Weekly Updates

2/7/17-All classroom updates will be handled through class dojo. Please be looking for emails when the site is updated. Thanks you!!

12/6/16- Hi SCC families!!! Needless to say we have been super busy in the SCC and I have resorted to giving you updates via our Class Dojo website lately. As we rapidly approach our holiday break, it is safe to say that emotions and excitement are very high. Your children are working very hard to manage their social and academic expectations even with their strong readinesses for their well-deserved break. We have switched from direct instruction in self-advocacy (even though that is something we work on everyday) and have moved into problem solving. We have engaged in individual work, group work, and role plays. Students got the opportunity to play a teacher, I got the opportunity to play a student, and after a little modeling the students took over both roles. :) I know how challenging it can be for them to learn a skill in a small structured environment, yet be expected to practice in larger, less comfortable environments. I suppose that's where practice comes in. Some students were very uncomfortable doing the role plays, but I feel it's a good opportunity for us. It is something that I plan on doing for the next several weeks.

Thank you all for your continued support of the work we do in the SCC. I know how difficult navigating middle school can be, so I am happy to be your child's advocate and support them through this confusing time. I am so lucky to support these amazing humans. Thank you for sharing and trusting them with me.

11/2/16- It is safe to say that we have been extremely busy in the SCC the past few weeks. The transition into fall, the holiday season, and increased workload has brought new challenges for students. We are now fully immersed into our school year so students have been working so hard navigating their school day, including academic and social demands. Middle school is not an easy time for students, so my team and I work diligently to support them through confusing and overwhelming times. I am truly thankful for the opportunity to be one of their advocates during this time.

We continue to work on self-advocacy daily, however I have recognized the need to be flexible with my instruction, when needed, and offer time for students to experience "brain breaks" or the "chill time" that they need to decompress. As always, their well-being and emotional state is a big priority for me.

I hope that by this point you have made connections with your child's general education team to check in regarding your child's progress. If you haven't then please let me know and I will make the connection. Due to the multiple teachers and transitions at the middle school level, consistent communication is the key to success. Often times what we see in the classroom doesn't always match what is observed at home so it's helpful to ensure our plan is collaborative and effective.

Thank you so much for your continued communication and support of the work we do in the classroom. It is greatly appreciated. Your children are so lucky have such supportive parents. I am honored to partner with you to serve your children.

10/13/16- SCC is our name and self-advocacy is our game. I think this will be our motto for the entire school year. This week students were presented with a powerpoint about self-advocacy and we started our packets. Once the packets are completed, they will be sent home for your review and as a reference for your children. The slides that we address each class period are:

Is being able to self-advocate a skill?

Yes:

a. It is an important SOCIAL SKILL.

b. Because it is skill it can be learned and strengthened

Why are self-advocacy skills important?

Promotes:

1)INDEPENDENCE

2)SELF-DETERMINATION: meaning it allows you to be in more control over your life.

3)SUCCESS in SCHOOL, in the WORKPLACE, and with RELATIONSHIPS.

At every opportunity, when we observe a student using self-advocacy strategies or it is during a direct interaction, students are given immediate feedback and praised. It's important that they realize that even requests as simple as asking to use the bathroom or sharpen their pencil are forms of self-advocacy.

Our students typically struggle with generalization, however we have seen some shining moments across various school settings where students are using their "cool tool" boxes and successfully advocating for themselves. As we move through our learning, we will also address how to self-advocate protests in an effective way.

I really am proud of this group. It is evident how hard they are working and I am so honored to be part of the process.

Thank you for sharing your children with me.

Have a wonderful weekend and try to stay dry. Ugh! Bye bye summer!!! :(

10/7/16- We continue to dive into our group work surrounding self-advocacy. This is a very challenging skills for our students, so it is something that we will be working on consistently for the next several weeks. You will see on the Class Dojo site that each grade level created a t-chart poster and identified expected self-advocacy vs. unexpected self-advocacy. So far, the posters have been a wonderful tool for those teachable moments as they are displayed on the wall in my room. The reality is that when students engage in behavior, it is their way to self-advocate. My hope is to teach and practice strategies that are more effective for each student to engage in when they are escalated. This work is definitely on going. Another area that we are focusing on is identifying those physical feelings we feel when we are starting to escalate. I think this is important because in some cases I have seen students very escalated but will communicate they are at a green 1. I truly believe in the abilities of all of your children and am looking forward to supporting them this year.

5th period continues to be success with students managing their checklist and their work loads. Moving forward, I would like to see student's writing their assignments in their planners and eventually initiating their own checklist using their planner. I believe that it is attainable and will be helpful in preparing students for high school and beyond.

Please know that middle school is a challenging time for all students and I am so committed to your children to support them navigate through this time. There will be ups and downs and all arounds but the reality remains that your children are amazing. They all work so hard and I am so thankful for the relationships that we continue to grow.

Your feedback, support, collaboration, and partnership is a critical component to our work in the classroom, so thank you so much for all that you do. Your children are so awesome and so are their parents. :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

9/30/16- What a whirlwind this week has been! Your children have been working so hard learning about taking breaks. We have looked at how to take breaks and even made our own break cards to help in situations where they may not be able to verbally self-advocate. Students are independently accessing their "cool tool" boxes when they are anxious or need some cool down tools. I am so impressed with their ability to navigate their days and the increased independence that I am already seeing. We continue to address appropriate self-advocacy and emotional regulation strategies. In the coming weeks, we will be using social behavior mapping to work on some expected vs. unexpected behaviors in the school setting. If there are any struggles with things at home, I would be happy to do some general behavior mapping with the students at home so we can make that home/school connection.

For those of you that have students in my 5th period, I am SO impressed how quickly each student has learned the routine and been willing to work. With extra adult support in the classroom, students are independently following a checklist to support work completion. Whether students finish or not, I have a "hard stop time" to allow at least 15 minutes of free time. I feel that their brains need a little break after focusing so hard. My hope that is that the homework load is lessened due to this routine, supporting for more relaxed evenings at home with your children. As always, if you are experiencing any difficulty, please communicate to your child's particular general education teacher, as well as myself so we can come up with a plan. Your children work so hard during the day and I feel strongly that they do need some downtime when they get home. This is why I built in break breaks in social skills and study skills. :)

I am so appreciative of the kind and appreciative emails that I have received for the work that we do in the classroom. Your support and partnership is appreciated more than words can say. I am grateful to serve your children and support your families.

Wishing you all a wonderful and restful weekend!

9/23/16- Words cannot even begin to express how much I love working with your children. We have had such a fun week! As I shared last night, we made our "cool tool" boxes this week and students have started to use them when they are escalating or climbing the 5 point scale. We've engaged in social games, ran the fun run together (yes, I ran it with my students during 4th period), and most of all have had fun. Every student is working hard making the difficult transition from summer back to school and I'm so proud of how far they have come.

Thank you to all who attended Back to School Night last night. It was wonderful to see all of you and talk about your wonderful children and what we do in the classroom. I really do appreciate your support, communication, and feedback. The more feedback you share, the more effectively I can serve your child.

Please know that I am here to support your children in any way that I can. I care about them all very much and want nothing more than for them to be able to independently navigate the world and BE HAPPY! They all have so many gifts and I'm looking forward to all that is to come this year.

It is my honor to partner with you as a mutual advocate for your children.

Have a wonderful weekend!

As always, I am available for any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

9/16/16- Happy Friday everyone! I am so excited to report that we made it through our first full week together and I've seen smiles from every single student today! Woo-hoo! This week we talked a lot about the 5 point scale. We talked about how it looks different for every person and we took some time exploring what it looks like, feels like, and what are some "cool tools" that we can use to de-escalate ourselves. All students were very responsive and have been using the 5 point scale to identify thoughts, feelings, and emotions that they are experiencing throughout the day. I use it as well and am honest with the students about how I'm feeling. I believe it's beneficial for them to see that adults are not always at a green 1. :)

We also played a group game called Totika. The game is similar to Jenga except it has colored pieces. When it's your turn, you choose a colored piece and stack it. Once you stack it, you pull a card and read the question with the corresponding color. The student can either answer the question or ask another player the question. Many of the questions are thought provoking and really encourage social communication. I loved playing this game with each social skills group and really getting to know their thoughts. This is a game that we will continue to play throughout the year.

Next week, we will be learning more in depth about "cool tools" and making our own "cool tool" boxes. I'm really excited that every student will have their own tool box to go to when they are feeling upset. I want students to begin to recognize the signs of getting overwhelmed and self-advocating what they need independently. (with some modeling and daily practice).

Those students that have me 5th period have been practicing working on homework and/or classwork that may be missing or to get a jump start on. It has been a struggle for some however, I am confident that with continued practice each student will understand the benefits. I make it a positive thing by offering free time once work is completed (or an effort has been made to work). I also share that we are lucky to have a bonus hour to complete work that NO ONE else has and that there are extra adults to help them with their work. :)

At this point all students have been issued Chromebooks and we are now 1:1. Please keep chargers at home and charge the devices every night. Also, please make sure that they come to school everyday with your child. I can share that most every class is using them and many assignments and projects will be completed using them. It is so amazing to have this opportunity to use technology for learning.

Just a reminder that if you have specific questions relating to a core subject area, communication is handled by directly contact the general education teacher and copying me on the message. Most email addresses in the Beaverton School District are first name _last name @ beaverton.k12.or.us For example: elise_renning@beaverton.k12.or.us As the work load begins to increase it will be important to keep those lines of communication open.

Thank you for your continued support of the work we do in the classroom. It is appreciated more than you know!

Your children are all such gifts and it is my greatest honor to support them.

Have a great weekend!

9/9/16- Well, we made it! First week of school in the books and I would say that things are going well. We have spent the majority of the week organizing binders, getting used to our new schedule, and transition back into our school routine. Transitions for our students tend to be very difficult, so I have been mindful in ensuring that any student time in my classroom has allowed for some brain breaks and time for us to talk about how things are going. I am so happy that students have been communicating their feelings and stressors with me so I can help offer strategies on how to overcome them. All students have been communicated that I am here for them and if they need me, I will be available.

I also have been impressed with how quickly our new 6th graders have responded to our dojo system. Most students have mentioned how they like the additional categories this year so there are more opportunities to earn points. I hope you are enjoying the new Dojo site. I will try to post a photo every week of something that we are doing in class. In addition, we have our Instagram page at highland_park_scc. I am trying to ensure that my communication is available in several different ways meeting the needs of all families.

As we approach next week and begin work, I encourage you to bookmark your child's general education teacher's websites, along with make contact with them via email. The more that teachers know about children, the better they can serve them.

As always, I invite you to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns that you may have.

Thank you for sharing your children with me. This week has been SO fun!

Have a great weekend!