Thursday April 21st, 2016

We will finish the ELA ISAT testing for 3rd and 4th grade today. Thank you for helping to keep those hallways quiet.

We are always striving to increase family involvement. Here are 3 ideas:

Encourage Involvement in the Classroom

Of all the high schools in the state, Twin Falls High School made #9. Very impressive. We have great public schools in Idaho, including our own school. I think Canyon Ridge should have been on the list:

High School

Love this thought:

Wednesday April 20th, 2016

Please make a note on your calendar. Next week is Secretaries Week, or also known as Administrative Assistants Week! Let's make next week a great week for Linda to remember.

Thank you to everybody for helping to keep the hallways quiet during testing on Tuesday. I didn't hear a sound. I heard a few staff members in the hall, and outside before school started, encouraging the younger students with their IRI testing and the older students with ISAT's. Thank you for doing that. Students have worked really hard this year, and they deserve the positive and kind words.

Great thought for the day from Kid President:

Tuesday April 19th, 2016

I think I've shared this article before. It discusses a great book. We all provide customer service. From opening the door for delivery people, to answering phones, to helping a child with an immediate need, to even helping a colleague with a task. And, students are watching and learning from you! What are the extra sprinkles that we give, that others will remember? We all provide customer service:

Sprinkles: Creating Awesome Experiences Through Innovative Service

We start the ELA ISAT for all 3rd and 4th grade students today. Please help keep those hallways quiet. Please also look for opportunities to provide encouragement to students. They have worked very hard all year.

Thought for the day:

Monday April 18th, 2016

Duties for the week: 
     
     AM Bus: Simson
                 Hammond
                 Terrell
     PM Bus: Lent
                 Sweet
                 Tahiri
     Lounge: Warner
 
 
  Meetings/Reminders for the week: 
   
   April 18th, 2016- Monday- IRI testing starts

   April 19th, 2016- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting

   April 20th, 2016- Wednesday- Eval Team

   April 22nd, 2016- Friday- Earth Day


Assessment Schedule for the week:

   April 19th, 2016- Tuesday- All 3rd and 4th: ELA CAT ISAT- 9:00 am

   April 21st, 2016- Thursday- All 3rd and 4th: ELA Performance Task ISAT- 9:00 am



Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements:

    Standley- Habit 1: Be Proactive


Here are a few pictures from this past week. Blended learning with devices, mustache giggles, and more:

Pictures This Week


This article is a bit long, but just fits perfectly with Harrison. Love this! You might bookmark so you can read a little bit at a time. So many great pieces that relate to our school and our students. Eliminating the school to prison pipeline with innovative practices that get results, like student leadership and restorative practices, are mentioned. Educating the whole child gets results. Mrs. Jensen and Ms. Reese were at the annual Prevention Conference this past week. Trauma informed schools! This topic was included, and Mrs. Jensen will be leading our next staff meeting as she shares the highlights:

School Conforms to Kids

The school mentioned in the article is also in this video:

Compassion in Schools- Trauma Informed Schools

Thought to start the week:

Friday April 15th, 2016

This article is a great reminder about how and why we give the consequences we give for behavior. It is important to look at each child individually, and to talk with children to better understand the underlying root pieces. Behavior is communication, and sometimes needs are expressed in an unloving way. There isn't a set discipline plan, but rather an individualized plan that is fair. The growth of our students with behavior and self-managing of their emotions has been impressive this year! Thank you for your patience with children, and being loving even when their behavior is unloving.

Just as the article suggests, involving students in the discussion of the possible consequence options like we do at Harrison is a better discipline plan:

Fairness With Behavior

Great point:

Thursday April 14th, 2016

This is a great article about digital citizenship. It doesn't matter if you are online or in person. What matters is being a great citizen. It doesn't matter if it is online on a device, a piece of a paper that is being written on, or a conversation with another person. What matters is being kind. This is a great article to share and discuss with students:

Digital Citizenship With Charlie Brown

Think of your students, think of your colleagues. We are developing leadership in everybody, everyday, and that's a real life skill that matters:

Wednesday April 13th, 2016

We have a staff meeting after school, and we will start at about 3:50 pm in the library.

This is a very relatable article for several of our students, and all of our students know other students in their classroom and school who are new to our country. What a great experience for our students! It is important to ensure that our students are globally literate. Our students have a great opportunity every day to learn and have conversations with diverse populations. Here are some ideas about bringing the immigrant experience to life in your classroom:

Teaching Poetry of the Immigrant Experience

Learning English is important, and it is very impressive this time of the year to see the progress of our second language students. Having knowledge of more than one language, even just a few phrases and words, opens doors for new experiences and opportunities. Here is a thought for the day from a Professor at Stanford that focuses on English Language Learners: