Week Ahead: October 3

So much fun today in House Leagues! Thanks for pumping up the crowds, cheering on the students, and in general making the moment fun for everyone. I can feel the momentum building toward a great … well, a great year. I knew it would be great, but seeing it all come together is such an awesome feeling!

If you weren’t at the Dance last Friday, it was spectacular.  The kids danced from start to finish; were kind; were dramatic; and yes, there was lots of laughter and tears.  Here’s a quick glimpse:

Here is what’s up next week (and yes, it’s a big one!):

Friday, Sept. 30
Day 10, EFGH (DEAR)
*Happy Birthday Eric Schoonard
4-5:30 MS Reception at HOS House

Monday, Oct. 3
Day 1 ABCD, Adv
1:30-3 Admin Team Mtg

Tuesday, Oct. 4
Day 2 EFGH, DEAR
10-11 HOS/MS Principal Mtg

Wednesday, Oct. 5
Day 3 BCDA, DEAR
*Last day Q1

Thursday, Oct. 6
Day 4 FGHE, Adv
*L2 Pre-conferences / Conference begins
*1^st day of Q2

Friday, Oct. 7
No School, PD Day
*L2 Conference

Upcoming:

• October 13 and 14 – Parent Teacher Conferences (Oct. 13 early release, conferences 4-8pm; Oct. 14 no students, conferences 8-1)
• October 17-21 – Fall Break

Q1 Grades/Comments:  Quarter 1 ends Oct. 5.  Grades and Comment due dates fall after the quarter this time because of the timing of Parent Teacher Conferences.  Please see the MS Faculty Handbook for information regarding our agreements on comment writing (Report Card Comments is the topic).  Entering Comments in PowerTeacherPro:  Here is a brief step-by-step How to Add Comments in the new PowerTeacher Pro.

Here are the dates/deadlines for Q1 reporting:

     October 13, 2016: Quarter 1 Report Completed

• October 12 – comments completed and peer reviewed (in Q1 bin) and grades completed by 3:00; verification reports printed at 3:00
• October 13 – verification report reviewed, signed (can be completed digitally in PS) and returned to office by 12:15
• October 13 and 14 – Parent Teacher Conferences;  Oct. 13 from 4-8pm and Oct. 14 from 8-1)(note: faculty can depart when their conferences are over on Friday)

L2 Update: For those engaging in the PD day, please check the suggested topic document. If you have alternate ideas, please come talk with me.

Prepping our building for L2 from Robert: This is a great opportunity to showcase student work to a wider audience in the region on your walls and hallway bulletin boards (also, Parent Teacher conferences are in three weeks and it would help parents to see some of the amazing things happening in your classrooms as well).

The majority of the Learning2 Conference will be in the High School but we will be using MS classrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floor for a few sessions and for Student Workshop practices both Friday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 8.

Please have some working whiteboard markers available and your Apple TV/Projector remotes accessible and visible. Also, if you have specific things or papers that you don’t want to be seen, moved or used please place them out of view in cupboard.

Common Strategies:  Tips on How to Incorporate  Academic Vocabulary Activities into Lessons

Vocab Sentences

• Ask students to use 1-3 word in a sentence
• Focus on quality
• Sentence gives an explanation, definition and/or examples
• Correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization

Categories

• Scaffold by having students organize vocabulary into pre-selected categories then build up to having them create self-selected categories

Prefixes

• Define new academic vocabulary words by looking at their prefixes and base words

Word Walls

• Provide visual support for all learners in their acquisition of academic vocabulary
• Most effective when kids can create and manipulate the word wall themselves

Entry prompt

• Write down the words _____, _____, and _____ from our word wall and, with a partner, write down everything you think you know about them
• Here are two questions we’ll be answering today in class….. Which word wall words do you think will be most important in today’s lesson? Why?

Exit prompt

• Write down one new thing you learned today and use at least two of our word wall words in your response.
• Look around at our word walls.  Write a TILT (Today I Learned That) using the most important words from today’s lesson

Have a strategy or activity you use in your classroom?  Send us a picture!  We want to share more!