Sunday, November 9, 2014

November 10-14th, 2014

November 10-14th, 2014

It's A Brand New Week:)

Things to think about.......

  • In regards to Monitoring: What mid-course corrections are needed?  
  • How are you celebrating incremental results in student progress?
  • Are your selected strategies being implemented as intended?
  • Are you getting results?
  • What evidence will you use to determine if strategies and interventions are working?
  • Remember to give the Y, your grades for this quarter for any students that attend the Y program. Also, make sure that you send a list of all students who made Honor Roll and Principal's List so that we can give them their medals.  Have the list to the Y and Mrs. Kennedy by this Friday.  I will also ask Mrs. Wolfe to give me a list of all students who have had perfect attendance this quarter so they can be celebrated. If YOU have had perfect attendance this quarter, let me know as I will celebrate you as well!  We value attendance.

HAPPY NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS To...............

  • November 5th-Mary Tarlton and Gwen Wolfe
  • November 7th-Susan Ingram
  • November 9-Jennifer Hart
  • November 15-Gerri Thierbach
  • November 21 Angela Roane
  • November 25-Nohora Martinez
  • November 26-Vicky Beaver

Reminder that there is NO School on November 11th. It is Veteran's Day.  We thank all those in our school and community who serve or who have served our country. We feel a deep sense of gratitude for your commitment and service. Thank you to Mr. Holmes and Mr. Stover and all of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, volunteers and neighbors who have served their country to protect us and our freedom.





Home Moravian Fall Hoe-Down Dinner to Benefit Diggs-Latham Elementary
November 19th at 5:30


These are pictures from last year's events in which Home Moravian raised $3000. to help our school with Teacher Gift Cards, Parent Engagement Nights, Food, Clothes, Literacy, and Field Trips.  They are always here for us when we need them.  They will work hard to cook and serve home-made soup, bread, desserts, etc... for a small donation.  They invite their church members and I invite you.  Let's give back and attend.  We will have students performing. Please plan to attend. The event will be at their Fellowship Hall where we had our opening of school breakfast.  You may bring your families.  Many of us will be participating in volunteering for Candle Tea as well. This is always a lot of fun and another great way for us to give back.  I appreciate your support. It was wonderful to see so many of you there last year.



November 13th-Mrs. Baccari will hold a Family Engagement Math Night from 5:45-6:45 this Thursday Night!  Thank you for engaging and educating our families. Several other teachers and have done this as well or plan to. We appreciate this effort. This is a great support for our families. Speaking of Engagement......Melissa's son who is a student at UNCG just got engaged!!!!! Congratulations to the happy couple! Hooray for Melissa and her family!



I know it seems like sometimes I am  Super Woman...That not being the case, I Need YOU! Dr. Frazier will be out beginning Tuesday and not return until after the Thanksgiving Break.  We will need all hands on deck to fill her shoes. We are a school of leaders and will be able to do this working together, just as you do when I am out. You are awesome and I can always count on you. Thank you. Please keep Dr. Frazier in your thoughts and prayers as she prepares for her procedure. Privacy is requested, thank you.  







 Completion of all Classroom Spelling Bees in Grades 3-5 should be completed by November 21st.  Our School Spelling Bee will be held December 5th at 9:00.



CRAZY SOCK DAY will be this Friday the 14th of November! Wear Yours! Remind Students to wear their Crazy Socks as well!

We will be sending a note home with students that we will be having a Come Eat Lunch with your Grandchild Day.  There will be two days: K-2 Students can bring their Grandparents on the 18th of November and 3-5 students can bring their Grandparents on the 19th. The Grandparents will check in at the office, come eat with their students and then leave unless you would like them to come back to your rooms to read, listen to their grandchildren read or to see the class, etc.. but this part is NOT required. If you do want to do something after lunch with the grandparents, that is up to you and please send a note home to that effect. Also, let me know.  We are working with the cafeteria manager to come up with a set price for lunch. She will let me know this week.


It is that time again to select our new Teacher of the Year. Our SIT Chairs will be organizing and announcing the Selection Process for this Year and will get this information out to you in the next few weeks.  The Nomination and Selection Process should be complete by December 14th and the winner announced at the December 18th Faculty Meeting. I know you will respect the process and choose an individual who exemplifies the characteristics of a great teacher and leader. This will be a very hard decision to make:)

 We Need your help.  Many teachers and students in our school have allergies, asthma and or specific breathing difficulties.  The usage of aerosol air fresheners, strong cologne, etc... can cause a severe breathing reaction. Please refrain from using these items in excess.  Be wary of others who may have to follow you in the bathroom. Also, please discourage your students from wearing any kind of perfume or cologne that could trigger an asthma or breathing attack.  We will make an announcement and put it in the Parent Engagement Blog as well. Thank you for your assistance with this problem before it becomes an issue.  Just a reminder that the Fire Marshall prohibits us from using plug ins of any kind. If you have these in your room, please remove as soon as possible. We could be fined. Thank you.


I would like to thank everyone for the Great Job that was done in the preparation and execution of FALL FESTIVAL.  It was a great success and it could not have been accomplished without careful planning and attention to detail.  I would like to thank all of the members of the Fall Festival Committee. Job Well Done!  I would also like to thank all of our volunteers and sponsors.  The feedback I received from our students was very positive.




Peer Evaluations

In accordance with State Board Policy, all of our teachers who are initially licensed and hold an SP1 or SP2 license have to have an observation completed by a peer/mentor.  We prefer a peer but we will  leave that decision to you.  You may choose the peer/mentor and make a decision as to when this observation can be accomplished.  You will use the current Rubric. You should utilize a pre-conference, evaluation and a post conference.  The evaluator will complete the rubric and you will both sign off on all necessary parts. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.. I would like to have these observations complete by Christmas Break if possible.  

Mid-Year PDP Progress

I know that many of you are well on your way to completing your PDPs and some of you have actually completed one of your goals. Please go into Powerschool and complete the section on how you are progressing with your PDP midyear. This will not take long. You will list evidences that you are working towards accomplishing your goal.  We will meet to sign off on your Mid-Year PDP. I would also like to accomplish this before our December Holiday Break if possible.  When you have completed your mid-year progress tab, please let me know so we can go ahead and schedule a meeting.  This is a very important component of your overall evaluation so think it through. Remember you can bring evidences to show me and/or upload any artifacts you might have collected.

Let's Talk MATH!           

FEEDBACK WANTED.....
IMPORTANT-Valuing Student Thinking is important.  I just read a great article I will share with you by Allison Hintz and Elham Kazemi.  It is called, "Talking About Math".  Please comment on your answer to this question:  "Through open and targeted sharing, discussion can build students' understanding of mathematical content" The author states that it only takes 5 words (How Did You Get That?) for math teachers to engage and create opportunities for students to share their thinking. My question is one posed in the article" How can teachers keep kids from getting lost or disengaged when when many different ideas are shared?  Please add a comment to the end of the blog.  Thank you!

30 comments:

  1. I am a strong believer that valuing students' thinking publicly goes a long way in building confidence. We want all of our students to think that they are "Mathematical Thinkers" and that they all can be successful in Math. It sets the tone for learning when each child feels valued and know that they have a voice that is respected in their classroom and their school. That being said, we must teach our students to participate as sharers and listeners. Keep the end in mind when planning for student understanding and mastery of math standards. Be deliberate in explaining exactly what it is you want students to share.

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  2. Students ofter prefer to hear their peers and how they think about problem solving. When peers share sometimes it actually makes more sense to students. Valuing different perspectives is not only a cornerstone of problem solving but also a step toward becoming a respectful citizen. One way to keep students from getting lost or disengaged is to only share ideas with an extremely limited amount of problems. Information overload is difficult for adults too.

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  3. One thing I do is to give my slower-working students a heads-up as to which problem I will ask them to share about. They work on this one first. This allows them to have the problem solved and to think about what they will say when they share. This helps keep those students from disengaging out of the frustration from always being the last one finished.

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  4. Greetings from Durham... I agree with what Jennifer was saying. I think when peers share with each other it does make more sense.

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  5. A powerful question: "How did you did you get that?" As teachers we have the responsibility of creating an environment where students feel comfortable taking risks, there is a spirit of inquiry, trust, and expectation. Within this environment I invite my kindergartners to do math. Students engage hands on activities, explain their thinking with words as much as they can or with their drawings. The focus is on "actively figuring things out", developing reasoning and offering explanations. Reasoning is celebrated by all for learning and understanding!

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  6. I think we have to make sure that students value each other's thinking by modeling close attention, praise for effort and offering students strategic, meaningful feedback. I think it's importsnt to make sure that students are focused by eliminating distractions----pencils, erasers, etc. When these items are not in use they can be distractions for students.

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  7. I think it is very important for students to share what they are thinking. Having a student share benefits the teacher, the student and the class as a whole. While the student is sharing the teacher has a chance to "peek" inside the student's head and see what they are thinking. It's a great way to assess a student quickly! It benefits the student sharing because often times they will find their mistake if they had one. It also helps the student gain confidence in their skills. Sharing also helps the class as a whole. While a student is sharing all other students have a chance to see how their peer thinks about math and they can compare their thoughts with their classmate's.

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    1. I find it interesting that even the lowest performing students are eager to share their ideas. Not only does this build confidence, listening closely allows the teacher to check understanding and provides the all important chance for students to learn from each other. Beth Sapp

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  9. I think that it is important to create a respectful environment, one where all students feel safe trying something new or discovering a concept with their peers. If other students are not respectful, or if a teacher is too critical, then a child will not want to participate. I also think it is important to differentiate questions for children of all ability levels, in order to engage every student and motivate them to participate in the discussion.

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  10. Encouragement and Success. Students need to experience some level of success, regardless of how easy or difficult a problem may be. Students should also be aware that everything takes time, and that the learning, growing and improving are the fun parts!

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  11. I agree with Andrew. It is important to have a respectful enviroment. Each student should feel secure in knowing that they are doing their best. Differentiation is the key. Different questions for different groups. Small groups often keep most students engaged.

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  12. I think that teachers should encourage their students to share his/her ideas or thinking with any subject. However, with math students tend to think more critically and should feel comfortable enough to share their thinking with other peers. When students vocally express what they find or how they figured out an answer, other students may gain more insight and be willing to share as well.

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  13. I observed some great techniques while at the Ron Clark Academy. One was that he taught the students how to speak to the class with appropriate volume, eye contact, and body movement. He deliberately teaches the students how to listen when someone is speaking. They also showed their engagement by responding to one another (he called it "checking" one another" to either agree with their response or challenge it. I also observed students demonstating active listening. They nodded when appropriate, maintained eye contact, and responded appropriately to the topic if their was a question or comment.

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  14. The last comment was from me and not Donna Cannon (sorry still signed in from doing parent blog I guess) :-)

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  15. When students are working with partners and "talking math," one way to keep them engaged is to have students share with the class what their partner shared with them. We tend to always ask students to share their own thoughts rather than sharing what they heard their partner say. In this way, they have a purpose for talking and listening and are held accountable for their math talk.

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    1. I agree that making them accountable for "listening" is just as important as making them accountable for responding and speaking. We may even have to teach them how to listen. We may have to monitor listening by talking them through how to be a good listener.

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  16. The Wrights are right! A safe, respectful environment is required so that students' comfort levels increase. During the talk, active listeners continue to revise their thoughts in response to what they hear. As the article stated, if you want to focus on just a few strategies, the talk can be limited to the strategies you feel will benefit your students. With daily practice placing more focus on the process, students will not be bothered by having a wrong answer. Thank you for the efforts you are each making in your classrooms.

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  17. One of the ways to keep other students actively engaged while others are sharing is to have another student explain why they believe that the student who is sharing has completed the problem correctly. You could also have a student show how to solve the same problem in a different way. You could also have students record their favorite 2 ways to solve a problem that were shown. Having students see that there are many ways in which to solve a single problem allows for students to find the ways that they are most comfortable in using which allows for the students to gain confidence when it is their turn to share.

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  18. Teachers can:
    ~teach students how to take notes.
    ~takes notes on the board.
    ~repeat each students' answer with an explanation.
    ~have students share in partners or small groups.
    ~have students write their answers on sticky notes and post them.
    ~pass around the microphone so students are heard loud and clear.
    ~ask students to stand when speaking.
    ~ask listeners to vote or respond to what has been said.

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  19. As a teacher we need to create a climate where each and every student feel safe in taking risks. We have model the correct way to be a respectful listener. Often, listeners are so busy thinking about what they are going to say that they aren't focusing on what the speaker is saying.

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  20. Setting up a classroom where students feel comfortable sharing ideas and understand to listen to their peers is important. Teachers can model this by sharing their thinking and having students respond or listening respectfully and responding appropriately to students when they share. We can provide opportunities for students to share with a partner and respond. Students can also share in front of the class and have the rest of the class prepare a response. Providing those opportunities more often will help students feel more comfortable to share their thinking as they are learning.

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  21. Perry & I found out about an easy for the teacher and easy for the student learner response system that is used with an app on the teacher's ipad or iphone. Just another fum way to keep children engaged and attentive to the comments of others. We will share at the next Faculty Meeting. If you want to check it out before then go to
    https://www.plickers.com/
    or check out the Tech4Teachers folder in staff share.

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  22. I think it is very important to hear what students think and how they come about their answers. Asking these types of questions helps children reach a higher level of thinking because students are then thinking to themselves... Why did I answer this way? I also think students benefit from hearing different methods to reach the same answer as well. It is important for teacher to establish an environment where students all feel safe answering a question even if they are wrong. They need to know that this is part of the learning process.

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  23. It is difficult to keep students engaged when you have a lot of students sharing different ways of reaching the desired outcome. You want the students to hear how brilliant their peers are and often they will listen to them more so than yourself. I have seen and have even used signals (not as consistent as I should) to communicate—palm to forehead means learned a new way, fist nodding means I have used this way before, and so forth. If this is not a good option time-wise or for other reasons, then turning and sharing your way with a partner might be a good one. Everyone wants to be heard. We want our voices heard. They want their voices heard too. Turning and talking to a partner gives them that option.

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  24. Establishing that there is no tolerance for speaking over others while sharing will help make any classroom sharing time flow better. Linking this to respect and giving examples/modeling how it feels to be interrupted or talked over can help students identify with why this is important.

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  25. When students share their thinking with their peers it sometimes makes more sense to them. I believe this can't take place successfully without a safe classroom environment. In order to keep from getting lost or disengaged I would choose only a few students to share each day and so everyone gets a chance. I would let students know beforehand so they will be ready. Most students love to share their ideas with others. This is a great way to help build students confidence they need for the future. This is also a great way for teachers to check for students understanding.

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  26. Keeping students engaged in an activity is challenging. Signals and expectations of a lesson is valuable. At times I used check off sheets so students stayed engaged in the activity and each person would have a part to do. Sharing ideas is a great way for us to add to our lessons and incorporating students into the lesson. I enjoyed reading all of your ideas on this topic.

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  27. Last week during EOQ review, a student who rarely shares said "I would like to defend my answer." After weeks of justifying and having students show their evidence, this student finally felt comfortable to share his thinking. This not only increased this student's self-confidence and higher level thinking, but opened the door for livelier conversations of deeper thinking and explanations of answers.

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  28. Having students explain their thinking is always a struggle in my classroom because my students have difficulty finding the language to express themselves. However, we are working on this constantly and I have even begun to hear my students complement each other or say "She's thinking." while giving wait time. That shows me that they know thinking about math (and other subjects) is a process.

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