Viking Cheers!! Focus on the Fabulous!!
As I was completing some walkthroughs last week, I decided to drop by the elementary gym and see how it was going with our middle school PE classes since we have lost the use of the high school gym. We will be sharing one gym for the rest of the year with the elementary, and that means sometimes there will be three PE classes going on at the same time. Mr. Hawkins has graciously allowed the middle/high classes to share his space and we appreciate his flexibility. I was prepared for things to be a little chaotic since I knew this was the first week of the change and that there would be an elementary class going on at the same time. Well, I was wrong! Annie was organized and doing an amazing job running her class. She was implementing the SPARK curriculum and had kids engaged and moving throughout the period. She transitioned kids from several different activities smoothly and didn’t lose any instructional time in the process. I watched as she provided clear instructions to the class and then had kids move to a think-pair-share activity. She used a timer and music to monitor the time and then brought them back together to share out. She held her class to the no-opt-out standard and required each student to share out as she recorded responses on the white boards. The kids then moved to a partner activity. Kids were moving throughout the class and having a great time. I was so impressed. There were so many good things going on that I can’t list them all! This was one of the best classes I’ve seen her teach and she did it under unfavorable circumstances. She was living out our Core Belief of -There is no excuse for poor quality instruction- not even when you lose the use of your classroom! Way to go Annie!
I had the chance to help chaperone the Large Group band competition in Alamosa on Wednesday. I enjoy getting out of the building to see our kids perform and compete in different settings. Our kids did a great job, both with their performances and with their behavior. The 6th graders received a score of III- which equates to a good performance. The middle/high band received a rating of II- which denotes an excellent performance. I had a parent from one of the other schools comment to me on what a strong sound the middle/high band made in comparison to some of the other schools. They sounded amazing in the auditorium and I was proud of how they did. This parent also told me she appreciated how well behaved our students were. Mrs. Newmyer has worked hard preparing our kids to compete at this level and it showed. Her hard work and dedication to our kids shows that she is committed to the pursuit of excellence in our students.
After reviewing our NWEA data from the winter, the LA teachers have narrowed the focus of their instruction for the next few weeks to ensure our kids are prepared for the upcoming TCAP. Our Explore teachers have agreed to support us with this endeavor and will be using their class time to reinforce instruction through Study Island. Mrs. Atencio took time to get all of the Explore kids set up and explained how the program works to all of the Explore teachers. I appreciate Shirley getting this done for us so that we can provide our kids with a little extra prep for TCAP. This is another example of how we are all working towards our goal of increasing student academic achievement.
I had the chance to help chaperone the Large Group band competition in Alamosa on Wednesday. I enjoy getting out of the building to see our kids perform and compete in different settings. Our kids did a great job, both with their performances and with their behavior. The 6th graders received a score of III- which equates to a good performance. The middle/high band received a rating of II- which denotes an excellent performance. I had a parent from one of the other schools comment to me on what a strong sound the middle/high band made in comparison to some of the other schools. They sounded amazing in the auditorium and I was proud of how they did. This parent also told me she appreciated how well behaved our students were. Mrs. Newmyer has worked hard preparing our kids to compete at this level and it showed. Her hard work and dedication to our kids shows that she is committed to the pursuit of excellence in our students.
After reviewing our NWEA data from the winter, the LA teachers have narrowed the focus of their instruction for the next few weeks to ensure our kids are prepared for the upcoming TCAP. Our Explore teachers have agreed to support us with this endeavor and will be using their class time to reinforce instruction through Study Island. Mrs. Atencio took time to get all of the Explore kids set up and explained how the program works to all of the Explore teachers. I appreciate Shirley getting this done for us so that we can provide our kids with a little extra prep for TCAP. This is another example of how we are all working towards our goal of increasing student academic achievement.
Rewind
As always, there was a lot going on throughout the week at the middle school. I was able to get into classrooms quite a bit this week, for both walkthroughs and data sharing. There were a number of RTI meetings scheduled as we work hard to keep our kids focused and prevent further problems from happening. I finalized my portion of the welcome packet for AmeriCorp volunteers as we get ready to receive the newest round of support. I attended the AmeriCorp going away party along with the rest of the staff, to say thanks and wish our young team well. I know we all greatly appreciate the support that these young folks have provided and Katrina in making it happen. I also spent time during the week making preparations for the middle school wrestling tournament we will be hosting on March 17th. Tuesday, Kevin and I conducted interviews for the ESL position. We made the decision to hire Heather Lynn Butler and she got started right away learning the ropes. I hope you all have the chance to welcome her to the staff! Wednesday, we had a lunch send off for Mr. Ham to recognize all of his hard work and wish him the best. That afternoon I rode the bus to Alamosa to help with the Large Group competition. Thursday, I participated in the administrative book study and then met with elementary staff to make plans for summer school. Friday was a busy day as I was able to get into Mrs. Donaldson’s classes and complete data sharing with all of the middle school students. I appreciate Mrs. Donaldson giving up a little of her class time as I think it is extremely important to keep kids informed about their progress. I also dealt with a number of discipline issues on Thursday and Friday. Saturday, I spent the day at Centauri watching our wrestlers compete. They had another great showing and came in 4th overall!
Forward Focus
Big events for this week include the SLV Regional Science Fair that will start on Thursday and continue through the weekend. I will be tallying the results for the Skoglund Spotlight Students and announcing this month’s winners on Monday. There are a number of important meetings scheduled for the week including RTI, expulsion, and DSS. I will attend an ASC program certification meeting on Wednesday. I will be taking a personal day on Friday to spend time with my family. Saturday, I will head to Mountain Valley to watch our boys compete.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your week!
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your week!