FEBRUARY/MARCH

This Week

Monday

* 7:45 - 8:15 Google Expedition training for teachers 2-5

* Google day for grades 2-5
      See the link below for the schedule.
* Library Closed due to Google Expeditions

Tuesday

* 1st/2nd grade performances

           6:15-6:45         Roon/Steinher/Graham

           7:15-7:45         Robart/Meier

Wednesday

* No staff development

Thursday

* Jenny admin meeting

* 5th grade plan day

Friday

Reminders
* Please be on time to pick up your students after lunch recess.

* Teachers grades 3-5, we will have CMAS administration training during your plan day. Click here for the practice tests and other helpful links. Please let Libby know if you hear of any students opting out.

* Please remember to have your classroom door locked at all times. If you need a white stopper, please see Libby

* Please remember to send a picture and the name of your pets to Linda at lgen4@yahoo.com by March 5th.

Google Expedition AR
Our Google Expedition AR day is quickly approaching. On February 26th, students in grades 2-5 will have a 30 minute Google Expedition Augmented Reality experience that enhances classroom curriculum content. Please see the documents below for your scheduled time, location, and for a copy of the discussion questions and agreements we brainstormed during our last technology planning day. Any questions can be directed to Megan.
Schedule

Second Grade Technology CoTeaching
Forces and motions came to life for Second Graders this week. Using little legos, second graders built various types of catapults, cars, and gears that each showcased a different motion in response to the forces of pushes and pulls. Students captured the similarities and differences within still pictures and video clips that they will be able to refer back to and add their new scientific learning from their unit. 

Happy Birthday

Stephanie Brown - February 27th
Mary Beth Steinher - February 27th

Go For the Gold

* Thank you Karen Warner, Karen Petty, and Kerry Dazzio for great performances!

* Thank you Gail Golish for all of the time and effort you put into the 4th and 5th grade design thinking challenges!

* Thank you Fat Friday team for all of the delicious chocolate!
* Thank you 1st and 2nd grade teachers for attending your students' performances!
* Dear Soap Fairy, we don't know who you are, but you are amazing! Keep up the good work!

Golden Nuggets

Morning Announcements: Hawk

Lounge Duty: Padrnos/Zankey

February

This Week
Monday
No School

Tuesday

Wednesday
* SD: Team Planning

Thursday
* Kindie plan day
* 1st/2nd grade performances
   • 6:15-6:45 Martino/Anderson
   • 7:15-7:45 Wilson/Woolums

Friday
* Fat Friday - Chocolate Fever!

Reminders
* Teachers grades 3-5, if you have not done so yet, please email Libby the names of any students who you would like tested in a small group.

* You received information regarding the TELL survey in your mailbox.  This public survey provides information on Jenny's leadership. 

* Please send a picture and the name of your pet to Lgen4@yahoo.com by March 5th for our Book Fair match game.

Google Expedition AR
Our Google Expedition AR day is quickly approaching. On February 26th, students in grades 2nd-5th will have a 30 minute Google Expedition Augmented Reality experience that enhances classroom curriculum content. Please see the documents below for your scheduled time, location, and for a copy of the discussion questions and agreements we brainstormed during our last technology planning day. Any questions can be directed to Megan.
Schedule

Third Grade CoTeaching
Third graders collaborated to meet multiple Lego challenges this week. We investigated how we could collaborate creatively while completing specific tasks. For example they used 14 random legos to create a tree. Then they used those same 14 legos to create an animal with only their non dominant hands. Lastly, students were challenged to collaboratively create an object that would move without using any words! It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop!  After groups identified key pillars in collaborating creatively with their partner, they tackled various Lego WeDo programming tasks. All student built and programmed a Science Rover with a motion and tilt sensor, and then they chose if they would like to build and program a race car or investigate force and motion by creating and programming a pulling creature.

Happy Birthday
* Becca McMillan - February 22nd
* Tammy Simpson - February 25th

Go For the Gold
* Thank you for an amazing PLC day! Our staff is wonderfilled!
* Thank you teachers for hosting great Valentine's Day parties!
* Thank you Karen Warner for hosting indoor recess!
* Thank you Kindie team for hosting Betsy's baby shower!

Golden Nuggets
Morning Announcements: Broecker
Lounge Duty: Rossi/Marchese

February 2018

This Week
Monday
* Sports Wear
* Lunch Love from the PTO - Chick Filet 

Tuesday
* Rainbow Wear

Wednesday
* Superhero Day - No Masks
* Valentines Parties
* No Staff Development
* Love Lunch Provided by Jenny, Kristi & Lbby - Mad Greens

Thursday
* GRE Spirit Wear
* 2nd Grade Plan Day

Friday
* PLC Day

Reminders
* We are looking forward to a meaningful and fun PLC day Friday! Click here for the agenda.  We will spend the afternoon celebrating our great work at an Escape Room at Outdoor Ed.  We have allowed for travel time and lunch will be provided at the site.
* Please update your blog for February.  You may want to include any Investigations videos that align to your current math unit.  These help parents tremendously!
* If you have not done so already, please complete the plans for next year survey.
* Please continue to track accommodations for CMAS. Click here for the building schedule.

* Please let Libby know if you have students who should test in a small group.

* Please try to avoid needing a sub on Fridays as they are hard to come by!

* You received information regarding the TELL survey in your mailbox.  This public survey provides information on Jenny's leadership.

* Legend's Wish Week is February 12th-15. This year the proceeds benefit a senior at Legend High School.  Click here for a video for more information on this student.  Students will bring change each day to participate.  Please send the information down to the office each day.

At the end of the week (Thursday, Feb. 15th), we will have our optional door decorating contest. Your class can decorate your door in a way that represents kindness. We will have judges walk around in the afternoon on the 15th and pick a winner for K-2, and a winner for 3-5. These will be announced, and the winning classrooms will receive a treat! 

Each teacher will have a class set of the Kindness Checklist to pass out to students on Monday, Feb. 12th. (These will be in your copy box in the workroom). Students will be challenged to complete as many of these acts as they can throughout the week. Please let Bev or Kylee know if you have any questions!

Book Fair Fun!

Scholastic has a fun idea for a book fair activity. We would like the name(s) of your pets and a photo. We will create a "match game" where students will try to match the staff member to their pet. We will use this on Tuesday and Thursday nights as one of the fun activities. Please send a picture of your pet and his/her name to Linda at Lgen4@yahoo.com by March 5th!

Budget Information
We are excited that our enrollment is remaining the same for next year and we are not having to reduce staff.  Our consistent enrollment is a testimony to your great work and collective comittment to our students and school! Go GRE!!

Here is some basic information regarding our budget and our sections for next year.  Jenny is more than willing to provide more detail about budgets and enrollment.  She will put a presentation in the parent blog next week that will be included in the Barker.  Feel free to see her prior if you have any questions.

* Average teacher costs include benefits (Darn!).

Google Expedition AR
Our Google Expedition AR day is quickly approaching. On February 26th, students in grades 2nd-5th will have a 30 minute Google Expedition Augmented Reality experience that enhances classroom curriculum content. Please see the documents below for your scheduled time, location, and for a copy of the discussion questions and agreements we brainstormed during our last technology planning day. Any questions can be directed to Megan.
Schedule

4th Grade Technology CoTeaching
This week 4th graders authentically collaborated and problem solved as they built and programmed Lego WeDo robots. Students did such an incredible job collaborating creatively, being open and courageous to explore new tasks, and redefining Lego builds and coding programs to better meet the identified challenge.

Happy Birthday
Naomi Meredith - February 14th
Kathy Brown - February 18th

Go For the Gold
* Thank you Leadership Team for a great meeting!
* Thank you Karen Warner for your efforts with Jump Rope For Heart! We are amazing that we raised just under $10,000!

Golden Nuggets
Morning Announcements: Lautenbach
Lounge Duty: Rayens/ S. Brown

February

This Week
Monday

Tuesday
* 7:30 Leadership Team meeting

Wednesday* Staff Development: Team Time

Thursday
* 2nd Grade Plan Day

Friday

Reminders

* Please continue to track accommodations for CMAS. Click here for the building schedule.

* Just a friendly reminder to update your blog for February.  You may want to include any Investigations videos that align to your current math unit,

* Please let Libby know if you have students who should test in a small group.

* Legend Titans Wish Week is February 12th-15. Click here for the spirit wear themes if students would like to participate.  Students will bring change each day to participate.

5th Grade Technology CoTeaching
Fifth graders analyzed and demonstrated their learning about renewable energy sources in multiple ways. They looked at digital articles, videos, and articles and analyzed how solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower energy sources were harnessed, captured, and converted. Students synthesized their learning about energy sources within a google slides presentation that they shared with their class. After having a greater understanding of each energy source, students individually had to apply their knowledge to complete a performance task. Students were asked to make a recommendation on where to move our company within the US and they had to include which renewable energy source could be used that is native to that area. Within the two samples below, you will find the description of the performance task students completed, their individual persuasive writing responses, and then animations that depict how their chosen renewable energy source works including the machinery needed to harness, capture, and convert. (MEANING...please scroll down to the bottom of their documents! They worked very hard on both the writing and their animations!)

Slides Samples: Group #1: Wind Energy & Group #2: Biomass Energy

Performance Task: Written Response & Animation Student Sample #1 & Student Sample #2

Go For the Gold
• Thank you teachers for your flexibility during Access testing.
• Thank you to all of our staff members who attended the Sock Hop!

A huge thank you to Lauren Meier who wrote a grant and received over $2,000 worth of books!

Golden Nuggets
Morning Announcements: Rayens
Lounge Duty: Hawk/Lautenbach

January/February 2018

This Week
Monday
* Jenny training

Tuesday
* 7:40 READ Act support in the Gold Mine room
* Jenny training

Wednesday
* SD: Team planning

Thursday
* 2nd Grade team planning day

Friday
* 6:00-8:00 Sock Hop

GRE Apple Award Recipients 
Stacie Martino and Jenn Dale will be representing GRE as our Apple Award Recipients!  Congratulations girls!

Reminders
* Norms Reminders:

- If you would like Gail to help you gather books please see her on Monday or before school.
-  Please provide Gail 1 weeks notice to pull books.
- Please walk your students out of the building at the end of the day.

* If you have students who need to be put on a READ plan, we will write these together on February 6th. We will have a sub to cover your class. Libby will share the schedule with you next week.

* If you need support in updating READ plans, Libby will be in the Gold Mine room on Tuesday, January 30th at 7:40. Please bring your data and laptop.

Please welcome our new EA, Anna Woolsey. Anna will take over for Ashley Peterson who is our new RtI assistant.

Kindie Technology CoTeaching
Dot & Dash are back! Our kindie programmers used voice commands to give a sequence of steps for kindie robots to travel from one specific spot to another on a Twister board. To further understand the importance of sequencing and following commands, students explored programming Dot & Dash to make noises, change light sequences, move forward and backward, as well as turning left and right. To complete our week, kindie friends challenged themselves to program Dash to complete the same sequence of events they had on a Twister board. For those that mastered that quickly, kindergarten partners programmed Dash to make shapes on the Twister board and then self selected challenge paths for their partners.

Happy Birthday
Dixie Litzsinger - February 2nd
Jen Borchert - February 3rd

Go For the Gold
• Thank you Leadership Team for your thoughtful contributions!
• Thank you Tobey for staying late and ensuring our plumbing problem was fixed!
• Thank you Fat Friday team for a fun, delicious spread!

Golden Nuggets
Morning Announcements: Dalcerri
Lounge Duty: Broecker/Dalcerri

January 

This Week
Monday
* Jenny mid years

Tuesday
* 7:30 Leadership Team meeting
* Libby mid years

Wednesday
* 7:30 Book Study
* Jenny mid years

Thursday
* 4th Grade plan day
* Jenny admin meeting

Friday
* Libby mid years
* Fat Friday - Super Bowl Party!

Reminders
* Please make sure your blogs are updated for January. Please include links to math videos for parents.

* Please send Libby the names of all students who did not meet the cut score in December for Istation by Friday. All current READ plans should be updated with MOY data. Please see Libby if you need help.

* If you would like Gail to pull books, please give her your list on Mondays and give her a week's notice.

Happy Birthday
Stephanie Braden - January 25th

1st Grade Technology CoTeaching
To build schema for our Famous Americans and American Symbols unit, first graders learned how to access assigned books within Epic Books about Martin Luther King. Jr. First graders took screenshots of pictures that illustrated important moments in Dr. King’s life. Through Spark Video, they organized their screenshots and recorded their new learning about this American Hero.

Student Sample #1



Student Sample #2

Go For the Gold
* Thank you Lauren Rayens for facilitating the Spelling Bee!
* Thank you Kristi Barta for organizing subs on a non-Barta day!
* Thank you Karen Warner and Karen Petty for the use of your spaces for the Spelling Bee!
* Thank you Jeannette Shepperd for helping during the Spelling Bee!

Golden Nuggets
Morning Announcements: Hawk
Lounge Duty: Poli/Westra

January

This Week

Monday

No School

Tuesday

Wednesday

* SD: Data review, CITE rubric

Thursday

* Jenny admin meeting

* Fifth grade plan day

Friday

* 9:00 5th grade transition meetings

* 10:00-11:00 Open enrollment presentation
* 2:15 Spelling Bee

Reminders

* READ Plans must be updated in Alpine by Friday. Click here to see directions on how to do this. If you have students who  fell below the cut score for Winter, we will write these new plans together the first week in February. Please send Libby the names of the students who need to be put on a plan by Friday. See Libby if you have any questions.

* For staff development this week, please bring your mid year reading data. We will also discuss the CITE rubric. 

* We are excited that Kristi will continue to work her 110 next year. This requires her to modify her schedule this spring. Please note the days she will be here on the calendar.

* The Spelling Bee will be Friday at 2:15 in the gym for grades 3-5. This date was changed from Thursday. 

Kindness Week
Kindness week is quickly approaching! This year Kindness Week will be February 12th-15th.
• On Thursday, February 15th, we will have our door decorating contest. This is an optional activity for teachers - you do not have to participate! If you would like to, have your class decorate your classroom door in a way that represents kindness. We will have a few judges walk around in the afternoon on the 15th, and pick a winner for K-2, and a winner for 3-5. Remember the door can be decorated any day that week leading up to the contest.
• Also, each teacher will have a class set of the Kindness Checklist to pass out to students on Monday, February 12th. (These will be in your copy box in the workroom.) Students will be challenged to complete as many of these acts as they can throughout the week.
• Please let Bev or Kylee know if you have any questions!

    

Happy Birthday
Catherine Graham - January 20th

Welcome


Please help us welcome Kym Koford. Kym will be supporting classrooms, supervising lunch/recess, and performing copy room duties.

2nd Grade Technology CoTeaching
Second graders researched severe storms using the app, Epic Books, and focused on the important idea of, "in my own words". They used the thinking strategy of determining importance to select and read meaningful digital resources that would provide information matching their reading purpose. In their own words, students synthesized their research about what the storm looks like, how it impacts people, animals, and the environment using Spark Video. As the last slide of their Spark Video presentations, students reflected and self assessed their ability to explain and share important ideas in their own words using a Critical Thinking rubric.

Student sample #1


Student Sample #2


Go For the Gold
• Thank you Karen Petty for the amazing assembly! What a powerful way to teach students history through images and music!
• Thank you teachers for an incredible work ethic during our PLC day. We appreciate your willingness to grow and learn together!
• Thank you Catherine Graham, Jamie Marchese, and Ashley Dalcerri for sharing your experiences!
• Thank you Allison Hawk for sharing the activity!
• Thank you Stephanie Brown and Jamie Marchese for helping with interviews!

Golden Nuggets
Morning Announcements: Broecker
Lounge Duty: Holtzer/Kramer