Weekly Update #30

 

This Week's Schedule

                   Friday, April 15 - 22, 2022                 No School - Good Friday & Spring Vacation 

Monday, April 25, 2022                    School Support/Mentor Mtg. 

Tuesday, April 26, 2022                    MCAS - Grade 3 Math (1), Optional PD     

Wednesday, April 27, 2022               Half Day (12:15), DL PD -all staff (12:30 -2:30)    Thursday, April 28, 2022                 MCAS - Grade 3 Math (2) 

Friday, April 29, 2022                                        

 

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Please read the weekly update carefully.

Operational: 

 There are no PLTs this week

• Dual Language PD - This is a reminder that Dual Language PD will be provided during the next 2 half days for our Connery Community.  It will be presented by our ESL team and Alexandra (from our Hope and Healing Sessions).
• MCAS ELA has finished. There are a few make-ups in Grade 5 that will happen on Monday & Tuesday. Thank You to all the teachers, supports and especially our 5th Grade students. Everyone did a wonderful job!
• MCAS Math begins on Tuesday, 04/26. Grade 3 will test this week.  
• Grade 3 will be testing in Math - 8:30 start.
• Tuesday, April 26, 2022 (Session 1)
• Thursday, April 28, 2022 (Session 2)

•  *Preps for Grade 3 (10:45 -11:25am) will switch with Grade 2 (12:50 – 1:30pm) on Tuesday and Thursday due to testing. 
  

  *Lunches remain the same.
  *Recess will only occur after the class finishes testing for the day.   
• Supports: Reading and ESL teachers will rotate throughout the testing period to help support classrooms. Look for your name on each week's MCAS directions document.
• Grade 3 Directions: Grade 3 MCAS MATH 2022 .docx
• Reminder - lunches for Grade 3 remain the same on Tuesday and Thursday  but Preps will switch with Grade 2 due to testing.

• Grades / Scores - Based on recent communication with students and families, it is evident that we do not have transparency with our students and families regarding grades.  It is important that Data Folders be used a tool (which students can take ownership of) and are visible in our classrooms as a way to increase transparency.  This is a very important part of the feedback to students that we have encouraged through feedback and student discourse.
• Schoology is a great resource to post assignments and scores, which students and parents have access to.
• Friday ELA was designed to be flexible to accommodate one on one student conferences.  Please use this time to ensure that students know where they are and what they need to do to improve.
• Retention - Please make sure that you connect with families about concerns for possible retention if you are considerations this for any student.  At Connery, we use the Lights Retention Scale to gauge whether a student should be retained.  This process is presented to admin and presented to our Deputy Superintendent.  (Retention Scales will be placed in everyone's mailbox shortly.)
• Multicultural Night - 6/02- This is our 3rd Open House.  It is not optional, so please make sure that you save the date and arrange to be present. More details to come.
• MCAS Dance is coming!  Let's celebrate all the hard work that our community has done with a Dance Party. This is completely voluntary (but so much fun!). Thursday, May 26 from 5:00 - 6:30pm. No siblings, no parents and absolutely no cell phones. A flyer has been created (thank you, Crystal) and sent home. Our students are already getting excited about this damce.
• Field Trips - At Connery, we had a protocol and system for field trips.  For any field trip that a grade level would like to plan, there needs to be documented alignment to standards/content being taught.
• An updated Field Trip Planning Notice will be sent in the near future.
• Updated Calendar
• TeachPoint Reminder- New Due Dates - Evidence Due (Formative April 28th) (Summative May 27th)  Please upload any evidence to TeachPoint that you have available. 
• Small Group Observations - Glenda and Liz will be coming around to all classrooms to observe small groups throughout the spring.  
• Look Fors: TeachPoints being incorporated in the Guided Reading lesson.
• Peer Observations - Each teacher is expected to observe their peers at Connery School. If you have not begun peer observations, please reach out to your CITs asap to schedule this observation. 
• Planning Expectations - Please send us your sub plans when you are out.
• As a reminder, when you have an absence you need to contact Glenda, Liz and your CIT before 8am. Also, your absence must be posted in AESOP before 8am.
• Assessment Calendar - please note that the assessment calendar was updated.  Click here for all dates including the Star Renaissance Expectations.
• Summer School: Springboard for students in current grades K, 1, 2 and 3. Springboard will be offered for 5 weeks, Monday through Thursday from July 11 - August 11. Three days per week teachers will have students from 8-11 and prep from 11-12pm and one day a week the last hour will be a family huddle/workshops. Additional communication will be coming from Jacqui Gallo with more information with program details and expectations. Please reach out to Glenda or Liz if you are interested in teaching this summer.
• For current students in grades 4 & 5, a one-week enrichment experience will be offered with a focus on science/mathematics. The curriculum office is working on designing this program/experience. The timing for current 4th and 5th grade students is flexible for each school but should happen within the window of July 11th through August 11th. 
• For all summer programming, it is understood that this is fully dependent on teacher availability and student enrollment.  
•  Connery Assembly Schedule:  
• Friday, 05/20/22: Grades PreK & K - 1pm    

ELA:

 

Reading teachers need to see groups for 20 minutes. - Adjustments Needed 

 

Above grade level students can receive 3x or 2x per week from the classroom teacher, but all students must be seen during the week.  

**This is the time of year that students make gains and increase in their reading levels. If you need to benchmark ahead of the end of the year benchmark period, feel free to do so because students' groups should be adjusted. 

• Please remember to return each set of Guided Reading books after they are used.

Math:

• Please come with prepared lesson plans (to review/edit) for PLT and a task to complete.

    Social Work Updates:

• SW Extension Update: 2914 and 2951. Please call our office and connect with a social worker before you send a student to us in our office. 
• SW Support Referral Form- This is a friendly reminder to please utilize the Social Work support referral form that was emailed out/discussed at staff meeting early in the school year. This form should be used when requesting non-emergency/crisis support. Some examples include:                                                                                                                                                     *An observation request                                                                                                                     *A social-emotional wonder/concern                                                                                                 *Collaboration/discussion of strategies to support a student or general concerns regarding a           student          
• Office Referral
• Behavior Management Resource - Minors and Major Behaviors and De-escalation Strategies
• Incident Report/Office Referral Requests:                                               
• Please place all completed forms in the Social Work mailbox.                                   
• Please ensure that each section/prompt on the form is filled out completely (i.e. child's full name, grade, steps taken, etc.) before submitting.                                                              
• If there is more than one child engaging in a behavior/incident, please make the appropriate number of copies for filing purposes.                                                      
• Glenda has asked that the following scenarios be an immediate phone call to either her office or the SW office in addition to completing an incident report/office referral as soon as possible:                                                                                                        
• physical unsafe behaviors with staff members or other students (hitting, kicking, etc.)               
• self-harm or threats of any kind   
• any behavior that could be interpreted as or is sexual in any way (ie: showing private parts, issues in the bathroom, report of inappropriate touching or words, etc.)                                                         

Health and Safety:

• Recess has presented an increase of injuries.  The injuries occur most during activities that are unstructured.  Please use this resource guide as a means to support full class activities.
• Please let families know that students need sneakers for recess - crocs have been a large part of accidents during this time.

Misc. Info: Inventory for Professional Development - please complete so that we can track the books that we each have in our classrooms.

Technology Issues

• Reminder: Please let Liz or your CIT know if a student is not bringing their laptop to school daily. 
• Please remember to submit all technology issues to the Helpdesk by emailing: servicedesk@lynnschools.org . Be sure to provide as many details as possible including name of user having issue (email or stu#), problem, program being used, etc.
• Please enter tickets for EACH problem they encounter with as much information as possible included. 

Looking Ahead

• May 2 - 6    Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 2 -   Garden Planting - Grade 3 and Rm. 220
• May 3 -  Grade 5 MCAS Math
• May 4 - Early Release (1:30pm)
• May 5 -  Grade 5 MCAS Math