5/2-5/6

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Staff Appreciation Week!!!

May 2-
Day 6-
K-2 PLC Meeting at 8 a.m. in LGI
Out of Building- Godfrey (@WM), Orwig (Full Day)

May 3-
Day 1-
Staff Appreciation Luncheon from PTO (salad, casseroles, bread, and desserts)
Out of Building-None


May 4-
Day 2-
5^th/6^th Envirothon
Out of Building-Norton (Half Day PM), Kopp (Half Day AM), Hughes (AM @ EC)


May 5-
Day 3-
Faculty Meeting at 8 a.m. in LGI
Author’s Fair (PM)
School Board Meeting @ EC/ 7:30 PM
Out of Building-Godfrey (Full Day), Riedel (Full Day)


May 6-
Day 4-
Laura’s Baby Shower
Instrumental Rehearsals @ LJM
Out of Building-Riedel (Full Day)

Bits & Bytes

Please remember to complete the 2 hour delay schedule survey by Friday, May 6.

https://docs.google.com/a/rlschools.net/forms/d/1nD-ZsaD3LliGOFgmEKgge4cRPcNO6B8O5Fo-cKiF3wc/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link

PLC in Print

An interesting read from the Marshall Memo on 10 essential teaching practices (that many of you already do)...

In this paper from the Australian Society for Evidence-Based Teaching, Shaun Killian presents these well-researched keys to teaching and learning:

• Clear lesson goals – “If you cannot quickly and easily state what you want your students to know and be able to do at the end of a given lesson, the goal of your lesson will be unclear,” says Killian.

• Show and tell – Start a lesson by succinctly sharing target information and knowledge and modeling any skills or procedures that students will learn.

• Checking for understanding – Use all-class methods (for example, dry-erase boards or clickers) to see how students are doing and use the information to decide what to do next.

• Students graphically summarizing new learning – Students might create a mind map, flow-chart, or Venn diagram.

• Plenty of practice – “Practice is not about mindless busywork,” says Killian. “Nor does it involve assigning independent tasks that you haven’t previously modeled and taught.” Students need to practice the right things with the teacher circulating to do another check for understanding. For maximum impact, practice sessions should be spaced over time.

• Feedback – “Unlike praise, which focuses on the student rather than the task, feedback provides your students with a tangible understanding of what they did well, of where they are at, and of how they can improve,” says Killian.

• Giving all students time to succeed – The basic idea of mastery learning is to keep the learning goal constant while giving students different amounts of time (with feedback) to master it. This is the approach used by successful coaches of swimming, dancing, martial arts, and other sports.

• Productive group work – The danger of having students work in groups is “social loafing” – most of the work being done by the most skilled or well-informed student in the group. “You should only ask groups to do tasks that all group members can do successfully,” says Killian. Each group member should also be personally responsible for one step of the task.

   • Teaching strategies as well as content – Students need direct, explicit instruction in reading, writing, and math skills, followed by guided practice and feedback so they can use the skills independently.

   • Nurturing metacognition – This goes beyond knowing which strategies to use – it’s getting students to think about their options, look at how well strategies are working, and be aware of their own skills and knowledge with respect to worthy learning goals.

   Killian concludes by mentioning some strategies that don’t have a large effect on student results – among them, whole language, teaching test preparation, and inquiry learning – and a few that are effective but didn’t quite make the top ten, including high expectations and reciprocal teaching.

“Top 10 Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies” by Shaun Killian in The Australian Society for Evidence-Based Teaching, January 2015, http://bit.ly/1pvtypZ

Week Ahead 4/25-4/29

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April 25-
Day 1- Grade 3-6 PLC in LGI at 8 a.m.
PSSA Science Gr. 4
Pride Assembly @ 9:15 a.m.


Out of Building-Johnson (Full Day), Godfrey (Half Day PM), Frey (Half Day PM)


April 26-
Day 2-
PSSA Science Gr. 4


Out of Building-Norton (Full Day)


April 27- "Administrative Professionals Day" & "Walk at Lunch Day"
Day 3-
Admin. Prof. Day
PSSA Science Gr. 4
CV PTO Great American Saloon Fundraiser

Out of Building-None

April 28- "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day"
Day 4- Grade 6 Leadership Conference


Out of Building-Murray (Half Day PM), Shearer (Full Day)


April 29-
Day 5- Arbor Day
PSSA Science Gr. 4
CV Kindergarten Bus Ride @ 9:30AM


Out of Building-Baummer (Full Day), Flaharty (Full Day), Webb (Full Day), Shearer ( Full Day)

Bits & Bytes

There are number of different ways for students/parents to keep track of homework assignments without the traditional student assignment book. myHomework (https://myhomeworkapp.com/), Remind (https://www.remind.com/), Schoology and Edmodo are just a few. Some information about these type of online tools can be read about more here: https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/12-apps-for-smarter-teacher-parent-communication

Please be prepared to access these type of tools next school year because agenda books most likely will not be purchased.

Week Ahead 4/18-4/22

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April 18-
Day 2-

Out of Building-White (Full Day)


April 19-
Day 3-
PSSA Gr. 3-8 Math
Spring Choral Dress Rehearsal @ SH @ 6PM (CV)

Out of Building-White (Full Day), Koppenhaver (Half Day PM)


April 20-
Day4-
PSSA Gr. 3-8 Math
CV PTO Meeting- 6PM

Out of Building-None


April 21-
Day 5-
PSSA Gr. 3-8 Math
School Board Meeting @ EC- 7:30 PM
Spring Choral Concert @ SH- CV- 7:30PM
Out of Building-None


April 22-
Day 6-
2nd Gr. Field Trip to Whitaker Center
Earth Day!!!

Out of Building- Godfrey (@WM)

Thank You

While it has been extremely difficult to leave Reagan at home in the morning, each and every one of you have made it a little bit easier in some way to come to work every passing day. Even more so, thank you to anyone who extended a condolence on the passing of my father via card, e-mail, hug, a shoulder to cry on, or whatever it may have been - it truly has been overwhelming the support that my Clearview family has shown to me during this extremely difficult time. Although it won't be easy moving forward, I can be reminded of my father with the angel that was sent to me from Clearview. Thank you again for all of your support during this difficult time. While "mom" is one of my new titles that I carry around with me, I am extremely grateful to be back at Clearview to work alongside such compassionate people.

PLC in Print


Courtesy of the Marshall Memo.

Making Good Use of the Final Minutes of a Class

In this Chronicle of Higher Education article, James Lang (Assumption College) says he’s observed two things in college classrooms over the years: students starting to pack up their things in the last five minutes (intensely annoying to instructors), and instructors hurriedly covering a few more things. “[M]ost faculty members eye the final minutes of class as an opportunity to cram in eight more points before students exit,” says Lang, “or to say three more things that just occurred to us about the day’s material, or to call out as many reminders as possible about forthcoming deadlines, next week’s exam, or tomorrow’s homework… We’re still trying to teach while students’ minds – and sometimes their bodies – are headed out the door.” Lang suggests using a mixture of these closing techniques over time:

            • The minute paper – The teacher wraps up the formal class a few minutes early and asks students to respond in writing to two questions:

-    What was the most important thing you learned today?

-    What question still remains in your mind?

The first question gets students thinking about the whole class, making a judgment about something important to them, and articulating it in their own words. The second question asks them to consider what they haven’t understood. “Most of us are infected by what learning theorists call ‘illusions of fluency,’” says Lang, “which means that we believe we have obtained mastery of something when we have not.” To answer the second question, students must dig for any confusion or weakness that remains in their own comprehension of the day’s material. Collecting students’ responses (on paper or in electronic messages) gives instructors valuable information on how well the class went and, if things were unclear for a majority of students, a starting point for the next class. Even if the answers aren’t collected, Lang believes that students benefit from retrieving information about the class from memory and clarifying points of confusion and uncertainty.

            • Closing connections – The instructor finishes class five minutes early and tells students they can leave as soon as they have identified five ways the day’s material appears in contexts outside the classroom – current events, personal experiences, popular songs, debates in the school or college, and so forth. “You’ll be amazed at how quickly they can come up with examples,” says Lang. These might be handed in, jotted on the board, or posted on the course website.

            • The metacognitive five – “We have evidence that students engage in poor study strategies,” says Lang. “Likewise, research shows that most people are plagued by illusions of fluency. The solution on both fronts is better metacognition – that is, a clearer understanding of our own learning.” Once a semester, Lang has his students jot down how they studied for a test they’ve just taken. He follows up by comparing test results with study methods: invariably, effective approaches (like self-testing and flashcards) correlate with higher scores, while less-effective methods (like reviewing notes and re-reading material) correlate with lower scores. “Imagine what a difference we could make,” says Lang, “if we all took five minutes – even just a few times during the semester – to offer students the opportunity to reflect on their learning habits.”

            • Closing the loop – If the class began with questions, put them back up on the screen at the end and have students use what they just learned to answer them. If the class began with a question about students’ prior knowledge on the topic, end by asking students to explain how the class confirmed, enhanced, or contradicted what they knew before.

            “We have such a limited amount of time with students,” Lang concludes, “– sometimes just a few hours a week for 12 or 15 weeks. Within that narrow window, five minutes well-spent at the end of class can make a difference.”

“Small Changes in Teaching the Last 5 Minutes of Class” by James Lang in The Chronicle of  Higher Education, April 1, 2016 (Vol. LXII, #29, p. A36-37), http://bit.ly/1qoNCLt; Lang’s book on this subject is Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning (Jossey-Bass, 2016); Lang can be reached at lang@assumption.edu. 

Week Ahead 4/11-4/15

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April 11-
Day 3-
PSSA English LA Gr. 3-8

Out of Building-None


April 12-
Day 4
PSSA English LA Gr. 3-8
Report Cards Go Home

Out of Building-None

April 13-
Day 5
PSSA English LA Gr. 3-8

Out of Building-None

April 14-
Day 6
PSSA English LA Gr. 3-8

Out of Building-Godfrey (@WM)

April 15-
Day 1
PSSA English LA Gr. 3-8

Out of Building-None

April 16-
CV Variety Bingo- 5:30 PM