August 28-September 1, 2017

               STAR REPORT

Principals Message

Thank you for a wonderful first full week of school. It was so wonderful to see the smiles on the faces of you, your students and their families. We are off to a great start and please remember to breathe and enjoy the moments! I know that you are all very eager to jump in to the instructional programs but please remember that the first month to six weeks should also focus on relationships, team building and creating a community of learners who lift one another up. Take to time now.

As you look toward that balance between community building and curriculum please be thinking about how we are using Benchmark and our Math program to provide quality first instruction.

Excerpt from: http://www.literacysolutions.com.au/blog/2011/02/07/classroom-literacy-routines/

"With new students and a renewed vigor, this is the perfect time to continue establishing routines and procedures which, will facilitate the smooth running of the classroom literacy program.

   We all appreciate how difficult it can be to fit quality instruction, differentiated learning and the independent practice of skills and knowledge into a busy timetable.

Be flexible and strategic when planning for literacy instruction.  Remember that it is not necessary to have an hour or two-hour block; though this is certainly helpful.  Literacy Instruction may cross all content areas.

    There are some non-negotiable inclusions when providing quality literacy instruction. We must make time for the explicit teaching of problem solving actions. Shared reading, read aloud or guiding the reading are useful approaches for large and small group explicit instruction.

    We must ensure we are responsive to the needs of small groups and individuals as we coach students to apply the problem solving actions so rigorously taught. Guided reading provides rich opportunities for teachers to explicitly coach for the transference and generalization of strategic activity within authentic reading contexts.

    Finally, we must provide plentiful opportunities for students to develop control of problem solving activity without support. We must see evidence of: successful independent problem solving with increased speed and efficiency and attention to the meaning and convention cues which guide prosody and regulate fluency."

Thanks for all that you do!

-Kirsten

Teach Like a Pirate Book Study

Please read the first chapter of Teach Like a Pirate prior to our staff meeting on September 20, 2017. Guiding questions and think abouts will be shared in next week's blog.

Monday, August 28, 2017 PLC

Vickie Youhill will be attending our PLC on Monday, August 28, 2017 to share the first module of our ELL professional development of the year.  Please bring your laptop and your TJ STAR SPIRIT to the PD session.  

The Library Schedule is done!  It was possible for everyone to get one of their top three choices.  I appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we move forward with the new schedule.  Please note that Monday is an open day.  This would be a great day for a class to go to the library and conduct research, complete projects or use it as an additional learning space.  Please coordinate with Kerri about scheduling additional time in the library.   Click here to view the library schedule.  

Upcoming Events

Date	Time	Event
August 28, 2017	8:00 am	SPED Meeting
August 28, 2017	2:00-3:30PM	PLC – ELL PD
August 31, 2017	12:00 pm	Reimbursements Due to Mary Jo
September 4, 2017	ALL DAY	No School Labor Day
September 6, 2017	ALL DAY	Hearing Van Grades: K,2,5
September 6, 2017	ALL DAY	Fall Picture Day
September 6, 2017	3:15pm	Staff Meeting