OLL Elementary School Communication

• The Office for Leading and Learning is hosting the second official #PascoStudentsSpeak event for all students. We are excited to invite all schools and students to showcase their speeches, projects, and positivity. The event will take place at the WCHS Performing Arts Center on Saturday, 4/2.
• The theme for this year is Contributing to a Better Society: The Future Depends on It
• Each school’s representative to participate in the district #PascoStudentsSpeak must be submitted to the district no later than Friday, March 11, 2022. Additional details are forthcoming.
• This notebook includes general information about the event, as well as resources for teachers and students as they engage in preparing for this important work and showcasing it at the #PascoStudentsSpeak event.

We are looking forward to seeing your coaches on Tuesday, November 30^th at 10:00 for ELA Coaching Content Day. During this time, the ELA team will dive into all things comprehension as we unpack the “Reading Critically to Deepen Understanding of Complex Text” element within the Common Vision of Instructional Excellence in Literacy. We will focus on planning the comprehension block with the purpose in mind during the ERD Train-the-Trainer portion.  ***We will begin this portion of the learning at 12:00.*** If you would like to attend, please use this Zoom link to join us. 

-Your Partners in Literacy 

During the ELA Coaches Power Hour, the ELA team facilitated a train-the-trainer for the additional DIBELS measures that will be administered in the Winter and Spring. We also spent some time explaining the Discontinue and Gating Rules outlined on pages 43-46 of the DIBELS Administration and Scoring Guide. Please connect with your coaches about the guidance provided. If you have additional questions, feel free to contact a member of the ELA Team.

Participant materials and a recording of the training can be found here. The recording can also be accessed on the Elementary ELA PD Hub.

As a reminder, the testing window for DIBELS is Monday, November 29^th through Thursday, December 16^th.

All data must be entered by end of business day Friday, January 7, 2022.

Celebrate #CSEverywhere with brand-new Hour of Code activities! 

From the depths of outer space to the devices in our hands, computer science impacts so many different subjects and fields. During Computer Science Education Week (December 6-12), we hope you’ll participate and join us in celebrating computer science everywhere. New tutorials shine a spotlight on how computer science might connect to part of your life. Here are some teacher reviewers’ favorite new tutorials:

Discover Python with Compute it from Toxicode
Let’s switch roles: This time, YOU are the computer! Read and interpret Python programs to find the right trajectory and win challenges. You’ll have to focus and use your intuitive abilities to understand some core concepts of Python.

Screen Saver from Blackbird
​​​​Radical! Learn how to use conditional statements to create a cool 90s style screensaver.

Code Your Self-Portrait from Code/Art
Program your own portrait using p5.js! Get creative with code by incorporating your favorite artistic styles and personal touches to create a true masterpiece. 

Visit hourofcode.com/learn to check out the entire list of activities. However you choose to participate, we can’t thank you enough for your effort and support! 

We are excited to announce the 12 Days of Tech-mas beginning on Thursday, December 2nd. We are asking everyone to tune in to watch a quick skit or screencast for all 12 days to learn some tips and tricks on how to navigate their Windows device. We will also have a drawing that you can enter at the end of each skit or screencast. Just access the QR code at the end of each one and fill out the questions to be entered. You may win a $25 gift card to Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, or Dunkin’. If you watch all 12 videos you will be entered in a grand prize to win $100 Visa card!

To view these, please log into myPascoConnect each day. You will see an announcement and instructions on what to do. Please check out this flyer for more information. We hope that these bring you joy and some helpful tips for your new device.

Please note that on the 6th Day of Tech-mas a needs assessment survey will be sent out. We encourage all staff to fill this out. We want to hear what you want to learn more about, and your needs will help drive our professional development offerings for the second semester as well as summer learning opportunities.

If you have any questions, please email Charlotte Kralik.

We have updated the  Module 5 Administering Guidelines for question 9 on the first grade assessment to match the answer choices provided to students on their assessment. The weight for this item has also been changed to 0. This question will not impact students’ overall scores.

The Elementary Math monthly coaching meeting will be cancelled on November 30^th.  We are going to adjust the professional development to account for our 2022 work around Math B.E.S.T. standards.  The next monthly coaching meeting for elementary math is January 5^th and then we will offer a special B.E.S.T. standards math session in the January Coaching Conference.

As our students are spending time engaging in Lexia Core5, we know our teachers have been monitoring the data to provide direct instruction and have begun to utilize some of the resources.  Several of you have reached out to learn more about reading reports, using the data to differentiate instruction, and how to maximize use of Lexia for Tier 3, so we wanted to let you know we have the opportunity to schedule professional learning at the school level to meet your needs.

Kate O’Keefe is our District Success Manager with Lexia and will partner with us to support implementation.  Kate can provide a variety of support to you and your staff, including:

• Work directly with admin and coaches to build understanding of school, class, and student reporting
• Mid-year data review and implementation reflection
• Craft and schedule relevant professional learning for teachers
• How to best support subgroups/various tiers of students
• How to motivate and goal set with students
• Grouping students using myLexia data
• Building an instructional plan for individual and groups of students
• Launch session for new teachers

You can email Kate O’Keefe directly at kate.o’keefe@lexialearning.com  to request a meeting/ask questions or you can use this FORM.  She is willing to meet virtually with you and your staff in small groups, grade level teams/PLCs, or whole staff.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Courtney Lough or your ELA Curriculum Specialist for additional information and support.

EMC Grade 4 Marine Explorers Program final teacher training session is January 22, 2022 from 9:00 AM -1:00 PM at the Energy and Marine Center.  This training is for Grade 4 teachers new to bringing students to the EMC 2^nd semester.  Please click on the link to register https://pasco.truenorthlogic.com/ia/empari/learning2/registration/presentRegistrationDetails/29608.

Please contact Donna Hoague at 727-774-0580 for answers to questions.