From the Desk of Mrs. Johnson
Week Four:
" From the moment students arrive at school I try to give them instant ownership of their room. They need right away to feel known and liked by their teacher. They need to make an impact in their environment, to see that the fact that they are there makes a difference. The children also need to feel comfortable within that environment. The focus of the first six weeks of school is upon getting to know each other and the routines and layout of the school" .--- excerpt from The First Six Weeks of School
Team,
Congratulations! We have made it through a full week of school, a successful fire drill, all while teaching in person and remote learners at the same time! It is safe to say that we are all learning as the days and weeks go by.
As we begin week four, I am reminded of the Responsive Classroom book, " The First Six Weeks of School.The First Six Weeks of School outlines how to set scholars up for a year of engaged and productive learning by:
- using positive teacher language to establish high academic and behavioral expectations,
- getting students excited about schoolwork by offering engaging academics, and
- teaching the classroom and academic routines that enable a collaborative learning community to thrive.
This week our instructional focus will be around Domain 1 of the CCT Rubric for Effective Teaching ( see below). Many of the strategies found in The First Six Weeks of School align with this domain. It is a great book of any new or experienced teacher. If you are interested in reading this book, please let me know. I have a copy that borrowed.
Shout Outs, Accolades and Recognition
- Mrs. Piazza and Ms. Delude for piloting and presenting the google meets attendance process.
- A shout out to Ms. Feliz for starting our "Beautification Committee". If you are interested, please reach out to her.
- Ms. Morris for connecting us with Ethel Walker School, who have agreed to fund a very special project for us ( more info will be announced soon).
- Thank you to everyone for following the protocol for dismissal. We will continue to require the colored card/ ID until further notice.
- Thank you to all teams for contributing to the effective practices brain dump from last week. I have included the link for you to review. I hope that you found something that was helpful from your colleagues. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y1Regw-05nXQl10IJ9Ht4XmBrPambnq0qMRnnibkDjM/edit
- We would like to recognize Ms. Heaven, Mrs. McCarthy, Ms. Prescod and Ms. Goulston for receiving the Heart of our School recognition for the month of September. We appreciate all that you do for our school and community.
Instructional Focus
Domain 1: Classroom Environment, Student Engagement and Commitment to Learning
Creating a positive learning environment that is responsive to and respectful of the learning needs of all students.
- Interactions between teacher and students are consistently positive and respectful and the teacher regularly promotes positive social interactions among students.
- Establishes a learning environment that is consistently respectful of students’ cultural, social and/or developmental differences.
- Creates a learning environment in which most students are willing to take risks and respond to questions and challenges, and feel safe to make and learn from mistakes.
- Establishes and consistently reinforces appropriate expectations for learning for all students.
Promoting developmentally appropriate standards of behavior that support a productive learning environment for all students.
- Establishes appropriate standards of behavior, which are consistently reinforced, resulting in little or no interference with student learning.
- Consistently teaches, models, and/or positively reinforces social skills and/or builds students’ capacity to self-regulate and take responsibility for their actions.
- Establishes and manages routines and transitions resulting in maximized instructional time.
Safety
- Please continue to social distance when in class and when transiting in the hallway.
- Continue to travel at a safe distance when exiting the building for dismissal.
- Scholars should only be signed out at pick- up if a colored card or ID is present.
- All visitors should be let into the building by the office staff only. Please do not open the door for any visitors.
Scholar Attendance
- The State Board of Education has mandated that attendance be taken every class period and reported to the State weekly.
- Attendance must indicate if the scholar is participating in in-school learning or through Distance learning. Additionally, this information must be submitted to district by 10:00AM each morning.
- As a reminder, teachers are responsible for submitting attendance in PowerSchool each morning, and AA's are responsible for completing the Google Spreadsheet by 9:15 am.
Latoya Johnson
Principal
Dress Down for Staff
Dress down days for staff will be on the Friday after payday. This will occur twice a month. Jeans can only be worn on these days if you have paid your yearly dress down contribution of $20. Dress down contributions are due on 9/25/20.
Compliments of the Coach- Mr. DiGennaro
Compliments of the Coach
Just think how far everything has come in just eleven days! Now that the first full week is complete, and many of the technical issues are "slowing" down, I have started to jump into some instructional coach visits both virtually and in person. These pop ins are meant to help keep me up to date on what is happening in each classroom, as well as gather trend data to support the school as a whole. These trends will be shared in future newsletters. I will also provide some great things seen here in the accolades, and in the "compliments of the coach" form, which some have seen in their mailboxes. If you would ever like me to give feedback on a specific lesson, I am always available to schedule a more specific observation and discuss afterwards, or come and model or co-teach a lesson!
Accolades for the week!
Ms. Louis and Ms. Feliz engaged online learners seamlessly in a whole group lesson with a well established routine. While Ms. Louis taught the whole group, she posed questions that were for all learners. Ms. Feliz would then find the right time to say that an online learner had their hand up to share. Throughout the lesson there was sharing by both online and in person learners, as well as Ms. Louis restating what the online learner said to the class.
Ms. Bogle has worked to create a setup that allows her online learners to view the lesson, but then keep the scholars videos on the screen during some lessons. This allows her to view the scholar engagement as well as creates an atmosphere where the in person learners can see the virtual learners sharing. Doing this during certain lessons helps lessen the feeling of teaching two “separate” groups of learners.
Staff Dress Code
Dress Code
In our effort to build a community of learners, a place where everyone will develop a “love of learning”, we must always keep in mind that we are role models for developing this community of learners. Every action we take and every word we speak reflects our understanding of our mission. With this in mind, be aware that if we are successful, then we must dress for success.
Jumoke Academy Faculty and Staff are expected to dress in business casual attire.
Business casual attire for female staff members includes:
Dress pants/slacks, Suits, button down shirts, blouses, polo shirts, sweaters, skirts, and dresses.
Business casual attire for male staff members includes:
Dress pants/slacks, ties, button down shirts, polo shirts, sweaters, shirts.
Please reference the attached file for additional details.
Thelma Ellis Dickerson's Jumoke Academy Elementary School
Email: johnsonl1@jumokeacademy.org
Website: jumokeacademy.org
Location: 250 Blue Hills Avenue, Hartford, CT, USA
Phone: 860-527-0575