January 8 Rise N Shine Ms. Harris

Our Mission:  “Educate students for lifelong learning and responsible living.”

Our Vision:  “Provide a learning environment that promotes and develops academic and

social growth.”

Author of the Month:  EB White
Word of the Month: White  Rise N Shine:  Ms. Harris

• Mon. Jan 8 - Fire Drill P.M. weather permitting.  Mentor Meet and Greet after school.
• Tue. Jan 9 - PLC meetings - Review lesson plans with Standards Based Instruction, Performance Test Review.  Faculty Meeting, 
• Wed. Jan 10 - Regular Day
• Thurs. Jan 11 - Popcorn, Lock Down Drill, '
• Fri. Jan 12 - Quarterly Awards during Specials

Benchmark Literacy - Unit 5.  Unit Assessment January 25th or 26th 

Make Connections - Make Inferences

Asking Questions with Benchmark Literacy:  What level of questions are you asking your students?

• Level 2 “Look Closer!” Questions Answers are right in the text but students need to look in more than one place for the information they need. Questions prepare students to: • Identify cause and effect • Compare and contrast • Identify sequence of events or steps in a process • Identify stated main idea and supporting details 
• Level 3 “Prove It!” Questions Answers are inferred or implied. Students must support their answers with clues and evidence from the text. Questions prepare students to: • Make inferences • Draw conclusions • Make predictions • Analyze character • Identify unstated main idea and supporting details • Use graphic features to interpret information 
• Level 4 “Take It Apart!” Questions Answers require readers to think like the author. Questions prepare students to: • Evaluate author’s purpose and point of view 

Technology Updates:

So what is the most popular read book at Coolidge Elementary?  Bone-Chilling Ghost Stories!  117 students have checked out this book, it was been read 133 times, and  1,595 minutes have been spent on this book.  If you look at the number of pages read then The Grin in the Dark wins with 4,050 pages and 2,171 minutes.  It has been read 75 times.  

Adventure books have been checked out the most with 3,603 books followed closely by Favorite Characters with 3,047.   

Third and Fourth Grade are tied with time spent reading - 530 hours and 44 minutes followed closely by 6th grade with 477 hours.  

As a school students have finished 9,417 books and spent 1,982 hours and 7 minutes reading.

This year students have earned 1,044 Lexia certificates.  At the beginning of the school year 93% (470 students) were working below grade level.  6% of our students (32 students) were on grade level and only 1% (1 student) was on grade level.

As of January 5, 2018 83% (417) students are working below grade level.  15% (73 students) are on grade level and 3% (13 students) are working ABOVE grade level.  

Meeting Usage:

Kindergarten  6%

1st Grade - 71%

2nd Grade - 79%

3rd Grade 71%

4th Grade 92%

5th Grade 34%

Imagine Math - Think Thru Math

Congratulations to Ms. Gorman and her 3^rd Block Math class for being the ONLY OKCPS class to earn a free pizza party through the Imagine Math  Ready, Set …Solve! Contest!!  ** see the full list below

Way to work hard, Crocs!! You are getting smarter every minute!

The Essentials for Standards Driven Classrooms

by Carla Moore, Michael D. Thoth and Robert Marzano

Component 1:  Standards Based Planning.  Chose a standard and map out the smaller learning targets that you will use to get students to meet the standard (these are the activities you use when teaching the lessons associated with the standard).  

Component 2:  Criteria for Success.  Create common, standards-based scales for your lessons.  Performance scales allow students to track their own progress, which encourages them to buy into, and be responsible for, their own learning. 

Component 3:  Instruction.  These are the 13 instructional strategies identified by Learning Sciences Marzano most essential for scaffolding lessons to rigor.  

Component 4:  Conditions for Learning.  Establishing rules and procedures.  Recognizing adherence and lack of adherence to rules and procedures.  Using engagement strategies when students are not engaged.  Establishing and maintaining effective relationships.  Communicating high expectations for all students.  

Component 5:  Using Formative Assessment Data for Instructional Decisions.  Data collection is a good way to get good student feedback, and planning instruction based on that data is a way to continue the feedback loop.  

Component 6:  Collaboration.  Collaboration doesn't only help lighten the load on individual teachers but multiple perspectives lend themselves to multiple insights.  

Crosswalk:

Marzano Focused Teacher Evaluation Model & Marzano Essentials for Achieving Rigor

Marzano Focused Teacher Evaluation Model	Marzano Essentials for Achieving Rigor
Standards-Based Planning
Planning Standards-Based Lessons/Units	Standards-Based Planning
Aligning Resources to Standard(s)	Standards-Based Planning
Planning to Close the Achievement Gap Using Data	·         Standards-Based Planning ·         Using Formative Assessment Data for Instructional Decisions
Standards-Based Instruction
Identifying Critical Content from the Standards	·         Providing Rigorous Learning Targets and Performance Scales ·         Identifying Critical Content
Previewing New Content	Previewing New Content
Helping Students Process New Content	·         Helping Students Process New Content ·         Helping Students Record and Represent Knowledge
Using Questions to Help Students Elaborate on Content	·         Helping Students Elaborate on Content ·         Managing Response Rates with Question Sequence Techniques
Reviewing Content	Reviewing Content
Helping Students Practice Skills, Strategies, and Processes	Helping Students Practice Skills, Strategies, and Processes
Helping Students Examine Similarities and Differences	Helping Students Examine Similarities and Differences
Helping Students Examine Their Reasoning	Helping Students Examine Their Reasoning
Helping Students Revise Knowledge	Helping Students Revise Knowledge
Helping Students Engage in Cognitively Complex Tasks	Helping Students Engage in Cognitively Complex Tasks
Conditions for Learning
Using Formative Assessment to Track Progress	Using Formative Assessment to Track Progress
Providing Feedback and Celebrating Success	·         Using Formative Assessment Data for Instructional Decisions ·         Celebrating Student Progress
Organizing Students to Interact with Content	Organizing Students to Interact with Content
Establishing and Acknowledging Adherence to Rules and Procedures	·         Establishing Rules and Procedures ·         Recognizing Adherence and Lack of Adherence to Rules and Procedures
Using Engagement Strategies	·         Using Engagement Strategies when Students are Not Engaged ·         Managing Response Rates with Question Sequence Techniques
Establishing and Maintaining Effective Relationships in a Student-Centered Classroom	Establishing and Maintaining Effective Relationships
Communicating High Expectations for Each Student to Close the Achievement Gap	Communicating High Expectations for All Students
Professional Responsibilities
Adhering to School/District Policies and Procedures	N/A
Maintaining Expertise in Content and Pedagogy	Collaboration
Promoting Teacher Leadership and Collaboration	Collaboration

Classroom Management Techniques: 

Secret Admirers and Classroom Management

A simple activity can reduce friction in a classroom by guiding students to focus on each other’s strengths.

By Elena Aguilar
December 15, 2017

Although my first year of teaching was more than two decades ago, I clearly remember how my second graders returned from Thanksgiving more settled and focused. I was teaching at a public school in Oakland, California, and as December began, I was hopeful, energetic and increasingly confident about the learning routines I’d established in my class. Yet cliques had formed among some of the girls, and too often kids were not nice to each other. Another teacher had given me a book called Tribes, a guide to building a safe and caring learning community in the classroom. I wholeheartedly adopted it.

Committed to addressing student dynamics, I found an activity in Tribes to try out. One day in our morning circle, each student drew the name of a classmate and became that person’s secret admirer for the day. The rules included that you couldn’t tell anyone which name you had chosen, and you had to observe that classmate all day and find behaviors to appreciate. At the end of the day, we squeezed back into our tight circle on the rug, and students revealed the person they’d been watching and shared appreciations: “Oscar gave Manuel his soccer ball during recess,” and “Lizette walked quietly to lunch,” and “Billy helped Tomas with math.”

Secret Admirers: A Simple Yet Powerful Activity

As students offered and received appreciations, their expressions shifted and revealed pride, joy, and connection. I was surprised at how astutely these 7-year-old children had observed each other, identifying specific, admirable behaviors in a classmate who may or may not have been their friend. When we debriefed and wrapped up the activity, Tomas asked if we could repeat the activity the next day, and the whole class echoed their approval. “Sure,” I said. “Why not?”

At the end of the second day of secret admirers, I got the same request. “Why can’t we do this every day?” asked Elizabeth. And so we did. Day after day, the kids pulled names from the hat. Sometimes we had “challenge days” where everyone drew two or three names. Other days were “Me too!” days—students also had to identify their own behaviors for which they wanted recognition. We created and posted lists of the student behaviors that kids were most proud of or most liked observing—those reflecting kindness, cooperation, personal responsibility, courage, and so on.

The day before winter break started, we reflected on the school year. I told them that during the break, I’d be planning for the rest of the year. I asked what would they like more of, or less of, and what suggestions they had for our class overall. The secret admirers activity was unanimously endorsed. “All year!” they chanted. Oscar, who had to exert a great deal of energy to regulate his behavior, said, “I love coming to school now, and every day I think, ‘I can’t wait to get caught doing good things!’” “OK,” I said, “we’ll keep doing it.” Their cheers attracted the attention of my colleague next door.

As I observed their excitement, I noticed that my behavior chart on the wall hadn’t been used in weeks—not since before we’d started this routine. I’d always had mixed feelings about this classroom management device—every time I asked a student to turn his or her card to orange or red, it only seemed to exacerbate his or her behavior, and the element of public shaming made me uncomfortable. When I walked into my classroom on the first day after winter break, I took it down.

In January, my students settled back into school routines, and I held my breath in the hopes that all would continue to go smoothly. And it did. Secret admirers continued throughout the year. The kids didn’t seem to tire of it, and the behavior chart never went back up. It was like a switch had been flicked in my classroom and the unpleasant interpersonal behavior between students declined considerably. Our community felt good. At the time, I didn’t know why this activity worked so well, but I was thrilled to be avoiding many of the classroom management challenges that my new-teacher colleagues were dealing with.

A Shift Toward the Positive

Some years later, I learned why the secret admirers activity worked: We focused on strengths, assets, or bright spots. This is an extensively researched approach in psychology, organizational change management, and neuroscience. And researchers in all those fields agree that focusing on the positive not only feels good but works when you’re trying to change or want others to change. If there are factions or tensions I sense in a group of adults I’m working with, I’ll use secret admirers or other community builders to surface the strengths and assets in the group. Whether you try this with toddlers or teens, or even adult learners, know that some may resist at first, but as with any activity or teaching strategy we give a go, keep at it, reflect after, and modify if necessary.

As you reflect on how this fall has been and how you might want to start next year, consider opportunities to focus on bright spots—in yourself, in your students, and in your community.

Growth Plans in I-Observation – Mid Point Check.  I will be completing MidPoint Checks by January 25th.  Remember this is a "learning year".  Next year Growth Plans will be required for all staff (unless something changes).  

Go to Growth and Plans.  Make sure you have Completed the Action Steps on your Growth Plans. 

Thank you for all you do.

Melissa

To Develop Every Child Into a Reader:

• Everyday a child reads something they choose to read.
• Every child reads accurately
• Every child reads something they understand.
• Every child writes something that is personal and meaningful daily.
• Every child talks with peers about reading and writing.
• Every child hears an adult reader read fluently.

Coolidge Elementary Academic Goals for 2017- 2018

• All Students WILL achieve academically.
• Reading:  Increase reading proficiency by at least one grade level, and know their current F & P level.
• Math:  Increase math achievement by 10% with 80% mastery of math facts on grade level.  
• Writing:  Increase writing proficiency by 15%
• Student Attendance:  Increase student attendance to 98%.
• Increase Faculty Attendance to 98%

OKCPS Literacy Standards

          1^st Grade

          2^nd Grade

          3^rd Grade

          4^th Grade

          5^th Grade

          6^th Grade

OKCPS Math Standards

          Pre-K

          Kindergarten

          1^st Grade

          2^nd Grade

          3^rd Grade

          4^th Grade

          5^th Grade

          6^th Grade

Melissa Brett | Principal

Coolidge Elementary School | Oklahoma City Public Schools

5212 S. Villa, Oklahoma City, OK 73119

(405) 587-2800

(405) 208-1581 (cell)

January 3 Rise N Shine Pearson (6th)

Our Mission:  “Educate students for lifelong learning and responsible living.”

Our Vision:  “Provide a learning environment that promotes and develops academic and

social growth.”

Author of the Month:  EB White 

Word of the Month:  Wise  
Rise N Shine:  Ms. Pearson (6th)

Welcome Back from Winter Break.  

• Monday, January 1st - Happy New Years Day.  No School
• Tuesday, January 2nd - No School
• Wednesday, January 3rd - Professional Development @ Coolidge
• Thursday, January 4th - Students Return. Procedures, Procedures, Procedures.
  Set Rules, Boundaries, and Expectations (and Do It Early)
   Begin Unit 5 in Benchmark Literacy.
• Friday, January 5th - Regular Day

Simple efforts like greeting kids outside the classroom before the start of the day pay outsized dividends. 

I hope everyone had a safe and rejuvenating Winter Break.  We are 1/2 way thru our school year and the 3rd  Quarter provides a lot of opportunities for great learning.  I would like to welcome Ms. Jennifer Lawter and Ms. Ruby Coyle to the Coolidge Team.  Ms. Lawter will be teaching Art and Ms. Coyle will be teaching kindergarten.  Please be reviewing procedures and expectations with your students.  If you see a child who does not have an adequate coat with this cold weather please let Ms. Ross, Ms. Huggins, or myself know so we can see if we have an extra or if another school might.

The 3rd Observation for Marzano window is now open.  Ms. Huggins and myself will begin with walk-thru's and then move into the informal observation.  IF your observation has collaboration - remember we have a 5 day window from the START of the observation to complete it.  IF you don't collaborate prior to that time the observation could be completed without your input.

Benchmark Literacy - Begin Unit 5 
Math:  Third Quarter Lessons
Foss Science - be sure you are utilizing your Foss Science Kits
Social Studies - be sure you are utilizing your Social Studies Weekly

Lesson Plans - be sure your lesson plans are uploaded into the Google Drive.

5 Principles of 

Outstanding Classroom Management

When we asked our community for their best classroom management
practices, over 700 ideas rolled in.

By Samer Rabadi, Betty Ray

November 14, 2017

©Shutterstock.com/Monkey Business Images

• 
• 
• 
• 

• 5.2K SHARES
• 8 COMMENTS
• READ LATER BOOKMARK

Effective classroom management requires awareness, patience, good timing, boundaries, and instinct. There’s nothing easy about shepherding a large group of easily distractible young people with different skills and temperaments along a meaningful learning journey.

So how do master teachers do it?

To get a deeper understanding of experienced teachers’ go-to classroom management strategies, we took an informal poll on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Unsurprisingly, there is no silver bullet for classroom management success. That said, as we pored over the more than 700 responses, we did see some clear trends. Here are the most often cited and creative approaches.

1. Take Care of Yourself to Take Care of Your Students

As the airline safety videos say: Put on your own oxygen mask first.

To learn effectively, your students need a healthy you, said our experienced teachers. So get enough sleep, eat healthy food, and take steps to attend to your own well-being. In her first year of teaching, Jessica Sachs “was working 15-hour days and was completely stressed out. My husband finally said to me, ‘The most important thing that you do at school is make decisions. If you are too tired to do that properly, it won’t matter how well-prepared you were the night before.’” A few deep breaths can go a long way to helping you identify frustration before you act on it. Mindy Jones, a middle school teacher from Brownsville, Tennessee, notes that “a moment of patience in a moment of frustration saves you a hundred moments of regret.”

Countless studies corroborate the idea that self-care reduces stress, which can deplete your energy and impair your judgment. While self-care is more of a habit or practice for your own well-being than an actual classroom management strategy, the benefits include improved executive function, greater empathy, and increased resilience—all qualities that will empower you to make better decisions when confronted with challenging classroom situations.

2. Focus on Building Relationships

This was the theme we heard the most: Building healthy student-teacher relationships is essential to a thriving classroom culture, and even sets the stage for academic success. The phrase “build relationships” occurred 27 times during the Facebook and Instagram discussions, and other variants of that wording appeared 78 times.

“Rapport is huge!” confirmed middle school teacher Kim Manzer, before adding that she always makes the time to talk to students as a whole class or one on one. Simple efforts like greeting kids outside the classroom before the start of the day pay outsized dividends. “They appreciate it so much when I just stop to listen and take interest.” Teacher Amanda Tait from Prince George, British Columbia, adds a little spice to the ritual: “I always meet them at the door and we do a ‘high-five, chicken-five,’ touching elbows with a ‘wing.’”

Yes! We high-five, chicken-five in agreement.

Many educators noted that a teacher’s ability to balance warmth and strong boundaries is key to successful relationships—and classroom management. “Be consistent but flexible. Love them unconditionally, but hold them accountable. Give them voice but be the leader,” said Rae Rudzinski.

3. Set Rules, Boundaries, and Expectations (and Do It Early)

Students don’t thrive amid chaos. They need some basic structure—and consistency—to feel safe and to focus.

But maintaining a culture of mutual respect doesn’t mean your goal is to “make pals,” noted middle school reading coach Heather Henderson. “You can’t be their friend. You can be kind, loving, and supportive, but you still have to be their teacher.” Establish the code of conduct early in the year, and be sure that everyone—including the teacher—makes an effort to stay true to it. Predictability counts: “Follow through with rewards and consequences. If you say it, mean it. And if you mean it, say it. Be clear, be proactive, and be consistent,” said Lori Sheffield.

There was broad consensus among educators that modeling appropriate classroom behavior sets the tone for children: “You make the weather,” said Diana Fliginger from Minot, North Dakota. “Your attitude as the teacher really determines what the tone and environment of your classroom is like. If you want calm and productive, project that to your kids.” Many others cautioned that while enforcing rules consistently is critical, it’s important to pick your battles too—especially if those confrontations are going to be public: “Instead, say, ‘You and I will talk about this later,’” advises Denise Tremblay Drapeau. “That way you can still address the issue while saving face. It completely changed the vibe in my classroom.”

4. Take a Strength-Based Approach

In a long back-and-forth about classroom management practices, it might have been the most memorable quote: “Find ways to make your hardest kid your favorite kid,” said Karen Yenofsky, turning a nearly perfect phrase and triggering an avalanche of teacher love. “When you connect with them... it makes everything smoother.”

That’s not easy, of course. A strength-based lens means never forgetting to look beneath the surface of behavior, even when it’s inconvenient. “Find the root of the problem,” urged teacher Judi Michalik of Bangor, Maine. “I have never met a student that doesn’t want to be successful. If they are misbehaving it is kind of like when a baby cries; there is something wrong in their world. If they are misbehaving for attention then find out why they need the attention and how you can give them what they need.”

And don’t forget to continue to work to deepen the connection, being mindful of the context and using language thoughtfully. “Don’t sound surprised when remarking on struggling students’ successes,” said Jenni Park, a teacher from Asheville, North Carolina. “Instead of saying, ‘Wow! That was amazing,’ it’s better to say, ‘I’m proud of you, but not surprised. I always knew you could do it.’”

Finally, cultural differences can also play an unconscious role in our expectations of whether a student will succeed, so it’s important to reflect on any stereotypes that come up for you. “Don't look at a single one of your kids as if they are deficit and in need of ‘guidance’ to become better,” says elementary educator Elijah Moore, drawing over 230 positive reactions. “Cultural difference does not equal cultural deficiency.”

5. Involve Parents and Guardians

“Never forget that every student is someone’s child,” writes Molly Francis, echoing many teachers in our thread. “Parents/guardians/caregivers want to hear that you see the good in their child. A positive connection with home can often help in the classroom.”

The popular apps Remind and ClassDojo were frequently praised, and appear to be well on the way to replacing phone calls—both from teachers to guardians, and in the other direction, too. “Let’s be honest,” wrote middle school teacher Kristin Ward. “If some parents had my personal cell number they would be calling all the time!”

The majority of teachers send home reports of both positive and negative behaviors—it’s critical to do the former, too—and also use email and text services to communicate about upcoming events, due dates, and student progress. “Catch them doing good and call their parents to let them know you noticed,“ suggests Barbara Rawson. And Kim Manzer (she’s so nice we quoted her twice) reminds fellow teachers that the benefits of parental communication find their way back to the classroom: “It’s important that parents are involved and know what’s going on so they can support and reinforce at home.”

FILED UNDER

• Classroom Management

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

• Samer RabadiOnline Community Engagement Manager@3seed
• Betty RaySenior Editor at Large@bettyray

To Develop Every Child Into a Reader:

• Everyday a child reads something they choose to read.
• Every child reads accurately
• Every child reads something they understand.
• Every child writes something that is personal and meaningful daily.
• Every child talks with peers about reading and writing.
• Every child hears an adult reader read fluently.

Coolidge Elementary Academic Goals for 2017- 2018

• All Students WILL achieve academically.
• Reading:  Increase reading proficiency by at least one grade level, and know their current F & P level.
• Math:  Increase math achievement by 10% with 80% mastery of math facts on grade level.  
• Writing:  Increase writing proficiency by 15%
• Student Attendance:  Increase student attendance to 98%.
• Increase Faculty Attendance to 98%

OKCPS Literacy Standards

          1^st Grade

          2^nd Grade

          3^rd Grade

          4^th Grade

          5^th Grade

          6^th Grade

OKCPS Math Standards

          Pre-K

          Kindergarten

          1^st Grade

          2^nd Grade

          3^rd Grade

          4^th Grade

          5^th Grade

          6^th Grade

Melissa Brett | Principal

Coolidge Elementary School | Oklahoma City Public Schools

5212 S. Villa, Oklahoma City, OK 73119

(405) 587-2800

(405) 208-1581 (cell)