Resource of the Week
The article this week is a good one to check in on at this time of year. It is a solid resource for successful classroom management.
"7 Ways to Take Control of Your Classroom to Reduce Student Misbehavior" - www.thoughtco.com
Staff Contribution (Thank you Mrs. Larson!)
Presumed Competence
By: A. Stout
“What does it mean to presume competence?
Presuming competence means to assume an autistic person has the capacity to think, learn and understand-even if you don’t see any tangible evidence that such is the case. It’s assuming they are not inherently incapable; they just need the right supports and systems to help them succeed. It isn’t about wishful thinking, or overlooking the challenges that the person faces. Presuming competence is about giving someone a chance-and helping them take that chance in any way you can.
Why is it important?
If you assume incompetence and are wrong you will become frustrated, but more importantly, you have lowered expectations, which translates directly onto the individual’s future. Aim low, and you can only expect low results. But, aim high, and your student will be more likely to rise to meet those expectations.
How can we presume competence?
- Talk to your student normally.
- Avoid baby-talk and overly-simplified language.
- Speak at a normal speed.
- Make sure to directly the student directly rather than going through a third party
- Find a way to help the student communicate (i.e. pictures, gestures, sign language)
- Pay close attention to what they are trying to tell you, behavior is communication and it may very well be the way a student is expressing something important.
- Don’t withhold information from the student for fear they will not understand. Even if it doesn’t look like they are absorbing the information, they may very well be doing just that!
The only true failure is when we walk away and assume incompetence. What do we have to lose by trying?”
Link to the full article: https://blog.theautismsite.greatergood.com/presume-competence/
Field Trips This Week
We have a couple field trips on the schedule for this week. As of this writing, the 7th graders are set to go on their golf field trip on Monday, and 8th graders on Wednesday. If either is cancelled due to weather, we will run a normal school day for each grade level. When half of our 8th graders are on the golf course, the other half will be back hearing from some recent Poynette graduates about their experience serving our country. If you see these Poynette alumni (Rylie Denson, Autumn Peck) walking through the halls, don't hesitate to say hello.
Staff Meeting This Week
We will be meeting as a Middle School Staff on Wednesday at 2:50 in Mrs. Rogness' Room. We will be checking in on our progress so far this school year and hear from some teachers about the ways in which they are setting up their classrooms for students to continually raise the level and rigor of the discourse in which students dissect each other's work and their own thinking about complex topics.
Early Release Schedule
On Thursday, students will be dismissed at 1:15. We will be following our Early Release Schedule.
Student of the Month Breakfast
Our next Student of the Month Breakfast is scheduled for Thursday, November 1st at 7:00 am in the IMC. Please let Robin know who your nominees are by the end of the week, and also who will be representing each grade level for this month's breakfast. This is a great opportunity to recognize students who are doing great things in and out of our classrooms. If there is a special opportunity to recognize a student outside of the normal way we recognize students, please let me know.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Thank you for your efforts during conferences this past Thursday. I believe we had a pretty solid turnout for the first night, and we expect even more families to be coming through this Thursday afternoon and evening. A great opportunity to meet and get to know our students on a deeper level by understanding the families they live with day in and day out.
Referendum Update
In the past 2 weeks, we've had referendum information posts outside of Piggly Wiggly, a table at PT Conferences, and at the entrance of the Homecoming Football game. We also welcomed community leaders in for a breakfast and informational session this past Friday. We are less than a month away from the vote. If parents inquire about the referendum during parent/teacher conferences, we have handouts, business cards, and posters available in the office. Feel free to grab a couple to have on hand in case the question comes up. Also, the website is a great resource to find all of the information regarding the process used to determine the referendum questions.
Emergency Planning
Our October drill will be a fire drill, followed by an evacuation. We would do this in case of an actual fire that we would not be able to re-enter the building. The Middle School students would make their way to the AUX Gym, and Elementary students would report to the Kerr Gym.
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