Agenda for Vero Beach Elementary School

Principal: Cynthia Emerson

Plan Delivered by: LeAnn Nickelsen, M.Ed.

Monday Feb 6th

7:40-8:15 - Full Staff in the Media Center

Growth Mindsets (Grades K–5)

Educators hear a lot about growth versus fixed mindsets. How are they different in behavior, feelings, attitudes, and thoughts?

Educators must fully understand growth mindsets to inspire students to emulate key qualities—to persevere, take on challenges, and embrace learning through effort. They also must understand how fixed mindsets—beliefs that intelligence and skills are inborn and unchanging—can erode confidence and create an unwillingness to take chances.

LeAnn explores research from Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success—and applies her powerful research to 21st century classrooms. Be prepared to challenge your own thoughts about students, as well as your feedback to them. You can learn how to change some of your personal mindsets—after all, we have both!

8:15-12:00 – Two teachers from each grade level

Reaching & Teaching Poverty-Stricken Children With the Most Powerful Strategies
(Grades K–12)

The brains of children who live in poverty are different emotionally, socially, cognitively, and developmentally compared to those from a higher SES environment. LeAnn offers the most powerful research to help teachers understand barriers and identify solutions for working with these students. Teachers learn how other schools succeed using these strategies, and they reflect on how to make them work in their schools and classrooms. Each teacher will walk out of this training with the best tools and An Action Plan for their classrooms and schools.

12-12:30 - Lunch

12:30 – 3:30 – Two teachers from each grade level (cont.)

Double the Speed of Learning with the Formative Assessment Process (Grades K–5)

Really? Double the speed of learning if I use the formative assessment process in my classroom? Yes! Research explains how much this one teaching concept can change a classroom, grade level, an entire school and district! The Instructional Cha-Chas are four steps towards implementing one of the most powerful classroom strategies: the formative assessment process. Students acquire a small chunk of content based on standards, then they chew or process this content in different ways. While they review content, educators check for understanding and change instruction (differentiate) as needed. LeAnn shares assessments and tools that teachers can use the next day. This workshop is the foundation of all other strategies. In other words, you can’t close gaps with certain tools and differentiate appropriately if you don’t have the formative assessment process occurring.

4:00-6:00- Whole Staff invited

Maximizing Student Self-Assessment and Intrinsic Motivation (Grades K–5)

Every teacher dreams of students who are intrinsically motivated to master the standards. LeAnn outlines research supporting the power of self-assessment and how to jumpstart students to adopt accountability in their daily routines.

Not only do students enjoy the process, but after implementing these amazing, quick tools, teachers see more buy-in, intrinsic motivation, and excitement to reach daily goals.

Tuesday Feb 7th

7:45-8:15 - Growth Mindsets continued from Monday (Optional)

8:15-12:00 - Continued Formative Assessment Process

12:00-12:30 - Lunch

12:30-1:10 4th Grade Planning Teachers in embedded training will watch the 4th grade team plan

*LeAnn will bring these supplies and mini planning packet with her.

1:10-2:00 - Follow up and Q and A with teachers from each grade level

2:00-2:40 - 3rd grade team planning

2:40-4:40 - 1ST grade planning (They are requesting extra support with planning)

Wednesday Feb 8th

7:45-8:45 – 5th Grade Planning

9:00-9:40- Specials area teachers- Best Behavior Management Strategies

9:50-10:30 2nd grade planning

10:30-11:10 Kindergarten Planning

11:20-12:00 Follow up with Tribal Council

Hello Teachers,

Our next District Modified Day, on February 15th, is during conferences. To better meet your needs during this week and to help alleviate the stress of driving across the district for training and then back to your schools, the Professional Development Department is opening up a new option called Personal Learning. If you choose this option, you will be given the opportunity to remain on your campus and spend the time working on something you feel will help your students’ achievement.

The only exception to this is for teachers who have already committed to a yearlong pathway. Because some of these pathways involve a certain amount of hours for certification or special presenters have already been planned for, you may need to still attend the upcoming session on February 15th. Your facilitator will contact you in the near future to let you know what the plan is for that day.

If you have already signed up for another session on February 15th, but would like to switch to the Personal Learning option, CLICK HERE to remove your name from the session you previously registered for.

If you would like to choose the Personal Learning Option, you must CLICK HERE to register. We will be sending this list out to principals, so they know who chose this option.

Teachers-
Now that you have DIVED IN DEEP to your data, please let the students who have made learning gains in math and/or learning gains in reading know they are invited to attend the POW WOW PICNIC.
We will have invitation slips in the mail room, next to the sign in sheet.
Please staple them in your students agenda so the parents can see the awesome news!

The PICNIC will take place on Feb 15th.
We need you... please email us if you are are willing to run a game for 1/2 of lunch to show your kiddos how proud you are.
We will have music blasting, games, and treats.

We are hoping this will be a BIG push to get all of our kids on track and motivated.

The Month of February can feel a little overwhelming. Here's a fun Kindness Challenge that was placed in your mailbox on pink paper. If you complete each day- submit it at the end of the month for a chance to win a $25 Visa Giftcard!

#failforward I'm a part of a Professional Learning network on voxer with administrators around the country. Jessica Gomez, Principal at Birney Elementary, shared this calendar that she did with her staff last year. I thought I had fully edited it, but whoops. Hopefully today you are thinking about how amazing it is to be a VBE LITTLE INDIAN. :)

This time of year can be challenging even for the most seasoned veteran teachers. Between report cards, conferences, and new data rolling in the demands on our time are stretched thin.

The good news is there's a way to manage your unwieldy to-do list. This article from The Cult of Pedagogy shows a simple strategy to fell less stressed and more productive.

Here's my list of 5 Things to Do Today:

1) Return LLI materials to their rightful place.

2) Organize small group instruction materials in Room 220.

3) Read and annotate Leann Nickelson articles

4) Call about jury duty I missed.

5) Update lesson plans with iReady Teacher Toolbox resources.

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/5-things/

Wow! What a great visual to see in the data room as you moved your students to the next tier. Let's keep the momentum going - think about what you have in place that is working - Four square journal, 100 day FSA, small group instruction, individualized RTi, data monitoring, differentiation, accountable talk, use of manipulatives, students centered, increased studetn engagement, allowing students to see their own mistakes, feedback, and error analysis. Wow! What a great VIBE in our MATH TRIBE!

District Science Fair is Saturday at 10:15 at Gifford Middle School. Please remind your students to be on time and dress appropriately. The awards are on Sunday from 3:00 - 4:00 P.M. at Sebastian River High School. Come on out and show your support for our Little Indians.

If you are interested in learning or having a refresher…

LLI Training: Tuesday, February 7, 4-6PM

Running Record Training: Thursday, February 9, 4-6PM

Both will be @ VBE in the STEM Lab

RtI/LLI:

The obvious truth about reading instruction is that students learn to read by reading…they learn to read well by reading with proficiency every day!!!

If you are an LLI Interventionist, please be certain that you are administering your Running Records every other week for Progress Monitoring. I will resend the Running Record Data Charts by email so that you can use them electronically or make copies. Please use a new Data Chart each time you assess and make a copy and place in my mailbox. As you know, we need to have up to date data.

Miss Karen and Deb Fox are now trained in the LLI to help cover when needed. If you plan to be out, please leave Sub plans for a Sub or one of our Ladies so that our Kiddos do not have to miss their daily instruction. Leave the materials and binder with the pages tabbed so that they know which lessons should be taught with each group. This will make it much easier for everyone.

Thanks for all your hard work progressing through LLI!

Buggy Bunch discount cards are here! They pay for themselves time and time again! The card is $15 and includes freebies and discounts for Chive, Carabbas, Brain Freeze, 14 Bones, Keith's Oil Can, McDonalds, Chick-Fil-A, and more! Contact Mr. Trumble at 772-696-2733 to purchase one.

Congrats to Ms. Robinson's class, the winner of the November/December Box Tops competition! We look forward to your Box Tops party! The deadline for the January/February collection is February 24th, so keep sending in those Box Tops!

Our VOXER book study is focuing in on high-yield strategies for MASTER TEACHERS. They are strongly correlated with our FEAPS and Marzano. The link below is a crosswalk so you can see how marzano and the FEAPS connect in a crosswalk.

Here's more information about the FEAPS.

The Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs) are Florida's core standards for effective educators and provide valuable guidance to Florida's public school educators and educator preparation programs throughout the state on what educators are expected to know and be able to do. The Educator Accomplished Practices are based upon three (3) foundational principles. Those principles focus on high expectations, knowledge of subject matter, and the standards of the profession. Each effective educator applies the foundational principles through six (6) Educator Accomplished Practices. Each of the practices is clearly defined to promote a common language and statewide understanding of the expectations for the quality of instruction and professional responsibility.