What great opportunities I have been given to travel with teams of faculty members to 3 different conferences this month.  Having just returned from PBL training with Kat and Eric, I now get to attend the VTC this weekend with Kat, Abena, Rebecca, Robert and Jeff (along with 11 other SSIS team members).  After that? EARCOS with Rebecca (and a think a few others from the MS … but not on the sub calendar … add one more thing to the to-do list).  Learning together, thinking about how to continually grow and improve personally, as a team, and as a school is really exciting.  Thank you all for your dedication to continual growth and development!

(*the super awesome graphic I used this week came from Forum for the Future, a non-profit organization that works with different groups, companies, etc. on sustainability issues)

Here is what’s up this week:

Monday, March 14
Day 6 GHEF (Advisory)
11:40 Gr 8 Electronic Pre-registration
12-3 Gr 6 Rehearsal for Dragons’ Apprentice (small groups off timetable)
1:30-3 Admin Team Mtg
3:15-4:30  Leadership Team Mtg (Agenda)

Tuesday, March 15
Day 7  DABC (Advisory Schedule for Tutorial)
9:30-11 HOS/MS Principal Mtg
11-11:30 Gr 6 EAL/LS Check In (wrong day – is actually on Thursday)
11:40 Tutorial

Wednesday, March 16
Day 8 HEFG (Special Schedule for Dragons’ Apprentice)
2-3 Dragons’ Apprentice Assembly
3:15-4:30 WASC Home Groups

Thursday, March 17
Day 1 ABCD (Advisory)
11-11:30 Gr 6 EAL/LS Check In (correct day – had it on Tuesday originally which was incorrect0
1:10-1:30 Gr 7 Electronic pre-registration
1:45-2 Gr 6 Electronic pre-registration
7-8pm SSIS Parent Book Club

Friday, March 18
Day 2 EFGH (Advisory)
7:30 Breakfast Club
4-7pm PTA Blast!

Upcoming (on the radar)

• Mar. 23 – Grades and Comments Due
• Mar. 24 – Verification Due 12:15 (so we can print for SLC)
• Mar. 24-25 – Student Led Conferences (Mar. 24 full school day, conferences 4-8pm; Mar. 25 no students, conferences 8-2)
• Mar. 25-26 – GINSaigon Conference
• Mar. 31-Apr. 3 – EARCOS Teachers Conference
• Apr. 2 – PTA Family Fun Day
• Apr. 5-7 – School Book Fair
• Apr 18-22 – Earth Week

Student Led Conferences:  Thank you all for helping students get ready for their upcoming conferences.  There are things happening both in each course as well as in advisory to prepare for the conferences.  As mentioned by your team leaders, March 10th was the deadline for all courses to have worked with students to select and properly load work samples / reflections to student blogs.  This should be done as an in-class activity with direction and support.  Students need both instruction and time to ensure that they know what to do and how to do it.  There are many samples in the SLC folder.  If you are finding that these are not helping or appropriate, please reach out for assistance.

It appears that many students do not have their course samples loaded/ready.  It is very important to get student work up and ready so that advisory time can be used to prepare for the final conference (advisory plans included reviewing the basics of the conferences this week – next week is practice).  If you have questions, please check with your team leader, Bonnie or with me.

Dragons’ Apprentice Schedule and Information:  Here is the schedule for March 16. Please note that some Grade 6 students may need to miss some of block 4 to prepare for the assembly.

You will be taking your 4th Block students to the assembly. They should NOT bring any materials with them (no bags). Please SIT WITH them rather than stand on the side; please ensure that students who shouldn’t sit together, don’t sit together.

We will start right at 2:00 – we can’t have anyone be late. This is essential as the assembly is programmed down to the last minute and will be very formal in nature. Please depart right at 1:50 for the auditorium. That will ensure adequate time for seating. Students will be dismissed for the day straight from the assembly (at 3:00).

There are student ushers who will be directing classes where to sit. There are large reserved sections for parents, elementary students who are joining us, as well as the 6th grade.

Dragons’ Apprentice Special Schedule (Assembly End of Day)

Comments and Grades for 3rd Quarter:  This is coming fast.  Comments and grades are due on Wednesday, Mar. 23 by 3:00 at the latest.  We will print verification reports starting at 3:00; those must be finalized by 12:15 on Thursday, Mar. 24.  We will be printing “comment only” report cards starting at 12:15 on Thursday to be used in Student Led Conferences.  Be sure to plan ahead and have your comments proofed by a colleague.

Visible Thinking Strategy:  Bringing back work for reflection is an important part of making thinking visible.  I was hoping to model that with the use of our original Grade Report posters.  By adding new thinking to original thinking, we can help document how our ideas evolve.  How can you help students see their thinking evolve?  The Connect, Extend, Challenge routine is one way to do this.

• How are the ideas and information presented CONNECTED to what you already knew?
• What new ideas did you get that EXTENDED or pushed your thinking in new directions?
• What is still CHALLENGING or confusing for you to get your mind around? What questions, wonderings or you now have?

Purpose: What kind of thinking does this routine encourage?:  The routine helps students make connections between new ideas and prior knowledge. It also encourages them to take stock of ongoing questions, puzzles and difficulties as they reflect on what they are learning.

Application: When and Where can it be used? The natural place to use the Connect-Extend-Challenge routine is after students have learned something new. It doesn’t matter how much they have learned – it can be a lesson’s worth, or a unit’s worth. The routine is broadly applicable: Use it after students have explored a work of art, or anything else in the curriculum. Try it as a reflection during a lesson, after a longer project, or when completing a unit of study. Try using it after another routine!

Launch: What are some tips for starting and using this routine? This routine works well with the whole class, in small groups or individually. Keep a visible record of students’ ideas. If you are working in a group, ask students to share some of their thoughts and collect a list of ideas in each of the three categories Or have students write their individual responses on Post-it notes and add them to a class chart. Keep students’ visible thinking alive over time: Continually add new ideas to the lists and revisit the ideas and questions on the chart as students’ understanding around a topic develops.