1. Council Rock Primary School Meet the Principal Beginning of the Year Update
September 8, 2017

2. Points of Pride Highlights of 2016-17
English Language Arts:
Examination of Phonics – orthographic mapping and beyond
Implementation of Handwriting Without Tears – into 1st grade
Math
Successful implementation of EM4
Math/Science/Technology Coach in place
Building Goal/Blueprint:
Structure Committee work
Mission/Vision Work – discussions and investigations
Other:
Furniture Pilots – moving into new pilot
Science and SS work – incorporating new standards/redesigning
AIS focus
Technology – continued growth of 2:1 – proposal growth
Building Use of See Saw
Excellent “New Hires”

3. Areas We Are Focusing On..
Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)
Full-year intensive study of what this means and how it translates into our practice at Council Rock
Family and Structure changes for next year
Teams – create teams of 4 across grade level
Grade Levels – determine 1st or 2nd for each
Student Support – what will this look like
Schedule – revise and adapt schedule to best accomodate
EM4 – Take 2 – 2nd year of implementation – but for many the first with the grade level they teach this year
Defining and Clarifying Curriculum
ELA – Phonics and exit outcomes SS
Science
Rigor and Inquiry
Areas We Are Focusing On..

4. D A P
Joyful Learning:
Acquiring knowledge and skills in ways that cause
pleasure & happiness,
The Surprising Power of Joy, p. 10
CRPS Mission: to develop joyful learners and contributing members of the community through developmentally appropriate practice
After last year’s work of developing our mission, our community decided that our focus should be DAP.

5. 12 Principles of DAP
In your notebook—not going to proceed through each one--#12 is the link to our previous building goal and reminds us of the importance of continuing to keep Mindset and Habits in the front of our minds.

6. How does knowledge about development inform our choices in our roles?
Educators’ roles (the many hats we wear):
Build a caring community of learners,
Teach to enhance development and learning,
Plan curriculum to achieve important goals,
Assess children’s development and learning
Establish reciprocal relationships with families
Areas of Development:
Cognitive
Physical
Social-Emotional
Language/Literacy
How does knowledge about development inform our choices in our roles?
Bulk of the book goes through each developmental stage, describes what is happening in each area of development and then ties that knowledge to educators’ roles. So throughout this year we will explore each area of development and reflect on how that knowledge informs our choices (so that we can be intentional!) in the many roles that we have. Any fruitful exploration needs a fearless leader, and so our developmentally appropriate leader will be…

7. Focusing on the Whole Child
(or the whole potato, as the case may be)
Cognitive Development
Physical Development
Social Emotional Development
Mr. Potato Head
Language & Literacy Development
Foundational Elements:
Thinking Dispositions- Habits of Mind and Growth Mindset

8. Welcome Back…We Are Excited for a great year! Any Questions?