This made me laugh this morning...
Bounce Cards:
I have shared this in the past, but it's a great strategy to share again. The Bounce Card was invented to teach collaboration, particularly how to have a discussion. During the discussion, students have to respond to each other's statements using one of the "bounces" - bounce, sum it up, or inquire. It's a great way to support kids in having a purposeful, focused discussion that builds on each other's ideas.
Click here to see the bounce card
Reflection on McKinley:
I had my first Student Advisory Meeting last week where I met with a group of students, had lunch, and asked questions about our school. It was interesting to hear all their feedback- student voice matters! Below are some themes I heard:
- Kids love school. They love their teachers and know their teachers love them!
- Kids love the new school. Every single one commented on how our school is enormous!
- Most kids feel safe all day at school. There were a few kids (older ones) who expressed some concern about not having doors in our rooms. They said "What do we do in a lockdown?" We will be doing some work around this soon, however, continue to stress that our school is safe.
- I asked when kids get bored during the day. I had some interesting responses on when and why they get bored. One of the students commented that she gets bored during independent reading. I thought she was referring to just the reading - however, in asking more, she gets bored when she can't talk about what's going on in her book. She said she needs to share what she is reading and thinking to keep interested in the book. Very profound thought!
Small Groups:
It's been great to see everyone start to plan instructional goals around small group needs- in both reading and math. As we know, small group is the sacred time that produces high levels of student learning.
I was in a few rooms this week and saw some pretty cool small groups going on - and co-teaching with EL.
Rachel Peterson's Kindergartens during their literacy block. It was great to see very clear expectations and routines set up in this room- you could feel the environment of learning!
Dani Rypka & Laurie Wolhart's fourth graders doing guided math stations. This was cool to see the co-teaching between Laurie and Dani and how engaged students were. Nice work!
Relaxation Room at McKinley:
A lot of you have seen the room next to Annette (and across from Kathy and Michelle) set up for a relaxation room. This room was an idea of Annette's last year- create a safe, relaxing place for some of our students who need a safe spot to be regulated. This is especially important with our students who have experienced trauma. We have a group of students who were "invited" to use the room. They go there with an adult and follow a process - identify their current feeling, take deep breaths, choose a tool (something to regulate), and then identify their feelings again. This is a 5-7 process. It has been working for many of our students! If you need a break, go check it out! Thanks for designing and creating this space, Annette! Building Weekly Newsletter:
Click here to access the building weekly newsletter
Thanks for a great week! I can feel the passion and love in our building around our students... they are truly cared for by each of you. Thank you for that. Your hard work is not going unnoticed.
Rest up this weekend... conferences are right around the corner!
Justin
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