WHAT’S NEW?:

Hello Coordinators and welcome to the NEW YEAR! I am pleased to share that with January upon us, you will have a slight reprieve from compliance documents; yeah!

January Visitations: I look forward to visiting all the Title schools during the 3rd and 4th weeks of January. Attached is the visitation schedule, thus far. There are a few schools that still need to be scheduled ~ if you are one of these schools, please contact Bee to schedule a visit, asap; January Visitations 2013. During my visit, I’d like to:

1) View a one, or two, of your electronic student profiles
2) Hear about a parent involvement activity you have done this year
3) Discuss how interventions are going
4) Open for questions

Electronic Student Profiles: While the expectation remains that profiles are complete and current by the 4th week in January, you will NOT need to print and place a hard copy into a binder, mid-year. Instead, Matt will be running a report that allows me to view each school’s status on the profiles. I will be checking profiles the last week in January. Individuals will be contacted should a question or concern arise. Attached, please find a one-page overview of the profile expectations that were distributed at our December Coordinator/Principal meeting and a Quick Start Guide.

Electronic St Profile for Title
Electronic Student Intervention Profile Quick Start Guide

Extended Learning w/Technology: By now, you should be well into your project with the use of technology in full swing. Ideally, your team has been meeting, periodically, to reflect on progress, make adjustments and share ideas. You can look forward to Misty sending out a list of new apps and Edmodo ideas that were shared during December’s professional development. She will be sending these via Edmodo. Please be looking for an Edmodo survey, in January, that will seek your input for our February PD. Finally, due to a conflict we have changed the February 28 PD to February 12. The times remain the same (8:15-11:15; 11:15-11:45 lunch; 11:45-1:00 Coordinator PD), in the auditorium.

What you think about students matters! Consider the following quote:

“I don’t become what I think I can. I don’t become what you think I can.
I become what I think, you think, I can.”

Collaborative Practice/Lesson Study: I have received a few proposals for extended contract/release time for two+ teachers to participate in a lesson study of your choosing. If you’d like to squeeze in a proposal, pleases do so asap ~ I will be reviewing proposals very soon.
Collaboration Practice OVERVIEW (Title I Schools)
Collaborative Project AGREEMENT (Title I Schools)

More Apps to Explore:
Educreations ~ This is a voice-over app. This app is great for preparing lessons containing various pictures and text. The teacher actually records herself giving information/instructions. Educreations turns your iPad into a recordable whiteboard. Creating a great video tutorial is as simple as touching, tapping and talking. Explain a math formula. Create an animated lesson. Add commentary to your photos. It can be shown during class and allows the teacher to pause, periodically, to engage the students in discussions. It could also be used as a part of your sub plans; you’re there when you really aren’t! This could even be posted on Edmodo for students to access at times outside of class. Here is a YouTube video on Educreations.

Explain Everything ~ This is a is an easy-to-use design tool that lets you annotate, animate, and narrate explanations and presentations. You can import presentations, pictures, and other documents. These can also be exported as a pdf and notes can be posted on Edmodo. Here is a YouTube video on Explain Everything.

ClassDojo ~ This app allows you to track student participation, student management, etc. Here is a link to Class Dojo.

Inkflow: Think Visually! This app is great for visual thinkers. It works like a word processor for visual thinking. You can capture ideas by writing/drawing on the screen then rearrange and reorganize them with your fingers. Here is a YouTube video on Inkflow.

 2013-2014 Title Budget: Title budget allocations will be provided to coincide with the distribution of general fund budgets. I hope to share budgets in February. I will keep you apprised as specific timelines become clearer.

Title I Funding Eligibility: I am currently working on some figures for the 2013-2014 budget and will be sharing these with Dr. Berman in early-mid January. Ultimately, the “cut off” F/R percentage to determine eligibility for schools to receive Title I funds is the superintendent’s decision. 

Comprehension Toolkit: Raquel is willing to share a copy of her powerpoint on the ELA CCSS shifts, the comprehension toolkit, informational text, and text dependent questions should you want to reference it, or share with others (thanks, Raquel!). Unfortunately, the powerpoint is too large to attach in this blog, so please let me know if you’d like a copy and I will get it to you another way!

Edmodo Access Code to “The Basal Alignment Project”: As a reminder, this resource provides “text dependent” questions for stories found in our basal series, including lesson plans and related CCSS. The code is: etuyrm. Go to folders (upper portion of the page) and then locate your basal series.

RESOURCES: …thought you might find this interesting!

Recommended children’s books: Here are the most-recommended books in Reading Today’s 2012 roundup:

• Children’s Choices: http://www.reading.org/Libraries/awards/ChildrensChoices2012_web.pdf

• Teachers’ Choices: http://www.reading.org/Libraries/awards/TeachersChoices2012_web.pdf

• Young Adults’ Choices: http://www.reading.org/Libraries/awards/YoungAdultsChoices2012_web.pdf

“Recommended Reading Lists from Children, Teachers, and Young Adults” in Reading Today, October/November 2012 (Vol. 30, #2, p. 33)

Mathematics Common Core Toolbox – The Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas/Austin has joined forces with Agile Mind, Inc. to launch this free resource for math Common Core curriculum: http://www.ccsstoolbox.org.

“News and Views: Free Online CCSSM Toolbox” by Christine Noddin in Teaching Children Mathematics, November 2012 (Vol. 19, #4, p. 213)

FRIENDLY REMINDERS:

When making purchases with Title I funds, remember to send me a copy of PO or Visa (receipt).  Sometimes the secretary does the ordering, so sharing a reminder with your secretary would be helpful; thanks! Also, don’t forget to include these purchases on your inventory!

Penny continues to accept compliance documents and welcomes copies sent through the district mail and/or hand delivered (please remember to include the name of your school, along with the document title). Feel free to contact her, at any time, with questions. Collectively, you are doing a terrific job of submitting documents in a timely manner. Thank you, so much, for your attention to this important step in the Title process!

Attestations: Bee distributed these to Coordinators/Principals during our December meeting. Please send these, signed, to Bee as soon as possible, through the mail…

Deadlines on the Horizon for Compliance Documents:
NOTE ~ deadlines are aligned with Principal/Coordinator meetings

2/4:      Semi-annual certification (Bee will get these out to Coordinators/Principals, soon)
3/11:    Budget allocation for the 2013-2014 school year
4/15:    Program Review, sections A, B, C and D
4/15:    Budget allocations for the 2012-2013 school year
5/13:    Professional Development Questions for the 2012-2013 school year
5/13:    Professional Development School and Title I Plan for the 2012-2013 school year
5/13:    Summer school registrations
5/13:    Summer school data forms
6/13:    Program Review, sections E-P Inventory Sheets

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

NO Principal/Coordinator meeting in January

2/4:    Principal/Coordinators meeting; 2:00-3:30
2/12:  Extended Learning w/Technology PD; 8:15-11:15 for everyone; 8:15-1:00 for Coordinators NOTE DATE CHANGE FROM 2/28. Please remind your teacher partners of this change!
3/11:   Principal/Coordinator meeting may be cancelled due to a conflict with a LeL group; we may reschedule rather than cancel; stay tuned
4/15: Principal/Coordinators meeting; 2:00-3:30
5/7:  Extended Learning w/Technology PD; 8:15-11:15 for everyone; 8:15-1:00 for Coordinators
5/13: District CIP; 12:00-1:00 in auditorium
5/13: Principal/Coordinators meeting; 1:00-2:30 NOTE TIME DIFFERENCE from other meetings