Week of May 1 - May 5

This coming week is Teacher Appreciation Week at Jefferson.  I want to take just a minute to tell you thank you for all you to for our kids.  You do not hear it nearly enough, but you truly are the difference makers for 620 students.  They need you.  They will remember you.  They will remember the way that you looked at them with hope and possibility.  Thank you for all you do for our little ones and our school!

Here's the schedule of fun events this coming week to celebrate you!

• Monday:  Please find a box of candy and your lunch ticket for Tuesday in the lounge.
• Tuesday:  Lunch provided in the Staff Lounge.
• Wednesday:  Breakfast provided in the Staff Lounge.
• Thursday:  Concession Stand in the Staff Lounge.
• Friday:  Oscar Awards - Please pick up your award in the Staff Lounge.

New Babies are the Best!

For those of you who worked with David Palmer, he and his wife have been blessed with a sweet little one!

Jocelyn Palmer

Born 3/21

8 lbs, 19.5 inches

Everyone is happy and healthy.




New Bridges Math Materials
Your new materials will be delivered very soon.  Please open the boxes ONLY after reading the Quick Start Guide.  I will provide you with a copy.  It will make these SO much easier.  Trust me.  This is KEY.


Bus Bells
Please help us make sure that your students are released at the right bells.  We would like to ensure that teachers are walking out to the bus with their teachers at the bell.  We have had a few buses held up for students running late. Thanks for helping with this issue.

Bus Evacuation Practice
Don't forget to include the bus evacuation practice in your lesson plans next week.

Final Progress Monitors
Your final progress monitors and IRI are happening in the next couple of weeks.  Elara will help with Star Testing.  Please ensure you have each student take the MCOMP and have that recorded by the 12th.

Have a great weekend!

Week of April 24th - April 28th

Thought you might find this amusing!  A few details A ton of details  for the upcoming weeks. If you decide to play Gerry Brook's game, could you leave me in a dark room with a blanket and pillow please.  :D  Just saying!  Have a great weekend!  Angie

Secretaries Breakfast

The District will be honoring secretaries with a special breakfast on Wednesday at 9AM.  Maria and Maria will be helping us cover the office.  Please be aware of this so we can go easy on them during first recess.  

We are SO grateful for Anne and Emily and all that they do for us!

Last Jefferson Gives Day - Dress Up Like Your Favorite Character

Friday the 28th is our last Jefferson Gives Day.  Plan your costume know.  We'll have more details on the announcements on Monday.

Computers May Behave in Strange New Ways!

Info from Dale:

We are working with Idaho Power on an Energy Efficiency Program.  The program is designed to provide financial incentives as well as reduce power consumption also saving the district money, which can be used for other things.

We have a list of items we will be working on the next several months.  One of these matters has been implemented.  I don’t think it will have a negative impact, but you may see a change.  Chris applied power policies to staff and student computers referenced the other day in our energy meeting.  Staff computers will “sleep” after an hour and require password unlock.  They will completely shut down at 11:00PM.  Student computers will “sleep” after 15 minutes of non-use, require no password unlock and will completely shut down at 5:00PM.

The password unlock was applied on teacher computers, because we found teachers leaving programs open while not attending their computer.  For example, grade books have been left running, making it accessible to students.  This will help provide greater network security as well as saving energy.

To take a student computer out of “sleep” mode all they need to do is move the mouse or press the space bar.

Evaluations
Toni and I will be finishing the Charlotte Danielson portion of everyone's evaluations by the middle of next week and setting up appointments.  Please make sure to accept the appointments so we know you'll be able to make the time.

BoxTop Information for the End of the Year
Prizes for current classes needing them April 27 @10.

Last collection date May 19

Last day to award prizes May 22nd.

Liz's Big Take-Aways from the Federal Programs Conference

1.  There is a huge word deficit between children living in poverty and those who are not living in poverty.  It's  a 30-40 million word deficit.

2.  We attended an intervention session that gave us a flow chart for interventions and programs to use.  It was nice to see that what we are doing is very similar to what they were doing.  I think it would be helpful for us to create a similar flow sheet and use it to help in data team meetings.

3.  There was a very powerful message with one of the speakers about being a beacon of hope for students.  One student credited a para for being the reason he graduated from high school instead of being in jail or dead.  I thought this was super powerful.  The para mostly fed the student and helped him with his homework.

Children's Choices Meeting
Dr. Stan Steiner, a Children's Literature Professor from BSU, and the reason I buy so many books, will be in the library on May 11th at 3:15 to tell us about the Children's Choice Book Award.  We are hoping to participate.  It will bring brand new just-published books to our kids next year and they get to decide which ones they like....and the books get to stay in your classrooms when it is all said and done!  If you have questions you can ask Shawn, Patti or Jody.

 22nd.

Week of April 17th - April 21st

Wishing you and your family a Happy Easter!

Coming up this week

• Monday - PTO Meeting After School
• Tuesday - Wednesday - Kindergarten Registration at the District Office Gym
• Wednesday - 1st Grade Field Trip
• Friday - 2nd Grade Field Trip
• Friday - Monthly Progress Monitors Due

End of the Year Details - In case you are planning

We got finally got word about how the snow days might affect our end of the year events and hours.  Kindergarten Graduation will remain on Tuesday, the 23rd.  The last day of school will be an early release like a Friday.  We will serve lunch.

How Does Idaho Measure Up in Supporting ELs
NPR has created a site called 5 Million Voices.  It has a variety of news and information on supporting EL students.  I thought this article with infographics comparing states was pretty interesting.

Short Clips about Growth Mindset
Thanks for sharing Ashlee!  This is a fun list of resources.
https://www.weareteachers.com/perfect-read-alouds-for-teaching-growth-mindset/

Would You Like to Use Book It! in Your Classrooms Next Year?
I can order this incentive for us as a school.  Please let your BLT member know if you are interested.


Lost and Hopefully Found
The lost and found is over flowing! Please take a few minutes to visit the lost and found with your kids after a recess.

Fresh Starts for Kids
There are plenty of kids who could use a fresh start from us each day. This article had some good points that had me reflecting. Maybe it'll fill your take for the end of the year.

Federal Programs Conference Thoughts and Ideas
I asked the folks who attended the Federal Programs Conference to share some of their insights, resources or questions to share with you.  Here are a few.  More to come next week.

Patti:
One good take away was to have a visual for the data team/intervention process.  We saw a flow chart that I thought was very useful especially at the beginning of the year.  It would help teams if this chart included lists of interventions that we have access to and showed which areas of deficit they targeted. It also might be helpful to have the flow chart tailored to each grade level. 

Another great take away is to give teachers a behavior plan form that they could complete for students that needed help above the regular classroom plan.  This standardization of using the same form for students would allow for better collaboration and discussion about a student's needs.  It would be completed by the classroom teacher and modified as needed to support the student. 

Last but not least, we should participate in Dr. Steiner's book reviews.

Lisa:
1.The Grump Meter:  I really like how this tool allows students to become aware of their feelings.  I plan to start using it next week.  It will not stop the behaviors at first but hopefully, as the student becomes aware of how he/she is feeling then this will lead to conversations on self-regulation and what are the triggers and how to calm down before the feeling escalates.

2. Dr. Luis Cruz: I liked how Dr. Cruz used his personal examples of how we as teachers can bring about positive change in our students' lives by coming together with a common goal (mission statement) and following through with productive PLCs.   I plan on creating my professional goal for next year around the work of Dufour and wonder if anyone else would like to join.

#3 Class of '27 Documentary

One statement from this video has circulated in my mind over and over.  The statement is:  We feed them on Monday so they can learn on Tuesday.  I feel that we have so many food insecure students that even though they come on Monday and can eat breakfast that it still isn't enough.  If they truly have not had much to eat for the last two days I can see that it would take a while for little tummies to feel full.  Liz, Nicole and I have thought about writing some grants to have a little food pantry where students can come anytime and have a snack.

Nicole:

- We have to be an advocate for all kids...ALL kids!

- There's actual places to check your intervention/curriculum with research-based reports!

- It was awesome to see Idaho Falls' RTi process, and realize how close ours is to it..we just need to map ours out more specifically! 

Week of April 3rd - April 7th

Whew!  There was a lot of spring energy at Jefferson this week!  Thanks for your professionalism and support of our kids.  You all amaze me everyday and I'm so grateful to work with you!

ESOL Endorsement and Credits
This is one of the best PD opportunities I've seen yet.  I hope you will consider applying and I'd love to know who already has.
https://education.boisestate.edu/literacy/enlbilingual-endorsement/  

CSI i-STEM Summer Institute—June 26-29 

Registration for the institute is open, and we have a few spots left.

i-STEM is a coordinated effort by the State Department of Education, Idaho Career-Technical Education, educators, businesses, and industry to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Other than a small registration fee, the institute is free. The institute is an excellent professional development opportunity and includes great instruction, excellent key note speakers, free lesson kit, free professional development credit, free technology device, free meals, and much more!

Please encourage your STEM teachers to attend. For more information and to register, please go to http://www.sde.idaho.gov/events/i-stem-summer-institutes/index.html

Log Cabin workshop for 3rd Grade

This is a really great experience for kids, especially those who are interested in writing.  3rd Grade, we will have flyer in your boxes soon.  Please promote this with our kids!

Tape on the Floor

You recently got an email from Tara about tape.  Instead of changing the tape every 2 weeks, we would ask you to watch for when it needs to be replaced.  Tara will also do spot checks if she thinks it should be changed.  This can be really hard on the equipment and carpets if we aren't careful.  You can still use tape, but we appreciate your support with this.  When in doubt, have Tara take a look.

Tara will to do a spot check.

STEAM Night

Please let Nicole or Liz know if you have any materials you will need for your sessions. We need this ASAP to get them in time.

ISAT Testing is Starting Monday

• Cart is available during Computer lab times for teachers with specials.
• Please help remind kids to be as quiet as possible when passing by the computer lab.

Progress Monitor Changes

Please note that the Star Testing for April is being moved to May 1st.  Progress Monitors will still happen in April, but Data Team meeting may be cancelled.  This has changed on your calendar.  Please watch for more information.

Interventions

• Interventions will run through May 5th.  We will have the IRI the following week and then we will be in the thick of end of year activities.
• Shawn will continue to pull EL students through the 12th.

Tiger Award Luncheons

Please note that we will plan for luncheons for

• April 14th - Habit #6
• May 12th - Habit #7

We will have Tiger Awards in your boxes this coming week.

Playground Concerns and AdjustmentsBLT had some concerns about the playground and especially the basketball court.  The team thought that we should give the 2nd and 3rd grade the basketball court at lunch.  1st and Kinder at the shorter recesses. We will start this on Monday. Also to give kids a few more options:

• Mrs. Hall will teach 4 Square. Will announce when on the morning announcements.
• Mrs. Brulotte will order bases and cones for Kickball. Mrs. Perry is teaching this right now so the timing is good.
• We will work to remind kids about the Walking Path incentives.

Battle of the Book Thanks

Thanks to Miss Jen for her hard work with Battle of the Books and to Tara for helping judge along with Mrs. N. I'm excited to see our teams compete in Twin Falls.

Federal Programs Conference

Angie and a handful of teachers will be gone Wednesday through Friday next week. Toni will be available in the office.

Week of March 13th - March 16th

I know, that you know, that I have a weird sense of humor.  But, this principal cracks me up!  And I'm certain that we all could use a little more "whimsy" in our days.  Please watch and enjoy a little giggle just to break up your day.  Remember, only 5 more 'work' wake ups until Spring Break, which has an extra day this year!

Here are a few details for the week(s) ahead!

Conferences
Anne has some popular dinner choices set up for everyone on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Make sure that your schedule has a break built in so you can get something to eat.  Tuesday is Wild Rice Soup and Wednesday is Scarrow's Pulled Pork Sandwiches.  If you are in need of something slightly different to fill you up for the conference evening, please let me know ASAP.

Contract hours for all certified staff are 4:00-8:00PM on Tuesday and Wednesday.  This is a swap of time for having Friday off.

As part of your evaluation, parent survey data needs to be included.  We will have flyers for you to give families at the time of your conference, and we will have the computer lab open for families to use.  It is important to have as many parents as you can take this for you.  This year's data will be included in your evaluation file. This is slightly different from past years where the data needed to be considered.

Please also do your best to get updated phone numbers from families without this eating up too much conference time.

Lastly, don't forget to have the Summer School forms ready.  I can't overemphasize how important it is to keep those forms here at school.


GT Testing
Miriam will be testing all third graders next week in the lab.  They will be using the lab all day on Tuesday, March 14th.  We planned this with the team, but I apologize to all of you who have computers on Tuesdays.  I forgot to get it on the Jefferson Elementary Events Calendar.

Technology Idea
Have you seen Flippity ? I will need to take a little more time exploring this app, but Janet recently used it in a staff meeting and it was a lot of fun!  You might check it out if you are looking for a new way to engage your kids in content.

Carnival Thank You!
You guys rock!  So does our PTO.  We are blessed!  We thought last year was a good year, but we earned nearly the same this year.  We are well on our way to getting document cameras for classrooms.  We are waiting on a Northwest Farm Credit Matching Grant to see where we are in the budget, but we will begin looking at unit prices and specs.  Thanks for all you contributed to make this happen!

Lucy Calkin's Writing Units and Els
I thought this was a quick and thoughtful blog post about using the units with ELs.  There is also a nice reference PDF.  I hope it might spark some connections for you.

ISAT Testing
A reminder that ISAT Testing will begin on April 3rd.  We are going to aim for 3 weeks of testing, but plan for 4.  There will be no computer specials during this time.

Dual Immersion Update
We will have applications ready for families at Parent Teacher Conferences if families ask.  Here are a few details;

• All new kindergarten applications will be on a lottery basis with preference given to families with siblings already in the program and teachers.  Like last year, we will be filling 50% from English speaking families and 50% from Spanish speaking families.
• We will also accept applications for 1st grade, but we only have about 12 spot available.
• We will also accept applications for 2nd grade, but there likely will be very few spots available and students will need to have quite a bit of Spanish.
• All applications will be due on Friday, May 5th by the end of the day.  We will do the lottery and notify families by the following week.

Please direct any other questions families may have to the office.  Thanks!

Parking Concerns
There have been a few recent concerns about parking.  Here are a few things we will be addressing after visiting in BLT.

• Part of the concern may be signage.  We are working to identify lots, especially in the South Parking Lot by Kindergarten, as 'staff only'.
• We will be reminding subs that they need to be parking in the front and checking in at the front doors.  The only exception might be Karen Ritchy, who is practically on the staff.  :)  We'll do this gently, because we still want them to feel welcome in our building.
• General rule of thumb, please park in a lot closest to your hallway.

Cool Math Games
Here's a heads up.  Cool Math Games is not an approved district site.  In fact, there may be some questionable material on this site, including games where fighting is part of the 'fun.'  A couple of teachers had noticed some aggression from students who were choosing this site.  At this time, I would recommend that we use other resources when it comes to choice time.  Please let me know if you have concerns that are pro Cool Math Games.  I am open to this discussion.

7 Habits Family Training
This is mostly for information, but we will be hosting families for a 7 Habits Family Training on April 11th, 18th, and May 2nd from 5:30-7:00.  This will be on a first sign up basis for 50 families.  They will be given the workbook (Thank you United Way for the grant!) and a copy of the 7 Habits of Happy Kids picture book.  We think this will be a good first step in helping families understand the language of the habits.


Data Teams Wednesday, March 29th
We will use the school-wide data you are collecting this week to discuss how kids are progressing on the 29th.  This is a heads up for planning, since this is the Wednesday that we return from break.

Family STEAM Night
We are excited to host this evening of fun with science, technology, engineering, arts and math on Thursday, April 13th.  If you are one of the teachers from your grade level hosting, please watch for an email from Liz and Nicole as they help us organize and plan.  It will be coming up quickly as we return from break.  A little good news:  We got a $1000 grant to be able to send families home with books and projects! I'm very excited about this!

Some Great Math Sites

Pattern Block Designs?  Here you go!

Virtual Manipulatives for every age?  Got them right here.

Greg Tang's books are great, but check out these games!

Interesting New Method
Janet learned of this new method for delivering information to students.  I am very curious about it myself and will be doing some more reading.  Check out this video if you are curious.

Phonemic Awareness Ideas
Liz, Nicole, BLT and I have been talking a lot about the phonemic awareness gap we are seeing in our K-1 students.  Some new research is indicating the impacts of this on students of poverty.  As I look into this, I was reminded of these engaging activities from Reading Rockets.  Thought they might be helpful for interventions.

I may be missing a few pieces, but I'll send those out through email as needed.  Happy almost Spring Break!

Angie

Week of February 27th - March 3rd and March 6th - March 10th

One of my favorite quotes.  I've shared it before, but I was reminded again this week as I was looking at our school-wide growth on the IRI.  You work incredibly hard for our kids.  There are lots of road blocks and hurdles, both academic and disciplinary.  But, you were still able to help kids grow 20%!  That's really incredible growth and I hope you will celebrate.  There is work still to be done, but for me, there's nothing more motivating than forward progress!  More importantly, watching our kids become readers.  :D

Spring Break is just around the corner.  This is likely the only post for two weeks, because it will be very busy this week.






Jefferson Carnival
Our carnival is this Friday!!  Thank you for the work on the classroom baskets.  Our PTO has also been working very hard to prepare.  Please plan to join us that evening.  If you are unable to make it, please let me know.  It should be a fun evening to connect with families, and hopefully get a step closer to document cameras in classrooms.

Community Schools
I will be gone Wednesday with a group of folks who will be touring a Community School in South SLC.  We will be partnering with the United Way of the Magic Valley next year to bring much needed resources to our school.  If you are curious about what a Community School is, click here.  This won't mean more for you, this will mean more connections and resources for our families.  I'm very excited to learn more.

Early Release Day
Thanks to all of you for helping with the early release day on Thursday!  You were awesome!  Paras, thanks for your quick help in the halls with the radios.  Dale received a compliment for how quick and easy it was for a parent to pick students up.  As many of you noticed, it was difficult to communicate with a handful of parents without current numbers.  Please note who those families are so that we can ensure that we get new numbers from them at parent-teacher conferences.

Requesting Subs
It appears that AESOP may automatically set your daily start time at 7:45.  Please make sure to adjust this 8:00.  We need to conserve all sub minutes and your contract time begins at 8:00AM.  Thank you for helping with this important detail.

Communication with Families
As we move into the evaluation season, I would appreciate any examples of parent communication that you have.  If you send a weekly newsletter home, I'd love to see a few examples.  If you have other special event letters or a class blog, please share those with me as evidence for your evaluation.  Thanks!

Emergency Sub Folders
Toni will be around to just get an idea of where your Emergency Sub Folder is and that it is ready to go.  Please have yours in a spot we can identify fairly quickly.

Staff Meeting Monday, March 6th
We will try to reschedule Alma and Dale to come to this meeting.

Habits Training Coming Up
Make sure to pick one of the days to attend each habit training.  I have asked the trainers to have a sign in sheet.  This is something we should have been doing to track attendance for federal programming.  We are trying to do a better job of tracking.  Thanks for helping with this.

Habit #6 - Feb. 27th or March 1st
Habit #7 - March 10th or 27th

Also, please remember we are working on the habits with kids as much as possible.  I'd love to hear what you've done!

Tiger Awards
Tiger Awards Luncheon will be this Friday, March 3rd in the Library at 11:45 for Habit #5.  Please see us in the office for blank awards.  Please have them turned into us no later than Wednesday.

Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conference are quickly approaching on Tuesday and Wednesday March 13-14.  Contract hours for all teachers are 4:00-8:00PM.  As a swap for this time, Friday, March 17th is off and will be a great start to your spring break.  Anne is coordinating dinners for us.  We will do soup and soup bowls one night, and pulled pork sandwiches from Scarrows the other night.  If you have an allergy, and would like us to help with a dinner option, please let Anne know ASAP.  We'll do our best to help out.

Signage at Jefferson
Do you have an idea for a sign that might be helpful at Jefferson?  We are currently thinking about signage in the parking and pick up lanes.  I'd like to hear your ideas.  Please let me know, or post them in Google+.

I'm sure there are more details to come.  Please watch your emails in the next couple of weeks!  We will resume the theme songs with the next blog post, but congratulations to those of you who picked Lisa for the last theme song!!

Angie

Week of February 21st - 24th

At IABE, Dr. Kate Kinsella kept referring to her students as "scholars." It has had me reflecting on the idea of naming. Then last night Bill and I went to see Bria Skonberg at Arts on Tour. She is an up and coming young jazz singer and trumpeter (And oh how she can play!). She had worked with a number of young musicians yesterday at one of the high schools. One happened to be in the audience. She told the entire crowd that he was the future of jazz clarinetists and someone to watch. WOW! What power in her words for that young man. Again, this moment has had me reflecting on the power of our words to speak into kids lives. It's made me reflect, especially on our most difficult students.

• How do I see these students? Do I hope for their futures? Can I see them doing something amazing in the future?
• Do I project with my words everything they can become?
• Do I name out loud for them all of the good things they are?
• When they are in the office, especially for discipline, do I use growth mindset language? Do we name them for their behavior or do we take the moment and teach for something better?

Just a few things that I'm been thinking about. Thank you for all you do to invest in our scholars!

Have a great 3 day weekend!

Speaking of IABE
Thank you to Tammy for representing Jefferson SO WELL at IABE.  She shared a lot of great strategies for supporting ELs, especially what we can do with Comprehensible Input.  We will have to find a time to have her share her presentation with staff.

FFA Week - A Day at Jefferson
Next week is FFA Week and our JHS FFA will be here Thursday (This is a recent change.) We have a sign-up sheet in the office. They will take four classes at a time. You will be in the cafeteria. Kids will be learning about the dairy industry and will get to make ice cream! We will still have interventions that day, so please find a time to sign up that will avoid interference.

New Friday Schedule - The "extra" hour
Working with BLT, I think we have come up with a pretty decent plan for our extra hour on Fridays. This will start this coming Friday, Feb. 24th. First, we will be having the Title 1 Team supporting our 1st Grade students (and a few kinder) with interventions in math and reading. This is a high needs groups and we feel this is a good investment of time for the whole school. Shawn and the Maria's will also be joining with supports as they wrap up ACCESS testing. Miss Jen will also be joining this Team of folks. We will be using the Title 1 room and library for this 45 min. block after our 2:00-2:15 recess. Becky will be using this time for 3rd Grade Choir practice. Elara will be using this time for ISAT prep and then testing blocks. Chris will be supporting us during this time with an extra PE for a class chosen for their respectful and responsible behavior in the lunchroom that week. Please let me, or your BLT member know if you have questions. Thanks for your support as we try to be most strategic with this extra instructional time.

Emergency Folders
For those of you who let us know that you needed an Emergency Sub Folder, we know have those in the office on the shelf by my door. Please help yourself. Here's the list that the team put together of items to include. Please share any others we might have missed in the Google+ comments. Toni will be around in the next couple of weeks to note where we can find your folder in case of emergency.

Jefferson Elementary Emergency Substitute Plan Checklist

1. Information about where to find the Red Emergency Bag and Evacuation Map
2. Class list with pictures from Power School printed (Update occasionally with new students)
3. Include information on students with:
1. Allergies
2. Care Plans/Medications
3. IEPS
4. Behavior Plans
5. Any other special needs
4. Phone extensions for staff they may need to reach along with their name, title, and room number
5. Information about adults who will be coming to your room or students who will be leaving your room and the schedule for that to happen
6. The name and room number of a grade level teammate that can help answer questions about schedule or assignments.
7. Weekly classroom schedule
8. Expectations and routines
9. Recess Duties: Time and Location
10. Classroom Behavior and Reward Plans
11. Lesson Plans – In many cases you will have this pre-planned, but please consider having group of activities that could be used in case of an emergency.

Staff Meeting with Dale and Alma(?) Thursday after School

Dale and Kim are needing a bit of our time as a staff. In trying to cooridnate all of the schedules, this coming Thursday was the best for an after school meeting. This will be a quick discussion of the upcoming supplemental levy and the basics on Migrant student services.

Theme Song
Shawn is no "Goody Two Shoes," bu she loves Adam Ant! Who likes Christina Perry?
Theme song: A Thousand Years
A. Lisa Henderson
B. Barb Brown
C. Brittany Maikranz
D. Nicole Ferreia