Ron Clark

On Monday evening, Ms. Powell, Ms. Jordan and I had the incredible experience of listening to Ron Clark speak at Anderson University. Ron Clark, author of The Essential 55 and Move Your Bus is inspiring to say the least. When you listen to him speak, you want to change the world. What he has accomplished with inner city and low-income students with behavior "problems" is nothing short of magical. Here are a few of my "take aways" from his presentation:

• Teaching is an emotional thing. We must get to know our students and make a connection. Look them in the eye.
• Are you a runner, jogger, walker or rider? Do you drive the school with your passion and ability to press on regardless of circumstances or do you slow it down through negativity, excuses, and complaining? Don't be a member of the "posse of poison".
• Compliment a child's actions. Actions are what define a person.
• A smile is powerful.
• "Do something" - above and beyond the call of duty.
• Have a sense of urgency and intensity. Be on fire for your kids. 
• There are no teacher desks in classrooms at his school. Students are constantly up and moving. So are the teachers.

Make sure you watch our videos of the week as they related to this topic and involve our very own!

Our 5th grade science teachers traveled with their winning teams to Spearman Elementary School on Friday to participate in the district Jet Toy Car competition. Mrs. Gibson's team won "best design" while Mrs. Wayne's group won third overall. Such a tremendous accomplishment by those students. Let's not forget the effort put in by those teachers, all of whom are new to science content this year. And a big "thank you" to Mrs. Clary for her help throughout this unit of study. Way to go 5th grade!

The PTSO Father/Daughter Dance was a huge success on Friday evening. Over 400 fathers and daughters danced the night way. A huge "thank you" is extended to our PTSO for organizing this event. They do great things for our school!

Boosterthon kicked off at our Pep Rally on Monday. Thank you to everyone for your enthusiasm and flexibility. We have changed our Team Huddles to better accommodate everyone involved. Keep in mind that this is our major fundraiser for the year. Our students will get excited and more involved if you get excited and involved. Our goal is $20,000 and we still have a long way to go. Thanks for sending out daily communication with parents and being creative in the way you get your students involved!

Ms. Marino's class traveled to the grocery store for a field trip last week. Ms. Marino and her assistants go out of their way to provide experiences for her students that they will never forget. If you need a "pick me up" just travel down the 100 hallway to her classroom and say hello to her students.

Mrs. Presig led our March Instructional iCoach session on Tuesday. It's amazing to watch our teachers lead the way in the district in terms of technology integration. We have grown so much in this area and should be proud! Check out all the great ideas on our parking lot. Keep the ideas coming!

MAP Testing:

4th and 5th ELA teachers expressed their desire to MAP Test students prior to testing. That window is now open. Mrs. Kallin will facilitate training for 4th and 5th ELA teachers so all teachers are able to create and administer a MAP session. She will also be sharing a calendar so teachers can begin signing up for time slots to test classes. Third grade and 4th and 5th math teachers will test later in the year as requested. We will train these teachers at a later date. Mrs. Young will MAP test students in the lab during related arts only if you request her to do so. With MAP scores being tied to SLOs and teacher evaluation, I know our teachers will want to be heavily involved in this process. 

Friday, March 11th:

Friday, March 11th is a staff development day. We will begin our day at 8:30 A.M. in the PD Room. We will have doughnuts and coffee, juice and water for all. During our time together in the morning, we will hear from teachers who have attended various conferences and have a wealth of information to share with us. We will also spend some time looking at AdvancED information in preparation for a possible visit later this month. We will attempt to wrap things up by 10:00 A.M. Mrs. Martin will meet afterward with related arts and specialty area teachers about reading endorsement/requirement. After this, everyone will have the remainder of the day to work in your rooms. I would suggest this would be a great opportunity to plan test prep activities and lessons for our students as we near SCREADY and SCPASS. 

Moore's Musings:

• We are just over three weeks out from Spring Break. Let's use this time wisely and keep our students motivated and learning through structured and well-planned lessons. The end of the third nine weeks is near. This is a crucial time of year for all. 
• Please make sure our students are well-supervised on the playground during recess. We need to be vigilant in our efforts to keep students safe. 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

Please refer to our shared calendar. Let us know if you have any questions! 

Videos of the Week: