MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

MAY 2009

Notes from the Lit Coach

Summer is so close... Summer Literacy
and I can’t wait! Ideas For Kids
Choice Literacy has
posted some great ideas to
help encourage students to
read over the summer.
What I like best is that
they aren’t workbook or
worksheet driven. The
activities can be tailored to
fit individual student needs
and honor the spirit of the
summer- FUN!
As a parent, I know I
want my daughter to read,
but I also want her to enjoy
Wyoming, USA her time off. (And I need a
break from being the
homework police, too.)
As we begin to finish up and do it again!” here are three simple
At ACS you can find
close down for the year I can’t ideas based on articles from
these articles on FirstClass
help but think of all the things I Choice Literacy to get you
in my folder in ES News- or
should/could do over the holiday. thinking about next year:
email me and I’ll send them
But honestly I just want to do a 1. Read a professional book to you.
good deal of nothing- I’m tired! (in preparation for our
Also, see the post
However, after the 15th trip literacy team work next year.)
“Keeping the End in
to the pool I start to transition 2. Visit and follow a literacy Mind” on my blog for a link
from feeling burnt-out to being blog online (see the “blogroll” to a parent’s perspective to
excited about the upcoming year. on my blog for ideas) the end-of-year craziness.
When you begin to move
from “I’m done!” to “I’m ready to 3. Keep your own writer’s
notebook.
TA TRAINING: We’ve
TECHNOLOGY TIPS agreed to wait until next
year to continue with TA
Do you like the look of this attached it in an Training. We will begin with
newsletter? It is so easy to create email (or post it some work during
beautiful documents using the on my blog) it Orientation. Let me know if
you have training ideas.
application Pages from the comes up like a
iworks bundle on our laptops. “read only”
As a classroom teacher I used document in Word.
Pages to create my monthly Summer is a great time to play around with and
newsletters. To make it easy to open I learn more about the powerful tools on our new
always converted it to a PDF file. Then when I laptops. If you have other tech ideas to share let me

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 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER MAY 2009

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT- DRA K-3 AND UOS IMPLEMENTATION 3-5

This spring the reading team
(K-3) and the writing team (3-5)
Using Common Reading met repeatedly to work on a
Assessments variety of topics. Our first
to Impact Student Learning presentations to the larger grade
K-3 Staff Workshops
level groups happened in April.
April 15, 3:30-4:30- Working with the PM Benchmark Kit
April 22, 3:00-4:30- Digging deeper into the DRA2 Not only were these teams
able to begin forming some plans
for implementation and
alignment, we also bonded as
professionals and had time to
Writer’s talk about our work. The good
Workshop: news? This is only the beginning
Units of as these teams (with the K-3
Study reading team being made up of
Grades 3-5 new members) will continue to
Implementation
Plans work through and present other
Wednesday, April 29- items next year.
3:30-4:30
During the LA Curriculum
Both Keynote presentations Cycle these teams will also be
and their accompanying tapped for work specific to the
documents are available on team they are on. Making sure
Firstclass in my folder on ES we can streamline our meetings
news. and use our work in many
different ways (from the
classroom to the LA review
committee) will ensure we are
working smarter- not harder.
As these first groups
presented, I realized we are
already in need of a K-5
connections. Next year during
orientation I hope to be able to
bring the larger reading, writing
and word study teams together to
talk about the work
accomplished this spring..
ES Literacy Teams:
Reading: Lydia, Emily, Kim,
Priscilla, Stan, Chris
Word Study: KG2 teachers
(Josie), G1?, Ken, Patti, Scott,
Jared
Writing: Heather, G1?, Maryke,
Kathy, Alison, Marisa

JUST ARRIVED! REGIE ROUTMAN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT ACS FOR NEXT YEAR!
The kit we’ve
This professional
purchased is one of
development series is
three created by
getting rave reviews
Regie in her
from teachers who
“Transforming Your
take part!
Teaching” series.

There are If you are interested in

15 PD preparing for this work
sessions in over the summer, check
each kit. out one of Regie’s
professional texts from
the Literacy Library!

SUNY Credits
will be offered at If you want to have a more de-
the rate of $86 tailed look at the kit, here is
per credit hour. the link:
More details http://www.regieroutman.com/i
about that to nresidence/rdg/default.aspx
follow...

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