March 8, 2019

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Happy Friday! Looks like another lovely Iowa weekend. Thank you for all the follow up questions on the ISASP. I know we will have some bugs that will need to be worked out and issues will arise on the test day. If it is a technology issue, Bruce will have someone in the building the day of the tests so please buzz the office and we will get assistance to you. If it is any other issue, please be patient as we try to remedy issues as they arise.

 A few questions I had asked about the ISASP after people left and I felt everyone should hear the answers. 

 Q1. What about the student who failed Freshmen English last year and is in both Freshmen and Sophomore English this year? 

 A1. The student will just test during Sophomore English. During Freshmen English send him/her to study hall. Please let Susan know if you are sending a student there. 

 Q2. What about the student honor code that needs to be developed?

 A2. I will work with Judd and Melissa to come up with something to be read to the students. We will have you read it in class prior to the test and will also have it read on Monday and Tuesday of that week over the intercom a couple times each day. 

 Q3. I have seniors for advisory, what should I do during the Wednesday testing?

 A3. Senior advisory teachers will be assigned to work with a couple of other advisory teachers to give them breaks during the 2 hour session.

 On Wednesday, I attended a workshop on 504s. I learned that if the student is not using the accommodation all the time, the accommodation is not needed. For example, extended time is a common accommodation you see on our 504s. If the student never uses extended time, then it needs to be removed from the 504. We also can't just write extended time on the state assessments, they need to be using extended time on their classroom assessments. I'll be going through our current 504s and will be asking if students are using accommodations.

 I would like to start meeting with departments to go over numbers so when a decision is made about the financial literacy course and our PE waiver we are ready to create a master schedule. I would like to have these meetings on Tuesday. Please shoot me an email on which room your department wants to meet in.

Reminder requisitions are due Monday. Please make sure you put FY 19-20 in the comment section or I'll have to reject it. If you have questions, please look at the requisition sheet that was in your mailbox. 

Have a great weekend!
Mark

Students at Leaders

Good Luck to the IE Speech students at State IE Speech, Saturday at Woodbury Central.

Staff News


Staff as Learners


Assistant Principal's Happenings

Loving the snow that we most recently got - it seems like forever since we have had any :)

Congratulations to our Boy's State Representatives for the 2019 summer: Kevin Van Otterloo and Jack Johnson have been chosen to represent Le Mars Community in June and Jacob Manley along with Jake Franksen-Small have been chosen as alternates!  If you see these young men, please congratulate them!

Our next school dance has been canceled due to other conflicts in our calendar this year.  Thank you for consideration in chaperoning the dance and we look forward to your help at PROM 2019!

 Resources of all kinds - notes from the Librarian
Fake news is still the rage (in fact, we have a new book on it in the library that came yesterday). However, Jennifer LaGarde, (Library Girl) writes an interesting blog on the fact that we should educate our students with media literacy vocabulary that will give them a better understanding of the types of fake news. In fact, she shares a Google slide show of which you can use and edit to adapt for your classroom. You can click on this link but then click on File and MAKE A COPY so you can edit it to your needs. (and I apologize for the goofy font colors and such here - for whatever reason, this came off as white on white so I had to add all kinds of things to get the post to show up!)

Instructional Coach's Technology Tidbits

For those of you using ipads, you can markup an image with the Photos app on an iPhone or iPad. It is kind of hidden: Tap a photo's Edit button, then the More icon, then Markup.

Upload a photo to http://online.photoscissors.com . Mark what to keep with green and what to remove with red. See the results instantly, and download as a PNG with a transparent background.


As we are getting ready for the last quarter of the year, if there is some way that together we can achieve your student achievement goals, please contact me as early as possible so I can reserve the times you want on my calendar.

Success Center

Another effective teaching method to use with struggling readers is the "I Do, We Do, You Do" model.  Also called the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR), this method takes the student from explicit teaching to independent learning.  Recent models add an extra step along the way: partner work that provides students with guided practice with a peer.  Now, the model has four steps: I Do (Focused Teaching), We Do (Guided Instruction), You Do Together (Collaborative Learning), You Do It Alone (Independent Learning.)  For our struggling readers and ELL students, adding collaboration to a lesson is critical for mastery and comprehension.

The four steps in the model are not linear - students can move back and forth from step to step as needed for mastery.  The important thing is to use the data collected to drive instruction.  Here are examples of activities you might see in each step:

Focused Teaching: Teacher leads instruction and students observe.  This might include note taking, modeling, think-aloud, shared reading and writing examples.

Guided Instruction: Teacher leads and students participate.  This article by Fisher and Frey is a great explanation of how to use formative data to drive instruction.  Examples of activities might include questions, prompts, cues, and guided reading.

Collaborative Learning: Students use academic learning to work together with a partner.  Students work collaboratively, and teachers provide support as needed. Examples of activities might include reciprocal teaching, partner reads, and productive group work.

Independent Learning: During independent tasks, students synthesize and apply learning in new ways.  Examples include performance assessments, rubrics, authentic projects, and exemplars.

Video Worth Watching



Upcoming Activities

Saturday, March 9
8:00 am State IE Speech Contest @ Woodbury Central
Tuesday, March 12
4:30 pm Varsity/JV Boy/Girl Track @ Buena Vista University

Saturday, March 16
Show Choir @ Hinton Show Choir Invitational

Sunday, March 17
Show Choir Banquet

Monday, March 18

7:45 am NHS Induction practice

6:30 pm NHS Induction Ceremony



Tuesday, March 19

7:30 pm HS Vocal Recital



Saturday, March 23

State Solo/Small Ensemble Contest

12:00 pm Varsity/JV Boy/Girl Track @ SDSU



Monday, March 25

8:00 am IE Speech All-State Festival @ Cedar Falls



Tuesday, March 26

5:00 pm Varsity/JV Boy/Girl Track @ Unity Christian

Monday, April 1
11:00 am Boy/Girl Varsity Track @ USD
6:00 pm ICAN College Planning/Financial Aide Night

 Tuesday, April 2
4:00 pm Boys JV/Varsity Tennis vs. Sioux City East
4:30 pm Boy/Girl JV/Varsity Track @ SBL

 Thursday, April 4
Sine Nomine Honor Band @ Spencer
4:00 pm Boy JV/Varsity Golf vs. Western Christian @ Willow Creek
4:00 pm Girl JV/Varsity Tennis @ Spirit Lake
4:00 pm Boy JV/Varsity Tennis vs. Spirit Lake
5:00 pm Boy JV/Varsity Track @ Cherokee

 Friday, April 5
4:00 pm Boy JV/Varsity Golf @ Hinton
5:00 pm Music Booster Pancake Supper
5:00 pm Girl JV/Varsity Track @ Cherokee


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