This year has just been speeding by. We are already two-thirds of the way through the 2016-2017 school year. As our last trimester gets underway, I thought it would be a nice time to pause and reflect on some of the great things that have been going on at PHE.
21st Century Learning
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| 1st Graders reading to their partners. |
Our students have been collaborating and applying critical thinking skills as they expand their academic knowledge. This growth is evidenced in our iReady scores where the percentage of students who are "at or above grade level" has increased from 46% to
57% in reading and from 33% to
53% in math. I've enjoyed catching some of this learning in action as I've popped into classrooms to observe some amazing lessons. In addition to academics, our students have been working diligently on their citizenship. While our Character Assemblies have focused on the areas of responsibility, kindness, and caring, our PHE students have quickly stepped up to show what they are made of. They have earned high numbers of Dino Dollars, Bronto Bucks, and Dino-Mights for displaying strong character. I'm so very proud of our students' well-rounded skills. Remember to check out our Twitter feed, which is posted on our website (
http://phes.mdusd.org/) to keep up with school activities!
School Committees and Parent Support
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| Founder's Day Celebration |
During the months of January and February, our School Site Council (SSC) reviewed, revised, and approved our Safety Plan. The SSC also reviewed our school data and previewed the newly released California Dashboard to ensure that our Site Plan is aligned with the needs of our students. Our English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) also held meetings to discuss parent concerns and ways to better support our English learner students.
I absolutely love the amount of parent support that our school
receives. Pleasant Hill Elementary is eternally grateful for all our PTA and PHEEF do for the school! During the second trimester, these parent groups have supported a variety of events including the STEM Fair, science workshops, FAME, and multiple assemblies (and more). Thank you, parents!
Professional Learning
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| PHE hosted the 3/6 training for teachers around the district. |
Our dedicated staff has also made the time to continue to deepen our professional practice to ensure that all students are receiving the best instruction possible. On both February 13 and March 6, our teachers attended full day workshops on a variety of topics. We explored Project Lead the Way (PLTW) which includes a robotics unit currently being piloted by our fifth grade teachers, identified our needs as we prepared Reader's Workshop lessons, and determined ways to embed collaborative conversations within math and English-language Arts lessons. A key theme for our teachers this year has been continuously working in collaborative Professional Learning Communities (PLC) to review student work and ensure that our students are making adequate progress towards meeting and exceeding end-of-year expectations.
Recent Events
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| A 2nd grader explaining the mechanics of her Leprechaun trap. |
Last week was action-packed and filled with creative, educational, and fun events. Tuesday was Pi Day, and we were lucky to have a parent volunteer to coordinate activities for our classes. Many students ran 3 (.14159265358 and on and on) laps around the black top and enjoyed eating 𝜋, I mean pie, as a reward afterwards. On Friday, St. Patrick's Day activities abounded! I especially enjoyed watching some of the 2nd graders as they presented their "Leprechaun Traps" to their classes. Don't be fooled! These traps are more than art projects, they are actually the culminating activity to their 'simple machines' engineering lessons. We also celebrated our academic and citizenship progress with awards assemblies!
Upcoming Events:
- 3/25 PHE Gala
- 3/31 Cesar Chavez Day (No School)
- 4/3 - 4/7 Sprint Break (No School)
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