Friday, December 30, 2016

The Middle Update - Holiday Break Edition

As we come to the end of the 2016 portion of our school year, it's important to reflect on the start of our school year before we look ahead to the 2017 portion, and plan for how we will continue the upward trend in the knowledge and skill building of our students.  The blog post today will include some reflections and data from the start of our school year, looking ahead to the rest of the school year.

Reflection on our School Culture
Overall, it feels as though we have seen gains in establishing a culture for students that is learning and achievement focused.  Don't get me wrong, there are still improvements to be made in this area.  Growing a culture where every student wants to achieve, and works hard to achieve is a difficult task, and can only be accomplished by a consistent (daily, yearly) commitment by each member of our staff to instill this mindset in every word, action, and interaction with each student (especially those that challenge us the most).  We also need to take an innovative approach to targeting the areas that need it most.
Based on qualitative evidence, many pieces of anecdotal observational evidence seem better than in years past (clear hallways when they should be, students consistently engaged in classroom activities, classroom activities aligned to learning goals, regular student practice on rigorous tasks, very few lunch time incidents, etc.).  Also, some of the culture data that we track are also pointing to signs of improvement (see below).

Behavior Referrals -
14-15 - 158 Events, 55 Students
15-16 - 100 Events, 47 Students
16-17 - 52 Events, 28 Students

Tardy Data -
15-16 - 822 total instances
16-17 - 450 total instances

1st Quarter Puma Pride Data (% with ALL ME's)
15-16 - 73%
16-17 - 73.5%

Attendance Rates
14-15 - 95.28%
15-16 - 95.90%
16-17 - 95.51%

Like Marzano's (2003) research says "Schools can have a tremendous impact on student achievement if they follow the direction provided by the research." What we do every day, with every student matters, and the quality of our school and the school experiences that we facilitate for our students impacts the opportunities for their future. If we continue to work hard, seeking ways to improve upon the already strong practices that we have in place, our students will continue to benefit, not only in a positive school experience, but more importantly, by having more options for the direction they want to pursue when their time with us is complete. When I think about working in a school where at least 90% of our students are achieving both academically and behaviorally, meeting Puma Pride expectations, I get excited and inspired for this opportunity. I am thankful and appreciative to be on this journey with each of you.
End of Quarter 2
It is hard to believe, but we are less than 3 weeks away from the end of Quarter #2. The last day of the quarter is on Thursday, 1/19. Grades will be due by the end of business on Wednesday, 1/25.

Grades in Infinite Campus
I wanted to include a reminder that posted grades in Infinite Campus should reflect a student's current skills and knowledge within each standard. Please make sure to schedule in a time to review/update grades each week.

 Staff Meeting - Thursday, January 12
I originally scheduled a staff meeting for Tuesday, 1/17, but due to a conflict need to reschedule this date. On Thursday, 1/12 at 2:50, we will meet in Mrs. Anderson's room (#3) focusing on utilizing the communication opportunity that our quarter report cards provide.

 Grade Level Blogs
Our grade level blogs are a great way to communicate with parents about things happening in our classrooms. It also helps our parents to more effectively partner with us to help their children stay more organized. Many parents have commented on how much these little weekly blurbs are appreciated, as they receive an email when a post is published. See me if you need access to post about your classes.

 Winter STAR Testing Dates are Set
Students will be taking the STAR test in their respective ELA and Math classes on the following dates:
Reading - Tuesday, 1/10
Math - Wednesday, 1/18

 Next SOM Breakfast
The next Student of the Month Breakfast will be on Thursday, February 2nd.

 Twitter Find of the Week
Technology brings a wealth of information that is accessible in a manner of seconds. Educating our students about how to evaluate the credibility of the variety of sources out there is crucial. Here is one professor's take on how to effectively do this with our students.
 4 hours ago
A 6-step strategy for evaluating websites as information sources: .

Duty Next Week
Morning - Vian, Johnson
Bus - Odden
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The Middle Update - Holiday Break Edition

As we come to the end of the 2016 portion of our school year, it's important to reflect on the start of our school year before we look ahead to the 2017 portion, and plan for how we will continue the upward trend in the knowledge and skill building of our students.  The blog post today will include some reflections and data from the start of our school year, looking ahead to the rest of the school year.

Reflection on our School Culture
Overall, it feels as though we have seen gains in establishing a culture for students that is learning and achievement focused.  Don't get me wrong, there are still improvements to be made in this area.  Growing a culture where every student wants to achieve, and works hard to achieve is a difficult task, and can only be accomplished by a consistent (daily, yearly) commitment by each member of our staff to instill this mindset in every word, action, and interaction with each student (especially those that challenge us the most).  We also need to take an innovative approach to targeting the areas that need it most.
Based on qualitative evidence, many pieces of anecdotal observational evidence seem better than in years past (clear hallways when they should be, students consistently engaged in classroom activities, classroom activities aligned to learning goals, regular student practice on rigorous tasks, very few lunch time incidents, etc.).  Also, some of the culture data that we track are also pointing to signs of improvement (see below).

Behavior Referrals -
14-15 - 158 Events, 55 Students
15-16 - 100 Events, 47 Students
16-17 - 52 Events, 28 Students

Tardy Data -
15-16 - 822 total instances
16-17 - 450 total instances

1st Quarter Puma Pride Data (% with ALL ME's)
15-16 - 73%
16-17 - 73.5%

Attendance Rates
14-15 - 95.28%
15-16 - 95.90%
16-17 - 95.51%

Like Marzano's (2003) research says "Schools can have a tremendous impact on student achievement if they follow the direction provided by the research." What we do every day, with every student matters, and the quality of our school and the school experiences that we facilitate for our students impacts the opportunities for their future. If we continue to work hard, seeking ways to improve upon the already strong practices that we have in place, our students will continue to benefit, not only in a positive school experience, but more importantly, by having more options for the direction they want to pursue when their time with us is complete. When I think about working in a school where at least 90% of our students are achieving both academically and behaviorally, meeting Puma Pride expectations, I get excited and inspired for this opportunity. I am thankful and appreciative to be on this journey with each of you.
End of Quarter 2
It is hard to believe, but we are less than 3 weeks away from the end of Quarter #2. The last day of the quarter is on Thursday, 1/19. Grades will be due by the end of business on Wednesday, 1/25.

Grades in Infinite Campus
I wanted to include a reminder that posted grades in Infinite Campus should reflect a student's current skills and knowledge within each standard. Please make sure to schedule in a time to review/update grades each week.

 Staff Meeting - Thursday, January 12
I originally scheduled a staff meeting for Tuesday, 1/17, but due to a conflict need to reschedule this date. On Thursday, 1/12 at 2:50, we will meet in Mrs. Anderson's room (#3) focusing on utilizing the communication opportunity that our quarter report cards provide.

 Grade Level Blogs
Our grade level blogs are a great way to communicate with parents about things happening in our classrooms. It also helps our parents to more effectively partner with us to help their children stay more organized. Many parents have commented on how much these little weekly blurbs are appreciated, as they receive an email when a post is published. See me if you need access to post about your classes.

 Winter STAR Testing Dates are Set
Students will be taking the STAR test in their respective ELA and Math classes on the following dates:
Reading - Tuesday, 1/10
Math - Wednesday, 1/18

 Next SOM Breakfast
The next Student of the Month Breakfast will be on Thursday, February 2nd.

 Twitter Find of the Week
Technology brings a wealth of information that is accessible in a manner of seconds. Educating our students about how to evaluate the credibility of the variety of sources out there is crucial. Here is one professor's take on how to effectively do this with our students.
 4 hours ago
A 6-step strategy for evaluating websites as information sources: .

Duty Next Week
Morning - Vian, Johnson
Bus - Odden