Speas Staff News and Events: April 2015

Thursday, April 30, 2015

April 30, 2015

Welcome to the Speas Global Elementary Blog!

All staff members, let's make sure we are teaching, reteaching, and teaching again the procedures in the common areas (Hallway, Cafeteria, Bathrooms, Playground, Bus). We should be giving out lots of Bee's for students demonstrating the basic expectations. It is a good idea to review the procedures before you leave one area to travel to another area.

Our Mission: It is the mission of Speas Elementary School to provide its students with the tools necessary to successfully meet the challenges they will face in a diverse world.

Goals:

To increase English Language Arts achievement by 10%
To increase Mathematics achievement by 10%
To increase Science Achievement by 10%

Check out this graphic about global education. The things above water are just the tip of the iceberg. Try to go deeper in your instruction and touch some of the issues below the surface.

ISS
Specialists will begin holding ISS in their respective areas on their assigned days. The schedule is below. Teachers, specialists may be contacting you for work for students assigned to ISS. Please get them work as soon as possible.

Day	Teacher	Location
A	Arora	Room 213
B	Bowen	Music
C	King	Art
D	Childers/McMasters	Media/CL
E	Lindquist	Gym

Teachers: Having Trouble with Defiant Students? Have you tried these strategies?

http://www.interventioncentral.org/behavioral-interventions/challenging-students/school-wide-strategies-managing-defiance-non-complianc

Instead of loosing the momentum by verbally addressing misbehavior, or off task behavior; try using these nifty stop signs. You can print them here:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bwov0YIUmUEDbGpVWmt4ZUdEbG8/edit

Noise level in classroom too high? Try this website. The balls bounce according to the noise level. They are still when the room is completely quiet.

https://bouncyballs.org/

Exit Tickets: not just for workshops anymore. Try them in your classroom.

http://www.upperelementarysnapshots.com/2014/11/eight-reasons-to-use-exit-tickets-in.html#.VT2LqtJViko

Our jobs may get hectic as we try to close out the year strong. Here are some things to remember about what we may call disrespect or defiant behavior:
cont.

ÒChronic, unmediated stress often results in a condition known as an allostatic load. Allostatic load is carryover stress. Instead of returning to a healthy baseline of homeostasis, the growing brain adapts to negative life experiences so that it becomes either hyper-responsive or hypo-responsive. Higher rates of chronic stress and allostatic load have been found among low-income populations than among high-income populations.

Effects on School Behavior and Performance

Kids coming to school don’t wear signs that say “Caution! Chronic Stressors live here.” But stress has an insidious effect on learning and behavior, and you should recognize the symptoms in the classroom…

Effects on School Behavior and Performance

Chronic Stress:

ÒIs linked to over 50 percent of all absences

ÒImpairs attention and concentration

ÒReduces cognition, creativity, and memory

ÒDiminishes social skills and social judgment

ÒReduces motivation, determination and effort

ÒIncreases the likelihood of depression

ÒReduces neurogenesis (growth of new brain cells)

Announcements:

3rd Grade to Sci Works today.

***For all technology issues, please follow these steps in order to submit a SchoolDude ticket. Mr. McMasters will receive this ticket and be able to work on resolving the issue as quickly as possible. Tickets take priority so please enter a ticket for the technology issue that you have. If you have any questions on how to do this, please see Mr. McMasters. Thank you!

To submit a ticket…on either the WSFCS homepage or the Speas homepage, click on “User Options” in the top right of the screen --> “SCHOOL DUDE requests --> Click “IT request” tab --> fill out request and click submit. ***

We have a Speas Symbaloo page.

http://www.symbaloo.com/home/mix/13eOcMEZPT#

email: djjohnson@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
pass: speasbees2014

Please email us with your favorite educator sites so we can create a huge selection of online resources.

SMOD Tickets (dress code violations) are located in the workroom. Please keep the bottom portion for your own records as a way to keep track of the number of violations. The continuum is as follows:

1st offense: verbal warning, and letter will be sent home to be signed. Parent or guardian notified of violation
2nd offense: Teacher notifies parent or guardian and student is removed from class until proper SMOD is delivered.

(Teachers, we all should be enforcing this, it will only work if we all enforce it).

Calendar



4.30	3	D	Y	3^rd grade to Sci Works: Soccer Practice
5.1	4	E	Y	Canty out meeting; Wii Day; Opening Ceremony, 1st Soccer Game
5.4	5	A	Y	TRC Window Opens
5.5	6	B	X	Ash out AM
5.6	1	C	X
5.7	2	D	X
5.8	3	E	X	GSN Module 4 due; PEP checks begin; Dollar Dress Down
5.11	4	A	X
5.12	5	B	X
5.13	6	C	Y
5.14	1	D	Y	Ash out AM; Papa Murphy’s Spirit Night
5.15	2	E	Y	Dollar Dress Down
5.18	3	A	Y
5.19	4	B	Y
5.20	5	C	Y	Johnson out AM
5.21	6	D	X
5.22	1	E	X	1^st Grade NC Zoo 8:00-2:00 PM; Yoforia Movie Night; Ready EOG window opens; TRC window closes
5.25	2	A	X
5.26	3	B	X
5.27				EOG ELA
5.28				EOG Math
5.29				EOG Makeups
6.1				EOG Sci 5
6.2				EOG Sci 5
6.3				EOG Makeups
6.4				RTA/EOG Makeups
6.5
6.8
6.9
6.10
6.11
6.12

Holidays Around the World

Thursday	Apr 30	Education Day	Congo Dem.Rep.
Thursday	Apr 30	Liberation Day/Reunification Day	Vietnam

Today in World History

April 30

313		Licinius unifies the whole of the eastern Roman Empire under his own rule.
1250		King Louis IX of France is ransomed.
1527		Henry VIII of England and King Francis of France sign treaty of Westminster.
1563		All Jews are expelled from France by order of Charles VI.
1725		Spain withdraws from the Quadruple Alliance.
1789		George Washington is inaugurated as the first U.S. president.
1803		The United States doubles in size through the Louisiana Purchase, which was sold by France for $15 million.
1812		Louisiana is admitted into the Union as a state.
1849		Giuseppe Garabaldi, the Italian patriot and guerrilla leader, repulses a French attack on Rome.
1864		Work begins on the Dams along the Red River, which will allow Union General Nathaniel Banks' troops to sail over the rapids above Alexandria, Louisiana.
1930		The Soviet Union proposes a military alliance with France and Great Britain.
1931		The George Washington Bridge, linking New York City and New Jersey, opens.
1943		The British submarine HMS Seraph drops 'the man who never was,' a dead man the British planted with false invasion plans, into the Mediterranean off the coast of Spain.
1945		Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his bunker. Karl Donitz becomes his successor.
1968		U.S. Marines attack a division of North Vietnamese troops in the village of Dai Do.
1970		U.S. troops invade Cambodia to disrupt North Vietnamese Army base areas.
1972		The North Vietnamese launch an invasion of the South.
1973		Nixon announces the resignation of H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and other top aides.
1975		North Vietnamese troops enter the Independence Palace of South Vietnam in Saigon ending the Vietnam War.
1980		Terrorists seize the Iranian Embassy in London.
Born on April 30
1777		Karl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician.
1858		Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, First Lady to President Benjamin Harrison .
1870		Franz Lehár, Hungarian composer (The Merry Widow, The Land of Smiles).
1909		Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands.
1912		Eve Arden (Eunice Quedens), actress.
1933		Willie Nelson, country singer.
1945		Annie Dillard, writer (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek).
1954		Jane Campion, New Zealand film director (The Piano, A Portrait of a Lady).

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

April 29, 2015

Welcome to the Speas Global Elementary Blog!

Our Mission: It is the mission of Speas Elementary School to provide its students with the tools necessary to successfully meet the challenges they will face in a diverse world.

Goals:

To increase English Language Arts achievement by 10%
To increase Mathematics achievement by 10%
To increase Science Achievement by 10%

Check out this graphic about global education. The things above water are just the tip of the iceberg. Try to go deeper in your instruction and touch some of the issues below the surface.

Day	Teacher	Location
A	Arora	Room 213
B	Bowen	Music
C	King	Art
D	Childers/McMasters	Media/CL
E	Lindquist	Gym

Instead of loosing the momentum by verbally addressing misbehavior, or off task behavior; try using these nifty stop signs. You can print them here:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bwov0YIUmUEDbGpVWmt4ZUdEbG8/edit

Noise level in classroom too high? Try this website. The balls bounce according to the noise level. They are still when the room is completely quiet.

https://bouncyballs.org/

Exit Tickets: not just for workshops anymore. Try them in your classroom.

http://www.upperelementarysnapshots.com/2014/11/eight-reasons-to-use-exit-tickets-in.html#.VT2LqtJViko

Our jobs may get hectic as we try to close out the year strong. Here are some things to remember about what we may call disrespect or defiant behavior:
cont.

Embody respect. You can’t change what’s in your students’ bank account, but you can change what’s in their emotional account. It may require a considerable shift in your thinking. It is fruitless simply to demand respect from students; many just don’t have the context, background, or skills to show it. Instead…

Embody respect.

ÒGive respect to students first, even when they seem least to deserve it.

ÒShare decision making in class. For example, ask students whether they would prefer to do a quick review of what they have learned to consolidate and strengthen their learning or move on to new material.

ÒAvoid such directives as “Do this right now!” Instead, maintain expectations while offering choice and soliciting input.

ÒAvoid demeaning sarcasm (e.g., “How about you actually do your assignment quietly for a change?”)

ÒModel the process of adult thinking. For example, say, “We have to get this done first because we have only enough time for these three things today.” Keep your voice calm and avoid labeling actions.

ÒDiscipline through positive relationships, not by exerting power or authority. Avoid such negative directives as “Don’t be a wise guy!” or Sit down immediately!”

Embed social skills. At every grade level, use a variety of classroom strategies that strengthen social and emotional skills. For example…

Embed social skills.

ÒTeach basic but crucial meet-and-greet skills. Early in the year, when students introduce themselves to other classmates, teach students to face on another, make eye contact, smile, and shake hands.

ÒEmbed turn-taking skills in class, even at the secondary level. You can introduce and embed these skills using strategies as learning stations, partner work, and cooperative learning.

ÒRemind students to thank their classmates after completing collaborative activities.

ÒImplement social-emotional skill-building programs in the early years.

Be inclusive. Create a familial atmosphere by using inclusive and affiliative language. For example…

Be inclusive.

ÒAlways refer to the school as “our school” and the class as “our class”; avoid using a me-and-you model that reinforces power structures

ÒAcknowledge students who make it to class, and thank them for small things.

ÒCelebrate effort as well as achievment; praise students for reaching milestones as well as fulfilling end goals. Pack acknowledgements and celebrations into every single class.