Rocket Weekly for Staff

Character Trait for January: Cooperation

January Mindset Focus: Feedback is a Gift

To cooperate means...

working or acting together

to achieve a common goal.

In our RES School Family, we value cooperation

as we each support one another to achieve success.

Always remembering that constructive feedback

is what everyone needs to grow and learn!

Click here for the Monthly Character Education Traits and Mindset Words of the Month.

Please click here for one list of all after school club teams and students.

(Last edited 01/20/20 - Changes to both DI Teams and SPARK and added 4th Grade Math Team)

All schools and offices closed in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

8:00am - 8:55am Staff Meeting.

Please click here for the agenda.

9:15am - 9:30am Recycling Bin Collection

4:00pm - 5:00pm Competitive DI Team (Mr. Cross' Team)

4:00pm - 5:15pm Spark (FLOW Club)

Work-Out Wednesday: Students and staff are encouraged to wear school appropriate athletic gear as we focus on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle while also taking a mid-week motor break to focus!

8:15am - 9:00am Creative Writing Club

8:15am - 8:45am Mentor Team Meeting

10:15am - 11:15am Primary Concert for students

3:45pm - 5:15pm 4th Grade Math Team

4:00pm - 5:00pm Relay for Life Team Meeting (Media Center)

5:30pm - 6:15pm Family Code Night

6:30pm - 7:30pm Primary Concert for parents and community

IEP Meetings

8:00am - 8:45am MTSS Tier 1 Team Meeting

Agenda will be linked here by 8pm on Tuesday.

9:05am - 9:35am MTSS Tier 2 Team Meeting

Agenda will be linked here by 8pm on Tuesday.

9:15am - 9:30am Recycling Bin Collection

6pm Soft Window: MP 2 Reports Cards Due

Wear our school colors to show our Ridge Pride!

4:00pm - 5:00pm Competitive DI Team (Mrs. Haney's Team)

4:00pm - 5:15pm Robotics Club

4:10pm Staff Member of the Week Lottery Wheel!!!!

5:00pm MP 2 TAC Report Card Window Closes and 3rd Quarter Newsletter due via email

The Tier 2 Mentoring Team Meeting Agenda will be linked here by 8pm on Friday (01/24/2020).

The MTSS Tier 2 Student Data Team Meeting will be linked here by 8pm on Friday (01/24/2020).

Collaborative Planning Agendas will be linked in next week's Rocket Weekly for Staff.

Please remember that it is staff members' professional responsibilities to meet all deadlines.

Below is a chart, developed by Mrs. Batelka, based upon the available information regarding county-based assessments. End of Unit optional assessments, highly recommended by supervisors, are also being included.

Please Note: The Quarter 2 Chart, developed at the Central Office Level, is linked under SMCPS Sites and Quick Links.

Edits for additional Math Required assessments, changes in windows, and changes in the data pull date are in RED text. These edits were made 01/12/2020.

Please Note: The Quarter 3 Chart will be published once it's available from Central Office.

The MP2 Window opened the morning of Thursday, January 16th and closes at 5pm on Friday, January 24th.

As Report Cards need to be reviewed, please have them completed by 6pm on Thursday, January 23rd. In order to continue with "Going Green," all reports will be reviewed electronically and homeroom teachers will be sent a PDF of the Report Cards should any edits be needed. This will give everyone the opportunity to complete any needed edits on Friday, January 24th before the window closes. This is a soft-deadline. Please let Honora know if you are unable to make this soft-deadline.

When report cards are ready for review - please email Mrs. Goddard and Mrs. Batelka so we are aware that they are ready to be run. Mrs. Batelka will review all report cards. Please email once done rather than waiting for the "soft" or "hard" deadline.

As a friendly reminder - below are guidelines for Pre-K through 4th...

• Shaded Teacher Grade Level Report Cards are located on the Elementary Site with some areas fully or partially shaded. Please check to make sure there have been no edits prior to completing your report cards.
• Areas fully shaded should not be marked as theses were not covered during the 2nd Marking Period.
• Areas partially shaded should not be marked as Strong Command as these areas have not been fully taught during the 2nd Marking Period.
• All areas not shaded should have a competency indicated - even if it is NY for "Not Yet."
• As you identify students' competency levels, please remember that you are marking them for the entire standard indicated. Therefore, as students progress through the Marking Periods, it is uncommon for a student to decrease in a skill/standard. If the data is borderline between two competency levels, it may be "safer" to go with the lesser competency level.
• When Mrs. Batelka reviews the Report Cards, she will be comparing students' Report Cards against the Shaded Teacher Report Card, located on the Elementary Website, to verify that all non-shaded areas have a competency marked, that all fully shaded areas are marked as NA for "Not Assessed," and that all partially shaded areas are not marked SC for "Strong Command." It is understood that there are always some exceptions.... but no area that is not shaded may have NA marked.

As a friendly reminder - below are general guidelines for 5th Grade....

• Grade level (below, on, above) for reading and math needs to be recorded

• Comments for Grades of “C,” “D,” or “F” must be explained in the comment section.

• The comment is intended to explain to both the student and the parent(s)/guardian(s) the reason for the grade of “C,” “D,” or “F."
  

Comment Sheets (Grades Pre-K through 4th):

• The standardized agreed upon Comment Sheet is to be used.
• Please remember to include areas of strength and areas to work upon so that parents may understand what their child needs to work on.
• Comment Sheets are due by 9am on Monday, January 27th. This is a "hard" deadline.
  
• Comment Sheets are to be emailed to Mrs. Goddard. Mrs. Batelka will be reviewing all Comment Sheets electronically and forwarding them back to classroom teachers in a PDF if edits are needed. Please do not turn in hard copies as we continue to "Go Green."

Strings/Band/Chorus and Special Education Progress Reports:

• These are due by 9am on Monday, January 27th. This is a "hard" deadline.
• Strings/Band/Chorus Progress Reports are to be emailed to Mrs. Goddard.
• Special Education Staff need to email Mrs. Batelka when their progress reports are ready for review.
• Mrs. Batelka will forward a PDF of the Progress Reports should any edits be needed.

• 3rd Marking Period Newsletters are due by Friday, January 24th.
• Please do not submit a hard copy as previously done in the past.
• All newsletters are to be emailed to Mrs. Batelka and Mrs. Goddard.
• 3rd Marking Period Newsletters are to be sent home along with Report Cards and Comment Sheets.

All staff sponsoring a club, regardless of the time, need to submit the names of students to Mrs. Batelka and Mrs. Morrison prior to the start of the club. This will ensure that students are included in the club roster and that any health-related needs are addressed.

Two Smart TVs have been purchased and will be placed in Mrs. Fisher's and Mrs. Reynolds'' classrooms.

Three additional Smart TVs are being purchased at the Central Office Level and will be placed in the following classrooms: Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Pierce, and Ms. Rye.

The date of installation is unknown at this time. Outside contractors will be installing them and we will be informed of the date/times of installation. There is a chance that the installation will occur during instructional time. Notice will be provided and in advance, thank you everyone for being flexible as the dates and times are not negotiable due to a system-level schedule.

An EXCITING new set of webinars are about to launch with SMART Technologies for EDUCATORS by EDUCATORS.

• Click here link to register and learn more
• Ready Set Go Live Webinars this month are scheduled January, 21, 28, 29
• Staff mat also watch previous webinars
• Classroom Teachers may earn acquired hours (45 minutes) for watching the 30 minute webinars and reflection on how to apply the webinar in their instructional plan. To earn the acquired hours staff must submit a brief paragraph about what they learned and how they plan on using (or will use) the information in a future lesson.

Mid-Year SLO and Eval Meetings will begin this week.

Please check your calendar to ensure a meeting has been scheduled. Non-tenured staff members should have two meetings - one for their SLO Meeting and one for their Mid-Year Eval. All other staff should have one meeting. Calendar invites were sent earlier this school year.

Please email Mrs. Batelka if you do not see a calendar invite for your meeting(s).

Electronic copies of your BOY documents were emailed by Mrs. Goddard as meetings occurred. Please reference the emailed copy to make revisions to your Mid-Year SLO document.

All revisions noted by hand in the BOY Meeting should be typed and entered into a clean document, along with your mid-year reflection.

All data used in the reflection should also be available to discuss during the upcoming meeting.

Rocking Rockets' Celebration: Monthly Celebration for students achieving a specific positive percentage on ClassDoJo.

• Students have had to earn an overall 75% positive or higher on ClassDoJo to participate in the monthly celebration.
• Beginning with the January Celebration (for the month of December), students will need to earn an overall 80% positive or higher to participate in the monthly celebration.
• February Celebration (02/03/2020) will be stations.

Rocket Store:

• All non-tangible purchases were to be submitted to Mrs. Knight, for the January Rocket Store, by Friday, January 10th. If a staff member has not done so, please do so this week.
• If a homeroom has no "non-tangible purchases," please email Mrs. Knight that there were none.

Tier 2 Check-In/Out:

• The first set of students are ready to graduate from Tier 2! Classroom teachers and mentors have been notified. Mrs. Cox also met with the students last week.
• Additional students, based upon the criteria set by the MTSS Tier 2 Team will be considered during the 1/27/2020 Meeting.
• Any teacher referrals to Check In Check Out, for consideration in the January Meeting, are due by 1/23/2020.

Temperature cut-off is "feels like" 33 degrees or higher.

As the weather continues to get colder, please note that students will not be permitted to participate in outdoor recess if they are not dressed warmly.

• All students need to wear a winter/thicker coat that zips/buttons.

• Any students wearing only a light jacket or sweatshirt will remain inside for indoor recess.

Recess Teams need to work together to identify a plan of who/where to take students who are not allowed to go out because they do not have the appropriate coats.

Please Note: Students may not be sent to ISIC or the Main Office as there is no guarantee that a staff member is available to supervise students. If needed, the Gift of Time may be reallocated to cover indoor recess when there is outdoor recess should alternative coverage be unable to be made.

As the cold weather continues, it is likely students will be participating in indoor recess activities. Although students will not be able to get in as much movement indoors, students should still have the opportunity to engage in exercise, free/organized play, and movement.

Each lunch and/or grade level needs to ensure that there is opportunity for movement and if a movie is being played, there needs to be a space or another location, where students requiring movement may go to for recess.

Friends of Ridge (FOR) the Kids has volunteered to fund indoor recess games to support movement and interactive activities for students during indoor recess.

Activities to consider:

• Bulzibucket - Next Generation Corn-hole
• Jenga
• Cup Stacking Games
• Bean Bag Games
• Hopscotch Rug
• Legos
• Go Noodle
• Board Games

All indoor classrooms need to have at least 15 minutes of physical activity planned. This may be as simple as Go Noodle Videos or Simon Says.

A written plan indoor recess plan is due to Mrs. Batelka by 1/31/2020. Please email all plans to Mrs. Goddard.

We are very excited to announce that the Ridge Rocking Rockets Relay for Life Team is up and running!

Ridge Elementary School will have a Relay for Life Team this school year to support and honor our School Family Members affected by cancer.

Please click here if you are interested in joining our team.

We will be having our first Relay for Life meeting on Wednesday January 22, 2020 at 4pm in the Media Center.

• Attendees will discuss possible fundraisers ideas, how much we want to raise and what we would like our team to do at the Relay for Life Event.
• If you are unable to attend the meeting, but have ideas to share, please email our team captain Ms. Knight at jaknight@smcps.org.

Online Resources and Website Maintenance:

• On Friday, January 31, 2020, from 8 p.m.-midnight, the SMCPS website, and other online resources are scheduled for maintenance.
• The actual downtime will also be minimal; however, we do not want any changes during this time so we can avoid issues of lost data or changes.

Field Trip/Program Trip Rate Update:

• Field Trip/Program Trip Rate Update
• The rates will remain unchanged and be reevaluated in July 2020.

Rotary John Beaton Marco Polo Travel Award:

• The Rotary Club of Lexington Park, Maryland, in its continuing effort to help teachers and students, is pleased to make available to a teacher a stipend of $2500 to be used for travel to a destination of his/her choice for the purpose of enhancing instruction in the classroom.
• Applications are due March 27.

Student Services: Home and Hospital Teaching

• Student Services is looking for certificated teachers interested in assuming Home and Hospital responsibilities after hours.
• The rate of pay is $30/hour.
• Contact Melissa Seigman, Home/Hospital Teaching Coordinator at 301-475-5511, x32150 or email mrseigman@smcps.org.

School Messenger

• As a reminder, School Messenger texting is available to send brief school announcements via text messaging. If parents or staff are new or they have a new number, they need to OPT IN to receive messages you may be sending.
• Employees can receive these texts when their cell number recorded in the EAC:
• Check the EAC to make certain your personal cell phone number is entered. If not, be sure to update that page.
• Opt in to receive messages by texting the word “YES” to 67587 from your wireless device. MORE INFO

Educational Systems Federal Credit Union (ESFCU)

• The ESFCU is available to all school employees, students and parents. For more information regarding membership and services offered, please visit the Credit Union’s website.
• Educational Systems Federal Credit Union is now accepting 2020 applications for Student Scholarships through BECA.
• For Educators, ESFCU is accepting applications for the Maurice Erly Professional Development Award through April 1.

Human Resources

• The Maryland Retired School Personnel Association (MRSPA) is offering three $2,000 scholarships to public school employees in Maryland who are enrolled in a program leading to certification or to meet the requirements to become a school counselor, speech and language pathologist, a physical or occupational therapist, a school social worker, a media specialist, or a school psychologist. Please visit the MSRPA scholarship page for information. Applications are open through January 31, 2020, and winners will be notified by March 1, 2020.
• The Online Transfer Request will be open Monday, January 6, 2020, through March 6, 2020. Certificated staff who wish to be considered for a transfer to another school location should complete the online transfer request. Staff may request up to a maximum of 5 sites to be considered for a transfer to. Requests to change grade levels or subjects within your current school only should be communicated in writing to your building principal.

Equity Initiatives

• Mrs. Cox will serve as the main point of contact for RES regarding Equity Initiatives.
• St. Mary's College is hosting the 16th Annual Southern Maryland Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast on Monday, January 20, 2020, with a keynote address by Dr. Jason Johnson. For more information, visit this link.
• The MLK Day of Service Essay contest is open to high school and college students. Please see this flyer for information. The winner of the contest from each level will receive a gift of $100 and will get the opportunity to meet Dr. Jason Johnson, the international journalist, who will be the special guest at the MLK Day of Service.

Instructional Updates

• The Southern Region of the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics(MCTM) is hosting a mini-conference on February 1, 2020, at Billingsly Elementary School from 9 - noon. Featured speakers will be Linda Schoenbradt from MSDE who will be talking about MCAP; and John SanGiovanni, author of our Math in Practice books. John SanGiovanni also sits on the Board of Directors for NCTM. Register here. Registration for members is $20. Registration for nonmembers is $40.
• Discovery Education - The usage report for Discovery Education shows minimal traffic, therefore as it will not be renewed next school year. If you use Discovery Ed, you will need to download the content that you have been using in lessons. Here is a screencast showing you how to download DE content and save it to Google Drive.
• Instruction in Reading- Course Instructor Needed: This course is designed to give elementary classroom teachers familiarity with a representative array of research-based instructional techniques and strategies in the area of reading. Participants will learn instructional routines and strategies in the five major components of reading instruction suitable for various age and ability groups. Please contact Jessie Cotugno, jwcotugno@smcps.org, if you are interested in serving as a course instructor.

Most recent Kindergarten Memo

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Most recent Math Memo

• January 13, 2020. This edition contains important information about the MCTM Mini Conference on Saturday, February 1 from 9 to noon. A $30 per hour stipend will be paid for all teachers who attend ($90). Click here for more information. Click here to register. This edition also contains important grade level notes for Kindergarten (Report Card Shading Change and Number Corner 2 Note), 2nd -5th grade (Computational Fluency), and 4th grade (Multiplication).
• January 19, 2020. This edition contains important information about differentiation, calculator use, and the upcoming Math Conference.

Bridges Updates and Supports:

• Please click here to access the Bridges Issue
• Please click here to access help videos

Most recent English Language Arts Newsletter

• Please click here to access The Reading Corner (December 2, 2019 Edition). Please take the time to review the information as there is important information staff need to be aware of regarding upcoming standards and instructional notes for each grade level.
  

Most recent Health and Physical Education Update

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Most recent Special Education Newsletter: The PIER

• Please click here for the January 3, 2020 Issue. This month's newsletter contains information about Heggerty Webinar, SoMd Transition Expo, Explicit vs Direct Instruction, Written Language PLAAFPs, January Hot Topic Meeting, Department Chair/Representative Meeting, Sketchnoting, and Upcoming Middle School Special Educator Training.

Most recent Elementary Science Newsletter

• December 2019 Edition. This edition contains information on Grade 5 practice tets for units 1 and 2 and reminders about the Assessment Guides (along with links for each grade level). Unit 2 Assessments for grades 1-5 have been updated.

Most recent Gifted and Talented Newsletter

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Most recent Library Media Newsletter

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Most recent Fine Arts Newsletter

• Please click here for the October Edition
  

Most recent ESOL Newsletter

• Please click here for the January Edition

Most recent Educational Equity Newsletter

• Please click here for the December 2019/January 2020 Newsletter

As we begin the second half of the school year, our next theme is Aspiring. It is a hopeful word that gets us to think about the possibilities for growth. We ask questions that help move us forward. We focus students on their goals and we look toward the successes we will see as the year moves forward. Looking forward, moving forward - keeping your focus on what lies ahead rather than what is behind - That is what helps us aspire to do great things.

Resources for Aspiring:

• A Framework for Goal Setting - Edutopia article

• The Secret of Effective Feedback - Ed Leadership article

• Do You Aspire to Inspire - Blog

• Building Growth Mindset in the Classroom - EdWeek [pdf]

This will be updated quarterly and as changes are made by content supervisors.

Chart format for easy access and assessments/dates for ONLY Elementary School Required Assessments (Local) - Quarter 2

Elementary Site Link: Please click here

Test Center Clean Up

• Teachers need to ensure the title of their assessment contains their school initials and/or limits the availability of the assessments they create to their building. The effect of this is that teachers at other buildings are confused about which assessments their students should be taking.
  
• Click here for guidance on how to ensure assessments are named in a way that reduces confusion.
• Click here for guidance on how to ensure assessments you create are only available at your building.

Performance Matters Online Scoring:

• To utilize Online Scoring for recommended math assessments you must first assign the test to students in order to enable the Online Scoring.
• Locate the test in Test Center, then from the ‘Select’ menu choose Release: Online/Paper Based to open the dialog box for selecting students.
• Then you must choose the class(es) or student(s) and select Preslugged Sheets.
• You can then either save or cancel the download of sheets. Save the file if you’d like to print scansheets, otherwise, you are now ready to navigate to Online Scoring.

Reminders for Scanning Scansheets:

• To minimize mistakes by the scanner, please remember to change the scan file type to TIFF and scan as GrayScale or Color. This will help ensure that bubbles and erasures are read correctly.
• Please remind students to bubble dark, complete bubbles, to stay within the bubbles, to erase mistakes completely, and not to mark in or near the barcode.
• Please remember to include both the Student Name and ID Number if not using a pre-printed scan sheet. If sheets are double-sided, be sure student information is on both sides. Please be sure the last names are included.
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Have a question about assessment data, building a test, or entering RTI data? Visit the SMCPS PM Google Site for all this and more! https://sites.google.com/smcps.org/unify/home The site can also be found on the SMCPS Staff page under Instructional Resources. Within PM you can also visit the News & Assignments tab or Help module ⍰ for videos and instructions. Contact Jeff Gibson jsgibson@smcps.org or Kristen Maher kmmaher@smcps.org with further questions.

SMCPS UNIFY Google Support Site:

• Reminder that the SMCPS Unify Google Site can be found on the staff page under Instructional Resources at https://www.smcps.org/staff
  

The SMCPS Unify Google Site includes, among other resources:

• Troubleshooting directions for student testing.
  
• Directions to assist teachers with online scoring.
  
• Steps for the creation of Answer Key Only assessments.
  
• Steps for using pre-made interactive test items to create online assessments.

Any questions, training or additional Unify support needs can be referred to the appropriate contact found on the Training Page.

Report Cards - Two things to review before the TAC report card window opens this week are

1. Check your list of students by clicking Grade Reporting > Report Card. If any students are missing from the class list, inform your master scheduler. Accurate attendance lists do not always equal an accurate report card list so this is important to check.
2. Check your Report Card Average tab for each class to verify the report card average percentages are set up correctly. Once the report card window opens, you may Load from Gradebook multiple times if student scores change.

Report Card Window Reminders:

• Be aware the Override box should not be checked if you want to load a new letter grade and/or a new numerical average.
• The only way a new numerical average will be loaded into the database is if another Load from Gradebook is done AND the override box is unchecked.
• These averages are important when calculating final grades.
• To see a summary of what was entered, click the Report Card Summary icon on the upper right of the Report Card Entry screen.
• Please submit a Technology Helpdesk Ticket or contact Assessment & Accountability if you have any questions.

Google Classroom (starting February 5th): SMCPS Google Classroom Training is a survey of the basic features and functionality of Google Classroom as implemented in SMCPS. Participants learn about posting Materials, Questions, Assignments, Quiz Assignments and communicating with students in the Classroom environment. To support fluency, participants will receive support in order to complete the Google Fundamentals Training independently between face-to-face sessions. At the end of the course, participants will be prepared to get certified as a Google Certified Educator Level 1. We will meet at Leonardtown Middle School in the Media Center on the following dates and times: February 5th: 4:30-7:30, March 4th: 4:30-7:30, April 1: 4:30-7:30. Register for the course on the PMPD site.

Methods of Teaching Reading in the Content Areas, Part II: This course focuses on teaching secondary students to access and learn from text. Class participants are expected to apply theories, strategies, and practices in classroom lessons. The course introduces types of reading, reading skills, and instruction that integrates content with reading goals. You do not need to have completed Teaching Reading in the Content Areas Part I to register for this course. To account for all 45 hours (3 credits), participants will be required to complete work outside of class meeting times that will be applicable in their own classrooms. Scheduled classes will be held at Leonardtown Middle School from 4:00 - 8:00 PM on March 25; April 1, 15, 29; May 6, 13, 27; and June 3, 10. Visit the PMPD website for more information.

MSDE Professional Learning Online Course Catalog: The MSDE Spring 2020 online professional learning catalog has been posted and registration is open. The catalog and the registration link is in the far-right column on https://msde.blackboard.com/. Registration is open from December 3- January 30. One, two, and three-credit courses will begin on February 19. Four-credit courses will begin on February 26. The end dates vary depending upon credits. All registration information and specific dates can be found within the catalog.

The Southern Region of the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics(MCTM) is hosting a mini-conference on February 1, 2020, at Billingsly Elementary School from 9 - noon. Featured speakers will be Linda Schoenbradt from MSDE who will be talking about MCAP; and John SanGiovanni, author of our Math in Practice books. John SanGiovanni also sits on the Board of Directors for NCTM. Register here. Registration for members is $20. Registration for nonmembers is $40.

Registration is open for additional courses:

• Please log into the system for available courses

Register online: https://smcps.truenorthlogic.com
UserName: beginning of SMCPS login (without @smcps.org)
Password: normal SMCPS password

Stay tuned for upcoming birthdays!!!

Dues: $20 may be turned into Ms. Steiger or Mrs. Goddard.

Sunshine Breakfast/Lunch/Snacks Potluck! Each team will determine what type of snacks to provide.

• 1/29: Special Education and Specialists
  
• 3/23: Intermediate
• 4/29: Primary
• 6/15: Office Staff

Staff Member of the Week

• We're celebrating one another and selecting a staff member of the week every Friday at 4:10pm for the following week!
• If you have not completed the survey, and wish to participate in the selection process please click here.
• Only staff who have completed the survey will be included in the Lottery Wheel.

Each week a staff member will be randomly chosen to be recognized as the special staff member for that week.

We will announce the staff member on morning announcements and post information about that person in the hallway for all to see.

We also will be playing 2 truths and a myth. These will be posted on the display to give staff and students a chance to try and figure out what a staff member's myth may be. It will be revealed at the end of the week.

Week of August 26th

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