Monday, September 7, 2020

The Middle Update 9/7/2020

The first week is in the books.  I have enjoyed the interaction with students, watching talented educators do their thing, and just overall being back in school.  I have such an appreciation for each of you and your willingness to do go with the flow, talk through struggles, work towards solutions, and be all about putting kids first.  I can't thank you enough, and I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to lead such a great team.  We learned a lot this week, will learn more next week, and continue to work on improving the learning experience for our students.   

Resource of the Week

In our resource of the week, I'll try to provide some tips and tricks that will help us continually improve our virtual teaching and learning skills.  This week's article is about providing our students audio feedback.  Typically in our responses, we write feedback to students...our article this week provides a glimpse into a study where teachers focused on providing audio feedback.  Thanks to Mrs. Walther for sharing.

"How (and Why) to Leave Audio Feedback on Student Work This Year, Whether During In-Person or Distance Learning" - Dave Stuart Jr.

Student Data and RTI

We have just started the process of getting to know our students...both personality-wise and academic skill wise.  Students took the STAR assessment this week in Reading and will take it soon in Math.  We'll be working as a larger grade level team (not just in departments) on analyzing this student data and planning for how we can close the gaps we will see for some of our students and enrich the learning for others.  Our structure will be different based on our different schedule, and our plans will certainly be creative.  We sent out some initial dates to start this process, but certainly adjust if those dates/times don't work for your team...just let me know.

School Activities and Special Days??

As we all get adjusted to a different way of doing things at school, I'd like to get some smart people together to map out a plan for some fun things that kids really enjoy that add to the culture of our school.  While the guidelines that we are following won't allow for a large group assembly watching pigs race in the gym...I think there may be some creative ways that we can still achieve a similar goal.  If you are interested in this type of discussion, please join me on Thursday (9/10) at 2:50 in the cafeteria. 

BW Meetings with Me

I'll soon be sending out invitations for Bi-Weekly Meetings with teachers.  The purpose is to have a consistent time for you to check in with me, and for us to utilize a time to talk about continuous improvement and what that looks like for you.  The intention is for the time to be between 10-15 minutes.  You should not look for me during this time, as I will come to your classroom or we can meet virtually.  If something comes up, I will work hard to notify you and reschedule.

Recap Video to Parents

I sent the following video out to parents at the end of the day Friday...wanted to give a quick recap of the week, but also to share how they can use our website to access important organizational materials for students.  If you have an idea of something to add to the site that would enhance communication for the school or your class, just let me know.

Images from the Week







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The Middle Update 9/7/2020

The first week is in the books.  I have enjoyed the interaction with students, watching talented educators do their thing, and just overall being back in school.  I have such an appreciation for each of you and your willingness to do go with the flow, talk through struggles, work towards solutions, and be all about putting kids first.  I can't thank you enough, and I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to lead such a great team.  We learned a lot this week, will learn more next week, and continue to work on improving the learning experience for our students.   

Resource of the Week

In our resource of the week, I'll try to provide some tips and tricks that will help us continually improve our virtual teaching and learning skills.  This week's article is about providing our students audio feedback.  Typically in our responses, we write feedback to students...our article this week provides a glimpse into a study where teachers focused on providing audio feedback.  Thanks to Mrs. Walther for sharing.

"How (and Why) to Leave Audio Feedback on Student Work This Year, Whether During In-Person or Distance Learning" - Dave Stuart Jr.

Student Data and RTI

We have just started the process of getting to know our students...both personality-wise and academic skill wise.  Students took the STAR assessment this week in Reading and will take it soon in Math.  We'll be working as a larger grade level team (not just in departments) on analyzing this student data and planning for how we can close the gaps we will see for some of our students and enrich the learning for others.  Our structure will be different based on our different schedule, and our plans will certainly be creative.  We sent out some initial dates to start this process, but certainly adjust if those dates/times don't work for your team...just let me know.

School Activities and Special Days??

As we all get adjusted to a different way of doing things at school, I'd like to get some smart people together to map out a plan for some fun things that kids really enjoy that add to the culture of our school.  While the guidelines that we are following won't allow for a large group assembly watching pigs race in the gym...I think there may be some creative ways that we can still achieve a similar goal.  If you are interested in this type of discussion, please join me on Thursday (9/10) at 2:50 in the cafeteria. 

BW Meetings with Me

I'll soon be sending out invitations for Bi-Weekly Meetings with teachers.  The purpose is to have a consistent time for you to check in with me, and for us to utilize a time to talk about continuous improvement and what that looks like for you.  The intention is for the time to be between 10-15 minutes.  You should not look for me during this time, as I will come to your classroom or we can meet virtually.  If something comes up, I will work hard to notify you and reschedule.

Recap Video to Parents

I sent the following video out to parents at the end of the day Friday...wanted to give a quick recap of the week, but also to share how they can use our website to access important organizational materials for students.  If you have an idea of something to add to the site that would enhance communication for the school or your class, just let me know.

Images from the Week