June 1, 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

Procrastination is the enemy of innovation.

I saw this prompt.  I thought I would share it.  It could be modified for almost any grade level.

Announcements:

Have a wonderful Monday!

***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.  

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.  

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

6.1	6	D	Y		EOG Sci 5
6.2					EOG Sci 5
6.3					EOG Makeups
6.4					RTA/EOG Makeups; 3rd grade teachers afterschool for bubble party
6.5
6.8
6.9
6.10					3rd grade teachers stay after to edit answer sheets
6.11
6.12

Holidays Around the World

Monday	Jun 1	Children's Day	Armenia
Monday	Jun 1	Western Australia Day	Australia
Monday	Jun 1	Children's Day	China
Monday	Jun 1	Orthodox Pentecost Monday	Cyprus
Monday	Jun 1	Whit Monday	Spain
Monday	Jun 1	Holy Spirit Monday	Greece, Romania, Ukraine
Monday	Jun 1	June Bank Holiday	Ireland
Monday	Jun 1	Madaraka Day	Kenya
Monday	Jun 1	International Children's Day	Moldova
Monday	Jun 1	Queen's Birthday	New Zealand
Monday	Jun 1	Children's Day	Romania
Monday	Jun 1	Vesak Day	Singapore
Monday	Jun 1	Visakha Bucha	Thailand
Monday	Jun 1	Jefferson Davis Birthday	United States

Today in World History

June 1

193		The Roman emperor, Marcus Didius, is murdered in his palace.
1533		Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's new queen, is crowned.
1774		The British government orders the port of Boston closed.
1789		The first U.S. congressional act on administering oaths becomes law.
1812		American navy captain James Lawrence, mortally wounded in a naval engagement with the British, exhorts to the crew of his vessel, the Chesapeake, "Don't give up the ship!"
1862		General Robert E. Lee assumes command of the Confederate army outside Richmond after General Joe Johnston is injured at Seven Pines.
1864		The Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia, begins as Confederate general Robert E. Lee tries to turn Union general Ulysses S. Grant's flank.
1868		James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, dies.
1877		U.S. troops are authorized to pursue bandits into Mexico.
1915		Germany conducts the first zeppelin air raid over England.
1916		The National Defense Act increases the strength of the U.S. National Guard by 450,000 men.
1921		A race riot erupts in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killing 85 people.
1939		The Douglas DC-4 makes its first passenger flight from Chicago to New York.
1941		The German Army completes the capture of Crete as the Allied evacuation ends.
1942		America begins sending Lend-Lease materials to the Soviet Union.
1958		Charles de Gaulle becomes premier of France.
1963		Governor George Wallace vows to defy an injunction ordering integration of the University of Alabama.
1978		The U.S. reports finding wiretaps in the American embassy in Moscow.
Born on June 1
1563		Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury.
1801		Brigham Young, American religious leader.
1814		Philip Kearney, Union general.
1831		John B. Hood, Confederate general.
1878		John Masefield, English poet.
1898		Molly Picon, comic actress and singer.
1901		John van Druten, English playwright (I am a Camera).
1926		Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jean Mortenson, later Norma Jean Baker), film actress and icon.
1932		Christopher Lasch, American social critic and writer.

May 28, 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

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.

Although the jury may still be out on the optimal type of enrichment mindset for those working with kids in poverty, we do know for certain that the following extremes will NOT work:

ÒFocusing only on the basics (drill and kill)

ÒMaintaining order through a show of force

ÒEliminating or reducing time for arts, sports and physical education

ÒIncreasing and intensifying classroom discipline

ÒDecreasing interaction among students

ÒInstalling metal detectors

ÒDelivering more heavy-handed top-down lectures

Nor does it work to pity kids raised in poverty and assume that their background dooms them to failure.  The first approach is simplistic and narrow-minded and the second approach is elitist, defeatist, and quite often classist or racist.  What works is ta acknowledge that the human brain is designed to change from experiences that if we design enough high-quality experiences, over time we will get positive change.

High-poverty, high-achieving schools share a number of characteristics including:

ÒDedication to diversity and equity

ÒEmphasis on reading skills

ÒHigh expectations

ÒOngoing data collection and formative assessments

ÒOrderly climate

ÒRegular assessment of student progress combined with feedback and remediation

ÒRegular teacher-parent communication

High-poverty, high-achieving schools share a number of characteristics including:

ÒShared mission and goals

ÒStrategic assignment of staff

ÒStrong focus on student achievement

ÒStructure (including student goals and class management)

ÒSupport for teaching influence (paraprofessionals)

ÒTeachers’ acceptance of the role they play in student success or failure

ÒUnequivocal focus on academic achievement

with a no-excuses mind-set

ÒUse of assessment data to improve student achievement

 and instruction

35 THINGS EVERY TEACHER SHOULD DO BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR ENDS

Mark Barnes | May 21, 2015 | Featured, Inspiration | 4 Comments

41510more

photo credit: photopin (license)

The school year is filled with testing, report cards, and many other hurdles that make it exceedingly difficult. Don’t allow another year to pass without some completely out-of-the-box behavior.

You never know when crossing a few old-school boundaries may change a student’s or a colleague’s life, while bringing the joy back to your teaching.

http://www.brilliant-insane.com/2015/05/35-things-every-teacher-should-do-before-the-school-year-ends.html

Announcements:
Math Testing today.  Please, follow all testing procedures.  Thanks for all you do!

Based on when some groups finish, K, 2nd, and 1st grade may either have to have silent lunch or they can take lunch back to classrooms.  We are testing in the media center and 2 other sites in that building and it gets too loud in the cafeteria.  We will let you all know.  Thanks for your understanding.  

More testing humor....I do apologize for these.

***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.  

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.  

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

5.28					EOG Math; 3,4,5 teachers stay afterschool for bubble party
5.29					EOG Makeups
6.1					EOG Sci 5
6.2					EOG Sci 5
6.3					EOG Makeups
6.4					RTA/EOG Makeups; 3rd grade teachers afterschool for bubble party
6.5
6.8
6.9
6.10					3rd grade teachers stay after to edit answer sheets
6.11
6.12

Holidays Around the World

Thursday	May 28	Republic Day	Armenia
Thursday	May 28	Republic Day	Azerbaijan
Thursday	May 28	Derg Downfall Day	Ethiopia

Today in World History

May 28

585BC		A solar eclipse interrupts a battle outside of Sardis in western Turkey between Medes and Lydians. The battle ends in a draw.
1805		Napoleon is crowned in Milan, Italy.
1830		Congress authorizes Indian removal from all states to the western Prairie.
1863		The 54th Massachusetts, a regiment of African-American recruits, leaves Boston, headed for Hilton Head, South Carolina.
1859		The French army launches a flanking attack on the Austrian army in Northern France.
1871		The Paris commune is suppressed by troops from Versailles.
1900		Britain annexes the Orange Free State in South Africa.
1940		Belgium surrenders to Germany.
1953		Melody, the first animated 3-D cartoon in Technicolor, premiers.
1961		Amnesty International, a human rights organization, is founded.
Born on May 28
1759		William Pitt the Younger, prime minister of England (1783-1801).
1738		Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotine, French inventor of the execution device which bears his name.
1779		Thomas Moore, Irish poet.
1807		Jean Agassiz, naturalist and educator.
1818		P.G.T. Beauregard, Confederate general during the American Civil War.
1888		Jim Thorpe, American athlete.
1908		Ian Fleming, British novelist, created the character James Bond.
1910		T-Bone Walker, blues guitarist and singer.
1912		Patrick White, Australian writer (The Tree of Man, The Eye of the Storm).
1916		Walker Percy, writer (The Moviegoer, Love in the Ruins).
1918		Herb Shriner, radio humorist.
1919		May Swenson, poet.
1932		Stephen Birmingham, novelist and biographer.
1936		Fred Chappell, poet and novelist.
1940		Maeve Binchy, Irish writer (Circle of Friends, The Copper Beach).