Monday Morning Message 2018-2019

We all know how busy the next few months will be. We overcame the first half of the year so now it is time to tackle the second. Testing is quickly approaching, which means endless hours of test prep, anxiousness, stress...etc. Not only do we feel it but our students do as well. It is imperative we work together so they see the cohesiveness. We will have to work together, lean on one another, support and encourage each other. It does not take one person, it takes a team. We are more powerful and strong as a whole, not as one. We are all working hard, so why not work hard together. Take a few minutes to read the below...the benefits of teaming and the 10 commandments. "The strongest teams have members who have open minds, strong work ethics, creativity, and good leadership," she said. "There's no room for personal agendas when it comes to teaming." "The important characteristics of a strong team are that the members work together, acknowledge and use eac...

We are off and running in this new year.  The next few months are going to be crazy for all of us.  It is important to take time to take care of yourself during this busy time.  We want to be the best self we can be.  I read this great article over the weekend and hope you can get some great strategies to help us with our stress load.  Click on the link below:    Teaching is as stressful as an ER Have a wonderful week Mighty Manatees!

Good morning,  Welcome back! We hope you had a nice and relaxing break. Back the grind...but on a positive notice half the year is over. Here's to another great two quarters together! I wanted to share an article that ties in nicely with our new year. We all have personal and professional resolutions that we set at the beginning of a new year. It is important we take a second to reflect on our previous year in order to grow and flourish in the following year. Where do you want to grow? What do you want for your/our students? Of course we want the best, but how do you define/model that to our/your students? What do you do/say to help encourage and promote learning in a safe and enjoyable environment? What plan do you have to turn your professional vision into a reality? Please take a second to read the article below. I hope you find one take away to make this year successful. It lies in your hands, we are here to support, encourage, and motivate one another to be strong educa...

Formative assessments are an important part of effective teaching. They should be integrated into the teaching and learning process. Formative assessments are "for" learning while summative are "of" learning. These assessments should help teachers identify concepts that students are struggling to understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they have not yet achieved so adjustments can be made to lessons, instructional techniques and academic support. The goal of formative assessments is to collect detailed information that can be used to improve instruction and student learning "while" it is happening. Grace recently asked everyone to fill out a survey on what formative assessments you are using. As a district, we are moving towards common formative assessments. I found two articles below that does a great job explaining formative assessments further. Within the articles, they give questions that you should be focused ...

A few weeks ago, our Monday Morning Message discussed the 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning.   We discussed Purpose that included information related to standards and learning targets and teaching points.   Today I would like to cover Assessment for Student Learning.   We learned last week that Element #13, reflecting on learning, is one way to assess the progress of your class toward the learning goal.   Research has shown that asking students to identify and record what they are confused about enhances their learning.   Reflection data are also useful for diagnosing errors or gaps in students’ knowledge (Butler & Winne, 1995; Cross, 1998).   The use of reflective journals, think logs, exit slips, knowledge comparison, and 2 column notes are just a few ways teachers can help students reflect on their learning. When looking at assessment for student learning, we want students to be able to assess their own learning in relation to the targe...

Good morning, November is a time to give thanks, show appreciation, and share gratitude. We can not let our busy lives and schedules take away from the fact that we still are incredibly thankful for many things in life. Each day in November I challenge you to name/think about one thing you are thankful for. I hope having that as a focus for your day will bring you joy. No matter the circumstances around us or in our lives we are all blessed. There are so many outside factors that play into our happiness but one thing is for sure, if we lean on one another and work as a team we grow in a positive manner. We learn to appreciate the little things in life. Grace and I are very lucky to work alongside each and every one of you. We are thankful to have a supportive, loving, and hard working staff. You continuously go above and beyond making sure we are meeting our students needs behaviorally, socially and academically. Your time, effort and hard work does not go unnoticed. For the month of...

Tips for Teaching Students With ODD Oppositional defiant disorder, otherwise known as ODD, is a condition in which children regularly demonstrate anger, opposition and defiance, especially toward those in authority. It can be a challenging issue to manage in the classroom, and recently in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group, teacher Whitney N. asked for tips on working with students who are diagnosed with this disorder. Here’s what our experienced teachers had to say: 1. Avoid Power Struggles Most of our teachers agreed: Stay out of those winless power struggles. As Kris W. said, “Pick your battles. A student of mine corrects me all the time, whether I am wrong or not. I answer back, ‘OK, let’s double-check that.’ If I made a mistake, I correct it and we move on; if he’s wrong, I silently let him to figure it out.” Often children with ODD need a safe space to go for a five-minute break when they notice themselves getting overwhelmed and ready to challenge. “Put out books, col...