10.15.18










Instructional Updates:

~Assessments:
Please be sure you have completed all of your NWEA ELA and Math Assessments for each student, a DRA for each student and AIMSwebPlus Assessments (Oct. 19th). All data should be entered into the data logs in google by the dates below.

Data recording deadlines: 

DRA’s - October 3rd

NWEA - October 12^th 

AIMSwebPlus  - October 19th 

~Zearn:

Zearn is an instructional expectation.   

We are reviewing class reports and monitoring usage time per class every week.

Please take note of the following Zearn expectations;

·       Each class 1 - 5 should use the 50/50 model (30 minutes on Zearn and 30 minutes of small group instruction)

·       Zearn usage time of 120 minutes per week

·       Each student should have an average of 4 lessons a week

We have noticed that there are many classes that are significantly below the 120 minutes goal.

Please log into your Zearn account and review how many minutes your class is averaging a week.

Beginning this week, we ask that you aim to meet a goal of 100 minutes this week and work towards completing 120 minutes by the end of October 26^th, 2018.

By the end of this week aim for each student to have completed at least two lessons.

By the end of October 26^th, 2018 each student should complete 4 lessons a week.

Administration, Jeff Mikols and Jeff Good are willing to meet with you and support you with reaching these goals.

Administration will continue to review each class report for Zearn and monitor the completed goals and usage time consistently.

~Walk to Learn Intervention:

The instructional time for our Walk to Learn Intervention classes will increase to 45 minutes with the exception of first grade. First grade intervention block will remain 30 minutes.

WTL Intervention classes for grade 1 will begin on October 17^th, 2018

WTL Intervention classes for grades 2 – 6 will begin at a later date.  Information on when intervention classes for these grades levels is forth coming.

Please be sure to provide intervention to your students at this time by using www.interventioncentral.org

~Walk through focus:
The week of Oct 8- Nov. 2nd, 2018 our Walkthrough focus areas will be Morning meetings and Learning targets.  Please ensure you have kid friendly LT posted, you refer to them throughout your lesson and your students are aware of them and what they mean.  Also, be sure you are conducting your Morning Meeting each day and using all of the MM components.

~Upcoming Dates:
Superintendents Conference Day  - Tuesday, November 6th, 2018
Veterans Day (all facilities closed) - November 12th, 2018
Thanksgiving Recess - Wednesday, November 21st - November 23rd, 2018

~Upcoming School - Based Professional Development Opportunities:

 

     10.9.18


Principal's Message:
Greetings faculty, as the proud principal of John Walton Spencer school number 16 I would like to express how excited I am to be your school leader!
Nothing would make me any prouder, than having a dedicated, hard working team, who will go above and beyond to support what's best for our students.
To begin this journey, I must continue to reiterate the importance of being present and prepared to engage our children with positive experiences at school on a daily basis!
We can't afford to watch or talk about it!
Everyone must be apart of the work that needs to be done (Effective teaching and learning)!
I need a team that is willing to take our work seriously enough to serve as courageous, positive role models, plan relevant, engaging lessons for all students, have positive and supporting conversations with our children as well as do whatever it takes to make a difference, I need you to be the difference!

We all have a lot at stake, our students are the future! 

When we tell our story, yours and theirs, will be threaded throughout! 

Let's make sure it is a good story. A story that reflects resilience, growth, teamwork and that success is the end result! 

Lastly, I hope that  you gained some insight, knowledge and/or awareness about implicit bias, learning outcomes, the next generation learning standards, "Rochester Style".  This day gave us an opportunity to reflect, share and collaborate together. 

As a district and school, we will continue to plan and adjust learning around two key questions "what should students know & what should students be able to do & be like at the end of the year"?  

Principal Open Office Hours:

Tuesday  1:15-2:00  

Wednesday 11-12:30 

Thursday 12:15-1:15 

Friday 11:30-12:15  

Arrival and breakfast:
Arrival procedures have been much smoother the past couple weeks.  Most students are arriving and have entered the building by 9:05 with the exception of one or two late buses. Please take some time to reflect upon the arrival process, students entering the building and breakfast procedures and send L. Garrow and feedback that you have.  We are always looking at ways to work together as a team to improve our school - wide systems and processes.

Morning Meeting:
Please take some time to reflect on how Morning Meetings are going in your classroom and provide feedback to the team and administration.  Please send your feedback to L. Garrow and E. Cole via email.


Dismissal:
All walkers will be dismissed after the buses depart approx. 3:40.  All walkers will be picked up by the same adult who gets students who are picked up by their parents & taken to the gym.
In addition to the teacher who has been  students who get picked up to the gym, Ms. Michel will get the second graders and third grade walkers and Mrs. Agnitti will get the fourth and fifth grader walkers.  These students along with the students who get picked up by their parents will be picked up from your classroom approx. 3:20.


Station Rotations:
Each year we plan three station rotation events (fall, winter and spring) for our students to visit and learn/practice our school - wide expectations. The fall schedule has been sent out to you via email and also is posted under the PBIS/SOAR section of this blog.  The first set of rotations will begin tomorrow. It is our expectation that you follow the schedule and adhere to the times listed.  Please accompany your students to each rotation and be sure they are demonstrating appropriate behavior as our facilitators are teaching the expectations. If you have any questions, please see L. Garrow

Walk through focus:
The week of Oct 8- Nov. 2nd, 2018 our Walkthrough focus areas will be Morning meetings and Learning targets.  Please ensure you have kid friendly LT posted, you refer to them throughout your lesson and your students are aware of them and what they mean.  Also, be sure you are conducting your Morning Meeting each day and using all of the MM components.

Upcoming Dates:
Columbus Day (all facilities closed) - Monday, October 8th, 2018
Parent Teacher Conferences - Tuesday, October 9th, 2018
Superintendents Conference Day  - Tuesday, November 6th, 2018
Veterans Day (all facilities closed) - November 12th, 2018
Thanksgiving Recess - Wednesday, November 21st - November 23rd, 2018

October 1st, 2018

Happy October,

Our 1^st annual event for students and families was a huge success.  We had a huge turn-out with families, staff and community agencies.

Thank you for your attendance and time you spent preparing for this event.

A special Thank you goes out to  Ms. Brown, Mrs. Garrow, Mr. Rosenhack, Mr. Murray, Ms. Frazier,  Ms. Allen(parent) & Ms. Quick-Coleman and Mrs. Luke for your extra time and energy assisting with the event!

Please take a moment to review each section to the left of the blog.  We have posted  the weekly walk through data and feedback, instructional tips, monthly assembly information, a mindfulness resource link and other useful information for you.

Superintendent's Conference Day:
Please read the email that was sent to you earlier this week in regards to your reporting location and time. If you have any questions, please see an administrator. 

Upcoming Events:
Superintendent's Conference Day October 5th 
PTA Meeting - October 11th @ 5:30 PM
Family Reading Night - November 8th @ 5:30 PM

9.24.18
Hello Staff,

Thank you for your continued commitment. and support.

Your work matters, your efforts and labor is noted! 

So in the midst of the busyness, the frustrations, challenges and occasionally chaos – take a moment and remember the real reason that you are teaching and working with children! 

You are the Difference! 

Your purpose is HUGE! 

Let’s keep focused on providing solid rituals, routines, quality instruction and a safe learning environment where teaching, children and learning comes first!

Don’t give up! Don’t Quit! 

We’re just getting started, keep making a difference!

~Admin

Upcoming Events:

Open House - September 27th, 5:30 - 7:30
Columbus Day, School is closed, October 8th, 2018

Important Updates:

Lesson Plans:

After reviewing lesson plans this week,

·       25 out of 26 teachers that we visited had lesson plans.

·       21 of the 26 teachers had all of the suggested components included in their lesson plans. 

Feedback- Please continue to plan for effective and engaging instruction that meets the needs of ALL students.  

Disciplinary referral:

If you call for an SSO, please submit a referral as soon as possible.  It is difficult to address the concern if our student support staff does not have accurate information. No child should be sent out to the Eagles nest. Please review the tiered support flow chart to ensure the process is followed with fidelity and the process has an opportunity to work effectively. This process is getting better, if you are a special education teacher, please ensure your paraprofessional and teacher assistant are familiar with the process as well. If you feel a student is in need of additional support and you think he/she would benefit from counseling services, please do a referral for counseling and submit to one of the social workers.

Elopement and Wandering Plan:

Please see Mrs. Luke to sign a document that you have received and reviewed the plan.  The plan was sent to you via email.

Attendance:

Overall we are doing great getting attendance submitted in a timely fashion. Please continue to with your routines of taking attendance within the first 15 minutes of your students’ arrival to class. In addition, notify Ms. Brown if you have any students with attendance concerns.

Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI):

It was decided at SBPT that we will use LLI. The goal is to use LLI to lift and advance literacy achievement for all of our students. Training will begin on Monday 9/24/18.  Intervention teachers, reading teachers and classroom teachers will work together to complete DRA's in each classroom.

Please submit:

If you haven't submitted your classroom management plans, split class lists, emergency sub plans and your buddy teacher, please submit those items to administration.  

Assessments:
Please see the assessment section for our district/building testing calendar.

Resources:

Math Curriculum Resources

Please click HERE for convenient access to helpful Math Curriculum Resources.

Department of Science Technology & Engineering Curriculum Quick Links

K-6

K-6 Curriculum

K-6 Pacing Charts

K-4 Test Bank

K-4 Previous NYSED ELST Exam

RISE KIT Order Form

Have a great week!

9.17.18
Hello Staff,
Please be sure sure to read the staff updates that was sent in an email on Friday by Principal Roberts.
We want to thank you all for your patience as the contractors and our custodial staff  continue to complete the work in our building.  If you haven't sent items that you need repaired in to L. Garrow as of yet, please be sure you do so.  Mr. Johnson is working on completing the custodial requests. We would also like to thank you for your support and patience in regards to arrival and dismissal.  Please be sure to review the Assessment section in this blog and pay close attention to the NWEA Assessment Schedule that we have posted there.  The assessment begins Monday, September 17th, 2018. Lastly, we are asking you to take a moment and review past articles, mindfulness activities, instructional tips etc. in the various sections that we have posted in the past. This information can be used with your new students.
Have a great week,
Admin

Upcoming Events:
Open House - September 27th @ 5:30

9.10.18

Please be sure to review the weekly blog.  Visit each section of the blog for important information. 

All sections have been updated this week.

Administrative Message:
Welcome back!
Thank you for supporting us and working together to make the first week run as smoothly as possible.  We know that we still have some concerns to troubleshoot and we are working with the contractors and RCSD staff to solve the issues.  We want to thank you for your suggestions, patience and collaboration.  Please feel free to see one of us with any concerns and or feedback you have.
Have a great week,
Admin


Quote of the week:
“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”
- Sydney J. Harris


News you can use:
 Arrival 

• All staff should report to your posts on time.
• A new procedure for arrival and dismissal was sent out on Thursday.
• Small (Monroe transportation) buses will be located in the back of the school in the parking lot. TA/Paraprofessional and teacher teacher will take students to their buses

Breakfast

•        There should be 2 breakfast stations on both 1^st and 2^nd floors, please let us know if there are any concerns with breakfast.  We are currently working on getting an extra station for the Kdg wing.

·       Dismissal

• Preparation for announcements will be announced at 3:20 pm.
• 1^st round of buses (343-349); dismissed at 3:25.
• 2^nd round of buses (350-354) dismissed at 3:30 pm.
• Large buses will be located in front of the school. Buses 343-349 will be lined up first and buses 350-354 will follow.
• Small (Monroe transportation) buses will be located in the back of the school in the parking lot. TA/Paraprofessional and teacher will take students to their buses.
• All teachers, please buddy up with your grade level partners, collaborate & determine who will take the students to the buses and students who walk home in the 1^st round, who will take the remaining students to the buses for the 2^nd round and who will take the students to the back parking lot if they are getting picked up (grade levels that only have two teachers, have been assigned a support staff member to pick up these students at 3:25).
•  Please keep students in the classroom, not the hallway and wait for the                                          announcement to dismiss.
• Due to safety concerns, it is imperative that you follow these procedures.

Custodial Requests:

• Mr. Johnson is working on all custodian requests. Please understand that some request such as building repairs of newly installed items are the contractors responsibility and they are still working on the building. If repairs and needs are not taken care of, please email an administrator.

·    Keys:

•         T keys have been signed out to staff, if you haven't received one, please see a secretary in the main office..
•          All keys need to be returned to the main office prior to you leaving the building each day.

Lunch:

•         Please enter the café through the last door at the end and exit through the first door. 
•      Please bring your students in and seat them at their table.
•      Please be sure they have a book to read for DEAR.
•      When you pick up your students, please wait at the café door and the students will be dismissed by class to you.

SOAR Expectations:

• Please be sure to review the suggested lessons in the SOAR handbook with your students.  Be sure they are aware of the expectations in all areas of the school.
• Blue Soar bucks will be copied and be given to teachers by the end of the day Friday.

Committee Sign-up:

• The list is in the main office, please stop in to sign up for a committee.

Technology:

•  The computer lab will be used for intervention and enrichment purposes.  A schedule will         be created and sent out in the near future.
•  Chromebook Carts will be scheduled for classrooms within the next week. 
•  Chromeboxes will be set up within the next week as well.

   Walkthroughs and Learning Walks:

• Walkthroughs will begin this week.  Learning walks will begin late September/early October.
•  Please see the "learning walk/walkthrough" section in this blog for the focus areas.

   Blog Suggestions:

•       If you have any suggestions for the blog please email L. Garrow. The calendar in the blog will be updated with staff birthdays, dates and events.

    Staff Handbook:

•      It is imperative that you read through the entire staff handbook, it contains important information. 

June 4, 2018

June 4, 2018

Administrative Message:
Placement Cards:

• color coded Placement cards for student class assignments will be placed in your mailboxes on Tuesday June 5, 2018
• all teachers will collaborate per grade level to assign students to the next grade level.
• Please divide classes equally and equable (as much as possible) based on the following criteria:
• academic ability
• gender
• behavior
• all ESOL students, should be assigned to the same class / grade level
• CT and/or resource students should be assigned to the same class / grade level
• Return replacement cards to Mary in the main office by Friday, June 15, 2018.

Move Information:
Boxes and labels:
Packing:

• all unwanted books shall not be packed;
• 10 boxes will be delivered to each classroom  and 5 boxes for offices by Monday June 4th .
• All items that are moving require a move label. PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THE BOXES.
• Labels will be placed in mail boxes on Monday June 4th  (remember to track your number of boxes and general contents on the box inventory form).
• If you need more boxes, they can be requested by completing a pink form (forms will be placed in mailboxes starting Monday, June 4th.
• Return pink forms to anyone of the office clerks.
• Please use the pink form to request assistance from the packers (dates for 1st and/or 2nd choice date/time).
• the packers will be available to assist us starting June 4th from 12 - 8 pm.
• Saturday, June 8th (10-2:00 pm)is a day when the building at Freddie Thomas will be open for staff.
• Please refer to the Moving Instructions( attached in the follow-up email message about the move and the blog.
• Please refer to the attachment for more detailed directions about moving, packing and box inventory form.
• All text books with the exception of teacher manuals used by teachers over the summer, should be collected by

Purging:

• Garbage cans will be placed in the hallways after dismissal times beginning next week.
• please see Ms. Garrow for bags. If she is not hear, you may requests bags from a custodian.
• be mindful that all trash needs to be placed in the bags.
• do not over stuff the bags or garbage cans.
• All unwanted books or materials, can be given away to students.

Air Conditioning Unit/ Building Temperatures:

• The AC and cooler are currently under repair and crews are working over the weekend to get the unit up, running and fully operational
• communications have been sent home to families
• water and frozen treats will be continue to be provided as needed.
• Please continue to be patient with the students and engage them in peaceful, mindfulness activities that will alleviate, heat exhaustion , challenging behaviors and office managed behaviors.
• Please continue to plan engaging student activities and provide time for students to participate in brain breaks.

Recess:

• if you go outside please adhere to the recess schedule; refrain from transitioning close to dismissal time;
• Please review the SOAR recess expectations with your class prior to going outside.
• Be sure to get a radio from the main office and be aware of the radio usage protocols (communicating appropriately, speak clearly use last names when referring to staff, and return the radio immediately upon reentry into the building.

APPR - Observations & Evaluations:

• administrators will be contacting you to schedule meetings to discuss your final evaluations
• Please be sure to bring along any PD transcripts and laptop(s) to finalize your evaluation.

Summer PD
Instructional Focus 2018-2019 School Year:
Some of our instructional focuses for next year are; Step Up to Writing and strengthening the instructional core.  On August 21st, 22nd and 23rd, we will have building base professional development that targets Tier 1 instruction and the next steps for Step Up to Writing. If you have not assigned up for the summer PD, please sign up in the main office.

  

Important Dates:

• RTA Transfer Days are June 4, June 5, June 7, and June 12
• PD for Learning Targets is Tuesday, June 5^th at 3:45am OR Wednesday, June 6^th at 7:45am.
• Field Day June 14, 2018
• Flag Day June 14, 2018

Moving up - Moving On Ceremonies:

• Kindergarten - June 19, 2018
• 6th Grade -  TBD
• 8th Grade - June 20, 2018 (5:30 PM)