Engaging Kids

Have you seen those AT&T commercials where a man in a suit sits down to chat with a handful of elementary aged children?  There are several different variations of them.  They start out with the man asking the kids if it's better to do two things at once or just one, if more or less is better, if faster or slower is better. The answer the kids give is always the obvious choice: they think doing two things is better, and that more and faster is unquestionably best.

As for a phone, having faster and more available options is important, and perhaps it's better.  In school, if we took our cues from the voices of the most outspoken kids, our goal would be to make things super exciting all the time and put a focus on just having fun.  We'd put a priority on doing only exciting, eye-catching activities. Though we do consider the interests of the students, they haven't the maturity to know the difference between what's engaging and what's essential.

Don't be mistaken, kids have great thoughts and we ought to always listen to their suggestions, but teachers take multiple factors into account when making classroom decisions.  They look for what's best for the entire group.  They know the purpose of every activity and can sense when it's time to wrap it up.  They know when to reteach and when to move on to the next lesson, when to circle back, and how to scaffold and differentiate.  Teachers know best.

Teachers are most successful when they're able to take those essential things in the curriculum and make them engaging.  Doing that is challenging, yet very possible.  That, in essence, is our calling and our charge.

Some of the great things happening at Betsie Valley Elementary

It was a joy to spend some time in Mrs. Erfourth's first grade class on Thursday morning.  I'm thankful for each of the opportunities I get to teach in the classrooms.

Mr. Luebke's 3rd grade class enjoyed a day in the out-of-doors on a field trip to Leelenau on Friday.

All week long, technology maintenance requests are sent to Grant.  Then on Thursday, Grant pops out to Betsie Valley and is ALWAYS very helpful with all our computer and other technology needs.

The first graders appreciated the ice cream treat at lunch on Friday.  Mrs. Couturier and Mrs. Hathaway appreciated the great first graders' behavior over the past couple weeks as they worked hard to earn that reward.

As custodian, Mike is constantly going above and beyond his call of duty to take care of some maintenance needs in and around the building.  His work in the new Professional Learning Center and on the stage in these past two weeks has been incredibly helpful.

I'm constantly amazed at the Betsie Valley community in the many ways they look to help each other out and take care of each other.  Last month, it was the food drive.  This month, in the wake of a devastating tragedy, there have been several donations made, and now other plans are in the works for a benefit to raise even more money.  The old adage, "It takes a village..." is reality at Betsie Valley.

Interesting Videos

Quick Key is a new iPhone app.  Watch the developer use it to grade some multiple choice quizzes! (2 mins)

So you think you're busy...(3 mins)

Laughter is the best medicine...(4 mins)

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade was an amazing year for me.  My dad's job moved our family out of the city of Jackson and into a country home in Greenville, MI. We would only be there for a year, but it would be a definitive year with some great memories.

Many of the best of those memories are from school.  I earned a 100% on the Math and Reading MEAP tests that year.  My teacher, Mr. Scogg, greeted me at the door every morning with a handshake and a "hello," and there was this really cool reading loft I could use when I had all my other work finished.

My attitude and feelings toward school changed a lot that year.  The change was profound. Mr. Scogg believed there was something special and unique about me: perhaps a character trait or other quality.  He believed that there was something about me that could be found only in me.  He convinced me of that.  I knew I had to try my best.  At everything.  He inspired me to be the me that he saw.  

There is no doubt about what made fourth grade my year.  It was Mr. Scogg.  Several studies have shown that of all the school-based factors that go into why kids succeed in school, quality teachers ranks number 1.  It wasn't the MEAP accomplishments.  Or the reading loft.  It was, without a doubt, Mr. Scogg.  He loved doing his job, and he was very good. I had a few quality teachers throughout my school years, and I'm glad one of them was there the year I moved to Greenville in 4th grade.

Great Things Happening At Betsie Valley

All students attended a "Chill Out" Assembly on Tuesday where they learned the importance of being safe while having fun this winter.

Mr. Wassa's class enjoyed a fun day of lunch and recess right in the classroom on Thursday.  Funny how kids enjoy that change, isn't it?

The high school "choir for hire" was at Betsie Valley to serenade kids in kindergarten and 2nd grade.

Kids at both lunchtimes enjoyed the cookies that Mr. Luebke's class sold during the bake sale this week.

During the BACN food drive, Ms. Herban's 4th grade class donated over 250 food items and earned the Ice Cream Party.

All classes are spending time in the new computer lab.  It is tough to find a time to get in there.  Kids are getting more and more comfortable and confident using technology.

Articles & Websites

It's the Working Toward a Goal that Makes People the Most Happy

5 Excuses Kids Give for Not Reading (And Ways to Respond)

My friend Anna's blog, My Life and Kids is a Top 5 Funny Blog in Parenting Magazine.


Videos

Ted Talk: Engaging elementary-age kids online (15 mins)
 

Teachers! (2 mins)
 

 

The Bake Sale this week benefited the 3rd grade field trip to Leelenau

 

A Valentine serenade by the choir visited Mr. Kelly and Ms. Dodge's Room

Ice Cream reward for 4th graders... winners of the BACN Food Drive Competition

This is what my desk looked like at the end of Valentines Day

Measuring Success

With all the recent talk about MEAP scores, AIMSweb testing, and the incoming Smarter Balanced Assessments and NWEA MAP tests, I think it's important to remember that while these tests may be able to measure the degree to which a student can read and answer questions, the test scores that are produced really aren't a good measurement of a student's overall success in school.  Here are some personal qualities that we continuously work to develop in our students. None of these can be measured with standardized tests.

Creativity - It's what separates humans from machines, so that has to be incredibly important to cultivate in a child.

Motivation - If we can instill in a child the desire to want to work hard, regardless of any external incentive, that is worth all the time we can give it.

Persistence - Failure ought to be fun.  Seriously.  Trial and error is the best way to learn anything.  When learning becomes just a guided tour instead of an adventure, then failure isn't fun, and you find yourself choosing to do only the things you think you'll do successfully. 

Curiosity - C'mon.  It never killed anybody.  It did, however, lead to the discovery of pretty much everything that's ever been discovered.


Reliability - Kids want adults to count on them.  We need to continue to create opportunities for them to be counted on.  When they recognize that we need them to follow-through with something, that's what they'll do. 

Enthusiasm - Kids don't need to be taught what this is.  However, they need to be taught how to channel it appropriately and to be able to call on it when it's lacking.

Compassion - Whether it's donating to a food drive or calling a timeout in the middle of a football game on the playground to make sure your opponent is okay, kids get opportunities ALL DAY to demonstrate compassion.

And that's just naming a few.  There are more.  Many more.  How about courage? Leadership. Resourcefulness. Humor. Humility.  It's impossible for standardized tests to measure any of these characteristics, yet they're the focus of the most important lessons we teach every day. I'm referring to the teachable moments.  They come up more frequently than we ever anticipate.  And when they do, if we see them as interruptions, we get frustrated.  It's when we greet them as opportunities that we remember we have the most important job in the world.


Great things happening at Betsie Valley

Mrs. Travis led several data-based discussions with classroom teachers and parapros on Monday, which led to the reorganization of most of our reading and math intervention groups.

Kids at every grade level impressed me with their generosity during last week's BACN food drive.  Many students brought in entire boxes of food to donate to families who need it most in our area.

Mrs. Vanderlinde's 2nd graders put their hands on straws and pipe cleaners during math this week in order to create their own polygons. Squares, triangles, and rectangles were among the shapes they created.

Students are noticing a BIG difference in the way textbooks, artifacts, and other manipulatives are being displayed in their classrooms.  The new data projectors are now being used in nearly every classroom at Betsie Valley.

Mr. Luebke's 3rd graders received mini ice cream sandwiches after lunch from Mrs. Couturier and Mrs. Hathaway early in the week.  These kids' behavior in the lunch room has been OUTSTANDING!

I had the opportunity to share an ice cream treat with Dathan and Angel on Monday afternoon.  What a well-timed positive interaction with those kids!

Videos, Articles, Links, and Websites worth your time

Health Benefits of Running in Cold Weather - Short Article

Snow Day Calculator - What are the chances of a "Snow Day" tomorrow?  Check the website.

Michigan Basketball Schedule - The schedule for the University of Michigan men's basketball team.

A great clip from a great movie (2 mins)

A TED talk. The Happy Secret to Better Work. Great for everyone to watch (12 mins)

A little humor from Ellen. (2 mins)

2nd graders Jazline and Chance in Mr. Kelly's room using iPads.

5th Grade Camp!

RIP MEAP 1969-2014

MEAP testing will soon be a thing of the past.  2014-2015 will be it's last school year.  Beginning in the spring of that school year (2015), Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) will replace the tests that Michigan students have been taking since the 1969-1970 school year.

With the paper/pencil MEAP tests going away and the computer-based SBA coming in, we needed to make sure our technology infrastructure was ready.  Using some of the money from the passing of the millage last year, the technology committee has replaced every student computer in each of the labs throughout the district.  Our school's technology infrastructure is now, without a doubt, much better prepared for our students to take the SBA than it was just a few months ago.

More important than preparing our computers, it is essential that we make sure our students are ready for the SBA in the spring of 2015. To that end, Betsie Valley Elementary School will be participating in two pilot SBA tests in the spring of 2013.  The 4th graders will take the SBA Math test in late April, and the 5th graders will take the SBA English/Language Arts test in early May.  This is a huge opportunity for our students and staff to experience the SBA a full two years prior to it's official implementation.

In addition, all Benzie Central Schools are currently preparing to use a new computer-based diagnostic assessment tool, beginning in the 2013-2014 school year.  NWEA MAP tests are similar in format to the SBA.  By taking several meaningful assessments using technology, our students have some fantastic opportunities to prepare for Michigan's new standardized tests.  

The MAP tests may help to prepare our students for taking computer-based assessments, but their primary purpose is much larger in scope.  MAP tests will allow us to target our instruction to the specific areas that our students show they need.  It will also allow us to regularly provide some very critical academic feedback to students and parents by using the program's many reports.  These reports will be available to us almost immediately after the students take the MAP tests.

If you are looking for a clear presentation of information about MAP Tests and Smarter Balanced Assessments, click on the following links.  They will each open in a new window.

NWEA - Northwest Evaluation Association (MAP Tests)

SBA - Smarter Balanced Assessment (Replacing MEAP in spring 2015)

Great Things Seen or Heard at Betsie Valley Elementary this week:

We had our Honor Roll Assembly on Tuesday, where 46 of our upper elementary (3rd-5th Grade) students were "honored" for their academic excellence.  All A's or All A's and B's.  Way to go!

Early in the week, Mrs. Erfourth's 1st graders were working hard in the computer lab typing creative sentences using their spelling words.

Mr. Wassa, Mr. Cox, and Ms. Kitty spent a few days with 30+ 5th graders at Camp Hayo Went Ha, near Bellaire, MI.  Kitty sent back some pictures and videos. They clearly had a fantastic camping trip!

Mrs. Dodge listened as Dathan and Gabe (and many others) read books aloud to her.  Kindergarteners love reading to adults who want to listen.  Mrs. Dodge should be so proud of all her little readers.

There are several students that appreciate Mrs. Bluhm every day at around noon, as she spends recess time inside. Each of these students is unable to be outside in the winter for one reason or another.

There are a few students that have the privilege of eating their lunch with Ms. Kristi, and they love it.  They are so thankful that she spends a couple days each week as a counselor at Betsie Valley.

Videos Worth Your Time

Clicking here will open a new window so you can watch "NWEA MAP Testing: Help All Kids Learn" (3 mins)

It will look like the picture below

This kid has a pretty awesome pep talk for all of us (3 mins)

Articles and Websites Worth Your Time

Record-Eagle Newspaper article on Benzie Elementary Schools' partnership with Grow Benzie

30 Things to Start Doing

Betsie Valley's Calendar is online.  Check it out!


3rd grade students on the A/B Honor Roll for the 2nd Marking Period:

3rd grade students on the All-A Honor Roll for the 2nd Marking Period:

4th grade students on the A/B Honor Roll for the 2nd Marking Period:

4th grade students on the All-A Honor Roll for the 2nd Marking Period:

5th grade students on the A/B Honor Roll for the 2nd Marking Period:

5th grade students on the All-A Honor Roll for the 2nd Marking Period:

This pretty much sums up the weather we had this week:

On Sunday, Jill and I welcomed a fourth child into our family.  Naturally, I spent some time at home with my wife and kids.  I appreciated all your kind words this week.  Here's a picture of all four of them, taken the day Isaiah came home from the hospital.  These kids are awesome!