Welcome to Roosevelt’s School Family

1. Welcome to Roosevelt’s School Family Planting the Seeds to Success 2010-2011

3. Roosevelt PrimaryBe The Best You Can Be Our mission is to create a Love of learning by providing an Environment where All children feel Respected, Nurtured, safe, and successful. Our vision is to provide a Successful Appropriate Foundation to Educate all children.

4. The school climate is the heart of the school. It motivates teachers, staff, students, and families to love school and look forward to being there.

5. The significance of the schools learning environment cannot be underestimated. • The brain learns faster in challenging, creative, accommodating, healthy environments. • We must remember that the environment we design and the instructional activities we plan have a significant influence on building smarter brains. At home, at school, and in our community!

6. Roosevelt Readiness • Brain Research: • Cognitive development is based on emotional security • Reading is rooted in language development • The basic wiring of the brain is rooted in early childhood experiences • The years before age 10 are critical • Having a school with only young children is the ideal setting

7. Roosevelt’s School Wide Support System • 5 Bee’s (Positive Behavior Support) • Three Tier System for Reading, Math & Behavior • Procedures • Routines • Rituals • Motor Room

8. The 5 Bee Program teaches children what it looks like & sounds like to: Be Safe Be Kind Be Helpful Be Respectful Be Responsible One Trait Every 2 Months School Wide Activity Character Quote Shared Daily

9. Brain Tips… • Young children are visual learners. • Young children do not have mature inner speech. • Young children think in “pictures.” • To help children truly understand what they need to do, the use of pictures is pertinent. • Examples of how to teach Line Basics, Playground Basics, Hallway Basics, Lunchroom Basics…

10. Classroom Support System • Visual Necklaces • Picture Rule cards • Meaningful Jobs • Visual Rule Cards • Daily Classroom Meeting

11. In Every Class… • Safe Center • Problem Solving Mat • Class Meeting Every Day (PEACE) • Visual Rule Cards • Visual Necklaces • Bumpy Seat Cushions/Sitting Balls

12. Safe Centers

13. Routines • Routines are the skeletal bone that keeps the school and classroom running effectively. Our brain is a pattern-seeking device. The clearer the patterns are for young children, the better the school/classroom environment works. • Routines give much needed predictability, structure, and consistency. • Examples of how we systematically teach all routines. (Arrival, attendance, lunch count, clean up, transitions, etc.)

14. Rituals • Rituals provide children and adults connection. • All human beings need to feel connected, safe, and secure for true learning to take place. • As routines are the skeleton of the school, rituals are the heart of the school and classroom. • True rituals create a calming effect on the brain. Rituals soothe the part of our brain that focuses on survival.Rituals are a must for all children, but are truly effective on children with behavioral concerns.

15. Roosevelt Rituals… • Morning music to enter class • WBEE News broadcast • Brain Tip of the Day • Quote of the Week • Daily Classroom Meetings • School Family Celebrations • Individual Rituals

16. Safe Keeper

17. What you focus on, you get more of

18. School Family Celebrations

19. The SAFE Room(Motor Room) • Sensory, Appropriate, Fun, and Effective • The room is filled with items that help children use all of their senses, cross their midline, work off excess energy, calm, focus, stretch, move, balance, and problem solve. • Get Your Muscles Running – 2 to3 times a week

21. Starting our day the BRAIN SMART WAY • Children enter school and go to their lockers • Put backpacks away • Sit down to read or talk with a friend before school even begins

23. Calming Music • When the first bell rings, quiet music plays throughout the halls and classrooms • The music signals students to quiet themselves, get ready to start the school day and go into class ready to learn

24. Calming Music • Music also soothes the parents and staff members as well! • Helping parents, staff and children have a relaxing start of the day relieves a lot of tension built up in our every day hurried world • We use music with 60 beats per minute.

25. Good Morning Josh!

26. Greeting • Every morning there is a greeter at the door to share a morning ritual. • Greeting rituals are the most important aspect of our morning and part of our school improvement plan

28. WBEE NEWS 4 Key Components to our on-air news broadcast: • Unite the School Family • Open Our Hearts for a day of learning • Engage in a Brain Tip of the Day • Commit Oneself to Learning Based on the work of Dr. Becky Bailey

29. Uniting as a School Family • The purpose for us to unite as a school family is to connect through an activity as a whole school • Connection is essential to learning

30. Open Your Heart • We open our hearts to a day of learning • Stretch, Bend and Release

32. Brain Tips of the Day The activity is different exercise each day, but has a week long concept For example: Crossing the midline, stretch & release, or large muscle movements to bring oxygen to the brain, etc.

34. Brain Tip of the Day • Not only does each adult and student participate in the brain tip • Each person learns how the activity fosters brain development and what area of the brain we are focusing on

35. Wishing You Well • At the end of each broadcast, the saying goes, • “And remember – I wish you well” • The ripple effect of this saying…

36. Wishing You Well Research • Internal Flu Shot • Boost your immune system • Increases endorphins • Makes you feel noticed

37. Moved from chaos to calm Decreased school tardies Increased instructional time Increased reading time by app. 1000 minutes per year before the school bell rings Starting each day the Brain Smart Way

38. What does this do? • Going through this process allows children and adults to turn off the stress response • Creates an emotional climate • Helps focus our brains for a day of learning

39. Why do we do this? • Children come to school stressed • Stress build up needs to be released • Create a positive classroom climate where everyone can experience a coherent heart and optimal brain function

40. Feeling peaceful, calm, content, grateful, appreciative Sends a coherent energy pattern to the brain that facilitates the brain working optimally and picking up patterns (Awakening the Child’s Heart, Dr. Carla Hannaford) Feeling upset, irritated, worried, concerned Sends an incoherent energy pattern to the brain that impedes the brain from the optimal use and picking up patterns (Awakening the Child’s Heart, Dr. Carla Hannaford) Coherent Vs. Incoherent

41. Shift from Fear (Brain Stem) How do I get/make the child behave do this or that. Conflict is disruption This shouldn’t be happening To Love (Frontal Lobe) How can I help the child more likely choose to _______! Conflict is an opportunity to teach. The moment is as it is – relax and solve.

42. Our Beliefs • We believe that children’s transition each morning needs to be recognized as a critical aspect of every day • We believe that children have the right to feel safe and secure each and every day • We believe children need to learn in an atmosphere focused on them

43. Mindset of teacher Interventions Adult-Child Relationship Relationship between children There are more neurons from the heart to the brain than from the brain to the heart Research

44. What have we learned… • Controlling ourselves is possible and has a profound impact on others • Connectedness governs behavior • Conflict is an opportunity to teach • Focusing on the whole child positively impacts academic success

45. Pride Ourselves On… • An environment designed with young children in mind • Taking what we know about how children learn and not being scared to change our practices • The feel we have as a school family

46. Our Success READING MEAP RESULTS 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 All Students 52% All Students 73% All Students 88% All Students 79% All Students 84% All 89% Male 43% Male 64% Male 86% Male 77% Male 81% Male 79% Female 67% Female 82% Female 86% Female 81% Female 86% Female 98% White 64% White 79% White 95% White 97% White 96 White 96% Black 40% Black 54% Black 78% Black 69% Black 77% Black 85% E.D. 47% E.D. 61% E.D. 83% E.D. 79% E.D. 79% E.D. 87%

47. Our Success MEAP MATH RESULTS 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 All 46% All 75% All 85% All 81% All 86% All 87% Male 40% Male 71% Male 88% Male 78% Male 89% Male 87% Female 57% Female 79% Female 81% Female 83% Female 84% Female 86% White 59% White 75% White 97% White 93% White 100% White 88% Black 30% Black 72% Black 70% Black 74% Black 79% Black 85% E.D. 37% E.D. 75% E.D. 82% E.D. 80% E.D. 86% E.D. 86%

48. Roosevelt’s Recognition • National Schools of Character Promising Practices Award, 2007-2008 • Michigan Association of School Boards Education Excellence Award, 2007-2008 • National Schools of Character Promising Practice Award, 2008-2009 • Recognized around the state as an exemplary school focused on how the young child learns • Staff members asked to present at National and State Conferences

49. So what does all this mean? Creating a School Family = Improved School Climate Improved school climate = Improved interpersonal relationships Improved interpersonal relationships = More learning takes place More learning + Best Practices in brain research = Higher student achievement Higher student achievement = Healthy Self Esteem Healthier Self Esteem = Brighter & Stronger Brain Stronger Brain = Successful Children who love learning! Welcome to Roosevelt Primary!