Internship for Supervision Web Conference

This week Dr. Borel had a few technical difficulties, but it was still a very productive conference and she was able to remedy the situation very quickly. I was very worried about the paper we have to write, but Dr. Borel explained everything we are required to do and put many of us at ease. Dr. Borel was also very helpful with questions regarding APA. I used my book and tried to look up every answer, but still didn’t feel comfortable with my citations. She also mentioned some things I had forgotten (double-spacing and hanging indentions). My logs are up to date and my paper is started, but I still am not comfortable. I will be glad when the paper is turned in!

Action Research Update

Wow!! I was so fortunate to spend the day with my two administrators working on next year's schedule and teaching assignments. We spent the entire day locked in a room. First, we mapped out the current times we use for our PE rotation, lunch, and recess. Then we looked at surveys and what teachers reported.

Third grade expressed concerns across the board regarding having so many transition times. The kids were hard to get focused. Since our third graders take STAAR, our principals thought it would be a good idea to start with their schedule and work our way backwards. We put 3rd grade's PE rotation, lunch, and recess as late in the day as we could so that they would be able to teach math and reading in the morning with no interruptions. They were ecstatic!! They said it took a load off their backs when looking at next year. We were happy that they were happy!

Second grade didn't care for having PE rotation first (9:20). Since we were working backwards, we went to them next. We tried to align everyone's PE, lunch, and recess back to back to decrease transition time. Second grade ended up with a big block in the morning and a big block in the afternoon. They were not crazy about having so much teaching time in the afternoon, but were grateful for the big blocks since they team teach and grateful for a later PE.

First grade was next. We were rocking and rolling and doing so well. We planned first grade, with all specials in a row. Then we realized that 1st and 3rd would be on the playground at the same time, not good. We had to tweak 1st grade a little. They have some time before they go out to recess, but they were grateful to have a lot of time in the morning since their kids are smaller and don't work well at the end of the day.

Kindergarden and Pre-K were fairly easy. They took what was left. We gave them a bit more transition, instead of lumping all their specials in a row, because they are smaller and need to move a bit.

A huge challenge for us has always been our PE times. Our PE teacher also coaches tennis at the high school at the end of the day, so we have always had that to work around when we have been setting our schedule. Our principal called high school to see exactly what time she needed to be there, then we set our PE times accordingly. She was not so excited about her schedule, but our vice-principal told her we were working with the best interest of the children in mind and that was the end of that.

I love scheduling, so I was in Heaven all day. We accomplished so much through teamwork. Then the principals met with each team and presented the schedules. Everyone was positive and said it looked good. We'll see if they still feel that way after school starts and they've had a chance to experience it :)

Action Research Update

My action research project goal is to determine if the campus climate can be improved by allowing the teachers to voice their concerns and opinions regarding the schedule. When I sent my initial blind survey to assess the campus climate, I was surprised to see that the overall climate average was higher than what I thought it would be (which would lead me into a new project if I was actually an administrator- why is the climate rated so high when we have so many grouchy people?). I then sent my second survey which gave the teachers and staff opportunities to comment on different areas. I was so excited to see that people really opened up and were honest. My administrator gave me the go ahead to send the survey and collect all the data. So, the survey came from me, not administration, and I think that really helped people open up. I have compiled the surveys and handed them over to my administrator. We have planned a day to sit down and dig in to the schedule for next year. I still need to sit down with each grade level, between now and the meeting with my administrator, and get their input. Our biggest challenge is the PE rotation schedule. I plan to ask each grade level their two preferred times, then try to work around everyone. We also have to consider our RtI pullout. The RtI teacher will be meeting with us to discuss the schedule. We are hoping to have more time slots for her to pull kids. Right now, she is limited in the amout of kids she can get to. The purpose of our meeting is not only to create the new schedule, but also to look at our teachers and possibly move some around.

 

School and Community Relations Presentation

School and Community Relations Week 4

Title of Family-School-Community Partnership Project

Parent Meetings Revamped

I. Data-Evidenced Student Need

We are a Title I district with many students performing below grade level as shown in our istation reports, weekly assessments, unit assessments and benchmark scores. Our parental involvement is very low.

II. Benefits for Student Achievement

Research shows that student achievement levels are higher when parents are involved and/or supportive. If we can reach more parents to build relationships and give them information regarding what is going on in their child’s classroom and how to help at home, we can directly impact student achievement.

III. Proposed Activities/Strategies

Draw in the parents with a student performance or open-house type setting, then incorporate the informational pieces that we want to share with parents.

IV. Proposed Process for Planning and Implementation

I will present my plan to the faculty and staff, then ask for suggestions. After suggestions are considered, we would need to meet again and discuss exactly what these meetings will look like. If we do them on the same night, we would need to have multiple meetings in order to accommodate the parents with children in multiple grade levels. Our 2nd and 3rd grade teams also work as partners. We would need to allow time for parents to visit each teacher’s classroom.

V. What You Want from Your Audience

The teachers are the ones that are going to have to be prepared to present information at the meetings so they have got to be supportive and onboard. I also would like for there to be collaboration all the way around. The teachers need to be involved in the process (own it) for them to ‘buy in’ and make the meetings successful.

https://sites.google.com/site/kerigrimsley/home

http://kgrimsleyactionresearch.blogspot.com/