Conferences at Concord

Involving students voice in conferencing-

Conferences

Conferences are an important time to connect with families.  We are fortunate at Concord with the supportive and involved families we have.   As I spend time conferencing you I am impressed how well you know your students, have data to share, and how we are our student's  biggest advocate, cheerleader, and coach.

Fall conferences for all staff 10/12 4:15-7:15 (All conferences must be completed between Oct 1st and Nov 22nd). Staff must submit to Danielle/Susie their conference plan to complete their additional 5 conference hours no later than 11/22. Staff may use 11/22 to complete additional 5 hours. If staff complete all conference hours prior to 11/22 it is a comp day. Teachers are encouraged to plan ahead with special ed teachers, related providers, learning specialists for the shared conference night on 10/12 or at a mutually agreed time.

Spring Conferences for all staff Feb 27 4:15-7:15 (all conferences completed between Feb 1st-March 2nd). 5 additional conferences hour plan submitted to office with the option of completing on March 2 or if completed using it as a comp day

Here are some tips:

• Send a questionnaire home to get a focus for parent concerns.
• Getting students involved is important so they are owning their learning.  See information on student-led conferences below.  
• Take the "sandwich" approach. I start with something positive, continue with the things that the child needs to work on, and I finish with something positive.

• Ask families what do their children need.
• Plan the essential things you want to share.  Strengths and an area to work on.  Essential data and work samples.  
• Listen to parents concerns and have a 2-way conversation.
• Don't talk down to parents. Be honest and truthful. Try to speak in the positive, not always negative. Offer positive ways to help a struggling child
• Don't diagnose students.  Describe areas of difficulties and accommodations you are doing to support them.
• Speak about your student the way you want someone to talk about your child
• Get support from Susie, Michele, or Tiffany as needed! Please let us know if you would like us to attend the conferences.

Resources for Conferences.

Good Fit Reading Chart

Reading Continuum
Talking points for sharing data with families.

How can I infuse student choice and voice in conferencing?  Student-Led Conferencing

What is it?

Student’s moment to share his or her reflections on achievements and challenges.

ASCD Article        Step by step blog

What are the benefits?

• Parent attendance is high
• Students take responsibility for own learning
• Promotes reflection
• Students communicate what they are learning
• Goal setting-  You may use MAP Goal setting and think of specific actions to help.

What are the disadvantages?

• What do you do with un-involved families?
• Need straight talk with teacher

What are the different jobs?

• Student is the leader
• Teacher is the facilitator
• Family is an active participant

What do I do?

Before

• Send families a questionnaire to gather input.
• Gather artifacts in a portfolio and reflect on what they are proud of and possible areas to grow.  
• Reflect weekly on artifacts.
• Choose your top 3-4 pieces of work.
• Practice as a class and with older students or other staff members on how to lead the conference.
• Plan 2 specific talking points for families. Think of a praise and an area for growth.

During

• Support and coach
• Involve families in the conference.

After

• Celebrate student ownership.
• Reflect on areas for improvement.

Take a look at an example of a student-led conference:

What different formats?

• 1 on 1 student led conferences
• Stations where you are at one and you have 3 families at a time rotating with a timer.

1.  Math games

2.  Reading/ Writing goals

3. Portfolio sharing with teacher.

Resources

Sample Script for intermediate

Sample Script for primary

Reflection

How could it evolve?

I would start small in the Fall with a short reflection.

In Winter, students can lead it more.

Please share comments and resources to support your colleagues with conferences.  

WIN Time Development Sept. 26

WIN (What I Need ) Time Exploration and Development

Agenda:
8:15-8:30- Epipen and Medicine Administration Training
8:30-9:10-  WIN Time Exploration

Frontload
1. Reflect on how building routines for WIN time has gone.
Concord WIN Time Routines

2. Explore What I Need Time Resources 
http://unionandtimes.com/2013/10/10/award-winning-schools-show-whats-needed-help-students-low-income-families/


https://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-percent-time-a-j-juliani

http://www.rti4success.org/sites/default/files/developing_effective_schedules.pdf


http://www.schoolschedulingassociates.com/handouts/WCASS%20Elementary%20Slides.pdf

Immerse/ Investigate Together
WIN Time Exploration

Coalesce
Create Concord WIN Time to meet our students needs.

  

  

First 6 Weeks of School

The First 6 Weeks of School-

In  Responsive Classroom, they discuss this importance of setting up classroom during the first 6 weeks of school and how that will pay dividends throughout the school year.  There is a book on the first 6 weeks and here is a short article explaining it.

Why are the First Weeks of School important?

Here is an excerpt that answers the question from the article, The First Six Weeks of School by Paula Denton and Roxann Kriete from the Responsive Classroom Newsletter: April 2000.

Though the details differ with different age groups, with the content of the curriculum, and with the organization of the room, there are four broad aims in the first six weeks curriculum.

1. Create a climate and tone of warmth and safety. Students can come to know each other and develop a sense of belonging through activities that help them define their commonality and their differences. Deliberately focusing on group-building activities during these weeks helps create the trust and safety essential for active, collaborative learning. However, this sense of trust is not built solely on warmth and friendliness. It is also built upon students’ assurance that there are reasonable limits and boundaries for behavior and that their teacher will enforce them. They must see that their teacher will exercise vigilance and good judgment to keep everyone safe.
2. Teach the schedule and routines of the school day and our expectations for behavior in each of them. A sense of order and predictability in daily school life is important. It enables children to relax, to focus their energy on learning, and to feel competent. When we enter a new culture, we want to know its rules so that we don’t embarrass ourselves or, through ignorance or misunderstanding, hurt others.
3. In the first six weeks of school, we name the global expectations we might hold for the year. For example, “Our room will be a place where people try hard, take good care of themselves and others, and take good care of our materials and our school.” Children are then involved in applying these broad, nonnegotiable expectations to everyday situations. “How will we walk through the halls if we are taking care of each other?” “What does trying hard mean during math group?” “What will clean-up time look like if we are taking good care of our room?”
4. Introduce students to the physical environment and the materials of the classroom and the school, and teach students how to use and care for them. In order for students to feel a sense of ownership for the school environment and materials, they must become familiar with them and have time to explore them. Through school tours for young students and new students, and scavenger hunts and mapping exercises for older ones, we encourage them to get acquainted or reacquainted with the school environment and to feel comfortable in it. Using the technique of guided discoveries, we extend children’s ideas about the creative use of space and materials, develop guidelines about sharing particular resources, and teach children how to care for them.
5. Establish expectations about ways we will learn together in the year ahead. We want to generate excitement and enthusiasm about the curricula we will engage in this year—complicated new math concepts, engrossing novels full of dilemmas to explore, beautiful art materials and techniques for using them, microscopes to observe a previously invisible world. Our learning—whether we are wrestling with an ethical dilemma presented in a history lesson or considering a complicated question about collecting data for a science experiment—requires participation and focused effort, thoughtful questions, and the ability to cooperate and collaborate. We pay attention to the process as well as the products of our learning and hold high standards in both areas. It is our job as teachers to help students achieve these high standards as we learn with and from each other.

I am so impressed by the commitment to...

• Building a trusting classroom community
• Developing expectations together
• Practicing and providing feedback to routines
• Guided discovery
• Building hopes and dreams together

Please comment and share some ideas or  resources used to support the first 6 weeks of school!

Starting Out with Daily 5