**Please check the Meeting Schedules (in the sidebar) and the calendar at the bottom for information regarding this week's meetings and events. Laptops are not required unless requested. Thank you for leaving them in your classrooms.
***Please bookmark the Mindset link so you can access it easily.
~from the ES BBE
~from the Elementary Office
Newsletters (core and encore) will be sent home this Friday by 4:00 pm via instructional leads on behalf of the grade level. Please use the templates provided (core and encore). All School important dates can be found at the end of the Parent Update or in the sidebar of the Mindset => Schedules => ES Event Calendar.
If you need support embedding your newsletter, organizing your core or encore site pages, or setting up composer to send the newsletter, please check the step by step guide. If you are still struggling, check in with Nate and his team. Please give both Krista and Leigh editing access and let them know when your newsletter is published Thursday, May 2nd by 10 am latest, so they can review it before team leads send it home Friday, May 3rd, 2019. Please upload and publish your email and photo slideshow on Weebly no later than 12 noon on Friday so Tracey can check formatting.
April
29- Director Candidate presentation (4:00pm in Building B library)
May
1- Labour Day - Holiday
2- ES Open Day
2- MAB, KV, KG and KG Forest Walk
3- EC Big Sing
3- Faculty and Staff Appreciation Luncheon offered by the PSA (12:00 - 13:30, MPR)
6- Director Candidate presentation (4:00pm, place TBC)
9- Director Candidate presentation (4:00pm, place TBC)
13- Director Candidate presentation (4:00pm, place TBC)
~from the Principal
On behalf of the school, we ask all core teachers to share the following message with students this morning. It is the same message you shared on Friday. Thank you for reconfirming.
"You may have heard that Mr. Paul Slocombe, School Director will be leaving AISB at the end of the 2019/2020 school year. There are four candidates invited to be interviewed for this position starting next week (it will be a 2-week period) and they will also meet with representatives of ES/MS/HS students. You might meet them while they are visiting classes. Please welcome them as other guests when you see them around. Thank you!"
~from the ES PSA
Thank you for putting a smile our our children's faces each and every day. Enjoy a cookie on Tuesday. The cookies will be delivered to the core classroom for morning snack time (by 10:00 am) so you may enjoy with your students who will also receive a cookie. Grade 5, If you could take your class's cookies to your encore class that would be appreciated. Encore teachers, your cookies will be in the ES Office Community Room.
Please join us in the MPR at lunch this Friday, May 3rd. We would like to show how much we appreciate all you do for our children by sharing some of our favorite dishes. We look forward to serving you!
~from the Director and Security Office
Based on the School's agreement with the public road management company we have installed a new feature at the pedestrian crosswalk at the main gate: CROSSWALK FLAGS. Please watch this video with your students so they understand the safety procedures. Remember to use the flags when your class crosses the road for forest walks. Thank you.
~from the ES Principal
We are entering the final eight weeks of school. Before we know it the end of the year will be here. With the end of the year comes classroom painting. If your classroom is scheduled to be painted (see below), you will need to box up items and clear wall spaces. Extra rooms will also need to be prepared.
All items need to be boxed and labelled so that they can be easily removed before the painting starts and easily returned after the painting is completed. Consider the following to make packing a more positive experience:
- Use this opportunity to consider use of space and the role of the environment.
- Collaborate as a team to make the job easier.
- Scheduling 15-30 minutes a day or every other day between now and the end of the year will make the task less daunting.
- Take advantage of the opportunity to identify items not in use and we can donate them to a school in need.
- Check out this article for ideas. Ten Tips for Packing Your Classroom that Make it a Snap!
~from the DTL
Due to the need to print student profiles for class placement, we need to move up the deadline for student learning data entry to May 20. This includes individual student comments regarding the class placement process. Placement comments should be entered in this format: "Consider placing with _____ or Consider separating from ____" in the comments section of the data dashboard. Both core and encore teachers may make placement comments. Additional student learning data that should be entered in the data dashboard by May 20 includes:
- WIDA results
- F&P results (prioritize students who were reading below J in the fall for MAP purposes)
- Narrative Writing prompt scores
- LSS updates
- Counselor Notes
~from the DTL
MAP Assessment for Grades 3-5 will take place during the week of May 13-17. All Teachers and Assistant Teachers in grades 3-5 + Krista, Tracey, Leigh, Nate, Shawn, Vlad, and Paul will be proctoring so that we can support one another. Assistant Teachers in grades 1-2 will be asked to supervise students that will not be taking the MAP assessment. Please take some time to read and familiarize yourself with the information below.
- Review ES MAP Schedule
- Teacher Logistics and Responsibilities
- EAL/LSS Omissions/Accommodations list must be complete by the EAL/LSS teachers by Friday, May 3. New students may take the MAP test even if they did not take it in the fall. Students who were reading below level J in the fall, but are now reading above a level J, may take the MAP screener test in the spring.
- Results are available to administration and teachers immediately. As a teacher, you should have a username and password. If you forgot your password, retrieval is through the NWEA login using your school email.
-
Proctor Refresher Sessions - Please attend one if you are proctoring MAP this spring (laptops required)
- Gr. 3 - Friday, May 10 1:20 - 2:05 (Kevin's room)
- Gr. 4 - TBD (Hilary's room)
- Gr. 5 - Tuesday, May 7 9:35 - 10:15 (Julia's room)
~from the ES SLT
Mark your calendars and pack your bags! Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 30th, we are taking our learning outdoors and into the forest. Dress appropriately. A packed snack will be provided. Please bring your own water bottle. We will meet, as usual, in the MPR at 3:45 pm and head outside with our teams by 3:55 pm latest.
Last Tuesday, the Learning Support Team shared the PBIS site. This is a great resource for positive behavior strategies. An overview of the site is outlined below. Want to bookmark the site for future use? Click here.
~by you
What are you learning about? Why not share your story with the rest of us? Share your personal learning experience with the rest of the team. Whether it is a book you read, a TedTalk you watched, a conference you attended, an online course, progress on your PIC, or reflections on a recent learning experience with your students, we are interested and can learn form you. Your reflections can take any form you choose (i.e., video, written, image, Sketchnote, etc). Take a risk and let the rest of us benefit from your experiences too.
The following reflection was shared a few weeks back. It is relevant to the upcoming week with our faculty walk tomorrow. Enjoy!
~Reflections by Ange Guinness
In November 2018, I began a journey to become a Forest School leader. The course involved 5 days in a forest in the Midlands with only a small wooden shed for shelter and reflection. After the first day I felt overwhelmed, out of my comfort zone and worried that I did not have the skills to complete this journey I had begun. On reflection, I was, I realized, unconsciously incompetent and I had a lot to learn! By the end of the fifth day I felt empowered, excited and motivated to finish what I had started and in just a few days I had become consciously competent. Although I am still working on my portfolio, I am very happy for you to be a part of my learning journey so far.
There is an example of a Risk Benefit Analysis which you can use to help you think about potential risks and the actions you can take to ensure the children in your care are safe:
You might also want to check out the ‘Outdoor Learning’ folder in the ES Team drive as it is a growing resource of ideas for activities and games. I will continue to upload my lesson plans, risk-benefit analyses, and any other interesting articles or resources for you to enjoy.
2019 The Common Sense Consensus: Inside the 21st-Century Classroom
Another Great Math Resource- reSolve Mathematics by Inquiry Project
Recommended by Kath Murdoch, reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry is a national program designed to promote relevant, rigorous and engaging mathematics from Early Childhood through Grade 9. All sources for classroom use and professional learning are available free. Have a look and see what might fit with your current math inquiry.
~from the Innovation Team (Nate, Paul, and Vlad)
Navigating the immersive digital world in which the younger generations seem to comfortably exist can feel daunting, exhausting, and sometimes downright confusing. I often find myself confused as to the popularity of apps or games that seem relatively simplistic, lack interesting content, or have an ambiguous purpose. The good news is, there are resources out there to help equip us with skills and tools to build awareness and to increase our understanding to decode this expansive digital ecosystem that gobbles up so much attention.
A great one stop shop for guides, tips, and reviews is Common Sense Media. See below for a short list of apps and games that are popular flavors (for now) that parents should be aware of and understand (e.g. age requirements, content, and exposure to strangers).
Tiktok: Sing, lip sync, and share.
Safety Tips, Review, and Ultimate Parent Guide
Fortnight: Survival action and shooter.
Review, Ultimate Parent Guide
Roblox: Design your own games
Review, Ultimate Parent Guide
~from the ES Librarian
Monday April 29, 2019
From playful math to graphic-novel-format tips for teachers, come check out our new professional resources in the library!
Drawn To Teach: An Illustrated Guide To Transforming Your Teaching by Josh Stumpenhorst
Math Recess: Playful Learning in an Age of Disruption by Sunil Singh and Dr. Christopher Brownell
Coach It Further: Using the Art of Coaching To Improve School Leadership by Peter DeWitt
Pathways To Personalization: A Framework for School Change by Shawn Rubin and Cathy Sanford
10 Perspectives on Innovation in Education edited by Jimmy Casas, Todd Whitaker and Jeffrey Zoul
Hacking Instructional Design: 33 Extraordinary Ways To Create a Contemporary Curriculum By Michael & Elizabeth Fisher