be on board Friday morning. This is a work in progress, so please be patient with us as we try this. And of course, if you have any suggestions, I’m all ears!
TKES Activity to Complete by Oct. 5thIt is time to complete the next step of TKES – Professional Learning Goal or Professional Learning Plan (you do not complete both) If one of the following apply to you, you should complete the Professional Learning Plan:
Please choose one of the following standards, which are related to the school’s priorities and goals, to center your goal around:
Memo from Principal Foster |
letter_memo_on_tkes_standards_5_and_6.doc | |
File Size: | 182 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Free Notebook Paper & Spiral Notebooks
Benchmarks are Coming up
Panda Ponder
Prioritizing Teacher Self-Care
It’s a simple self-care strategy: Teachers text a colleague to cover their class for a minute when they need to de-escalate and recharge.
Shout Outs (Bucket Fillers)
- Ms. Johnson, Ms. Curtis, Ms. Gay, Mr. Allen, Mr. Floyd, and Mr. Alphabet thank you for awesome cafeteria duty!
- Ms. Norton, as always thank you for the fast work with RTI and making sure our students are supported.
- Ms. Goens, Ms. Evans, and Ms. Biundo thank you for a seamless transition for our students.
- Kindergarten teachers, awesome American Symbol Projects! You can see the hard work put into their work!
- 2nd grade love seeing the dedication your students are putting into building their cars!
- Ms. Gibson and Ms. A. Williams your Pre-K students are learning the ropes and becoming a strong community.
- Everyone, thank you for your data discussion, great learning!
- Mr. Vicence, Ms. T and Mr. Lester thank you for keeping out school so clean and safe.
- Ms. Green thank you for your continued passion for SEL, the benefits are noticeable.
Happy Birthday to...
Meetings THIS Week
- Monday 9/24/2018 K-2 Teachers/ 3-5 Math and Writing Teachers PLC @ planning time
- Goal: assist instructional development as you work to provide high-quality instruction. The PLCs will focus on needs within the classrooms, finding resources to help bring growth in teaching and learning, and encouraging the sharing of best practices with one another.
- Tuesday 9/25/2018 Grade Level Planning in classrooms @ 3PM
- Goal: Analyze and reflect on data to drive student content mastery
- Wednesday 9/26/2018 PLC/Content Planning in classrooms @ 3PM
- Goal: Develop a common understanding around student learning outcomes through effective lesson planning by asking key questions and completing a skeleton lesson plan using the lesson plan template.
- Goal: Develop a common understanding around student learning outcomes through effective lesson planning by asking key questions and completing a skeleton lesson plan using the lesson plan template.
- Thursday 9/27/2018 K-2 Kindergarten Teachers PLC @ planning time
- Goal: assist instructional development as you work to provide high-quality instruction. The PLCs will focus on needs within the classrooms, finding resources to help bring growth in teaching and learning, and encouraging the sharing of best practices with one another.
- Friday 9/28/2018 1-2 grade Teachers/ 3-5 Grade Reading Teachers and Content Teachers PLC @ planning time
- Goal: assist instructional development as you work to provide high-quality instruction. The PLCs will focus on needs within the classrooms, finding resources to help bring growth in teaching and learning, and encouraging the sharing of best practices with one another.
Free Notebook Paper & Spiral Notebooks
BrainPop Training
4th Grade Teachers- Woodruff Arts Pre-Visit Survey
Panda Ponder
-Maya Angelou
Shout Outs (Bucket Fillers)
- Shout out! To all teachers who have brought classes to the media center for book check-outs.
- Ms. M Miles for practicing math facts while on a bathroom break- kids were engaged not a minute lost in the day
- Paraprofessionals- thank you for doing an awesome job in the cafeteria even though it was a crazy day with the garden tasting.
- Thank you Ms. Norton- Thank you for supporting our EIP students.
- Good luck to Ms. Biundo in her transition to 3rd grade.
- THANK YOU Michelin Taylor for putting all of the students into LEXIA!!!! Your efforts are greatly appreciated!
- Awesome job Ms. Dottery with establishing daily greeting routines for your class.
- 1st and 2nd grade thank you for your flexibility with the changing of schedules.
- Ms. C. Green thank you for your support with SEL- our school is growing in SEL because of your support and coaching.
Happy Birthday to...
Ms. Soesbe 9/16
Meetings THIS Week
- Monday 9/17/2018 All Teachers PLC in Grade Level Chair's classroom @ planning time
- Goal: assist instructional development as you work to provide high-quality instruction. The PLCs will focus on needs within the classrooms, finding resources to help bring growth in teaching and learning, and encouraging the sharing of best practices with one another.
- Goal: assist instructional development as you work to provide high-quality instruction. The PLCs will focus on needs within the classrooms, finding resources to help bring growth in teaching and learning, and encouraging the sharing of best practices with one another.
- Tuesday 9/18/2018 Grade Level Planning in classrooms @ 3PM
- Goal: Analyze and reflect on data to drive student content mastery
- Wednesday 9/19/2018 PLC/Content Planning in classrooms @ 3PM
- Goal: Develop a common understanding around student learning outcomes through effective lesson planning by asking key questions and completing a skeleton lesson plan using the lesson plan template.
Lexia Information from Ms. Taylor
P.S. If you were a special education teachers last year. I was not able to assign log-in information. I will speak with Ms. Johnson to see what we need to do to add you to the Parkside portal. Thank you for ALL you do and have a wonderful day!
Write Score Computers will be NEEDED
- 4th Grade - Monday, September 17, 2018 - 92 students (5 carts will be needed)
- 5th Grade - Tuesday, September 18, 2018 - 90 students (5 carts will be needed)
- 3rd Grade - Wednesday, September 19, 2018 - 80 students (5 carts will be needed)
- Make-ups Thursday, September 20th (5 carts will be needed)
3rd, 4th, and 5th Write Score Schedule this WEEK
UPDATED TESTING SCHEDULE
ALL teachers will administer the test to their homeroom students between 8:20-10:05 for two (2) days on the following dates:(special education teachers can test SPEC students in their classrooms if needed).
Important links and Reminders
- View the student video - https://vimeo.com/229043301
- Student Log-in link - http://student.writescore.com/#/login
- Read the attached documents to familiarize yourself with the Write Score Portal and Resources (5 attached)
- Pick up your assigned Chromebook Carts from Ms. Wilborn the morning of your assessment
If you have any questions or concerns please email or give Ms. Taylor a call.
5th GRADE Monday 9/17/18 8:30-10:05 Section 1 60 minutes Selected response Questions 1-24 | 5th GRADE Tuesday 9/18/18 8:30-10:05 Section 1 60-75 minutes Narrative response Questions 25-28 |
4th GRADE Wednesday 9/19/18 8:30-10:05 Section 1 60 minutes Selected response Questions 1-24 | 4th GRADE Thursday 9/20/2018 8:30-10:05 Section 1 60-75 minutes Narrative response Questions 25-28 |
Want a Reading Endorsement?
The Reading Endorsement is divided into three courses consisting of 5 Professional Learning Units each. There will be two cohorts and the classes will be offered outside of the instructional day on Mondays and Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. A part of the content for each course will be delivered online. A more detailed schedule and syllabus will be provided on the first day of class.
Course Start and End Dates
Course I – October 2018 – December 2018
Course II – January 2019 – March 2019
Course III – March 2019 - May 2019
The cohorts will be held at the site locations below:
Thursdays Cohort A (Usher Collier Elementary School ) Instructor: Dr. Samantha Fitts
Mondays Cohort B (Therrell High School) Instructor: Dr. Isaac Sparks, Instructor
Welcoming Students with a Smile Article
Welcoming Students With a SmileGreeting each student at the door with a positive message brings benefits for both students and teacher, according to a study
A widely cited 2007 study claimed that teachers greeting students at the classroom door led to a 27 percent increase in academic engagement. The problem? It included just three students.
Now a new, much larger and more credible study—comprising 203 students in 10 classrooms—validates that claim: Greeting students at the door sets a positive tone and can increase engagement and reduce disruptive behavior. Spending a few moments welcoming students promotes a sense of belonging, giving them social and emotional support that helps them feel invested in their learning.
The first few minutes of class are often the most chaotic, as students transition from busy areas such as the hallway or playground. Left unchecked, disruptions can become difficult to manage, but a proactive approach to classroom management can help students get focused and ready to learn. Rather than address disruptive behavior as it happens, proactive techniques—like greeting students at the door and modeling good behavior—reduce the occurrence of such behavior as teachers and students build a positive classroom culture together.
In the study, when teachers started class by welcoming students at the door, academic engagement increased by 20 percent and disruptive behavior decreased by 9 percent—potentially adding “an additional hour of engagement over the course of a five-hour instructional day,” according to the researchers.
Ten middle school teachers were randomly assigned by the researchers to one of two groups. The first group started class by greeting their students at the door, saying each student’s name while using a nonverbal greeting such as a handshake or nod. The teachers also used precorrective statements—reminders of what to do at the start of class like, “Spend the next few minutes reviewing what we covered yesterday.” If a student had struggled with their behavior the previous day, the teachers often gave a positive message to encourage them to improve.
Teachers in the second group attended classroom management training sessions offered by their schools, but they weren’t given any specific instructions on how to start class.
Researchers observed classrooms in the fall and spring, looking at academic engagement—how attentive students were to their teacher or classwork—and disruptive behavior, including speaking out of turn, leaving one’s seat, and distracting classmates. Both measures improved in classrooms where teachers greeted their students, confirming what many teachers already know: Meeting students’ emotional needs is just as important as meeting their academic needs.
“The results from this study suggest that teachers who spend time on the front end to implement strategies such as the PGD [positive greetings at the door] will eventually save more time on the back end by spending less time reacting to problem behavior and more time on instruction,” the study authors write.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
Why do positive greetings work? When teachers use strategies like this, they help “establish a positive classroom climate in which students feel a sense of connection and belonging,” the study authors write. “This is particularly important considering the research demonstrating that achievement motivation is often a by-product of social belonging.” In other words, when students feel welcome in the classroom, they’re more willing to put time and effort into learning.
Nonverbal interpersonal interactions, such as a friendly handshake or a thumbs-up, can help make greetings feel authentic and build trust—as long as students feel comfortable with physical contact.
When greeting students at your door:
- Say the student’s name
- Make eye contact
- Use a friendly nonverbal greeting, such as a handshake, high five, or thumbs-up
- Give a few words of encouragement
- Ask how their day is going
Disruptive behavior is contagious—if one student misbehaves, it can quickly spread to other students. And while most teachers try to respond immediately, punishment often backfires. Research shows that trying to fix student misbehavior may be futile because doing so can spur resistance and more misbehavior instead of compliance.
“Despite overwhelming evidence that such strategies are ineffective, many teachers rely on reactive methods for classroom behavior management,” explain the study authors.
So instead of asking, “How can I fix misbehavior?” teachers could ask, “How can I create a classroom environment that discourages misbehavior in the first place?” In many cases, low-level disruptions and disengagement have less to do with the student and more to do with factors that the teacher can control, such as teaching style and use of stimulating activities. For example, a study found that when teachers encouraged students to participate in classroom activities rather than lecturing to them, students were more likely to stay on task.
Another recent study provides additional insights: When teachers focused their attention on students’ positive conduct and avoided rushing to correct minor disruptions, students had better behavior, and their mental health and ability to concentrate also improved.
BENEFITS FOR TEACHERS, TOO
A welcoming classroom environment doesn’t benefit students alone—it can improve the teacher’s mental health as well. Slightly more than half of teachers--53 percent—feel stressed by student disengagement or disruptions. The consequences can be serious: A 2014 study found that “teachers report classroom management to be one of the greatest concerns in their teaching, often leading to burnout, job dissatisfaction, and early exit from the profession.”
All too often, teachers spend time and energy responding to misbehavior with corrective discipline, such as telling students to stop talking or giving them a time-out. These may work in the short term, but they can damage teacher-student relationships while doing little to prevent future misbehavior. Research shows that it can be beneficial for student and teacher well-being to instead focus on creating a positive classroom environment.
The takeaway: Starting class by greeting your students at the door helps set a positive tone for the rest of the day, promoting their sense of belonging, boosting their academic engagement, and reducing disruptive behavior.
Panda Ponder
-Henry Ford
Shout Outs (Fill Someone's Bucket!)
- Thank you everyone for your hard work, DAILY!
- Ms. Fassinger, Counselor Brown, Ms. Dennard, Ms. Brooks, Ms. Roach, Ms. Toyer for attending the Jackson Cluster Football game last Friday night!
Happy Birthday to...
Ms. K. Greene 9/15
Ms. Soesbe 9/16
Meetings THIS Week
- Tuesday 9/11/2018 Grade Level Planning in classrooms @ 3PM
- Goal: Analyze and reflect on data to drive student content mastery
- Wednesday 9/12/2018 PLC/Content Planning in classrooms @ 3PM
- Goal: Develop a common understanding around student learning outcomes through effective lesson planning by asking key questions and completing a skeleton lesson plan using the lesson plan template.
Reminders
- Complete the short Parkside Staff Climate Survey by Thursday, September 13th. Your answers are completely anonymous and will help us improve the climate and culture of our school. Please be as honest and as specific as possible.
Call 404-802-1000
click here
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@MelissaH_G
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