Happy Friday Everyone!<\/b><\/p>\n
Forefront<\/b><\/p>\n
I am really sorry about the forefront training (or lack of) on Tuesday. \u00a0In a perfect world it would have been much simpler (and less anxiety-provoking) to show you the system rather than try to talk to you about it. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here is a little more background on the \u201cwhy\u201d; \u00a0One crucial component to any RTI system is systematic way to examine student progress\/performance across entire classes and grade levels. \u00a0There is nothing that says that the system must be in Forefront, however this is far better than trying to create our own system and it much more organized than paper-pencil methods, especially when you consider all our differences in how and what we record. \u00a0The broad perspective on student performance allows us to identify gaps and blind spots in both our own instruction and the materials being used and it is a necessary component of our profession.<\/span><\/p>\n Kerry will be back here on Tuesday and Wednesday morning (8:05-8:35) to provide training on Forefront. \u00a0We are hopeful everything will be loaded and ready to go. \u00a0I will try to provide another reminder on Monday afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n Tech Tips<\/b><\/p>\n Christie Boen asked me to share the following links with you and I would encourage you to explore this application. \u00a0I sincerely wish this program had been around years ago when I first explored the one-to-one iPad world in elementary schools, but it\u2019s better late than never. \u00a0Also, Marina is rapidly becoming an expert on this application and she asked me to let you all know that she is eager and more than willing to help anyone build their experience.<\/span><\/p>\n Getting Started with Apple Classroom for Elementary<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Using Apple Classroom for Elementary<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n In addition to this program, I would also like to encourage you to explore Google Classroom and the app Marina demonstrated on Wednesday, Classkick. \u00a0If you are feeling adventurous and want to give it a try just reach out to Christie, Marina or me.<\/span><\/p>\n Cafeteria Behavior<\/b><\/p>\n Terry Cashmen and Garra Schulter came to observe our cafeteria for the day and they gave us high marks for the student behavior and flow of everything. \u00a0In spite of the low-ceiling and smaller space our students demonstrated great self-control and manners. \u00a0Kudos to everyone contributing to this effort – this is definitely a team effort.<\/span><\/p>\n Playground Supervision<\/b><\/p>\n With the removal of the fence we will be enjoying some much needed space for our recess time. \u00a0The tent is going to provide some challenges to our supervision, but I think we can all agree it\u2019s worth the challenge to gain some space back. \u00a0We cannot fence off the back of the tent because this needs to remain open for emergency evacuation of the tent. \u00a0We will make it off limits however we are going to allow students to use the four square courts when they are open. \u00a0We will need to adjust the \u201cpatrolling\u201d to be certain we are checking that area frequently. \u00a0One person will need to move around to monitor the area from the four-square courts to the swing set. \u00a0The other person will need to move around to monitor from the field to the swing set.<\/span><\/p>\n Thriving Citizen Meeting Recap (aka PBIS)<\/b><\/p>\n Here is a quick recap of our meeting earlier this week. \u00a0For more details feel free to see your grade level rep at the meeting, Lorin or me.<\/span><\/p>\n Leadership Meeting Recap<\/b>We had a discussion on Active Shooter Response & Training. \u00a0There really are no changes to be communicated however a recent article prompted me to ask some questions and gather a little more information for future plans.<\/span><\/p>\n Our second topic was Messaging and Challenges around School Design. \u00a0I want to continue to revisit this topic in an effort to make this process fit our needs and push us (without overwhelming us).<\/span><\/p>\n One goal (also related to messaging) I will work on for future Weekly Updates is to make things more concise to make it easier to scan.<\/span><\/p>\n Once again, please see your grade level rep for more details.<\/span><\/p>\n Parent Newsletter<\/b><\/p>\n If you have not already seen it, the parent newsletter is going out in a slightly different manner. \u00a0You should be receiving a brief email message with a link. \u00a0The link takes you directly to the website where all the newsletters are archived and easy to access. \u00a0If you have not received these email prompts each Friday, please let me know. \u00a0Thank you to Shawna and Deb for making the new process work.<\/span><\/p>\n If you ever have any special messages of gratitude or appreciation you would like to include in the newsletter, please send it to us (Shawna, Deb, and me) and we would love to add it in.<\/span><\/p>\n Click below for a quick look at the calendar;<\/p>\n Calendar Link<\/a><\/p>\n There is much more to share, but this message is long enough, so I am pulling the plug for now. \u00a0I\u2019ll end by reiterating my appreciation for working with each and everyone of you. \u00a0I am so fired up to come to work each day and I love watching this community learn and grow. \u00a0Thank you.<\/span><\/p>\n Sincerely,<\/span><\/p>\n Brian<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Happy Friday Everyone! Forefront I am really sorry about the forefront training (or lack of) on Tuesday. \u00a0In a perfect world it would have been much simpler (and less anxiety-provoking) to show you the system rather than try to talk … Continue reading \n
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