Together: "We rise by lifting others."

I. Praise and Thanks:

Thanks to Allison Phelps for always taking the time to intentionally engage with students at recess. I observed Allison valuing student voice during schoolwide recess as she was playing board games with students. Thanks to Allison for exemplifying The Portrait element of "meeting students relationally before trying to engage academically, seeing each child individually as a whole person, and recognizing their inherent dignity."
Thanks to Trish Donohue for her continued dedication to the academic growth of our mini-Mountaineers. I appreciate her resilience in in facilitating small group instruction on a daily basis. Thanks to Trish for exemplifying The Portrait element of "embodying a growth mindset and regularly seek out feedback from peers and others."
Thanks to Megan Garner for hosting an App State Art Educator Intern this semester! Megan received recognition from the Office of Field Experiences for her leadership. Thanks to Megan for exemplifying The Portrait element of "demonstrating a passion for teaching, lifelong learning, and commitment to the mentoring of future teachers."

II. This Week's Events:

Monday, November 13:

Tuesday, November 14:

Wednesday, November 15:

Thursday, November 16:

Friday, November 17:

III. Updates and Reminders:

A. Literacy Luau Night:

This Thursday, we have our next quarterly family event at The Academy.
We have another opportunity to connect with our mini-Mountaineer families!
There will be sessions for families on understanding DIBELS and Mastery Connect. We will also have representatives from WSFCS Student Assignment on hand to meet with our 5th Grade Families to talk about Middle School choices.
We do need all hands on deck for this event. All faculty and staff members are required to attend, participate, and support.
Also, we are having various learning stations for family interaction. If you not signed up for a station or session, then please be sure to sign-up here.

B. Parent-Teacher Conferences:

Report Cards have been distributed and sent home with students.
Teachers are to be scheduling parent-teacher conferences at this point.
Curriculum Coaches have created sign-up forms to document the conferences.
It is important for teachers to reach out to families and make a good faith effort to schedule a conference.

C. Data Meetings Follow-Up:

Thanks to everyone for participating in last week's Data Conferences.
Please be sure to follow-up on next steps accordingly as discussed at your data meeting and refer to the Data Meeting Agenda shared by Amie Snow.
Here's a link to the Atlas Looking at Data Protocol we used during the data meetings.
It is imperative that all grade span teams are working together and implementing the plans discussed at Data Meetings. Everyone must have an active part during instruction, planning, and co-teaching.
Co-teaching and Co-planning are parts of our Curriculum Essentials and Instructional Framework at the Academy. It is the expectation that all hands are on deck working on these things together in service of teaching all students at the Academy.
Remember that we are moving away from the one-teacher/one-classroom mindset at the Academy. All kids are our kids!

D. Schoolwide Recess:

Remember that we have added the Garden and Trail as additional zones for Schoolwide Recess.
Students should be there with a Grade Span Team Member. Allison Phelps and Coach Phelps are there to assist in those areas.
Consult the update that was shared a couple weeks ago here.

E. Enrichment Friday and Spirit Day:

Enrichment Friday returns this week!
Stay tuned for the upcoming schedule and assignments. We will have that information out by Wednesday.
The Culture and Climate Design Team came up with a Spirit Day for faculty, staff, and students: Wear Your Favorite Hat, Jersey, and Sport Team Day.

F. For Your Toolbox:

Microsoft Flip (formerly known as Flipgrid) is a wonderfully, innovative edtech tool that promotes student voice.
Flip sponsors free online student events and PD sessions for teachers.
Click here for more information.

IV. Sounds and Images of Possibility:

Click HERE for a link to first episode of The HIKEcast, our brand-new Academy Podcast!
I am so proud of our Podcast Club students who participated in this from Enrichment Friday!
Stay tuned for more!
Special thanks to Amie Snow and Matt Cooke for behind-the-scenes support to help our first schoolwide podcast become a possibility.