Mrs. Bryant's Room

Check out these great ideas from Mrs. Bryant's Room!

Project using buildyourwildself.com

Check out these awesome wild animal adaptation creations by Mrs. Gastreich's class.  Super cool!

Weekly Update 9.27.15-10.3.15

“Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.”

~Rita Pierson

Check out this video:

Picture Day Schedule:
Here is the link to the picture day schedule.  Please let us know if for any reason you need to switch times.  Also, you will want each student to carry their picture money to the gym or bring as a class.  Thank you in advance!  

Parent Teacher Conferences:
Please be sure to schedule a conference with ALL of your families.  We will have you share your schedules later.

Debating About Reading:

After observing in several classrooms this week, I noticed a common theme that a lot of you were talking about how to debate about reading.  I realized that this is really about providing evidence from the book to support one's thinking.  

In addition, you may want to read this article: The Instructor's Challenge: Moving Students beyond Opinions to Critical Thinking.  It talks about how to be a critical thinker and the  complex process involved in moving beyond one's own personal opinions.   This becomes especially important as we teach our students to really engage in critical reflection and evaluation of one's reading.  

Random Things to Think About:

• Get your attendance in to SIS 1st thing in the morning.
• Dip n Dots-on Thurs. If we don't have school or lunch on Friday, we will not have Dip n Dots for that week.  
• Please pick up those kiddos up on time.   It makes a mess for someone else when you are late. 

Thank you for being such a growth minded staff!  You remind me of the many butterflies that are bursting out of their chrysalises here at Concord.  You are constantly reflecting and pushing forward-Friday was a perfect example of this with all of the new learning that took place.  

Announcements for You to add to Social Media:
Please share with your parents:
Here is the link to our Capstone eLibrary which has an awesome collection of over 1800 online, free books for our Concord students. 

We want as many students as possible to take advantage of these materials.  Your teacher has the password and username.  Here is short video explaining how to log in to the website.

Wednesday, September 30: Picture Day-Be There Day

Thursday, October 1: Learning Labs during block

Friday, October 2: Custodian Day

Tuesday, October 6: PTG Board Meeting 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Friday, October 9: Family Trivia Night 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Truman Cafeteria

Angie Out of the Building:

Monday, September 28: 1-3 CO Learning Report Practice

Friday, October 2: 1-4 CO-Principal Meeting

Friday, October 9: Dressel and ECE West Ribbon Cutting

Weekly Update 9.20.15-9.26.15

All-

I just wanted to thank you for all that you do each and every day at Concord. This is truly a family that helps each other out both personally and professionally. I want you to know I simply could not be more blessed to work in such an amazing environment. Each of you challenges each other and the support that you give each other on a daily basis is incredible. Take a moment to really look around this week and celebrate each other (especially on Friday!).

LindberghU courses START MONDAY!
Although the courses are not ready in mylearningplan yet, we are super excited to begin Monday with Genius Hour in the library.  There will be 5th grade leaders in Becky Joy's room who will help to watch students if you are interested in joining us.  So just show up and as soon as the course list opens in mylearningplan, you can "officially" register.

• Genius Hour  will help teachers to integrate Genius Hour into their classroom instruction and collaborate with other educators to design Genius Hour lessons for their classroom. Sarah's class will be held in the Concord library on Mondays from 3:40-5:10: on Sept. 21, Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Oct. 19.  Since this course starts soon, you will want to purchase the book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. You will be able to get reimbursement by saving your receipt once the class begins.
• Igniting a Passion for Reading will focus on providing teachers with a variety of strategies to help their students develop a passion and an internal motivation to read, especially the reluctant reader. Liz's class will be held in the Concord library on Wednesdays from 3:40-5:10 on 10/7, 10/21, 11/4, 11/18. We already have the books for this course so you will NOT need to purchase one.
• Building the Growth Mindset on Thursdays --October 15th, 22nd, 29th, and  November 5, from 3:40-5:10 @ Concord  with Doug Barton in the library.

Mid-quarter Update:  
Please be sure to contact parents if you are seeing any concerns at this time. We don't want to have any surprises at report card time. While formal midterm reports are not necessary, a phone call home to touch base with anyone you are really concerned about would go a long way.

September 25th PD Day:
We are going to have such an awesome day!  Here are some things to think about/prepare/bring for Friday.  We will send a detailed agenda early in the week.
To do before Friday:

• Read one capstone book and be able to summarize it
• Download the Story Visualizer Lego app on your iPad (see Marsha's directions)

To bring to Friday's sessions (You may want to pack a suitcase!):

• Reading Units
• Writing Units
• Mastering the Mechanics 
• iPad
• Laptop

Check it Out!

Here is just some of the awesomeness that happened this week:

• Tons of goal setting
• Buddy activities focused on reactive vs. proactive
• Video connection to character activities
• Excellent team work focused on standards and SMART goals
• Revision Lesson

Mandatory PD:

Last chance to finish your mandatory PD.  It must be completed by Thursday or grave and dire consequences will befall you (and yes, this was copied straight from Dr. Hamby's Monday Message).  

Certified Staff powerpoint and google form

Classified Staff powerpoint

Quiz for when you have finished

A huge thank you to the teachers who attended the Parent Teacher Meeting on Tuesday:  Teri K, Taylor, Kellie, Leslie, Lisa, and Peggy.  It was quite a fun meeting!  I am thrilled to announce that the PTG plans to fund the entire amount of the proposed items for the library as well as to purchase the big blue blocks from Imagination Playground.  THANK YOU PTG!



Announcements for You to add to Social Media:
Please share with your parents:
Here is the link to our Capstone eLibrary which has an awesome collection of over 1800 online, free books for our Concord students.

We want as many students as possible to take advantage of these materials.  Your teacher has the password and username.  Here is short video explaining how to log in to the website.

Tuesday, September 22:  7:45 Student Leadership Committee Meeting

Thursday, September 24: So Long Summer Lunch

Friday, September 25

• PGP to be completed by this date
• Mandatory PD due by this date
• Full Day Professional Development: No Students 

Wednesday, September 30: Picture Day

Thursday, October 1: Learning Labs during block

Friday, October 2: Custodian Day

Angie Out of the Building:

Monday, September 28: 1-3 CO

Friday, October 2: 1-4 CO

If you have actually read to the end of this blog post, comment below with one awesome thing that happened to you in the last week-personal or professional.  

Revision Lesson with Mrs. Tilley and Mrs. Smith

I had the pleasure of doing my first "official" observation in Mrs. Tilley's class this week.  Upon arriving, students were in 4 areas of the room with anchor charts of topics for revision.  They head done a minilesson about the ways that authors add content to their writing pieces.  Students chose a topic they thought their piece needed including revising the setting, characters, dialogue, or lead.  I feel the power of this activity was that students had a very clear focus on what they were adding to their writing pieces.  Then Amy was able to move around and conference with the students as they were adding details.  

Have you been using EPIC?

Brush up on math skills for the new school year! Epic has books that help explain Fractions, Multiplication, Probability and more; plus books that weave math concepts like geometry through engaging storylines. Start Reading!

Love this!

Thanks Matt for sharing!  Who wants to create this for a hallway?  Perhaps our hallway leaders?

New Staff Spotlight...

Meet Mrs. Hickel the newest addition to our first grade team. This year marks Mrs. Hickel's 13th year teaching. She is married and has two sons. She loves spending time outside with her family, and together the enjoy camping trips and swimming. Tara is also a member of an Off Roading Club. We are thrilled to have her as a part of our community. Welcome to Concord!

Weekly Updates 9.13.15-9.19.15

I am so very excited about fall!  With the change in temps, comes my absolute favorite thing in life....pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.   I hope you took time to enjoy something outdoors with the amazing weather this weekend.  

Instructional Awesomeness:
We are most impressed with all of your classrooms this week. Some of the awesome things we noticed include:

• TONS of goal setting in your leadership binders including reading goals, using writing checklists to establish reading goals, and setting weekly goals.
• Students utilizing snap circuits in the library-feel free to check these out from the library if you are interested.
• Students in leadership roles- Our CLC leaders are taking their responsibilities very seriously and are helping with dismissal and clean up daily.  

Lunch Updates:
-Dip n Dots Pilot-We are going to try this and see how it goes.  Dip n Dots will be served once a week, usually on Thursday.
-Lunch Ordering: Please make sure students stick with what they choose in the morning. We have students changing their orders and then we are running out of food by the time 5th grade arrives.
-Teachers: Please add your order on to the lunch count in the morning.

Tuesday Reading Extended PLC for K-5th grade Teachers:
Liz shared the schedule. We are looking forward to a great day of learning.  Please bring your reading units to your session and don't forget to make sub plans for the extra hour.

Wednesday PD:
Agenda will be sent by Megan Stryjewski so all groups know where to meet and what to bring.  For those working at Concord, you will want to bring your math Priority Standards sheet.  No PLCs on Thursday due to this PLC time.


A huge thank you to all of you who attended movie night-Becky, Meghan, Tara, Taylor, Terri, Kellie, Kim. A special thanks to Terri K for saving the day and running to Schnucks for extra popcorn. It was a super fun event!


Announcements for You to add to Social Media:

We are looking forward to seeing you at our first Parent Teacher Group meeting of the year on Tuesday.  The fall party planning will be held from 6:15-7 and the general meeting will begin at 7:00.  You will have a chance to hear from our new principal, Mrs. Angie Moehlmann. 

Monday, September 14: 7:00 p.m. Dad's of Concord (DOC) Meeting at 026 Pub and Biergarten in Fenton. 

Tuesday, September 15:

• 7:45 Committee Meetings (Instructional Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Service Leadership)
• Extended PLC meetings during block.  Liz and Megan will facilitate these sessions.  
• 7:00 p.m. Parent Teacher Group meeting-Please have at least one grade level representative attend.

Wednesday, September 16: Early Dismissal 

Thursday, September 17:

• 6:15-7:00 LEAP grades 3 Curriculum night
• 7:00-8:00 LEAP grade 4 Curriculum night

Friday, September 18:

• 9 a.m.  PEGS Preview
• Angie out in p.m.

Tuesday, September 22: 
7:45 Student Leadership Committee Meeting

Thursday, September 24: So Long Summer Lunch

Friday, September 25

• PGP to be completed by this date
• Mandatory PD due by this date
• Full Day Professional Development: No Students 

If you have actually read to the end of this blog post, comment below with your favorite thing about fall. 

New Staff Spotlight...

Please welcome Miss Hudspeth to Concord. Talyor is is joining our 3rd grade team this year. She graduated from Mizzou in May after completing her student teaching assignment in the Parkway school district. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum. Taylor loves spending time with her family and together they enjoy following Mizzou football. She also enjoys doing crafts. Concord is excited to have Mrs. Hudspeth as part of our team. 
 

New Staff Spotlight...

Meet Mrs. Geisz. Concord is very excited to welcome Mrs. Geisz as counselor this school year.   She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee in Psychology. Maggi continued her schooling at Lindenwood University, where she earned a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology. During her time at Tennessee, Maggi was a team member of the Tennessee dance team, and earned two national championship titles. She brings her passion for dancing to Lindbergh as the head Pom Poms coach at LHS.

 

Working on standard 4.1 Problem Solving and Critical Thinking?

I came across this article today and thought it tied in perfectly with standard 4.1.  As you begin working with this standard, you will notice that it can be difficult to encourage critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.  And how in the world do you measure this growth?  

Check out this blog post: 

How to Design A Classroom Built on Inquiry, Openness, and Trust

Weekly Update: 9.6.15 to 9.12.15

I hope you are all having fun and enjoying the extra day this weekend!   Summer is almost over-soak up those last few rays of sunshine!

Faculty Meeting: Please come prepared to this meeting and know the standard you are choosing for your PGP. In case you need a refresher about the standards, they are displayed outside of Angie's office. 

Indoor Recess: Please make sure to leave a little something for your kiddos to do when we have indoor recess.  Some great ideas include: coloring sheets, board games, interactive games, legos, etc. The expectations have been set that devices are off limits during this time. Hopefully, the weather will cool soon.

eValuate Update: For grades 3-5 eValuate is resuming.  You will be expected to take the Reading eValuate for September, Math is optional.  We will rotate every month.  You may also choose to take both.  Please determine that decision as a grade level and share with Liz so she can create a schedule for the cart.  2nd grade, you are on hold for now!  New teachers, we will fill you in on how this works ASAP.

Classroom Library:  As you organize your classroom libraries soon, please be sure to check out this blog post by Liz Keutzer.  It has lots of great ideas, suggestions, and pictures.

A huge thank you to all of you for giving up an evening last week for curriculum night.  I am so appreciative of all that you do for our families to make them feel welcome and to have a solid foundation of our goals for the year.  

Announcements for You to add to Social Media:

The New PTG Newsletter

The PTG launched their Newsletter on Monday August 31^st. The letter is sent to inform you of all upcoming meetings, events, and volunteer opportunities that the PTG sponsors. This letter should arrive to your inbox once, every two weeks.

We will also be communicating events and volunteer opportunities through SignUp Genius throughout the year.

If you are not receiving these emails, please check your junk email or blocked list. The simplest way to insure you receive these emails is to add their address to your contacts list:concordptg@gmail.com and info@signupgenius.com

If you believe that we do not have your correct email address, please contact Jennifer Abercrombie atcjabercrombie@sbcglobal.net

You can easily unsubscribe from either or both by simply going to the bottom of the email and clicking on “unsubscribe.”

Monday, September 7:

No School-Labor Day

Tuesday, September 8: 

7:45-8:30 Staff Meeting

9:00-Boyscout, Cubscout presentation to visit classrooms

Wednesday, September 9: 

Angie out in a.m.

Thursday, September 10:

Angie out in p.m.

6:15-7:00 LEAP grades 1 and 2 Curriculum night

7:00-8:00 LEAP grade 5 Curriculum night

Friday, September 11:
6:30 PTG movie night at Concord-Big Hero 6

Monday, September 14:

7:00 p.m. Dad's of Concord (DOC) Meeting 

Tuesday, September 15:

Extended PLC meetings during block.  Liz and Megan to facilitate.  

7:00 p.m. Parent Teacher Group meeting

Wednesday, September 16:

Early Dismissal 

Thursday, September 17:

6:15-7:00 LEAP grades 3 Curriculum night

7:00-8:00 LEAP grade 4 Curriculum night

Friday, September 18:

9 a.m.  PEGS Preview

Check out Ms. DiFranco's organization of Math Workshop Stations

Building Stamina in 5th Grade