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Professional Learning Communities at Work...That's How We Roll at BE!

Last week I promised to share a little more about the process of Professional Learning Communities at Work. Here's the secret handshake...we call them PLCs. In the PLC at Work process, we work through four questions:

1) What do we want students to learn?

In this step, we identify Priority Standards for each grade level in English Language Arts (reading, writing, speaking and listening, spelling) and Math. We began with the state standards, which also identify priority standards, then district priority standards, and finally determine if our students are ready for those same standards or if we need to add or subtract to best meet their needs. There are certain standards that we consider to be the boulders. These are the big foundational requirements, without which a student will not likely be successful moving forward. Students will be pushed hard to gain boulder standard skills. Then there are the rocks. These are the next level of standards that while we want our students to meet them, the information is less of a determining factor for future success on grade level expectations. Finally, there are the butterflies. What do butterflies do? They land and leave. These are the beautiful extra bits of learning that we pop in for color and fun. Although the butterflies are truly enjoyable, we can't spend all of our time sitting around watching them. We've got to scale those boulders! That's where we will spend most of our time during a learning unit. Every child is capable of getting their climbing gear on to make it to the top. Belay on!

2) How will we know that they have learned it?

Most Wednesdays, teacher teams meet during their plan times to review student data and use the information to plan for instruction. It's important for us to know how our students are doing in relation to the long-range plan for the year. This week, we met for the first time and teachers shared all of the beginning of the year screening and diagnostic data collected so far. These Bulldogs have certainly not been goofing off this month! "The data says..." Staying on track requires frequent check-ins, done at the same time across the grade level so that the data is comparable and valid. Teachers design or implement common formative assessments during units of study or intervention to check for understanding. Common means that all teachers at a grade level are administering the same assignment, quiz, test, exit-slip or whatever it is they've agreed will best show the specific learning identified by the standard and learning target. Formative means that we get information to help inform our next instructional decisions. Assessment means that we are asking a student to show us what they know, which could happen in a variety of formats.

3) How will we respond when they haven't learned it yet?

During the Student Collaboration Meetings on Wednesdays, teams work together to make decisions about who needs more support in order to meet the grade level learning standards. That support can take many forms. Through the MTSS process (could we HAVE any more acronyms???) which stands for Multi-Tiered System of Supports, we provide Tier I supports right in the general education classroom. Teachers use strong educational practices to teach core curriculum to the whole class, while differentiating instruction to support their learners through a variety of accommodations or small group instruction to solidify learning. About 80% of students do well with Tier I instruction and reteaching or reinforcement of skills in the classroom. Students who are not making progress in core instruction, statistically about 15% of students, may qualify for Tier II support with an interventionist. This will be small group instruction that may occur inside or outside of the classroom during our daily PAWS Time. If you've done the math, you know that leaves about 5% of students who may need even more intensive support to show progress. Tier III support is more individualized instruction, either in a smaller group or following a more intensive intervention program.

All of these groups should be considered fluid, with students moving in and out of them over their years as needed until everything clicks and they take off on their own. It is so very important that students come to school every day, ready to learn. Missing instructional time may seem like not that big of a deal, but I'm telling you that it adds up. Consistency and routine rule when it comes to building confident learners.

4) How will we respond if they've already learned it?

On the flip side, we also have learners who can solidly demonstrate that they've already learned the standards we are teaching. When that happens, we have the same mindset for challenging students as we do for reteaching and filling gaps. Once again, during our PAWS time, students who are ready for a new challenge will find themselves digging deeper to show their thinking. Think of it this way: once we've scaled all of the boulders, we can spend time stacking up the rocks and investigating the butterflies!

And then the fifth 'invisible' question: What instructional strategies will be most effective to ensure that students learn?

During our preservice time together as a team, we spent time with Hattie's Effect SIze research to dig back into our strategy bags and pull out only the strongest beliefs, resources and strategies. We are intentionally writing the strategies with the highest positive effect sizes into our long-range plans, goals and daily lessons. Do you know what has the highest effect size? It is the collective belief of teachers, in their ability to positively affect students. We. Believe. We. Can. And we're out to prove it to our students, because they are the ones who will be winning.

Belmont Elementary Site Council 2023-2024

The Belmont Elementary Site Council meets four times yearly and participates as an advisory council with liaison expectations in the community. As a committee, we have no actual authority, however, the Kansas State Board of Education, through Kansas legislation, requires schools to solicit feedback from their stakeholders. This group of individuals comes together to better understand the goals and functions of each school community. If you'd like to be a part of our Site Council, please email me ASAP! We will meet (virtually) from 4:30-5:15pm on October 2nd, November 27th, January 29th, and April 1st.

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La-la-la-la-la!! Who is Ready to Sing Out Loud?

It’s choir time! Any 4th or 5th grader at Belmont can join choir. It is a before school activity from 8-8:30am on certain days of the week and students will need a ride to school on those mornings. Check out more information below with a QR code within to sign up! Please read all about it here:

Mrs. Martin's 4th and 5th Grade Choir Information

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Bulldog Dash Day is FRIDAY!!

Announcing Bulldog Dash Grade Level Participation Timeframes! (We do this because YOU are invited to join your Bulldog for the dash!! Please read small print and even smaller print below if you have children who are not currently enrolled at Belmont Elementary.) EVERY CHILD participates in the Bulldog Dash regardless of the donations they may or may not have secured.

Bulldog Dash Schedule:

9:00-9:30, 1st Grade

9:30-10:00, Kindergarten

10:00-10:30, 2nd Grade

10:30-11:00, 5th Grade

11:00-11:30, 4th Grade

11:30-12:00, 3rd Grade

Click here to visit the PTO Volunteer Sign Up Genius

May parents come to the Dash? YES! May siblings come to the Dash? Nope!

Small but IMPORTANT print: Siblings are NOT allowed on the field during the dash. The dash is considered an extension of the classroom and therefore falls under the district guidelines and policies related to volunteers. Volunteers may not be accompanied by siblings. Please understand that if you sign up to be a volunteer for the dash, you are also committing to securing a babysitter for your other children if necessary in your situation. Siblings are defined as any family member under the age of 18 that is not currently enrolled at Belmont Elementary School.

Even smaller but even more IMPORTANT print: Siblings are NOT allowed on the field during the dash. This dash is for currently enrolled Belmont Elementary students and the adults who claim them ONLY. Siblings are not allowed due to the possibility of them being crushed by the running herd of students or acting as an unnecessary distraction to our students who need no distractions. IYKYK. Otherwise, please just follow the guidelines provided. There will be an off to the side observer area, but it would be way more fun to get a sitter and participate with your child!

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This is the We Want Your $$$$$ Issue! But WOW, We Are Going to Have Fun FUNdraising!

It all starts with a link and here it is! THIS is how we raise most of our funds each your to cover our very modest PTO budget. Our GOAL is to raise $15,000.00 in donations. We are so excited to offer you, our busy parents, an easy-peasy way to support our students and staff monetarily, right here at the beginning of the year when we need it most to plan the rest of the year's fun!

The PTO budget supports so many worthy causes including field trips, Learning Expeditions, our student school supply closet, learning projects and subscriptions, technology, staff appreciation, family events and most successfully...our Grant Fairy Program that makes teacher dreams come true all year long!

By following the link provided, you may provide a flat donation or sponsor your child's track sign (it should have come home on this week in backpacks). Forwarding the link to friends and relatives and businesses is easy and appreciated!

Keep searching for and collecting change for those Bulldog Bank containers through September! All of those funds will be added directly to our field trip fund! We try to cover all transportation fees and $10 in entrance fees for every student.

If you'd like to tell your children that you'll donate AFTER they complete their Bulldog Dash (which can absolutely be anything from a slow stroll to a sprint) on Friday, we will keep the Bulldog Dash Donation Link open until late in the day on September 8th for your convenience! But, there's more! YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT! Click that link NOW!

Look for the blank Bulldog Dash Track Sign that came home in your child's backpack this week! All returned track signs will be displayed around the track on Dash Day! You may return $5 to school with your child or click on that option in the Bulldog Dash Donation Link to pay online.

If every child receives about $50 in sponsorships, we'll hit our goal! The Bulldog Dash is NOT A CONTEST! We're all in this together, so every dollar supports our collective goal! Of course, we'll celebrate when we hit it! We'll also enjoy many, many PTO benefits all year long.

But celebrations are also fun......so......the grade level that earns the most donations will enjoy a pizza snack, second place will enjoy a popsicle break, and third place will rock out an extra recess. What? You want more? Okay, how about this. At $10,000, I'll kiss a bulldog. Gross. But, okay. And at $15,000, every student in the school will get to participate in a water relay to fill a bucket with ice water that will then get dumped over my head on what will hopefully be a very hot day. Just saying.

We can do this! Together! THANK YOU!! Did you get that link? Great! Cash and checks also accepted in our school office! You may also send it to school with your children.

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Coming Up at BE:

September 4 No School, Labor Day

September 5-8 Bulldog Dash Spirit Week

September 8 Bulldog Dash!!!

September 19 School Picture Day

September 27 Early Dismissal at 12:10- No lunch served, Conferences

September 27 & 28 Conferences

September 29 No School, Building Closed

Visit the BE Online Calendar of Events (by clicking on the button below) for a more complete list of activities!

Now Accepting Reservations for BE Family Luncheon Seating

Would you like to come and enjoy lunch with your child? We would love to have you come experience lunch at BE. Right now we are reviewing lunchroom expectations and letting our Bulldogs settle in to their new lunch routines, but after Labor Day, we'll be ready to welcome two visiting families per grade level per day. We will continue with attendance at lunch through reservation only to ensure that we maintain appropriate safety measures in our cafeteria. If more than one human is coming to lunch from your family, please use ONE spot for your space. For those who are new to Belmont, visitors for lunch are often a parent, grandparent, other close relative, or a family friend visiting from out of town. If we don't recognize the name, or a parent doesn't provide clarification, that visitor may miss their lunch opportunity while we work to solve the puzzle, so thank you for giving us a quick call to verify if the visitor isn't a custodial parent of record.

Lunch at school is considered a special privilege. Please, reserve this opportunity for special occasions or once in a while treats. We have many families and only so many spots! We appreciate your willingness to share the love (and the table!)

A few things to keep in mind:

Lunch periods are 27 minutes long and we have to stay on schedule. Be here a few minutes early to get signed in. Your child gets REALLY stressed out when they don't see you as they walk down the hall when they know that you are supposed to be there.
Parents may be joined at their reserved seats by their child only. It can create negative competition with hurt feelings when we allow others to join.
Parents may bring in outside food for their dining party only. We have several students with food allergies or intolerances, and the students know that for safety reasons we do not share or trade food. Food and/or drink must be consumed during the lunch period and not sent back to class with the student.
Confidentiality is important to us, so kindly refrain from sharing stories later if you happen to notice that another child is having behavioral or learning challenges. We've got people for that! Feel absolutely free to seek assistance from our on-duty staff if you notice that someone needs help!

How do I sign up? Click this link to let us know when you are coming! Closer to your date, please call the office to reserve a school lunch if you're not bringing your own. The cost of an adult lunch is $4.35, which needs to be paid (with exact change, please) on the date you will eat with us.

If you like LOTS of happy noise all at once and don't mind the possibility of wearing syrup and ketchup on your body when you leave...feel free to join us!

A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WHILE EARNING A LITTLE EXTRA INCOME

USD 232 is looking for one or more individuals to split a bus route that have either their LPN or RN licensure. We have some wonderful students with medical needs who are in need of either an LPN or RN to assist them while riding the bus to and from school. The hours are listed below and days to work flexible. If interested, please contact Sara Hoepner, Special Services Coordinator at shoepner@usd232.org, or Lee Hanson, Director of Special Services at lhanson@usd232.org, or Tara Harmon-Moore, Coordinator of Nursing Services at THarmonMoore@usd232.orgfor additional information. The job is also posted on our district website at https://www.applitrack.com/usd232/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Health+Services.

Unified School District No. 232 - Frontline Recruitment

Frontline Recruiting and Hiring, Applicant Tracking for Educators. Online Job Employment Applications, Web Based Employment Applications for School Districts and Educational Institutions.

www.applitrack.com

HOURS (These can be covered by one individual or split between two or more)

Monday Thru Friday 7:55 to 9:00 a.m.

Monday Thru Friday 3:30 to 4:40 p.m.

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