June 1 to June 5

Learning Targets Target Learning

How many times have I walked through a classroom wishing I had my camera ready. You are making the Learning Targets 'real' for your students! One teacher shared with me this week, that by considering the targets and sharing them in kid friendly ways has caused her to really think about what she wants kids to learn. In his book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People," Stephen Covey would say this teacher is "sharpening her sword." When the work you do causes you to think about how to do it better - you are learning!

Staffing 09-10
Staffing letters have been delivered to IVTs who have been placed in buildings. I haven't been able to contact everyone, at this point, but here's who I know will be joining our AMAZING HUNT Staff:

**Betsy Fletcher - coming from Mathematics IC - Brouillet

**Jennifer Niehaus - coming from Mathematics IC - Hunt

**Debra Hanson - coming from Kindergarten - Brouillet

I know each of you will welcome any new staff with the joy and hospitality that you are all known for.

Section 7.2 of the PEA CBA agreement speaks to the reassignment process we will follow as we finalize the 09-10 staffing specific to Hunt. Rebecca will be contacting staff effected by reassignments based on valid educational reasons before the end of the school year - and preferably MUCH earlier. Thank you, in advance, for your patience and flexibility as we make decisions which are best for kids.

Report Cards - TAC Open June 1, Closes June 18

Trimester 3 Report Cards can be accessed beginning June 1 through TAC. Remember, your comments are the most important part for documentation about progress made over the year. Please follow protocol:

1. Start POSITIVE- what does this child do well?


2. Report CURRENT data - avoid using Fall and Winter data unless to compare with Spring data. Remember, STAR/AR is not a valid measure of reading progress - avoid too much emphasis on STAR tests or AR points


3. End POSITIVE with a future statement of success

For example:
McTavish Hunt has made significant learning growth this year. In reading he has increased his oral reading fluency from 87 words correct per minute to 120 wcpm on a 4th grade passage. Because his fluency has improved, his comprehension skills have also improved. He received 9/10 on his Spring Open Court CBA. In the area of writing, he met standard on Hunt's Spring Building Writing Assessment with scores of 3 in Content, Organization, and Style (COS) and 3 in Conventions (CON). Mathematically, McTavish showed this was a strength of his. He met standard in all areas of Math according to the curriculum assessments. McTavish is ready for fifth grade, but one area he could use more time and support in learning is school success skills. He would benefit from an organization system that would help him find his materials and assignments faster. McTavish is a helpful and kind friend to his classmates. It's been a pleasure teaching and learning with him and I'm looking forward to hearing about his successes as a fifth graders.

Report Card Pitfalls - Stay Away From These Traps

• waiting until the last minute to complete this important documentation


• listing what is already marked on the behavior section with no explanation
  
• using outdated data or irrelevant data
  
• using subjective language
  
• focusing on the negatives
  
• "Have a Nice Summer!" - this is NOT an acceptable way to inform future teachers!

Reminder - the goal of Report Cards is two-fold:

1. It communicates to the parents and child their individual progress toward grade level expectations


2. It provides information and data to future teachers about this child. It helps paint a picture for what the child needs in order to continue the learning curve - or turn it around. Think about what you would want to read to help a student new to your classroom.

June 3 LIC Activities - Principal Directed Day

• 1:30 - 2:00 Review of Closing Procedures


• 2:00 - 3:45 Class Placements - if this is done and turned in, please work on whatever you need to as a team or individually

End of Year Procedures

We are currently putting together the plan for closing Hunt for the summer. Most of the procedures will be the same, but there will be some additional items to tend to due to the summer cleaning crews and building shut down. More info to come at the LIC time on Wednesday, June 3.

June, July, August

The rumors are true - all, but a few schools across PSD will be closed and unavailable to all staff for the summer months. As you plan for the storage of your materials, consider that there will be no air conditioning or air circulation throughout the building - so items such as food, crayons, or temperature sensitive items should probably be taken home. When the exact dates and details are known, you will be notified as they relate to Hunt.

Countdown to 09-10
Countdowns are fun for most people. They help us to look forward to something new. As you promote the end of the year and maintain routine and order for your students - consider that Summer Break means something different to each of your students. Rather than countdown to the end of the year, countdown to the next grade. At the end of the day on June 19, your students will be in their next grade - capture that as something to celebrate because it's a shared experience. It also communicates that learning continues even through the summer months.