Professional Learning - Eureka Math Training
On October 9th, a Eureka Math facilitator guided our team through a three-step process for customizing Eureka lessons and modules. Teachers were taught how to study the lessons in depth to discern the decisions inherent in each Eureka Math lesson and module. Teachers also learned how to study the curriculum’s teaching sequences and how to customize curriculum materials to meet the needs of their students while maintaining pacing.
Coffee and Conversations
We had an impressive turnout for our second monthly Coffee (and donuts) and Conversation with Mr. Carney. Attendance doubled with about twenty parents in attendance. Together, we discussed many topics, including but not limited to, home/school communication, school safety and building access, student recognition and awards, after school clubs, supports for all students, PTSA involvement and the need for classroom volunteers. The monthly meeting is an open forum format with topics provided by attendees. Our next Coffee and Conversations is scheduled for Wednesday, November 8th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Clubs
The staff at WIS are very proud of the new clubs that are up and running for the first trimester. Over 30% of all our students are signed up to participate.
The clubs include:
The Coding and Reading Club will start in the next couple of weeks. The Art Club has received over $400 in community donations to support the materials needed. Come out and be a part.
Lunch Buddies
The Woodland Intermediate School Lunch Buddy program for the 2017 - 2018 school year is in full effect! The Lunch Buddy program is a mentorship program, where community members volunteer to have lunch with an identified student weekly. The buddies and their student meet one on one to have lunch, play games, do crafts, and build fellowship. The buddies are individuals whom have been referred by other community members and seek to make a difference in the lives of the children of Woodland. These buddies become a constant, consistent, and supportive adult in their life. Our students are identified through various school personnel. Members of the selection process include, but are not limited to the school social worker, teachers, PBIS staff, and the community outreach coordinator. We have 13 community volunteers starting out our program for this school year. In addition to this, we have 10 identified students and are continuing to expand the program to other students in need of extra support. The Lunch Buddy mentors also receive ongoing supervision and training to help them provide the best supports possible for their students.
Tier 3 Intervention at WIS
All student data is gathered and assessed at the beginning of the school year. Based on multiple sources of data, students are placed in interventions which are designed to meet the specific needs of that student. We have 3 levels of intervention currently.
The Boost classroom offers the highest level of support. Boost serves students 2 or more grade levels below the student’s current grade level in reading. In the Boost classroom, we currently use 3 main reading intervention programs. These include Barton Reading and Spelling System, Phonics for Reading, and Read Well. All 3 of these are systematic and explicit phonics based programs are designed to build a strong foundation in phonics understanding thereby enabling students to confidently decode words. Students receiving instruction in the Boost room work in small groups of 1-5 students, 40 minutes per day, 4 days per week.
The i-Ready classroom is taught and managed by a classroom teacher during our tier 3 period each day. Students receiving i-Ready instruction spend 40 minutes per day, 4 days per week completing computer based lessons through i-Ready that are delivered based on their i-Ready diagnostic. The students receiving i-Ready are usually 1 or more grade levels below their current grade level. These students show the most need in the areas of phonics, high-frequency words, and vocabulary development. These students are monitored by the classroom teacher. If students show signs of not understanding a particular lesson they are pulled into a small group in the i-Ready classroom so that the teacher may reteach and reassess the skill before moving on.
The Read Naturally classroom is taught and managed by a classroom teacher during our tier 3 period each day. Students also spend 40 minutes per day, 4 days per week completing computer based lessons through the Read Naturally program. Students participating in the Read Naturally program are slightly below (less than 1 year) grade level in reading. The Read Naturally program is a fluency building system in which students read passages multiple times to build their fluency and also practice comprehension questions as well as vocabulary. The classroom teacher monitors each student’s fluency and will determine when they’ve made enough progress to be considered on level and have met the goal for their grade level.
All students participating in tier 3 intervention groups are monitored frequently and adjustments are made based on the data gathered. When students have met the goals for their specific intervention they are placed in the intervention that addresses their next area of need to continue with their learning until they’ve reached grade level benchmark.
Upcoming Events…
PTSA Limo and Pizza: October 24th
WIS Leadership Assembly: October 27th
Coffee and Conversation with Mr. Carney: November 8th
Veteran’s Day Assembly: November 9th @ 9:00 a.m.