Sunday, October 31

 

Happy Halloween! Thank you all for all of your work this last week. I know it was quite a week, but we made it!! Have fun tonight! 

I am going to keep the blog short and sweet because we will be together tomorrow. 

Report Card Timeline: Please see below for our report card timeline

Monday, 11/8: Grades need to be submitted. 

Tuesday, 11/9: Report card previews will be provided for you to review. 

Wednesday, 11/10: Final changes due.

Thursday, 11/11: No school. 

Friday, 11/12: Report Cards emailed home to families. 

iReady Diagnostics

This message was in the Educator Blog. The district expectation is that diagnostic assessments are only given during the 3 designated windows. We may not add diagnostics though out the year. I originally thought there was more wiggle room, but that is not the case. 

iReady Diagnostic Window 2 will be from December 6 to January 21. This diagnostic is required for all K-8 students. The diagnostic assessment should not be given outside of the testing windows due to:

• Loss of instructional time
• Testing fatigue
• The iReady and RCSD recommended best practice is for diagnostic windows to be 12-18 weeks apart.

If you have any questions about assessing outside the diagnostic windows, please reach out to your principal.

If you would like data before the second diagnostic, please consider using Standards Mastery Assessments and Growth Monitoring Assessments. The Standards Mastery Assessments will provide data on specific standards, and the Growth Monitoring Assessment will show the likelihood of projected growth for the year. If you have any questions or would like more information on these assessments, please email me at kpaese@rcsdk8.org.
Contact: Kelly Paese Yusim

Last Week's Walk Up Song was..... Shannon Nelson!! 

Here is her song again: Shannon's Walk Up Song This is why she chose that song:

There have been many mountains in my life and teaching profession always throws obstacles and its about the lessons I learn along the way that make me stronger. (I didn't know it was supposed to be a pump up song LOL)

Here is this week's Walk Up Song: 

Mystery Walk Up Song

Let me know who you think it is! Send me your guesses. Come on, give me a guess!!

If you haven't added your song, here is the form: Walk Up Song

Have a great week!

October 24, 2021

 

But....Ok, I am with you-- the rain makes the kids crazy. We need it so bad it is almost worth it😂Almost! It looks like the early part of this upcoming week is going to be rainy too! Just take deep breaths and have lots of GoNoodle breaks! 

BREAKING NEWS!! Stoneridge will be celebrating being drug free during Red Ribbon Week this week. We will celebrate with spirit days each day!

Monday: Our School is Drug Free!- Wear Stoneridge Gear

Tuesday: Say Peace Out to Drugs!-  Wear Tie Dye

Wednesday: Team Up Against Drugs!- Wear your favorite sports team jersey/shirt

Thursday: Drugs are Old School!- Wear an outfit from an earlier decade 

Friday: Say Boo to Drugs!- Wear your costume 

More Exciting things happening this week: 

Thursday morning is a visit from Derk and the school board, so we may be popping through your classrooms. 

Thursday is also the day Bernhard comes to Stoneridge for our 3rd graders. There will be lots of action around campus!

Friday is the Harvest Parade!

Harvest Parade: The Harvest Parade will be on Friday, 10/29, at 9:15am. We ask that parents enter through the kindergarten gate. There will be a sign in and visitor sticker. They should also exit through that gate and sign out. Parents will walk to the black top to watch the parade and then leave. You may have 2-3 parents help in your class for a party or what other activities you may have planned. Please let me know if you have questions. 

TOSA Tidbits

Number Sense and Place Value

I want to share a blog I came across that had some helpful information centered around place value. It gives some good reminders, a-has, scaffolding, and standard progressions. When I think about our initial closure, our then first graders were sent home when we would have gotten down on the ground and dug our hands into manipulatives to teach place value. Despite creating and providing carefully thought videos, there was a lot out of our control. Who actually watched the videos? What resources did they have at home to teach the concrete? How overwhelmed was the family with this new situation? Then last year rolled around and we were still adapting to distance instruction. Again...a lot out of our control.

Here we are working hard everyday to bridge the gap for some and enrich others. I hope you can pull little nuggets from this blog. 

Two Boys and a Dad

Next Week's Schedule

Instead of Jenn having her typical IA TOSA schedule, she is going to shadow me next week. 

Drill Follow Up: We have drills so we can work our kinks. Our safety committee will work to create a more seamless process, but I definitely learn a lot as we do each drill. For example, something as simple as being able to hear the announcements. Thank you for participating in the drill Friday.

Last Week's Walk Up Song was..... Jen HarDy!! and we had our first correct guess!! Except that person did not commit to one person...rani😉so, i don't think it can give it an official win. thank you for guessing.

Here is her song again: Jen's Walk Up Song

This is why she chose that song:

This song was my actual walkout song back when I played volleyball in High School. It always puts me in a good mood. Cleaning? Throw on this song. Sending an email to an angry parent? Throw on this song. (Sending an email to an angry parent. haha!)

Here is this week's Walk Up Song: 

Mystery Walk Up Song

Let me know who you think it is! Send me your guesses. Come on, give me a guess!!

If you haven't added your song, here is the form: Walk Up Song

Coming Up This Week:

Wednesday, 10/27: Picture Make Up Day

Wednesday, 10/28: Staff Meeting CANCELLED!! 

Thursday, 10/28: Pioneer/Bernhard Day for 3rd graders

Friday, 10/29: 9:15am Harvest Parade

Sunday, October 17

 

Happy Sunday! I hope you have been able to rest a bit this weekend. Last week felt long to me. This week will be great and hopefully flies by! It looks like the weather will be cool and there is a chance of rain. Let's all hope for rainy nights and sunny days!! 😊

Lots of info today coming at you in the random order I wrote it down.

Conference Sign Ups: We will not be using Canyon Creek software for conferences. Please set up your own sign up sheet with Google or Sign Up Genius. Remember, you can offer in person or Zoom conferences. 

Harvest Festival Parade: The Harvest Parade will be on Friday, 10/29, at 9:15am. We ask that parents enter through the kindergarten gate. There will be a sign in and visitor sticker. They should also exit through that gate and sign out. Parents will walk to the black top to watch the parade and then leave. You may have 2-3 parents help in your class for a party or what other activities you may have planned. Please let me know if you have questions. 

Earthquake Drill on Friday: See below for the Earthquake Drill expectations. We will not be evacuating for this drill. I shared this with parents so they could talk to their kids about it. It will be at 10am on Friday. 

iReady Clarification: I recently learned that they intentionally moved to only three testing windows rather than four. The district heard the feedback that it was too much testing without enough time to teach. So, no need to do a diagnostic before the trimester ends. Remember, each trimester is a snapshot in time. Is the student meeting the standards at that moment? In many cases, students will not be meeting the standards. The goal is that they will be meeting this standards by the end of the year. Some students may need intervention and tutoring along the way. Our hope is that we will get them where they need to be by supporting and progress monitoring. 

Reminder: No Trunk or Treat. I will let you know what and when our next event will be. 

Information: Silvia was out on Friday and we only had a 4 hour sub, so if your room is not as clean as it usually is, that is why.

Last Week's Walk Up Song was..... Ally Simmons! 

Here is her song again: Ally's Walk Up Song

This is why she chose that song:

It has always gotten me pumped up and bring me back to great junior high memories!

Here is this week's Walk Up Song: 

Mystery Walk Up Song

Let me know who you think it is! Send me your guesses. Come on, give me a guess!!

If you haven't added your song, here is the form: Walk Up Song

Coming Up This Week:

Monday PLC- I will be coming around to K, 1 and 2, individually, to check in and follow up on our curriculum discussion. 

Wednesday: PLC Leadership in canceled. 

Friday, 10/22 at 10am: Earthquake Drill

Friday, 10/22- 7:45-11am Surveillance Testing

Sunday, October 10

Happy Sunday!! Are you wondering why in the world I would have a picture of Squid Game?? Have you heard of Squid Game? I am thinking you probably have because it one of the biggest shows right now. If you haven't seen it, the premise is taking an innocent childhood game, like red light green light, and taking it to a well, disturbing level. The reason I am sharing this is because not only is this show a big deal for adults, but the kids are watching it too. We had our first Squid Game incident at lunch on Friday. Other schools are also reporting different versions of games as the result of this show. Just be aware and talk to your students as things come up. 

Thank you to all of you that were able to help at the Ice Cream Social. It was a wonderful event that really focused on building community! 

PLC Meeting Updates: 

This Monday, Oct. 11, Rori and I will be coming around to grades 3-5 (each grade individually) to talk about the form you filled out regarding the curriculums you are using. 

The following Monday, Oct. 18, Rori and I will be coming around to grades K-2 (each grade individually) to follow up on our curriculum conversation. 

PACK Passes: Keep flooding the kids with those PACK passes!! We are still focusing on recess behavior but you can use them for anything positive! The kids are very excited. 

Last Week's Walk Up Song was..... Melissa Oxenham! 

Here is her song again: Melissa's Walk Up Song

This is why she chose that song:

Yacht Rock is my jam! My best day is listening to yacht rock on the beach with a glass of Chardonnay.

Here is this week's Walk Up Song: 

Mystery Walk Up Song

Let me know who you think it is! Send me your guesses. Ally is the best guesser!!

If you haven't added your song, here is the form: Walk Up Song

Coming Up This Week:

Wednesday, 9/13, at 3:30- PBIS Meeting

Friday, 9/15, at 10am- Earthquake Drill without evacuation (I know this is soon after the drill this week. It is supposed to be The Great American Shake Out. I may end up changing the date.)

October 3, 2021

 

October is here! Or we made it until October! You know, however you want to look at it. It is crazy to think conference time will be here before we know it.

This is a big week! We have our first, big school event this Thursday! The Ice Cream Social from 5:30-7pm. Thank you to those of you that have already signed up to help. Here is the sign up to hand out ice cream sandwiches and popsicles. 

Ice Cream Social Help

Balls and PACK Passes! I will be delivering your class balls and PACK passes on Monday. Here is the Playground Rule PPT to share with your class and the school wide prize list.

Playground Rules

PACK Pass Prizes

Harvest Parade: I would love to do a Harvest Parade with kids dressed up in their costumes. We are planning it for Friday, Oct 29 at 9:15am. Remember that we can only have 2-3 volunteers in the classroom for a party, so hopefully this will help the parents feel like they got to be part of the fun.

Snowie King will be out front tomorrow!

Last Week's Walk Up Song was..... Rori Wright! 

Here is her song again: Rori's Walk Up Song

This is why she chose that song:

This song just gets me to groove. There is something about the simplicity of the song: the electronics, base, vocals...the combination of everything that clears my head and lifts me. When I hear this song on the way to work, I smile, forget all my thoughts, and turn up the volume with the bass bumping.

Here is this week's Walk Up Song: 

Mystery Walk Up Song

Let me know who you think it is! Send me your guesses. I have been getting less guesses each week. Share your guesses with me! 

If you haven't added your song, here is the form: Walk Up Song

Coming Up This Week:

Wednesday, 10/6, at 3:30pm- Staff Meeting

Thursday, 10/7, at 8:00am- Safety Committee Meeting

Thursday, 10/7, at 9:45am- Shelter in Place Drill

Thursday, 10/7, at 5:30-7pm- Ice Cream Social 🍦

Sunday, Sept. 26

 

Hello All! I just want to say thank you for being so understanding as I have been out so long. I hate every minute but sure do appreciate how everyone has made it so painless. Thank you to Rori for doing all the fun jobs while I am out. Thank you to Shelli and Luisa for simply being the most amazing! And thank you to all of your for messages, support and constant hard work. I will be back in person for the PD day on Friday. 

Ice Cream Social: The new date will be October, 7th from 5:30-7:30🍦

PD on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1: I will be sharing a schedule with specifics. Thursday will be our DTM's. I will be attending via Zoom. The rest of that day should be used to work on your Essential Standard Binder: Essential Standard, Tier 1 Assessment, Tier 2 Assessment. Here is the DTM Document that contains a TON of helpful information: DTM Checklist Protocol

Oct. 1 will be some whole group information and then more time to work on Essential Standards. I am envisioning this in the MP. I will let you know if that changes. 

Balls: We have your classroom balls ready to go. Here is some information about the balls:

Each grade level has 2 basketballs, 2 playground balls and 1 soccer ball.  

All balls are labeled by room# 's and in bags/baskets.

1st -3rd are in baskets with room numbers

4th-5th are in mesh bags

Color Coded-

1st graders - Yellow balls

2nd graders - Green Balls

3rd graders - Red Balls

4th graders - Blue balls

5th graders - Orange Balls

Your class should only have 1 of each ball (total of 3 balls) in use at a time.

After these initial balls are gone, you will have to rely on classroom donations for more balls.

We will be sharing expectations for you share with your class before using the balls. 

DO NOT use the balls before Monday, Oct. 4 and before you have taught your classes the expectations. 

PLC Update re/ 3-5th PLC time: I will be sharing a google doc for you to fill out with your grade level. We will do this as the first step before we meet together as a group. I am hoping we will be able to get some time together on Oct. 1. 

Snowie King will be in front of the office on Monday after school. 

TOSA Tidbit

Check out this math video from Graham Fletcher demonstrating how mathematical content grows across grade levels. It's a great visual reminder of the progression of content.

Graham Fletcher Progression Videos

BrainBreak: try this "simple" brain break with your students where they will be crossing the midline of their brain. Well...maybe it's not so simple. :) Oh. my! I need practice with crossing my midline!

Midline BrainBreak Video

Last Week's Walk Up Song was..... Jen Boyd! 

Here is her song again: Jen's Walk Up Song

This is why she chose that song:

When I hear this song it always just makes me laugh. I find it so true, haha! When something happens or I see something crazy I think of this song!

Here is this week's Walk Up Song: 

Mystery Walk Up Song

Let me know who you think it is! Send me your guesses.

If you haven't added your song, here is the form: Walk Up Song

Coming Up This Week:

Wednesday, Sept. 29 @ 3:30pm- PBIS meeting 

Thursday and Friday: PD

Birthdays This Week🎈🎉

September 27th: Shannon Nelson

September 28th: Kathi Williams

Sunday, September 19

 

I needed this reminder this week and thought maybe you could use the reminder as well! You are all doing the best you can and that is enough! Remember to take actions each day toward your biggest goals and each day will be a success. All I know is that we need to continue to focus on the positive because we are heading into a long haul. We got this! 

PLC Change: I am going to be out Monday and Tuesday this week, so we will need to push the upper grade PLC meeting to the following Monday, 9/27. 

TOSA Time: Here is the schedule that Rori shared to sign up for support in your classroom. Please sign up and take advantage of this incredible opportunity: Support Schedule

Upcoming opportunities for 4th and 5th graders

We will be sending a message to families with the following information:

Candi is starting the Pokemon Club. It will be Wednesday's at 4th and 5th grade morning recess. (You will get a flier to send home)

Our music ensemble is starting, too! It will meet Mondays and Fridays from 7:50-8:35am

Safety Patrol: I would love to bring back Safety Patrol. Please let me know if you would like to help start it up again.

Ice Cream Social: The Ice Cream Social is this Thursday from 5:30-7:30. You do not have to do anything. If you can stop by for a bit, the students would be over the moon! We are hoping for a fun, community building event! 

Last Week's Walk Up Song was..... Rani Martin! I thought it would be fun to start including the song with the person so you can play it again, if you want. Here is her song: Rani's Walk Up Song This is why she chose that song:

It always hypes me up! My bridal party walked out to it LOL

Here is this week's Walk Up Song: Mystery Walk Up Song

Let me know who you think it is! Send me your guesses.

If you haven't added your song, here is the form: Walk Up Song

Coming Up This Week:

Monday (9/20) and Tuesday (9/21): Brooks out. 

Thursday, Sept. 23 @ 9:45am: Shelter in Place Drill (We make an announcement and you just make sure everyone stays in the classroom. My favorite kind of drill!)

Anyone else want to be the person in this picture?? Have a wonderful week!