January 26-January 30th A Week Filled With Quality Teaching and Intentional Planning:)

PEER EVALUATIONS - Completing an Observation

Here are some tips that might help those of you doing Peer Evaluations.....

·        Click on the Evaluation Process tab.

·        Click on the Staff Evaluations tab.

·        Find the name of the teacher you are evaluating.  Click on the down arrow by their name and select the plan you are going to be editing. 

·        You do not have to complete the Pre-Observation options.

·        Click on “Edit” beside Formal Observation.

·        This will take you to the Formal Observation screen.  Click “Start New.”

·        Enter the observation details.

·        Complete the observation.

·        Return to the top of the screen and click on “Save Changes.”

·        If you are ready to share the results click on the “Share” button.  A box will appear.  Click on Share.

·        Click on “Save and Exit.”  This will take you to the summary screen.

·        If you have completed the observation click the down arrow under menu and select “Finalize.”  Note that once you select “Finalize” you will not be able to make changes.

·        A “Mark Complete” button should appear.  Click on “Mark Complete.”

·        Click “OK” on the text box that appears.

·        This will return you to the evaluation screen.  Click on “Actions” beside Formal Observation and select “Send.”  You will be able to do this when we are given the rights by HR.  If you have done a peer eval. and can't get it in, then you need rights and I need to let HR know so be sure to shoot me an email to tell me who you have observed if you haven't done so already.  All probationary teachers need a peer eval. It should be completed this week.  Questions?  See me:)

      Report Cards..... Thank you for doing such a great job on your

report cards. Dr. Frazier and I are working this weekend to get them back to you on Monday.  They will go home on Tuesday.

Mark Your Calendars! 

 Magnet Tours All Week...So far there are almost 80 Magnet Applications and Growing. This means we are on an application as either first, second or third choice. Wow!!

Formal Observations will continue this week as will CWTs.

• 1/27 Report Cards sent home 
• 1/27 SIT meeting
• 1/30 Dr. Frazier, Jennifer Hart, Katie McGregor and Steve Friel to Ron Clark Academy
• 2/3 We will have observers from Central Office in your classrooms conducting Instructional Walks beginning at 1:00. They will be working in teams. Please make sure you are well planned out/have current student work posted inside and outside of your classrooms. EQs/I can statements posted. Rooms are clutter free and student desks are orderly.  These are all actually things that should be done automatically. All holiday displays should be down...yes, there were a few still up.  Please make sure your team's assigned Bulletin Board is up and content based.
• 2/4 Vision Screening
• 2/5 Lifetouch Class Pictures (please remind students)
• 2/6 HEALING FORCE Assembly pre-k-5  at 1:15 
• 2/6 Go RED Day!!
• 2/9 Our Very First Dairy-O Night from 5-8.  "Frozen" Theme.  Diggs-Latham will get 10% of the profits and we don't even have to wash tables, so come on out and bring your families or come for dinner with friends.  We will be sending a flier home to parents. This is a PTA event.  Please support us, its important.  We need extra funds for school projects.
• 2/10 Faculty Meeting (SIOP Training continues)
• 2/11 Third Early Release Day-Focus on Vertical Alignment
• 2/12 Arts Council Show NC Musical History 9:00-9:45 Grades 3-5

SO..What is an Instructional Learning Walk?

As you know, on February 3rd, we will have teams visiting our classrooms for Instructional Learning Walks.  The Learning Walk is an instructional support strategy that aligns with our other Instuctional Coordination Work. The format of the walk is below:

1. The Learning Walk Teams will consist of 3-5 members per team. including the district's Chief Academic Officer, Asst. Superintendent, Principal, Asst. Principal, Program Manager, CC, Academic Coach, other central office personnel.
2. Team will visit classrooms for 10 minutes each using an identified template
3. Schools will be asked to identify in advance three instructional foci (must align with our school improvement plan) and two to three related results indicators student or teacher behaviors or artifacts that would be present if the focus is being addressed) that we would like to focus on during the visits.  For example, if a focus is standards-based instruction, an indicator would be posting and referencing the EQ/I Can statement.
4. The classrooms selected will represent a cross-section of the classes in our school.
5. Following each classroom visit, teams will have a 5 minute debrief to discuss.
6. The meeting will conclude with a post walk debrief that includes feedback from the Learning Walk Teams.

We will discuss this at Tuesday's SIT Meeting.

Reflection Questions

Are you keeping up with your PEPs, and progress monitoring?

Very soon you will get information on Beginning to Think about Retentions.  Make sure that you are having Parent Conferences as needed and are communicating with parents.  Report Cards should not be a shock to any parent as you should be communicating throughout the quarter.  Each grade level is supposed to have an additional Parent Engagement Night this year.  It can be done as a grade level or individually. Several of you have already done this.  It could be a writing night, an author's chair, a Fun with Science or Math Night, an informational night or any other creative idea you dream up to engage our parents and help them help their children. Let us know when you will be doing these so we can get them on the calendar.