Moral Focus

As we continue to emphasize the importance of moral focus instruction, it’s important that they carry over from school to home. Please download the document for some tips that you can include in your weekly newsletters for parents about perseverance. 

Teacher Newsletter Tips for... by on Scribd

Promoting Keystone

In effort to showcase all the great things that occur at Keystone, we are striving to post to our school’s Facebook page weekly. We will do Facebook Live every Friday during our Opening Ceremony for our Students of the Month.

Prior to submitting the certificate to me on Wednesdays, please check the Media Release Information list for any students that have “no” marked in the column labeled, “Media Release Allowed?” I’ve put a copy in your mailbox of all the “no” students. Any student on this list cannot be filmed. Please feel free to double-check with his or her parent to confirm they DON’T want their student filmed and posted on our Facebook page. If the parent changes their mind, they would need to document that in writing via email.

In addition, we would love to post the great things that you do in your classrooms. If you have an exciting lesson, activity, field trip, etc. please let your dean know so that we can come and film it or you can record it and send it your dean’s phone.

Thanks in advance for everything that you do to promote Keystone. 

This Week

Tuesday, January 15: 

   ·      Nancy Kouba (DSQ) and Jamie Hoeksema (Assistant Chief Academic Offier) visiting Keystone 11AM-2PM

Wednesday, January 16:

   ·      3-5 teachers submit certificates to Jorvonna. Please check Media Release Information list prior to submitting the certificates.

   ·      PTO Meeting at 4:00 in the Parent Room

Friday, January 19:

   ·      Student of the Month Assembly (Grades 3-5)

   ·      Middle School Dance 4-6 PM

School Goal

Our school goal (100 Day Sprint) for the remainder of the school year focuses on increasing student attendance. I have communicated to parents in my Monday Night Phone Call about our new proactive approach to recognize students with perfect monthly attendance. Please read the blurb below, if you haven’t had an opportunity to listen to last month’s phone call. 

“The staff and I would like to start acknowledging our students who have perfect attendance each month. Monthly perfect attendance means no absences, no tardies, or early dismissals for the entire month. These students will be recognized at Open Ceremony the first Monday of every month and receive a reward (extra recess, treat, jeans day, etc.). The reward will change monthly.  We understand that our scholars get sick and situations occur, that's why each new month brings a new chance.”

In addition to perfect monthly attendance, we will be discussing other attendance initiatives during our staff meeting on Tuesday to help positively motivate daily, on time attendance.

Moral Focus

Our Moral Focus virtue this month is perseverance. If we expect our students to exemplify our virtues, we must first model the expectations. It's great to tell students that it is okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are how we learn to do better. If we truly hope to help our students succeed, making mistakes and persevering in front of them may be one of the most important skills we model and pass along.

According to Angela Lee Duckworth, a University of Pennsylvania professor of psychology who has done fascinating and extensive research on success, the most successful people have "grit." Duckworth defines grit as "passion and perseverance for very long-term goals."

Do you want to see how much “grit” you have? Take the Grit Test from Angela Duckworth by clicking on Grit Test 

Are you wondering how can you be "gritty about getting your students grittier?" I encourage you to watch this 5-minute TED Talk by Angela.

Admin Observations

Starting this month, the admin team will be doing collaborative observations; all four of us observing teachers together. The purpose of the observations is to provide consistency with our expectations and further our development as leaders. Please know that we will try to notify you in advance if the entire admin team is coming into your classroom, but it may not always be possible. 

In addition, it is my desire to be in classrooms on a weekly basis to get a continuous pulse of our building and to see the great things occurring at Keystone. My observations will be unannounced, as I will be observing whenever my schedule allows it, which is not always known. 😊 I truly love being in classrooms, so my visit may be 15 minutes or longer. The time I stay in your classroom is not based on anything in particular. I may just be in the back of your class working because I love being in the classroom environment. I never want to be too far removed. 

Thank you for your support and contribution to our growth and development as leaders.

This Week

Monday, January 7:

   ·      Fire Drill 1:30

   ·      Basketball game at South Canton 4:15

Tuesday, January 8:

   ·      Francine’s Birthday

   ·      Staff Meeting 4:00-5:00

   ·      Cheer/Basketball game at Grand River 4:15

Wednesday, January 9:

   ·      Y5-2 teachers submit certificates to Jorvonna 

   ·      PTO Meeting at 4:00 in the Parent  Room

Friday, January 11:

   ·      Student of the Month Assembly (Young 5-2^nd Grade) 

   ·      Girls’ Basketball 6:00-8:00