Look ahead for May 26th, 2015

Notes from the Principal:

Instead of my normal rants and raves I thought I'd go in a different direction...  So, here goes the count down to the end of the school year.  Feel free to show these for your classes when you do the morning announcements.

Four:  Sesame Street: Number 4 (Number of the Day)


Three:  Sesame Street: Number 3 (Number of the Day Song)


Two:  Sesame Street: Number 2 (Number of the Day)


One:  Sesame Street: Number 1 (Number of the Day)



Generic Morning Announcement:  Done DAILY, no exceptions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6dAG5eWCok&feature=youtu.be

2014 - 2015 Committees:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3lrYycQKGUiU29FazU0VEVJWjQ/edit?usp=sharing

Showcase Schedule for Monthly Rise and Shine:

In order for everyone to take a more active role in the Monthly Awards I am asking that each grade level participate in the showcase portion of the Rise and Shine.  Everyone on campus will have a month to show the rest of the school what's great about your classes.  You can have your students sing, dance, demonstrate, share...  Have fun with it!

August:  P.E./Music
September:  Office Staff
October:  Library/Media
November:  First Grade
December:  Pre-Kindergarten
January:  Fourth Grade - February 5th
February:  Kindergarten - March 6th - Canceled due to SNOW!!!!!
March:  Kindergarten - April 3rd
April:  Third Grade - May 1st
May:  Second Grade - May 29th 


*** Oklahoma State Blueprints: ***

http://ok.gov/sde/documents/2013-09-05/blue-prints-plds-item-specs

Available accommodations for the OCCT:

http://ok.gov/sde/documents/2014-08-07/oklahoma-accommodations-guide

A quick guide to standards and assessments:

• English Language Arts: 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school year – PASS standards, PASS-aligned assessments.
• Mathematics: 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years – PASS standards, PASS-aligned assessments.
• Science: 2014-2015 school year – begin transition to science standards adopted into rule in June 2014; PASS-aligned assessments for grades 5, 8, and Biology 1 for high school for 2014-2105 and 2015-2016 school years. 
• Social Studies: 2014-2015 school year – Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies as adopted in 2012; All four social studies assessments are OAS-aligned in Grades 5, 7, and 8, as well as high school U.S. History. All four assessments will be fully operational in 2014-2015.
• Fine Arts: 2014-2015 school year – transition to new standards adopted by law in June of 2014, The annual district arts assessment report will be due at the Oklahoma State Department of Education the end of May 2015.
• World Languages: 2014-15 school year – PASS standards, no state assessment. New standards will be written beginning fall 2014.
• Personal Financial Literacy: 2014-2015 school year – Oklahoma Academic Standards for Personal Financial Literacy as adopted in 2008, no state assessment.
• Health/Safety Education: 2014-2015 school year – PASS Standards, no state assessment.
• Kindergarten: 2014-2015 school year – PASS standards, no state assessments.
• PreKindergarten: 2014-2015 PASS standards; no state assessments.

Hayes Elementary Academic goals for 2014-2015:

- All students WILL achieve academically.
- Increase OCCT Reading scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase OCCT Mathematics scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase OCCT Writing scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase the number of students who qualify for promotion in RSA by 25%
- Decrease Suspensions by 25%
- School wide overall attendance to 96%
- Faculty attendance to 98%

Videos Worth Watching:

Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution! - via @TEDTalks

Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn ... then lead - via @TEDTalks

BazilleDX - Heartbeat (2015)

Articles Worth Reading:

Bilingual Students Need Support in Their Native Language - via @educationweek

Google Classroom Blog Posts - via @alicekeeler

There Should Be More than One “Lead Learner” - via @gcouros

Oklahoma City third-graders' reading test results show sizable gains - via @newsok

Changes Coming for 3rd Grade Reading Test - via @KOSURadio

Bullying: What We Know Based On 40 Years of Research - via @apa

Don’t Argue For Your Limitations - via @tomwhitby

Leaders Don't Boss - via @E_Sheninger

Remembering Some Gave All - via @jmsprincipal

11 Ways Finland’s Education System Shows Us that “Less is More”.

10 Simple Ways To Engage In Lifelong Learning - via @TeachThought

15 Faces Every High School Teacher In The World Will Recognize - via @WeAreTeachers

Asking students to work in complete isolation - via @mcleod

8 ways to redirect off-task behavior without stopping your lesson - via @Angela_Watson

3 Questions Crucial to Creating the Conditions for Change - via @gcouros


Weekly Look Ahead: BUSY WEEK AHEAD OF US!  ...but a three day weekend awaits!

Monday May 25, 2015 - Memorial Day

Tuesday May 26, 2015 -  Speech party in the cafeteria for lunch; 6th Grade and Pre-K park day; Talent Show at 9:00am and 6:00pm; IEP at 10:30am

Wednesday May 27, 2015 - Wings Running club after school.  Super Kids Day; RSA in the Office from 1:00pm to 3:00pm; Campus visit by someone from central office @11:00am; IEP's at 10:00am and 1:10pm

Thursday May 28, 2015 - Awards ceremony @ 9:00am and 1:30pm; DRESS UP FOR THE AWARDS!!!!!

Friday May 29, 2015 - We've made it!  Final day of the 2014-2015 school year!  

Look ahead for May 18, 2015

Notes from the Principal:

There are some really good articles this week.  I know I always say that... but it's true so check some out!  On a selfish note... read my post!

Being in education for 13 years, nearly 14 now, I have had a first row seat to watch teachers go out of their way to do everything for their students.  Not only do they go out of their way for kids but they also continue to tweak their craft and innovate their practice.  It is amazing to see all of the dedicated professionals going well beyond the expectations of the profession.

Teacher appreciation week and watching the Hayes staff got me thinking about the professionals that made me a better educator but more importantly a better human being.  I have dozens of stories that go far beyond one teacher or coach.  People like Duane Huey, my high school football and track coach who pushed me to go beyond the minimum and reach my greatest potential as a high school athlete and later a college athlete.  He was also there for me when I needed help with algebra 2 (which I needed lots of help). Or my high school biology teacher Ms. Meeker that showed me how science could effect my life beyond the classroom as well as teaching me an introduction to scuba diving.  My college coaches not only taught me how to use my gifts to be the best I could be on the track but prepared me for life after my final college race had been run.  They molded me to become a teacher and coach long before I thought of it as a possible profession.  They also taught me that everyone on the team is an importance piece of the puzzle, not just the super star athletes.

So many of my teachers going through public school taught me 21st century competencies years before those mandates would come into the field of education.  My middle school teachers who had us create commercials to show what we learned about a book, story, theme in history and language arts.  If YouTube had been around I'm sure I'd have been a big hit, I might have gotten ten likes.  My high school teachers who made us accountable to our community through community based projects.  My high school choir director who showed me that music has the power to bring anyone to their knees and the importance of sharing that gift with others.  Student council reps who had us work on school improvement projects and Christmas toy drives.  Even my elementary teachers at Belmar Elementary in Amarillo Texas taught me the importance of being computer literate.  Being computer literate in 1988 was not something a 4th grader was supposed to be thinking about.  Sadly the computers I learned on couldn't hold a candle compared to the iPhone in my pocket today.

Even the coaches and teachers I have had the pleasure of calling co-workers have shown me so much about the field of education.  Coaches who showed me that teaching kids on the football field directly relates to how well I teach them in the classroom.  Reinforcing to me that yelling "catch the ball" really isn't a coaching technique and that comment should be left to the fans in the stands.  Teachers who showed me that teaching the curriculum without having the students know how much I care about them will NOT make for a successful career in education.  Or the principals who graciously accepted me into the administrative ranks when I was a 26 year old bright eyed 4th year teacher.  It wasn't until I was Ms. Bates assistant principal at Forte Junior High School in Azle Texas that I felt I was in the right part of the profession.  She made me who I am as an administrator.  I was allowed to watch, listen, ask, and more importantly offered opportunities to become a principal.  She allowed me to impact learning on the campus.

I could go on for hours about the impact of those who touched my life.  I could go on about the profession we chose and the potential impact we have on our students.  I will close with this idea in mind.  If you only teach the child the curriculum, you have failed the child. 

Thank you for being a teacher!

Generic Morning Announcement:  Done DAILY, no exceptions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6dAG5eWCok&feature=youtu.be

2014 - 2015 Committees:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3lrYycQKGUiU29FazU0VEVJWjQ/edit?usp=sharing

Showcase Schedule for Monthly Rise and Shine:

In order for everyone to take a more active role in the Monthly Awards I am asking that each grade level participate in the showcase portion of the Rise and Shine.  Everyone on campus will have a month to show the rest of the school what's great about your classes.  You can have your students sing, dance, demonstrate, share...  Have fun with it!

August:  P.E./Music
September:  Office Staff
October:  Library/Media
November:  First Grade
December:  Pre-Kindergarten
January:  Fourth Grade - February 5th
February:  Kindergarten - March 6th - Canceled due to SNOW!!!!!
March:  Kindergarten - April 3rd
April:  Third Grade - May 1st
May:  Second Grade - May 29th 


*** Oklahoma State Blueprints: ***

http://ok.gov/sde/documents/2013-09-05/blue-prints-plds-item-specs

Available accommodations for the OCCT:

http://ok.gov/sde/documents/2014-08-07/oklahoma-accommodations-guide

A quick guide to standards and assessments:

• English Language Arts: 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school year – PASS standards, PASS-aligned assessments.
• Mathematics: 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years – PASS standards, PASS-aligned assessments.
• Science: 2014-2015 school year – begin transition to science standards adopted into rule in June 2014; PASS-aligned assessments for grades 5, 8, and Biology 1 for high school for 2014-2105 and 2015-2016 school years. 
• Social Studies: 2014-2015 school year – Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies as adopted in 2012; All four social studies assessments are OAS-aligned in Grades 5, 7, and 8, as well as high school U.S. History. All four assessments will be fully operational in 2014-2015.
• Fine Arts: 2014-2015 school year – transition to new standards adopted by law in June of 2014, The annual district arts assessment report will be due at the Oklahoma State Department of Education the end of May 2015.
• World Languages: 2014-15 school year – PASS standards, no state assessment. New standards will be written beginning fall 2014.
• Personal Financial Literacy: 2014-2015 school year – Oklahoma Academic Standards for Personal Financial Literacy as adopted in 2008, no state assessment.
• Health/Safety Education: 2014-2015 school year – PASS Standards, no state assessment.
• Kindergarten: 2014-2015 school year – PASS standards, no state assessments.
• PreKindergarten: 2014-2015 PASS standards; no state assessments.

Hayes Elementary Academic goals for 2014-2015:

- All students WILL achieve academically.
- Increase OCCT Reading scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase OCCT Mathematics scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase OCCT Writing scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase the number of students who qualify for promotion in RSA by 25%
- Decrease Suspensions by 25%
- School wide overall attendance to 96%
- Faculty attendance to 98%

Videos Worth Watching:

Alice Goffman: How we're priming some kids for college — and others for prison - via @TEDTalks

Mom Captures Gym Teacher Walking Up To Her Disabled Son, Doing Something Incredible

Articles Worth Reading:

Call for Consistency - via @benjamingilpin

50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom - via @alicekeeler

Why Are There 1,000 Unfilled Teaching Jobs in Oklahoma? - via @KOSURadio

16 Simple Ways to Love Yourself Again - via @marcandangel

21 Teacher Problems Every Educator Faces (As Told In Tina Fey Gifs) - via @WeAreTeachers

School sends inspiring letter to kids ahead of stressful exams: 'You are smart!' - via @TODAY_Parents

Stop Penalizing Boys for Not Being Able to Sit Still at School - via @TheAtlantic

Texas Gov. Signs Law Making High School Graduation Easier - via @educationweek

Let’s be honest about annual testing - via @mcleod

Oklahoma's early education enrollment numbers rank near top in national report - via @TheOklahoman

Why Are There Clouds? - Lessons on the Water Cycle - via @rmbyrne

How Academic Risk-Taking Dies in the Classroom - via @WeAreTeachers

Teaching Students Creative and Critical Thinking - via @RachelLynette

Why Reading Comprehension in the Content Areas is so Important - via @edudemic

Teaching Listening Skills: Ready to Listen, Ready to Learn - via @edudemic

The 2015 Honor Roll: EdTech’s Must-Read K–12 IT Blogs - via @EdTech

Five Things Educators Will Have To Accept & Embrace - via @mwniehoff

Should Teachers Be Held Responsible for a Student’s Character? - via @mindshoftkqed

Why Do Some Teachers Stay At Difficult-To-Staff Schools? - via @LarryFerlazzo

The Real Problem With Multiple-Choice Questions - via @TeachThought

Top 10 Reasons the End of the School Year Rocks - via @WeAreTeachers

5 Things Well-Meaning White Educators Should Consider If They Really Want to Close the Achievement Gap - via @EvrydayFeminism

Teenagers Are Getting Bullied Less At School Than They Were A Few Years Ago, According To Data - via @

Enough? - via @TechNinjaTodd

Summer Slide - via @stumpteacher




Weekly Look Ahead: BUSY WEEK AHEAD OF US!  ...but a three day weekend awaits!

Monday May 18, 2015 - Wings Running club after school. Mr. Ross to Spenser Elementary @ 9:00am for SLD meeting.  IEP @ 9:50am and 1:50pm; easyCBM scores to Mr. Ross; Green folders, APP forms and RSA paperwork needs to be ready for 3rd and 4th grade for the RSA visit on Tuesday!!

Tuesday May 19, 2015 -  RSA on Site assistance for 3rd and 4th Grade from 1:00pm to 3:00pm - IEP @ 12:30pm and 1:50pm; United Way Kindergarten Party at Hayes @ 10:15am to 11:15am; Mr. Ross at Central Office at 2:00pm; Faculty Meeting after school!

Wednesday May 20, 2015 - Wings Running club after school.  A.R. Field Trip; Mr. Nielsen and Ms. West our of the building; IEP @ 10:30am; District Track Meet (6 students representing Hayes in the District Track Meet)

Thursday May 21, 2015 - IEP @ 10:30am and 11:30am;  6th Grade dissecting Dog Fish

Friday May 22, 2015 - Spirit day; IEP @ 10:30am, 3:30pm and 3:30pm; Potential Retentions due to office; Multicultural event for 3rd and 4th grade, Kindergarten and 1st Grade Park days; Chocolate Fundraiser Game Bus in the Gym in the afternoon!  Pre-K, Kindergarten Musical @ 9:30am and 6:00pm in the cafeteria.  BLT meeting in the Library at 7:30am!

Look ahead for May 11, 2015

Notes from the Principal:

Sunrise Rotary club came out Friday afternoon and put in the buddy bench next to the playground equipment.  The bench is a wonderful addition to the playground and allows for our kiddos to have a place to hang out when they need to find a buddy.  Please reinforce to your students that the bench is not a piece of playground equipment and shouldn't be used as such.  The intent of the bench is for students.  I understand staff members will utilize the bench some, I do ask that teachers not monopolize the bench either.
We need to do something nice for the individuals at the Sunrise Rotary club.  I am thinking we could have the art club make some thank you posters and our classes make some thank you cards for the organizations hard work for the students at Hayes.  Please remember that this same organization donated roughly 3500.00 in audio books for the library as well.  

Why we space out the O.C.C.T. exams:

Many of you were wondering why we space out the OCCT exams.  Besides the immediate answer of our staffing shortage this semester I have some thoughts on the matter.
I like to space out the exams to increase the time our students have to recuperate between tests.  Our fifth grade students, for example, are required to take five exams in a short amount of time.  Those exams, with the exception of the writing exam, are all 50 to 60 question two day administrations.  For any student that is a lot to complete.  For our students I feel we maximize their potential by having taken a test a week.
For our teachers I think the time between exams allows them to focus on the next test and focus the students on the specific test taking strategies for the specific exam.  Most of the staff would agree that having some time specifically devoted to the math exam will help to increase the students potential to be successful on that exam.  By doing the same for the reading exam we should yield the same results.
The main reason, more important than any other, is so that we do not lose ANY instructional time in the other classes going on throughout the school building while tests are taking place.  As we continue to have demands placed on us by the district, state and federal levels it becomes incredibly difficult to meet all of those demands without spacing out the OCCT exams.  Our mandated 90 minute reading block was not affected, mandatory P.E. time not affected, specials and planning times not affected...  If we would have shut down the school for the amount of time needed to complete all of the grade levels testing we would have lost nearly two weeks worth of instruction time for every grade level on the campus.  Nearly two weeks worth of instruction for any student, more especially ours, is very difficult to make up.  Testing, if students take two hours per exam, takes over 2200 minutes of instructional time for the 19 exams needed for grades 3-6.  There are only 1500 minutes of instructional time in one week of school.  Starting to get the picture?
I believe that having students quiet in the halls and causing minimized distractions is a small price to pay for the continuation of learning for all untested grade levels.


Generic Morning Announcement:  Done DAILY, no exceptions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6dAG5eWCok&feature=youtu.be

2014 - 2015 Committees:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3lrYycQKGUiU29FazU0VEVJWjQ/edit?usp=sharing

Showcase Schedule for Monthly Rise and Shine:

In order for everyone to take a more active role in the Monthly Awards I am asking that each grade level participate in the showcase portion of the Rise and Shine.  Everyone on campus will have a month to show the rest of the school what's great about your classes.  You can have your students sing, dance, demonstrate, share...  Have fun with it!

August:  P.E./Music
September:  Office Staff
October:  Library/Media
November:  First Grade
December:  Pre-Kindergarten
January:  Fourth Grade - February 5th
February:  Kindergarten - March 6th - Canceled due to SNOW!!!!!
March:  Kindergarten - April 3rd
April:  Third Grade - May 1st
May:  Second Grade - May 22nd 


*** Oklahoma State Blueprints: ***

http://ok.gov/sde/documents/2013-09-05/blue-prints-plds-item-specs

Available accommodations for the OCCT:

http://ok.gov/sde/documents/2014-08-07/oklahoma-accommodations-guide

A quick guide to standards and assessments:

• English Language Arts: 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school year – PASS standards, PASS-aligned assessments.
• Mathematics: 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years – PASS standards, PASS-aligned assessments.
• Science: 2014-2015 school year – begin transition to science standards adopted into rule in June 2014; PASS-aligned assessments for grades 5, 8, and Biology 1 for high school for 2014-2105 and 2015-2016 school years. 
• Social Studies: 2014-2015 school year – Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies as adopted in 2012; All four social studies assessments are OAS-aligned in Grades 5, 7, and 8, as well as high school U.S. History. All four assessments will be fully operational in 2014-2015.
• Fine Arts: 2014-2015 school year – transition to new standards adopted by law in June of 2014, The annual district arts assessment report will be due at the Oklahoma State Department of Education the end of May 2015.
• World Languages: 2014-15 school year – PASS standards, no state assessment. New standards will be written beginning fall 2014.
• Personal Financial Literacy: 2014-2015 school year – Oklahoma Academic Standards for Personal Financial Literacy as adopted in 2008, no state assessment.
• Health/Safety Education: 2014-2015 school year – PASS Standards, no state assessment.
• Kindergarten: 2014-2015 school year – PASS standards, no state assessments.
• PreKindergarten: 2014-2015 PASS standards; no state assessments.

Hayes Elementary Academic goals for 2014-2015:

- All students WILL achieve academically.
- Increase OCCT Reading scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase OCCT Mathematics scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase OCCT Writing scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase the number of students who qualify for promotion in RSA by 25%
- Decrease Suspensions by 25%
- School wide overall attendance to 96%
- Faculty attendance to 98%

Videos Worth Watching:

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Standardized Testing (HBO)  - No cussing, it's been bleeped out, but certainly not safe for anything other than private consumption.  Sadly, we fall into so many of the categories including the creation of a school testing song.  Does anyone have a monkey suit we could borrow?  GREAT look into the world of standardized testing... quite humbling.

Articles Worth Reading:

Don’t Argue For Your Limitations - via @tomwhitby

1st grade students have their teachers pegged!! - via @GustofsonBrad

3 Steps to Make Early Education More Accessible - via @educationweek

Excellent Teachers move ordinary children to do Extraordinary Things! - via @Principal_EL

Montana Governor Signs Laws to Promote, Preserve Tribal Languages - via @educationweek

End of the Day: Teachers Outside of School - via @ScholasticTeach

Text Complexity? Helping Readers See The Whole Text - via @TeachThought

School vouchers are bad idea in many ways - via @chronopinion

What, Why, and How to Flip Your Classroom - via @EdSurge

Guest Post: To Thank a Teacher - via @okeducation



Weekly Look Ahead: SPRING EASY CBM WINDOW CLOSES FRIDAY!

Monday May 11, 2015 - Wings Running club after school.  Ross evaluation at 8:30am.  IEP at 9:00am.  JA in a day is on campus.  GT field trip.  Second grade to the YMCA.  Be ready for JA in a day!

Tuesday May 12, 2015 -  Second Grade to the YMCA.  Musical performance at 2:00pm in the cafeteria.  After school faculty meeting.  Ms. Heckman will be in the building at 8:30am to complete ROSTER VERIFICATION for grades 4 through 6 during planning time.  PLEASE be on time to the meeting, it will be in the office.  Mr. Ross to Camelot from 9:00am to 1:00pm for assessment screener presentation.  IEP meeting at 1:10pm.   

Wednesday May 13, 2015 - Wings Running club after school.  IEP meetings at 1:00pm and 2:00pm.  4th grade and Ms. Koranloo's class to the Science Museum.

Thursday May 14, 2015 - IEP meeting at 2:00pm.  Mr. Ross at Principals meeting at 7:30am.

Friday May 15, 2015 - Spirit day.  

Look ahead for May 4, 2015

Notes from the Principal:

Please keep Ms. Ladd and her family in your minds and prayers.  Her mother passed away this past Saturday.

Welcome back Ms. Ingersoll.


Generic Morning Announcement:  Done DAILY, no exceptions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6dAG5eWCok&feature=youtu.be

2014 - 2015 Committees:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3lrYycQKGUiU29FazU0VEVJWjQ/edit?usp=sharing

Showcase Schedule for Monthly Rise and Shine:

In order for everyone to take a more active role in the Monthly Awards I am asking that each grade level participate in the showcase portion of the Rise and Shine.  Everyone on campus will have a month to show the rest of the school what's great about your classes.  You can have your students sing, dance, demonstrate, share...  Have fun with it!

August:  P.E./Music
September:  Office Staff
October:  Library/Media
November:  First Grade
December:  Pre-Kindergarten
January:  Fourth Grade - February 5th
February:  Kindergarten - March 6th - Canceled due to SNOW!!!!!
March:  Kindergarten - April 3rd
April:  Third Grade - May 1st
May:  Second Grade - May 22nd 


*** Oklahoma State Blueprints: ***

http://ok.gov/sde/documents/2013-09-05/blue-prints-plds-item-specs

Available accommodations for the OCCT:

http://ok.gov/sde/documents/2014-08-07/oklahoma-accommodations-guide

A quick guide to standards and assessments:

• English Language Arts: 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school year – PASS standards, PASS-aligned assessments.
• Mathematics: 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years – PASS standards, PASS-aligned assessments.
• Science: 2014-2015 school year – begin transition to science standards adopted into rule in June 2014; PASS-aligned assessments for grades 5, 8, and Biology 1 for high school for 2014-2105 and 2015-2016 school years. 
• Social Studies: 2014-2015 school year – Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies as adopted in 2012; All four social studies assessments are OAS-aligned in Grades 5, 7, and 8, as well as high school U.S. History. All four assessments will be fully operational in 2014-2015.
• Fine Arts: 2014-2015 school year – transition to new standards adopted by law in June of 2014, The annual district arts assessment report will be due at the Oklahoma State Department of Education the end of May 2015.
• World Languages: 2014-15 school year – PASS standards, no state assessment. New standards will be written beginning fall 2014.
• Personal Financial Literacy: 2014-2015 school year – Oklahoma Academic Standards for Personal Financial Literacy as adopted in 2008, no state assessment.
• Health/Safety Education: 2014-2015 school year – PASS Standards, no state assessment.
• Kindergarten: 2014-2015 school year – PASS standards, no state assessments.
• PreKindergarten: 2014-2015 PASS standards; no state assessments.

Hayes Elementary Academic goals for 2014-2015:

- All students WILL achieve academically.
- Increase OCCT Reading scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase OCCT Mathematics scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase OCCT Writing scores for all subgroups by 25%
- Increase the number of students who qualify for promotion in RSA by 25%
- Decrease Suspensions by 25%
- School wide overall attendance to 96%
- Faculty attendance to 98%

Videos Worth Watching:

ConnectEDucators: Leveraging Technology in the Classroom - via @usedgov

Talks for when you feel totally burned out - via @TEDTalks

Articles Worth Reading:

Major Florida school district dumps almost all yearend testing - via @reuters

Toddlers prepare for their first big interview - via @BBC

On Parenting and Standardized Tests via @pernilleppripp

Education is not... - via @WeAreTeachers

The Best Advice on a Happier Life - via @biswasdiener

Questions, Not Answers - via @kristenswanson

4 Guiding Questions For Your IT Department - via @gcouros

This was my daughter's schedule at school this week. - via @karlfisch

Thompson: Why Teachers Leave the Profession - via @drjohnthompson

Let Your Work Do The Talking - via @E_Scheninger

50 Of The Best Video Games For Learning - via @TeachThought


Weekly Look Ahead: 

Monday May 4, 2015 - 4th Grade Mathematics OCCT Exam Part One; testing begins at 9:30am.  4th grade and 1st grade swap.  Spring easyCBM window opens.  Wings after school.

Tuesday May 5, 2015 - 4th Grade Mathematics OCCT Exam Part Two; testing begins at 9:30am.  4th grade and 1st grade Specials Swap.  RSA Meeting at Camelot at 3:30pm to 6:30pm.  Learner First Meeting with Mr. Ross at 8:00am.  (I will try to include some of the leadership team, only if it's possible.)  First Grade field trip!  Character Counts in the building.  

Wednesday May 6, 2015 - 5th Grade S.S. OCCT Exam Part One; testing begins at 9:30am.  Kindergarten and 5th Grade Specials Swap. 

Thursday May 7, 2015 - 5th Grade S.S. OCCT Exam Part Two; testing begins at 9:30am.  Kindergarten and 5th Grade Specials Swap.  Mr. Ross to Cesar Chavez at 10:00am for SLD Review.  Muffins for Mom's in the cafeteria at 8:00am

Friday May 8, 2015 - NO MORE OCCT EXAMS!  Spirit Day.  Mr. Ross meeting with Mr. Hileman at 10:45am at Hayes.  4th Grade Field Trip.  Ms. Scarritt's class to the YMCA.  Regional Track Meet.  Sunrise Rotary to Hayes to install the Buddy Bench.  CINCO DE OCHO Celebration during lunch!!!!