Hello, Blackland Prairie Families,
This week, our students focused on Habit #3: Put First Things First. This habit teaches students how to prioritize what is most important, such as learning, responsibilities, and kindness, before distractions. Families can support Habit #3 at home by helping children create simple routines for homework, chores, and bedtime. You might also talk together about what their “big rocks” are for the day, things like finishing schoolwork, practicing a skill, or helping at home, before moving on to fun activities.
Our teachers also participated in instructional rounds this week. During instructional rounds, grade-level teams visit classrooms across campus to observe how colleagues deliver instruction and engage students in learning. This collaborative practice allows teachers to learn from one another and continue strengthening instruction for our students.
During this round, teachers looked for several key practices:
Academic laps, where teachers check for understanding throughout the lesson to see how each student is processing the instruction and determine who may need additional support.
Student engagement strategies, such as sentence stems, word banks, turn-and-talk discussions with partners, and writing responses. These strategies give students time to process their thinking and help move learning into long-term memory.
Classroom routines and procedures, which help create organized, structured environments where students feel safe, supported, and ready to learn.
We also had a wonderful time at STEAM Night! It was so great to see families on campus enjoying the evening together. A big thank you to the volunteers and our Academic Action Team for organizing such a successful event. Our students did an amazing job presenting their science experiments, and we are so grateful to our families for partnering with us and supporting your children in preparing their projects.
Thank you for being such an important part of the Blackland Prairie community. We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
As always, stay safe and take care out on the Prairie!
