School Secretaries are the Heart of the School

All educators may complain that they are overworked and underpaid. Yet, if you had to ask who deserves one of the biggest paychecks in the school, it would have to be the school secretaries. In Cooper's case, we hit the school secretary (or fancy title-Administrative Professional) jackpot! Pam and Colleen are the rocks of Cooper. A school secretary can make or break a school. They are literally the "face" of Cooper. The first person students, staff, and parents see when they walk in the door.

We recently had the pleasure of evaluating Pam and Colleen. The evaluation asked about bookkeeping skills, confidentiality, attendance,etc. They certainly do those things well but what we appreciate about them the most is that they are student focused. They put students first day after day after day. Then, they take care of us too.

Duties performed by a school secretary:

• accountant
• public relations specialist
• nurse to ailing students
• counselor to students and colleagues

Some special talents of Pam and Colleen:

• feeder of Principals
• charmer of UPS and copy machine personnel
• declutter queens
• shoulders to cry on
• finders of lost children
• delousers
• relationship experts, bullying consultants, etc

Magic Johnson once said, "All children need is a little help, a little hope, and someone who believes in them." Thank you Pam and Colleen for exhibiting help, hope, and belief in all you do.

Big Rocks:

M-Step has gone fairly smoothly.  There have been a few issues but most have been able to be resolved quickly.  This week 5th grade will be finishing up and 6th grade will be starting.  A HUGE thank you to Robin who has been a go to person for assisting with questions and concerns. Interestingly enough, we just found out that 36-48 hours after testing, individual student results are available on the BAA site.  Final reports are due late August.

Youth Making a Difference will be held this Tuesday at Churchill High School from 6:00-8:00.  Students can bring their tri fold boards to the office and we will bring them over on Tuesday night.  If a student or a class needs a tri fold board, we have them in the office.

LPS is searching for more presenters for Level Up 3.0.  If you have something new you have tried with technology, sign up!

If you have not heard, state law now requires that the Teacher Evaluation tool be one of several models.  Livonia has looked at three models: Danielson, 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning, and The Thoughtful Classroom.  We know that this is not welcome news. It is going to be a new learning curve for all of us. It appears that 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning is the front runner.  We do not have a lot of information at this point but know that due to state law it is a mandatory move.  

Our professional development day on Thursday will be School Improvement focused.  There is also a follow up on the DSIT Culture and Climate goal that the district has asked us to do.  Finally, we would like to do some follow up on the team meetings and Cooper Vision.  The day will start at 8:00.  Lunch will go from 11:00-12:30 and the day will end at 3:30.

The Fire Drill on Friday does still interfere with two 6th grade classes. However, this is at the very end of your testing window and we believe it is very likely that everyone will be finished. This is a required passing time drill. Most teachers will be in the midst of taking students to lunch or recess. Please remind students that if there is ever a fire during lunch or recess, they would proceed out the back of the school. Students at recess would want to line up (by class if possible) away from the school, off of the blacktop. Student at lunch would proceed calmly out the back door and line up by class in the field, off of the blacktop. This will be more chaotic than usual but we will be outside to direct students. This is good practice for an emergency.

Calendar for the week of April 25:

Monday: MSTEP 6th grade begins this week

              11:45 Student Lighthouse Meeting

12:15-3:30 PD Planning

Tuesday: 6:00-8:00 Youth Making a Difference at Churchill

Wednesday: 8:00-11:00 Kelly Boswell Professional Development (Sarah/Kristi, Sally, Shawn)

Thursday: Professional Development Day at Cooper-School Improvement

Friday: 8:45 LEAD time Leadership Roles

           11:15 Fire Drill

Make Them Gold

"We are made of our longest days

We are falling but not alone

We will take the best part of ourselves 

And make them gold"

-CHVRCHES

Thursday night we tried something new.  The Lighthouse Team listened to your concerns about Leadership Day and took a risk.  We may not have had as many students participate as in year's past.  We may not have had as many "community" leaders.  The projects may not have been "perfect."

Yet, they were "perfect enough."  The leadership that did shine through was authentic.  The students' projects were their own.  With the representation of so many content areas, the showcase was aligned to our mission of "learning and leading."  Students arrived early and excited.  They were prepared when sharing their projects and thoughtfully answered questions.

We have a lot of reflection to do.  Feedback is certainly encouraged and welcomed.  From just the few conversations I have had with staff, I believe that with some more planning and encouragement the Showcase could evolve into something even greater.

Leadership Choir

Presenting on How to Write a Mission Statement

Presenting on his App Club using his own powerpoint

Playing Guitar 

Cooper Host

Recommended Articles: 

Thank you to Sally for sharing the following article, "9 Elephants in the Classroom that Unsettle Us."  It is very thought provoking article about common school practices and how they do not align with what we know about today's modern learners and the job we must do in order to prepare students for their "real lives."

Thank you to Mary Ann for sharing the following video, "Teachers as Architects and Masons."

Big Rocks: 

Thank you to Lauren Didomenico for another beautiful Art Show.  Most of us have been in many buildings and understand that Lauren's passion for art and dedication to Cooper are rare. When I think of my own children who define themselves as artists but whose least favorite special at school is Art, I am reminded how very blessed we are to have Lauren at Cooper.

In typical Cooper fashion, there were so many people that helped with the Leadership Showcase that I would be afraid to name all of you in case I forgot someone!  However, there is one person who went above and beyond and deserves a special thank you.   Angie Doelker.  Thank you Angie for writing the letters, organizing placement of our Cooper leaders, setting up, meeting with presenters and different leadership roles, etc!

Report Cards must be completed by midnight on Monday, April 18th.  Report cards will be sent home on Friday, April 22.

Thank you to Adam Lark for filling in for his third long term at Cooper and completing Dawn's report cards on such short notice.  This was not an easy task and we really appreciate Tim, Robin, Wendy, and Bill's advice and help.  If I missed anyone else, thank you!

Band-o-rama was rescheduled for this Thursday at 7:00 at Franklin High School.  

The Professional Development Day on April 28th is building based.  The day will be at Cooper from 8:00-3:30.  Lunch is from 11:00-12:30.  More information will be coming. 

Thank you to everyone for providing us with strengths and challenges feedback.  We have all of the comments in a Google Doc and are just deciding what is the best way to share it.  The lastest you will receive it is on the 28th.  There are a few people who did not get to attend.  If you would still like to meet with us, just pop in!

Overall, M-STEP is going well.  There have been a few cases where tickets have not worked but reprinting the ticket has solved the problem.  There have also been a few cases where an error message has appeared.  Sometimes moving to a new computer has worked.  Other times, just pressing the back button and re-logging in has worked.  We will keep you posted.

We are supposed to have at least one emergency drill during a passing time.  The fire drill on Tuesday will be at the beginning of lunch time.  Most classes will be walking to lunch or recess.  Classes who are already in the lunchroom will need to be reminded that they should exit the building quietly out the back door.  Students who are at recess will line up quietly in the field.

Calendar for the Week of April 18. 2016:

Monday: 11:45 Student Lighthouse

               3:45-5:00 GOTR

Tuesday: 11:15 Fire Drill

                1:30 Triad Meeting

Wednesday: 8:00 IST

                   3:45-5:00 GOTR

Thursday: 8:00 Staff Meeting

                 1:00-4:30 Elementary Principal's Meeting

                 7:00 Band-O-Rama at FHS

Friday: 8:00-10:00 Curriculum Advisory Presentation

            8:45 LEAD Time with Accountability Partners

Live, Learn, Evolve

Recently at a district meeting, one of our directors said to me, "Sarah, every time I see you, you are quoting an article or recommending a new book.  You have four kids at home.  How do you find the time?"  From a very young age, I have always had my nose in a book.  I can't fall asleep at night without reading at least a few pages of a book.  I have always been a reader but I also feel strongly that our job as educators is to be continuous learners.

Last year, Judy and I shared how we use Twitter as a Personal Learning Network at a staff meeting and Level Up 2.0.  Twitter has become one of my go-to places for professional learning.  The newest research, lastest articles, and most popular TED talks are always at my fingertips.  If I have a few minutes to spare, I can quickly read an article, tweet something positive, ask a question, or connect with a colleague.   Recently, I shared how I was invited to join the Compelled Tribe through Twitter and blogging.  Other Compelled Tribe bloggers now connect with me on Twitter to share their posts and dialogue around issues in education.  Finally, I recently discovered that I can download TED talk podcasts and listen to them on my runs.  My time is precious and if I can run and learn something at the same time, I'm all in!

One of the books I'm currently reading is Primary Greatness by Stephen Covey.  In regards to lifelong learning he states, "People must accept the personal responsibility to upgrade their knowledge and skills, to become more and more tech-savvy, to read widely, and to become aware of the powerful forces that are operating in their environment.  They may need to gain or regain a liberal or fine-arts education, in addition to keeping up on what is happening in the world of technology and science, because the arts increase the capacity of the mind to keep learning.  They also need to develop a value system that supersedes technology and science, so that they live well with the internal side of their nature.  Those who do those three things will find that their influence will expand far beyond their immediate vision and beyond their business and their family, their children, and their community.  They will make the great contribution they are capable of making."

How do you keep a commitment to lifelong learning?  How do you grow personally and professionally?  Comment below or share the last book, article, TED talk, etc that you read or watched.

My book pile next to my bed.  (Pre and Post Clean Up.  Yes, that really is a library receipt sitting on top.)

Leader In Me Conference-A big thank you to Sally and Lauren for their braveness and willingness to demonstrate their leadership, personal and professional growth by presenting with our past and present Cooper Leaders.

Just Some of the TED Talks I've Listened to Since Learning about Podcasts: :)

• Teach Girls Bravery, Not Perfection: Reshma Saujani
• A Delightful Way to Teach Kids About Computers: Linda Liukas
• How to Fix a Broken School: Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard: Linda Cliatt
• Success, Failure, and the Drive to Keep Creating: Elizabeth Gilbert
• How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime: Nadine Burke Harris

Quotes: 

"Like wildflowers, you must allow yourself to grow in all the places people thought you never would."

-E.V

"Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change." 

-Tony Robbins

Big Rocks:

M-STEP is here!  We will be in the labs with you.  Please come and get your tickets right before your testing time.  If you have any problems, please call us.  We will call our District Coordinator, Kathy Baldwin, if help is needed.  Remember, this is just a small part of what we do!

Thank you to everyone who met with us regarding feedback on our strengths and challenges at Cooper.  There were several people who were still interested in meeting.  We will hold another meeting Wednesday morning 8:00-8:20.  We are happy to meet individually as well.  Let us know if you plan on coming Wednesday or another day.

Our Leadership Showcase, Art Fair, and Book Fair will be held this Thursday!  We are excited to see our leaders showcase their leadership.  More information will be coming this week regarding set-up.  Thank you to Angie for handling and organizing all of the forms!

For 6th Grade teachers, Cathy Grieg and Elaine Kramer recently emailed the 6 to 7th grade placement for math and ELA.  They would like all feedback by April 14th.  Please let us know if you have any questions.

Calendar for the Week of April, 11 2016: 

Monday: M-STEP Begins

               11:45 Student Lighthouse

                1:00-4:00 OSS meeting (Kristi)

Tuesday: M-STEP

                3:45 Lighthouse Meeting

                5:30-7:30 DSIT (Sarah)

Wednesday: M-STEP

                    8:00-8:20 Strengths and Challenges Feedback Meeting

Thursday: M-STEP

                 8:00 Staff meeting

                 1:30 Expulsion Hearing (Sarah)

                 5:30-8:00 Book Fair, Art Show, and Leadership Showcase

                End of Marking Period

Friday: Work Day

            

                 

Balance Feels Best

Before break, we noticed more hyperactivity, more tears, more short tempers, and more exhaustion.  We're not just talking about the students.  We were all out of balance: overstimulated, overworked, overtired.  The 7th Habit, Sharpen the Saw, reminds us that balance feels best.  We all feel better when we take the time to renew the four parts of who we are: body, mind, heart, and soul.

As unfortunate as it was that my daughters' spring break did not correlate with mine, there was a blessing in it too.  Full time parents know that it's challenging to find balance.  You work all day only to go home and be "on" all night.  This week was a gift. My husband and I had the same time off and were able to "balance" all of our responsibilities.  We took the kids to school each morning, went for runs, read, went out to lunch, watched TED talks, painted some rooms, picked the kids up, played at the park, etc.  I was beautifully reminded that we only have one life to live.  As the author and spiritual leader, Eckhart Tolle, said, "In today's rush, we all think too much, seek too much, want too much, and forget about the joy of just being."  Don't be too busy sawing to take time to sharpen the saw.

Kristi sharpened the saw on the beach.

My Loves

Quotes: 

"I don't understand why school can't just be you do a project and learn and then you do another project you are interested in and learn that, rather than textbooks and worksheets." Carys 

http://head-heart-health.com/17652/10-inspirational-quotes-rumi

TED Talks Worth Watching:

Scott Dinsmore: How to Find the Work You Love

Big Rocks:

Thank you to everyone who met with Kristi and I regarding Cooper's challenges and strengths.  We will be putting out the opportunity for a few more meetings for those teachers that wanted to meet but were not able to last week.  We will send out the Google Doc when complete.  Due to overwhelming consensus, there were a few changes we can make prior to the completion of the meetings. 

•  Please spend the next few weeks reviewing expectations for hallway and bathroom behavior.  We will be expecting students to walk quietly in a line in the hallway.  Kristi and I will be asking classes to go back and walk if they need to practice.  Teachers, overwhelmingly, felt that they should work together to ensure that all students were following these expectations.
• There is no gum chewing at Cooper.  This privilege has been revoked due to the problems of finding gum everywhere.
• Teachers overwhelmingly felt that hats should not be worn in the building and wanted to work together to enforce this expectation.  
• Passes for the hallways were also a big discussion.  We will discuss this at Lighthouse this week.  Teachers were concerned about the overwhelming amount of children wandering the halls.  The number one person who has control over this is the classroom teacher.  Please review your expectations for bathroom breaks and leaving the classroom.  

M-STEP is nearing.  Fifth grade begins next Monday, April 11.  Kristi and I have a meeting Monday afternoon at the board office regarding protocols and procedures.  I did set up all sessions prior to break.  I did go into school on Tuesday to print tickets but the site would not let me do it!  We are planning on printing tickets at the beginning of the week and will complete a schedule.  Please remember that the district is requiring teachers to view the videos and practice with students.  Thank you for your patience and support during this time!

Over break, Sue was approached by the EMU theatre of the Young about a possible assembly.  Another school in the area had to cancel and she offered Cooper an assembly for an extremely cheap price.  One thing our students said they wanted was more assemblies so we jumped on it.  Unfortunately, it is only for 5th grade students.  It's a play called Love Like Salt and Other Ordinary Wonders.  It is a collection of folk tales and riddles, and it celebrates the power of ordinary objects to become extraordinary.  A sign up sheet will be in the office.  The assembly is Friday.  It is a 45 minute assembly with an additional 15 minutes at the start to organize a seating arrangement.  One assembly will begin seating at 8:45 with a 9:00 start and the other will begin seating at 10:00 with a 10:15 start.  Enjoy!

The Super Readers Run will take place on Tuesday afternoon.  It look like this is the best weather day this week.  More information will follow on Monday.

Keep those Leadership Showcase applications and ideas coming!  We are happy to allow more leaders the opportunity to find their voice and showcase their talents.

Calendar for the Week of April 4, 2016:
Monday: 11:45 Student Lighthouse
                1:00-4:00 M-STEP meeting @ CO (Kristi and Sarah)
                 3:45 GOTR
Tuesday:  9:00-12:00 MSTEP Planning (Sarah and Kristi @ Cooper)
               1:00-4:00 DSIT (Kristi)
               3:45 Tennis Club
               3:45 Lighthouse Team
Wednesday: 8:00 IST
                     9:30-11:00 QAR (Sarah)
                     11:45 PTA Leaders
                     3:45 Girls Basketball Clinic
                             GOTR
Thursday: 8:00 Staff meeting
                 1:00-4:00 Elementary Principal's Meeting
Friday:  LEAD Time Bus Meetings with Drivers
              Final MSTEP Preparation

A Thin Blue Line

Earlier this week, I was listening to NPR on my way into work and they were examining the current state of the police force in Chicago.  They were discussing how the police force is under increased scrutiny by the public and often have to walk "a thin blue line."  One officer stated, "The job's tough.  You got a lot of eyes on you and you have a lot of people who don't understand the job.  They want to jump to conclusions about what we do and don't do."  Hmmm....Sound familiar?

I was struck by the similarities between teachers and police officers: two professions which were once so highly respected but in recent years have been decimated by the public, social media, and politics.  At our recent principal PD, one of the presenters told us that across the United States teacher shortage is nearing 20%.  In Michigan, it is set to hit 40%.

Research shows that great principals identify the conditions most vital to the success of the school and concentrate their efforts on creating those conditions.  We have been presented with new challenges this year.  Additionally, some of our previous challenges appear magnified due to the high levels of stress common among educators in this politicized educational landscape.  Author Margaret Wheatley in her book, Turning to One Another: Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, writes that throughout history human beings have met in circles and council to converse, do shared thinking, and develop trusting relationships.  The power of conversation can bring us together rather than tear us apart.

We would like to take the time over this week and the next to meet with you in small groups.  We can change our paradigm if we all start listening to one another again.  Richard Dufour has a series of questions we would like to start with:

• "What do you feel we need to know about this school to be effective as its leaders?"
• What makes you proud to be a staff member at this school?"
• What are some of the challenges that you confront in the school that makes it difficult for you to be effective as you would like?"
• "What would make this an even better school?"

Strong professional learning communities have four pillars-mission, vision, collective commitments, and goals.  When we return from break, we will have twelve weeks left of school.  We will spend time on these four pillars because we need your commitment to help clarify the school you hope to create.  Hopefully, by listening and talking with one another, we can heal some divides, work together to address these challenges, and make Cooper an even better place to be.

Quotes: 

"To name is to make visible."  Margaret Wheatley

"Most people to do listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." 

Stephen Covey

"Children are the priority.  Change is the reality.  Collaboration is the strategy."  Judith Billings

Big Rocks:

M-Step is nearing.  The district is requiring that teachers practice, practice, practice with students.

• The district expectation is that teachers will demonstrate how to answer the Sample Test Items with students in class and then take classes to the computer lab to have them independently attempt to answer the questions in each set.  Extra focus needs to be given to the ELA items to give students lots of opportunities to work with the split screen and how to highlight text which students are expected to do to answer some questions.  
• As we stated last week, teachers should go online to www.michigan.gov/mstep under the heading "What's New" and watch the "Navigating the 2016 ELA CAT video" and "Navigating the 2016 Math CAT video."  These 6 minute videos demonstrate how to navigate the computer adaptive features.
• Performance Tasks-5th Grade Only-The introduction and directions are very lengthy.  Teachers need to model how to chunk the directions on the left side of the split screen into meaningful segments, process the information and understand actions required.  The performance task expectation is one or two sentences within a lengthy piece of text.  Teachers are expected to use the sample performance task with students and model how to complete it.
• ELA and Math are Computer Adaptive (CAT).  The options have changed.  Students will no longer be able to "flag" items to go back to review.  In ELA, students will be able to review completed items only within an ELA set (passage and questions).  At the end of each set, students have the option to "Return to Questions" or go to "Next Question."  Once a student has completed the set, students will not have access to those items.  Science and Social studies are not adaptive and can still be flagged.

Battle of the Books is here!  A big thank you to Judy Bowling and all coaches for the wonderful opportunity this event provides our students.

Best of luck to Sandy Crociata and our orchestra students at the String Fling on Wednesday, March 23.  It will be held at FHS at 7:00.

It has been a few weeks but many people do not know that Bill Lietz won an award at the PTA Founder's Day.  Congrats Bill!

This week will be a busy week with many teachers out of the building at conferences.  Sally, Wendy, and Shawn will be attending MRA this weekend and Monday.  Dawn and Linda will be at LIM Training on Monday.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, Linda, Tara, Sally, and Lauren will be attending the Symposium.  On Wednesday, Lauren and Sally will be presenting at two sessions: The Student Lighthouse Team: Empowering Student Leadership and School Work-a-thons: Engaging the Community and Cultivating Leadership through Beautification.  Sarah will be driving five students out to help them present: Grant (9th), Gabby (8th), John (7th), Kailyn (6th), and Martina (5th).  They will do awesome!

Cooper is receiving new computers for the computer labs this week.  Inacomp will be delivering the computers during the day on the 21st.  They will begin installing that night and complete installation on the 22nd and 23rd.  There will be a representative at Cooper to help with any issues that may occur.

Student Perception Surveys are almost over.  We have a few classes left to do.  We will call down RCR and Title students next week to have them complete their surveys.  Thank you for your flexibility with this process!

We are no longer allowing students to chew gum at Cooper.  Gum is being found in the computer labs, on the floor of the lunchroom, in urinals, and in drinking fountains.  Thank you for your support with this matter.

Emerson principal, Ann Owen, met with me to discuss Emerson to Cooper Transition.  She discussed the placement procedures for placement into Support, Advanced, and Plus classes.  She did ask that we try to avoid placing attendance and behavior issues into the Support classes.  As for the advanced classes, she asked that Cooper teachers tell parents that students must have a second layer of test scores and the test scores must be consistent for placement into the Advanced classes.  Last year, it was very difficult for Cooper teachers to use the spreadsheet since it was in ABC order.  We are looking into having Kathy Baldwin help us with categorizing by teacher name so it is an easier process for our teachers.  Ann also discussed looking at i-Ready data.  They would like to have a point person at Cooper to make the process easier.  If you are interested, let us know.

The Leader in Me is sponsoring a Student Speech Contest.  All students can enter by submitting a two-minute speech on video before April 30th, 2016.  They have the opportunity to win a $500 Leadership Grant.  Some of our students who have already been on video for Career or Leadership Day may use those videos.  We will send home an eblast but wanted to make you aware of this opportunity.  edu.franklincovey.com/contest.

Calendar for the Week of March 21, 2016:
Monday: Emerson Transition Meetings
               6th grade lunch meetings with Pat Wright and Leo Fink for 6th graders who didn't attend                    EMS Open House
               11:50 Kristi meeting at Hayes
               1:00-2:30 DSIT (Sarah)
Tuesday: 3:00 Evaluation Meeting @ CO (Sarah and Kristi)
                6:00 Battle of the Books
                Final day for Student Perception Surveys
Wednesday: 7:30-2:00 Leader in Me Symposium presentation with students (Taxi Driver Sarah)
                     11:15 PTA Leaders
                     Emerson Transition Meetings
                     7:00 String Fling
Thursday: 8:00 Staff Meeting in the Makerspace
                 8:05 Sarah at Grant QAR Feedback staff meeting
                 Will Sarah be running?
                  Music Choice Forms Due
           

The Compelled Tribe

"If you don't set goals, you can't regret not reaching them."  Yogi Berra

"The only goal you can't accomplish is the one you don't go after." Vilis Ozols

One of the goals at the top of my bucket list is to write a book.  Yet, for years I did no writing at all.  I loved teaching writing and would model writing for my students but I didn't write for myself.  When Terry suggested we write a blog, I was intrigued and reluctant.  What did I have to say?  

Writing a blog post is like standing at the edge of a cliff and yelling out into the abyss.  Sometimes things echo but more often you wonder if anyone heard you at all.  So imagine my surprise when my friend and colleague, Jon Wennstrom, invited me to join The Compelled Tribe.  The Compelled Tribe is a blogging group of educators who support each other to take a deeper look at our craft, provide opportunities for reflection and peer editing, and support one another in improving our work as administrators.  

Many principals ask why I spend time on writing a blog post each week.  For me, it started as a platform for sharing information with staff and has become an avenue to reflect, inspire, connect, and grow as writer and educator.  Every week, I am compelled to write something of substance.  Sharing personal stories has allowed me to connect with many of you and convey my values, beliefs, and mission in a, hopefully, more engaging way.  

Who is your tribe?  What is a goal you want to achieve?  Can I help you in achieving it?  As Dr. Seuss so eloquently said, " You're off to great places.  Today is your day!  Your mountain is waiting!  So get on your way!"

Video:

I watched this powerful TED talk from Shonda Rhimes, the talented titan behind shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away With Murder this weekend.  Her powerful message of how saying yes to everything, led her to less work and more play, and ultimately gave her her life back is an excellent reminder for all of us.  

Big Rocks:

Thank to you Robin for organizing a very successful Family Game Night with Learning Gizmos!  We were very grateful to everyone who stayed to help and our families had a wonderful time.  

Thank you to Linda for leading our staff meeting on Leadership Day on Tuesday.  Angie has also done a wonderful job creating some letters to go home to parents.  We appreciate all of your thoughts as we envision a different leadership event this year.  

We have completed nine classrooms of Student Perception Surveys.  We will continue this week.  Our deadline is March 23.

Cooper wants to send big hugs to Judy Bowling and the Bowling family as they mourn the passing of Judy's father in law.  

Calendar for the Week of March 14, 2016:

Monday: 8:00-11:00 Principal PD at Riley (Sarah)

               11:15 Student Lighthouse

               1:00-4:00 i-Ready Coaches Training (Robin, Sandy, Shawn)

               12:00-3:00 Principal PD at Riley (Kristi)

                Emerson Transition Meetings

Tuesday: 8:00-3:00 QAR Visit Grant (Sarah)

               6:30 PTA

Wednesday: Emerson Transition Meetings

                     8:00 IST

                     11:15 PTA Leaders

Thursday: 8:00 Staff Meeting in the Makerspace

                 1:00-4:30 Elementary Principals' Meeting

                  St. Patrick's Day Luncheon

Friday: 8:00-11:00 Curriculum Advisory (Sarah)

            8:15 Title I (Kristi)

             

Growing Readers

When I was little, one of my favorite places to visit was the public library.  I would carry my Paddington Bear yellow tote and fill it full of books.  At home, I would crawl onto my mom's lap and listen to nursery rhymes, fairy tales, and poetry.  As I got older, I would read walking from room to room and from the car to the house.  We didn't have a lot of money but my parents would always order from the Scholastic catalog.  They would buy all of the Caldecott and Newbery winners.  In what some girls would deem a travesty, I never was allowed to read any of the Sweet Valley Twins books because my mom thought they were "rubbish!"

When Carys was reading chapter books before Kindergarten, people asked me what we did.  Did we do flash cards?  Force reading time?  No, I would respond.  We simply read to her a lot.  Allowed her to see us read, surrounded our house with books, and talked to her all of the time.  As we had more children, they all caught the reading bug too; developing into children who loved to read.  

A few weeks ago, I attended a conference with some other Livonia principals entitled "Closing the Literacy Gap."  It was predominantly focused on PK-3.  However, there was still a lot of information to help us grow readers and writers at the upper elementary level.  Some of the information was quite shocking.  According to the 2015 Michigan Third Grade Reading Workgroup report, Michigan is one of only five states to lose ground in reading proficiency from 2003-2013.  Additionally, Michigan ranks 40th in the nation in literacy according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).  

Professor Nell Duke worked with other literary researchers to compile the document, Essential Literacy Practices for K-3.  The following practices have the most research to support them.  

1. Foster motivation and engagement
2. Read alouds of age appropriate books and other materials, print or digital
3. Small group and individual instruction, using a variety of grouping strategies, most often with flexible groups formed and instruction targeted to children’s observed and assessed needs in specific aspects of literacy development
4. Activities that build phonological awareness-conscious attention to the sounds within words, all oral (segmentation and blending are the most important) (K-1)
5.  Explicit instruction in letter-sound relationships (oa, ai)
6.  Research and standards aligned writing instruction
7.  Intentional and ambitious efforts to build vocabulary and content knowledge
8.  Abundant reading material and reading opportunities in the classroom
9.  Ongoing observation and assessment of children’s language
10. Collaboration with families

      Emilie Buchwald once said, "Children learn to read on the laps of their parents."  Unfortunately, we know many of our children don't have that luxury.  As we enter Reading Month, we need to remember what a prominent role we play in shaping our students' literary mindsets.  Teaching reading really is rocket science.  We need to stay current on reading practices.  Nell Duke made a powerful analogy at the conference.  She said, "We wouldn't expect a doctor to treat cancer the same way we treated cancer ten years ago so why do we let teachers teach the same way they always have."  

    Big Rocks: 

    We will be pulling classes to take them to the computer lab to take the Student Perception Survey starting on Tuesday morning in Lab 3.  It should just take 10-15 minutes.  

    Family Game Night is this Tuesday from 6:30-7:30.  Training for staff runs from 5:30-6:30.  A light dinner will be served.  We had lots of laughs last year!

    We are looking to make some changes to Leadership Day this year.  Robin sent an email regarding the ideas that have come out of the planning meeting last Monday and Lighthouse team last Tuesday.  There is another planning meeting tomorrow, Monday, March 7 at 8:00.

    We keep receiving M-Step updates at Principals' Meetings.  Central Office is encouraging teachers to have students practice like last year.  This year the test is computer adaptive (CAT).  There are videos on how to navigate the CAT features for both the ELA and math tests on the MDE website.  These are designed for teacher use, not for students, and are 6 minutes long.  The expectation from the District is that teachers will watch the videos, become familiar with the CAT features, and then model the features for the students.  The videos can be found at www.michigan.gov/mstep under the heading "What's New" and are listed as "Navigating the 2016 ELA CAT video" and "Navigating the 2016 Math CAT video.

    Calendar for the Week of March 7: 

    Monday: 8:00 Leadership Day Planning

                    8:50, 10:00-Anti Bullying Assembly with Rodney Page

                    12:00-3:00 Curriculum Advisory Meeting (Sarah)

    Tuesday: Voting Day-Voting will be taking place in the building.  

                    3:30-Chess Club Meeting

                    3:45-5:00 Lighthouse Team

                    6:30-7:30 Family Game Night

    Wednesday: 

    Thursday: 3:45-4:45 Extended Staff Meeting

     Friday: 8:45 LEAD time with Accountability Partners