DREAM+Team+2013-14

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 2013-14
**English Language Arts (ELA) SMART Goal** By improving the capacity of teachers to design and implement highly effective reading, writing and language lessons aligned with the NYS CCLS, by June 2014, 46 % of our students tested in grades 3-5 will meet the state reading benchmark (with no more then 34% scoring at Level 1) as measured by the NYS ELA.

__Reading__ __Writing__
 * English Language Arts Focus for 2013-14**
 * 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.
 * 1) Students write daily within a workshop structure.
 * 2) Workshop mini-lessons guide students through the stages of the writing process.
 * 3) Teachers adhere to the SHCSD Curricular Calendar and Indicators, relying on supporting resources when needed
 * 4) Teachers work alongside individual and/or small groups to individualize instruction.
 * 5) Teachers utilize mentor texts and their own writing in support of daily writing instruction.

By aligning our daily math instruction with the NYS CCLS by June 2014, 46% of our students tested in grades 3-5 will meet the state mathematics benchmark (with no more than 25% scoring at Level 1) as measured by the NYS Math assessment.
 * Math SMART Goal**

**Mathematics Focus for 2013-14**

 * 1) Align our math curriculum and daily math lessons to the Common Core State Standards. Weekly math instruction will focus on dual intensity of fluency (practice) and application (understanding). Teachers will plan and facilitate lessons using the standards for mathematical practice, which enable students to uncover the "big ideas" of math.[[image:insideheritageheights/Math pic.png width="139" height="167" align="right"]]
 * 2) Engage students in daily practice with fluency, problem solving and flexible thinking.
 * 3) Ensure that all children are accessing mathematical understandings through concrete models and manipulatives (i.e. visual models- bar model, area models, arrays, number lines, 10-frames, etc.) while developing each student’s confidence and perseverance in solving problems.
 * 4) Organize manipulatives that scaffold conceptual understanding.
 * 5) Students will use dialogue and conversation to explore mathematical thinking procedural competency (number talks).

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- 2013-14**:[[file:HH Family Involvement Plan 2013-14.pdf]]

__**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?

September 18, 2013
Powerpoint- Meeting Summary-

October 9, 2013
Meeting Summary- Powerpoint-

**November 13, 2013**
Meeting Summary-

**December 11, 2013**
Meeting Summary- Document- Learning Culture Roles & Responsibilities- Document- Coaching as a Theory of Action (DRAFT)-

February 12, 2014
Meeting Summary-

**March 26, 2014**
Meeting Summary- Learning Culture Roles- Revised the Teacher Responsibilities

**April 9, 2014**
Meeting Summary-

**May 21, 2014**
Meeting Summary-