Week of November 30th - December 4th

Did you rest?  Did you eat lots of great food?  Did you find time to shop Black Friday specials?  Whatever you did with your Thanksgiving holiday, I hope that you had a little time to recharge your batteries.  Three more fun and exciting weeks of learning before a much bigger break for all the hard work you invest in our kids!


Visits to Harrison
Please see the email and attachment sent out for the schedule.  We have subs for you, no need to put one in AESOP.  Enjoy your time at Harrison.  I'm looking forward to hear what you noticed and hearing your questions about the Leader in Me and the reading program.

Rolling out Habit #3 This Week

Stay tuned for more teaching ideas here!  There's not better time of the year to stop and take a minute to consider the "big rocks" in your personal and professional like.  I can't wait to hear how you rolled out "Putting First Things First" with your kids.

What's Your Yet?

I've been thinking a lot about my yets, Jefferson's yets, and the yets of our kids.  I love how beautifully Habits#1 and #2 help all of us learn how to focus on who we are becoming, no matter what age we are.  As a challenge, and I know if might be a challenge for some, I would like you to think about your professional and personal yets.  Tweet one to me @wonder2wisdom with the hashtag #growthmindset.  I will respond with some fun and support!  In the meantime, check out this video by Carol Dweck.  It had me thinking about not "wasting life."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-swZaKN2Ic&feature=youtu.be

A Step Closer to Being a Leader in Me School!

This was a letter to Dr. Love, who submitted this grant on our behalf.  Thank you Brendalynn!

Congratulations! It is a pleasure to inform you that your organization has been chosen to receive a grant of $1,000.00 from the Statewide Education Philanthropic Gift Fund, and the grant has been approved by the Idaho Community Foundation’s Board of Directors. The grant is to be used to purchase the supplies needed to help implement a student centered leadership program within an elementary school, as outlined in your 2015 Southwestern Region Competitive grant proposal. 

Mentor Texts for Habits #1 and #2
Mr. Schu has some great book selections!  In this post he gives three examples of books that show persistence toward dreams and goals.  He even links the youtube book trailers!  I will give one copy of each book away to the teachers (1 per teacher) who read the post, sends me the title they want, and give me a one to two sentence description of how they will use it with their class!  Merry Christmas early!
http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/2015/11/december-sharpschu-book-club.html

Teaching the Narrative Standards After Christmas?
Plot.  That can be a tough concept to teach young kids.  This blog post does a nice jog of developing an activity around Henry and the Freedom Box that could be used as an "I do, We do" activity.  Not all books and plots are "neat", but this would be an easier entry into the concept.  If you don't have the book, let me know.  I have a couple of copies to loan.
http://www.gottoteach.com/2015/09/teaching-plot-with-picture-books.html

Classroom Technology Grant Opportunity - HURRY!  Deadline at the End of the Week!
The Idaho Education Technology Association (IETA) believes that education technology provides great opportunities to our students and educators around the state. IETA grants give Idaho technology leaders the opportunity to fund innovative ideas and initiatives within their school and district. IETA grants are open to any member of IETA who is in good standing with the organization. Grants applications are available in a variety of categories and are evaluated using our grant rubric.Visit our website to access the grant application and scoring rubrics. http://www.idahoedtech.org/announcements.html
TimelineSubmission 
Deadline: Friday, December 4, 2015 at 5:00 P.M. Mountain
Grant Awards Announced: Monday, December 14, 2015
Grant Expenditure Deadline: Thursday, June 30, 2016
Documentation Submission Deadline: Thursday, June 30, 2016

Upcoming Events

Nov. 30th, Dec. 6th, Dec. 13th - Building Culture Team @3:30

Dec. 2nd, 9th, 16th - MTSS Meeting @ 3:30

Dec. 1st, Dec. 8th - BLT @3:30

Dec. 3rd - Staff Meeting & Skype with Orchard Elementary (BLT and Culture Team)
Dec. 4th - All Staff Collaboration

To Do

• Plan a Dual Immersion Field Trip with your "Crew" - Send 2 possible dates to Angie
• Please let Angie know if there is an issue for your scheduled time to go to Harrison

Week of November 23rd - November 25th

I am incredibly thankful for each and every one of you!  I'm thankful for:

• the fact that you are part of the staff at Jefferson!
• the time, energy and creativity that you put into our students' learning.
• your tenacity and investment of love into our profession.
• the way that you care for each other.

The list is much longer, but I am privileged to work and grow alongside each and every one of you.  I hope that the long weekend is rejuvenating and a time to truly count your blessings.

Quick Reminders

• Make sure to schedule a time with Jorma to have a para help you with updated assessments (CORE Phonics, Sight words, etc.) as needed
• Help out with the American Legion Christmas Cards if you can
• We will meet with Dale at 8:00 on Wednesday morning.

Pre-Focus - Week of Nov. 24th - Nov. 25th

Writing is Exciting!


Author Gary Hogg will be here next week.  He does a great job keeping kids enthralled with storytelling, as well as inspiring them to write!  After visiting with Gary and BLT, here is a quick run down of the schedule for Monday.  Please let me know if you have questions.







1.  All activities will take place in the gym.  The assemblies and workshops will disrupt your specials schedules.  Chris is willing to do a "push in" lesson in your classroom, if you would normally have P.E. and you don't have to be at an assembly.  Please see her for further arrangements.

2. Kids will need to bring a whiteboard or clipboard, paper and a pencil to the workshops.

3.  Gary will be selling and autographing books for kids.  A yellow flyer is in your box to send home with kids. Teachers may also get books...at a discount.  Your flyer is pink.

3.  Want to know more or give your kids a preview?  Check out his website:  http://garyhoggbooks.com/

Now...Here's the Schedule...

8:30-9:30 - Assembly - 3rd, 2nd, and Kinder AM
9:45-10:30 - Workshop - 3rd Grade
10:45-11:30 - Workshop - 2nd Grade

12:45-1:45 - Assembly - 1st and Kinder PM
2:00-2:30 - Workshop - 1/2 of 1st Grade
2:30-3:00 - Workshop - 1/2 of 1st Grade

Friday Focus - Week of Nov. 16th - Nov. 20th

You may have noticed that this quote is on many of the papers I've handed out over the first couple of months of school.  This quote and the theme "The Power of Yet," had me thinking all summer.  I was reflecting about my own goals and the hopes and dreams for Jefferson, as a school, and for every little person who learns here each day.  I might also ask all of you...
Do you have a current goal? Professionally? Personally?  What are your aspirations?  Please be thinking about these and how I can support you, how we can support each other, and how we can support our students.



Habit #2 - Begin With the End in Mind - Ideas for Your Classroom
Thank you Kayleigh for these fun ideas.  It's not to late to join the class after school on Monday!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/545287467362572511/

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Planning-Out-My-Goals-532264

Habit #3 - Put First Things First
Thanks Sarah!  I think this is the correct link to your video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmV0gXpXwDU
**Remember to go the home page at Jeromeschools.org and finding "Content Filter" on the right-hand side of the page before trying to log on to a video.  And like Kayleigh said, fast forward through the ads.   :D

Building Safety and Fire Inspections - Monday
Speaking of putting first things first, thank you for your help ensuring that our building is as orderly as possible.  If you have misplaced the checklist of things to consider, please check in with Anne.  She has extras.

BoxTop Awards
Sandra and Walt Cooley will likey be at Jefferson on Monday to hand out BoxTop awards for the first trimester.  They'll swing by your room.  I'll let you know as I have details, but thanks ahead of time for your flexibility when they stop by.

Family Reading Night - Curl Up With a Classic
Thanks to all of your efforts (especially Emily Merritt) for organizing this event.  It looks to be a great time! Please talk this up with your students.  Free hot dogs for dinner are an added bonus.  See you Tuesday night.

Vision Screening Thursday
The Lion's Club with be here all day.  Because of the number of kids that we have, they traditionally screen 1st and 3rd graders.  If you have a student in Kinder or 2nd that you have a strong concern about, please visit with your MTSS/RtI Team Member.  They can visit with Anne to try to find a spot for your student to be screened.

New Staff Shirts
Come swing by the office and see the new staff shirts.  They were ordered in XL so you can make a determination about what size you might want.  Each option comes in S-XL, 1X-4X.  We weren't able to fund the whole shirt this year, but we are offsetting the cost of the embroidery.  We will place the order on Wednesday, Nov. 25th.  You are welcome to post-date a check for the November payday if you would like.  Place orders with Anne.
***Guys, please see Anne about options for you.

Barnes and Noble Fundraiser
Mark your calendars!  Saturday, December 12th is our Barnes and Noble Fundraiser.  We will send teams of 2-3 to be at Barnes and Noble to wrap gifts for donations.  It is actually a lot of fun, and we make a portion of every sale that customers indicate is for us.  Plus, we also make tips!  Last year we split the proceeds with folks who could volunteer that day.  You of course get paid in books for your classrooms.  Please consider if this might fit your schedule.  We'll have sign ups soon.

Students with Behavior Issues?
Check out this great website for ideas to try with students who are exhibiting specific behaviors.  It's really excellent and easy to use!
http://www.pbisworld.com/

Gary Hogg - Writing is Exciting! - Monday, November 23rd
Still waiting to hear back from Gary.  Planning on two smaller assemblies and four workshops.  Hope to have more details soon.

Kinda Cool to See Our Name on the Map!
Thanks Emily Merritt for your work to make this happen.
http://libraries.idaho.gov/files/SLA-Mini-Grants-2015-2016-Map.pdf

Upcoming Events

Nov. 16th - Leader in Me Book Study @3:30 in the library
Nov. 17th - Family Literacy Night and Cookie Dough Pick Up
Nov. 18th - Picture Retakes
Nov. 18th - MTSS Meeting @ 3:30
Nov. 19th - Vision Screening
Nov. 19th - Student Loan Forgiveness Meeting - JMS @3:45
Nov. 19th - Seizure Training - JMS @ 4:30-5:00
Nov. 20th - Jefferson Spirit Day/Tiger Award Luncheon
Nov. 20th - Fat Friday
Nov. 23rd & 24th - Writing Extravaganza
Nov. 23rd - Gary Hogg Assemblies and Workshops
Nov. 23rd - Building Culture Team @3:30
Nov. 24th - Building Leadership Team @3:30
Nov. 25th - Dual Immersion Meeting with Dale 8:00-8:30
Nov. 25th - 1/2 Work Day 8:00-11:45

To Do

• Plan a Dual Immersion Field Trip with your "Crew" - Send 2 possible dates to Angie
• Make sure to let Angie know if you want and LIA student ASAP
• Please let Angie know if there is an issue for your scheduled time to go to Harrison

Friday Focus - Week of Nov. 9th - 13th

"...we will define a habit as the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire. 

• Knowledge...what to do and why
• Skill...how to do
• Desire...the want to

In order to make something a habit in our lives, we have to have all three.   Stephen Covey

7 Habits Roll out at Jefferson

This week we will be focused on Habit 1 - Be Proactive.  Please make sure to plan at least one small activity that will help kids understand what it means to be proactive.  I will also be focusing on this during morning announcements.

"Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility.  They do not blame 

circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior."

FluMist - Monday, Nov. 9th @ 8:45AM

Please collect the consents forms and keep them in your classrooms. SCPHD will then go to each class, call a few students out at a time, and will administer the inhalant in the hallway. It will take only a few second per student. Once a classroom is completed, they will move to the next classroom until all classrooms have been completed. 

Writing Extravaganza

I hope plans are coming along for all kinds of writing fun on Monday, Nov. 23rd and Tuesday, Nov. 24th.  Please consider using part of Wednesday, Nov. 25th as a norming meeting to see what your kids have created.

Composing 10

Can't get enough of this blog and the interactive games this lady finds!  This one is for the interactive white boards.

http://www.mathcoachscorner.com/2015/05/22/composing-10-online-game/

Veteran's Day - November 11th

Please find even a small way to bring this to your students' attention.  These small lessons at an early age build a big appreciation later.

Counseling Groups

Please don't forget to recommend your students to Deb for small groups.  Send her names and concerns (put please leave the names out of the memo line of emails for FERPA reasons...just the body of the email).

Upcoming Events

October – T-shirt Sales - PTO
Nov. 9th - FluMist @8:45AM until done
Nov. 9th - Culture Team Meeting @3:30
Nov. 10th - Building Culture Team @3:30
Nov. 11th - MTSS Meeting @ 3:30
Nov. 11th - Ready for Kindergarten Class hosted at Jefferson 6PM
Nov. 12th - Staff Meeting 3:30-4:00 - 7 Habits Focus
Nov. 13^th – Jefferson Gives Day – Food Bank donations
Nov. 16th - 7 Habits Class 3:30-4:30

Nov. 17^th – Jefferson Literacy Night & Cookie Dough Pick Up

Friday Focus - Week of Nov. 2nd - 6th

“The future depends on what you do today.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Great things are happening this week as we move toward our goal to be a Leader in Me School.  First, we will be taking another round of folks to a Leadership Day at Harrison Elementary on Thursday.  Our Building Leadership Team will be attending (along with Denise, our new Culture Team Member), as well as Lydia Jackson, our PTO President, Brendalyn Love, Janet Avery, Lori Johnston, and a couple of guests from the United Way.  We were also asked if we would host an administrators' day.  So Wednesday we will be hosting about 30 area administrators at the District Office.  All of these things, plus the work you are doing at staff meetings and with the book study are putting us in a very good position to apply for the grant next month!  As part of that work, we will also begin the formal roll out of the habits at Jefferson next week.  Please begin planning with your team about how this might look.  I've put a new spot on the right side of the blog as a reminder of when we will aim to all focus on the same trait.

I am very thankful for all of you and the way that you keep planting for the future of our kids.

Angie

Dual Immersion Dinner
El Sombrero from 5:00-8:00PM

Progress Monitoring this Week
Reading and Math this week.  Please report no later than Sunday, Nov. 8th.  We will be trying to pull reports for data teams and RtI.

Dual Immersion Dinner
This Thursday is the Dual Immersion Fundraising Dinner.  Please let me know if you plan to attend.  We would love to have your support, plus, you get someone else to cook dinner for the night!

Playground Doors - Bathroom - Unlocked, Relocked
Please remember, we need one person to ensure that the outside doors for access to the bathrooms are unlocked for students and then relocked and pulled tight after recesses.  2nd/3rd Grade Staff:  It is ok to leave the 'outside' bathroom doors unlocked and just unlock and lock the breezeway door by the cafeteria.  This will help a bit with keeping the hallways warmer as the temperatures drop.

Veteran's Day - November 11th
Veteran's Day is coming soon.  There are some great picture books that are a nice way to introduce this topic to your children.  Please take a few moments to acknowledge the day.  This is a very big deal to our locals posts and an easy way to help teach kids to honor those who have paid a high price for their freedom and ability to learn.

Counseling Groups
Please don't forget to recommend your students to Deb for small groups.  Send her names and concerns (put please leave the names out of the memo line of emails for FERPA reasons...just the body of the email).  We will also be looking at the Office Discipline Referral data to make sure we have tier 2 behavior supports in place for our kids showing patterns, thought many of you are already working with Deb for these kiddos.

New Apps
Chris as pushed some new apps.  These are primarily for letter name/sound recognition, but might work as an intervention for the right students.

• Letter School
• Star Fall ABCs
• EPIC

Number Sense Progression
A really nice easy to read list about number sense and how it builds for kids.

http://www.mathcoachscorner.com/2012/09/07/place-value-building-meaning-behind-the-numbers/

3rd Grade Only
We need to visit about getting all of you through the TA Certification Course (SBAC) before Christmas Break! This course is mandatory this year for all Test Administrators. Once individuals complete the course, TIDE will automatically be updated to indicate course completion and access to administer test sessions. I'll visit with GayLyn about this in the next week.

Upcoming Events

October – T-shirt Sales - PTO
Nov. 2nd - Culture Team Meeting @3:30
Nov. 4th - MTSS Meeting @ 3:30
Nov. 4th - Dual Immersion Fundraising Dinner - El Sombrero

Nov. 13^th – Jefferson Gives Day – Food Bank donations

Nov. 17^th – Jefferson Literacy Night & Cookie Dough Pick Up

To Do

• Turn in Professional Development Goals by Nov.2nd
• Turn in Weekly Class Schedules