Weekly Update for March 11, 2024

 Something Personal 

March, March, March...sometimes in the month of March, you just have to keep Marching forward. I've shared this video before, but recently I had to rewatch it to remind myself to stay above the line, and to be intentional about this during the wild month of March. 

Enjoy the video, and keep plugging. We got this! 

Something Professional 

CIA next Tuesday

When: 8:00 am

Where: QUEST Cafe 

What: IB Focus w/Greg and Nancy Leport (Hilton Alumni Association) 

Assembly on March 21st with Drumline! 

The Hilton Winter Drumline will be performing 2 shows at QUEST starting at 2:00 on Thursday, March 21. Winter Drumline is an athletic art that combines music and motion to create a theatrical production. It not only requires performers to be proficient in their instrument, but also to convey a story through movement and drama.

Our performers are students in grades 7-12. Their musicianship is evident when you see them perform with various instruments in Drumline, Marching Band, select bands and choruses as well as dramatic productions.  You will also see many of these names on lists for honor rolls and leadership groups throughout the district and community.

The countless hours required to put on these productions have created a hard-working, close-knit group. Their dedication and integrity have earned them the privilege of representing Hilton at the Memorial Day Parade in Washington DC. It is an honor to invite the Hilton Winter Drumline to QUEST!

About this year's show:

The 2024 show is titled The Tin Man. We begin in a happy town in the woods with our lead lumberjack. Suddenly, all is not well when the Wicked Witch appears! Falling under her evil spell, the people of the town fight against the witch. However, our lead lumberjack is not so lucky and is cursed to become Tin Man for the rest of his life. What happens next is only discovered when we follow the yellow brick road…

To prepare students:

This show is LOUD. If you have students who are sensitive to noise, you may wish to bring noise canceling headphones. The witch might be frightening to some, and may need to be described ahead if time. There will be an explanation of the show and instruments, so our students can get an understanding of the production and put the story in perspective.  The actual run time of the show is just over 5 minutes.

Thank you for supporting these students. They are excited to share their show with younger Cadets and future members of the Hilton Winter Drumline!

Which show does my class go to? 

K-2:  2:00-2:30

3-6: 2:35-3:05

Classroom teachers: you also were sent a calendar invite! 

Safety Reminder

When you leave your classroom, say to drop kids off or to go take your lunch, please be sure you shut your door. That way, if there ever were an emergency and a room was vacant, all doors would be closed. 

At the end of the day, please shut and lock your door.

COVID Update  

On March 1, 2024, the CDC adopted new guidelines for COVID-19, which can be found here: CDC Guidance for Respiratory Virus. This new guidance compares precautions and procedures for COVID-19 to those for other respiratory illnesses, and removes the requirement of mandatory isolation. The CDC reiterated that when individuals become sick with a respiratory virus, it is recommended that they stay home and away from others. For individuals who test positive specifically for COVID-19 and influenza, treatment is available and can lessen symptoms and lower the risk of severe illness. The new CDC recommendations suggest that an individual who tests positive for COVID-19 can return to normal activities when overall symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours and, if a fever was present, the fever has been gone without use of a fever-reducing medication. You can find more information on the CDC's website: CDC: What to do when you are sick.

 

What this means for students who test positive for COVID:

• Mandatory isolation is no longer required.
• It is recommended that students with any respiratory illness stay home and way from others until their symptoms are improving and they are fever free.
• Students can return to school and extracurricular activities when their symptoms are improving and they are fever-free without using fever-reducing medications. 

Little Cadets Carnival

 

QUEST Teacher of the Year Applications

 

Week of 3/5/24

 Something Personal

I learned this week about the passing of Harry K. Wong; he passed away peacefully last week. For those of you who have never heard of Harry Wong, for a long time he was the essential reading and thought provoker for any in-service teacher. Specifically, his book The First Days of School was one in which most new teachers have been exposed to. 

Education has changed drastically since that book was first published, but so many of the ideas he shared are timeless and still can be applied today. Below are a few of his main ideas and quotes from his lifetime in education. 

 

Something Professional

Women's History Month

March brings Women’s History Month. Below is a resource Michelle shared. Similar to black history month, I’d encourage you to use this month to celebrate, but also to use it as an audit of the work you do all the time. What text are in front of kids all year? How do you ensure your daily instruction is providing windows and mirrors for our students?

 From Michelle: 

Excellent resources here for women's history month! We also have many wonderful biographies available to borrow- let me know if you want some!

 https://libguides.monroe2boces.org/womenshistory/ebooks

LibGuides: Women's History Month: eBooks LibGuides: Women's History Month: eBooks libguides.monroe2boces.org

Morning Meeting

The next two weeks there will be no morning meeting on Wednesday. 

Bus Drill Sign Up 

If you are a classroom teacher, please sign your class up for a bus drill; these are set for 4/26. The link is on the hub or found below: 

CLICK HERE!

Hot Topic: CBT Pratice Exams

Question Samplers, and Teacher Created CBTs offer an opportunity for students to become familiar with the test format, the question types, and the tools they will experience during testing. For more information, please visit two LINKS: NEXTERA Practice Exams  and  HCSD's eDoctrina CBT Tool Kit Items (scroll to bottom of page)   

From then Office of Instruction

As you may know, Hilton's subscription for both Math Investigations (grades K-5) and CMP3 (grades 6-8) concludes in the 25-26 school year. We want to utilize this opportunity to evaluate our current programs and explore other possible programs for math at grades K-8. The first step in this process is to gather staff feedback on our current programs. On Monday, March 18th, there will be a survey sent to all K-8 Classroom teachers, 7-9^th grade math teachers, math interventionists/AIS providers, K-8 Special Education teachers, and K-8 ENL teachers. This will be an opportunity to rate your experience with either Math Investigations or CMP3 and offer insights in an open-ended format as well. The survey will close at the end of the day on March 22nd, so it is a quick turnaround time. Your feedback on the programs is important to us, so we hope that you will take a few moments to complete the survey. 

A draft timeline for the math programs review is below for your reference. The Office of Instruction will work with the math PC and Grade Level Leaders throughout the spring to finalize the details. 

• Spring 2024
• Survey staff on current programs (qualitative data)
• Analyze NWEA and state assessment data (quantitative data)
• Generate a list of what all Monroe County school districts use for math programs K-8
• Create a crosswalk of non-negotiables and "nice to haves" in a math programs
• Research potential math programs and complete crosswalk for how each program meets the non-negotiables and "nice to haves"
• Fall 2024 - Spring 2025
• Share all findings from Spring 2024 with Grade Level Leaders, Math interventionists, Math PC, Math liaison and MW Math Department
• Choose program(s) for potential pilots
• Design pilot and determine pilot teachers/classrooms
• Fall 2025
• Selected teachers pilot chosen programs
• Spring 2026 
• Evaluate pilots and determine program(s) for implementation in 2026-2027
• Spring/Summer 2026
• Training for program(s), if new program(s) selected
• Fall 2026
• Implementation of new program(s), if new program(s) selected

Casino Night

 

Week of 2/26/24

Something Personal  

Something professional 

From the Library

Let the library support your research units! We can provide books, movies, database suggestions, or other resources that can help your students succeed. We can also borrow from other schools through an Interlibrary loan. Don't hesitate to reach out if you need materials- we can help! Michelle can also use library class time to collaborate with you on research- want students to work on a research packet during library? How about choosing a topic? How about writing sources?  We can help in many ways!

No meeting weeks

The next two weeks we have no meeting weeks. The purpose of this is to afford extra time for portfolios, report cards, you name it. We do still have an evening PTSO on 3/13, but no level meetings or building staff meetings during the next two weeks. 

Testing schedule...wowzers!

We have the ELA and Math (CBT) coming up after our next break. For those that like to plan ahead, please use the link below to view the schedule for those days! Please note that this can also be found in the Hub! 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MODIFIED SCHEDULE

Week of 2/12/24

Something Personal 

Having posters on the wall and bringing the learner profiles to life within a classroom are two different things. As a school, it is our charge to model and to relentlessly pursue the learner profiles through our daily life at QUEST. I've often viewed the profiles and AtL's as our invisible backpack. Different moments call for different sides of us in order to be successful, and this invisible backpack contains all we--and our students--need to thrive. 

Through my last round of walkthroughs, I have been most impressed with the language of the IB Profiles that I have heard woven into instructional experiences for students. Here are some of the ways I have heard/witnessed the profiles being used: 

• Included in a learning target: I witnessed a profile being added into the learning target. Instead of "I can demonstrate my understanding by solving a two digit by two digit multiplication problem two different ways," it was "I can be open minded by solving a two digit by two digit multiplication problem two different ways." The behavior was attached to the action! 
• Used to provide feedback. Instead of telling a student they are doing a great job at something, point out how they are using a profile to be successful with the given task. Or, better yet, ask them what profile they just used to be successful with the problem they are facing.
• Noticing it in a text. Characters change, grow, and always face problems. But identifying how characters use a profile to overcome obstacles can be quite fruitful. This can also be woven into informational text as you look at biographies, and our everyday heroes!
  
• Framing a task with the profiles when you give directions. Instead of "today you will be working on.." I noticed someone remind the students that they would need to be a risk-taker as they approached a new task that required them to strength their thinking. After a mini-lesson and before the learning is handed over to students, reaching into that backpack and reminding them what they will use to be successful can help them internalize and apply the profiles. 
• Students pointing out and celebrating examples of the learner profiles in one another! Shout out boards? Caught-ya time?? 
• Added into daily/weekly reflections. Chomping on some popcorn on a Friday, or writing a weekly reflection to share with home, I have witnessed the profiles infused into those discussions as well. 

As you do the day-to-day, and as we continue to highlight a profile each month, really dig deep and consider how you use them, and how you help our students use them, in a way that is organic and meaningful. 

Keep up the great work, Q-town! 

Something Professional

Lockdown Unannounced

Our next unannounced lockdown will occur in mid-March. As always, please ensure you are always prepared. Reach out with questions. 

Support for Exams

Those interested in having students become familiarized with the CBT testing approach, you can find practice exams using this link. 

 

CLICK HERE

CIA:BREAKOUT SESSIONS FOR DEI

Please reach out if you do not see your name. 

WHEN: 2/27

WHERE: See chart below for your assignment 

CBT Staff Meeting

On 3/26, we have a staff meeting where all of us will review proctoring for the CBT.  Any aide or TA that support students with testing, we'd love for you to join this staff meeting at 7:50 am. Please fill out a claim form for your time. If you are unable to attend, please let Derek and Amanda know so we can find a different time for you.

Week of 2/5

 Something Personal 

The Power of Moments

Chip and Dan Heath (yes, I am a fan as they also wrote about sticky teaching!) have a great book on the power of moments. Based on behavioral research, they suggest that not all moments are created equal, and that some moments are more powerful because of certain elements. These powerful moments typically occur during life milestones, or transitions, but the one thing that all memorable--or powerful--moments include is a connection to strong human emotions.

I was reminded of this book this week when I observed a classroom where a student who, to be honest, has had quite a bit stacked against them, became an actual station in the workshop. Their brilliant ideas became a game for all the other students to use and follow. And just like that, I saw a student experience what will be a moment that they will not forget. 

Every single day, we have a chance to create moments for our students and for one another. I'll never forget some of the harder moments(the valleys!) that we as a staff have shared, but I also will never lose the memory of the peaks we have shared as well. The same is true for all of us, and for our students. 

I challenge all of us to find ways to create positive moments for our students. Each student, and each colleague, has seeds of greatness in them, and we get the privilege of creating moments for our larger community. 

Go QUEST! 

Something Professional

Task: Have students write a thank you note for their bus driver! 

Why? See below!

Portfolio Share: Found on the Hub

QUEST Portfolio Share

Purpose: The purpose of portfolio share is to collaborate with the family and student to demonstrate evidence of growth based on pre-determined goals (goals that are set at the three-way conference). It is part of our reporting system at QUEST Elementary. This should give parents clarity regarding current performance as compared to what was demonstrated at the three-way conference.

Many staff also share academic improvement, and sometimes district benchmarks.

 

Methods: Mutually agreed upon time between teacher/home. This can be done during the school day, after school, before school, or at the teacher/families choosing. Some may also opt. to do them electronically where the student takes it home and the parent views and signs off on it with the student.

***If you and your team are doing an after school time, please let Derek know so he can have security attend!

 

Please be sure that: We provide flexibility if a parent can’t make it. If we do them where the student shares at home, there should be a platform for parents to ask questions and communicate with the teacher. 

 

Remember that: it is okay to differentiate our methods. If our colleague chooses one method and we choose another, that is okay as long as the purpose is met. Parents also prefer differentiated approaches, as long as it is clearly communicated to them and they  have options. If a parent does not want to come in despite you attempting, please be sure to send it home to the parent so we have done our part to share evidence of learning with them.

And of course, the dates:

Fire Inspection Checklist : Fire Inspection set for March 4th and 5th

 

Week of 1/29/24

 Something Personal 

We are deep into the year at this point, and our goal is to continue to push our students as learners, thinkers, and people (through our use of the learner profiles). For a moment of self-reflection, consider a recent lesson you taught, or a recent bit of feedback that you provided to a child. Does the feedback you provided check all the boxes?

(see below the picture for the effect size of feedback...effective feedback to be specific!)

Something Professional 

IB Profile of the Month: Principled 

The IB Learner Profile for the month of February is Principled. Doing the right thing when nobody is looking……

 

See below for our kid friendly definitions of Principled.

 

Principled – I know the difference between right and wrong and act honestly and responsibly.

 

February--Black History Month

Happy Black History Month! https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month

 I recently heard someone express how we should all celebrate Black History Month, but more than that, we should use this month—and any other history month (women’s history, etc)--as an audit for what we do all the other months of the year.

•  Do the stories we put in front of students represent all? Do they serve as both mirrors and windows?
• Do we dig deep into the history, or do we only focus on prominent, black scholars that we all grew up learning about (MLK, Rosa Parks, etc)?

  As we celebrate Black History Month, I challenge you to consider your own practices that you use throughout the year and, in doing so, find natural entryways to deliver learning that serves as both windows and mirrors.

Black History Month update

 

Black History Month Resources

https://libguides.monroe2boces.org/blackhistorymonth

 

February is Black History Month. Visit the library's biography section for a display of books to support your teaching. You can also visit the link for digital resources, including direct links to library databases, e-books, video, and more.

 

Love the Bus Month...February

Action: 

Please have your students make cards for their bus driver and hand them to them one day in February. 

To do: 

February is Love the Bus Month, and we are encouraging all schools to find meaningful ways to pay tribute to our hard-working bus drivers.

Context: 

 This event is to raise awareness and show our appreciation to school bus drivers across our district who safely transport and ensure the best start and finish to each student's day.

 It's a great time to let them know just how much they mean to our students and families.

 During this annual event, bus drivers are celebrated with cards and sign or any ideas your schools or students should have. 

 Love the Bus is a great opportunity to thank the people that protect our most precious cargo – our children – and who serve as role models to the Hilton students who ride to and from school each day,

 The Love the Bus program was founded in 2007 by the American School Bus Council. It is an ongoing campaign celebrated on Valentine’s day and throughout the month of February in school districts across the country to recognize hundreds of thousands of school bus drivers who safely transport children to and from school.

 Thank you for your support, 

 Kristen 

 

https://nationaltoday.com/love-the-bus-month/

Love the Bus Month Love The Bus Month is a month-long celebration to highlight the importance of school buses and the experiences of students in the United States. nationaltoday.com

From the Technology Office 

In the 2023-2024 school year, the district purchased and implemented RemindHub as a method of staff communication with families and students in addition to classroom phones and district email in order to meet our goal of streamlining communication methods to families district wide.  

 As a result, Bloomz, ClassDojo, and Seesaw use by staff in Hilton Central School District will be discontinued on June 30, 2024.  

 Throughout the remainder of the 2023-2024 school year, it will be important to transition to other approved digital tools for any features of Bloomz, Class Dojo, and Seesaw that staff members may still be utilizing. The instructional techs will be available to help with this as needed. It is suggested during the remainder of the 2023-2024 school year staff begin to trial the replacements with students in preparation for the 2024-2025 school year. 

 Thank you for understanding the importance of adhering to safety guidelines with our staff and students' personally identifiable information. 

One School One Book

We are excited for this year’s “One School, One Book” with Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. Here is the approximate timeline (subject to change)Kickoff Wednesday, April 17 (morning meeting)
First reading day is Thursday, April 18
Last reading day is Friday, May 17

As in years past, we will ask faculty and staff to sign copies of the books for families when they arrive. We will also be asking for volunteers to record themselves reading a chapter of the book so we can have an audio version available. We will also have a reading calendar for students to stay on track, as well as other fun surprises! Please stay tuned for more details. Any questions, feel free to reach out to Michelle or Beth.

 

https://watchkin.com/61e7fa1bfb

Best Buddies!

Best Buddies is once again facilitating an Equity and Inclusion and Autism Awareness Shirt Sale! We did update the design a bit this year and have more color choices as well 🙂

 

Please share out this link with all of your buildings so everyone in the district is INCLUDED (central office too)!  If you could spread the word with staff/ students/ parents via your principal blog/ newsletter/ Twitter feed that would be amazing! This sale is active now and will run through 2/14.

 

For those of you who don't know, Best Buddies is a high school club with a mission centered around inclusion.  We pair students with developmental disabilities with their non-disabled peers to foster friendships. It is a wonderful club with an amazing spirit!  Thank you for your support!

 

https://bestbuddies2024.itemorder.com/shop/home/?success=true

Hilton Best Buddies Spirit Wear 2024 Online ordering for Hilton Best Buddies Spirit Wear 2024 ends on Wed, Feb 14, 2024 (11:59 PM EST) bestbuddies2024.itemorder.com