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Print Friendly The Week Ahead.....

Monday September 5-
NO SCHOOL!!!
HAPPY LABOR DAY!!

Tuesday September 6-
Day 4- Announcements via "The Cube"
Grade 3 Data Meeting
Purple Day (no jeans)
Strings Guidance Day
Out of Building-None

Wednesday September 7-
Day 5-
Black and Gold Day (you may wear jeans)
Instrumental Guidance Day
Grade 4 Data Meeting
Out of Building-Hughes (AM @ EC)

Thursday September 8-
Day 6-
Brown Day (no jeans)
Grade 6 Data Meeting
International Literacy Day
Out of Building-Roy (Half Day PM)

Friday September 9-
Day 1-
Blue Day/PRIDE Day
Title 1 Meeting @ 8 a.m. in LGI
Out of Building-Farmer (Full Day)

Sunday September 11-
National Grandparent's Day
National Arts in Education Week

Bits & Bytes
(courtesy of Marshall Memo)

What an excellent start to the first 2 weeks of school! This week, I made it into every single classroom and was overly impressed by both you and the students. Keep up the great work! Below are few reminders of ways to continue to build great relationships with your students. ~Sheila

Building Relationships in the Opening Days of School      

(Originally titled “What to Do in Week One?”)

            In this article in Educational Leadership, consultant Rick Wormeli remembers how hard he worked as a middle-school teacher to learn the names of all 185 new students in the days right after Labor Day. “It was the first leg of the year’s journey in relationship building,” he says. “[A]ll of us feel honored when others whom we respect think our names are worth remembering. In that simple act, we make a connection.” Wormeli has several other suggestions for the opening weeks of every school year:

            • Make sure students feel safe and know they belong. “Once students feel sure these needs are met, they’ll dive into learning,” says Wormeli. Some key steps: Teachers laughing at their own mistakes and modeling how to handle them constructively; not ridiculing students’ questions, however silly they may seem; removing “all sarcasm from our comments, realizing that the sting of even a small, tossed-away remark can leave a lasting scar;” not assuming that students understand the idioms and references we use; not taking students’ inappropriate comments or reactions personally (“That doesn’t sound like you, Matthew. What’s really going on?”); giving students specific feedback on their work and a chance to improve it; affirming risk-taking and welcoming participation, however imperfect, in class discussions; asking students to explain their thinking and affirming what’s right; and when students say they don’t know, trying this line: “Pretend that youdid know the answer – what words would come out of your mouth?”

• Be yourself. “Students detest duplicity in their teachers,” says Wormeli. “The first few weeks should provide consistent proof of personal authenticity… We are sad at sad moments and happy at happy moments. We don’t embrace students’ cultural likes and dislikes just to be more accepted by them. We share our unique interests – a favorite sport or book; how much we liked Legos as a child; our dream of going into space someday; our fondness for summer camp, bike touring, and pecan pie; and a little about our families and our deep commitments to them.”

In addition, Wormeli suggests asking parents at the beginning of the year, “In a million words or less, tell me about your child.” He’s found that this open-ended invitation garners better information than conventional parent surveys.

• Practice empathy. Wormeli finds the following techniques helpful for better understanding students’ minds and souls:

-   Make home visits and observe students’ roles in their families;

-   Sit at students’ desks and see the classroom from their point of view;

-   Ask students to explain their thinking verbally, in writing, or by teaching a classmate;

-   Really try to see why students don’t understand what you think you’ve taught effectively;

-   Attend to students’ essential human needs – hydration, movement, nutrition, light, fresh air, sightlines, tools;

“What to Do in Week One?” by Rick Wormeli in Educational Leadership, September 2016 (Vol. 74, #1, p. 10-15), http://bit.ly/2bHsHQh; Wormeli can be reached at rwormeli@cox.net.

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