Coaching Corner Newsletter
WUSD Academic Year 2024-2025
Welcome back to school! We are excited to see you back here for another outstanding new year! Check back in for weekly updates to our Coaching Corner Newsletter.
Oct. 7-11 FALL BREAK
Aug. 30 - Employee trainings due / MAP training new teachers 1:00-2:00 training rm
Sept. 2 - No School in observance of Labor Day
Sept. 6 - LETRS Training 1-3 at Bonnie Brennan
Sept. 9-13 Book Fair / Parent Conferences (late night on the 12th until 6:00-dinner will be provided).
Sept. 12-13 Early release due to Parent Conferences
Sept. 18 - 45 days screeners due for all students new to the district
Sept. 20 - Revisit curriculum maps-adjust/edit/discuss/etc (in PLC meetings)
Sept. 23-27 Homecoming Week
Sept. 24 - Picture day (individual pics only - class pics will be in the spring)
Sept. 27 LETRS training 1-3 at Bonnie Brennan
Oct. 1 - Fallin’ into Books Reading Night 4:00-6:00 all certified required to attend
Oct. 2nd and 4th - 2nd grade fitness test (more info to come)
Oct. 4 - End of 1st quarter
Oct. 7-11 FALL BREAK
Oct. 14 - 1st QTR grades due at 7:00 a.m.
August 30-New Teacher or New to District NWEA MAP Training 1-2pm @District training room
September 2-Labor Day
September 6-LETRS Training 1:00-4:00
September 7-Climb to Conquer Cancer-Join the WUSD team
September 10-Safety Town by Navajo County Health Dept 3rd grade 8:30/4th grade 9:30
September 11-Patriot Day-wear red, white, blue
September 9-13 Book Fair
September 12-13 Parent Teacher Conferences
September 17-18-Fall Lifetouch Pictures individual and class
September 18-45 Day screenings DUE
September 23-27-Homecoming Week (activities and spirit week)
September 27-LETRS Training 1:00-4:00
October 1-PreK-6 Fallin for Books @Jefferson 4-6pm
October 3-Q1 Attendance Party
October 4-Q1 AR Fall Field Day
October 4-End of Grading Period/Grades due at 4pm
August 30 - Early Release - PLC’s in the TEAM Room
August 30 - NWEA Training - All new teachers
September 2 - Labor Day - No School
September 6 - Early Release - PLC’s in the TEAM Room
September 10 - School Picture Day
September 11 - Patriot Day - Wear Red, White, and Blue
September 12-13 - Parent Teacher Conferences
September 20 - Early Release - Revisit Curriculum Maps
September 23 - Walk-a-Thon Packets go home
September 23-27 - Homecoming Week
October 3 - School Custodian’s Day
October 4 - End of 1st Quarter - Grades and Contact Logs Due
October 7-11 - FAll Break
October 18 - Walk-A-Thon
October 24 - Dome of Doom
October 28-Nov. 1st - Red Ribbon Week
October 31 - Halloween
8/29 Softball vs. Round Valley
8/29 Football vs Snowflake
8/30 Picture Day!
9/2 Labor Day
9/7 Climb to Conquer Cancer
9/11 Sports Picture Day
9/12-13 Parent Teacher Conferences
August 26 - IEC meeting
August 27-New Teacher SOS training 4-6pm @BB
August 30 - Early Release - PLC’s
August 30 - NWEA Training - All new teachers
September 2 - Labor Day - No School
September 7-Climb to Conquer Cancer-Join the WUSD team
September 23-27 - Homecoming Week
WHS Athletics:
Upcoming Bulldog events
Bulldog Football Schedule
Bulldog Volleyball Schedule
Bulldog Soccer-Boys
Bulldog Soccer-Girls
Bulldog Swimming
Bulldog Cross Country
Teacher Spotlight: WHS, Ms. Rachel Evans, ELA
Teacher Spotlight: WHS, Ms. Rachel Evans, ELA
Staff Spotlight
Ms. Rachel Evans has been teaching English for Winslow High School for the past eight years. Rachel has a great rapport with her students. She leads the English department with compassion and has created an environment of unity with her fellow colleagues. Rachel grew up in Imperial Valley, CA where she also attended Imperial Valley College. She then finished up her degree at NAU. WHS was fortunate enough to keep her here in Northern Arizona. Rachel has many interests and hobbies, some of which include the love of horror movies and books. She and her family also participate in medieval reenactments. Hiking is a passion for Rachel and her nemesis trail is Walnut Canyon. Our sweet Miss Evans tells of a time in junior high when she was suspended for helping a friend in a fight. We love to joke with Rachel about her suspension, but in reality, Rachel would never harm a living soul.
Free K-5 Literacy Endorsement
Math PD for teachers in grades 3-8
My name is Ellen Cooper, a Senior Manager with TNTP. We wanted to highlight a free professional development opportunity for some of your staff that will begin in mid-February. Participants will receive certificates of completion to use for recertification as well as a $50 gift card to use on classroom supplies. If you could please forward the information to your staff, or provide me with names of teachers who might be a great fit, I'd be happy to reach out personally to them.
Our team here in Arizona is thrilled to have received an APS grant to host a Rural Educators Math Collaborative for educators in Navajo, Apache, and Yavapai counties. Thanks to the generous grant funding from the APS Foundation, participation is free and we would love to invite educators from Winslow to participate.
The collaborative is geared toward math teachers in Grades 3 through 6, although we are open to 7th and 8th-grade educators who might be interested as well. The collaborative includes 2-3 virtual professional development sessions and 2 cohort-level PLCs per month. Through the Collaborative, teachers will:
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Be exposed to, reflect on, and process shifts in strong mathematical instruction
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Consider how these shifts in math instruction disrupt narratives about who can learn mathematics and open doors to historically marginalized students like multilingual learners and students with learning and thinking differences
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Unpack what research says about how our expectations influence student achievement and reflect on how to build an asset-based mathematics culture in our classrooms.
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Explore the science behind how to support learners who need it the most and identify what just-in-time supports look like for grade-level content.
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Collaborate with colleagues in their region to apply and plan for key concepts in their classrooms.
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Engage in focus groups to share reflections on their vision for excellent math instruction and work through challenges that arise.
We have a limited number of slots available in the region. The Collaborative will run from mid-February through May. I’ve attached a flyer with more details. Due to the nature of the funding, our timeline is somewhat tight. Please let me know if you have any questions and we look forward to partnering with your teachers on this amazing project.
Free Suicide Prevention Class
Act on FACTS Suicide Prevention Training
ACT on FACTS is an updated version of the school-based suicide awareness program “Making Educators Partners in Suicide Prevention.” Like its predecessor, ACT on FACTS is a two-hour online interactive training program, designed in a series of modules. It addresses the critical but limited responsibilities of educators in the process of identification and referral of potentially suicidal youth. It focuses on the practical realities and challenges inherent in the school setting through a variety of training formats that include lectures, questions and answers with content experts, interactive exercises, and role-plays. In addition to its other content, the program highlights four categories of youth who may be at elevated risk for suicide: youth involved in bullying, LGBTQ youth, gifted youth, and students being reintegrated back into school after a suicide attempt. The training includes optional content that addresses suicide in elementary and middle schools. There is also an additional module that includes the stories of individual survivors of suicide loss as well as a high school that experienced an episode of contagion. The focus in telling these stories is to highlight the importance of emphasizing resilience and protective factors after a loss event.
Structure: Two hours online in a series of modules.
CRR--Grants for K-5 Teachers
A short summary can be found at: https://gn.ecivis.com/GO/gn_grantDetailExt/EMAILUUID/52CB71A5-FB72-4A74-BE91-9FB5EEFEB0E0
"The purpose of this program is to support classroom teachers as they seek a better way to help their students learn in grades K-5. The funding agency seeks to encourage teachers who hope to innovate, try a new idea, or explore a different approach. Awards will generally be directed to teachers in K-12 schools; however, educational nonprofit organizations and universities working with K-12 teachers are occasionally considered with prior approval.
All details can be found at: http://www.toshiba.com/taf/k5.jsp
Greeting Students at the Door (Build Rapport)
The Quality Classroom --Effective Instruction
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Model and explain
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Guided practice
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Independent practice
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Formative Feedback
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Improved Performance
Effective Instruction means the teacher is well prepared with high-quality Learning Targets and Success Criteria. Clear instructional delivery using the above cycle. Effective questioning and meaningful feedback allow students to think more deeply and improve their performance. Appropriately scaffolding learning and gauging student progress helps those students who might otherwise struggle to understand. Finally, differentiating instruction for those children who did not understand the concept the first time around allows access to all.
It is important to regularly reflect on your teaching practice. As John Hattie tells us, “…those teachers who are students of their own impact are the teachers who are the most influential in raising students’ achievement.”
The Quality Classroom
Using Total Participation Techniques helps to engage students in the lesson. If you haven’t already, try using one of these this week.
Think-Pair-Share
1) Ask students to reflect on a question or prompt, provide at least 30 seconds to formulate response.
2) Ask students to find a partner or turn to assigned partner.
3) Ask them to share responses with each other.
Chalkboard Splash
1) Create a sentence starter, prompt, or question for which you would like students to see all of their peers’ responses.
2) As students generate responses, ask them to copy their responses onto random or designated places on the chalkboards, whiteboards, or chart papers. Give them a word limit (like 15 words)
3) Debrief by asking students to walk around, analyze, and jot down similarities, differences, and surprises, perhaps using a form (short chart – similarities, differences, surprises)
4) Ask students to get into small groups and share what they noticed in terms of similarities, differences, and surprises, before asking for volunteers to share.
Lecture T-Chart
1) During presentation students take notes in left-hand column.
2) Periodically stop (at pause points) to allow students to read over their notes and summarize in the right-hand column.
3) Allow time for pair-share summaries and for recording questions on index cards or Chalkboard Splash.
4) Allow time to answer any questions students have.
Quick Writes
1) Select prompt you would like students to address
2) Give students a specified amount of time to collect their thoughts and jot down a response (about 3-5 minutes)
3) Follow up with pair-share, networking session, chalkboard splash, or other TPT
The Biggest ‘Aha’ Quick-Write
1.) At end of lesson ask students to think about and record their biggest “AHA” on a quick-write half sheet, index card or scrap paper.
2) Ask students to meet with someone they haven’t spoken to in over a day and share their “aha.”
3) Ask volunteers to share with whole group
4) Collect cards and review them, or a select few. Be sure to return reflections even if you didn’t get a chance to read them all. Let students know that you randomly selected a few.
Self-Care for Teachers
AASA Writing Resources
AZ Assessment Committee --Click link if interested in signing up!
Professional Development for Educators
Arizona Reading Fundamentals OnDemand Academy
As you continue planning for the new school year, consider making the Arizona Reading Fundamentals OnDemand Academy a part of your comprehensive professional learning plan.
These courses are best facilitated by a school or organization-level literacy leader. Participation is best completed in a collaborative and job-embedded manner.
Before you register, please watch our OnDemand Academy Introduction Video to learn more. Each knowledge block recommends a companion text. Please browse the Professional Development webpage for all details prior to registering.
More PD Opportunities
How the Brain "Digests" Information
The Growth Mindset
Neuroplasticity
- The idea that our brain (neuro) can be molded (like plastic)
- What we focus on and how we discipline our thoughts and attitudes encourages brain growth in those areas
- New neural pathways are made
Fixed v. Growth Mindset
Fixed Mindset
~Intelligence is fixed
~Angered or discouraged by criticism
~Valuing the end result
~A desire for approval
~Failure
~Challenges
Growth Mindset
~Intelligence can change
~Active and responsive to criticism
~Valuing the process
~Satisfaction from the growth along the journey
~An opportunity to learn from your mistakes
~Opportunities
Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe
Check out this video!
~Simon Sinek on Creating a Circle of Safety
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOnXcrmgAw8.
Brene Brown on Empathy