Boulevard Staff Weekly Update

Good afternoon Team,

Thank you for the thoughtful conversations and intentional planning around your data results. The time and effort you are putting into your 6-week plans should continue to align with what you know about your students. Great job! Thank you Dionne and Kristy for your attention to detail and planning.

As a reminder, it is best practice to triangulate data so that we are making instructional decisions that are manageable, replicable, and sustainable—especially when we begin to see progress.

This week is another short week. Friday is a Teacher work day.

Tommorrow, the ILT and I will be sharing our building-level data with Superintendent Kirby, Chief Coleman, and Chief Jenkins. Due to the start time of that meeting, Kindergarten and First Grade TBTs will not be meeting in Room 225. I hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and for those watching the Super Bowl, enjoy the game!

Warmly,
Principal Mahoney-Curry

Good afternoon K–2 Team,

As part of our PBIS and safety awareness efforts, please remember to communicate with your families regarding an upcoming classroom visit. I will be coming into K–2 classrooms to speak with students, and during this conversation I will be using the word “gun” in a safety-focused, age-appropriate context.

Families must be notified in advance, and parents may opt out of having their child participate. Due to the nature of this topic, I will not deliver this lesson unless families have been communicated with ahead of time.

Thank you for your partnership in ensuring our students are supported and our families are informed.

Please reach out if you have any questions.

Spotlight on Success: Boulevard 5th Grade Writing Support
Shout-out to the Boulevard Grade 5 team for using AI tools to strengthen student writing through reflection and revision.

Tameka Bradley led the charge by creating her own Writing Coach Gem to support student self-assessment and identify clear next steps. At the same time, Genevieve Kenealy and Katherine Sferry modified the Template for Writing Coach Gem with an OST writing prompt, giving students targeted feedback and time to make meaningful edits.

Way to make self-assessment, feedback, and revision a natural part of the writing process!

Spotlight on Success: Grade 4 ELA Interim Q2 Bright Spots
Shout-out to our Grade 4 ELA teachers for strong student performance on the Q2 Interim and clear evidence that instruction is sticking.

All five of the top-performing questions required deeper thinking (DOK 2), and they were spread across multiple domains, including Key Ideas and Details, Vocabulary Acquisition, and Craft and Structure. While only five questions can surface as top performers, the results show students are successfully engaging with questions that require more than recall.

In addition, Boulevard, Fairfax, Noble, and Roxboro Elementary all improved their average writing scores on this Interim compared to last year’s Benchmark, which used the same writing prompt.

Way to strengthen both reading comprehension and writing through intentional, standards-aligned instruction!

• All formatives should be in the planning document.
• Bring Formatives to review

• Learning Targets/ Success Criteria (What am I learning? Why I am learning? How do I know I've learned?)
• All scheduled instructional blocks (core subjects, specials, interventions) occur as planned.
• Gradual release of responsibility is evident: “I do, we do, you do” is observable in lessons.
• Peer-to-peer interactions (turn-and-talks, discussions, collaborative work) are incorporated to deepen understanding.
• Small Group Instruction

Our Annual Wax Museum is quickly approaching. Please reach out to the PTA if there is anything you need in the way of support to help make this event successful. Click the link above.

Thank you, Ms. Ford and Ms. Pritchett for your continued support of our Lunch Bunches. As this winter has already felt long, these opportunities have made a meaningful difference for our students. We truly appreciate the engaging activities you secure and the care you put into creating positive experiences during the school day.

We are grateful for all that you do to support our students.

If you are planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your students, please be sure to communicate with your families in advance. Your message should clearly outline expectations for cards, snacks, and the process for passing out valentines. Please also be mindful of student allergies and communicate any restrictions or guidance to families to ensure all students remain safe.

Thank you for your attention to this and for helping ensure celebrations are inclusive and safe.