The Cougar Connection

Kemp Elementary Staff and Public Calendar

Wednesday, February 1, 2012: The SUPERBOWL EDITION

Cougar Claps

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Polk for doing such a wonderful job of keeping our website AWESOME!!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Phillips for taking on an additional student with her Extended Day group!  We really appreciate your flexibility!

Cougar Claps for Miss Bastuba for having such an awesome blog!!! Have you seen all those pictures and the slide shows she has on there!! Amazing!!!  (Must have had a good teacher!)

Cougar Claps for Mrs. McMillian for keeping us up to date with the 12 Powerful Words!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Beames for organizing our extended day!  It is going to be awesome this Spring!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Holloway for organizing our Gimmie 5 campaign!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Douglas for helping with property control!  It is done!  All items have been accounted for!!!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Mascheri, Mrs. Hollis, Mrs. McDevitt, Mrs. Ramirez and Mrs. Camacho for always being so flexible and changing plans on the fly.  (Sorry about that...)

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Harbuck for presenting at the 3C Conference!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. McMillian for doing another wonderful job of pumping up that Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Wade, Mrs. Wood, Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Bussell, Mrs. Hur, Mrs. Maggart and Mrs. Kirkland for going to Chick-Fil-A that evening and supporting Kemp!  (There were probably others that went through the drive thru...)

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Schmidt and Mrs. Hammond for always taking care of our special education students that are between the co-taught model and self-contained classroom.  The teachers really appreciate how you make sure to always include ALL students!

 

What's Happening

PROFILE SHEETS DUE FRIDAY!!!

CWT Data

Kristy and I have compiled our 2nd quarter CWT data and we completed a total of 74 walk-throughs!  Furthermore, we saw an increase in all areas!  We are especially excited to see that the level of instruction increased in Application/Analysis and Synthesis/Evaluation! 

Spring Pictures February 28, 2012!!!!!!!Get Ready!!!

Common Core Broadcasts
The common core broadcasts have begun through Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) this week for Kindergarten ELA. Next week, the 2nd Grade, 4th Grade and 7th grade ELA broadcasts will be aired.
along with the Kindergarten Mathematics broadcasts. The schedule for these sessions is attached as a reminder in the event you have misplaced the schedule sent in the fall. The quality of the first session was good. It was interactive, so teachers are allowed to ask questions during the live broadcast. There is no way to schedule a broadcast that meets everyone's schedule across the state, so schools will need to look for creative ways to allow teachers to interact during the broadcast. All sessions are archived for later viewing if schools cannot find a way to participate during
the broadcast.
These sessions are for all levels, so please refer to the attached schedule.

Science Fair

The Elementary Science Fair will be held on March 3rd, in conjunction with the Elementary Science Olympiad. The fair & Olympiad will be held at Walton HS. Each school may send up to 3 entries. You may register students online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/K-5SciFair2012.

More details will be forth-coming. Questions? – Contact Sally Creel or Jennifer Gates, ES Science Fair Coordinator(Jennifer.gates@cobbk12.org).

Next Generation Science Standards

By now I'm sure you've heard a lot of buzz about the roll out of the new Common Core. You know that Common Core (CCGPS) is focused on ELA & Math. So as a teacher who also teaches science, you may be wondering where the Common Core standards for science are. There aren’t Common Core standards for science. Content standards for science were not included in the scope of work during the development of the Common Core standards for ELA & Math. This does not mean that science is not impacted by the roll-out of the CCGPS. The new CCGPS for ELA require a shift in focus from mostly narrative to more informational text. This increased focus on informational text will provide teachers with greater opportunities to integrate science instruction meaningfully into their literacy blocks. This integration will not replace the need for instructional time devoted to hands-on inquiry science, but will enable teachers to deepen student understanding of the concepts about which they are learning through reading and writing.

The science content standards are NOT changing with the implementation of CCGPS. In the 2012-2013 school year we will still be responsible for teaching the same science GPS we have taught since 2006. New national science standards are on the horizon, but they are at least 2 years away from implementation. If you’re interested in learning more about the new Next Generation Science Standards, please visit www.nextgenscience.org.

Science Materials

Teams, please make sure you spend our Science Consumables ASAP!  We currently have about 800.00 left to spend.  First come, first serve to that money.  Please get with Roxanne or me on what we can or can not purchase.  We want to have it all spent by February 15, 2012! 

Storage Wars

Yuuuppppp...That time of the year again...Please make sure you organize that STORAGE ROOM before you go out for Spring Break!  Our outstanding custodians will be cleaning them over Spring Break!  (Anyone watch that show...)

 SUPERBOWL FOR JEANS SURVEY ON BLACKBOARD

Want to wear Jeans on Monday and possibly all next week???  Then complete the SUPERBOWL Survey posted on BLACKBOARD!!  If you complete the survey by this Friday at noon, you can wear JEANS on Monday and if the team that Kemp teachers select wins the superbowl, then those that completed the survey can wear JEANS all next week!!!  (Only certified teachers can login to BLACKBOARD, so if you can not access BLACKBOARD, just email me your pick for the SUPERBOWL and I will add it to the totals on BLACKBOARD.) Read below on how to access BLACKBOARD and while you are there check out some really cool stuff that Ashley, Shane and Mary Jo placed on there under the HOT LINKS button to help you reach even higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.

In order to access BLACKBOARD, go to the following link:

http://cobbk12.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp

 

Login ID: firstname.lastname Ex. mickey.mouse

PW: password

Once on, click on the SURVEYS button on the left and then complete the SUPERBOWL FOR JEANS SURVEY.

Long Staff Meeting...

Yep, looks like we are going to be here until at least 4 PM next Tuesday for our staff meeting...Sorry and please plan accordingly.

March MATHNESS

Team Leaders, please get with your teams and let us know your plan for March MATHNESS!  Please have plans submitted by February 20, 2012.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012: Watch for the Solar Flares....

Cougar Claps

Cougar Claps for all of our staff members and subs that stepped up to help us cover for all of our staff members that attended the Funeral Monday afternoon.  It was beautiful celebration of a beautiful life that we are so fortunate to have known!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Scurry for always being so positive and willing to help.

Cougar Clap for Mrs. Pritchett for being AMAZING.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Shirley for reminding us that you can wear jeans tomorrow if you are reading this.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Gaiters for having such a beaituiful little girl.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Briggs and Mrs. Vanderslice for always being available to help our students!  Whenever anything comes up, they are always there to support our school!

Cougar Clap for Mrs. Yaguchi for being so awesome!!!!  We are so fortunate to have her serve our EL students!

Cougar Claps for the second grade for being AWESOME! (They made me write this...I am in the CTP meeting right now and they won't let me go if I don't give them a Cougar Clap.)

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Lawson and Mrs. Wade for having an amazing break through with a student!!! This is why we get into teaching!!!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Bastuba for taking such detailed minutes at our leadership meeting.

What's Happening

School Calendar

Don't forget that we have all of our important staff and public dates on our GOOGLE Calendar.  Be sure to check it out when planning activities.

2nd Nine Week Cumulative Problem Solver WINDOW IS OPEN!

All students must be administered this assessment, unless on GAA.

Extended Day Groups

Team leaders, don't forget to get your extended day groups together and to Heather or Dana ASAP.

Car Pool

Please make sure all students have a car pool sign even if they only are a car rider once a week.  We are tying to be consistent with our car pool policy and we want to make sure ALL car riders have a sign.

Next Generation Science Standards

By now I'm sure you've heard a lot of buzz about the roll out of the new Common Core. You know that Common Core (CCGPS) is focused on ELA & Math. So as a teacher who also teaches science, you may be wondering where the Common Core standards for science are. There aren’t Common Core standards for science. Content standards for science were not included in the scope of work during
the development of the Common Core standards for ELA & Math. This does not mean that science is not impacted by the roll-out of the CCGPS. The new CCGPS for ELA require a shift in focus from mostly narrative to more informational text. This increased focus on informational text will provide teachers with greater opportunities to integrate science instruction meaningfully into their literacy blocks. This integration will not replace the need for instructional time devoted to hands-on inquiry science, but will enable teachers to deepen student understanding of the concepts about which they
are learning through reading and writing. The science content standards are NOT changing with the implementation of CCGPS. In the 2012-2013 school year we will still be responsible for teaching the same science GPS we have taught since 2006. New national science standards are on the horizon, but they are at least 2 years away from implementation. If you’re interested in learning more about the new Next Generation Science Standards, please visit www.nextgenscience.org.

Science Fair

The Elementary Science Fair will be held on March 3rd, in conjunction with the Elementary Science Olympiad. The fair & Olympiad will be held at Walton HS. Each school may send up to 3 entries. More details will be forth-coming. Questions? – Contact Sally Creel or Jennifer Gates, ES Science Fair Coordinator (Jennifer.gates@cobbk12.org).

A Note from Joann Wood, Our Elementary Social Studies Director...

The Social Studies common state standards are still in development and are still several years away from implementation. However, the ELA common core includes:
• a new emphasis on reading and writing informational text,
• deeper historical and other content literacy (including extensive vocabulary development),
• research skills,
• rich and authentic performance tasks,
• enhancement of students’ ability to read and analyze primary source documents,
• sophisticated use and citation of multiple resources,
• interpreting various perspectives in text and arguing a position on critical issues.
All of these mesh beautifully with how social studies should be taught. We believe that ALL teachers will have to consciously teach social studies and much more rigorously than in the past. As you can see, the new ELA common core cannot be taught in its entirety without substantial integration and reinforcement with Social Studies (and science, too.)
WHAT we teach in Social Studies, the GPS, will not be changing in the near future, but HOW we teach it is changing...and for the better! I, for one, am very excited about the possibilities for legitimizing
Social Studies.

Thank you for making Social Studies Matter this year! Please let me know how I can support you in this effort.

Cold Weather Guidelines:
When the outside temperature or wind chill factor is 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, school staff should take students outside no longer than 15 minutes. Students should wear appropriate clothing.
http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/adminrules/I_Rules/Rule_IHAE.pdf

Harcourt Health Curriculum Materials
The Harcourt Health instructional materials are available on the Harcourt Math page after you log in. If these instructional resources are not located there, please contact TechHelp.Support@cobbk12.org and give them the following information: School name, Teacher name, laptop service tag #, and grade level. Tell them that the Harcourt Health and Fitness curriculum materials are missing.
HealthTeacher.com is available for teacher use. It is located at:
http://www.healthteacher.com/user/signup Please enter in the Group Code: Cobb-ga to register for all support links.

OAS

Don't forget to encourage your students to use OAS!  I will be more than happy to come and show your students how to login and give them a challenge!  Just let me know.

EXTENDED Day Tutoring!!

We NEED YOU!!!  Please let Heather or Dana know if you are interested for Spring Semester

School Improvement Survey

Teachers, please do not forget to take the School Improvement survey!  We need your input!

http://www.cobbk12.org/SISurvey/

Please encourage parents to return the School Improvement surveys we sent home this week.  Return them to the office. 

 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012: Valentine's Day is coming...

Cougar Claps

Cougar Claps for organizing our Mystery Math Show!!  The students loved it this morning!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Suri for going above and beyond and going to Due West to pick up some report cards we needed!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Stacy!!! SHE IS ENGAGED!!!

Cougar Claps for the entire first grade team for an outstanding CTP session where they collaboratively scored writing.  It took the whole time, but they had a wonderful discussion on what is meeting standards.  Based on the session today, there is no doubt that there is consistency in how writing is scored in 1st grade.

Cougar Clap for Mrs. Camacho for always being flexible and letting different groups use her room.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Ackerman for being so helpful to us with the implementation of Pinnacle!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Hartley, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Paxson, Mrs. Shirley, Mrs. Bastuba, Mrs. McDevitt, Mrs. Hollis, Mrs. Pritchett, Mrs. Bussell, Mrs. Kale, Mrs. Phillips and Mrs. Jouanet for taking on a student teacher/TOSS student.  We appreciate your support of these students!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Fritts, Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Abushar for doing a wonderful job in the cafeteria as our Lunchroom monitors!!!  We are so fortunate to have such caring and dedicated monitors take care of our students while we enjoy a quiet lunch. :)

 

What's Happening

OAS

Don't forget to encourage your students to use OAS!  I will be more than happy to come and show your students how to login and give them a challenge!  Just let me know.

EXTENDED Day Tutoring!!

We NEED YOU!!!  Please let Heather or Dana know if you are interested for Spring Semester.

Lesson Study

Just a reminder that you will meet during your planning with Wendy Cox to review how we will complete the lesson study on the LFS lessons you created in December.  Please go to the data room during your planning.  Mrs. Cox will begin about 5 minutes after planning starts.  If we get started on time, shouldn't take the entire planning time.

School Improvement Survey

Teachers, please do not forget to take the School Improvement survey!  We need your input!

http://www.cobbk12.org/SISurvey/

Please encourage parents to return the School Improvement surveys we sent home this week.  Return them to the office. 

Language ARTS

Did you know that LANGUAGE ARTS is just as important as reading.  In fact, it is averaged in with reading when determining AYP.  Please make sure you are spending an adequate amount of time teaching language arts.

Car Pool Signs

Teachers, please make car pool signs for your new students.  Kindergarten uses lime green, 1st grade uses salmon, 2nd grade uses gold, 3rd grade uses yellow, 4th grade uses orange and 5th grade uses red paper.  I have attached the template that Mrs. Mason sent out earlier.

Profile Sheets and Data Room

Just a reminder that profile sheets are due February 3, 2012.  Also, please make sure all data is updated in the data room.  Ex. Reading Level moved and Math Problem Solving Benchmark Scored Updated.

The third quarter profile sheet is due April 13 and the fourth quarter is due May 25.

GTID Number

You can access GTID number for your students through Pinnacle by clicking on the students name.  The whole student profile should pop up when you click on the student's name.  Please let Jill know if you have any questions!  Thanks Jill for sharing this trick!

FREE Technology SUPPORT

Please see the attached flyer regarding ATOMIC LEARNING support site.  It is free to CCSD Employees.  They have lots of technology support and training offered through this specific website and it is FREE!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012: The First CC of the New Year!!!

Cougar Claps

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Beames, Mrs. McMillian and Mrs. Johnson for providing our monthly LFS tip this month!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Schultz and Mrs. Vaccaro and the entire School Culture Team for organizing our Monthly Staff Recognition.  Don't forget to complete a golden apple for a staff member that is going above and beyond.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Hollis for winning the first Staff Member of the Month.  As mentioned on the apple, your positive attitude and positive energy is what makes Kemp such a wonderful place!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Kennedy for doing a wonderful job with our AssessTrax training this Monday!  If you need any assistance with retrieving data from AssessTrax, please let me know and I will be happy to help.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Holloway for doing a great job of advertising our Stevie B's Pizza Nights!  We have seen a better turnout since she took over!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Larocque and Mrs. Cobb for organizing our Spelling Bee this Thursday at 830!

Cougar Claps for all 1st - 5th grade teachers with getting all of our Checkpoint Tests in iRespond without any major problems!  That was tough to do, but of course, you all rose to the challenge!!  If you have any thoughts on how Checkpoint tests can run smoother in the future, please let me know.  I have some ideas and will be sharing them with the Office of Accountability.  I will be happy to pass on any recommendations you may have...(No, we can't say not take them!!)

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Ana, Mr. William, Mrs. Janet and Mrs. Amy for working so hard this winter break and making our campus look beautiful!  They went above and beyond by scrubbing down the walls and going that extra mile to make our campus the cleanest in Cobb County, Georgia, Nation and World!!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Holloway, Mrs. Groenveld and Mrs. Dorsey for working so hard to get all of our students tested for Target!!  It seems like we have tons this year!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Brown for taking care of a difficult situation...

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Harrison for being a wonderful 3rd grade teacher and teammate!

What's Happening

Lunchroom

How is it working?  Lisa and Kristen have put in a lot of work to it and are receiving mixed feedback in regards to the effectiveness of it.  Specifically, do you notice a reduction in noise in the cafeteria this year as compared to previous years.  What suggestions do you have to make it more effective?  Should we even continue?  Please let me, Lisa and Kristen know your thoughts and ideas.

Maintenance Workers

Our central office maintenance workers do an outstanding job of helping us keep our building and grounds in top condition.  Anything from fixing swings in the classrooms to cutting down dying trees on our campus, our maintenance workers consistently go above and beyond for our community.  Next time you see them in the hall, please let them know how much we appreciate their hard work and what they do for our school.

Extended Day Tutoring

Are you interested in teaching Extended Day???? PLEASE SAY YES, PLEASE SAY YES!!  Please email Heather and Dana what grade level and how many days you would like to tutor by next Wednesday.

SI Survey for Staff

Please complete the SI Survey.  You can complete the survey at the following link!  We need your input and it is completely anonymous!

http://www.cobbk12.org/SISurvey/

SI Survey for Students

Students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade will be completing the SI survey.  I am going to put the surveys in your box along with a script.  Please follow the script and have the students complete the survey.  3rd, 4th and 5th grade teachers, please plan to turn in the completed surveys to me by Friday, January 20, 2011.

SI Survey for Parents

Every parent/family will receive the SI survey.  You will receive the surveys placed in an envelope along with a letter from Dr. H.  Please plan to give those out next Wednesday and encourage students to bring them back completed.  We will have a box in the front of the school where parents will be able to return them if they do not want to send them back with their children.  Please return any completed parent surveys to the office when you receive them.

Georgia Key Meeting next Tuesday!!

NO BREAKFAST in the CAFE tomorrow!  Students will eat in their classrooms.

Spelling Bee

Don't forget about the Spelling Bee this Thursday at 830!

HAVE A Hard Copy of YOUR GRADES

4th and 5th Grade Grade Teachers,

Please have a hard copy of all your grades.  As you know we are a pilot with the Pinnacle program and are working through some kinks in the system....

K-3rd Grade Teachers,

Be thankful you are not part of the Pinnacle Pilot! :)

EPI Pen Refresher

Please see Mrs. Scurry for a Quick Refresher on how to use EPI Pen.  We have some new students with peanut allergies and I thought this would be a great time for all of us to refresh our skills. 

http://www.epipen.com/how-to-use-epipen

 

Are you still reading this?  If so, please wear jeans tomorrow!

December 21, 2011: New BABY Edition!!!!

Cougar Claps

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Daniels for having her baby today!!! Yes, just 3 hours ago, Mrs. Daniels brought Tyler Chase Daniels into the world!!!  He is 9 LBS and 4 OZ, 21 1/2 inches long and has lots of dark hair!!!  Mom and son are doing really well!!!!!  Google, NEWBORN BABY for a picture.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Daniels for calling 3 hours after giving birth to ensure she was in the Cougar Connection!!!  (It was close, I was about to send it out when she called!)

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Abrams for helping us get an iRespond situation resolved!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Maggart and Mrs. Harper for their quick response to a student in need.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Kirkland for making sure we had enough gifts ordered for this week!  We really appreciate your hard work and attention to detail!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Cobb and Mrs. Larocque for making sure all of our Checkpoints are completed!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Dorsey and Mrs. Groenveld for collecting and counting all of our caring coins!!  Not an easy job at all!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Willey, Mrs. Vaccaro and Mrs. O'Connell for acting so quickly to make sure we have all what we need for the CRCT-M!  It will be here before we know it!

What's Happening

Target Testing

Target will be testing from January 10 - January 24.  Please be mindful before changing any schedules within your classes or grade level.  Please check with them to make sure it doesn't impact their testing schedule as they have a tight deadline to complete.

Spelling Bee is January 12, 2012.

 

Good Point...

“Our brain does not accept or hold on to things that don’t make sense.” This statement was made by Jan Christinson, trainer for the Digging Deeper with the Common Core Standards conference sponsored by the Leadership and Learning Center. What does this mean for teaching new information? If we ignore the brain research that teaches us that we must make learning relevant and help students make connections to something they know, we will continue to experience frustration in getting results with all of our students.
Dr. Horatio Sanchez, who has done extensive research in the neuroscience of the brain, spoke to elementary teachers and teachers in Area I this year about the neuroscience of learning. He taught us that stimuli enters the brain through the amygdala, the emotional center, and is chemically charged. If too much new information is introduced at one time, the brain secretes hormones that block the transfer of the signal to higher parts of the brain where information is processed.
He taught us about three factors that positively impact learning. One of those factors is making students feel emotionally safe when we introduce new concepts or teach them. Another factor is making connections to things that are familiar to the students. A final factor is introducing information in manageable chunks. We can facilitate the transition of information by adhering to the science of the brain as we help students learn. By making information relevant from the start to the world that students live in, this can be accomplished.
How will our practice change then? We will introduce new concepts within the context of a real-world or problem-based situations. We will intentionally design these situations to align to the experiences of our students. Finally, we will stop and check periodically with students to ensure that they are with us and they are learning.

TOSS Students

Do you want a TOSS Student from KSU?  We have 4 coming in Mid-January.  If you are interested in hosting, let me know ASAP.

Harrison Students

Do you teach, 1st, 2nd or 3rd grades?  Would you like to mentor a Highschool student who is thinking about becoming a teacher?  They would help out in the classroom for an 1 hour each day next semester....If you are interested in hosting a student, please let me know ASAP!

 

Teacher Workday on Monday, January 9, 2012

Yes, you will have most of the day just to work in your rooms and do what you need to do to plan engaging lessons that will challenge your students!  We have ASSESSTRAX training planned for 1st and 2nd in room 401 from 830 till 945 and 3, 4 and 5 in room 401 from 945 till 1030.  Special Ed teacher that have students that took the Checkpoint will need to attend one of the trainings.  Please plan to arrive by 8 AM on Monday and get your eight hours in. 

Lastly, we will have John Adams from an educators support group here in the morning.  He will be available in the lobby to answer any questions you may have about his organiziation for supporting educators.

Technology Courses

Upcoming Technology Courses for Winter/Spring Semester:

 

• The Interactive Classroom
• Easiteach Next Generation
• iRespond
• SMARTboard Interactive White Board
• Learn how to use your interactive products (SMARTboard, Activboard, ClassPad, iRespond) to create interactive lessons for your students.  Appropriate no matter which equipment you have.
• Easiteach is an interactive software that is licensed to use on any board or pad you have.  This course is designed for teachers in all levels to learn how to utilize this easy-to-use software to design interactive lessons.
• Learn how to use advanced features of iRespond for more than just testing!
• Learn how to use your SMARTboard (not for Activboard or other users).  Appropriate for beginning/intermediate levels of SMARTboard integration.

Check out these and other courses in the Professional Learning catalog located via the Academic Portal where you can also view times and locations for each class.  Space is limited, so hurry to reserve your seat! 

TAKE DOWN ALL CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS/TREES/HOLIDAY DECORATIONS BEFORE YOU LEAVE THURSDAY!

STUDENTS WILL EAT BREAKFAST IN THE CLASSROOM ON THURSDAY MORNING!

Staff Meeting

We will have a staff meeting on Tuesday, January 10, 2012.  We will plan to have a brief LFS strategy presentation and select our staff member for the month.  (The staff member will win a very nice gift....)

 

Check out all of Phillip Martin's Clip art! It is completely free to use!

http://www.phillipmartin.info/clipart/homepage.htm

The BUILDING IS CLOSED the ENTIRE BREAK!!!  Enjoy it and don't think about school!!!

December 14: The Day George Washington Died at Mount Vernon

Cougar Claps

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Scott for making one of her new students feel so welcome!  Dad was bragging on how much her daughter loves Kemp!

Cougar Claps to Kemp Elementary for raising over 300.00 at Chick-Fil-A earlier this month!!  That is the most ever!!!

Cougar Claps to Mrs. McCurley for doing an outstanding job of facilitating IEP's!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Waddell for being really flexible with our Checkpoint Testing and allowing us to use her room!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Ramirez for always helping us with our art needs!  Apparently word has gotten out about her expertise and now we are getting requests from Central Office! :)

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Surrency for labeling all of the Blooming Bid envelopes!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Scurry for putting us in touch with a new Partner In Education, Yogli Mogli!!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Brewer and Mrs. Beames for helping Mrs. Young with a recent IEP.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. O'Connell for coming in when she was sick to complete testing for two of her students.  Don't worry, she was not contagious. 

Cougar Claps for our wonderful Hospitality Team for a wonderful Holiday Party!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Thomas for always being so positive and flexible.  She is always willing to fill in wherever we need her!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Larocque and Mrs. Cobb for organizing our Spelling Bee!

What's Happening

Science Consumables

As a grade level, please get together and decide what you want.  Simply let me know and we will get it purchased for you.  For some guidelines on what we can purchase, please see the attachment.  If you have any questions, please let me know.  We will have until February 1, 2012 to purchase items.

Data Analysis

We have met with most of the grades and completed an analysis of data we have collected thus far.  We found an interesting trend that we had many more of our male students at promise in math than our female students.  Furthermore, we found that the achievement gap between the genders closes as they get into 5th grade.  Furthermore, we noticed that there was an achievement gap between our African-American students and other groups of students in some grade levels, but not others.  We had some great discussions with all of the teams that participated in the data analysis.  Much of the consensus is that we are incorporating vocabulary development in our lessons for our at-promise students and that we provide kinesthetic activities that truly engage all of our students.  It will be interesting to see if this trend continues as we begin to post our second nine week data.  Thank you for everyone for keeping the data updated!

Sing-A-Long

Please make sure you know which students will not be participating in the Sing-A-Long on Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 830.  Those students will have an activity to complete in room 401.

Safe-T-Rider Program

Kindergarten and First Grade teachers will receive a class packet for a Safety Awareness program on how to properly ride Elevators, Escalators and Moving Walks.  (They will be in your mailboxes tomorrow.) This innovative and HIP program will be sure to enlighten and engage your students!  Your packet will include a DVD with a truly HIP rap, activity book, certificate and stickers.  Please feel free to use this program as you see fit with your students!  This program is courtesy of the Elevator, Escalator Safety Foundation!  That's right, the EESF!  Ride Safe Kemp Elementary!

Possible Solution for Classroom Interruptions

Teachers, please put the following in your Blogs, Newsletters, Etc.

Kemp Family,

Please make sure students bring their snacks, lunches, homework, etc.  We have noticed an increasing trend of parents bringing in snacks, lunches and homework for students.  When an item is brought in for a student, we have to buzz down to their classroom and interrupt precious instructional time.  Please help us limit those interruptions by making sure your children have their lunches, homework and snacks.

Thank you.

Mr. Manson

Integrating Movement in Your Lessons to Improve Student Achievement

More Than Just Gym: Integrating Movement Across the School Day A high-quality physical education program is indisputably important, and so is ensuring that students are active across the school day and not just in gym class for 45 minutes—or worse, 20 minutes every other day. Research shows that kids who are physically active are not only healthier, but are also likely to perform better academically, and short activity breaks during the school day can improve concentration, behavior, and enhance learning. Physical Activity in the Classroom Research has shown that children normally move in short bursts therefore quick mini movement breaks work great in the classroom. It allows children to build up those minutes of moderate to vigorous activity in smaller pieces. In addition, by allowing children to take these movement breaks it can improve focus and engagement in your lessons.

Health Materials

 Harcourt Health Curriculum Materials The Harcourt Health instructional materials are available on the Harcourt Math page after you log in. If these instructional resources are not located there, please contact TechHelp.Support@cobbk12.org and give them the following information: School name, Teacher name, laptop service tag #, and grade level. Tell them that the Harcourt Health and Fitness curriculum materials are missing.
HealthTeacher.com is available for teacher use. It is located at:
http://www.healthteacher.com/user/signup Please enter in the Group Code: Cobb-ga to register for all support links.

CCSD Health Web Resources Teachers are reminded to bookmark the Health and Physical Education website that has many instructional resources at; http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/PEHealth/health.aspx
 

Cold Weather Guidelines

 

Please be reminded to follow the administrative rule when temperatures are below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/adminrules/I_Rules/Rule_IHAE.pdf

 

December 7, 2011: A day that will live in Infamy!

Cougar Claps

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Hammond, Mrs. Willey and Mrs. Vaccaro for doing a wonderful job with math club! 

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Scurry for cleaning up a stinky situation.

Cougar Claps for Mr. Reese!  He has done an amazing job of improving the behavior of his students. 

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Bussell for always sharing her wonderful resources.  Whenever someone needs something, she is always one of the first to offer!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Morgan for going above and beyond and collecting/analyzing student medical data for us.  We really appreciate your support of Kemp Elementary.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Kirkland for getting our additional Buckle Down Books here so quickly.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Bastuba for helping a friend in need and attending an additional PTA event!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Larocque for taking minutes at our School Council Meeting.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Hollis and Mrs. McDevitt for being flexible and helping with getting our new gym floor installed properly.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. McMillian and Mrs. Beames for doing an OUTSTANDING job with the LFS planning sessions!  Teachers have been very complimentary!!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Schmidt and Mrs. Hammond for keeping Mrs. O'Connell's students in their mind when planning activities and testing.  This is so HELPFUL for her!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Soley for taking the initiative and teaching Math for Mrs. Black's class when she was out.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Schultz for donating 3 POPULAR Charlie Brown DVD's to the Media Center.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Huffstetler and Mrs. Douglas for organizing our very own Elf on the Shelf!  The kids love it!!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. McMillian, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Bussell, Mr. Reese, Mrs. Hur, Mrs. Solely, Mrs. Burchell and Mrs. Gardner for attending our latest Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night!  We are still waiting to hear the results and will get those to you as soon as we hear them.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Cobb and the Barnes and Nobles Planning team!  They have worked really hard in planning tomorrow evening!  It will be lots of fun!

 

What's Happening

Staff Holiday Party is NEXT TUESDAY!! Don't forget to wear your favorite holiday sweater!!! (Shane, don't disappoint us!)

New Gym Floor

As you know by now, we have a new gym floor.  Please make sure students do not wear dress shoes when they have PE.  Also, please remind students that absolutely no food or drinks are permitted in the gym.

iRespond on Desktops Now

I have received a confirmation email that iRespond has been installed on at least one desktop in every classroom.  Please let me know if you need help setting up your desktop, so that you can use iRespond on your desktop now.

Calls to the Classroom

Have any ideas on how we can limit calls to the classroom.  It seems like we are having parents drop off snacks/lunches more frequently.  We hate to interrupt your classes and we can not realistically deliver all of these snacks....We were thinking that we could wait until specials but you are sometimes not in your room, so what do we do?  Let us know of any suggestions you may have.  Until then, we will continue to do our best to limit those interruptions much as we can.

Checkpoint Testing

Checkpoint Testing will begin next week.  1-5 grades will be testing all week, so please limit transitions in the hallways, especially in the morning.  Some classes will be testing in the afternoon.

Manson's Snowman Math Lesson

Teachers, please sign up for me to come to complete a Snowman Math Lesson with your students.  At the end of the lesson, your students will have a math game that they will be able to do at one of your math centers while you work with a guided math group.  I have already taught the lesson in one class and it went better than I expected.  However, it was a little longer than I anticipated.  Therefore, when signing up, give me an hour between classes.  I am going to do the same lesson the month of January....So if December is filled up, look for the January calendar!  (Kazanjian and Johnson, I haven't forgotten about you and will be down to your class by next Thanksgiving to make up my Thanksgiving lesson with your class!)

The sign up sheets are posted on the wall outside my door.

Meet Our New Superintendent

 

Dr. Hinojosa plans to meet with each high school and their cluster middle and elementary school employees during the school year.  The purpose of these meetings is for open dialogue with Dr. Hinojosa.  These meetings are not mandatory.  Hillgrove High School will be hosting our meeting and it has been rescheduled for  Monday, December 12, 2011 @ 4:30.

Club Pictures

PTA will be taking club photos and class photos on December 13th and December 15th.  Club pictures will be taken in the cafeteria.

November 30, 2011..The Checkpoints are coming, The Checkpoints are coming...

Cougar Claps

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Scurry for always being such a positive force here at Kemp!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Helton for getting all of our subs setup for next week!  (That has not been easy because it seems like all of our OUTSTANDING subs are getting picked up!!!)

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Wright for helping drive a staff member home.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Young for doing an outstanding job of providing great strategies for Mrs. Brown at a recent RTI meeting.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Wishon for doing an outstanding job of leading her team!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Mason for showing me how to import my calendar on my iPad!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Harrison for using the King's English at all times!  Well done!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Ana for always looking out for the front office by making sure they have their walkie talkies on.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Surrency for taking care of her colleague Mrs. Bussell and getting her squared away with Skills tutor.

Cougar Claps for  Mrs. Brogdan and Mrs. Kennedy for doing an outstanding job of facilitating our Skills Tutor training this past Monday!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Daniels for doing an outstanding job of dealing with a difficult situation.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Maggart for being on the nice list!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Dickinson for coming up with an easy solution for identifying students for our BUGS program!

Cougar Claps to all of our special education teachers and Mrs. Laura Capes for getting all of our progress reports completed so quickly!!  As usual, we were one of the first!!  Our SPECIAL ED teachers ROCK!! 

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Kale.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Cobb for being ready at a moments notice and helping a teacher that needed to go home.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Bastuba for always typing our minutes at our BLT meeting.

What's Happening

Morning Snacks this Monday Courtesy of Mars Hill Community Church!!

Manson's Snowman Math Lesson

Teachers, please sign up for me to come to complete a Snowman Math Lesson with your students.  At the end of the lesson, your students will have a math game that they will be able to do at one of your math centers while you work with a guided math group.  (Kazanjian, Surrency and Hur, I haven't forgotten about you and will be down to your class later this week or early next week to make up my Thanksgiving lesson with your class!)

The sign up sheet is posted on the wall outside my door.

Practice CRCT Tests on iRespond

If your grade level is interested in putting the Practice CRCT tests on iRespond, I will be more than happy to help you with that.  I just need one volunteer from each grade level and we will do it quickly.  Once in, iRespond will score it and we can then sort by standard.  It would take about 15 minutes for each test.  Let me know if you are interested and we will set it up for your grade level and share it with them.

Pens for Writing

Our 6+1 Writing Pens have come in and have been delivered to your writing team reps.  Please see them to get your pens if you have not received them yet.

LFS Training

Mrs. McMillan will email the staff on Friday where to report for your LFS training and when you will need to report.

Lesson Plans

Please make sure you have a hard copy on your desk of your lesson plans for that day.

Practice CRCT

Practice CRCT testing will be next week.  Times vary on when 3rd, 4th and 5th will be administering the tests.  See BLT minutes for specific dates on when teams will be administering the test.  Please make sure students are quiet in the halls during those dates.

Checkpoint Testing

 Testing will be the week of December 12, 2011.  1st-5th grade will be tested in Language Arts and Math.  3, 4 and 5th will be tested in Science also.  A specific day and time of testing will be set later this week.  I will email that next week, so that you can make sure your students are quiet in the hallways.

Meet Our New Superintendent

 

Dr. Hinojosa plans to meet with each high school and their cluster middle and elementary school employees during the school year.  The purpose of these meetings is for open dialogue with Dr. Hinojosa.  These meetings are not mandatory.  Hillgrove High School will be hosting our meeting and it has been rescheduled for  Monday, December 12, 2011 @ 4:30.

Club Pictures

PTA will be taking club photos and class photos on December 13th and December 15th.  Club pictures will be taken in the cafeteria.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011: TURKEY DAYS ARE HERE!!

Cougar Claps

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Wright for keeping all of the room reservations for rooms 306, 409 and 401 straight!!!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Penelope for always taking care of our technology needs with such grace!  She is always eager to help!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Barton and Mrs. Kirkland for getting all of our 6+1 Colored Markers ordered!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Huffstetler for always opening up the Media Center for staff meetings and taking care of our Mrs. Mason videos!! They have been great!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Camacho for allowing KidsArt to use her room this Tuesday.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Carter for getting chairs setup in the media center on a moments notice.

Cougar Claps for Mr. Brazile.

Cougar Claps for the School Culture team for setting up a process for us recognizing each other and getting some nice gifts to distribute to our staff.

 Cougar Claps for Mrs. Brenneman for facilitating the RTI training last week.  We appreciate her creating a specialized training based on our unique needs!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Harper for keeping all of those schedules straight!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Vanderslice handling a difficult situation.  In fact, parents emailed us and said they were very appreciative and impressed on how it was handled by Mrs. Vanderslice.  Keep up the great work Mrs. Vanderslice!

Cougar Claps to the entire staff for an outstanding job with our severe weather this afternoon!  You all did a great job of coming together and making sure we were all safe and sound!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Capes for attending a DPR meeting at a moments notice!! We really appreciate the support you provide Kemp!

What's Happening

Over Identify V. Under Identify

The Assessment Key team requested a comparison of students we identify as being at promise and their actual CRCT scores.  Well, with the help of Mrs. Thomas, we have those numbers for you.

 

In 3rd Grade Reading, 26 were listed AP, 8 3rd Grade students were not identified and scored below 820 and 17 were on the AP list, but scored higher than 820.

 

In 3rd Grade Math, 29 were listed AP, 10 3rd Grade students were not identified and scored below 820 and 12 were on the AP list, but scored higher than 820.

 

In 4th Grade Reading, 39 were listed AP, 15 fourth grade students were not identified and scored below 820 and 17 were on the AP list, but scored higher than 820.

 

In 4th Grade Math, 33 were listed AP, 10 fourth grade students were not identified and scored below 820 and 18 were on the AP list, but scored higher than 820.

 

In 5th Grade Reading, 29 were listed AP, 7 fifth grade students were not identified AP and scored below 820 and 21 were on the AP list, but scored higher than 820.

 

In 5th Grade Math, 35 were listed AP, 3 fifth grade students were not identified AP and scored below 820 and 14 were on the AP list, but scored higher than 820.

 

I think the numbers confirm our thought that we over identify our at-promise students.  The members of the Assessment team have already received this information and are working hard to make sure we do not over identify and certainly not under identify our at-promise students.

Skills Tutor Training

Just a reminder that we have a meeting on November 28, 2011 for all teachers to attend training on how to use Skills Tutor in the classroom.  Specifically, you will learn how to create specific assignments for your students.  Speech and counselors do not need to attend.  Also, if you attended the Skills Tutor training earlier in the year, then you do not have to attend either.

ELA Common Core Training/Model Classroom Observations

Are you interested in being a trained in the ELA Common Core and observing model common core classes?  If so, please let me know.  We need one rep for Kindergarten, one rep for 1st-3rd Grades and one rep for 4th -5th grades. 

Meet Our New Superintendent

 

Dr. Hinojosa plans to meet with each high school and their cluster middle and elementary school employees during the school year.  The purpose of these meetings is for open dialogue with Dr. Hinojosa.  These meetings are not mandatory.  Hillgrove High School will be hosting our meeting and it has been rescheduled for  Monday, December 12, 2011 @ 4:30.

Upcoming Meetings

Our Specialty Teams and BLT will meet Tuesday, November 29th and we will have NO meetings the month of December!! YAHOO!!!!!

Video Approval

Please make sure you get approval from Kristy or me regarding videos that are being showed in class.

Club Pictures

PTA will be taking club photos and class photos on December 13th and December 15th.  Club pictures will be taken in the cafeteria.

Adventure to Fitness

There is a new, free resource available to classrooms across Georgia called Adventure to Fitness.  You can register and get started at www.adventuretofitness.tv.  The premise behind it is to give students a way to be active in their classrooms while learning at the same time.  Each episode is about 30 minutes long and the guide leads them on an adventure somewhere in the world.  It is designed for grades K-5.  The episodes have a pre-episode guide (previewing the adventure and some of the movements), post-episode guide (with activities linked to each grade level's common core standards and extensions of the episode), and a standards guide (lists each state and for us the GPS it is supposed to cover in language arts/health/science).  Mr. Marc and his friends lead the students on the interactive adventure that really gets their hearts pumping.  It could really be a neat tool to integrate into your classrooms as the weather gets cold and indoor recess becomes an issue.  Older episodes are also available to use.  Right now there are about 6 different ones in the library.  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will be glad to help. 

Lesson Study at Kemp Elementary

Please take a moment to review the attached PPT on the Lesson Study process here at Kemp Elementary.  Also, you can view the complete video on the Lesson Study process by visiting the website below.  Again, please do not get any subs for your scheduled dates as Mrs. Helton is already taken care of this for us.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the Lesson Study process at Kemp.  If you or your team has any questions about the Lesson Study process, please let me know and I will be happy to clarify any questions you may have.  Also, please know that we are flexible with how the lesson study is completed, so if your team is more comfortable having the entire team observe one as they did in the video instead of the pairing idea, then we can certainly do that. 

 http://www.devstu.org/lesson-study

Checkpoint Training

We will have a Checkpoint Training on Thursday, December 1, 2011.  Training will occur during your planning and it is for grade First Grade - Fifth Grade.

Checkpoint Testing

We will conduct Checkpoint testing the week of December 12 - December 16.

Wednesdsay, November 9, 2011: Turkey Day is Almost here!!!!

Cougar Claps

Cougar Claps for Holter, Barton, Gaiters, Wishon, Dickinson and Sieland for doing an outstanding job of presenting on adding commentary to our writing.  The handouts provided were really helpful!!!

Cougar Claps for our Common Core Cougars for an outstanding job of presenting on the Common Core coming in Math!!!  We now have a better understanding of what is coming in math and have great ideas for planning guided math activities that will incorporate the new common core in math.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Williamson and her outstanding crew for getting us ready for our Thanksgiving Lunch!  It is going to be a great time for all of our families to get together and enjoy a wonderful meal!

Cougar Claps to Mrs. Kale.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Briggs for planning a wonderful RTI support training for our staff last Friday.  It was truly a beneficial meeting based on the needs and wants of our staff.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Phillips and the entire Math Night team for another AWESOME event!!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Hammond, Mrs. Vaccaro and Mrs. Willey for starting Math Club this week!  We really appreciate you all going above and beyond and providing this for our students.

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Douglas and Mrs. Huffstetler for doing an outsanding job of completing our inventory.  We are missing a couple of items, but the ladies are on it and will take care of it for us!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Huffstetler for getting our Pinnacle Letters out to our 4th and 5th grade teachers!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Crumbley for organizing CSI: Kemp!  It was awesome!!!

Cougar Claps for Mrs. Schultz for taking the lead with her Professional Learning Community!

Cougar Claps to ALL TEAMS for an outstanding professional development day!  As always, Kristy and I were so impressed with the collaboration happening yesterday afternoon.  We were hoping that we would have visitors from Central Office, so that we could show off the outstanding work you were doing!

What's Happening

Religious Content

Before presenting any religious or political content to students or anything else that could be perceived as controversial, please let Kristy or me review.

Skills Tutor Training

Just a reminder that we have a meeting on November 28, 2011 for all teachers to attend training on how to use Skills Tutor in the classroom.  Specifically, you will learn how to create specific assignments for your students.  Speech and counselors do not need to attend.  Also, if you attended the Skills Tutor training earlier in the year, then you do not have to attend either.

Profile Sheets and Data Wall

Profile sheets were due to me yesterday.  Also, the data wall should be updated with our math and reading students that are performing below grade level.  Please let me know if you have not sent your data sheet or have not updated the data wall yet.  Also, in that email, please let me know when it will be completed.

Thanksgiving-Themed Writing Lesson

Teachers, please take a well deserved 30 minute break.  Sign up outside my door for a time for me to come in and complete a writing lesson with your students.  The only stipulation is that you leave and do WHATEVER you want!  This is a great opportunity for me to better understand your classroom dynamics and and a great opportunity for you to take well deserved break. 

Birthday Girl

Kristy's Birthday is coming, Kristy's Birthday is coming, Kristy's Birthday is coming....GET READY!!

Register for Professional Learning Course

If you didn't register for the professional learning course last week, please let me know ASAP, so that I can add you to the roster.

2nd Load Bus Procedures

When it starts getting cold outside, we will have to have 2nd load wait inside.  Therefore, we will have the Orange Bus line up in the third grade hall and exit from there when those buses arrive.  Students from the Dark Blue and Light Blue buses will line up outside the ASP desk.

Also, from now on, we will dismiss 2nd load at 2:30.  Please do not send students to the bus port until we call for them on the announcements.

The Cougar Connection

It is clearly evident to me based on the response last week that we either have lots of LIONS fans or you all read the Cougar Connection! :)  Thank you for taking time to read these!!! 

2nd Quarter Math Problem Solver

Assessment Team Members, if you haven't done so already, please send me the 2nd nine weeks math problem solver that your grade level will be using.  Please send by this Friday.

Academic Alerts go Out Next WEDNESDAY!

Staff Meeting for November 16, 2011 has been canceled.  Our presenter is going to have to reschedule.

Resources Arrived for Key Team

Singapore Math Books are in for our Professional Development Key Team!  I will deliver tomorrow!