Dragon News

We hope you all enjoyed your long, Labor Day weekend and were able to spend some time relaxing with your friends and families. The weather was beautiful and the extra day to relax was much needed! Because we believe that your self-care is vital to your health & well-being, we will be replacing the weekly tech tip with a weekly SEL tip. This month we're encouraging everyone to be kinder to themselves, as well as others, especially when things go wrong. Self-care increases our resilience and helps us improve our lives. We hope you enjoy the new addition to the newsletter!

This week we have four days to continue building strong relationships, reinforcing expectations, and learning as much as we can about our students.

Thank YOU for all you are doing to pave the way for our kids to be their very best!

Let's have a SPECTACULAR week!

~ Cristie, Clarence, & Erika

Monday, Sept. 6

• Labor Day~No School
• Take some time to Sharpen the Saw!
• Online shopping begins for Teacher Supply Closet
  

Tuesday, Sept. 7

• PLC ( *See Schedule Below)

Wednesday, Sept. 8

• PLC ( *See Schedule Below)

Thursday, Sept. 9

• PLC ( *See Schedule Below)

• Action Team Meeting

Friday, Sept. 10

• Fluency Friday~ Give Baseline Assessment

• Welcoming Students: Remember to prioritize being at your classroom doors at 7 am to greet students every morning.
• T-Shirt Order: For those of you that missed the t-shirt order, here is a link to order a shirt. The deadline to purchase a shirt is Tuesday, September 7th.
• Fact Fluency Friday: We will give our first math fluency benchmark on Friday, September 10th to determine our baseline. Please make sure you enter your data no later than Monday, Sept. 13th. See Kim if you have any questions.

• Review 360: Classroom managed, positive referrals, and discipline incidents will all be tracked and recorded within Review 360. The old referral system no longer works, so please be patient as we work out the kinks. The district mimicked the interface of the old discipline system so as you navigate submitting incidents, you will notice a familiar look and feel. To help you get started, please refer to THIS helpful video. We ask that you log repeat offenders as a teacher-managed incident. This will be helpful documentation when the student receives an office referral. If you have any questions or need assistance please let Erika know.

• Positive Referrals: At this time, admin does not get a notification when you submit a positive referral. The district is working on fixing this for us. In the meantime, please email us your student names after your submission.

• Teacher Supply Closet: Online shopping begins Sept. 7th. Click HERE to begin shopping. Masks will be required for pickup. One person may pick up multiple orders as long as they have room in their vehicle. If anyone is picking up more than one order, make sure to have a picture ID.

• BrainPop Content: It is important that you preview any content before assigning it to students to ensure the content is appropriate and aligns with SC standards. Concerns from parents are surfacing in multiple forums about inappropriate BrainPop's content, so please be cautious!
  

• Available Technology: Available technology for classroom use can be found here. We will be monitoring usage and utilizing student reports to drive instruction during PLCs.

• SafeSchools: Don't forget to complete the mandatory SafeSchools training modules if you have not done so yet at https://berkeley-sc.safeschools.com/.

Please take this opportunity this week to review hallway procedures with your students. HOW DO WE PRACTICE ROCKIN' IN OUR HALLWAYS? See rules and procedures below!

Dot Day is Wednesday, September 15th. For those of you who aren't familiar with this, it's a global celebration of creativity and making a positive impact on the world based on the book The Dot by Peter Reynolds. We encourage you to participate in Dot Day with your class.

• Discuss Habit 5 and courage
• Discuss Habit 7 to nurture your artistic self
• Discuss fixed vs. growth mindset
• Here is an activity made for practicing the 7 Habits

A Plan to Encourage Someone Else- Habit 4- Think Win-Win

See attached lesson below

The PALS/myIGDIs & KRA window for students is August 16th-October 19th.

Testing Reminders-

• NEVER leave testing materials unattended.

• Testing materials must be locked in a secure location when not in use.

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• All K5 through 5th graders will take the iReady ELA & Math Diagnostic.
• This will be given 3 times a year. (9/27-10/15, 1/4 - 1/28, 3/21 - 4/22)
• Training info. will be coming soon!

Elementary Course registration through Virtual SC will close on Sept. 13 at 4:00 pm.

Great News! 3rd-5th grade teachers will have access to FREE Gizmo accounts. This tool includes "hands-on labs" simulating the inquiry process in a virtual setting. If you have any questions please see Kim.

Please remember the following:

• Keep classroom doors locked at ALL times.

• Have students wash their hands during the day multiple times.

• Make sure you bring the grade-level walkie out to recess.

• Supervise closely students at recess; all staff on duty should be actively monitoring all students. Please position yourself so that you are in view of all children.

• 1st- Crystal Allen
• 2nd- Eliza Jourdain
• 9th- Jennifer Helms
• 10th- Mekiva Lane
• 12th- Christie Calvin
• 22nd- Denise Pooser
• 23rd- Danielle Kot
• 25th- Andy McBride

• Don't forget to fill out the form below to nominate teachers and staff members who make a difference!

• LIM Monthly Celebrations: Attention! Attention! Coming soon…. Following our monthly LIM habit focus, teachers will choose a student who exemplifies those leadership qualities. The student will receive a certificate and a treat, to be determined. We are currently working on this and will keep you posted! Please be thinking about a student who demonstrates being proactive (Habit 1). You will be given a certificate in your boxes for distribution on September 24th. Click here to add pictures of your students holding their LIM certificates. We want to celebrate every success!

• Student Mission Statement Samples: The culture team wanted to share a few examples of student mission statements! You can use these to help aid students as they come up with their own.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

• See Data Team Newsletter below

• Make sure to add the Lead Time Slides and Lead Time Resources to your Google Drive.
• The easiest way to find these resources is to click the star to add to your favorites.
• Lead Time Slides have a daily focus for the day which aligns with the weekly LIM theme.
• Lead Time Resouces will be your one-stop shop for printables that correlate with the daily lessons.
• Please make sure to MAKE A COPY if you plan on changing anything to better accommodate your class. Just remember to keep checking the original for the updated weeks.

This week we will continue to learn about Habit 1: Be Proactive (Pause and Think).

Life moves pretty fast in the classroom, doesn’t it? It can be really easy to react to things fast out of sheer habit, without thinking. What if there was a classroom tool that could help us all practice “pause and think” about our responses even in tough moments? Click here to learn about the Pause Bucket and how it can be implemented in your classroom!

Below are some resources to incorporate into this week’s lessons!

What if there was a classroom tool that could help us all practice “pause and think” about our responses even in tough moments? Cue the Pause Bucket. Use these labels to create a physical space for students to practice Habit 1: Be Proactive.

With so much to do (students to teach, parents to inform, standards to meet) making time to look after yourself is often the first to go. But taking care of yourself is critical to being able to address the needs of others: students, parents, and colleagues alike. As the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup!

This week try this CHECK-IN strategy to take care of YOU:

While students often bring their own baggage into the classroom, teachers can too. Taking a moment to check in with how you are feeling and then setting a positive aspiration for the next period is a grounding mindfulness practice and a wonderful way to reset.

Positive Vibes

Self Care Challenge

Self Care Tip

Home of the Dragons

Email: wyatte@bcsdschools.net
Website: https://www.bcsdschools.net/Domain/24
Location: 1127 Dorothy Street, Goose Creek, SC, USA
Phone: 843-820-3880
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Devon-Forest-Elementary-School-Dragons-251662058293949/?hc_ref=ARQywftlGnWmLMc8GV6IxZjF22cFfbjISpEaMXYlXYl1r9SreXeUV2PI9H2FofEtrgg&fref=nf
Twitter: @DFErocks