Nuts/Bolts - Week of 10/31/16

• Give 6 RISE Cards Daily! - Remember to circle the letter and verbally tell the student why they are receiving it!
• Interventions Begin
• ZAP Starting 11/7 - Program Details, Sign-Up
• CICO Starting 11/7 - Identify students during Horizontal PLC 11/2

Only 2 special schedules this week! 

10/31 - Quarter 2 Begins; Homeroom Schedule - Second Step Lesson 2; Halloween Dress Up
11/1 - Team Leader Meeting; 7th Grade 4 Word Momentum Workshop; 1st Qtr. Grades due by 12pm. 
11/2 - 7th Grade 4 Word Momentum Workshop; Horizontal PLC: Please identify students for Check-in/Check-out Intervention; 41st Annual PYLUSD Band Pageant @ Bradford Stadium 7-9pm
11/3 - Double AM Assembly Schedule
11/4 - 

Shout Out! - ELA Pilot Teachers

Did you know we're in an adoption process for new ELA textbooks?

We have Catherine, Laura, and Dinah piloting these brand new materials on our campus. It takes a tremendous amount of work to dig into new teacher manuals, student resources, etc. to plan lessons. The new materials are VERY technology dependent, adding their own unique challenges. 

Their shared goal is to make a recommendation to adopt a certain publisher for next year. They have already spent many hours in trainings and adoption meetings to implement this with fidelity. We all owe them a HUGE high 5 as they are representing us at the district level very well through this process! 

Tech Tip: Annotating a YouTube Video - Great Listening Skills Reinforcer

I was recently in Mrs. Riley's classroom where they are starting the Chapman Holocaust Writing contest. Students have to listen to a survivor's testimony on YouTube, take notes, and create a piece of writing or art. With a quick Google Search, I stumbled upon this great resource called http://www.videonot.es/. 

Simply copy/paste the YouTube link into the website and it allows you to take notes on the side and time stamps where you took your notes in the video. Even better, it stores these notes in your Google Drive automatically. Students could transcribe information from the video, pull out main ideas and/or supporting details. Listening Skills + Writing + Tech = Winning!

Laughter, Learning, and Why Teens Are Such a Tough Crowd

"In over 20 years of speaking and performing stand-up comedy for students, I've learned that using humor, interactive demonstrations, and even awkward moments are the biscuits that help students sit up and want more." This Edutopia article explains the science behind laughter and retention. There are a couple strategies offered up to incorporate this routinely into your instructional day. I especially like where the author says, "The best part is that it will spur your brain to look for humor in everyday life, and you'll start feeling more creative." The following 4 strategies are elaborated upon in the article:
1. A Laugh A Day
2. Use Improv to Spin Classroom Disruptions
3. Bring Students Up
4. Take a Comedy Workshop
    

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 10/24/16

• Votes are in! We will be modifying our Monday Bell Schedule: Instruction->TRTV->PBIS Lesson (all periods will be shortened to 43min to accommodate for TRTV announcements). 
• Give 6 RISE Cards Daily - Circle the letter of the behavior observed.
• Old School Phone? - If you have a beige phone in your classroom, you are living in the 70's. Please email Sharon ASAP and she will submit a work order to have it replaced with a modern phone that will display a light if/when you receive a voicemail. 
• AVID Resources: https://my.avid.org/  (Bookmark it!)
• Username: myoung@pylusd.org
• Password: trailblazers1

Monday 10/24 - Homeroom Schedule: "Management Monday" Use this Google Slide; wear College T-Shirts.
Tuesday 10/25 - 
Wednesday 10/26 - Science Reward Day; PLC Structured PD; Sign-up using this Google Form
Thursday 10/27 - TRTV Schedule: October Broadcast
Friday 10/28 - End of 1st Qtr; Minimum Day + 1st Qtr. Positive Behavior Reward Schedule; PTA Trunk or Treat 6-8pm

Shout Out! - Cynde Riley

It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's our very own Super Cynde! Delivering prize reminders, organizing lunchtime activities to support the Color Run and Red Ribbon Week, taking ASB kids to a recent leadership conference, introducing her Honors ELA kids to the Chapman Writing Contest, running the RISE Store, being an active member of the PBIS team. 
We appreciate everything you do for us and our kids! 

Now that we all have whiplash from watching you go Cynde, where do we sign up for workman's comp?! Haha!

Tech Tip: ART!

Our kids are more and more engaged by imagery; thanks Instagram, Pinterest, & PS4! So let's capitalize on that love of imagery and incorporate it into our lessons. 

Ask individuals or teams broad, open-ended questions like: "Discuss the relationship between this art and the content we are studying?" You'll be amazed at the connections they will make. A fantastic way to integrate art, collaboration, communication, and rigor! Novel, creative, and innovative! Engagement through the roof! 

Behance - Website / app that showcases artwork; you can follow, save, like artists and easily access them on your computer.

Google Art Project: Google has curated some of the most famous artwork/museums in the world. You can favorite art and it's all stored via your Google Account. 

Best Education Podcasts

At the same time we seek out short, engaging, and content-related podcasts for our students to listen to using iTunes, etc. it's great to know we can get our own pedagogical "feet wet" by accessing contemporary information about the ever-changing world of education on our car-rides home. 

Read this short ARTICLE on Edutopia that highlights some of the best Podcasts for Educators. Below is a sample of a podcast you could subscribe and listen to: "Homework: All or Nothing"

Consider listening to just 1 per week for starters. I find listening to them is a great conversation starter with colleagues. 

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 10/17/16

RISE Cards - GIVE 6 Daily 

Please Circle the Letter of the Identified Behavior (R.I.S.E.)

Red Ribbon Week + Color Run! 

5 days, 5 different schedules! Hang on tight! 

10/17 - Wear funky socks + College Attire; 10:45-11:15am Dr. Plutko on campus! 
            Double PM Assembly Schedule (Sit with your students in bleachers to monitor 
            behavior)
10/18 - Wear RED; TRTV Schedule; Second Step Lesson, Part 2 
10/19 - Crazy Hair Day; PLC  = Staff Meeting Room 36 
10/20 - Mix & Match Dress; 10:20am - Great ShakeOut (duck / cover; NO EVAC!)
10/21 - Color Run Schedule

Summary of best practices I've seen during classroom visits in the last month 
- Greeting students @ the door
- Essential ? / Lesson Objective displayed
- Teacher / Student Microphone used
- Collaboration / Communication Opportunities throughout
- Students writing and speaking in complete sentences using frames
- Positive, specific verbal praise / encouragement + RISE Card
- Equity sticks for student selection
- Technology Integration- State Changes every 10-15min- Exit Slips

Shout Out! - Jennie Bremer

Jennie has been on a mission since this summer to get Google Cardboard into the hands of our students. It's a way to take students on virtual reality "field trips" to locations around the world. 

She secured a class set (thanks Susan!), experimented with her team, invited in students during a zero period class for a test drive and had fellow teachers in the room to watch and explore how to use them. We can always count on Jennie to be on the cutting edge of innovation for our students. We can also count on her to share all her cool toys and tricks! 

Thanks Jennie for continuing to inspire us with your Jedi Mind Tech! 

Tech Tip: GIFs

While designing lessons, we're always on the best hunt for great images to engage our students and enhance our PowerPoints, Flipcharts, Prezis, Google Slides, etc.  A GIF image is a short animated image that will animate on it's own repeatedly. 

Search for a GIF by topic: http://giphy.com/

Create Your Own GIF using an existing YouTube vidoe or your own video file: https://giphy.com/create/gifmaker

Have you ever embedded a GIF image instead of a JPEG?

GIFs & Google Forms: http://www.thephysicaleducator.com/blog/files/gifs-in-forms.html

He Just Sued the School System

Some of you may have already seen this? I found it somewhat inspiring and I think it mirrors our shared vision to continually innovate and collaborate the best for our students. What are/were your thoughts and reactions to this? Please comment!

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 10/10/16

GOALS / OBJECTIVES DUE SOON! - Email your primary evaluator a copy for review ASAP - Evaluators will be in/out completing 1st informals in the coming weeks.
Give 6 RISE Cards Daily - Don't forget to circle the behavior you're recognizing! 
Tardy Policy (see below)
Visit colleagues, get inspired! - Amazing lessons happen daily, check out our signature programs and fantastic staff. A 5-10min visit will be worth your time! Mike's happy to cover your class if you're interested. 
Academic / Behavioral Interventions - If/when students struggle, utilize a menu of strategies to get them back on track. Communicate openly with parents and other staff.

• • BEHAVIOR SUPPORT
  • MATH
  • Mental Health
  • READING
  • WRITING
  • 
    

Monday 10/10 - TRTV Schedule; Second Step Lessons (25min)
Tuesday 10/11 -
Wednesday 10/12 - Vertical PLC (complete Goals / Objectives)
Thursday 10/13 -
Friday 10/14 - 5pm: Oktoberfest @ Sandi's House - Mike’s famous brew. Enjoy Brats, music, and so much more! 110 S. Woodrose Ct. Anaheim Hills; RSVP by Oct. 12 and BYOB

There have been some questions about our Tardy Policy lately. Once a student reaches Tardy 5 in your class, you can submit an admin referral:

Shout Out! - PDers

We want to recognize all staff who engaged in professional development opportunities within the last week. We appreciate your ongoing dedication to growing as professionals, equipping yourselves with the best instructional strategies for our students! Thanks!
Sandi Schneider - Boys Circle / Gearing Up
Renay Hamlin, Catherine Sullivan, David Gillette - Renew, Refresh, Revise
Brian Shay - Tier 3 PBIS 
Jennie Bremer, Bethany Curtis, Dana LaRue, Mary Chapluk, Catherine Sullivan - Differentiated
Instruction for Secondary Teachers

Tech Tip: Bitmoji in Classroom

Found this ARTICLE on Alice Keeler's website.

"Matthew Farber (author of “Gamify Your Classroom“) shared a project his student did using Bitmoji’s to represent the story of Jamestown. This project hits many of the things I value:

• Integrates technology, not just uses tech. 
• Uses real things that students can relate to. 
• Provides choice. 
• Allows students to be creative. 
• Asks students to communicate their ideas. 
• Lowered fear of risk taking by not having all the elements graded. 
• All students are doing different things. 
• Allow students to figure things out. 
• Values what kids value. The design of the lesson incorporates student interests such as Bitmoji.

Say What? 5 Ways to Get Students to Listen

During our team leader meeting the other morning, we recognized that Listening as a literacy skill is a relative area of weakness for our students. I found this ARTICLE a nice summary of strategies to naturally weave into any content area. Details for each can be found in the article. 

• Strategy #1: Say it Once
• Strategy #2: Turn and Talk
• Strategy #3: Student Hand Signals
• Strategy #4: Pay Attention, Pause, Paraphrase
• Strategy #5: Creating Questions