Thursday Thriller
October 12, 2023
Photos from the Field
This week the photos are personal. My dad and the basketball team he coached in 1968-69 were inducted into the Silverton HS Hall of Fame. I'm blessed beyond measures for many reasons. However, the biggest blessings were both of my parents were able to attend this gala and I was able to hear first hand the impact my dad had on players and the community of Silverton. I share this because YOU are making a difference! You may not hear, see or know of the impact until your are 85 (hopefully you won't have to wait that long. 😆) but this week we had a record turn out for conferences. Parents wanted to meet you, talk with you and THANK YOU for the work you do for all students. I think I can speak for Nicole, we are PROUD to lead, serve and walk this journey side-by-side with this Garrison staff.
Enjoy your weekend~
Kim
Nuts-n-Bolts
1. THANKYOU OCTOBER Social Committee Members! The chili and fixings were DELISHISH!!!
2. Conference turn out was AMAZING!!! Tuesday Night-WOW! Today, it looked like a pretty steady stream of parents. Parents shared how thankful they were for each of you and the work you do for all kids!
If you had a conference that didn't go particularly well, Nicole and I are here to process with you. We are willing to follow up with parents if you would like. Conferences are a time for conversations, civil advocacy and seeking to understand. Please come see us if want to vent, share and/or follow up with families.
3. SPIRIT WEEK!!!! While it isn't the 80's NEON day it still brings back some fond memories LOL Let's light it up on MONDAY!!!!
3. Unity Day lessons are on Tuesday, Oct 17th. Our SEL/PBIS Team have some fun things planned. This team will have everything for you. Wednesday is WEAR ORANGE day with lunch time activities.
4. Mark Thompson will be here on Tuesday the 17th. We thought presenting to all students would be beneficial. However, Mark's thinking was to take 25 students who are influencers, leaders, students other kids will follow and speak to them for 30 mins around anti-bullying and the strength behind student leadership. Here is the list of students that we thought to be the influencers. Some have gotten into a little bit of trouble but Mark said that was okay as long as it wasn't consistent and not A LOT of trouble. Students will receive an invitation on Monday and another call slip on Tuesday. Students will meet in Luciano's room #167 from 10:00-10:30; this was the time Mark had available.
5. Tuesday is our first Chat with the Admin. There will be two sessions. The first is 8:00-8:50 and the second is 6:00-7:00. Both sessions are in person AND parents can Zoom into the evening session as well. The goal is to talk with parents about what Garrison is doing, share our building goals, Promise Standards reporting, helping parents understand the importance of homework and time for Q & A. If any staff member would like to attend, you are always invited. Please let Nicole and me know if there are topics we should cover.
6. Thursday, Oct. 19th at 10:19ish with be the Earthquake drill. Please review with your students.
Something to Ponder
An observation made while visiting classrooms, as well as, follow up conversations with staff have been focused on: lack of all students participating in class discussions; same students raise their hands and participate. "How do I get all my students to participate?"
It's no secret. I am fan of Teach Like a Champion. This book is focused on excellence in the classroom through strategies and procedures in which students are doing the heavy cognitive lifting.
One technique is No Opt Out. No Opt. No Opt Out sets the stage for high academic standards. The expectation that it's not OK to not try. EVERYBODY learns in a high-performing classroom. Change "I don't know" and/or shrugging off passively when asked a question to holding students accountable and taking responsibility for their learning. This technique also helps a student who truly does not know the answer because it rehearses success.
What happens if you allow students not to answer the questions you ask them? "The consequences of teachers allowing students not to answer include erosion of their authority in the eyes of students, normalization of a pattern of opting out and not participating, fewer opportunities for students to experience success, and a conviction among students who opt out that you're not invested in their success." (page 140 of TLC 2.0 Guide Book)
This is a quick 44 sec clip of a teacher using No Opt Out. Now, you may say, "It's a private school. Seems strict." Regardless, at the end of the day we need our students to engage and not opt out of their learning.
Success WILL come if we commit to holding students accountable using the same language; ALL staff consistently. Students will learn that in each class there is NO opting out. Same language and same expectations have proven successful with cell phones.
I have Teach Like a Champion books if you would like to borrow one. If there is interest, I am more than willing to do a book study with clock hours.
Hope you find a gold nugget.
QUOTE
How could this quote pertain to you and your PLT colleagues?
