Week of January 14

Thursday Thoughts January 14

I have enjoyed meeting with teachers to conduct the mid-year conferences.  I am only about half way through the conferences but there is one commonality among all of the teachers that I have met with thus far.  Teachers at Medlock are doing what it takes to bring their very best to students.  Veteran teachers are asking for tips on how to improve their practices and new teachers are eager to get constructive feedback.  I often tell parents that we have the best teachers and staff in Fulton County.  It isn't because we have revolutionized how to teach, but it is because we bring our best to the classroom daily.  We get to know our students, we know what they need and we stop at nothing to provide it.  New parents share how our school is so much better than their child's former school. And I am sure that parents who move away to other schools quickly notice the difference.  The work we are doing is not easy and I don't foresee it getting easier any time soon.  But it is rewarding and meaningful work.  Thank you for bringing your best everyday! 

Staff Spotlight

This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Janie Massey.  Janie works with all grade levels to help students make incredible gains.  There are so many children that are able to join their classmates and keep up with on grade level work after receiving instruction from Janie. She listens to the concerns of classroom teachers and provides feedback for her students that are in SST.   Janie also serves as a support for the new teachers at Medlock.  She has hosted monthly new teacher sessions this year and she assists them with the Fulton Online Teacher Induction Program as needed.  Most recently, we decided to have the Extended Learning Program during second semester.  We wanted the Extended Learning students to access the iReady adaptive software that Janie uses in EIP.  Although only some of her students will be attending the Extended Learning Program, Janie got all of the program's students loaded in the platform.  She even offered to load the IRR students into our newly acquired iReady Reading program.  We know that the EIP program is an important support for students who are below grade level and Janie quietly gets the job done. We are fortunate to have her experience and expertise in such a critical area.  Janie, thank you for all that you do!

Personalized Learning







Habitudes- (Growth Mindset)

Looking Ahead

The State Board of Education held its first meeting of 2016 January 13-14 in Atlanta.
 
The (Rules) Committee and later the full board agreed to the posting of the new Science and Social Studies standards. The standards will be open for public comment for a minimum of 60 days and will be considered for adoption at the March State Board meeting. 
 
 There have been very few changes in content. The primary change involved changing social studies standards currently taught in grades 4-5 to grades 3-5, providing more time for teaching the standards in elementary grades. One significant change is a change in terminology used in the standards. Native American becomes American Indian and African American becomes Black.   See a summary of the proposed revisions below.  I will let you know when the DOE website has the public comment ready.


Social Studies
Summary of Recommended Revisions
 From Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) to Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE)
 I. Overview:
 Financial Literacy was expanded in grades 6-8. There was more scaffolding of the existing financial literacy standards in grades K-5.

 The fourth and fifth grade U.S. History standards will now begin in third grade which allows teachers more time to teach the content.

 Overall there was a reduction in content based on the 9,031 teacher surveys stating that teachers did not have enough time to teach the standards.

 Student expectations via Depth of Knowledge was increased to reflect a deeper level of thinking in the Reading and Writing Standards for Literacy.

 Minor changes were made to content based on teacher feedback.

 In United States History, thematic standards were removed and all content was reorganized chronologically based on presidential eras.

 World Geography was reconstructed into a more conceptual course.

 The use of "Students will" as an opening to each standard was eliminated to match Science, ELA and Math.

II. Changes by Grade Level:
 Kindergarten-Second Grade: There was a slight reduction in content and clarification of the elements. Folktales were removed from first grade because most were fictional characters. Folktales are addressed in the first and third grade ELA standards.

 Third Grade: Third grade is now the first part of a three-year study in United States History beginning with American Indian Cultures and ending with Colonization. Key individuals previously taught in third grade are now incorporated in all three years of the course appropriate to the historical time period in which they lived. Economic, geographic, and civics and government standards were adjusted appropriately.

 Fourth Grade: Fourth grade is now the second part of a three-year study in United States History beginning with the American Revolution and ending at Reconstruction. Economic, geographic, and civics and government standards were adjusted appropriately.

 Fifth Grade: Fifth grade is now the third part of a three-year study in United States History beginning with the Industrialization and ending with the Digital Age. Economic, geographic, and civics and government standards were adjusted appropriately.

Science
Summary of Recommended Revisions
 From Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) to Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE)
 I. Overview:
 The characteristics of science and the nature of science standards have been embedded in the content standards.

 Content was modified when appropriate to bring it up to date with current scientific knowledge.

 Wording in the standards have been modified in some cases to reflect the following suggested changes:

 increase in expectations

 additional clarification

 Standards or elements were moved to a different grade level in response to survey data.

 Added clarification statements as appropriate.

 Included elements that addressed engineering practices, e.g., the engineering design process.

 Replaced "Students will" with "Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information" as the beginning language for each standard.

II. Changes by Grade Level:
 Kindergarten

 Describing the effects of gravity on the motion of objects (SKP3) was incorporated as part of the revised standard (new SKP2) that asks students to describe different types of motion.

 First Grade

 Recording changes in water as it relates to weather (S1E2a & S1E2b) were incorporated into the revised standard that asks students to identify patterns in weather and climate (new S1E1). Elements S1E2c and S1E2d, the idea of weight not changing under a physical change (conservation of matter) and the external conditions needed for water to evaporate, were not included in the revised standards based on survey feedback indicating they are not developmentally appropriate for first graders.

 Second Grade

 An element was added to S2E1, to focus on the visual characteristics of the sun as compared with other stars. The original standard also included an understanding of star patterns but this was not addressed in the original elements and has been removed in the new standard.



  Identifying sources of energy and how energy is used (S2P2) was removed based on the survey feedback.

 Third Grade

 Investigation of how heat is produced, the relation between temperature changes and heat, and the effects of heating and cooling (S3P1) was generalized to take the core idea of how heat energy is produced, transmitted, and measured. The standard addressing the concept of energy production and usage was eliminated in second grade.

 Investigation of magnets (S3P2) was removed. The ideas addressed in this standard were moved to first grade and fifth grade.

 Investigation of the habitats of different organisms and their dependence on this habitat (S3L1) was revised to correctly address the differences between habitats and geographic regions of Georgia.

 Fourth Grade

 The standard comparing and contrasting the physical attributes of stars, star patterns, and planets (S4E1) was reduced in scope to focus only on comparing and contrasting physical attributes of stars and planets.

 The standard analyzing weather charts/maps and the collection of weather data to predict weather events (S4E4) was extended to include the identification of the major cloud types (cirrus, stratus, and cumulus) as part of the type of data that can be collected to inform weather predictions.

 The standard identifying factors that affect survival such as adaptation, behaviors, and external features (S4L2) was moved to third grade to improve alignment to third grade concepts, i.e., S3L1.

 Fifth Grade

 Standard S5P1 that introduces the idea of conservation of mass by asking students to recognize that an object’s mass is the result of the sum of the mass of its parts was removed. Element "a" under this standard was incorporated under the new standard that asks students to explain differences between chemical and physical change (S5P1). Element "b" under the old standard was moved into the standard that asks students to compare and contrast parts of plant and animal cells (S5L3).

 A new standard (S5P3) was written to combine the existing standard dealing with magnetism with ideas on magnetism that were moved from third grade.

Week of January 7

Thursday Thoughts January 7

Over the break I watched a lot of television, probably too much.  I watched movies, dramas, comedies, sports and even the news. During my binge watching, I realized that we are living in a time when the world is quite unkind.  It is becoming harder and harder to distinguish between Reality TV and reality.  I noted that sarcasm has replaced sensitivity and people have lost respect for themselves and others.  People say anything with little to no regard of how it will make others feel.  Disagreeing in an agreeable way seems to be a thing of the past.  It is disparaging to think that our children are looking to adults to imitate how they should speak, act and resolve conflicts.  

As educators we can't control what children are exposed to on television or at home.  We can only make the commitment to be excellent role models for them while they are at school.  We can model how to be kind to each other.  We can teach them how to share their opinions without devaluing the opinions of others.   We can teach our students to be respectful of people's differences.  At Medlock Bridge, we can and we will be the example for students to imitate.

Staff Spotlight

This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Cara Vollberg.  Cara has not only taken on the responsibilities of grade chair in Kendra Deans' absence, but she has also volunteered to teach Extended Learning with Megan Rios this semester.  Cara is up for the challenge of Extended Learning and is even willing to brush up on her 5th grade math skills.  With these additional roles and the hard work that she puts into her classroom daily, you would think that this would be all that she wants to handle...but it is not.  Cara will also supervise a student teacher this semester.  Cara is working hard for her students and we thank her for that.  However I want to recognize Cara for branching out beyond the classroom and serving the grade level and our at risk 3rd and 5th graders.  Cara we appreciate what you are doing for Medlock Bridge.


Personalized Learning

5 Tips for Making Group Work Manageable

Edutopia

December 17, 2015

Kristina J. Doubet & Jessica Hockett

James Madison University Associate Professor & Education Consultant and Author

follow: https://twitter.com/diy_diff 

         

When teachers ask students to work on a task in groups, they issue an invitation for engagement and, potentially, for chaos! Here are five tips that can help encourage productivity and keep mayhem at bay.

1. Be clear and specific about the task.

There’s nothing more frustrating than launching group work and seeing ten hands in the air or (worse) hearing students complain to one another, "What are we supposed to do?" If possible, limit initial verbal explanations to a general overview of the task and process. Then, provide crystal clear, detailed electronic or paper-based directions to each student in the group. Anticipate potential questions and areas of confusion by using a checklist format, providing visuals, or recording instructions for groups to listen to on iPads (this is particularly helpful if you have English learners in your class). Consider instituting a "1-2-3, Then Me" format in which students get one minute to read the directions silently, two minutes to discuss the directions with one another or with other groups, and three minutes to plan their approach to the task before they can ask you for assistance.

2. Make production the outcome.

Putting students in groups to simply "discuss" is a recipe for disaster. If students have to work toward producing something to turn in, present, or share with another group, they are less likely to linger in off-task conversations. Products should require all group members' participation or contributions. This might involve a graffiti-like poster in the middle of the table on which everyone records ideas, or a graphic organizer that every student completes. If each student is doing his or her own version of the task, announce that you'll be collecting one paper per group, to be revealed at the end of the activity. When time is up, use random criteria, such as "person in the group with the shortest hair" or "person with the birthday closest to the teacher's" to determine whose paper it will be.

3. Model successful transitions and interactions.

Show (don't just tell) students the basic mechanics that are critical to success in your classroom. Maybe it's how to move between stations, the process for using a discussion strategy, or how to talk during a "think-pair-share." Devote the first few weeks of class to conducting dry runs (i.e., students moving from place to place, students retrieving and returning materials, students using technology appropriately, etc.). Use volunteers to act out example and non-example conversations with "elbow partners." Post or provide sentence frames as scaffolds for group dialogue. This kind of up-front investment will pay off when students are able to move, transition, and converse efficiently.

4. Monitor progress, time, and noise.

Make students partners, if not primary agents, in keeping tabs on their progress, the time, and the noise level. If groups are producing something tangible, they (and you) can see what they have left to do. Use a decibel reader app (e.g., Decibel 10th, a free app by SkyPaw Co. Ltd), or launch a site like Bouncy Balls (from Google Chrome) for visually appealing ways to gauge the volume of the room. Track time with an online digital stopwatch or another easy-to-see timer. (Try this fun five-minute countdown timer from YouTube.) Make sure to give students less time than you think they need in order to build a sense of urgency. Check in when time is running low to see if groups require more. ("Fist to five -- how many more minutes do you need?") If some groups finish before others, have a next-step question or task ready for students to tackle.

5. Incorporate community builders.

Sometimes group work falters simply because students don't know, like, or respect one another -- yet. Full-class community-building activities are critical; but smaller, deliberately planted, group-level bonding moments also reap rich rewards in helping groups gel, release tension, and exercise courtesy. This might involve using an opening prompt like, "Before you start, share your favorite ice cream flavors," or asking students to fist bump each other as they complete each step of the task. Consider displaying fun anchor questions for students to discuss once they are finished. Anchor questions keep students from drifting into uncharted work or conversations, while providing a structure that lets students stretch beyond the content to discover connections with one another. They can be related to the content or task (e.g., "Where have you seen this topic portrayed in real life or in the media?") or appeal to general interests (e.g., "If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?").
Teachers are more likely to design and implement meaningful group activities when they have the management strategies to do so. Taking the proactive steps like those we've described can enhance engagement while curbing the chaos.

 

Habitudes- (Growth Mindset)

Looking Ahead

You may recall the opportunity for teachers to provide feedback to the State a few months ago.  Please read the State Superintendent's response to the survey results.  The results are also attached.

Op-ed by Superintendent Woods: Teacher Recruitment and Retention Survey Results

MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org - Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram Op-Ed by Superintendent Richard Woods Currently, 44% of Georgia’s newly hired teachers are dropping out of the profession by year five. Equally alarming is that there was a 16% dip from 2010 to 2014 in the number of candidates entering Georgia’s teacher preparation programs. For students, this could mean larger class sizes, fewer opportunities, and a decreased chance of being taught by a quality teacher. To find the root cause of this growing crisis, the Georgia Department of Education surveyed current and former teachers to ask them what factors they felt were pushing them or their colleagues out of the profession. Within three weeks, more than 53,000 Georgia teachers – almost half of the state’s teacher workforce – responded to our survey (view the full report here), showing that teachers were ready to talk about this critical issue. The results were enlightening. The top reason teachers selected for leaving the profession was “Number of state mandated tests” with “Method for evaluating teachers” as a close second. Though “Compensation/Benefits” was an option and ranked higher than the average, it was not listed in the top three. Teachers were given an option to explain why they picked their top cause and their comments were striking. Many teachers not only explained how the cause they chose was pushing their colleagues out of the profession, but also how the cause was damaging to their students. Many teachers doubted that anyone would read their comments and that any change would come. Their comments weren’t made cynically, but were expressed in a candid tone that reflected on a profession that they felt was fading away. Some of their concerns are rooted in what’s reflected in the words of state law; others in the actions brought forth by the department’s interpretation and implementation of those laws. Ask almost any teacher, and he or she can tell you who inspired them to go into teaching. For me, it was Mrs. Phillips. Our survey asked teachers: “If you had a student about to graduate from high school, how likely would you be to encourage teaching as a profession?” Only 2.7% of teachers said it was very likely they would encourage their students to go into teaching, while 33.2% of teachers said it was very unlikely they would encourage their students to pursue teaching. This tells us the crisis will only get worse if action isn’t taken. In the short term, these are steps I am committed to taking: With regard to the teacher evaluation system, the department launched a tiered-observation pilot at the beginning of this year in a handful of districts. In keeping with the recommendation of the Education Reform Commission and my belief in a measured approach to accountability, we will be scaling this statewide so administrators are able to spend more time with newer or struggling teachers. We know one-size-fits-all doesn’t work for our students and it doesn’t work when evaluating our teachers, either. Working with the State Board and those in the General Assembly, I will be pushing for the elimination of Milestones testing requirements for students who participate in Move On When Ready and earn an “A” or “B” in their college classes. My goal for the long term is to look at other options like AP and IB exams to further reduce the number of Milestones students have to take. In addition to the above, we are conducting a statewide audit of testing, examining what, why, and how much we test, and the impact of testing on learning and teaching. Currently, 177 school districts have already voluntarily provided us with their testing requirements.  I have also instructed the Department of Education staff to examine testing and educational accountability within our state. I continue to be in contact with educators, elected officials, State Board of Education members, and a variety of stakeholders to discuss these and other issues. Some efforts will require the support of those beyond the department.  During my first school visit, a teacher told me she had discouraged her daughter from going into teaching. Since then, I have had countless similar conversations with teachers across Georgia, and more than 53,000 voices are represented by this survey. I ask that teachers continue to provide feedback to me and other elected officials. Over the past year, I have traveled to almost 70 counties in our state. The tireless efforts of our teacher workforce have been exemplary. Countless times, teachers have made the same request as I visit: "I just want to be able to know my kids and teach them what they need to know."  Their focus and concern has always been on the children of Georgia.  I am confident that by working together, we can restore to our current and future teachers the ability to teach their students effectively – and the joy of teaching. We must – and will – employ a teacher workforce that is second to none. Georgia public education is poised to offer our children great opportunities. We need to ensure there are great teachers to open these doors. http://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-Policy/communications/Documents/Teacher%20Survey%20Results.pdf

Week of December 17

Thursday Thoughts December 17

 

 

Have a wonderful break, you deserve it. 

It is such a pleasure working with you. 

You truly are the best!

 

 

I am already in vacation mode so there is nothing serious in this week's blog.

Please enjoy the cartoons. 

 Happy Holidays!!

 

 

Week of December 10

Thursday Thoughts December 10

 

 

 

 

One thing I miss about having small children during the holidays is the joy and excitement that I got from giving them gifts.  Of course now my children want money and I do not get any joy from that.  But seriously, there is a certain joy that you get from giving something to someone who can't repay you for what you have done.  This is most evident in teaching.  Students and parents can't pay you enough for what you are giving to children.  You purchase more items and supplies for your class than we could ever reimburse.  You give more of your time than the district could ever compensate.  And most importantly, you give your heart to students everyday without expecting anything in return.  The Medlock Bridge staff members are some of the most giving people that I have ever met.  You give to charity, you give your time to help colleagues and you give your energy daily to make sure that every student is successful.  Thank you for what you give to our school.


 

Staff Spotlight

This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Dr. John Burger.  John is our social worker and he has been working double time to meet the needs of our students.  Earlier this year, Dr. Burger wrote a grant on behalf of our school to secure more funds to recognize students for their excellent attendance.  He works closely with Karen on monitoring attendance and follows up with families often.  John goes out of his way to support our families with resources, assistance and sometimes just good old advice.  Before I can even mention a student who may be in need, John has already made contact with the family and lets me know what else needs to be done.  Although John is only here one day per week, his impact is felt and his assistance is appreciated.  We thank Dr. Burger for looking out for our students who need it the most.


Personalized Learning
 

8 Things to Look For in Today’s Classroom

The Principal of Change

January 8, 2013 by George Couros 

 

As I think that leaders should be able to describe what they are looking for in schools I have thought of eight things that I really want to see in today’s classroom.  I really believe that classrooms need to be learner focused. This is not simply that students are creating but that they are also having opportunities to follow their interests and explore passions.  The teacher should embody learning as well.
Will Richardson recently wrote this in a comment on one of my recent posts on what teachers need to be like in our current day and the focus that needs to be on learning:

…we need teachers who are masters at developing kids as learners who are adept at sense making around their own goals. Teachers who are focused on helping students develop the dispositions and literacies required to succeed regardless of subject or content or curriculum
This moment is all about learners having an amazing new freedom to learn, not teachers having an amazing new freedom to teach. I’d love to see 2013 all about making that shift in our thinking around education.

Although technology is not the focus, it does give us many opportunities to magnify the opportunities I list below.  So with that being said, here are some things that I believe will help the learner of today be successful in our world, both today and tomorrow.

1.  Voice – Students should have the opportunity to not only learn from others but also share their learning with others as well.  We live in a world where everyone has a voice and if we do not teach our students to use this effectively, they will definitely struggle.  To me, this is so simple yet so essential.
2.  Choice – This is not only about how students learn, but also what they learn about.  How do they further their learning in areas of interests to them?  Throughout the first few years of university I did poorly, yet in my final few years my grades were better than they ever had been.  What was the difference?  I actually cared what I was learning about.  Strengths based learning is extremely important.
3.  Time for Reflection – Classrooms are an extremely busy place and I understand that many feel that they are rushed through the curriculum, but I think that taking the time to connect and reflect on what is being learned gives learners a better opportunity to really understand what they have learned.  I know many classrooms have DEAR time (drop everything and read), so why do we not have time to simply write and reflect?  This is not only for students, but for teachers and administrators as well.
4.  Opportunities for Innovation – Recently I visited Greystone Centennial Middle School during “Innovation Week” and saw students that created a hovercraft (not kidding) using things that they had around the house.  They were able to guide it around the gym and it was able to carry people around.  These kids were in grade 9.
When I asked the students about this opportunity, they had told me that they had saw something similar on YouTube but it was missing a few elements that they wanted to add.  They made it new and better.  I can only imagine what the students will do after they leave school because of this day, not in spite of it.
5.  Critical Thinkers – In the “factory model” of education, students were meant to be compliant and basically do “as they were told.”  This is not something that sticks with a child only, but goes into adulthood as well and it creates “yes” people who tend to lose all originality.  One of my best friends and my first admin partner, told me to never just let him go out on his own with his ideas without questioning them and sharing my thoughts.  His reason?  He wanted the best ideas, not his ideas.  He wanted me to ask questions.  He wanted to be successful.  It was not his ego that was important, but the success of his staff and students.  I have learned to ask the same of all those I work with and although it can turn into spirited conversations, it is was best not only for school but all organizations.  We need to have students that are able to ask questions and challenge what they see, but always in a respectful way.
6.  Problem Solvers/Finders – Ewan McIntosh has a brilliant Ted Talk discusses the notion of “problem-based learning” and how it is not beneficial to give students problems that aren’t real.  Instead, he focuses on the idea that students need to be “problem finders”; being able to find some tough challenges and then being able to solve those problems.  Megan Howard shares a wonderful story of how one of her grade six students was able to see that there was a problem with classmates losing their school uniforms and then being able to use QR codes to be able to identify them.  Let’s start asking kids to really look into finding what the problems are and giving them some purpose in solving something real.
7.  Self-Assessment – I don’t think that I have ever heard a teacher say, “I can’t wait until we get to write report cards!”  That being said, I think we spend too much time focusing on being able to tell others what our students can do and know, and not enough time helping students understand those things themselves.  Portfolios are a great way to share this knowledge and will actually have students develop their own understanding of what they know.  If you can write in a report card that a student can do something in October, yet they can’t do it in January, is that report card still relevant?  I think that we should spend more time working with students to teach them how to assess themselves and not just do it for them.
8. Connected Learning – When I first started teaching, I remember really struggling with science.  It was a subject that I struggled with as a learner and that continued on as a teacher.  I now think that if I was in the classroom, that the best person to teach science wouldn’t be me, but a scientist.  With most people that having a computer also having a Skype account, there are many that are willing to share their expertise in different areas.  This does not only have to be via technology, but we should also be bring in experts from our community to talk to students.  I know many teachers have done this for a long time, but technology opens the doors to people that we could not even imagine being a part of our classroom even ten years ago.  Even Shaquille O’neal has made some time to  Skype with students in one school.

Now I believe that all of these things are extremely important to the success of our students in the future, but there is one thing that is important to all of this; that our students are good people.  One of the things that I have told my students over and over again is that it doesn’t matter how smart you are if you are considered a jerk.  Treat others with kindness and consideration. Always.
Finally, let’s start to really tap into the wisdom of our rooms and have students not only learn, but teach each other.  There is a saying from my time as a referee was that the best officials are the ones that you never notice.  Does the same hold true for a teacher?  I have walked into classrooms and have been unable to identify who the teacher was immediately because they were, as Chris Kennedy would say, “elbows deep in learning” with their students.  Students were  also teaching others along the way.  If we start to acknowledge that everyone can be a teacher, and everyone a learner, I really think that you will be able to see more of the elements I have discussed in our classrooms today.

 

  

 Habitudes- (Growth Mindset)

 

Looking Ahead

FCS Superintendent Search Survey

Please take a moment to complete this brief survey of six questions to provide your input. Your answers are anonymous and will be given to the Fulton Board of Education for their consideration.  Updates on the search process will be shared on the Fulton County Schools website and at upcoming community and board meetings. The goal is to have a new permanent superintendent named and on board by the summer of 2016.

Click here to launch the survey or copy the following into your browser: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FCSsuptsurvey

Week of December 3

Thursday Thoughts December 3

 

 

 

One of the benefits of working at an elementary school is that you are literally in your own world each day.  You really don't have a sense of what is going on in the "real" world while you are at school.  I know that this isn't necessarily a good thing, but lately there has been so much despair in national and world events that it feels good to stay sheltered from the chaos for a few hours each day.  Working with young children is tough, but their smiles, laughter and innocence gives me hope that better days are yet to come.  If we can teach our students how to respect and value themselves and each other, we are doing our part to make this world a little bit better.


 

Staff Spotlight

This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Brittany Randolph and Rebecca Ferguson.  These two ladies have joined Medlock at a time when we are going through unprecedented change in special education here in Fulton County.  The expectation to move from room to room and provide both co taught and pull out services for multiple grade levels everyday is a challenge.  This would be a challenge for veteran Medlock teachers, let alone teachers who are new to our school.  Brittany and Rebecca are making the most out of their circumstances.  They are taking time to get to know the students and are making every effort to provide quality instruction alongside their co teachers.  They are participating in the New Teacher Induction Program as well as the New Teacher Special Education Meetings that Ingrid Parham has initiated monthly.  They are continually seeking guidance from Debbie, Ingrid and Janie Massey on the best strategies to use with students.  They are working hard to manage difficult student behaviors and although they have every reason to complain, they don't.  I am thankful that Brittany and Rebecca joined the Medlock Family and I appreciate the work that they are doing with our students.


  

Personalized Learning

 

 

 

 

 

 Habitudes- (Growth Mindset)

 

Looking Ahead

The 15th Annual FCS Technology Competition will be held on Jan. 30, 2016 at Centennial High School.  Please consider volunteering to serve as a judge or volunteer at the registration desk or in any other capacity.  See Poonam for details.