The Spirit of Defer

The Dragon Run was a phenomenal event.  Yes, our PTO listened to our families and went out on a limb and decided to hold just one fundraiser this  year.  And yes, through this fundraiser we were able to far surpass our wildest expectations and raised over $15,000.00.  And yes, there are going to be wonderful opportunities made available to our students because of the Dragon Run.  But, for me, the Dragon Run was so much more than raising money.  For me, it showcased the true spirit of Defer.   And for me, it was the overwhelming number of memorable moments.  Hard to say what was the favorite. 

Was it the group of spirited 5^th graders who lead the entire school is our warm-up version of Whip Nay Nay and the sea of rainbow colored t-shirts dancing along and putting their own special moves into the mix?

Was it the students’ faces when they walked through the green and white balloon arch?

Was it the lower elementary students lining up at the starting line with their official Dragon Run running bibs pinned to their shirts?

Was it the Kindergarten students taking off in a pack at the start line only to run a few paces, tumble to the ground, pick themselves up, and keep charging around the course?

Was it the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders sitting around the outside of the course yelling out cheers to every Kindergarten, 1^st, and 2^nd grade student as they participated?

Was it the spirited shout outs that every family took time to send into us so that their child got that message that says – I love you and I’m proud of you!

Was it the parents that ran the course with the students?

Was it the students who ran for all their might losing shoes along their way and never stopping or caring?

Was it the students who asked me to run a lap with them and were proud to hold the principal’s hand as they ran the course?

Was it the Dragon stripe of green paint on their cheeks that students proudly displayed on their faces?

Was it the red faces who with a sense of pride and accomplishment picked up their bottle of water as they completed the run?

Was it the 5^th grade boys sitting on a bench with a Kindergarten student calling themselves his training team?

Was it the parents, grandparents, younger siblings, and guests cheering our Defer Dragons along the sidelines and sharing the moment as a community?

Hard to say . . . . .

Tardiness Hinders Student and School Success

Having trouble making it to school on time every day?  Then it’s time to come up with a new plan. Tardiness is sometimes a chronic problem for some students at Defer, and this creates problems for all students and teachers as well.

Did you know that some of the most important learning of the school day occurs between 8:20 and 10:00 am?  Students are the most alert and attentive at this time of day, so important subject matter and concepts are taught at this time.  When students arrive late to school, they miss out on some or all of these important subjects.  They also create a distraction when they walk into the classroom after other students have already begun working.  Teachers must stop what they are doing, and refocus the group.

Studies show that students who have perfect, or near-perfect attendance and are not tardy have much better grades and overall success in school than students who miss many days and are tardy.

An occasional tardy is not really a big problem, and sometimes cannot be avoided.  However, consistent tardiness creates not only the problems discussed above, but also does not help to prepare students for future success in middle and high school, or for the job market.

What can be done about this?  Defer has a tardy policy in place.  Here’s how it works:

·         When a student has three times of being tardy in quick succession (with a two week period), a letter will be sent home notifying the parents that their student has been tardy three times.  This will let the parents know that they need to work together with their student to get to school on time each day. 

           The students will miss their class recess on the day the 3^rd tardy occurs. 

·         If the student continues to struggle with tardiness, the principal will make a phone call home to talk to the parents about how tardiness is impacting the student, and to discuss ways to be on time.  The student will again miss recess to help make up for missed instruction. 

·         If tardiness continues to be an issue, the principal and teacher will have a conference with the parents to discuss the problem.

Remember that being on time means being in line and ready to walk into the classroom when the bell rings.  Students who are at school, but not in their classrooms after the tardy bell, are marked tardy.

Defer is a great school with bright students and involved parents.  By refocusing our efforts on being on time each day, we can be even better!

A few notes about Defer's teachers

Teacher Appreciation Week

This is officially National Teacher Appreciation Week 2015 – May 4^th to May 10^th.  National Teacher Appreciation Day is May 5^th.  The history of National Education Week and Day is not certain.  The movement for such an observance is commonly thought to have begun around the time of World War II and Eleanor Roosevelt made a major push for the day in 1953.

So what about teachers . . . . .

Great teachers give us a sense not only of who they are, but more important, of who we are, and who we might become.   They unlock our energies, our imaginations, and our minds.  Effective teachers pose compelling questions, explain options, teach us to reason, suggest possible directions, and urge us on.

Successful teachers are vital and full of passion.  They love to teach as a painter loves to paint, as a writer love to write, as a singer loves to sing.  They have a serious purpose and yet enjoy enormously what they do.  They more than teach their subjects – math, reading, writing, science, physical education, music, art, or whatever – they get excited about the topic no matter how many times they have taught it before.  They push themselves just as they push their students, and their classrooms become memorable learning experiences.

So what about Defer Teachers . . . . . .

Did you know that our teachers give up their lunch hours to work with students who are struggling?

Did you know that some of our staff taught Lunch Enrichment classes this winter even though that meant giving up their lunch hour?

Did you know that the Defer teachers attend evening PTO programs to support our school and to build relationships with our Defer families?

Did you know that the Defer teachers are giving up their planning periods to help grow leadership in our students?

Did you know that the Defer teachers wrap their loving arms around our students every day from a warm welcome, to providing a missing snack, to calling home to say a student did a great job? 

Did you know that the Defer teachers worked hard to organize a Food Drive and are now feeding Defer families in need of help?

Take time to thank a teacher before the school year ends.. . . . . . .

We have all had teachers in our lives that make a big difference.  For me, it was my high school biology teacher who planted the important message in me – Keep asking questions.   You don’t need to know all the answers; you just have to be willing to look. 

Take time to send your child’s teacher an email or a quick note whether it is today or before the year ends.  Let them know how much you appreciate and value the impact they have on your child every day.   I can tell you first hand – that’s the best thank you any teacher can receive!  

National Reading Month at Defer

March is National Reading Month, and the Defer students and teachers have joined in the celebration!   Guest readers will visit many classrooms in March to share their favorite book.  Classrooms are silent each day as students curl up and read for sustained periods of time.   

Reading together at home is extremely important for all children.  You have the greatest influence on your child and you send a powerful message about not only the importance of reading, but the pleasure of reading when you read together.  Try the following suggestions to make reading with your child both a fun and a learning experience.

1.       Make reading a priority.  Whether it’s 20 minutes every night before bed or an hour every Sunday morning, it helps to set aside a specific time for reading. 

2.      Choose the right book using the “five-finger rule”.  When selecting a new book to read have your child open the book to any page in the middle and read that page.  Keep track of how many words they don’t know.  If the child gets to five words before they finish the page, the book is too hard.  If the child knows all of the words, the book is probably easy and is a good one to build reading fluency.  If they don’t know two or three words, the book is likely to be at a good level for their reading to grow.

3.      Create the right atmosphere.  Find a quiet place for your child to read.  Your home is a busy place, but children need a ‘reading spot’ away from noise and distractions.

4.      Make reading fun.  There are lots of great a book that are filled with humor and that’s always a ‘hook’ for children.  Try ‘hamming it up’ a bit when reading at home.  Play around with funny voices or acting out the scene you are reading. 

5.      Keep reading aloud to your child.  Don’t stop reading aloud to your child once he/she learns to read on their own. When you do the reading, you allow your child to enjoy books that are beyond their independent reading level.  Children learn new vocabulary, and it is a great chance for you to model reading smoothly and with expression.

6.      Introduce new books.  Sometimes one book will steal your child’s heart and that is all they want to read.  Remember, there are millions of books to enjoy.  Ask a librarian or your child’s teacher for a recommendation.  Check out children’s literature web sites. 

News at Defer

PBIS

Responsibility Pyramid

We have created a Responsibility Pyramid with expectations for each grade.  During the month of January teachers taught these expectations at every grade level focusing on what responsibility should look like for them.  

Beginning this month we will be adding purple cards to our class PBIS chart to reflect specifically on the grade-level expectations from the Responsibility Pyramid.   A student will receive a purple card for not showing responsible behaviors.  Listed below are the procedures around purple cards:

The maximum purple cards a student can earn in a day is one.

A student in grades 1^st – 5^th will miss the monthly Reward Party if they receive 8 or more purple cards.

Students will miss the monthly Reward Party is they receive 11 or more purple cards. 

Please review once again the pyramid with your child. 

Responsibility Pyramid

K – Personal Area Neat

1^st – Desk and Locker Organized

2^nd – Desk and Locker Organized, DOT

3^rd – Desk and Locker Neat, Planner Written, Homework Completed

4^th and 5^th – Desk and Locker Neat, Planner Written, Homework Completed, Switch Materials

The Defer Food Drive

The Hunger Games

Defer’s January 90^th birthday celebration focused on giving rather than receiving.  Our goal for the drive was to hope that 90 items at each grade level would be donated during January giving us a total of 540 food donations.  Thanks to your generosity we collected over 1,000 cans in the first week alone.  The Defer community is truly amazing!

The work of the Drive was done by our Student Council leaders.  Students in this organization unpacked bags, sorted donations into categories, and set up storage.  During the upcoming months they will be packing individual bags of food to share with families.  Under the direction of our Student Council sponsor, Mrs. Cross, and with additional help from Ms. Burrell and Mrs. Osborne these leaders were eager to have ownership of this project and they have done a fantastic job.  As our 7 Habits tell us – it was a win/win for everyone!

Parent/Teacher Conference tips

As a parent, you are your child’s first and most important teacher.  You and Defer School have something in common:  We both want your child to learn and do well.  When parents and teachers talk to each other, each person can share important information about your child’s talents and needs.  Each person can also learn something new about how to help your child.  Parent-teacher conferences are a great way to start talking to your child’s teacher.  This tip sheet suggests ways that you can make the most of the parent-teacher conferences so that everyone wins, especially your child.

What should you expect?

Ø  A two-way conversation.  Like all good conversations, parent/teacher/student conferences are best when both people talk and listen.  The conference is a time for you to learn about your child’s progress in school:  share your child’s data notebook and see information about grades, test scores, and homework completion.  Find out whether your child is meeting school expectations and academic standards.  This is also a time for the teacher to learn about what your child is like at home.  When you share with the teacher about your child’s skills, interests, needs, and dreams, the teacher can help your child more.

Ø  Emphasis on Learning.  Good parent/teacher/ student conferences focus on how well the child is doing in school.  They also talk about how the child can do even better.  To get ready for the conversation, look at your child’s homework, tests, and their data notebook before the conference.  Keep track of any questions you may have that you would like to ask the teacher.

Ø  Opportunities and challenges.  Just like you, teachers want your child to succeed.  You will probably hear positive feedback about your child’s progress and areas for improvement.  Be prepared by thinking about your child’s strengths and challenges beforehand.  Be ready to ask questions about ways you and the teacher can help your child with some of his or her challenges. 

Cited from:

Harvard Family Research Project

This year the Defer conferences are scheduled on the evening of November 12^th and all day November 13^th.  Most parents set up a scheduled conference time at Back to School Night.  If you have not set up an appointment, please let your child’s teacher know right away so that a time can be scheduled.  The goal of the Defer staff is that we have 100% attendance at our Fall Conferences. 

                                                                                                                

A New School Year

Welcome to the 2014 – 2015 school year!!! We are off to a great
start! The staff and I are eager to set our learning plan into motion.
Our mission is simple – Every Student learns Every Day. We believe
that, we plan for that, and we work hard to be sure it happens every
day.
So what’s going on right now at Defer?
• Last Thursday, Sept. 4th was our Back-to-School Night. It was a
great opportunity for parent to learn about their child’s learning
program, get a feel for the culture of Defer, and learn about our
parent organization, the Defer PTO. If you were unable to attend
please contact your child’s teacher. They’ll be glad to fill you in.
• This year the Defer staff will be implementing four aspects of
the Leader in Meprogram in all classrooms. Leader in Meis
a program based on Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective Adults. The four habits we are piloting include: learning the
7 Habits, reading the The 7 Habits of Happy Children book in
all classrooms, having students set goals and track their own
data toward that goal all year in a data binder, and finally set a
grade-level goal. These grade-level goals, called WIGS – Wildly
Important Goal,will be posted in the main hallway and progress toward those goals will be charted throughout the year.
Building relationships – Teachers are getting to know your child.
That’s really what’s going on right now at Defer. They are planning activities that help them get to know each child as an individual. One of our PBIS procedures in Morning Meet and Greet.
Your child’s teacher meets every student at their door each morning and engages them in a morning welcome. From a simple,
How are you today to What happened last night in your soccer game- The Defer staff is busy engaging students in conversation. The goal is to build a relationship, a relationship that is the
stepping stone for our students to learn, even when it is difficult,
because they know their teacher cares.
        Establishing routines – Part of being ready to learn means that you feel safe. Knowing what the routines are in classrooms builds that safe environment for learning. Where do I put completed homework? How do I fill my book bin and where do I keep it? What time is Gym and when day is Art?
What nights do I have math homework? Right now the Defer staff is teaching students the routines
of the school year.