Dear colleagues,
Can we please inform, implement and monitor that students cannot buy e.g. nori or any other snacks as part of their lunch. The reason is that most of those snacks are unhealthy supplements for their lunch and students seem to eat less healthy or even not finish their lunch after a sweet snack or a packet of nori. Students can buy snacks and nori after school.
ES Leadership Team Communication
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Recess Protocols Highlights
Please read the Recess Protocols carefully to ensure that we all follow the same expectations and routines in the morning and during the recesses.
Before School
All teachers are responsible for ensuring that those students who arrive between 8:10-8:25 and bring in their bags go outside in the morning
Supervising assistants are responsible for letting students in safely.
Class lines are not necessary for grades 1-5 as long as the students walk in.
Before School on rainy days:
Pre-K/KA - KB in Multipurpose room
Grades 1 - 5 in the ELAC Gym
Supervising assistants are responsible for ensuring that students walk from the gym to their classrooms.
Morning Recess
Please check the morning recess schedule here.
At least one teacher per grade level supervises outside.
Teachers are also responsible for ensuring that students go outside. No library option at this time.
Students are let inside the building after they have formed lines and the playground equipment is back in the shed.
Shed must be locked after the Morning Recess
Rainy day: Students stay in their classrooms and are supervised by their classroom teachers.
Lunch & Recess
Students in Grade 1 start lunch at 12:00 (As students become more skillful in collecting their food in the cafeteria the start time can move closer to 12:10)
Students in Grade 2-5 start lunch at 12:15
Recess starts at 12:25 (students can stay and finish their lunch after this)
Students are asked to line up at 12:55
Rainy day: Pre-K/KA and KB in the Multipurpose Room, Grades 1 - 3 in the ELAC Gym, Grades 4-5 in the Atrium or Library.
All classroom teachers must pick up their students from outside or gym (This is to ensure that we can follow up any conflict or emerging tension immediately and effectively)
Before School
All teachers are responsible for ensuring that those students who arrive between 8:10-8:25 and bring in their bags go outside in the morning
Supervising assistants are responsible for letting students in safely.
Class lines are not necessary for grades 1-5 as long as the students walk in.
Before School on rainy days:
Pre-K/KA - KB in Multipurpose room
Grades 1 - 5 in the ELAC Gym
Supervising assistants are responsible for ensuring that students walk from the gym to their classrooms.
Morning Recess
Please check the morning recess schedule here.
At least one teacher per grade level supervises outside.
Teachers are also responsible for ensuring that students go outside. No library option at this time.
Students are let inside the building after they have formed lines and the playground equipment is back in the shed.
Shed must be locked after the Morning Recess
Rainy day: Students stay in their classrooms and are supervised by their classroom teachers.
Lunch & Recess
Students in Grade 1 start lunch at 12:00 (As students become more skillful in collecting their food in the cafeteria the start time can move closer to 12:10)
Students in Grade 2-5 start lunch at 12:15
Recess starts at 12:25 (students can stay and finish their lunch after this)
Students are asked to line up at 12:55
Rainy day: Pre-K/KA and KB in the Multipurpose Room, Grades 1 - 3 in the ELAC Gym, Grades 4-5 in the Atrium or Library.
All classroom teachers must pick up their students from outside or gym (This is to ensure that we can follow up any conflict or emerging tension immediately and effectively)
Back to School Night Guidelines
Back to School Night
Purpose of the Back to School Night
Back to school night is upon us next week. We will have our school building full of curious and happy
parents willing to hear about all the amazing learning opportunities CA Elementary School has to offer daily basis.
The purpose of the Back to School Night is to help parents to learn to know their teachers, feel that their children are
cared for, learn an overview of the kinds of learning is taking place in their classroom, and that they
know their role as parents in supporting their child's learning. It is a unique opportunity for us to demonstrate
the core values of the school and the IB PYP. The time is limited, so we have to be effective and succinct with
our communication. Let's think about our audience, their background, and the expectations for our event.
Agenda for the teachers' presentation should include at least the following:
- Introduction of the teacher(s) and assistants in the grade level- Overview of the daily routines for learning, school's policy on homework, Student Handbook
classroom expectations
- General and practical information about Units of Inquiry, language, and math programs
- Suggestions/ideas on how to best support their child at home
- When/how do the parents hear about their child's progress, ES reporting cycle
- Suggestions/ideas on how to best support their child at home
- When/how do the parents hear about their child's progress, ES reporting cycle
- What is their role as parents in supporting their child's learning (Dos and Don'ts)
Presentation guidelines:
General guidelines:
- Collaborative planning to ensure a common message
- Classroom teachers decide how much time is spent together and how much separately
- It is important to give parents the opportunity to spend time in their child's classroom.
- It is important to give parents the opportunity to spend time in their child's classroom.
Even if it was only a few minutes in the end.
- Consider, whether the students would write/draw a message to their parents and/or vice versa
- Heikki will announce changes as well as when the BTSN are over via PA system
- Consider, whether the students would write/draw a message to their parents and/or vice versa
- Heikki will announce changes as well as when the BTSN are over via PA system
Suggestions for effective presentations:
- Interactive, positive, avoid lecturing
- If you use slide shows avoid text-heavy slides
- Prefer demonstrations and/or games over lengthy explanations
- Consider having a brief slideshow of the students/teachers in the grade level
- Use exit cards or similar activity to gauge Q&A
- Encourage and offer separate appointment times for individual parent questions/concerns
- If you want your parents to know more about certain areas of learning, consider providing home readings
Logistical Support
Signs will be posted in hallways
Kae, Yoshiko will help parents to navigate between the different places- Interactive, positive, avoid lecturing
- If you use slide shows avoid text-heavy slides
- Prefer demonstrations and/or games over lengthy explanations
- Consider having a brief slideshow of the students/teachers in the grade level
- Use exit cards or similar activity to gauge Q&A
- Encourage and offer separate appointment times for individual parent questions/concerns
- If you want your parents to know more about certain areas of learning, consider providing home readings
Logistical Support
Signs will be posted in hallways
BTSN schedule copied to parents
Monday, August 29, 2016
Cognitive Coaching: Professional Learning Opportunity
Dear colleagues,
Cognitive Coaching is about growing and developing oneself as a learner and educator as well as helping your colleagues grow within the learning organization.
The Cognitive Coaching Process
Cognitive Coaching is about growing and developing oneself as a learner and educator as well as helping your colleagues grow within the learning organization.
The Cognitive Coaching Process
Cognitive Coaching uses a three-phase cycle similar to teacher evaluation through clinical supervision: preconference, observation, and post conference. The primary difference between Cognitive Coaching and evaluation is that Cognitive Coaching uses these cycles for the sole purpose of helping the teacher improve instructional effectiveness by becoming more reflective about teaching. While the preconference requires a teacher to articulate the day's goals and the post conference calls for assessment, the teacher, not the coach, evaluates the lesson's success.
Rooted in the clinical supervision theories of Goldhammer and Cogan, Cognitive Coaching adds to clinical supervision the dimension of enhancing teachers' intellectual growth (Costa and Garmston 1985, in press; Garmston 1990). It requires extensive coaching skills and teaches a set of strategies for creating a school environment that fosters teachers' abilities to make changes in their own thinking and teaching. The process supports informed teacher decision making.
The ultimate goal of Cognitive Coaching is teacher autonomy: the ability to self-monitor, self-analyze, and self-evaluate. In early cycles of Cognitive Coaching, the coach must draw these capacities from the teacher, but as the cycles continue, a teacher begins to call upon them internally and direct them toward an area of personal interest.
Cognitive Coaching raised to consciousness a self-evaluation and self-analysis procedure. Teachers internalized questions that were asked of them and began asking those themselves: How did you know the lesson was a success? How did you feel about the lesson? How can you use what we have discussed in future lessons? Questions like these helped broaden my awareness of not only the success of my students, but the success of my teaching.
ASCD, Educational Leadership: Volume 51, Number 2
Cognitive Coaching participants are expected to commit themselves for minimum of 2-year-training process including weekend workshops, practicing coaching with their colleagues as well as functioning as coaches at Canadian Academy. The following faculty members have been confirmed for the training as of today.
Saiko Mayhew
Aimee Moore
Kim Conlin
Trevor Rehel
Many others have expressed their interest. However, now is the opportunity to sign up for this professional development by sending an email to Heikki by Thursday morning (1 September, 2016). There is a limited number of spots left, so please act swiftly.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Weekly Update, Monday 29 August, 2016
August 29
Dear colleagues,
Thank you all for the great start of the year. Wonderful collaboration, great interaction with students and overall smooth transition from holidays to school life. We hope you had a good little break during the weekend. Let’s take a deep breath and see how we can handle the first full week. We are sure the students will be rather exhausted by the end of the week. Please, take a lot of photos of the first events at school and share them with Rob and Kae-san for communication in general and our Facebook page. Stephen Taylor has sent out the John Joseph schedule. Please note, that teachers are expected to join the learning with the students. Specialists, Learning Support and ESOL, can pick the best time and group for them.
Finally, just to remind all that we will be continuing posting our curriculum updates on the class websites and in the resource folders for the specialists. Kaight Forgi is planning to launch a PE blog to be linked to each class website to create a similar page to PE and Library for students and parents to explore. Can we have all the class website posts uploaded as soon as possible? If you don't remember how, please ask Kae-san to help. We are sending a message to parents on Wednesday morning to check out their child’s class website for curriculum and learning information.
Have a great week!
Time
|
12:15-12:40
|
12:25-12:55
|
12:25-12:55
|
12:15-12:40
|
12:25-12:55
|
Duty
|
Cafeteria Tables
|
Playground
|
Playground
|
Cafeteria line
|
Indoor recess ELAC Gym
|
August 29
|
Yoshiko
|
Heikki
|
Trevor
|
Kim
|
Maiko, Kaight
|
Week of 29 Aug - 2 Sept 2017
Monday, 29 August: ES Student Support Meeting
Tuesday, 30 August:
Wednesday, 31 August: 6:00-8:00 IB PYP Curriculum workshop for parents
Thursday, 1 Sept:
Friday, 2 Sept: Listening conferences: PreK - Gr 5 1 - 4 pm., ES Leadership Team, Schoo Leadership Team
Professional Learning, Wednesday, 31 August at 2:40 pm - 4:30 pm
2:40 - 2:50 Report Card Review R&D Invitation
2:50 - 3:10 Math #1 Program and Curriculum view, Update
3:10 - 3:20 Grade level Literacy and Math Committees
2:50 - 3:20 Specialists Check-In (With Heikki)
3:20 - 3:40 Back to School Night Collaborative session (all)
3:40 - 4:30 Back to School Night Preparation
Future Dates:
Mon-Fri, 5-9 September: MAP Testing (Gr 3-5)
Wednesday, 7 September: Tankyu Launch
Wednesday, 7 September: Tankyu Launch
Wednesday, 7 September: Back to School Night 6 - 8 pm
Literacy: This week will focus on planning first reading/writing units
PYP: This week's goal:
- Homeroom Teachers: Create 'Rubric of Understanding' for the UOI#1 & Sketch unit timeline
- Specialist Teachers: Set up Collab schedule and year goals.
Building Professional Capital:
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Keeping Students Safe: Sun Smart
With this hot and humid weather, it is imperative we ensure student safety. Many students have just returned to Japan from cooler climates and are adjusting to the heat and humidity. A notice has been sent to parents to ask them to provide hats, sunscreen, loose clothing and refillable water bottles.
Over the next few weeks, please also take the following steps to avoid heat exhaustion and dehydration:
Over the next few weeks, please also take the following steps to avoid heat exhaustion and dehydration:
- Water should be available to students at all time. Require all students to drink before and after outdoor play/PE and to constantly refill water bottles.
- Hats (and sunglasses if available) should be worn for outdoor recess and PE
- Monitor students and ask them to stay in the shade when they seem affected by the heat
- Consider offering a choice of indoor play for students struggling with the heat (may need to collaborate with others for supervision).
Please be aware of the following signs of heat exhaustion and send students experiencing any of these to the school nurse:
· weakness/feeling faint
· muscle cramps
· nausea and/or vomiting
· irritability
· headache
· increase sweating
· cool, clammy skin
· suspect elevation of body
temperature
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Playground Shed lock
Combination is 857
Please try to hide the combination from the students to avoid a loss of equipment during events ngs and weekends.
Protocols for lunch and recess times
Dear colleagues,
Just to get a right start please remind yourself about the protocols for lunch and recesses.
Elementary School Assembly
Dear colleagues,
Elementary School Assembly:
Friday 26th August @ 11:00
Venue: Main Theatre
Program for the Assembly as of now:
1. Welcome to School Year 16-17 (Heikki)
2. Introducing New Students per grade level (Stand up if you just started school year now - classroom teachers, please prepare the new students to stand up when grade level is being addressed.)
3. Introducing New Teachers and Remi-san (all new teachers are asked on the stage and interviewed by Heikki)
4. Action - Kim & Trevor
5. Closing words - Heikki
Theater seating plan can be found here.
Elementary School Assembly:
Friday 26th August @ 11:00
Venue: Main Theatre
Program for the Assembly as of now:
1. Welcome to School Year 16-17 (Heikki)
2. Introducing New Students per grade level (Stand up if you just started school year now - classroom teachers, please prepare the new students to stand up when grade level is being addressed.)
3. Introducing New Teachers and Remi-san (all new teachers are asked on the stage and interviewed by Heikki)
4. Action - Kim & Trevor
5. Closing words - Heikki
Theater seating plan can be found here.
First Lesson Tomorrow Thursday 25th August - First Day of School
Dear colleagues,
Thank you for your hard work in preparing classroom environment and making all the students and families to feel so welcome to the Elementary School. There was a positive buzz of excitement in the classrooms and corridors.
Tomorrow:
The first period will include Assembly starting at 8:45. Usually, the assembly takes about 20 minutes leaving 10-15 minutes for the remainder of the lesson. Therefore, it is not useful to have any specialist lessons during the first period in grades 4 and 5. Specialist teachers are asked to support the PreK/KA, KB and Gr 1 by supervising and guiding the students in the school.
Let's have a great first day of school!
Thank you for your hard work in preparing classroom environment and making all the students and families to feel so welcome to the Elementary School. There was a positive buzz of excitement in the classrooms and corridors.
Tomorrow:
The first period will include Assembly starting at 8:45. Usually, the assembly takes about 20 minutes leaving 10-15 minutes for the remainder of the lesson. Therefore, it is not useful to have any specialist lessons during the first period in grades 4 and 5. Specialist teachers are asked to support the PreK/KA, KB and Gr 1 by supervising and guiding the students in the school.
Let's have a great first day of school!
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Today's presentation and program
Good morning!
Exciting times ahead of us. The students will be here for a short moment.
1. Morning Briefing
2. Personal/Collaborative Preparation
3. 1.30 pm - New students and Parents meet in the main theatre
4. 1.40 pm - 2. pm Elementary School Students both new and returning say hello to their teacher and classmates (welcoming everyone, low key and casual)
5. 2.00pm - 2.30pm Parents register for lunch program and train cards in the cafeteria
2.00pm - 4pm Individual/Collaborative preparation for the first day of school
The Curriculum and Decisional Capital
The Curriculum and Decisional Capital
Based on this mornings session, here is the presentation and the links to pertinent documents.
Here is the link to the CA Standards and Benchmarks except for the Math Standards found here.
The 'suggested' Math Pacing Guide
Please map the math benchmarks to the units of inquiry using this pacing guide or another similar tool. Make to indicate the strand, grade level benchmark number and if the benchmark will be part of the unit or stand-alone from the unit. Please complete and share the Math Pacing Guide to Trevor by Friday, Sept. 9th.
Please find attached Literacy Curriculum Overview. You also have a paper copy in the yellow literacy curriculum binder. This is a newly created document, and feedback on how it does/could better support you is welcomed.
Based on this mornings session, here is the presentation and the links to pertinent documents.
Here is the link to the CA Standards and Benchmarks except for the Math Standards found here.
The 'suggested' Math Pacing Guide
Please map the math benchmarks to the units of inquiry using this pacing guide or another similar tool. Make to indicate the strand, grade level benchmark number and if the benchmark will be part of the unit or stand-alone from the unit. Please complete and share the Math Pacing Guide to Trevor by Friday, Sept. 9th.
Please find attached Literacy Curriculum Overview. You also have a paper copy in the yellow literacy curriculum binder. This is a newly created document, and feedback on how it does/could better support you is welcomed.
Here are a few digital links to documents you will want to become familiar with and bookmark for easy access:
Monday, August 22, 2016
Today's Rotation including venues
Elementary School Rotation
10:30 am
|
11:00 am
|
11:30 am
|
12:00 am
| |
Gradebook, Powerschool, Database
Murray, Trevor
ELAC conference room
|
Pre-K/KA, KB
|
Grade 1 and 2
|
Grades 3, 4 and 5
|
Specials, LS, EAL
|
Class websites Kae
ELAC multipurpose room
|
Grade 1 and 2
|
Grade 3,4, and 5
|
Specials LS, EAL
|
Pre-K/KA, KB
|
Basic First Aid,
School Nurse
SS Student Lounge
|
Grades 3,4 and 5
|
Specials LS, EAL
|
Pre-K/KA, KB
|
Grade 1 and 2
|
CA Calendar
Heikki, Kim
Book Room
|
Specials, LS, EAL
|
Pre-K/KA, KB
|
Grades 1 and 2
|
Grades 3, 4, and 5
|
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Friday, August 19, 2016
Weekly Update, Monday 22 August, 2016
Dear colleagues,
A warm welcome back to school! We trust you have made the most of the long summer break and that you are all excited and well-rested to launch yet another successful year of learning in the Elementary School. The new faculty has been working hard to get their heads around the school, Kobe, and Japan. We are fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated group of new teachers joining the returning team of amazing professionals. We are that collaboration and professional learning will be flourishing and extremely rewarding this year. We are looking forward to seeing you all on Monday at 8 for breakfast and then again at 10:15 for a start of the year meeting. Please note that there will be two briefings on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 8:15 - 8:45 am. See you all on Monday!
Time
|
12:15-12:40
|
12:25-12:55
|
12:25-12:55
|
12:15-12:40
|
Week
25 - 26 Aug
|
Cafeteria Tables
|
Playground
|
Playground
|
Cafeteria line
|
Trevor
|
Kim
|
Heikki
|
Yoshiki
|
Week 22-26 August 2017
Tuesday, 23 August: In-service program
Wednesday, 24 August: Open House at 1:30-2:30 pm, signing-up for Listening Conferences
Thursday, 25 August: First day of school, Whole School Assembly at 8:45 am,
Listening Conferences: Pre-K/KA - KB 1:00 - 4 pm
Friday, 26 August: ES Assembly at 9:00, Listening conferences: Pre-K - Gr 5 1 - 4 pm.
Future Dates:
Wednesday, 31 August: IB PYP Parent workshop at 6 pm
Friday, 2 September: Listening conferences continue
Mon-Fri, 5-9 September: MAP testing (Gr 3-5)
Wednesday, 7 September: Back to School Night 6 - 8 pm
Coordinator's Meetings:
Literacy: Kim will be contacting new teachers to set up a time to check-in and prepare for the first week. A meeting schedule will be shared with all teachers for confirmation of literacy meeting times to begin the following week.
PYP: Trevor will be checking in with teaching teams about first-week support and planning. A meeting schedule will be shared with all teachers for confirmation of the PYP meeting times. Meetings begin the following week.
Building Professional Capital:
we
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