Parsons Weekly Update

January 8, 2024

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful, well deserved break! We had an awesome Christmas with family. Callum got a unicycle which has been very entertaining and no broken bones yet! We visited my dad up north and got to go hiking with my best friend and her family on the Sleeping Bear Dunes on a beautiful sunny day. The girls peaced out early but all the boys made it all the way to the water. This past week has been relaxing and I have been purging everything from my house. Out with the old, in with the new!

It's always hard to go back. I wish you a good night's sleep (I'm sure I'll have school-mares :)) and I can't wait to see all of you in the morning. I hope you are all wearing maize and blue! I know most of us will be very tired on Tuesday morning from watching our wolverines. Go Blue!

zoom_out_map

PD on Wednesday

I had asked back in November for the special ed department and ASD consultants to do some more training on working with special education for our January 10th PD as they were offering lots of different sessions. I thought we were all set but there is a bit of a hiccup so stay tuned!

Either way we will meet in the library from 12:30-3:30.

Mid Year Evaluations and Unannounced Observations

I will be reaching out to those of you with an IDP to set up our Mid Year Evaluations. Unannounced observations will start this month. My intent when observing is never as an "gotcha." It is always through a lens of support. I always found it helpful to understand what my principal was looking for. While I am always looking to see how you communicate expectations, demonstrate respect and rapport, engage students, manage behavior, and assess students, I am really focused on how the students take responsibility for their learning.

Do students understand the task?

Do students demonstrate genuine caring for one another?

Do students take pride in their work and initiate improvements in it by revising?

Do students contribute to explaining concepts to their peers and ensure everyone's voice is heard?

Do students assess and monitor their own work?

iReady Diagnostic 2: Planning for Winter iReady Diagnostic

The iReady window will be open from Monday, January 8th - Friday, January 19th. I would encourage you all to plan to test the week of January 8th, so you can use the following week for makeups.

It is important we ensure we "get good data" on the winter iReady diagnostic. Below are documents that can help you plan to administer the second diagnostic.

iReady Central: Get Good Data

Remember you can use the padlet, the iReady presenter gave us. If you scroll you will see the different powerpoint presentations you can use with your students to prepare them before the test. Remember that our language matters when presenting this to students. We want to focus on the importance of the test to see their growth and if they have met their goals. I will be putting some goal sheets you may use in your mailbox.

Tech Reminder

For any/all tech needs, please create a ticket. It is the most efficient way to ensure the department responds to needs effectively. You can use the RESA Service Desk site (https://servicedesk.resa.net) or email the support email (gb.support@resa.net).

zoom_out_map

PBIS

PBIS Pillar of the Month for January: Goal Setting

Here are some resources for goal setting (pdfs are below).

Create Vision Boards

Goal Setting Banner

New Year Resolution Activity

Slides:

Setting Goals K-3

Setting Goals 4-5

PBIS Meeting Dates: 1/18, 2/15, 3/14, 4/11, 5/23

We meet at 8:05 in the Staff Lounge.

Clubs:

The last club for this session will be Friday, January 12th at 2:20. After this, we will switch clubs again.

PBIS Weekly Focus:

I have been reviewing these daily in the lunchroom as well.

1/8 Arrival and Dismissal

1/15 Classroom

1/22 Hallway

1/29 Cafeteria

pdf

insert_drive_file

StudentVisionBoardActivityGoalSetting-1 (1).pdf

MyGoalsPennantGoalSettingBanner-1.pdf

2024NewYearResolutionsActivityGoalSettingReflection-1.pdf

PBIS Matrix (Repaired).docx.pdf

Download

38.6 KB

Emergency Behavior and Intervention Team

Please see Parsons EBIT TEAM Protocol: Emergency Behavior and Intervention Team

zoom_out_map

Shout Outs

Thank you to Hollie, Danni, and Amanda for reading at Cookies with Santa.

Thank you to Ed, Beth, and Jared for setting up and cleaning up our parties and events.

Thank you to all of you for you flexibility and patience during the last week.

Parent Shout Outs:

Staff Shout Outs: Thank you for the new shout outs!

Kara Scheetz - She always lends a listening ear and is willing to talk through things with me. I appreciate her so much and am also super thankful for her hosting our staff party!

Katie Buza - She's always coming up with new and creative ideas in for the library!

Angel - I appreciate her taking the time to create supports for my students!

Who would you like to Shout Out? Fill out the form here.

https://forms.gle/GQ4FtXAbx55YZUdN6

zoom_out_map

Orange Frog

Spark Staff Member of the Week: Kristyl Bannon

Casey nominated Kristyl for the following reasons.

Kristyl knows how to put a smile on everyone's face and make you feel important.

I asked Kristyl the following questions.

What brings you joy? Taking family vacations together, watching my kids at their sports, and hanging out with family and friends
How do you bring joy to others? By lending a helping hand to anyone who needs it
Who is someone that brings joy to you? My Sitto (grandmother)

Spark Student of the Week: Emerson Austin

Emerson is a fifth grade leader who is always willing to help others. She is on the Lighthouse Team and Honor Roll. She loves giving and always has a smile.

Emerson
- What brings you joy? Giving gifts to others
- How do you bring joy to others? Donate money to charities and help with the animals at the Brownstone Animal Shelter
- Who is someone that brings joy to you? My mom and dad

zoom_out_map

Bite Sized PD

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day is next week. My copies of My Brother Martin and Martin's Big Words are very well worn from year's of sharing them with children. Here is an updated list of books about Dr. King. Check it out here!

zoom_out_map

Website News Article

Please talk with your colleagues and chose a month! Team work makes the dream work! News articles should be short articles with one picture. Please sign up for one month as a grade, special, or committee. Even better, have a student group write an article! Here is the sign up.

Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment Calendar

Here is the link for the Fountas and PInnell Benchmark Assessment Calendar and guidelines.

pdf

insert_drive_file

Main Parsons Special Schedule 2023-2024 - Special Schedule 23-24 (3).pdf

Download

53.0 KB

Check out the GSD Handbook!

pdf

insert_drive_file

GSD Elementary Student Handbook 2023-2024.pdf

Download

532.8 KB

zoom_out_map

Trusting Readers Book Study

Book meeting 2:

We discussed Chapter 1: All Roads Lead to Independent Reading. We had a great discussion about trust and engagement in the literary classroom. Here were some many takeaways.

The right anchor chart can provide visuals that support engagement and expectations.
"Engagement in learning is one of the major contributors to student achievement."
"Trust plays a key role in this work, as trusting relationships between students and teachers are the foundations of thriving classrooms that intentionally invite engagement in reading."
Beware of emphasizing time alone when thinking about reading stamina. Instead view stamina as a by product of deep engagement. When this occurs, so does meaning making.

Book study was rescheduled for this month. Stay tuned.

What to expect:

We will meet twice per month for 30 minutes each time
Everyone reads at their own pace, please attempt to keep up
Safe zone: this is where we can ask questions and discuss to deepen our understanding
Practice respect
Be willing to participate