Sunday, October 12, 2014

Saturday's Bully Walk Was A Great Start To Our Week......October 13th-October 17th 2014


 Families had a wonderful time at Family Arts Night........October 9, 2014




 Thank you so much to all of our Arts Team for an incredible evening of Arts.  Community members were able to create beautiful art, play and learn about soccer, Dance, practice and play band instruments,sing and participate in Media activities.  They also learned tips in Orchestra. This night was great fun for all. Thank you Arts Team.  I would also like to thank Ms. Pullen, Ms. Baccari, Ms. Taylor, Barbie Brown, Lisette Prato, Lisa O'Brien and Katie McGregor for lending their support to a great event.  We were also fortunate to have WFU with us that night.








 Annual Bully Prevention Walk!

Diggs-Latham Elementary "Stepped Up" on Saturday to help stamp out BULLYING! Our Students performed under the direction of Ann Farthing. Our girls sang 2 songs (atop the DASH Dugout) dealing with Character and Respect. They rocked the stage. Ms. Farthing did an excellent job teaching and rehearsing these songs on a minutes notice. Our girls performed in front of hundreds and Dr. Emory was in the front row.  Thank you so much to teachers for being flexible and realizing that this was really a big deal for our students and our school. We were specifically asked to do this. It was an honor. Performances take rehearsal and practice just as academics do. They are both important. I know we are short on time for both, but when we work together, our school is a better place! Balancing time between academics and the arts is a challenge for us all because both are so important but remembering that we are an Arts Magnet is important. There will other times throughout the year when kids will have to be pulled to rehearse. We keep this to a minimum, but it is important.  Thank you to all the families, teachers and friends who came out to support us.  A big thank you to Mrs. Studevent who helped coordinate the event and to Amanda Gordon who created the "Diggs-Latham Stepped Up" banner, and took great pictures for us.  She also did this on short notice. The posters were great as well.  Thanks to Zenyth and her husband and Katie, Charlie and Holland for all coming out to support us.  We also had several families:)  It was a Great Day at the Ballpark!


I love this quote!  It is so true, we make an impact on our colleagues, students, families and communities everyday. We want it to be a positive impact.  Our students and colleagues are facing a lot, some things you know about, some things you don't.  Keep that in mind as you go through your day. Know how important your smile, compassion and encouragement truly is to both our students and our colleagues. I have seen kid's faces light up when you give them a compliment or "brag" on them.   They know that you care about them. Thank you!  This is just one of the things that makes our school a great place to work.  Did you know that someone can gain information on the climate of a school after only being in the building 5 minutes?  They look to see how people interact with each other. Do the students seem happy?  Are there smiles in the classroom for a job well done?  Is the school safe and orderly?  Is there quality student work posted, Are hallway displays well thought out and content based? All these things MATTER:)



Looking Ahead:

  • Make sure you are up to date on your PEPs
  • 3-5 teachers, please make sure that you have read emails from Mrs. Wolfe concerning gradebooks. Ask questions now if you need help and we will be happy to help. Grades and graded work should go home weekly.
  • Start planning your conferences for Quarter 1. The end of quarter 1 is October 30th.
  • Fall Portraits on the 17th-Dr. Frazier will send out a schedule.
  • Everyone can wear their Favorite Team Apparel on Favorite Team Day, Thursday, 10/23.
  • Have you changed your hallway displays?  Add the content standard in the corner:)
  • October 18th-Cannon will volunteer at Heart and Stroke Walk-Hope to see you out there! Tanglewood Park 7:00-11:00
  • Early Release Day is October 22nd.
  • Read to Achieve Local Assessment the week of October 19th
  • Please pay close attention to Mrs. Perry's emails as important testing dates, etc.. are enclosed
  • Have you joined our PTA?  We need you.
  • The United Way Campaign is underway-See Alisha if you have questions:) We would love to have 100% participation. You can donate as much as you want or just a dollar.  Every penny counts for great causes. You can choose where you want your money to go
  • SIT Meeting on the 21st
  • Week of 26th Book Fair-Fall Festival will be October 30
  • October 31 is a teacher workday-RS
  • Nov. 3-Teacher of the Year Banquet at Old Salem-Mr. Powelson would have gone. Looks like I have no date for the evening:)  Congratulations to Mr. Powelson. We miss him.

Report Card Administrator Assignments, Tips, etc...

When turning your report cards in for review, firstly, you should make sure they are on time.  Secondly, put them in a folder with your name and grade clearly marked on it. Place in the folder a class roster. THIS IS NEW. The reason we are asking for this is because in the past we have been short report cards by accident. We want to help you by making sure that all students have cards. Please check to make sure that attendance, all grades, correctly spelled student names are included and the report card is complete. Switch with a coworker to proofread. It will save you from having to reprint the cards later after editing.  We waste a lot of paper if we keep having to reprint. If a child receives a poor grade, your comments should address this. If a child is doing a great job, put forth a lot of effort or has shown great character, your comments should reflect such. Comments are important. If grades and/or behavior are needing improvement, ask for a parent conference. Teachers often ask Dr. Frazier and I to sit in on conferences for support. We are happy to do so. Staying connected to families is important.  Dr. Frazier and I do our best to get the cards back to you quickly. We read every card. We glean a lot of valuable information from our work.
QUARTER 1-
End of Quarter 1 is October 30th
November 4th-Grade Verification to Mrs. Wolfe-It is also her Birthday!
November 6th-Report Cards Due to Administrators
Quarter 1 K-2 report cards go to Frazier and 3-5 Cards go to Cannon
Since we are off on the 11th for Veteran's Day, we will send cards home on the 12th

Would Love Your Feedback! Please respond to my comment at the end of the blog:) Thank You.





29 comments:

  1. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that I am so proud of you. I have seen the evidence of grade level teams bonding and having fun together both inside of and outside of school. You are brainstorming and planning together. You are sharing ideas and creating new ones. You are there for each other when you just need a shoulder.I love the way you utilize our tremendous coaches for support and help when things are difficult. I have really been enjoying conducting observations and the follow up conversations. My favorite part of the job is coaching! You all make our school so very special! Thank you. Please respond by giving me examples of how your team collaborates or how you have collaborated with CCs, Coaches, Specialist or cross-grade level teachers, assistants and more.

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  2. 5th grade utilizes every minute to collaborate.....we talk shop continually making sure we are on the same page. This is with learning, problem-solving, discipline, parental involvement, planning. What a gift to have a great team to collaborate with and share the same passion. We also try to meet daily to make sure we are meeting the needs of students who might be flying under the radar or who might have a few extra struggles.

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    1. Collaboration, sharing and the willingness to delve into data to make decisions are all keys to success. Keep it up. Celebrating those small and large "Wins" will also help your children to gain confidence. Way to go.

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  3. I believe collaboration is huge, especially with new teachers! I am extremely thankful to have team members that are constantly collaborating and are there to answer any questions I may have. In 5th grade we collaborate every chance we get. Many times we meet quickly in the morning to make sure we are on the same page, talk a little at lunch, recess and planning and then again after school. We talk about lesson plans, any issues going on, and anything we can do to make sure our students are having a successful school year! I have also had the opportunity to meet with the science coach, Mr.Potts, multiple times to talk about lesson plans and talk about any questions I may have.

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  4. First grade team remains the same this year so we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This allows us to brainstorm ways to help each so we all can excel in helping our students reach their goals. Our friendship is special and we all love to laugh especially at ourselves. We collaborate constantly through emails and especially text messages. We discuss lessons, ideas, behavior, special needs as a grade level so we can hear each others ideas and suggestions. I love when Shaun, Katie, Connie, or volunteers come to the classroom to help out, model lessons, or offer suggestions. We have an awesome Diggs-Latham staff!

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    1. Mrs. Snider, thanks for the love! I admire your positive attitude and willingness to do anything your students need in order to help them. Classroom management sure is a strength of yours!

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  5. I'm thankful to work at a school with so much support! It's a great feeling knowing that I have people always willing to help me better my teaching. Can't believe it's already nearing the end of the first quarter!

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  6. I truly feel soooo blessed that I am at this school and have the team I have come into as a first year teacher. We are always working together talking to each other everyday about students, ideas, ways to handle everything, ways to integrate all subjects into our classes. I don't know what I would have done if I would have ended up somewhere else isolated without this support. I don't feel scared to ask any questions and I feel I can really trust my team. We all want our students to succeed and it is great to be in a school that is working together to do that!!!! Also boy am I proud of the girls that performed at the Bully Prevention Walk, they really held their own! It was AWESOME!!!

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  7. As a first year teacher I am so blessed to be at a school that provides so much support from coaches, our curriculum coordinators, colleagues, and administrators. The Kindergarten team meets weekly to discuss plans and bounce ideas off one another. We also meet as a grade level with our assistants to touch base during our planning. I honestly would be lost my first year without the awesome support from my team!

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    1. Ms. Bostian, thanks for the love! You're doing wonderfully this first year. You work beautifully with your team and you're always open to feedback. You're destined to be a leader in education!

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  8. I wouldn't be a media coordinator if I didn't collaborate! Although I must admit it is always slow going at the beginning of the year because everyone is so focused on getting their classrooms running smoothly. Ms. Snider and I are doing an animal project with her class which has made me really happy. They are going to produce digital posters of their research and I can't wait to see them! Ms. Pullen is part of that collaboration too. Mrs. Faqih is bringing her kiddos up to the media center this week for a fun "living vs. nonliving" lesson. I'll keep bugging the rest of you with ideas for lessons that I can do with your kids. Eventually you won't be able to resist :)

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  9. With all the demands on teachers, I can't imagine doing my job without the collaboration and support of my teammates, fellow teachers, coaches and curriculum coordinators and administration. We are so blessed to have such support at our school!

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    1. Mrs. Bostian, thanks for the love! I know you all are working hard and we ARE blessed to have eachother!

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  10. I have been lucky to have plenty of support during my first year in 2nd grade. My teammates have provided me with so many resources to use in my classroom. Ms. Almaguer's help allows me to differentiate during small group time. Mrs. Blasini and Ms. Guevara have also shared resources with me, which has been so helpful.

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  11. To start off my Star 3 Integration role I have already asked my teammates for their pacing guides and will be sitting down with Katie and Gloria to learn how to align core curriculum into specials by using Learning Village and other resources. I'm so excited to see how these small or large arts connections will help our kinesthetic learners start to make more growth through out the year!

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    1. Ms. Stevenson, Gloria and I are excited to sit down with you and plan. I know the teachers will appreciate the support with the arts integration! Keep shining! Oh, and excellent job with parents last week...I enjoyed dancing with you all.

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  12. Great Job Arts Team!!!! Thank you to the staff here at Diggs-Latham for bracing my students in various activities throughout the school. I am very fortunate to work with a great group of teachers.

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  13. I am full of Tiger Pride today-----for all that teachers, assistants, CC's, office staff and volunteers do to make DLES such a great place to work and learn. It truly talks collaboration to get the job that we have been entrusted to do...and we get it done in an excellent manner. Proud of all of you!

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    1. Dr. Frazier, thanks for the love! We couldn't do it without you. You are a blessing to have in PLTs. We value your expertise.

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  14. As a PRT I am in constant collaboration with the teachers and grade levels that I work with. In my new role as DIBELS coordinator/interventionalist I am looking forward to a lot more collaboration throughout all of the grade levels.

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  15. The EC Team has collaborated on how we will build vocabulary with our students and how we will use data to determine a baseline and monitor progress. My colleagues have a wealth of information and resources that we can all share and use to build vocabulary with our kids. They are all awesome!!!!

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  16. I love collaborating with my team and the grade level teachers. It is so important to keep students on track and learning. Students don't section out the school like we do. They think of everything working together to create their school.
    I am excited about the upcoming performances. It is also rewarding to see children grow in math as I work with them in interventions.

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  17. I agree with Susan that we have an awesome EC team! I have enjoyed collaborating with them and look forward to working together with each of them more. We are different in what we do or how we do it but we are finding things in common. We definitely have a wealth of information and resources that we can all share!

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  18. Our second grade team collaborates, shares, and supports each other daily. We couldn't do what we do without each other. I have also been "stepping out" and collaborating with Caroline Bostian and Katie on interventions and resources for some of my lower readers. They have been a tremendous help!

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    1. Mrs. Baccari, thanks for the love! I was impressed when we sat down last week and talked about all the interventions you've put in place for students who need them. You are helping them more than you know. Always here for you!

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  19. I consider myself very lucky to be at this school during my first year of teaching. It would be a very difficult first year if I didn't have all the collaboration and support I receive during the day. Lesson plans with an amazing kindergarten team, interventionists who help my struggling students, and the great CCs and administration have been a tremendous help!!

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    1. Ms. White, thanks for the love! Both you and Ms. Bostian are having a great first year. Your patience and calm presence in the classroom is contagious. Your students are lucky to have you and so are we!

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  20. This is awesome! I love reading the positive comments from everyone! I witnessed teamwork at the Bully Walk this past weekend. Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Gordon were there to support their teammate, Mrs. Farthing, who did an incredible job preparing our chorus to shine in front of our district. What an honor!?! It was also wonderful interacting with parents at the Bully Walk too...so glad they joined us! Teachers, I want to thank you for all of your love and support. As a CC, my job is to support YOU, but you all support me too. As Ms. Brown said in our PLT today, "were too blessed to be stressed."

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  21. As a first year teacher, collaboration has been necessary. In Pre-Kindergarten, there is not only collaboration from the grade level, but also collaboration within each individual classroom. I could not ever do half of what I do without Ms. Beaver! I can honestly say there really is not one thing that we do not collaborate on. We are a unified team and because of that, I feel we are off to a very structured and successful year! I also look forward to getting the opportunity to meet with Mrs. McGregor to collaborate more not only as a grade level, but for the opportunity to hear about things going on in kindergarten to better prepare my students for next year.

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