Soko 🦈’s, fins up!

This year asked a lot of us. Long days, full calendars, and constant problem solving. You showed up for students and for each other anyway.

As we close out the 2025 calendar year, I want to thank you for the care, effort, and teamwork you bring every day. We still have half of the school year ahead of us, but it’s okay to pause and acknowledge how much has already been done. Take the break to rest and reset. When we return, we’ll keep moving forward together.

Early Release Day

Tuesday, December 23 is an early release day for students and staff. Please review the early release schedule and plan accordingly.

Candy Cane Olympics

We will be holding a bonus school meeting on Tuesday, December 23 from 9:00–10:00am for our Candy Cane Olympics, inspired by the Cooperation block of the Pyramid of Success.

Each class has been assigned to either the Red or White team based on school meeting seating so the audience forms a candy cane. Please wear your assigned color. Staff who are not assigned to a classroom are invited to choose either red or white to wear and join in a game if they’d like. It should be a fun way to come together as a school before break.

Observation Memo from Krista Galleberg

We would like to share the staff memo from Krista Galleberg, a PhD student and former classroom teacher, who has been visiting Sokolowski to learn from our collaboration practices, particularly around supporting multilingual learners and students with IEPs.

Krista shared strong affirmations of our work, including the way teams manage differentiated instruction during Read to Grow and Math to Grow, the intentional structure of IST meetings, and the preparation and collaboration staff bring to student discussions. She also posed thoughtful questions about managing absences during intervention blocks and planning when classroom teachers are not directly working with focus students.

Krista will continue visiting after break, and there will be opportunities to connect further in the new year.

Schoolwide Reminder: Snack, Water, and Food in Classrooms 

As we head into our last days of 2025, we want to share again our school expectations around snack, water, and food in classrooms. Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed students eating snacks, drinking water or juice, and even eating their lunch from home during lessons. This significantly disrupts learning and creates issues with cleanliness, pests, spills, and materials. Please follow these schoolwide expectations, which were shared earlier this year:

Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program (FFVP):

• Snacks should be eaten at designated times and in designated spaces.

• Please minimize the loss of instructional time by establishing clear routines for snacks.

Water Bottles:

• Student water bottles should be kept in cubbies, not at desks.

• Students should access water during appropriate transition times.

Food in Classrooms:

• Full meals and leftover food should not be eaten or stored in classrooms.

• Food should be eaten in designated areas and thrown away in cafeteria bins whenever possible.

Since this is our last blog post of 2025, please use the break as an opportunity to reset expectations with students. When we return in January, our goal is classrooms and desks that are clean, focused, and conducive to learning. Thank you for your consistency.

ACCESS Update

• ACCESS testing will begin the week of January 8, with 1st grade starting on January 8.
• Testing schedules and groupings will be finalized when we return on January 5.
• Staff who are directly involved in ACCESS testing will receive more detailed information.
• Speaking and writing will be scheduled once tiers are confirmed.

Thank you to the MLE team for a well-run ACCESS family breakfast that supported family understanding and engagement

More specific schedules and assignments will be shared after we return.

Reminder from the Tech Team

Please submit a tech ticket for broken Chromebooks using Incident IQ (also available on the Teacher Launcher page). Label broken chromebooks with issues to make pickup and repair easier. With many upcoming online tests, it is important to have the classroom set of chromebooks in working order.

PLTs This Week

Monday:

• Paraprofessionals will have a PLT with D focused on SST protocols, response expectations, and best practices for supporting student behavior. Paras will meet at 8:20am in S317, so teachers should plan accordingly.

• Transitional MLEs will meet with Merri to finalize ACCESS preparations for January.

Tuesday:

• Grade 4 teams from all four schools will participate in a PD led by Laura at the library to prepare for the upcoming social studies unit, Investigating History: Impacts of U.S. Expansion. Coverage details will be sent the morning of. Teachers will return in time for the Candy Cane Olympics at 9:00am

• The entire FA team will participate in a diapering training from 10:30–11:30am. Coverage and coordination details will be communicated with the parties involved by Tuesday.

Important Dates

• 12/20 NPST Artifacts Suggested Deadline (Please email your evaluator once artifacts have been shared)

• 12/23 School Meeting, 9:00–10:00am

• 12/23 Half Day for Students and Staff

• 12/24–1/2 No School (December Break)

For the first time, we will be holding a midyear i-Ready achievement celebration focused on highlighting student success and progress. We know that when students see their effort recognized, it builds confidence, motivation, and pride in their learning. This celebration is designed to do exactly that.

What Are We Celebrating?

This is not a celebration limited to students on grade level. Our students come to us with diverse learning profiles. Many of our students, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners, are making meaningful progress toward individualized goals that look different from grade-level benchmarks. That is why we are grounding this celebration in individualized growth targets set by i-Ready, based on each student’s BOY diagnostic.

Students can meet the criteria by either:

• Making 60% or more progress toward their own annual typical growth target: This benchmark comes directly from our AIP goal. What is new is that we are sharing this goal with students and celebrating all students who meet it.

• Being on grade level and continuing to make progress: This could be a fourth grader who scored as Early or Mid 4 at BOY and grows another 10 points on the midyear diagnostic. While this might not be the full 60% progress towards typical growth, it is still progress and they are already on grade level.

This allows us to honor students who are catching up and students who are sustaining strong performance.

The PERSONAL BEST ON THE TEST Room

Students who meet the criteria will be invited to a special PERSONAL BEST ON THE TEST room, where they will choose an amazing prize from a wide range of fun options. This space is about effort, focus, and showing your personal best, not comparison or pressure.

We will introduce this celebration to students during School Meeting tomorrow, Friday 12/19, so students will hear the messaging directly from us as a school community.

At its core, this celebration is about affirming the work our students and staff are doing every day. It reflects our shared belief that growth matters, effort counts, and success looks different for different learners.

PS. A note for foundational teachers:
In foundational classrooms, Imagine Learning takes priority over i-Ready. We will follow up with foundational teams with guidance on how this celebration can be differentiated while keeping Imagine Learning progress at the center.

More logistical details will follow.

But you’ve gotta
Make your own kind of music
Sing your own special song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along

That chorus hits home. It speaks to confidence, finding your voice, and staying true to who you are even when things feel busy or challenging. These are skills our students will carry with them well beyond elementary school and into life.

Bringing our Winter Concert together took a true collective effort. Between schedule changes, rehearsals, coverage, and last-minute adjustments, thank you for the flexibility and teamwork that made it possible for every student to take the stage and shine. December is a packed month but moments like this remind us why the work matters. I hope the joy our students shared gives us the energy to finish this last full week of 2025 strong.

There is still important learning ahead. Let’s keep expectations high and continue supporting students to do their personal best as we cross the finish line for the year.

Report Cards

Thank you again for your flexibility last week. Between the Aspen shifts, coordination with the copy center, and the delay in receiving final report cards on Thursday, there was a lot to juggle. I appreciate everyone’s quick turnaround to make sure report cards went home that day.

As a next step, please work with families to have all report card envelopes signed and returned by this Friday.

Student Attendance

Strong attendance starts with daily relationships in your classroom and connection with families. You set the tone by creating a welcoming start to the day, noticing patterns early, and partnering with families and the office when students begin to miss time frequently. Here are a few best practices to help us stay consistent:

• Greet students at the door each morning to build connection and support daily attendance.

• Connect with the office if a student has two absences in a row so we can check in with families and offer support.

• Email or screenshot parent messages about absences so the office can add notes in Aspen.

• Students arriving after 8:35 need a red slip from the office. If they arrive without one, send them to the office to sign in.

• Watch for emerging attendance patterns and loop in the office and SST if concerns increase.

Spirit Week (12/15–12/19)

This week is Spirit Week, and it’s a great way to add some fun and energy to our last full week before break. Please share the Spirit Week flyer with families on ParentSquare and encourage student participation.

Student and adult participation is highly encouraged. When students see us join in, it builds excitement and community. Let’s lean into it and finish the week on a fun note!

MCB Holiday Shop [Help Needed]

We are still looking for a few volunteers to help opening packages, setting up, choosing gifts and packing bags for families that couldn’t make it. Sign up HERE for a feel-good way to connect across the MCB Complex and bring some holiday cheer to our families in need.

PLTs This Week

We will have regular PLTs on your usual days with regular coverage. This week’s focus is analyzing Student Panorama Survey results and identifying next steps. The SEL team will facilitate these sessions.

On Monday, Gina will meet with smaller groups of teachers to review ACCESS accommodations. The Specialist team will also have their own Panorama PLT on Monday.

Important Dates

• 12/15–12/19 Spirit Week

• 12/16 Literations Celebration 12:15-12:50 in K101

• 12/17 MLK Entries Due

• 12/19 Pyramid of Success School Meeting

• 12/19 MCB Holiday Shop for Invited Families

• 12/20 NPST Artifacts Suggested Deadline

• 12/23 School Meeting, 9:00–10:00am

• 12/23 Half Day for Students and Staff

• 12/24–1/2 No School (December Break)

In our last post, we talked about how shielding students from challenge can limit growth. Helping them avoid every discomfort can unintentionally teach them that they’re not capable. Instead, we want students to face safe challenges and build stamina, confidence, and resilience while feeling supported. That raises an important question: what kind of teacher helps students lean into that discomfort while still feeling safe and supported? This is where the stance of the warm demander matters.

What Is a Warm Demander?
A warm demander combines two things: strong, authentic relationships and high, explicit expectations. It’s not one or the other. It’s both together. This stance was popularized by researcher Zaretta Hammond in her book Culturally Responsive And The Brain. Warm demanders show students they care and refuse to let them opt out of doing the hard work that leads to growth.

Researchers describe this stance as high warmth and high demandingness. When warmth shows up without the demanding part, expectations slide. When demandingness shows up without warmth, students comply but don’t trust. When both are present, students feel believed in and pushed at the same time.

The Four Stances
The research describes four broad approaches teachers tend to fall into:

• Elitist (low warmth, low demandingness): Expectations dip and connection is limited. Students often disengage.
• Technocrat (low warmth, high demandingness): Clear structure but little trust. Students may follow directions but won’t take risks.
• Sentimentalist (high warmth, low demandingness): Relationships are strong, but students aren’t pushed to reach their potential.
• Warm Demander (high warmth, high demandingness): Strong connection paired with consistent follow-through. Students know you care and know you expect their best.

Why This Matters for Us
At Sokolowski, many of our more dependent learners need both scaffolding and stretch. They need adults who stay connected, communicate calm authority, and refuse to lower expectations even when behavior or confidence dips. Warm demanders support students through mistakes, teach them how to repair harm, and keep the bar steady.

This stance also helps reduce behavior escalations. Students are less likely to push back when they trust the adult and know the expectation won’t change. They stay engaged because the classroom feels predictable, relational, and anchored.

What It Looks Like in Practice
Warm demanders at Soko often:

• Greet students by name and stay genuinely curious about their lives
• Give clear directions and follow through every time
• Keep tone calm and steady
• Scaffold without lowering expectations
• Hold students accountable while preserving dignity
• Use corrective language that communicates belief, not judgment: “You can do better than this and I’m here to help you get there.”

The best part? Our students know who the warm demanders are. They’ll say things like, “She’s strict, but she’s fair,” or “He’s tough, but he really cares.”

Looking Ahead
Next month, we’ll look at a simple relationship-building strategy that supports warm demanding in daily practice: the Marble Jar. This isn’t about rewards or incentives. It’s about noticing small moments, building trust, and investing early so you can push students later.

For now, take a few minutes to reflect:

• Which stance do you lean into most naturally?
• Are there students you connect with easily but hesitate to push?
• Are there students you push hard but haven’t built connection with yet?

Warm demanding is a practice. It grows over time, and it pays off in student engagement, independence, and behavior.

If you want help thinking about specific students or routines, reach out to anyone on the SST team.

Other relevant resources:

• Being a Warm Demander: Adult Education Professional Development [Video]
• 4 Practices of Warm Demander Teachers: Edutopia [Article]
• The Teacher as Warm Demander: Educational Leadership [Article]
• 4 Characteristics of Outstanding ‘Warm Demander’ Teachers: Edutopia [Article]

Hi everyone,

We want to let you know that our annual Hour of Code event has changed—this year, it will be replaced by the Hour of AI!

What’s Hour of AI?
Hour of AI is a global educational initiative to demystify AI for 25 million students, that builds on the success of the “Hour of Code” movement.

Why the change?
As technology continues to grow, AI has become an important part of both learning and the world around us. This year’s event helps students build foundational AI literacy — what it is, what it can and can’t do, and how to use and create with it responsibly.

When and where:
Students will engage in Day of AI activities during technology classes during the week of December 15.

Learn more on the Day of AI Slides.

Hour of Code choice boards are also available for students in classrooms.  Gr. 1-2 Hour of Code Choice Board (2025) Grades 3-5 Hour of Code Choice Boards (2025)

The Digital Learning Coaches

Hope you all had a restful weekend and are easing back into a packed week. Since we’re heading into one of the busiest stretches of December, I figured we’d start with a little joy. This short video from last year’s holiday party is a reminder that Soko also knows how to have fun… 😂

With our Holiday Party this Thursday at 5pm, consider this your gentle nudge to bring that same energy. It’s a busy week, but moments of laughter and connection help carry us through the rush of concerts, report cards, and early release days.

Looking forward to ending the week with good food, good company, and hopefully no accidental sprains from enthusiastic dancing.

Early Release Day – Wednesday, December 10

We have an Early Release Day on Wednesday, December 10.

• Please refer to the Soko Schedule for the logistics of the school day, including the STEM Fair for Grades 1 and 2.
• For the afternoon PD sessions, please refer to the District Spreadsheet. Be sure to enroll on Vector before to 12/10 so that you can complete the sign-in process for all sessions.

As a reminder: Prioritize Tier I instruction. Even with the shortened schedule, keeping a strong focus on core instruction is essential to support our AIP goals and pacing.

Report Cards

Thank you for your patience and flexibility. We know Aspen had a few delays, and we appreciate how quickly everyone adapted and entered grades within the updated timelines. Report card envelopes have been placed in teachers’ mailboxes. Please use the next few days to fill them out (if you need guidance, refer back to last week’s blog post).

We are hoping for a quick turnaround from the Copy Center so we can still meet our goal of sending report cards home on Wednesday, December 10, our Early Release Day. We will keep everyone posted before we communicate anything to families.

Important Reminders:

• Report cards should go home in envelopes on Wednesday, December 10 (pending printing turnaround).

• Parents and guardians should sign and return the envelopes to school.

• IEP Progress Notes and EL Progress Notes must go home with report cards, inside the envelope.

Soko Winter Concert – This Week’s Logistics

There are many logistics and schedule adjustments happening this week, and we appreciate everyone’s flexibility as we make sure everything runs smoothly. As always, we trust teachers to make the necessary adjustments to their schedules while continuing to prioritize Tier I instruction. Below is the updated concert schedule:

• Monday, 12/8 – Logistics Rehearsal (3rd and 4th grade only)

  • Students and teachers go straight to the cafeteria at arrival. Everyone should be back in class by 9:00am

• Tuesday, 12/9 – Dress Rehearsal (3rd and 4th grade only)

  • Students unpack upstairs, then report to the cafeteria at 8:45am. Students are expected back in class around 10:15am

• Wednesday, 12/10 – Instruments Day

  • Violins and recorders as scheduled

• Thursday, 12/11 – Concert Day

  • 8:50: 4th Grade Chorus concert call

  • 8:55: 3rd Grade Chorus concert call

  • 9:00: Grades 1 and 2 join for the concert

  • Concert expected to end around 10:30am

Live Streaming for Families [New!]:
The district will stream the concert for families who may prefer to watch remotely. This worked well at the Kelly last week and will allow broader access. While all families are welcome to attend in person, only 3rd and 4th graders are officially performing, so the livestream may be a helpful option for others who still want to watch.

Ms. Wivchar has already shared logistics, communication, and maps with teachers involved. Please review them ahead of time for smooth transitions. If you are not planning to attend the concert during your prep period, please notify administration or the specialist covering your class so we can plan accordingly.

For any questions, please reach out directly to Andrea Wivchar.

[Reminder] MLK Contest 25-26

Students in grades K–12 are invited to participate by submitting drawings, writing pieces, or creative projects. Submissions are due Wednesday, December 17, 2025. All details, including submission folders and guidelines, are available in this document.

This is a great opportunity to spark meaningful conversations and encourage students to share their voices through creativity.

[Reminder] Frontline Absence Management

As a reminder, the district’s full rollout of Frontline Absence Management begins Monday, December 8. Please make sure you have completed the training video. A few key points as we move into full use:

• Daily Sign-In and Sign-Out: Missed sign-ins create extra work for the office, so build a system that helps you remember.
• Contractual Hours: Frontline is tracking contractual hours only. Sign in when you arrive and sign out when you leave, no matter how early or late.
• Entering Absences in ESS:
  • Personal days: Submit the paper form for approval first. Once approved, enter it into ESS right away.
  • Planned sick time: Enter ahead of time for appointments or procedures. Early entries help us secure subs.
  • Last-minute absences after 6:30am: Text both Cam and D so we can plan coverage.
  • Delays or late arrivals: Text both Cam and D and check in at the office when you arrive.
• Communication: Share your absence plans with Jose, Cam, and D. Notify paras, co-teachers, or any staff impacted by your absence. We are now sending the absence report to all school in the morning in the hopes to streamline communication.

PLTs This Week

We will not have regular grade-level PLTs this week due to Winter Concert preparations.

• Monday: Foundational Teachers PLT with Merri.
• Friday: Teaching & Learning Team PLT.

Important Dates

12/7 — Frank M. Sokolowski’s Birthday 
12/8–12/12 — ELA CWA 2
12/9 — Staff Meeting 👈
12/10 — Report Cards Go Home (Tentative)
12/10 — Early Release Day
12/10 — Staff Meeting (Rescheduled per staff vote) 👈
12/11 — Soko Winter Concert, 9:00 a.m.
12/11 — Soko Holiday Party, 5:00 p.m.
12/19 — Pyramid of Success School Meeting
12/23 — Half Day (Students + Staff)
12/24–1/2 — No School (December Break)

As we approach midyear evaluations, here’s a quick reference guide to help all educators submit strong and relevant artifacts for their evaluation. While this post is primarily for Non-Status Teachers in years 1, 2, or 3, the same expectations apply to Professional Status Teachers when it’s their turn later in the year. You can check your exact deadlines here: 25-26 Evaluation Timeline All Staff

What Are Artifacts For?

Artifacts help document your progress toward meeting the DESE Standards and your individual goals. They provide valuable context, especially for practices we don’t always see during a classroom visit. However, artifacts do not replace what we see during observations. Your evaluator considers both in tandem to get a full picture of your practice. Submitting an artifact tied to a specific indicator does not guarantee a Proficient rating if those practices are not also evident during observations. The goal is for the improvements shown in artifacts to eventually be observable in the classroom.

What Should I Submit?

Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Classroom-Based Artifacts (optional/for context):
  You do not need artifacts for every indicator aligned to Standards I & II. Focus your energy where it matters most. Expand on previous observations feedback or highlight areas you’ve been working on. Consider submitting evidence for areas where you’ve received clear next steps from recent feedback. Use artifacts to show how you’ve responded to that feedback and worked to shift your practice.

• Non-Observable Work (while all artifacts are optional, these are highly encouraged):
  These areas are rarely observable and must be supported with documentation:

  • Standard III: Evidence of two-way communication, use of culturally proficient home-school updates, notes from family conferences, examples of family feedback being used to adjust instruction or student support.

  • Standard IV: Evidence of team collaboration, coaching cycle reflections, team planning notes, PLT contributions, PD takeaways.

• Goal Progress (highly encouraged):
  Upload artifacts tied to your Student Learning Goal and Professional Practice Goal. These might include data trackers, lesson samples, student work, or reflections showing your progress towards meeting your goal.

Deadlines

• Suggested Deadline: Submit artifacts by December 20, 2025

  • Why? This allows you to head into winter break with one less thing on your mind and gives your evaluator time to begin writing assessments over break.

  • If you meet this deadline, please send your evaluator a quick email to let them know artifacts are ready for review.

• Contractual Deadline: All artifacts must be submitted by January 9, 2026

We strongly encourage everyone to aim for the suggested December deadline so that you can fully disconnect during break and start the new year without the added task of organizing your artifacts.

Final Tips

• Prioritize impact over volume: A few strong, focused artifacts are better than many loosely connected ones.

• Label clearly: Make it easy for your evaluator to understand what each artifact is showing. Before uploading, give each artifact a short, descriptive title (e.g. Grade 3 Family Newsletter – III-A Communication). Avoid generic file names like “artifact1.”

• Use clear rationales: Most artifacts are not self-explanatory. Well-written rationales are key. Be sure to identify the specific standard, indicator, element, or goal your artifact addresses. Then include a short explanation of what the artifact is, how it connects, and why it matters. A strong rationale should highlight how the artifact demonstrates proficiency or progress toward a goal.

• Templates: You can use one of the following templates to organize and present your artifacts if you like (not required):

  • Google Slides Artifact Template (Make a Copy)

  • Google Doc Artifact Template (Make a Copy)

• Save and upload PDFs: If you’re using documents from Google Drive, you must make sure the link is viewable by “Anyone in CPS with the link.” As a better alternative, you can download files as PDFs first and attach them directly in TeachPoint to prevent Google access issues. PDFs ensure your work opens smoothly and keeps the evaluation process moving without interruption.

Questions?

Reach out to your mentor if you’re unsure what to submit or how to organize your artifacts. They are here to help!

Thanks for continuing to reflect on your practice and grow your impact for our students.