DREAM+Team

=**DREAM TEAM- Decision and Response Evolving Around our Mission**=

Utilizing the principles of shared decision-making, the **DREAM Team** at Heritage Heights serves as our schools building leadership team. The DREAM Team is comprised of members from all the stakeholder groups that make up our school community. It meets monthly to help to coordinate and communicate activities and initiatives leading our school toward its mission and vision. Assuming important responsibilities of instructional leadership, The DREAM Team provides support and direction for the school’s efforts to improve instruction and learning for every learner. Its members work with our school community to examine student achievement information, set goals and develop a focus for professional learning. They support school-wide initiatives and develop support structures to help teachers apply what they learn while assisting parents in understanding their role and gaining their support. With a focus on continuous improvement the DREAM Team assess our progress toward our building-wide goals and our effort to improve instruction and learning throughout the school.

The DREAM teams responsibilities include:
 * Modeling the characteristics of a professional learning community
 * Supporting and facilitating (as needed) the collaborative efforts of our smaller grade level teams.
 * Reviewing assessment data and identify strengths and needs in our instructional program.
 * Mapping professional development activities for the year.
 * Exploring factors that influence student achievement and help us achieve our mission.

We are committed to operating by the following group norms and principles:
 * Everyone in the group is valuable and we will respect others ideas.
 * Practice good communication and listening- “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
 * We will be purposeful in our work by always having an agenda for each meeting and work diligently to follow it.
 * We do what we do for the good of our students and school community.
 * Our decision-making needs to be transparent and understood by all members of our school community.

School Improvement Focus for 2012-2013 **English Language Arts (ELA) SMART Goal** By improving the capacity of teachers to design and implement highly effective reading, writing and language lessons with students, by May 2013, 70% of our students tested in grades 3-5 will meet the state reading benchmark (with less than 2% scoring at Level 1) as measured by the NYS ELA. 70% of third graders will demonstrate proficiency in reading on this assessment.
 * English Language Arts Focus for 2012-13**
 * 1) Teach reading utilizing the components of a balanced framework for instruction. //A strong understanding of the purpose and connectedness of the components is evident.//
 * 2) Organize classroom libraries that support efficient and appropriate book choices.
 * 3) Follow the district-wide, grade-level specific units of study based on the Common Core State Standards for ELA.
 * 4) Demonstrate responsiveness to student data when planning lessons.
 * 5) Model quality reading while developing discourse and meaning making of text during interactive read aloud.
 * 6) Engage students in daily independent reading workshop (mini-lesson, independent reading, conferring, small group instruction, and sharing).
 * 7) Ensure that all children are reading what they can and should be reading independently.
 * 8) Utilize small group instruction (guided reading, strategy groups, mini-inquiries) addressing the unique reading needs of students
 * 9) Launch word study using Words Their Way-administer spelling inventories, analyze results, establish groups and and routines to provide daily word study practice.
 * 10) Understand the purpose, structure and planning process of shared reading- develop shared reading lesson responsive to the needs of readers.

By May 2013, 55% of our students tested in grades 3-5 will meet the state mathematics benchmark (with less than 5% scoring at Level 1) as measured by the NYS Math assessment.
 * Math SMART Goal**

**Mathematics Focus for 2012-13**
1. Align our math curriculum and daily math lessons to the Common Core State Standards. //Weekly math instruction will focus on critical concepts of:// 2. Engage students in regular problem solving and weekly writing about math (community problem solving). 3. Ensure that all children are demonstrating automaticity of basic facts relevant to grade level expectations. 4. Provide time weekly through “lab” experiences for review, reinforcement, writing and enrichment.
 * //reasoning to make sense of mathematics;//
 * //using dialogue and conversation to explore mathematical thinking procedural competency (number talks); and//
 * the flexible and appropriate use of mathematical representations (i.e. visual models- bar model, area models, arrays, number lines, 10-frames, etc.) //while developing each students confidence and perseverance in solving problems.//

Family Engagement
Through increased home-school connections, parents will develop an awareness of their role in their child’s schooling contributing to a positive school climate and literacy development by forming an authentic partnership that will positively influences student achievement in all areas, especially English Language Arts (ELA).

__Goal__: Improve the quality and completion of home practice activities as well as the amount of reading done at home.

Family Involvement Plan- 2012-13:

__**Team Inquiry: Evidence of Student Learning**__ •What evidence of student learning will make the biggest impact on the achievement of our students? •What do we want to see MORE of? •How do we know kids are really learning?

**October 10, 2012**
[|Video: Lucy West- Building a Learning Culture]

May 8, 2012
Joint meeting with other elementary building teams at Vergil's Community Room Topic: Elementary Progress Report

June 12, 2013


Summer Meeting- Thursday, August 15, 2013 from 12 noon- 2:30 pm AGENDA-
 * __Future Meetings__-**