Sunday, February 1, 2015

February Will Be Filled With Collaboration, the Building of Relationships, Utilizing Data and Celebrations Including Black History Month 2/2-2/6


February 2nd to February 6th, 2015

As usual, this will be a very busy week. We begin Monday with 3rd graders testing. Vision Screening is on Tuesday as are our Instructional Walks which will begin at 1:00 sharp.  You will be notified below if a team will be observing you.  There may be additional classes added but this is where we are as of now. We had to be very creative in scheduling as we wanted to have as many grade levels/programs, etc... visited as was possible. You all are awesome. We would have liked the teams to see you all but they are only here for one hour and the observations last 10 minutes. There are classes in specials, recess, etc...1:00 is definitely a challenge but I know that we will be able to shine. There will be five teams who will visit three classrooms each. The visits will last 10 minutes and the team will meet to debrief and then go on to the next observation.   The teams are made up of Assistant Superintendents, Content Coaches, Star 3, ELA,Title I, Our Curriculum Coordinators and Administrators/Teacher Guide from our School and other district personnel. As I mentioned in the blog last week.  Please make sure all Bulletin Boards inside and outside of your rooms are complete, relevant and up to date. Have your current student work posted as well as your "I Can" and "EQ" statements. Each Grade Chair, specialist chair, etc... do a quick hallway check to make sure everything is up to date and there are no empty boards. If relevant, standards should be on board.  Thank you:)  If you are on the Observation list, pop in to see me tomorrow so I can give you additional information.

Learning Walk Teams: 


Team 1-Bullin/L. Wright/Sapp -   (Cannon, V. Simington, Hartman,Squire)

Team 2-White/Rice/Bersch-   (McGregor, S. Studies coach, Costello, Hoskins, Leslie Baldwin)

Team 3-C. Bostian/Stevenson/Friel-(Frazier, Amy Nail, Benika Thompson, PLT Coach, ELA Coach

Team 4-A. Wright/G. Jones/L. Greenlee-Gloria,Kenneth Simington, Andy Kraft, Shawn

Team 5-Faqih/Snider/Ochoa-Amanda G, Steve Oates, David Sisk, ESL, Connie or Wayne Foster, Science Coach




HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MARILYN GILLIAM, AMANDA STEVENSON and JACKIE PULLEN

Family Affairs- I am scheduled for my surgery on Wednesday Morning. I will be out of commission for about a week, hopefully less. Dr. Frazier can reach me and you can email me or text if you have a problem. I will start reading emails as soon as I am up to it. I will listen to the doctor's orders and do my best to heal after the surgery.  I have all observations finished but two and will finish those on Monday., so most of you should have or will have your post observation. Please be sure that you have signed off on your post conference once completed:)  All peers have been given rights to enter peer evaluations. They should all be done by  Wednesday at the latest.


CONGRATULATIONS to another GRANT AWARD WINNER!!!!!  Julie Magness wrote and secured a Math Fluency Grant to obtain software that will help students learn their Math Facts!  Way to go Julie!  


LAST WEEK's and emails from me were chocked full of important dates and upcoming events. Please make sure you reread them, check your calendars so that you are up to spped on all that is happening.  Also, please respond, only needs to be a sentence or two to my post at the end of this blog. Thank you!

21 comments:

  1. I just wanted you all to know that I know this has been a "trying" few days, with school grades being released this week and state report grades being released next week. I want you to know that I know how very hard each of you work everyday to make sure our students are learning, growing, and are happy. You wear a lot of hats and I am so proud of you all. We have a great school. We are a team, a collaborative group, and most of all a family. We respect each other, our students and our families. Thank you for your dedication to Diggs-Latham. We have a lot of work ahead of us. It doesn't happen overnight, but if we build relationships, know and effectively use our data, increase rigor and continue to have high expectations, we will accomplish our goals. You have students, parents, the community, coaches and district administration who believe in you. I am your biggest cheerleader and I truly believe in you all. We will do what we need to do. Go team.

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  2. C+.....it's sad considering how hard we all work but we can't let it discourage us. We are a great team and we are making a difference in these kids' lives.

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  3. I agree....we work really hard! Let's stay focused on our main goal---students. Every student, every day...we move them closer to the goal. While doing this we have to support each other and affirm one another. We're a great school!

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  4. We are a very hard working school and I am so proud to be a part of this team. I see you guys pour out your talents, time, creativity, and energy every week. I see the parking lot full well after dinner. You guys do strive to make each student feel like more than a data point. Imagine you can hear the roars and claps of the Super Bowl cheering for you YOU ROCK!!!!

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  5. We worked hard, and are working harder to make a difference in our students' lives. We are an awesome team. We can make it happen. Go Diggs-Latham go!!!!!!!

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  6. We will continue to work hard in order to grow each and every student. It is a challenge at times, but when we find a way it makes all the difference.

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  7. Receiving a "C+" grade didn't surprise me, but it also didn't bother me. I know incredible unique learning experiences happen every day in our school. As a specialist I am blessed with the opportunity to watch our kiddos grow for 6 years. During interventions I am usually paired with the same children every year. Seeing where I met some 2nd graders develop into 5th graders is awesome. The state thinks they can measure progress...but we all know that small accomplishments are worth every minute extra we spend on them.

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  8. Looking at each child individually is an important part of what we do on a daily basis. I agree that we need to work hard and continue to strive for excellence as a school, but I also think that celebrating those milestones in each classroom as well as with each student is incredibly important. Lets continue to do our best and encourage our students in the areas in which they succeed.

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  9. I feel that it is important for us to continue to strive for excellence as well but to remember it's may take small steps to reach the final outcome. Encouraging students and celebrating even the small steps will make a difference throughout the school.

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  10. I am proud of each and every one of you!!!!

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  11. We as a school definitely work hard and if anything the grade for our school will push us to continue to look for and try new things that will help OUR students at OUR school be successful. My hope is that this will gain the attention of our parents and let them know that we have a challenge and we need everyone's help to improve!

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  12. We rock, and no matter what the grade is, it doesn't show how dedicated and how caring we are as a staff. We all know how hard everyone works, and even though the grade isn't where we want it to be, its a good place to build from and grow.

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  13. I love how everyone works hard at Diggs-Latham and everyone is very encouraging. We can definitely take on this challenge and raise that grade!

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  14. Ive had fun trying to explain the differences between the district and the states grade scales. I stand with Mrs. Stevenson on not being surprised nor upset by our C+. Ross also said it very well that it does not how dedicated, caring and hard working we ALL are. I am however glad to see poverty being a factor considered into our districts grade scale. It takes me back to the poverty workshop we had two years ago and how it opened my eyes to so many new things.
    And rest well Mrs. Cannon during your recovery! We will miss you as you enjoy your pink cast and celebrate our Go Red day.

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  15. I try to keep the grade in perspective. It is something to keep in mind, but it does not fully depict the abilities and needs of my special kiddos.

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  16. I would love to see us get an A, but the reality is that no Title I school got that grade. Only a couple of the "+" schools even got a B. Maybe this would be a good immediate goal. In the end, the grade doesn't bother me because I know how hard we work here, and I know that our students' parents see this.

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  17. Our grade does not show how hard we work to help our students. Let's not let it get us down.

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  18. Our school is outstanding and I am so proud to be part of the team. I focus on each student's growth and celebrate it.

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  19. I think we should use the grade as our starting point and continue to work hard towards our goal of helping our students be successful lifelong learners. It is wonderful to be part of the Diggs-Latham team.

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  20. We got some great feedback from our observers yesterday. I am so happy that they felt our positive learning environment. It takes time to see the data reflect our efforts.

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  21. Considering the daily challenges we and the children face, C+ is reasonable. I believe we will continue to do everything in our power to make these children successful in reaching an A+!

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