October 17th-21st #amazing

Here are some amazing things seen around Star! 

Thank you for all you do to make our school so amazing!

Kindness Capes!

How is your day going? "AMAZING!" he said

All smiles

Kahooting in 2nd grade

Teamwork!

Rainy day lunch rocks kindergarten!

Small group math in Mrs. Evan's class

4th grade Whip Nae Nae 

Also, many of you have shared that you would like feedback! Amy and I would love to do that for you, but we weren't sure what kind of feedback you would like. Here is a Google form to fill out if you'd like us to get in your room for some formal/informal feedback, or if you would like a colleague to come in and check out your class. And if you are interested in getting in to some of your colleague's classrooms to see anything (management, workshop, writing, GLAD, anything!), here is a link to the classroom daily schedules. If your's isn't here yet, please add here. Thanks!

Dates & Details
Oct 17 Grade level differentiation starts  -- goal for day 1 is just setting kids up for success with transitions and getting them where they need to go and how to get there, setting up your expecations, routines and procedures, and learning their names. :)
Oct 19 Grade level meeting
Oct 22 A3WP Super Saturday at Star
Oct 24-28 Book Fair
Oct 24-28 Red Ribbon Week
Oct 26 Jog a thon
Oct 26 PIP Wednesday
Oct 31 Halloween dress up day- no masks, weapons or face makeup
Nov 1 minimum day- Ed Camp with Stoneridge (at Star- PLTW & Workshop) 1:00
Nov 7-10 Parent conferences (minimum days)
Nov 11 Veteran’s day- no school
Nov 21-25 Thanksgiving break

Reading is Our Super Power!

Over the summer, many of you participated in our Voxer Book Whisperer Book Club! With the success of our first Star book club, we thought it might be fun to start another book club or two with some other books many of you have shown interest in. Some books we were thinking about: The Five Love Languages of Children, Reading in the Wild, and PBL in the Elementary Grades. The book chats would be informal and allow you the opportunity to connect and share with others about your take aways, challenges, and obstacles in your reading. If you are interested in participating, please complete the google form below. Once we get an idea of who would like to join and which book, we will be placing an order for the books. Of course, these are always optional, and if there is another book you would like to read, let us know! We can certainly have more than one club going at a time :)

Book club google form

October 10th-14th #chchchchanges

So.... things change!
Last year I had big dreams and big plans about our staff meetings and professional learning. I still like the idea, but for now  I'm putting the teacher led PD around PBL, Data, and Connected Community on the back burner. We will still cover these topics through our work together, but in opening our new school I can see that we need time in grade levels to talk about Project Lead the Way, the online math curriculum, and data related to sharing students in our differentiation block. We'll need to talk about report cards, and parent conferences are in November. Goal setting and portfolios are coming, too. Many of these topics require some dedicated grade level time, as well as some whole staff time. So, in the next few months I'll be shifting the planned PD schedule related to all of these needs. I will do my best to make sure that you have two Wednesdays dedicated to grade level collaboration on late start Wednesdays. This coming Wednesday at our meeting we'll discuss the schedule and changes. Thanks for all  you are doing, and have a great break!


Dates & Details:

Oct 7-11 Fall break-- enjoy!
October 12 8:00-9:00 staff meeting in library
October 13th 5:00 PM Ice Cream Scoop Night and Stars Parent Group Meeting (6:00)
October 19 Grade level meeting 
October 22 A3WP Super Saturday at Star!

Oct 24-28 Book Fair
October 26- Jog a thon!
Oct 26 PIP Wednesday
October 31 Halloween dress up day 

Nov 1 Minimum day- Ed Camp with Stoneridge (at Star-- PLTW & Workshop!)

Nov 7-10 Parent conferences (minimum days)

Nov 11 Veteran’s day- no school
Nov 21-25 Thanksgiving break

Reading is our Superpower!
As you enjoy your fall break, we hope you have a chance to relax and read!

October 3rd- 7th #moments

Yesterday was an interesting day! Grass arrived, kinder kids were dressed in farm outfits, and a TKer threw up on my foot. Typical day, really, filled with meetings, a few kids needing support and all of the usual Friday things. And my stack of Caught Being Awesome pile was staring at me. Three minutes until drop off and I decided to make one call. I picked up the phone and called the mom of a 5th grader new to our school. 

" Hi, this is Mrs. Kloczko calling from Star Academy -- it's not an emergency. I'm calling to tell you that your son was caught being awesome! He cleaned up his classroom and set it all up for a training happening next week. I  just wanted to let you know he's having a great day."

Silence.

And then, "Thank you. What a great call to get." I could hear her voice breaking. "I've never gotten a call like this before. Thank you."

And out to pickup I went. I'm so glad I made that call. It was the best three minutes of an exhausting and emotional week. And so, as we head into fall break, I'm looking for more moments like this. Focusing on one kid at a time, three minutes at a time. Hang in there! This has been the most amazing and challenging start to a school year and you are all incredible-- even if you can't see it or feel it. 

Dates & Details:

October 3-6 GLAD demo in Franchesca's room
October 6th- Wednesday PD-- this week will be open agenda, time for you to catch up and breathe. We will get to Workshop later :) Enjoy the time.

Oct 7-11 Fall break-- enjoy!
October 13th 5:00 PM Ice Cream Scoop Night and Stars Parent Group Meeting (6:00)

Oct 24-28 Book Fair
October 26- Jog a thon!

Nov 1 Minimum day 

Nov 7-10 Parent conferences (minimum days)

Nov 11 Veteran’s day- no school
Nov 21-25 Thanksgiving break

September 26th-30th #everyoneWINS #whatyouneed

Everybody has needs... that means you too! Just like our students, you too have needs that must be met to be the best you can be. Please take a moment to think about what, at this point in the school year, would make a difference for you as a leader and teacher. Remember, we believe everyone on our campus is a teacher! Kids are learning so much by watching us :) Whether you are a classroom teacher, campus supervisor, administrative assistant, custodian, IT, instructional assistant, student teacher, or any other role, you have needs to. What do YOU need to be successful in your role so that you can be your best for kids? What do you need personally to help you be the best you? It can be anything! (An outlet to talk and bounce ideas off of, classroom management ideas, positive behavior strategies, workshop ideas, how to log into your math program, resources, and the list goes on!) After taking a few moments, please add your own slide about something you feel you need right now to reach your full superpower! 

Dates & Details:

Sept 26th minimum day  -- Kids WIN Time (Kids: What I Need!) Data dig, goal setting and group planning -- 1:00-3:00 in the library  Please bring your laptop, notebook, and something to write with.
September 28th- 8:00-9:00 PIP brainstorming in library
September 29th - 7:30-8:00 open work time / new teacher cohort w/ Maria
October 3-6 GLAD demo in Franchesca's room

Oct 7-11 Fall break
October 13th 5:00 PM Ice Cream Scoop Night and Stars Parent Group Meeting (6:00)

Oct 24-28 Book Fair

Nov 1 minimum day

Nov 7-10 Parent conferences (minimum days)

Nov 11 Veteran’s day- no school
Nov 21-25 Thanksgiving break

Reading Is Our Super Power! 

Here are some resources for Reader's Workshop!

Do you have any great workshop links or ideas to share? Leave a comment on the blog!
http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/readingworkshop.php
https://readersworkshopk6.wikispaces.com/Major+Components+of+Readers+Workshop
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top_teaching/2009/10/reading-workshop 

September 16th-23rd #littlethings

Time keeps flying by, and next week we will have been in school a month! Although it still feels so new, and we are still very much at the beginning of our journey as a new school community, there are so many little things I notice every day that shows just how amazing our school community and you all are. Today at lunch recess a new TK student found me on the playground and told me that the "boy over there is lonely" and pointed to a kindergarten student seated along the fence. When I arrived there, four little TKers were asking him what was wrong and if he wanted to play. Tonight a 2nd grader new to Star headed out to his car with his dad and just before opening the door to get in, he walked over to hug me. I received a vox from a kinder parent telling me that her daughter had come home saying that she loves Ms. Hausman because she is kind and when someone does something wrong she uses a calm voice at the carpet. A fifth grade parent new to Star at drop off shouts to his son, "I LOVE COMING TO THIS PLACE!" And there are no more tears at TK lunch! So many little things! And yet it's all of the little things that add up to make school feel so good. Thank you for all of the little and big things you each do every day to make school a happy place for kids. What are the little things you are seeing or hearing? Add to our #littlethings Padlet wall!

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

And this video is just one of my favorites! Maybe something to share with families before or at Back to School Night!

Dates & Details
Sept 1-Sept 20 CELDT testing-- Amy finished the initials! BOOM! 

Sept 19- Back to School Night 5-6:30pm  Teacher info here
September 21st- Star In Motion Dance Team tryouts at afternoon recess
September 21st - Star Staff meeting-
September 22nd- Connected Community PD (Amy, Jennifer & Caroline lead)
September 23rd- 7:30-8:00  Connected Community work time *optional
September 22nd- PM and 23rd all day- Jennifer non-contract days

Sept 26th minimum day  -- Kids WIN Time (Kids: What I Need!) Data dig, goal setting and group planning
September 28th- 8:00-9:00 PIP brainstorming in library
September 29th - 7:30-8:00 open work time / new teacher cohort w/ Maria
October 3-6 GLAD demo in Franchesca's room

Oct 7-11 Fall break
October 13th 5:00 PM Ice Cream Scoop Night and Stars Parent Group Meeting (6:00)

Oct 24-28 Book Fair

Nov 1 minimum day

Nov 7-10 Parent conferences (minimum days)

Nov 11 Veteran’s day- no school
Nov 21-25 Thanksgiving break

Reading Is Our Super Power!

This week's feature?

Check out the hashtag #IMWAYR or Jen Vincent's blog to find out an easy and fun way to blog about what you're reading each week! Whether you write as a teacher or with your class, this is a fun way to write and celebrate what you are reading! 

Here's Jen's #IMWAYR post from this week! And if you you Google It's Monday! What are you reading, you'll find so many posts! What are you reading? Post in the comments! I'm just finishing up a sad one. But I loved it.

Have a GREAT weekend!

September 8th-15th #yet

image credit

YET.
"It happens every year without fail. We get a few days in, the year slowly starting, and all of a sudden it hits me; I am doing something wrong. Whatever I thought I was good at, I am clearly not. After all, how can anyone feel this exhausted and consider themselves good at anything?" ~Pernille Ripp (check out her blog post here)

Whether it is your first year or your 21st year, starting a new year is EXHAUSTING. Add to that the challenges of opening a brand new campus with no keys, no internet, and so many new faces, it might seem impossible. It certainly doesn't feel amazing. Not yet.

Yet. Such a little word, and yet it hold so much promise for the future. Even if you don't feel it, the kids do. The families do. We do. Your smile, your kindness, your strength, and your patience are all tiny seeds being planted that will bloom eventually. Thank you for all you are doing to help our 

school grow! 

Dates & Details

Sept 1-Sept 20 CELDT testing 

Sept 12-15 GLAD demo

Sept 19 Back to School Night 5-6:30pm

Sept 26 minimum day

Oct 7-11 Fall break

Oct 24-28 Book Fair

Nov 1 minimum day

Nov 7-10 Parent conferences (minimum days)

Nov 11 Veteran’s day- no school

Nov 21-25 Thanksgiving break

Reading is our superpower!

What are you reading? You may have noticed a new empty shelf in the staff room... it's for sharing books! I added a few books to the shelf that I've read recently that I loved. Feel free to add your own or take one! ~Jennifer

September 5th-September 9th

Never forget that you can make a difference in a child's life. Building relationships and being a champion for your students will allow you greater success in your classroom along with greater achievement of your students. Try and take a moment this week to make a connection with a student you haven't had time to connect with on a more personal real human level and see the difference your relationship with that student can make in a short period of time. Did you know one of your many superpowers is being a champion to kids?

Dates & Details
Starting September 6th Morning Duty Schedule
September 1 Sept 20 CELDT testing
September 5 Labor day- no school
September 7 ***7:30-8:30 BTSN conversation
September 7 **** 8:30-8:50 Star Academy ribbon cutting ceremony on playground
September 12-15 GLAD demo
September 14 8:00-9:00 Grade level/BTSN planning
September 19 BTSN 5-6:30 (schedule coming)
September 26 minimum day
October 7-11 Fall break
October 24-28 Book fair
November 1 minimum day
November 7-10 Parent conferences (minimum days)
November 11 Veteran's day- no school
November 21-25 Thanksgiving break

Differentiation Schedule: (starting in October)
Monday/ Tuesday/ Thursday
8:30-8:50 Star In Motion (no groups 1st-5th)

TK TBD
1st Grade 9:00-9:35
2nd Grade 10:30-11:00
5th Grade 11:35-12:05
4th Grade 12:10- 12:40
3rd Grade 2:00-2:30

Next week we will be starting our read-alouds to all classes with last year's Newbery award winner! Since we have so many classrooms, Amy and I will be dividing up the classes. We will be playing around with scheduling these, but to start with we have created a google doc for you to add a time that might work each day (maybe reader's workshop?) that we could stop in for 5-10 minutes. We are hoping to read the book to all classes by the end of the month, so no rush to fit in next week! The book trailer is below in case you'd like to check it out!

Have a great weekend!