Ms McElligatt's blog
The Week in Review: May 5-9
Submitted by Ms McElligatt on Sun, 2008-05-11 08:53.Picture Day = CBM Assessment – May 6th
AimsWeb/CBM-Picture Day DataReview with teams – May 9th
Every student was reassessed on basic literacy developmentthis week. All scores were entered into AimsWeb and shared with the staffthrough grade level meetings. Plans for early intervention during the first few weeks of the 2008-2009 school year were discussed. Special thanks to Sue Kalter fororganizing “Picture Day” and to Dr. Ben Ditkowsky for his participation, assistance andsupport!
All School Study – South Korea – May 7th
Spring has Sprung! Happy May!
Submitted by Ms McElligatt on Sat, 2008-05-03 10:06. 
I blinked and it's May! There are many events at Todd this month and the students and staff will be busy wrapping up this school year and preparing for the transition to next school year. While teachers are preparing their budget orders and determining next year's class placements, they are most focused upon teaching the remainder of the grade level curriculum and helping students become ready for their next grade level!
In addition there are many other upcoming events:
May 7 All School Study: Korea
1:35 PM Early Release
Todd's "Green Team"
Submitted by Ms McElligatt on Sun, 2008-04-27 10:53.
District 74 and the Response to Intervention Task Force are well underway in plan development and implementation of RtI. The district has focused on reading instruction and is now preparing to include instituting a systematic plan for addressing behavior with the adoption of Positive Behavior Intervention & Support or PBIS.
Springfield Day
Submitted by Ms McElligatt on Sat, 2008-04-19 09:33. 
As president of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children, I had the opportunity to spend April 17th in our state capitol with 1,000 students, their parents and teachers from across the state. The students came to Springfield to meet with their legislators to advocate for funding so that school districts can meet their learning needs.
About 60 students actually met the Governor during an impromtu visit to his office. A group of parents from District 74 drove down with their children and met with Senator Ira Silverstein.
Visiting Dewey School
Submitted by Ms McElligatt on Sat, 2008-04-19 09:17.
The newly formed Todd and Rutledge Hall Positive Behavior Intervention & Support (PBIS) Teams visited Dewey School in Evanston last week. Dewey has effectively been implementing PBIS for the past 6 years. Principal Andy Krugly shared an overview of PBIS at Dewey along with the data collected. The data documents decreased behavioral concerns and referrals to the principal's office as well as increased achievement and improved scores on the state tests.
The District 74 teachers observed the major components of PBIS in action:
Week of March 31st
Submitted by Ms McElligatt on Thu, 2008-04-03 14:43.The students and staff returned from Spring Break renewed and refreshed! The weather is turning a bit warmer, the daffodils are popping up, and soon things will be turning green.
I presented a Todd Hall update to the Board of Education on April 1st. Many of our wonderful projects were showcased, particularly what we are doing with improving student literacy.
Early Release gave the staff an opportunity to continue work on their vocabulary projects. They also completed an onine survey about behavioral expectations for students and how behavior gets (or does not get) addressed. This baseline data will help us as we plan for implementing an all school positive behavior program next school year.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Ms. McElligatt
Welcome Back and Happy Spring!
Submitted by Ms McElligatt on Sat, 2008-03-29 11:47.The week of Spring Break has quickly flown by and the staff at Todd is looking forward to the return of the students. These last couple of months will be busy with Portfolio Night, Parent/Teacher Conferences, re-registration, and end-of-year celebrations and preparations for next year.
The staff is preparing for a new schedule, the implementation of new curriculum materials, and a new district-wide positive behavior program for students and staff. All of which will improve the education for all students!
If you have not re-registered your child(ren) for next school year, please do so as soon as possible. We are preparing to organize the classes for next school year and making important staffing decisions-- many based upon enrollment. We are particularly interested in getting our incoming kindergarteners registered as soon as possible. If you know of anyone who may be registering for kindergarten, encourage them to contact the school right away.
Be Caring!
Submitted by Ms McElligatt on Sat, 2008-03-29 11:41.
What Do the Teachers Do on Institute Day?
Submitted by Ms McElligatt on Fri, 2008-02-29 11:12.While the students have the day off, the staff is working on a district-wide vocabulary project. Research confirms that one of the best ways to increase achievement is through building vocabulary in the content areas. When children master key vocabulary of the big ideas of the grade level curriculum, connections increase in their brains. The more connections, the more students remember and the more learning takes place.
Last November during Institute Day, teachers at each grade level and in each content area identified mastery level vocabulary lists. This Institute Day, teachers are identifying the words to be taught fourth quarter and first quarter of next year. Through the use of a template on the district's intranet, they are developing what students will do to learn the vocabulary and identifying resources that will be used to teach the vocabulary.
