THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
Monday, September 12 — Metzger to Riley in AM
Tuesday, September 13 — Matt Wilhelm assembly (see schedule below)
Wednesday, September 14 — 5th grade Band Drum auditions 3:45 p.m.
Thursday, September 15 — Staff Breakfast hosted by PTA 8:00 a.m.
Fire Drill
Meet the Teacher Night Doors at 6:30; Presentations begin 7:00 p.m.
Friday, September 16 — Ryan Miller reading to 2nd grade classes
LOOKING AHEAD
9/19 — Metzger to Riley in PM
Band Instrument Fitting at Arno 6:00 p.m.
9/20 — Metzger to RESA in AM
Fire Drill
9/26 — NWEA Window opens
5th grade camp presentation at APCA 7:00 p.m.
9/27 -9/29– DIBELS Assessments grades K-5
9/27 — Lockdown drill
9/28 — Fall Picture Day
9/29 — Severe Weather Drill
PTA Back to School Picnic 6:00 p.m.
9/30 — PBIS Reward Picnic Lunch/Extra Recess
Speech Team Meeting 11:45 a.m.
WELCOME BACK
We are pleased to welcome some very special people back to Bennie this week! Our dear friend Cathy Gorski is returning to us following surgery in the spring. Also returning for the year are our Instructional Support Aides, Sue Mac, Kelly Paffhausen, Maureen Page, and Patty Porter! Please give them a warm welcome when you see them around the halls this week!
ASSEMBLY ON TUESDAY
We are grateful to our PTA for bringing the performer, Matt Wilhelm, for an exciting assembly on Tuesday with an anti-bullying message that aligns perfectly with our PBIS expectations. Check out info on Matt Wilhem here: Matt Wilhelm We will head to the APCA auditorium for this performance. Please plan to head over so you are seated when your assembly time begins:
9:30 a.m. K-2
10:30 a.m. 3-5
STAFF BREAKFAST
Please join us on Thursday morning for a breakfast hosted by our wonderful Bennie PTA! Please remember to join the PTA — check out the link below for membership forms. Your $7.00 membership supports so many wonderful things for our students and their families. We definitely want to continue our tradition of 100% staff membership!
MEET THE TEACHER NIGHT SCHEDULE
This Thursday is Meet the Teacher Night. Below is a schedule for the evening. We are trying something a little different this year and having some tables in the gym to give parents something to check out while waiting for the presentations to begin. Featured tables include PTA, PBIS (with gear for sale), Run Club, and Garden Club (produce for sale). If you have something else that could possibly be featured on this evening, please let me know! Schedule below:
6:30-7:00 — Title I Annual Parent Meeting in Media Center
Gym open with featured tables; Both hallway fire doors closed
7:00 — Parents head to classrooms for broadcast from office
7:15 — First classroom presentation begins
7:35 — Bell rings for passing time
7:40 — Second classroom presentation begins
8:00 — Presentations end — Final bell
SUMMER READING LOGS
Please remind students to return summer reading logs this week through Friday. Send all logs to the office labeled with student names! Top readers will be announced next week! We ended up logging over 260,000 minutes online with more in paper logs, which is up from last year!
GROWTH MINDSET VIDEOS
If you have not yet shown video #1 to your students yet, please plan to do so this week! If you have, here is video #2 in the series, along with lesson plans and activities if you’d like!
Post a comment below on how you are incorporating Class Dojo this year for a special surprise! Remember, ALL staff members can support our efforts with growth mindset, so feel free to post about how you can use this philosophy in the cafeteria, specials classes, as support staff, etc. 🙂
LEAVING YOUR CLASSROOM
If you leave the classroom at any time with your students that is not on the schedule (specials, computer lab, Friday Rewards), please call, email, or send a student to the office to notify us of your whereabouts. It is really challenging to explain to families why we can’t locate their little friends when they need to pick them up!
If you have a partner teacher for Book Buddies, please also send the information about your Book Buddy time and meeting space each week. I have shared the Google Sheet so we can share the info with each other! Thank you for your cooperation!
JEANS $
We will once again collect $40 from full-time staff members and $20 from part-time staff members for jeans on Fridays. This money will go to providing a scholarship for a former Bennie student at the HS Honors Convocation this spring. Our collection from last year remains in the account, so we can potentially offer multiple scholarships this year. We do need a Scholarship committee to investigate the process used by the other schools for similar scholarships and set up criteria for us to consider. Please let me know if you are interested in working on this! **Jeans money can be given to Michelle — labeled Jeans Scholarship $. Thank you!
FROM THE SPECIAL ED DEPARTMENT
Dear Elementary Staff,
SAFE SCHOOLS
Remember! Safe Schools modules are due October 31. No need to print your certificates of completion — I am able to view your progress online. Please let me know if you have any questions! Safe Schools Login
BOOK ORDERS
Many book orders arrived over the summer with all of the summer mail. Book order packets are in a mail bin near the left side of the mailboxes. Please feel free to find and take book orders from this bin. Leftovers will be recycled on Friday. Going forward, book orders addressed to you will be put in your mailbox, so please check your preferences on the Scholastic site so you are only receiving what you need!
LITERACY LIBRARY REMINDERS
Things to Know about the Literacy Library
2016-2017
1. Books are leveled by DRA levels in alphabetical order from left to right within each level. Any book that has an AR quiz has a label on the back to indicate what AR level it is. Sometimes, these levels do not align well. Use your professional judgment. Lower reading levels are closest to the door. Upper grade levels are closest to the windows.
2. There is now a Poetry book section starting on top of the shelves where the Macomb County materials used to be stored.
3. There is a binder for book check-out. Please, please use this binder. Do not take books out unless you’re willing to sign them out. There are multiple ways this information helps when ordering new books, seeking grants/funding and locating books for another staff member to use. It also prevents loss of books.
4. If you have a reliable Voice Volunteer and would like him/her to return and reshelf the books for you, please have them come on days that Cathy Gorski is not teaching at Bennie (M/W/F). The1st time they come let me know so I can show them how the room is arranged.
5. If something happens to a book, such as it gets misplaced or damaged, please let me know. At times, even with precautions, accidents happen. The books can be replaced sooner if I am given their titles/authors, etc.
6. If a book is in a set of 5 or 6, please take the entire set. We’ve found that when only one or two books are taken, the set doesn’t end up back together and colleagues have been frustrated when they realized the entire set wasn’t there. If it’s a large class set, use your discretion as to how many you take.
7. There is a binder with an inventory of books by title, level, Accelerated Reader level, etc. in the room. You will also receive an updated inventory via shared email. You can open and sort the list any way you want.
8. Please do not send students to get/return books without an adult. This is both for safety reasons and for consideration of Cathy Gorski and her aides’ work spaces.
FORMATIVE & SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
HELP DESK ACCESS
We are excited to announce the arrival of a new piece of Help Desk Software to allow us more efficiently take care of the districts ever growing technology needs.
EDUCATOR OPEN HOUSE AT THE HENRY FORD
Greetings educators,
We at The Henry Ford are inviting you and your colleagues to this year’s Fall Educator Open House on Saturday, September 24, 2016! This Fall, educators receive FREE admission for you and one additional guest to Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village.
“Must-See Viewing Sessions”
- 9:00AM and 10:00AM Learning with The Henry Ford– An overview of learning opportunities for educators offered by The Henry Ford. 20 minutes. Attending either Learning with The Henry Ford session gets you and your guest tickets to the Ford Rouge Factory Tour.
- 9:30AM and 10:30AM Digital Healthcare Opportunities Lesson Plan– Learn about how you can introduce your students to technology innovations and careers in the growing field of Digital Health, using a lesson plan developed by The Henry Ford and Henry Ford Innovation Institute. 20 minutes. Attending either Digital Healthcare session gets you and your guest tickets to the Giant Screen Theater.
“Website Introduction”
- 11:10AM-Website Introduction-Join our Curator of Digital Learning as he demonstrates the best ways for educators to use our online collections. Attending this session enters you into a raffle to win a free membership!
“Sensory Friendly Screening”
- Come experience a Sensory Friendly Screening where the lights are turned up and the sound is turned down to create a more comfortable, enjoyable experience for people with autism and other sensory issues/special needs creating an environment of flexibility and acceptance for anyone unable to sit down for the entire film. Sensory Friendly Screenings will now be an option that can be applied to Teacher’s Choice selections.
Other long-standing favorite resources and new programs from The Henry Ford will be highlighted at a “fair” of “Learn More Stations” in Henry Ford Museum.
Please visit our webpage to learn more about Educator Open House and to register:https://www.thehenryford.org/current-events/calendar/educator-open-house/
Please feel free to share this invitation with any of your colleagues who may be interested in attending.
Think big with learning resources and special discounts for teachers, students and restlessly curious minds. www.thehenryford.org/OnLearning.
It’s a great week to be a Bennie Bobcat!
I definitely plan to use the Class Dojo videos on growth mindset this year … I have a couple of questions about some of the other features. Val – I’m coming your way! 🙂
Sounds good!!! I’ll try to help the best I can 🙂
I plan on using class dojo to communicate how students are progressing in band this year. I also like that you can have a timeline so we can make posts outside of school and upload pictures from our classes. It also can act as another communication tool for parents.
I plan to use Class Dojo as well. Many families signed up for it the night the paper went home. I am excited to use the class story feature.
This year I am using the growth mindset videos to help my first graders gain a better understanding of “the power of yet”. I am also using Class Dojo to communicate with parents using the “class story” option by posting reminders, pictures, etc. Additionally, I am using Class Dojo to give my students positive points to reinforce positive behavior in the classroom and around the school.
I incorporate class dojo as you know every day and I show the videos as well. I love it! Teachers if you have any questions. Please ask! I tried something new this year and took my iPad to Music this week and Jeff wa able to give points. Kids loved it 🙂
Lets have another great week at Bennie!
I plan to start with the class dojo videos and growth mind set videos. I am still reading about what other things I plan to try. I will for sure ask questions. Hope everyone has a great week!!
I changed how I am using Class Dojo this year. The point system I am using more closely matches our PBIS expectations. Students have enjoyed the Growth Mindset videos, as well. It is helpful for starting out the school year on the right foot. I am looking forward to utilizing Class Story this year also. 🙂
I plan to use Class Dojo for the whole class to earn points as a collective whole to support the idea of a classroom community where everyone works together and/or to award individual points once or twice a day that align with their color card. I have not used it before so I am eager to learn more and give it a try.
I plan to start with the growth mindset videos and go from there 😊.
I showed the videos about the growth mindset as well. I love that they are brief and the kids enjoy them. We also had a brief discussion after each one along with the power of “yet”. I plan on looking more into the the other options that Class Dojo has added.
Growth mindset videos.
Children enjoyed the mindset videos.
Thank you for sharing.
It is great to be a part of our wonderful team.
I have already watched 2 videos. I am planning on watching more. I need to explore Class DoJo more and I already having some questions.
I have heard amazing things about Class DoJo. Honestly, I get overwhelmed thinking of incorporating it with the number of students I see in a week. After watching these videos, however, I see there are still ways I can incorporate it into my classes. Thanks for the reminder!
I will continue to use class dojo as I did last year. The kids earn points daily and are able to shop for rewards once a month. I will also be showing the growth mind set videos.
I have already used the first video, plan on using all I can.
Would like to hear more about mind set videos and how they work
Ii have seen a positive change in a classroom with a simple unspoken dojo point. It really changes the behavior in the classroom.