1. September 15, 2009<br />Dream Keepers (K-4 Team),<br />I would like to congratulate you on reaching six weeks of school instruction. Time is constantly moving and the holiday season will be upon us before we know it. Therefore, I applaud you and your students for staying focused on student achievement.<br />I have really enjoyed getting to know each of you during my tenure at Esperanza and have been inspired by your passion for educating our students. It is my goal as Master Teacher to continue to motivate, support and provide needed resources that will make your jobs easier and more productive. I have an open door policy and can alter my schedule to provide the support that you and our students need. I appreciate that most of you have requested individual conferences with me or have emailed your concerns and recommendations. <br /> I pride myself on being a reflective practitioner and encourage you to do the same. As educators we must be flexible and willing to embrace change. As stated by Mrs. Barry during staff meeting on Tuesday, its time to get up off the”Dead Horse” , be proactive and innovative when it comes to instructional practices. The lecturing and worksheets no longer engage the student learner.<br />The following list is tenants that I have selected for strong instruction:<br /> <br />*Strong Lesson Planning with Mastery Objective Aligned to GLE*Student Centered, Cooperative Activities with Grouping *High Student Engagement*Rigorous Lessons*Ongoing Assessment (Formative & Summative)<br />These tenants will be utilized when making classroom observations, reviewing lesson plans and during conferencing. I will go into detail regarding tenants for strong instruction at our next scheduled grade level team meetings, Tuesday September 22, 2009. In addition, I have been working on developing an assessment calendar (K-4) and appreciate all the input provided. A draft of assessment calendar will also available at grade level team meeting for additional input. Assessment calendar will include: NWEA testing schedule, DIBELS Testing and progress monitoring every two weeks, Saxon unit assessments and benchmarking for grades 3 and 4.<br />Sincerely,<br />Ross F. Williams Jr.<br />Ross F. Williams Jr.<br />Master Teacher K-4<br />Esperanza Charter School<br />