We were back in the school this past week, and it was sure nice to see the students live and have interactions with them that weren't only through a screen. From my perspective, I am so appreciative and impressed by our staff's ability to be flexible and provide great learning experiences for our students no matter what the circumstances are. What we have accomplished in the second part of 2020 has been nothing short of remarkable. I feel very fortunate to work with each of you.
Resource of the Week
The article this week provides strategies that we can use to get our students to think in ways that will help them throughout their lives. As we are able to get to know our students on a deeper level and spend more time with them each day in our current format, we have more opportunities to have these types of conversations with them.
"3 Ways to Get Teens Thinking Metacognitively" - Sarah Gonser
Larger Assessments
Our larger-scale assessments, like STAR and the Forward Exam, are important tools to measure both individual student progress, as well as the progress of our instructional efforts as a whole. I was really disappointed that we were not able to take the Forward Exam last spring. I look forward to these opportunities for our students to show off the skills and knowledge they have attained in our building, and also for the opportunity for the public to see the results of the strong efforts made by our staff to put our kids in position to be successful.
Many of our students took the STAR Reading and Math Test this past week. I have not had the chance to comb through the data in great detail, but at first glance, the growth showed from this assessment was pretty impressive. This type of data speaks to the passion that we have to provide high quality learning experiences for our students even in such a challenging environment. The Forward Exam is on schedule to be administered this year, and I look forward to this opportunity for our students and our school.
Flexible Mindset
Over the course of the experience of this school year, I have come to notice and appreciate the attitude and mentality of the adults that work in our school. I have noticed a "go with the flow" mindset, and have appreciated this very much as we have faced things that have come up that are unexpected, and in many cases inconvenient. I appreciate working in an environment where we have high expectations, but also understand the importance of making the most of the different circumstances that we encounter.
Puma Pride
Sometime on Monday or Tuesday, please have your Homeroom students log into IC and take a look at their current 2nd quarter scores. We'll (Mrs. Andringa) be distributing tickets to Homeroom teachers, and for every ME a student currently has, please give them a ticket and have them put their name on it. We'll collect those tickets and have a drawing on Tuesday afternoon. Any student drawn can come down to select an item ranging from a candy bar, pack of gum, or a $5 BP gift card. If a student does not have an ME, potentially set up a plan to earn a ticket by meeting Puma Pride expectations for the day on Monday and Tuesday, or something like that.
Images from the Week
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