February 1, 2013

So cold you need to laugh?

I found 400 "It's so cold..." jokes on this site. 

Enjoy...and stay warm

Assembly today! Reminder that our 3rd-5th will be going first (2:10p) and K-2 later (2:45p). Early out schedule too!

Please send home the MGE Family Movie Night flyers with students (in your boxes) on Friday!! A correction was emailed to parents and posted to Facebook (changed movie to Madagascar 3 but the time remains the same). If you or your family want to come watch the movie, please join PTO that evening!

Iowa Assessments will be Feb 12-14 for grades 3rd-5th. Please be quiet in the hallways between 9:00-10:30am as students will be testing all over the building!

Conference Scheduler Update - Special education and ESL students (and their siblings are being scheduled until February 8. From February 11th -24th, parents will be able to schedule online. An email will go out next week with directions for parents. More information can be found on the Conference tab above.

Update from ELA Curriculum Team: We just finished our 2nd curriculum meeting and wanted to share a few updates from our work.

1. We have completed our work on the writing supporting documents.  They are ready for use within PLC teams. 
2. The Common Core Language Standards have been placed on the wiki by grade level.  A position statement has been drafted by the committee for integrating these into reading, writing, speaking and listening. This statement will be finalized and posted on the blog in April.
3. Our revisions for progress report statements and rubrics will be finalized in April.  Any suggestions that you find during the next reporting period will need to be shared with a committee representative or your instructional coach.

Let us know if you have any questions.Thanks, K-5 Curriculum Team

4th grade will be using the Star Lab in the 3rd grade pod on February 7th. This will be in use all day. Students should keep a zero to whisper voice in the pod when classes are in the lab. Restrooms in the pod will still be in use that day.

Looking ahead...

• February 4th will be our 2nd Pizza Ranch Night (1st/4th grades). Thank you in advance for helping!
• February 5th will be the last day for Pennies for Patients.
• Feb 12-14 is Iowa Assessments. 
• February 15th is our Valentine's Party day (2:30-3:15p).
• February 21st - MGE will host district Instructional Rounds. More to come!

Another Mindset Video - Maybe a bit more fixed....

I was told that this exact teacher-student interaction took place

in one of our classrooms when the teacher emailed me this 

video. ;-) I've seen it before but still laughed-out-loud. I'm guessing

this teacher has started a PS packet...

January 25, 2013

Bench Press - Update the reading benchmark board in the copy room as appropriate. Sticky notes are in Leslie's office in the window sill.

ID Badges - Please be sure to always have your ID badge on while you're in the building. Also, never hesitate to question another adult in the building who is not wearing a district ID badge or a visitor's sticker.

PD Update - I have received several SMART goal updates from teams and I appreciate it! Our Problem Solving Core team met Wednesday morning and discussed how we can continue work, learning and collaboration around feedback and mindsets during our February 6th PD. I look forward to the continued conversation! Several of you have shared some wonderful videos, student resources and ideas with each other - continue to share and bring those ideas/resources to our February 6th PD too! A couple links worth sharing now came from Samantha Gregory and can be found on the intervention tab on the FWR. Check them out!

Doors - Mark Irvin took a look at the 1st grade pod doors and said they should stay locked if closed properly. Please be sure to pull/push any exterior door shut when you are coming/going. For the mornings, Shelley will begin unlocking the 1st grade pod door at 8:20am so breakfast students can enter. Kris will lock the doors after duty. I have also asked bus 21 and 4 to stagger release of students coming in for breakfast so we hope that helps too.

Summer learning opportunity - The district ESL teachers are excited to offer an exciting summer learning opportunity for teachers who work with our ELL students. The 1/2 day Digging Into Differentiation: Supporting English Language Leaners will take place on June 4th. Teachers who attend will receive a $32 stipend per hour for attending. To learn more (visit here) and click here to sign up.

Looking ahead...

• January 29 - A team of 10 from MGE will be at the Love and Logic workshop. Diann will be at MGE. Our 2nd grade music program will be at 6:30 pm at the HS Auditorium
• February 1st will be our next PBIS assemblies (Change due to 2nd grade field trip: 3-5 is 2:10p and K-2 is 2:45p). Focus is responsibility. We will run an early out schedule. It will also be MGE/EE's Night at the Field House. Information from our website will be emailed to parents today but please promote it with your students too.
• February 4th will be our 2nd Pizza Ranch Night (1st/4th grades). Thank you in advance for helping!
• February 5th will be the last day for Pennies for Patients.
• Feb 12-14 is Iowa Assessments. These will take place 9:00-10:15am each of those mornings. Please be aware that our 3rd-5th grade students will be testing and other grades should be aware of this if passing in the hallways.
• February 15th is our Valentine's Party day (2:30-3:15p).
• February 21st - MGE will host district Instructional Rounds. More to come!

VIDEO and WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
There is a lot of information around Mindsets on the web, but a great place to start is http://mindsetonline.com. If you have other useful sites, let me know.
Also, a video shared with me that is worth watching or sharing with others (friends/parents):

January 18, 2013

Thank you to everyone who helped support our Family University event last night! Your willingness to provide your support, expertise and time was appreciated greatly! If you have ideas as to how to improve the event if we decide to do it again, let Nicole or I know.

PD Next Week - A double dose takes place next week! January 23rd from 8:00-10:00 am - Some light breakfast snacks will be available and PD will begin at 8am. Focus for Monday morning will be Behavior SMART Goals (team work time), problem solving process and new learning around Mindsets. Your work day will begin two hours after we start PD.

January 23rd from 2:15-4:00 pm - Math focus. We will start with 45 minutes of new learning and mixed group discussions.  Teams will also have an hour of PLC time.  Please talk with your team to discuss possible goals for this time and bring any needed materials.  We are looking forward to this collaborative learning! The grade level teams/locations are listed below. Related arts should check their Google.doc and use the document to record your minutes/discussion.

• Kindergarten Team - Brookview Media Center
• 1st Grade Team - Waukee Elementary Media Center
• 2nd Grade Team - Shuler Media Center
• 3rd Grade Team - Walnut Hills PD Room (412/414-upstairs)
• 4th Grade Team - Maple Grove Media Center
• 5th Grade Team - Eason Elementary Art Room

Conferences: All teachers should read our conference memo found on our FWR (Tab: P/T Online Scheduler). Step 1 - Teachers should building their schedules on the website on Monday. 

Shanlyn will be bringing your long term sub, Melissa MacGregor, to Maple Grove today to meet students. Melissa will also be in both buildings (WE/MGE) on Monday to meet staff. Please welcome her!

PBIS/PSC - Our regular core team meetings are next Wednesday at 8am in the library. For PSC, I will be compiling mid-year data so please have your intervention tab updated on your team's Google.doc.

Iowa Assessment will be Feb 12-14 (9:00-10:15 each morning). On Thursday, January 24, Cindi McDonald will be meeting with all staff members who will be administering the assessment. We will meet in the library beginning at 8:00am. The meeting will last around 20 minutes and is not optional if you are administering the test. 

Dates to note...
Monday - No school work day and PD (complete conference times online)
Wednesday - PBIS/PSC @ 8am
Thursday - IA Assessment mtg @ 8am
Jan 29 - Love and Logic Conference (10 from MGE)

Video of the Week

A great story about an Iowa teen. Thanks to Mrs. Roberts' students

who are already trying to "copy" his message here. I appreciated the kind note.

January 11, 2013

Things to read....

Homeland Security Visit - It was a good "walk about" with Agent Dr. Phil Pitzen and an assorted group of other district, city and county personnel. A full report to the district will be provided by Pitzen but a few things he pointed out as we walked around are quick fixes and include:

• DO NOT prop outside doors open. Never. Sorry...safety trumps convenience. 
• Try to have adults hold doors open for kids (AM duty) versus unlocking the doors. We then always know who enters.
• Permission to carry your cell phone...especially if you're on duty. Phil stated he would strongly recommend all staff have cell phones on during times on door/outside duty and I'm suggestion you designate the office number as one of your "aaa" numbers (i.e. one that pops up first on your contacts). 
• You're all VERY nice people, but...don't let any non-student/staff members in the doors outside of the main-west doors. "I'm John Doe's parent." - sorry, please walk around. Pizza delivery man knocking on the 1st grade doors? Ask or point him to drive or walk around. Explain its not about him, but its about the kids safety. I can take the complaints.

Professional Development - A few items regarding PD...present and future

• Information about taking this semester for credit was emailed on Thursday. Questions after reading it - see Doug
• Unfortunately, I missed most of the PD due to the timing of the Homeland Security visit. Diann, Leslie and I went over exit slips today. During the prep work for PD, it was evident the work and thinking you were going to do yesterday could be challenging. Reading the feedback, I was excited to hear some of the thinking that took place, how indvs/teams used the learning as a jumping off place with current work around assessment for learning and a team planning to try some things out already. Fun stuff. Thank you to those who had an open (although hurting at times) mind and were able to use the learning and conversation yesterday to support their own students today. This is all I ask. 
• Our next PD is Monday, January 21st from 8-10am. Focus will be PSC/PBIS. The remainder of the day will be a work day. FYI - I will be at Walnut Hills from 11:30 on for an admin meeting.

Family University this coming Thursday! Aren't planning yet on coming?? Well, talk to Doug or Nicole as to how we can put you to work or put you in a class as a learner! Our brochure and information is on our website. Please know we will be using MULTIPLE classrooms for presenters and day-care. Specific rooms will be identified as it nears but just a heads up!

Conference Scheduling Already? Wow. This year has flown by more quickly (and crazily) than any year I can remember. Hopefully that is a good sign. :-) The "conference season" is upon us again

• Jan 21-25 - Teachers build their schedules on website (anyone needing help email me now so we can set a date). Times for teaching to hold conferences will be as follows:
• Saturday, March 2 = 8:00-2:00 
  Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday = 4:00-8:00 pm  (Thursday from 4-8 is REQUIRED).
  Wednesday - 2:00-6:00 pm
• Jan 28-Feb 8 - Special Ed teachers call and set conferences for their students
• Feb 11 - Parent Portal Opens
• Feb 25 - Parent Portal Closes
• Feb 26-Mar 1 - Teachers assign conference times to those students who didn't sign up
• Mar 2-8 - Conferences

Our first Pizza Ranch Night is this coming Monday night (5-8:30p). 2nd and 5th grade kick it off. THANK YOU in advance for helping support MGE and a reminder that 25% of our sales will go with the students and staff heading to Woodland Hills this coming fall. It will be a great fundraiser for everyone!

Shanlyn's last week is upcoming and we should be able to announce her long term sub (and introduce her to you) next week. The person we bring on will likely continue in a 1/2 time roll when Shanlyn returns after her maternity leave in a 1/2 time roll. Having the extra support has been great this past week and will continue to support our students, Nicole and staff!

Other things you could continue to read....

Barnes and Noble (4550 University Ave) will hold their annual reception for educators this Saturday at 11:00am. Giveaways for your classroom and enter a raffle to win a special prize package. They also run a 25% discount for educators from Jan 12-20.

MGE @ the Comedy Club - SOME DAY I will host my own comedy show for you all, but until then, you can join your colleagues for another "free night at the comedy club" on January 25th. The 7:30pm Dan Chopin show has free tickets available. Email Paula by Friday, January 18 if you'd like to go and indicate how many tickets.

January 4, 2013

This is the last week I will send an "all staff" email with a link to 

the FWR. Please check the blog each Friday morning on your own. 

If you need to set yourself a reminder, that would be good!

Thank you for the gift certificate to the movies! Our boys love going to movies as a family and we all appreciate the nice holiday gift! Jen especially likes the movie-box of chocolates!

Professional Development next week will focus on providing quality feedback to students. This builds upon our continued learning around feedback, learning targets and Danielson Component 3d. A 2nd semester Drake course will be offered and information should be coming to you early next week

Teacher Quality Funding - Teams have submitted their Teacher Quality summaries and the following building plan hase been approved. I used the survey sent out in December as a guide for securing participants in the workshop/conference opportunities. With the way the staff has given input to use the money, it will be a great opportunity for almost every staff members to spend time collaborating, learning together and sharing. I am still missing several grade level planning sheets so please get those to me today. The basics of the plan are included below. If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask.

• Each grade level team will have an additional 1/2 day PLC+
• Love and Logic in the Classroom workshop (8-10 attendees on January 29th)
• ASCD Conference (4-5 attendees during spring break)

MGE Family University - I had mentioned this January 17th community event during PD a month or so ago. We are within two weeks of the event and are excited to share we have 16 workshops and 10+ booths set up for the night! The forms should have gone home with all students yesterday and the registration and information can be found on our website. Thank you to the staff who have volunteered to help and/or present. I also want to formally invite any and all of you to join us that evening for what we hope is a fun and engaging family event. Register here!

Two more MGE Family events include:

• Our first Pizza Ranch Night will be on Monday, January 14th (5-8:30pm). Our 2nd grade team will be helping during the 1st half of the evening and 5th grade will be closing it down! This is the first of three Pizza Ranch events and I appreciate everyone helping out when they are available. We raised nearly $700 from one night last year and have used the fund to support our iPads in the classroom.
• Friday, February 1, the Waukee Field House will host a MGE/EE Family Night at the games. Students will get in free with a paying adult and our students will be able to take part in a fun little contest at half-time vs. Eason students! We also hope to have our choirs sing the national anthem prior to the girls' game.

Assessment data will be sent to district office today and should be available on HEART by our work day on January 21st. If a team would like to have a "HEART walkthrough", please let me know.

Coming soon...we will not be able to use our Maple Grove or parent email listserve groups to send out messages. We (Paula, Diann and I) will be getting more information in the near future and be able to share that with you. This is the reasoning behind 'training' you now to check to blog regularly each Friday morning.

Upcoming dates to note...

Mon - PSC Mindset Committee 8am in library

Tues - Diversity and Inclusion Potluck (see Shanlyn's email or the website)

Wed - PD-Feedback; early out
Wed - Homeland Security Walkthrough @ 2:30p (Barry, DO staff, SRO, et al)

Wed - Intramural volleyball begins (see Kacey)

Jan 14 - Pizza Ranch Night (2nd and 5th grades)

Jan 17 - Family University Night (5-7:30pm)

Top 10 Viral Videos of 2012

The end of the year brings a lot of "top ten" lists but the internet has definitely created a much larger pool of top-tens! I received a link to Youtube's Top-10 Most Viral Videos from 2012 and thought this one by Procter and Gamble was a good one worth sharing. In addition to each of your jobs here, being a mom is easily THE most challenging job and they did a great job of capturing that spirit.