No Fail Friday...on Tuesday

Our second "No Fail Friday" event will take place tomorrow, on a Wednesday, simply due to inclement weather and school closing.  The same premise is there as in our first attempt in November, communicating between middle school staff and students that choosing to not complete school work and choosing to receive a zero on an assignment is just not good enough at our school.  Our culture for learning is striving to keep expectations high for all students, all of the time, and in all aspects of schooling.

That first attempt brought the number of literacy students who had received zeroes from 120+ students to around 20, and the number of assignments still outstanding was also remarkably decreased.  It was chalked up as a big success, and reflection centered on the importance of the organization and communication among all involved.  Literacy zeroes were addressed in November, and we are branching out quickly to lead and manage this change by addressing both literacy and math zeroes tomorrow.

Our ultimate goal is to no longer have a need for No Fail Friday, for all teachers and students to commit to the high expectations that students can and will complete all work in a timely manner, and that the work we are assigning is appropriate and worthy.

The success of our action research project as No Fail Friday to be reported on soon....

2nd Annual Keeping Our Wits Professional Development Retreat

2nd Annual Keeping Our Wits Professional Development Retreat:

The fabulous staff of Wooster Elementary School just completed their 2nd annual professional retreat at Crowley's Ridge State Park.  Our overall mission was accomplished!  31 staff members have written their first goal for their 2012-2013 Professional Growth Plans.  Many have set up classroom blogs. All have explored new educational apps to aide in the CCSS research and media standards.  Lastly, two awesome parent nights have been planned.