Winfield Staff Blog
11/03/16
My Take-Aways from Early Release...
When visited by Jay Reese from DESE, I was struck by the results. Trying to justify and vindicate myself, I considered all our various initiatives and wondered about our next steps! We have so many things going on, and we may be spread too thin. However, he left us a few take-aways, namely poverty, curriculum, aligning our curriculum and Hattie’s emphasis on authentic student relationships, especially with students that repel us so hard and staying with the plan. As he alluded to, we will need to finish this conversation over the next few months but I am excited to see where it takes us. Working through issues, concerns and obstacles with this team give me hope and encouragement for our future. He mentioned cooperation, working together, collaborating and sharing interventions on what is working.
I must say, I am impressed by the ELA work over the past few weeks as they reviewed their weak points and considered their curriculum. Together, that will help us narrow the gap between achievement and sub-groups. Dovetailing that into the MATHLETES will only help.
We also heard from Scott Taylor with eValuate. He also had a few take-aways for us to consider. Namely, a daily, regular and consistent eValuate revisiting, in the form of a problem of the day, post teaching each question from the test, warm up, team teach, or some type of repeated exposure to their problems, format and presentation in an effort to acclimatize student to the new MAP test. Here is our current snapshot, all the way through October. How do these fit into our curriculum? How can all teachers support these concerns?
Building Progress Snapshot - eValuate
2015 - October Snapshot
2016 - October Snapshot
2016 October Progress
Note: Math at 4% and 3 % last year.
This year we are at 4% & 5% 
Note: ELA was at 18% last year.
This year we are at 24%
Here is our PBiS Data...
It does show us focusing clearly on the minor events, addressing these behaviors with regularity and consistency.
Regarding the Friday thing, maybe they like this place and truly want more?!?
Clearly, others outside the building are taking note!
RED CARD/BLACK CARD STATUS
(Think grades, behavior and attendance)
These students have managed to attend school according to expectations, behavior properly, and achieve higher marks in their academic endeavors. Building wide, 158 students have met those proficient expectations. Through the Red Card/Black Card Programs, they earn discounts to events, special incentive days and
HOW MANY OF EACH GRADE?
61- 6th graders
48- 7th graders
56- 8th graders
Our Schedule:
Monday
- Build the Board Report this week
- Do you remember your tornado drill procedures?
- Cross Country Banquet
Tuesday
- PBiS Tier 1 in Harmon’s Room 7:15 am
- Admin Meeting at CO
- SPED Meeting at CO
- Winfield Basketball Tournament
- 7th Grade at Home: First game at 4:00
- Elsberry Basketball Tournament
- 8th Grade at Elsberry: First game at 6:30
Wednesday
- Brunswick Trip Two
- Winfield Basketball Tournament
- 7th Grade at Home: First game at 4:00
- Elsberry Basketball Tournament
- 8th Grade at Elsberry: First game at 6:30
Thursday
- Tentative Pizza Hut trip for Fundraising sales
- Two groups
- E Hines
- K Gross
- Mentor Meeting at CO after school
- Winfield Basketball Tournament
- 7th Grade at Home: First game at 4:00
- Elsberry Basketball Tournament
- 8th Grade at Elsberry: First game TBD
Friday
- Veterans Day Assembly at the Middle School 8:00 AM
- Ceremony
- Continental Breakfast for Vets and Student
Ongoing/Upcoming
Early Release: November 16th
Pepsi with the Principal: December 7th
Early Release: November 16th
Pepsi with the Principal: December 7th
Special Shout-Out
Thank you for your willingness to put personal preference aside and agree to participate in the sharing the WOWS with students. We MUST continue to reinforce the expected behaviors as well as raise the bar even higher. PBiS data shows we are on a good trajectory. I will expect at least one WOW written a month per teacher for a student. It can be for a personal goal met, extra care given on an assignment, great extra effort even though the score may not demonstrate mastery yet, or any other special event. Yes, CG, you may give out a few of them at a time. Teachers may author more if you’d prefer. I do not see us giving out too many of these as a bad thing! A minimum of one a month will let students know they are not written for the sake of writing them but as special token of appreciation. As middle school teachers of a population often starved for positive and authentic feedback, we can make great strides in making an impact in their lives. Students of poverty often times see these shout-outs as emotional or social currency and respond extremely well to the authentic praise. Please continue to place those in my door.
Additionally, watching the students learn how to provide this peer to peer or student to teacher feedback is also a good lesson for all of us as we articulate nuances in the conversation of motivation, intrinsic or extrinsic, poverty, relationships building, student stamina and what is an appropriate shout out for a middle school student. According to PBiS, positive feedback can be for following expectations already in place, like clearing a desk when asked. It can be verbal or include an intermittent tangible token of appreciation.
In it together,
Tom
Links
Maybe I should leave this section here so we can refer to it as a bookmark page???
The Manifesto
- Binder Team Notes - If you want editing rights, please request
- Committee Progress - (Report back during Next PD)
- Culture/Climate - PD Early Release Archives
- HOT Sheets - maybe a work in progress
For instance, at the beginning of the year, I wrote out a huge document, almost a manifesto, on what I thought the building should be. The document even needed an introduction page, called Page One, and a Table of Contents. I discussed
Middle School Initiatives
- Formative Assessment
- eValuate/MAP Incentives like Brunswick
- Curriculum Development
- Parent / Teacher Conferences
- Students of Poverty
- Student/Teacher Relationships
- Fundraising to afford extra activities
- Chromebooks for All
- Ac Lab Challenges/Assemblies
- Digital Dream Work
- MobyMax for all
- eValuate for all,
- Results Review
- eValuate Problem of the Day
- Newspapers in Education
- NewELA
- Data Walls
- NEE Teacher Evaluations
- Units of Instruction
- Indicators & Strategies
- Lesson Plans
- Word Walls
- Pacing Guides
- Student lead lessons
- Bully prevention initiatives
- Thrive Presentations
- Lesson Plans
- Readers/Writers Workshop
- Curriculum Maps
- Student Self Reported Grades
- Teacher Support
- Collaborative Work Grant
- Math Consultants
- ELA Trainers
- Teacher Collaboration
- Block Scheduling in ELA
- Student Centered Classroom
- Binder Content Meetings
- Parent Positive Postcards Home
- PBiS
- WOWs, tokens, Tickets
- SWBAT
- Collaboration Days
- Pepsi (& Pizza*) with the Principal
- Staff Celebration
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