IMPORTANT Dreambox Information

Computer Lab Rotation-DreamBox Lesson

Posted: 28 Aug 2014 06:20 AM PDT

 

Paine Intermediate's technology teachers will begin a rotation on August 28th where students will learn more about DreamBox.  
Students will learn how to select units/lessons to work on, what various icons mean, and what to do if lessons become challenging. The following is a summary of what they will learn.

(Information in this post was obtained from Dreambox.com).

 

You can access DreamBox from a computer or an IPAD (once your download the DreamBox app).  

IPAD School Code is:
3nz9/paineis





When a student logs in to DreamBox, the "Choose a Unit" screen appears.  Students should look for units that have a gold coin by the unit label.  These are units DreamBox recommends for that particular student.  The units have labels on them (as indicated by the red arrows). 

 The following is a list of the Unit Labels and descriptions of each.

Watch - Units labeled Watch contain videos that will introduce students to new concepts they will see in upcoming lessons.

Practice - These units were automatically skipped by the student, because DreamBox determined the student was already proficient.  They give the student an opportunity for more practice, if needed.

Open - An open unit is one where the student opened it, but did not complete a lesson or watch a concept video.  Once the student watches a concept video or completes a lesson, this will change to "In Progress".

In Progress - This label will appear if a student has completed one or more of the lessons, but not all of them.  If the unit contains one or more "locked" lessons, the unit will remain "In Progress".  To unlock the remaining lessons, the student will need to complete gold coin lessons in other units.

Complete - The student has completed all lessons within the unit.

Exemplary - This indicates mastery of the unit, because the student completed lessons multiple times.  Our goal is to complete gold coin lessons, not to earn exemplary status.

 

 

When the student opens a unit, the Lesson Grid shows which lessons are available for play. The red "you are here" arrow points to the exact lesson DreamBox suggests the student play next. 

 

If the student clicks on any other lesson, the lesson icon box (below) will appear.

Recommended (gold coin) - These are lessons recommended by DreamBox for the student. DreamBox gathers information regarding student understanding through gold coin lessons. That is how they suggest additional lessons. Students earn more gold coins by completing these lessons.

Locked lesson - Lessons that the student is not yet ready to pursue.  DreamBox will unlock these lessons once the student has completed gold coin lessons in the unit, and/or other units.

Locked Placement - This is a placement lesson, but it will remain locked until the student has completed other recommended lessons.

Placement - DreamBox is using this lesson to assess the student, and determine subsequent lessons the student will need.

Tutorial - This shows the student how to use some of the tools that will appear in the unit lessons.

Placement Passed - DreamBox has determined the student is already proficient with this lesson. Students may select these lessons for additional practice, but they will not move the student forward.

Open for Play - These lesson are ready for play.  If they also have a gold coin and red arrow, the student should work on these lessons first.

In Progress - Between "Open for Play" and "Complete"; color gradually changes from yellow to green as progress is made.

Complete - The student has completed the lesson.

Exemplary - The student repeated the lesson until mastery was obtained.

 

Meet Stella!!!

Remind students to always wear their headphones at school, or turn the volume up at home, when playing DreamBox.  Stella will provide them with directions and hints when needed.  When lessons become challenging for students, Stella will help them if they simply use the following tools.  

 

 

A special "thank you" to Lauren Long, Elizabeth Wilson, and Jill Christopher for training our students on how to effectively utilize DreamBox.

Counselor Introduction Letter

Parents,
I emailed you a copy of the Counselor Introduction Letter but here it is again on the blog in case you need access.

PAINE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL


7600 Gadsden Highway · Trussville, Alabama · (205)228-3300 · Fax (205)228-3301





Beth Bruno, Principal


Dr. Autumn Jeter, Principal


Kristi Stacks, Assistant Principal


Working Collaboratively to Engage All Students




August 2014

Dear Parents,


Welcome to Paine Intermediate! We are already off to a great start this year and I am very excited about being your child’s school counselor. All third grade students will once again be "Mrs. Naylor’s Sailors," and the sailing theme will help them recognize any correspondence from me. I will get to meet with all third grade classes on a monthly basis where we will have engaging lessons on various character education topics to promote self-awareness, peer relations & getting along with others. Lessons will also reinforce study habits and test preparation, career awareness, positive communication skills, decision making, and personal safety. These interactive guidance lessons help to lay the foundation for personal, social, and academic success throughout life.


These lessons and other initiatives around our school this year will tie into Paine Intermediate’s mission based on Stephen Covey’s book, "The Leader in Me." Educators at our school will model and teach character traits of a good leader based on Covey’s research of the 7 habits of highly effective people. All students will be challenged to discover their own leadership qualities, character strengths, and talents. Good decision making and leadership opportunities will empower our students, giving them a new found sense of accomplishment and personal satisfaction, while at the same time, strengthening our school community and increasing morale. Students demonstrating initiative and applied leader qualities will be recognized and celebrated during our monthly school wide assemblies.

Throughout the school year, I will work with students in other capacities as well. Each semester I will be conducting small peer groups on topics such as making friends, grief/loss, better behavior/self-control, divorce, and developing healthy self-esteem. With parent permission, these groups will meet 30 minutes weekly for 6-8 sessions. We will have discussions and do various activities to help develop positive skills and strategies. I also encourage students to fill out "SOS" forms which allow them to come and meet with me 1-on-1 in my office to discuss any concerns they might have. Teachers and parents are also free to make counseling referrals for their children as needed. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your 3rd grader, please feel free to call me at 228-3221, or e-mail me at christy.naylor@trussvillecityschools.com. I look forward to a great year!




Sincerely,

Mrs. Christy Naylor


2nd and 3rd Grade Guidance Counselor




Paine Primary & Intermediate Schools

Weekly Newsletter August 25-29

Weekly Newsletter August 25-29
What are we doing this week?
HORN ·         DIBELS assessment will continue until Wednesday.   ·         This week in Math we will introduce math morning work each morning that is geared towards the common core skillset. We will identify and practice the skills needed to be an effective learning community member. We will introduce and practice several different problem solving strategies. We will work towards implementing the 4 step problem solving process. Students will be introduced to their first Math Menu!   ·         Our focus for Science this week will be the 7 Habit story book. We will create our own version of the 7 Habit book and illustrate ways that we can implement the 7 habits.	WOODS ·         This week our focus switches to Social Studies topics. Students will work this week to develop and understanding of map skills    ·         We will continue and conclude AR testing for their Summer Reading Books! ·         We will review  subjects, predicates, the 4 types of sentences, and add to our knowledge of common and proper nouns in language ·         Students will also receive a new spelling list that focuses on words with the /j/ sound and the /s/ sound. Don’t forget students need to write their spelling words in the Words for the Week box in their agenda every Monday! Students can also use our Spelling City website to help them practice their spelling words! Here’s the link: spellingcity.com/paine3. We are currently on the Unit 1 Lesson 2 list.
HOMEWORK
-Students must read for 20 minutes each night & record the number of pages they have read in the Agenda/Husky Pad. This week we will try something new by having students to log their at home reading in the very last section of the Agenda. We will try this in hope of giving students more room, which should result in students logging their reading more completely and accurately. Remember students should be recording the title of the book they read and the pages they’ve read at school during intervention (we’ll handle that) AND at home (you please help us with this).  Ideally we want the students to read the same book during intervention and at home for their 20 minutes of nightly reading. Example: Intervention - The One and Only Ivan p. 1-20 ; Home-  The One and Only Ivan p. 21-40   HORN: Students must complete 30 minutes of Dreambox this week at home. Additional (low amount of problems) homework may be given if the teacher sees the need for practice of a particular skill.
Tests HORN: No tests for Horn this week.   WOODS: Spelling Test Thursday; Vocabulary Quiz on Friday

 

The Week Ahead…		Upcoming Events
Math	·         Students will explore various strategies that can be used in problem solving situations. ·         Students will practice 4 step problem solving process in solving the Menu problems ·         Students will process Menu problems and teacher will introduce the upcoming problems	·         Global Scholar (Math) testing begins this week ·         Continue DIBELS Assessment (measures words read per minute) ·         Our First Friday Freeze is this Friday, 8/29. ·         Club Day selection Forms came home last Friday! These are due with your signature on Wednesday, 8/27. Your child will be notified of their club placement on Tuesday, 9/9 and participate in their 1st Club Day of the year on Wednesday, 9/10.
Science	·         In Progress
Social Studies	·         Students will work to identify similarities and difference between maps and globes ·         Students will identify their state, country, county, and continent on maps. ·         Students will practice writing their complete address correctly.
Language	·         Identifying and correctly use common and proper nouns ·         We will spell words with the /j/ sounds spelled ge and gi and word with the /s/ sound spelled ce and ci correctly,
Writing	·         Continue original Narrative Writing pieces!

Spelling Words

age, gem, gym,  giant, rigid, strange, danger, germ, large, giraffe, place, grace, city, cell, nice, circle, decide, civil, and pencil

Vocabulary  Words

Vocabulary is a bit different this week. Please see the chart below:

 

My street address	­________   ___________ ­___________	My school	Paine Intermediate
My city	Trussville	My county	Jefferson
My state	Alabama	My country	The United States of America
My continent	North America	My hemispheres	Northern and Western
My planet	Earth	My galaxy	The Milky Way

 

BOX TOPS!

Box Tops!

 

 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

 

My name is Cissie Harrington, and I am the volunteer Box Tops Coordinator at the Paine Elementary Campus.  Last year our schools earned over $9,400 by simply clipping and saving Box Tops.  I am proud to say that Paine ranks in the top 5 in the state of Alabama for earnings!

 

This year, our goal is to raise $10,000 for our schools. Here is an easy way you can help:

 

CLIP — Clip the Box Tops from hundreds of participating products. Each one is worth 10¢ when our school redeems them from Box Tops for Education. Please check the expiration dates, trim them neatly (it cuts down on shipping costs), and turn them in to your child's teacher.  You may place them in a Ziploc bag with your teacher's name on it.  We collect Box Tops all year long, so you can send them in anytime.  We will have contests for each grade, with the winning classes in each receiving a pizza party.  Deadlines for the contests will be October 15, 2014 and February 11, 2015.  Ask your friends, neighbors and family members to help your child and join our fundraising effort by clipping them for Paine.

 

Are you a Box Tops member?  Sign up to support our school at www.BTFE.com(boxtops4education.com), where you can:

 

• Earn eBoxTops™ with Box Tops Receipt Rewards

• Stay updated on our school’s earnings

• Find a full list of over 250 participating products

• Receive exclusive coupons and recipes for your favorite Box Tops brands

• Learn about extra ways for our school to earn more money

 

You can also sign up for Box Tops email newsletters that will keep you updated on the program.

 

To learn more, visit www.BTFE.com. Thanks for choosing to make a difference for our school with Box Tops.  Let's strive to reach our goal of over $10,000 for our schools!

 

Sincerely,

 

Cissie Harrington

Box Tops Coordinator for the Paine Elementary Campus

Fundraiser Sent Home Today

PTO Fundraiser Starts Today!

 

Our PTO fundraiser this year will be through Great American Fundraising.  We had our kick off today.  Your child will bring home a packet with his name and his teacher's name on it.  The sale will end on September 8 when students should turn in their packets with payment.  Delivery of the products will be in mid October.  

 

We encourage everyone to participate.  Money raised in previous years has allowed the PTO to provide playground equipment, classroom donations, teacher appreciation gifts, specialists' funding, new copiers, and copies for teachers.  

 

Check out your child's packet for details about great prizes they can earn.  There will be a Kona Ice party and a Pump It Up party as incentives.  Thank you in advance for your support.  

Weekly Newsletter

Weekly Newsletter August 18-22
What are we doing this week?
HORN ·         DIBELS assessment will be done all this week. ·         Our focus for math this week is the 4 step problem solving process. We will continue our Problem Solving unit and talk about estimation and being part of a learning community! ·         Our focus for Science this week will be the 7 Habit story book. We will read it aloud and discuss ways to incorporate the habits into our lives. We will also complete a few activities from scholastic newsletters.	WOODS ·         This week our focus in Reading will be to extend our understanding of story elements by practicing identifying problems and solutions in a story! We will practice this in class by reading the stories A Pen Pal for Max and Loved Best.  ·         As for independent reading students will continue easing into the routine of taking AR tests. They will also be required to take an AR test for their Summer Reading Book! ·         We will improve our writing by strengthening our language skills through correct usage of subjects, predicates, and the 4 types of sentences. Students will also receive their first spelling list. This week’s list features long vs. short vowels.
HOMEWORK
-Students must read for 20 minutes each night & record in their Agenda/Husky Pad in the section directly under the Language Arts and Reading Section.
Tests HORN: No tests for Horn this week. WOODS: Spelling Test on Thursday ;Vocabulary and Reading Assessment on Friday

The Week Ahead…		Upcoming Events
Math	·         Students will explore various strategies that can be used in problem solving situations. ·         Practice 4 step problem solving process ·         Learn to solve multi-step problems	·         Parent Chat Night is Thursday, August 21, 6:00-7:30 in Miss Woods' classroom!  ·         Global Scholar testing begins the week of August 25.
Science	·         Plans in the making
Reading	·         Students will practice identifying characters and settings. ·         Students will practice identifying the problem and solution in a story.
Language	·         Review subjects and predicates. ·         Identifying and correctly using the 4 types of sentences! ·         We will spell words with long and short vowels
Writing	·         Beginning original Narrative Writing pieces!

Spelling Words

cap,  hop, man, kit, cut, fin, spin, cape, hope, man,  kite,  cute,  fine,  spine,  fluff, fell, spell, floss,  stress.

Vocabulary Words

deciphered, mistaken, translate, repairs, heaving, fortunate, dodging, din, bothersome, catastrophe,