Educational Minute #1 - Intervention and Enrichment Time

At Denver Elementary we strive to ensure that our focus is on learning, rather than teaching. We want to ensure that every student walks away with the skills necessary to be successful in our ever-changing global society upon leaving our system. One way we do that is by differentiating our instruction, specifically through a time that we have allocated within our master schedule this year, to allow for what we call, "Intervention and Enrichment Time". CLICK HERE to watch our very first "EDUCATIONAL MINUTE" video to learn more, and as always I as your principal, welcome any opportunity to speak further about ways in which we focus on learning!

My Best,

Mrs. Kim Tierney

LISTEN TO YOUR READERS (ESPECIALLY YOUR AUNT)

So, a couple weeks ago, my sisters and I enjoyed an incredible day trip to Tanger Outlets and the Amana's with a few of my aunts, including my Aunt Judy. My aunts are a large part of who I am today, I have looked up to them in so many ways throughout my life!

When my Aunt Judy and I had a few minutes to chat, she said, "I read your blog, it's really neat.", I replied with, "Yeah....do you like it?" She said, "Yes, but I don't know if it's my eyes or your font, but I have a hard time reading it...."

I told her right there and then, that she brought up a good point, and that she would likely be the subject of a future post.

SO HERE YOU ARE, AUNT JUDITH! BECAUSE OF YOUR GREAT FEEDBACK, I HAVE REVERTED TO A MORE TRADITIONAL (LESS ATTRACTIVE AND FUN), BUT EASIER TO READ FONT! I HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO ENJOY!

Denver Elementary Teachers Learn from the Author of Arthur!

On April 15, 2011, our staff had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 2011 Elementary Literacy and Reading Recovery Conference on the University of Northern Iowa campus. Our teachers were able to attend differentiated sessions pertaining to all facets of literacy. What made the day even more exciting is that our professional staff had the opportunity to learn from a great and FAMOUS author, Marc Brown, who is most well known for creating and writing about his famous character, Arthur.

He answered a question that we hear a lot as educators. "How can I get my child to read at home?" His answer was simple, he said, "Kids do what parents do, if you want your child to read, you have to model that."

I would also like to thank one of our very own parents, Mrs. Amy Lockhart for all the work that she did in preparing an outstanding conference and a great day of learning for educators all across Iowa. Amy is a member of the planning team and host school, Price Laboratory in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Denver is proud of you!

Our 4th Grade Team, Deb Little and Val Frey, also deserve a congratulations today for facilitating their own learning session, entitled, Closing the Gap and Raising the Bar! They did an incredible job of presenting, facilitating discussion, and sharing one of the many great initiatives evolving within Denver Elementary.

Third Grade teacher, Wendy Lohmann, chats with Marc Brown!

Mrs. Zaputil, Kindergarten teacher, with Mr. Brown.

Mrs. Curtis (2nd) and Mrs. Kirchoff (2nd) with Mr. Brown

Our very own, Jodie Victoria, posing for a photograph with the famous author

Did you know that Marc Brown, considers himself an artist, first and foremost?

His greatest inspiration, in school, was his art teacher!

April 2011

Four Teachers Hired to Join our Elementary Team

I am so excited to announce that with careful financial management by our Superintendent, Mrs. Kathy Enslin, we were able to interview and hire four new teachers at the elementary level. Grade level assignments have not yet been determined for these individuals, but we are excited that we will have three classroom sections within each grade level kindergarten through fifth.

The new teachers all come to Denver Elementary with experience. I will begin to touch on a few “fun facts” about each of our new professionals that will be joining our elementary team in August:

Brittanie Barnett

· Is currently completing her first year at Fairfield Community School District

· Is a 5^th Generation Wartburg Alum

· Lived in England while growing up until the 5^th Grade then moved to New Jersey, where her parents currently reside.

“Brittanie Is very well trained as a first year teacher, coming from Fairfield. Her training and experience blends very well with the direction that we are moving as a district. I am so excited to see Britannie’s positive influence and knowledge of educating children impact our students for years to come”

- Kim Tierney, Principal

Wendy Lohmann

· Has subbed for the Denver Community School District for the past 10 years.

· Has been a full-time classroom substitute for us in third grade since January 2011.

· Taught for four years full time in Illinois.

· Lives and remains active in the Denver Community with her husband, Craig and five children.

“Wendy is an exceptionally well-rounded person who will provide consistency for our students at the elementary level. Our students, staff, and community know and love her! Her positive attitude, experience, and incredible work-ethic made her an invaluable candidate for our open positions.”

- Kim Tierney, Principal

Michael Sullivan

· Has taught in four states, including Iowa, Arizona, Illinois, and Connecticut.

· Was Team Captain and Offensive MVP for his college football team

· Currently teaches first grade in Hudson, but throughout his five years of teaching experience has taught fifth grade and reading as well.

· Lead the development/revision of a standards-based report card within his grade level in Hudson

“Michael is a professional who comes to us with an incredible combination of education, experience, and many personal strengths. He comes VERY highly recommended, and I am very excited to see his strengths and knowledge put to use within our elementary.”

Kim Tierney, Principal

Stephanie Westendorf

· Has taught in the Waterloo school system for the past 4 years, including 4^th and 5^th Grades.

· Currently is the Team Leader for her grade level in Waterloo

· Is extensive professional training in several initiatives that fit very well within our system

· Volunteers to facilitate an After School Running Club in her school.

“Stephanie really stood out to us during the interview process. Her professional experiences, intelligence, and demeanor make her a perfect “fit” for our high expectations and standards of education here in Denver. I am so pleased with her extensive training, and her proven track record of focusing on learning and putting students first.”

Kim Tierney, Principal

Essential Outcomes

At our most recent staff development on March 11, our elementary staff was able to collaborate and work to identify our essential outcomes for grades K-5 in the areas of English Language Arts and Math. I have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions including a picture of how we plan to progress in the future regarding this important work:

Essential Outcomes

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What are Essential Outcomes and skills?

Essential Outcomes are a subset of the complete list of standards within the Iowa Core Curriculum. They represent a vertically aligned “safety net” of indicators that our teaching professionals strive to ensure students’ learn prior to exiting each grade level. It is important to realize, however, that state law mandates that educators be bound to teach their students all the standards and indicators in their assigned grade level or department. Denver Elementary is not eliminating any standards, although we ARE clear on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions (that is the essential outcomes) that students will acquire as a result of each content area/grade level. To find a complete list of our Iowa Core Standards, please visit: http://www.corecurriculum.iowa.gov/

2. Why Essential Outcomes?

Essential outcomes provide a laser focus for us as a K-5 elementary system. We have prioritized our standards, based on the research that this type of system philosophy increases student achievement.

3. How did Denver Elementary staff select the Essential Outcomes?

Our teachers and administration worked together to prioritize our standards, based on three criteria:

1. Endurance – Does the standard provide value beyond a single test date?

2. Readiness For Next Level – Will the standard provide students with skills and knowledge necessary for success in the next grade or level of instruction?

3. Leverage – Will this standard provide knowledge and skills that will be of value in multiple disciplines?

4. How will Denver Elementary staff move forward, in successfully implementing and using the Essential Outcomes?

Denver Elementary teachers work within very high standards of excellence. Our system allows for collaborative time among elementary teachers (Professional Learning Communities) in order to focus on three guiding questions:

1. What do we want our students to learn?

2. How do we know students are learning?

3. What are we doing when students are/are not learning?

As we continue our important work, we will move forward by:

1. Sequencing essential outcomes for logical progression within each grade level

2. Developing Common “Formative” Assessments to go with standards

3. We will provide for Intervention and Enrichment opportunities based on data from assessments

4. We will strive to move toward a revised K-5 Standards Based Report Card by the 2012-13 school year

MAKING TIME FOR IMPORTANT WORK

As we continue to grow within our Professional Learning Community (PLC) culture that we have developed at Denver Community School District, I am continually impressed by the conversations that I am having on a regular basis with grade level teams at the elementary level in terms of what our professionals are collaborating about. In our district, we reach to find the answers to the following three questions, each time we meet within our PLC: What do we want our students to learn? How do we know if they are learning? And finally, what are we doing if they are or are not learning? These three questions were derived from the work of DuFour and Eaker and many others, although to my knowledge Ralph Taylor introduced these questions in similar context as early as 1949.

Primarily, in my experience, a system that does not support this collaborative nature in terms of time allocation on a regular and consistent (weekly) basis will not reap the benefits of rich, meaningful, and focused conversations based on student achievement. In previous years, we offered sporadic, monthly, and even bi-monthly PLC meeting times, which at the foundational level, was valuable, although it wasn’t until this academic year, in which we MADE time within our schedule, in order to provide for WEEKLY collaboration of our PLC teams that we really are starting to see the true benefits. Ultimately, the focus of this time must always be around making data driven decisions, while also always focusing on our three driving questions.

This culture, over time, was made possible only because we had professionals on board that saw the importance of this quality time for themselves, their students, and their fellow colleagues. For example, our teacher-librarian has gone out of her way this school year to help mold this common time for our teachers. Next year however, we have created a schedule which steps away from tradition and towards innovation, as we modify our related arts schedule in order to create time for continued collaboration. We will also embed time for intervention and enrichment for our students, which will allow for the decisions that we make during our collaborative time to come to fruition with the help of other staff outside of the typical general education grade level team. This again, only happens if the system allows, which comes down to careful and methodical scheduling. For more information, I would encourage you to read the following article: http://www.allthingsplc.info/pdf/articles/make_time_for_collaboration.pdf

Our professionals have always put students first, though they are now at a point in which they understand the importance of consistency across a grade level, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making. For example, our second grade team has been looking at data and making decisions about what effective strategies could be used to raise reading fluency across the grade level. Our kindergarten team, is collaborating about Changing their literacy Checkups (formative assessments) including the rate and timing of introducing the vowel sounds, specifically the short vowel sounds, in order to better meet their students’ needs. They also discussed the explicit nature of the mini-lessons in which they will be teaching across the grade level. Our fourth grade team just discussed the importance of “Intervention and Enrichment” time, and the value in having agreed upon essential outcomes in order to provide a “safety net” for our students.

The bottom line is that these rich, meaningful, student-centered conversations most often, do not happen when passing in the hallway, during a fifteen minute conversation prior to school, in an email, or even during a 25 minute common planning time. These conversations happen within a SYSTEM that allows for a minimum of one hour, in my opinion, of weekly collaborative time. I am so proud of our staff, and the commitment that they have made in making the most of a system that has provided an opportunity for consistency, collaboration, innovation, and data-driven decision-making.

Kim Tierney

Denver Elementary Principal

VIRTUAL TOURS OF OUR NEW ADDITION!!!!

Click HERE for a virtual tour of the lower level of our new elementary addition.

Click HERE for a virtual tour of the upper level of our new elementary addition.