Weekly Update 11.29.15-12.5.15

Just an FYI: The grade cycle is open from now until January 3rd for 2nd quarter.  Report cards will not be printed until after the holiday break.

Academic All Stars: Thank you to all who attended!  It was a wonderful celebration of our students and their success.  

Tuesday, December 1:

• PTG Board Meeting 9:00 a.m.
• District PD Committee Meeting a.m.

December 2-5: Concord Book Fair

Thursday, December 3: 

• Learning Lab: Everyone who has a PGP should attend a session as we will be doing some SLO work.
• Cookie Fundraiser Pickup:  Looking for volunteers from 3:00-6:00.  Please use this link to sign up for a shift.  
• 3rd Grade to Busch Stadium
• Strings Concerts: Grade 4 6:00-7:00 p.m., Grade 5 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Friday, December 4: Staff Holiday Party -please bring a white elephant gift if you would like to participate.

Saturday, December 5: Winter Festival

Sunday, December 6: Music Concerts @ LHS

• Kindergarten--"A New, Improved Santa"-- Arrive 1:45; Show 2:00 p.m.
• 2nd Grade-- "Snow Way Out!"-- Arrive 2:45; Show 3:00 p.m.
• Choir/4th Grade-- "Elfis and the Elves Get All Shook Up"-- Arrive 3:45; Show 4:00 p.m.  (Choir opens with a few songs, then 4th Grade Starts)

Wednesday, December 9: Early Dismissal

Thursday, December 10: Limo Ride

Weekly Update 11.22.15-11.28.15

A huge thanks to those who attended the PTG meeting on Tuesday: Paula, Kim B, Peggy, Lisa, Cindy S, and Liz.  Check out these student leaders as they shared their knowledge in the Makerspace.

Just want to share a humble and heartfelt thanks to all of you for such a wonderful first 3 months of school.  I feel so very blessed to work with such an incredible staff and group of parents and students.     

Please be sure to spend time with your friends and family over the next few days.  Enjoy the time off from school and be sure to "sharpen the saw" by taking time for yourself!   You absolutely deserve it.  

Monday, November 23:  Academic All Stars 6:00-7:00  3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers -thank you for your attendance at this event.  

Tuesday, November 24:  Kindergarten Feast

Wednesday-Friday, November 25-27: No School, Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, December 1:

• PTG Board Meeting 9:00 a.m.
• District PD Committee Meeting a.m.

December 2-5: Concord Book Fair

Thursday, December 3: 

• Learning Lab: Everyone who has a PGP should attend a session as we will be doing some SLO work.
• Cookie Fundraiser Pickup:  Looking for volunteers from 3:00-6:00.  Please use this link to sign up for a shift.  
• 3rd Grade to Busch Stadium
• Strings Concerts: Grade 4 6:00-7:00 p.m., Grade 5 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Friday, December 4: Staff Holiday Party 

Saturday, December 5: Winter Festival

Sunday, December 6: Music Concerts @ LHS

Goal Setting in Writing

Ongoing Word Wall

Go Be A Hero Today!

Weekly Update 11.15.15-11.21.15

A Video on Inquiry-Based Learning:  Developing Student-Driven Questions

This short 4 minute video is great one on how to put students in charge of their learning. Through inquiry, this model school works to ignite passion, inspire relevance, and develop ownership in their students. Using student inquiries and questions as guidance, teachers develop lessons that engage and excite, teaching their students to be active thinkers rather than passive learners.

Coding
Accountability Factor; Want to know what your kids are up to when they are coding? Check out this post by the LINC team. It shows how you can use the See Saw app along with their coding activity. If any of you happened to try coding this week, feel free to share a thought in the comments section of this blog post.

Writing: On Demand Writing Assessments
I know many of you have been holding your writing celebrations for your informative writing pieces. This is just a reminder to continue your pre and post on demand writing assessments for the main units of narrative, informational, and persuasive. These help us to see exactly how our writers are growing as they transfer their skills from our lessons to their own writing.

Have you completed your benefits enrollment yet?  Neither have I but EVERYONE must do this by November 22nd so be sure to take care of it this week.  Annual Benefits Open Enrollment Information.

Our Veterans Day Assembly was an absolute success.  Just want to say thanks again for the efforts of so many.  Here are some links sharing the event:

Picture Video 

Everyday Heroes Song

Pictures

More Pictures

Mom's Night Out was a blast.  Students gathered in the gym to watch Inside Out and have time to play with friends.  I was very impressed with their behavior and for doing the right thing.  Thanks to the Dads of Concord for a super fun night!

GOTR coaches rock!  A big thank you to  Sheri Strebler, Beth Siegfried, Adrienne Heilich, Colleen Hooper, Hannah Shaughnessy, Tara Hickel, Anne Gastreich, Becky Joy, MariKate McNamara and Rachel Bolin.  They celebrated with their 5K race this weekend.  So proud of all our girls and a big shout out to all of the coaches.  Thank you so much ladies!  

News for you to share in your weekly communications: 

PTG Meeting in Library, November 17th

Please join us at 7:00 p.m. for general information about all the exciting events being offered by our PTG and to learn about all of the exciting lessons going on in our library Makerspace.   You will not want to miss this event.  Students will be leading sessions on Osmo, legos, coding, and snap circuits.

Mrs. Gastreich's Class (Thanks for letting me steal this pic!)

Giving Tree 2015

Our giving tree is a wonderful opportunity for you to provide clothing, toys, gifts, and gift cards specific to our Helping Hands families.  Click this link to our digital Giving tree learn more.  There are still lots of spots available.

Helping Hands Week 3: Cleaning Products

Families, you are doing an amazing job of supporting our Helping Hands project.  Please bring in items such as bleach, window cleaner, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, sponges, disinfecting wipes, etc.  Thank you!

Winter Festival: Teacher Raffle

Here is the document for the exciting teacher raffle.  Feel free to download and print additional tickets to win lunch with a Concord Staff member.

Tuesday, November 17: 

• 1st Grade math development 1/2 days
• 6:15-7:00 Party Planning Meeting
• 7:00 PTG General Meeting in Library

Wednesday, November 18:  Early dismissal and Dr. Simpson will be doing walkthroughs with me as part of my evaluation

Thursday, November 19: Kindergarten math development 1/2 days

Monday, November 23: 

• Extended PLCs
• Acacdemic All Stars 6:00-7:00

Tuesday, November 24: 

• Kindergarten Feast
• Student Leadership and Teacher Leadership Committee Meetings

Wednesday-Friday, November 25-27: No School, Happy Thanksgiving!

Angie Out of the Building:

Monday, November 16: Conference 8-12

Friday, November 20: Conference all day

Writing Conferencing Record Keeping

Check out what Ms. Hickel is using in Writer's Workshop.  This document allows her to keep track of what skills she sees evidence of as she meets with students during conferencing.

PEGS Debate

What an incredible lesson I had an opportunity to observe.  Students in Mrs. Margherio's class were participating in a debate over whether or not we should have animals in the circus.  Students had to research the points to support their position and then defend that position citing evidence.  I was most impressed with the skills of these students to be able to think on their feet and then support their positions.  How could you use this type of lesson in your room?

Weekly Update 11.8.15-11.14.15

Veterans Day Assembly:
The assembly will begin at 9:00 a.m.  Please remember to park at the Farmer's club on Wednesday.  Here is the schedule we will use.  Breakfast will be served following the assembly.  Guests and their students are invited to get their food (which will be served in the lobby) and then head to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Week 2: Paper products.  We are so proud of all the amazing donations that students have already sent in.  This week we will be collecting paper products such as toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, plates, etc.  Keep up the great work!

Extended PLC's on Friday:
Here is the schedule for extended PLC's this week.  We will email later this week with materials you will need.

Teacher Schedule
Start Time	End Time	Grade Level	Location:
8:30	10:30	5th grade	Angie's office
9:00	11:00	3rd Grade	PD Room
11:00	12:40	Kindergarten	Angie's office	Eat Lunch 12:40-1:10
11:00	1:00	4th Grade	PD Room	Eat Lunch 1:00-1:30
12:50	2:30	2nd Grade	Angie's office
1:40	3:30	1st Grade	PD Room

Annual Benefits Open Enrollment Information, please complete by Nov 22nd.

Lindbergh Teacher Grants: Please consider applying for a Teacher Grant from the Lindbergh Schools Foundation.  Grant applications are due on December 1st.  Wish list-like items are great things to apply for grants to receive.  Here’s a link to the application:http://www.lindberghfoundationstl.com/


80's trivia night was a BLAST!  A huge thank you to all involved in making this night so much fun.  A special thanks to Erica Hoffman for organizing this event and DJ Todd Thomas for sharing his talents with us.  I would like to give an extra special thanks to David Shenberger for his efforts with the digital presentation and video/music collection.   I can honestly say this was by far the BEST trivia night I have ever attended.  I'm pretty sure Teri Keutzer would agree!

Please share the following items on your weekly updates/social media pages:

DOC's Mom's Night Out is happening on Friday, November 13th 6-9PM! Only $5/child. Register here: http://dadsofconcord.org/moms-night-out/

Concord Spirit Wear November 2015 Order Form   Please submit form and make payment by PayPal or by sending money to school.  DEADLINE TO ORDER IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH. Orders that have not received payment, will not be filled. You should expect to have items come home by the week of December 14th. All orders will be delivered before the holiday break.

If you are looking for additional ways to check for understanding, this is the site for you!  53 Ways to Check for Understanding

Monday, November 9: 7:00 p.m. DOC meeting

Tuesday, November 10: 

• 3rd Grade math development ½ days
• 7:45-8:30 Staff Meeting

Wednesday, November 11: 9:00 a.m. Veterans Day Assembly  

Thursday, November 12: 2nd Grade math development ½ days

Friday, November 13: 

• Extended PLC's for Reading  
• Mom's Night Out, 6:00-9:00
• Picture Retake day

Saturday, November 14: GOTR race

Tuesday, November 17: 

• 1st Grade math development 1/2 days
• 6:15-7:00 Party Planning Meeting
• 7:00 PTG General Meeting in Library

Wednesday, November 18: 

• Early dismissal
• Leader in Me Assembly 9:00 a.m.

Thursday, November 19: Kindergarten math development 1/2 days

Angie Out of the Building:

Tuesday, November 10: Admin Leadership Team 10:00-12:30 p.m.

Monday, November 16: Conference 8-12

Friday, November 20: Conference all day

Looking for funding for a Science Project?

“Smarter, Together in the Classroom”

Funding Opportunity in the Greater St. Louis Region

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is making $125,000 available to K-12 classrooms in the Greater St. Louis region that are asking scientific questions and designing projects to explore them. The “Smarter, Together in the Classroom” program is part of a larger effort, in celebration of the company’s 125^th U.S. anniversary, to develop the next generation of passionately curious scientists.

Are you a science teacher – or do you know one who might be interested in science project funding? Submissions can be posted to the DonorsChoose.org website between now and January 13, 2016.

Teachers should follow these 10, simple steps to submit their projects:

1.     Register. Visit http://www.donorschoose.org/teachers and register for a free account.

2.     Get Started. Complete this page, including developing a title for your project.

3.     Create a Project. After setting up and activating your account, click “Create a Project.”

4.     Go Shopping. Select the items needed to execute your project and click “Transfer” when done.

Note: To qualify for funding, the total cost of your project cannot exceed $1,250.

5.     Summarize Cart. In 25-170 characters, briefly describe the purpose of the requested items.

6.     Tell Your Story. Answer a few short questions introducing your classroom to the funder. Be sure to mention your affiliation with STOM for preferential treatment in funding.

Note: To qualify for funding, you must include the phrase “Smarter, Together” in this section. You must also include the scientific question that inspired your project (e.g., “Why do plants grow at different speeds?”).

7.     Add Details. Complete this section, making sure to categorize your project under one of the following subject areas: environmental science, health and life science or applied sciences.

8.     Post a Photo. Choose a photo of your classroom or one that illustrates your project.

9.     Review and Submit. Projects receiving full funding will be announced January 25, 2016.

10.  Learn from an Adviser. Selected classrooms will benefit from project execution support by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany scientists and researchers.

Apply before the January 13, 2016 deadline! Email jhendrickson@webershandwick.com with questions.

Concord Group Photo Video

Check out the awesome video that was created during our all school photo shoot!