Week 31: March 31, 2017

Happy Friday!!! 

Housekeeping: 

-Thank you for your support and patience in our 2^nd Bus Evacuation Drill held yesterday! We were able to get through all students (SACC, walkers, Kiss and Ride and Daycare) by 9:07 a.m. A huge thanks to the volunteers who came out to ensure a consistent flow and provide emotional support to students too nervous to jump off the bus. 

- Thank you to the countless staff who supported the Title I Parent and Family Engagement Night on Wednesday. Ms. Gnadt, Title I Parent and Family Engagement Specialist, shared "Last night was wonderful.  Thanks for all of your hard work to put the evening together.  Everything flowed as planned...parents and teachers talked about how much they enjoyed being at Bel Air.  Thank you for securing the interpreters and childcare providers.  I knew I could count on you and when you are expecting 150 people you have to have people you can count on.

 Thanks from the bottom of my ♥!  You guys are the best! Wishing you well, Maggie

-The Open Enrollment Period is quickly approaching, April 14-May 15^th. This is the time for benefit-eligible employees to make changes to their benefit elections for the upcoming fiscal year. Any Questions? Check out the poster in the Teacher’s Lounge.

-For next week’s Advisory Council Meeting each grade level is expected to present 3^rd Quarter data (End of Unit, MAP, etc.). Please touch base with team lead if there are any questions.

-Next staff meeting, April 18th, will be held in the cafeteria. I will have visitors with me throughout the day and they will also accompany me to the staff meeting.  

Students as Learners: 

-        Students are demonstrating observed growth from Fall to Spring on their MAP Assessments. It has been confirmed that students’ embraced purposed made a positive impact on their Winter to Spring MAP assessments. Fantastic Job!

-        Come see the work of young and aspiring artists at the 2017 PWCS Fine Arts Festival on Saturday, April 1, at Colgan High School. Ms. Chung will showcase several art masterpieces from our students. Visit the auditorium to watch dance, music, and theatre ensembles perform throughout the day.

Important Dates: 

- April 1^st: PWCS Art Showcase at Colgan H.S. @ 10-4 p.m.

- April 3^rd: E.S. Principal Meeting (McDonald out in a.m.)

- April 4^th: Gifted Committee Meetings

             : SOL Remediation

             : PTA Meeting @ 6:00 p.m.

- April 5^th: Probationary Teachers Final PGP Meetings

             : Fire Drill & Lockdown Drill (unannounced)

             : SOL Remediation

              : Advisory Council Meeting @ 5:00 p.m.
- April 6^th: Kindergarten Registration

              : END OF 3rd QUARTER

- April 7^th: Teacher Workday – NO STUDENTS

             : Probationary Teachers: Summative Evaluations

- April 8^th – 17^th: SPRING BREAK – ENJOY ALL!!!

- April 18^th: Return to School

My Current Re-Reading:

Week 30: March 24, 2017

Happy Friday!!! 

Housekeeping: 

- Mrs. Otterblad will be here on Mondays and Thursdays to assist with discipline and Intervention Meetings. She will be here Monday - Thursday, this upcoming week.

- In your mailboxes, you will find certificates for completing Math PD in school, provided by Caden Palmer. 

- Your support is needed in maintaining and addressing classroom behavior. The expectation remains that contact to a parent is to be initiated by the classroom teacher. IF a referral needs to be written, for egregious actions, be sure to email me prior (like you did with Mrs. Quattrone) so that I am aware that there will be a referral. Parents are afforded an appeal process, in regards to discipline, and that process is with me, so please keep that in mind. 

Students as Learners: 

- In Kindergarten, students were working at fluid math stations working on Dreambox, telling time, 1-digit by 1-digit addition towers, and several others. The students were highly engaged, took risks and assisted their classmates throughout their learning.

-3^rd Grade students worked on solving multi-step multiplication word problems! I was truly impressed with the rigor, engagement and facilitation of learning!

-4th Grade students worked on comparing and ordering decimals. Students demonstrated mastery of the stacking strategy to identify ordering and greatest decimal.

-5^th Grade students were working on geometry; circles & triangles. It is imperative that students master the formulas needed to solve for a circumference, the radius, the diameter, etc. I learned a lot!

Leadership Opportunities:

- On March 4th we had several members of our staff present at the BNVCTM Conference. I've received great reviews about the presentations and the facilitators; Mrs. Palmer, Ms. Harrington, Ms. Erney, Mrs. Haefele and Mrs. Rosas! Well done ladies! 

Professional Learning Opportunities: 

-  Mrs. Hammel shared information about a Reading Summit hosted by Scholastic in Herndon, VA on July 18.  It's about promoting a reading culture in schools.  She went last year and she shared that  it was an "inspiring day".  Here's a link to the website with more information.  It's hosted by the Bookfair section of Scholastic, but it's open to all teachers and administrators.

http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/reading-summit/herndon-va

Highlights of the Week: 

- MAP Testing is going quite well!!! Students have shown tremendous growth from Winter to Spring!!! 

- Remember to vote: http://wtop.com/contests/2017-click-for-kids-voting/

Important Dates: 

- March 27th: Out in a.m. (Mrs. Otterblad to cover)

                     : Hampton M.S. Counselor to meet with 5th Grade @ 2:00 p.m.

- March 28th: RtI Meetings @ 9-12:30 p.m. 

                     : PWCS Recruiting - McDonald out at 12:15 p.m. (Mrs. Otterblad to cover)

                     : SOL Remediation 

- March 29th: PWCS Recruiting - McDonald out (Mrs. Otterblad to cover)

                     : RtI Meetings @ 1-3:30 p.m. 

                     : SOL Remediation

                     : Title I Parent & Family Engagement Night - Bel Air to host

- March 30th: Building Leadership Capacity @ Colgan H.S. @ 3:30 p.m. 

- March 31st: American Red Cross Pillowcase Presentation for Black & Ewing @ 1:30 p.m.

                    :  American Red Cross Pillowcase Presentation for Fain & Roop @ 2:30 p.m.

- April 1st: PWCS Art Showcase @ Colgan H.S. 

My Current Study:

Week 29: March 17, 2017

Happy Friday!!! 

Housekeeping: 

- Mrs. Quattrone will be out on medical leave until after Spring Break. We will have been approved for a visiting administrator for 2 days/week during her leave. 

- Mrs. Jones has agreed to assume position as our interim Testing Coordinator. We thank you for your continued support and willingness to serve!

- Your support is needed in maintaining and addressing classroom behavior. The expectation remains that contact to a parent is to be initiated by the classroom teacher. IF a referral needs to be written, for egregious actions, be sure to email me prior (like you did with Mrs. Quattrone) so that I am aware that there will be a referral. Parents are afforded an appeal process, in regards to discipline, and that process is with me, so please keep that in mind. 

- CRISIS MANAGEMENT: You will receive an individual email in response to the UNANNOUNCED Lockdown Drill conducted by our school division's Risk Management on February 27th. It is imperative that we stay cognizant, diligent and proactive for emergencies. Another UNANNOUNCED drill will occur to ensure full implementation of our Crisis Plan and expectations. 

- All pre-conference, observations and reflective conferences will be rescheduled, please expect an email from me soon. 

- Statewide Tornado Drill will occur at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, March 21st.

Leadership Opportunities:

- On March 4th we had several members of our staff present at the BNVCTM Conference. I've received great reviews about the presentations and the facilitators
Teacher Leaders and Building Leadership Capacity - VIII

School Leader: Being a school leader means serving on a committee, such as a school improvement team; acting as a grade-level or department chair; supporting school initiatives; or representing the school on community or district task forces or committees. A school leader shares the vision of the school, aligns his or her professional goals with those of the school and district, and shares responsibility for the success of the school as a whole.

Joshua, staff sponsor of the student council, offers to help the principal engage students in the school improvement planning process. The school improvement team plans to revise its nearly 10-year-old vision and wants to ensure that students' voices are included in the process. Joshua arranges a daylong meeting for 10 staff members and 10 students who represent various views of the school experience, from non-attenders to grade-level presidents. Joshua works with the school improvement team facilitator to ensure that the activities planned for the meeting are appropriate for students so that students will actively participate.

Highlights of the Week: 
- MAP Testing is going quite well!!! Students have shown tremendous growth from Winter to Spring!!! 

- Remember to vote: http://wtop.com/contests/2017-click-for-kids-voting/

Important Dates: 

- March 20th: 
- March 21st: VA Statewide Tornado Drill @ 9:45 a.m. 
                  : SOL Remediation 
- March 22nd: Dyslexia Training 2 8-11:00 a.m. (Mrs. Otterblad to cover)
                     : SOL Remediation
- March 23rd: Personal Leave  Mrs. Otterblad to cover)
- March 24th: 


My Current Study:

Week 28: March 10, 2017

 Happy Friday!!! 

Housekeeping: 

- Thank you all for your condolences, prayers and well wishes! Your thoughtfulness has been well received! 

- I am in receipt of the School of Excellence information. No Award has been awarded (based on the 2015-16 data). Schools must earn 90 out of 100 points to be designated as a School of Excellence. For the 2015-16 year we earned 87 points. We will look at the criteria and the score card, as a Leadership Team, and then review as a staff.

-Be sure to review the March 7^th Communicator about our School Division and Immigration Enforcement.

-Feedback is needed regarding the November 4^th Teacher Workday. I need your feedback to determine structure for the April 7^th Teacher Workday. Please complete ASAP. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5F9JZPN 

Leadership Opportunities:

- School administrators seeking advancement and those aspiring to become school administrators should plan to participate in the professional development program, “Building Leadership Capacity.” This year’s second program is scheduled for March 30 at Colgan High School, 3:30–5:30 p.m. Register through the online Professional Learning Catalog under OPD 800. Registrants will receive workshop selection information via email. 

-Averett University is hosting two Information Sessions about their Masters Programs:

Manassas Park City Schools
1 Park Center Court, Suite A, Manassas Park
Wednesday, 3/22/2017 at 3:30 PM or 4:30 PM - School Board Room
- OR -
Montclair Library
5049 Waterway Dr., Montclair
Thursday, 3/23/2017 at 3:30 PM or 4:30 PM - Community Room

To RSVP visit please call (434) 549-0176 or email toldenburg@graduateprogram.org.

Programs Offered:
- M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction
- M.Ed. in Administration &Supervision VA Endorsement
- M.Ed. in Special Education w/ VA Special Endorsement K-12
- M.Ed. in Special Education w/ VA Special Education Licensure 

Teacher Leaders and Building Leadership Capacity - VII

Data Coach: Although teachers have access to a great deal of data, they do not often use that data to drive classroom instruction. Teacher leaders can lead conversations that engage their peers in analyzing and using this information to strengthen instruction.

Carol, the 10th grade language arts team leader, facilitates a team of her colleagues as they look at the results of the most recent writing sample, a teacher-designed assessment given to all incoming 10th grade students. Carol guides teachers as they discuss strengths and weaknesses of students' writing performance as a group, as individuals, by classrooms, and in disaggregated clusters by race, gender, and previous school. They then plan instruction on the basis of this data.

Highlights of the Week: 

- Bel Air has been accepted to participate in WTOP's Click for Kids Sweepstakes. We have a chance of winning a grand prize of $15,000, a first place prize of $10,000, or a second place prize of $5,000.

Voting begins today, March 6th and continues through 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17th. Voting takes place here: http://wtop.com/contests/2017-click-for-kids-voting/ 

You can vote once a day but can only vote from one email address so literally once per person in a 24 hour period.  If anyone creates multiple email addresses to vote, those will be disqualified and the school is at risk of being disqualified. 

- The DreamBox Spring 2017 Math Challenge is right around the corner and will run from March 13^th-31^st.  Students can quickly ramp up math skills while vying for regional and national prizes.  Plus, they receive early access to the best new DreamBox features, including student-facing lesson tracking. Don’t miss out! Register your class today!

This year the Spring Math Challenge runs from March 13th – 31^st. In order to participate classrooms MUST register using the official registration page below:

Register Here:  http://www.dreambox.com/mathchallenge 

Teachers can register classes to complete in one of six categories: 

• Grades K-2 Small Class (up to 20 students)
• Grades K-2 Large Class (21 to 40 students)
• Grades 3-5, Small Class (up to 20 students)
• Grades 3-5, Large Class (21 to 40 students)
• Grades 6-8, Small Class (up to 20 students)
• Grades 6-8, Large Class (21 to 40 students)

Six Classroom winners will receive:

• DreamPacks for each student: DreamBox drawstring backpack contains a T-shirt, bracelet, and pencil
• $100 Gift Card: for classroom party/rewards

Classroom prizes are awarded to the classroom who completes the most lessons in each category during the competition.

Two Grand Prize winners will receive:

• Five (5) Chromebooks: for use in the school
• DreamPacks for each student: DreamBox drawstring backpack contains a bracelet, t-shirt, pencil, and stickers
• $100 Gift Card: for classroom party/rewards

Students as Learners: 

-      DreamBox Usage for February 8^th - March 9^th:

Total Lessons: Erney = 509 lessons; Elmes = 453 lessons; Terezon = 444 lessons; Dunleavy = 402 lessons; Haefele = 342 lessons

Total Hours: Roop = 68.8 hours; Brown = 56.2 hours; Dunleavy = 45.9 hours; Erney = 44.4 hours; Black = 40.3 hours

Average Minutes/Week: Black = 86 minutes; Fain = 62 minutes; Rivers = 63 minutes; Roop = 60 minutes; Morrison = 51 minutes

Growth: Erney = 26%
 

Important Dates: 

-      March 13^th: Career Week

             : Formal Observations Begin

             : Grades 3-5 Staff Meeting in the Computer Lab

-      March 14^th: SOL Remediation

                 : Grades K-2 Staff Meeting in the Library

-      March 15^th: Interims Go Home

             : SOL Remediation

-      March 16^th:

-      March 17^th:

My Current Re-Reading: