This and That!

Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you were able to relax and rejuvenate with family and friends.  As we head into the final months of school, please let me know how I can be of assistance to ensure your year ends strong! As you review the information below, do not hesitate to contact any member of the Title Team (Bee, Linda and Penny) with questions or concerns; we are here to support you!

Electronic Student Profile: As a gentle reminder, student profile sheets (from Quickbase) should be printed and included in student folders/binders before leaving for summer break.

Great, 3-minute, Inspiration Video on the Importance of Reading to Your Children: This Youtube video is entitled, Father, Daughter Stay True to Reading Promise and would be perfect to share during a parent meeting, curriculum night, Literacy Night, or even sharing with your staff. Check it out! I may even share it during an upcoming Coordinator PD!

2013-2014 SY Budgets: Title budget allocations will be given to principals the afternoon of 4/12, along with staffing allocations. There is a very short, two week, turn around for staffing plans. Within this window, I will need to review and approve your Title budgets before staffing plans are submitted to HR. Bee has set aside some meeting time, the week of April 15, for budget meetings with principals. These meetings may be in person or over the phone; the meeting dates are below. PRINCIPALS if, for some reason, the below times do not fit your schedule, please let Bee know and she will work to find a more convenient time.

April 15th, 11:00-1:00
April 18th, 8:00-11:30
April 19th, 10:30-3:30

To assist in developing budgets, principals will receive some important information regarding guidance for Title I Coordinator responsibilities, minimum requirements for Title I Coordinators and some information regarding supplanting vs. supplementing. Please ask your principal for this information if you’d like to learn more. Also, please call ANY TIME with budget questions; I am here to help and want to assist in any way I can!

Below, please find a series of Summer School documents. Elementary Summer School runs from July 8-August 1. A new twist in the Summer School offering is a date change for the middle school program. NEW THIS YEAR, the middle school Summer Academy will run from August 5-August 28. Please be sure and let parents know of this date change as it no longer coincides with the elementary program.

SS Referral Process (this includes each school’s # of slots): Referral_Process 2013
SS Registration Form (coordinator includes esis #/parent completes remainder); DUE to Linda by 5/17: and SPANISH HERE Elem English SS Registration 2013
SS Incoming Data/Information Form (coordinator to complete); DUE to Linda by 5/17:
4J_Elem_Incoming Data 2013
SS Letter to Parents: 4J_Elem_SS_Parent Ltr (SPAN) 2013 and 4J_Elem_SS_Parent Ltr 2013

Note: Wes will send confirmation letters to parents!

CIP Letter for Parent Invitations: Attached, please find a copy of the Continuous Improvement Plan invitation letter to parents. The CIP meeting is scheduled for May 7, from 12:00-1:00, in the Ed Center Auditorium. Please invite one or two parents of students receiving Title services. LUNCH will be provided; perhaps this will be a selling point for attendance! CIP Invite Ltr 2013

Inventories: As a gentle reminder, Inventories are due no later than June 13 (before you leave for summer). Be sure and include any new apps that may have been purchased with Title funds; this is an easy one to forget! In addition, visa statements, receipts and/or PO’s associated with Title I purchases must be included with your inventory and a copy sent to Linda Hovey. Linda welcomes receipts any time ~ you do not need to wait until the end of the year to get these to Linda. Finally, if you’d like an electronic version of your inventory, Linda is happy to send you one; just let her know!

Due on May 13 are two documents related to professional development. As a reminder, please print a copy and send it to Penny. Be sure and include the name of your school at the top of the documents; thanks!
1) Professional Development questions pertaining to the 2012-2013 school year. The questions are attached for:
TAS: PD Question TAS 2012-2013
SWP: PD QuestionsSWP 2012-2013
2) A copy of your school’s professional development plan/activities for the current year. This is likely developed by Site Council and/or your principal.

Family Engineering and Parent Involvement:As a reminder, Mia Jackson will be hosting a 4-hour training, using the Family Engineering book as the framework for our time together. The training will run from 1:00-5:00 on May 13, immediately following the CIP meeting. Extended contract (at a rate of $34.50 per hour) will be offered for time spent beyond your regular hours. Each coordinator will receive a book. We will also have a drawing for the schools interested in hosting a demo, facilitated by Mia!! PRINCIPALS ARE INVITED, AND ENCOURAGED, TO JOIN THE TRAINING! You are also welcome to invite a parent (or 2) you feel could help lead/facilitate an event at your school. Please let Bee know if you plan on inviting a parent!

IMPORTANT: Parent/Family Involvement Input from Site Council: With spring just upon us, it’s time to begin gathering input from parents regarding Title services at your school. Attached, please find a set of questions for Site Council and the Eugene 4j Parent Involvement Policy. Coordinators and/or principals, please share the district policy AND bring these questions to an upcoming Site Council meeting and record feedback on the form.  Please return completed forms to Bee no later than Friday, May 10.
District Title I Parent Involvement Policy (English)
District Title I Parent Involvement Policy (Spanish)
Title I Site Council Parent Involvement Q’s Spring 2013

IMPORTANT: Parent/Family Involvement Survey: On April 1, an electronic Parent Involvement survey will be opened to your families. In TAS, surveys should be given to those families whose child is receiving Title services. In SWP, all families should be surveyed. The survey window closes May 10. Please do your very best to ensure as many families as possible take the survey; we truly value their input as we continually strive to improve. Attached are the questions that will be included in the survey; you will notice some changes. While our preference is that you conduct surveys, electronically, we realize this may limit access for some families. If this is the case, feel free to provide a hard copy to those families w/o Internet access. These copies should be returned to the Instruction Department, care of Bee, by May 10 as well. Annual Title I Parent Survey (spring 2013).

Here is a sample letter you are welcome to use when notifying your families of the survey. Feel free to customize to fit your individual school! Parent Invol Survey Ltr ENGL_SPAN

Survey Links:
English: Parent Involvement Survey ENGLISH
Spanish: Parent Involvement Survey SPANISH

PRINCIPALS ~ please mark the date to join your Extended Learning w/Technology Team, on May 7th, to view presentations on the learning/work teachers have been doing regarding the use of technology to support student learning in math and reading. We have focused primarily on ipod touch applications, google doc forms, and the use of Edmodo in the classroom. Presentations will run from 8:30 until approximately 10:00 and will be held in the auditorium.  Coordinators ~ attached, please find the expectations for developing your presentation. A reminder and expectations have been sent to the Extended Learning group, via Edmodo, as well. Ext Learning Presentation Expect. 12-13

Program Review Document: Completion of this document has been broken down into two parts in an attempt to make the work a bit more manageable. The first four sections of this document is due on April 15.  Be sure and include your Site Council in this process; you will want to speak to your administrator about getting on the SC agenda in the months ahead. Due to the enormity of the document, you may want to consider dividing the work over two SC meetings. Please find the documents below and on the 4j website.
Annual Title I Schoolwide Program Review 2013
Annual Title I Targeted Program Review 2013

10 Characteristics of a Highly Effective Learning Environment: This short article contains a list of 10 characteristics present in highly effective classrooms that can both validate current practice and serve as a reminder of those activities that increase classroom effectiveness. It’s worth checking out!

Deadlines on the Horizon for Compliance Documents:
NOTE ~ deadlines are aligned with Principal/Coordinator meetings
4/15:    Budget allocation for the 2013-2014 school year (I’ve moved this deadline out a month. Still, this may change, depending on when budget allocations are distributed)
4/15:    Program Review, sections 1, 2, 3 and 4 (I realized using letters rather than numbers caused some confusion; sorry)
4/15:    Budget allocations for the 2012-2013 school year
5/13:    Professional Development Questions for the 2012-2013 school year (see attached questions, above)
5/13:    Professional Development School and Title I Plan for the 2012-2013 school year
5/17:    Summer school registrations (send to Linda)
5/17:    Summer school information/data forms (send to Linda)
6/13:    Program Review, sections E-P (also referred to as sections 5-16) and your Inventory Sheets

Mark your Calendars:
4/15: Principal/Coordinators meeting; 2:00-3:30
5/7:  Extended Learning w/Technology PD; 8:00-11:15 for everyone; 8:00-1:00 for Coordinators. PLEASE INVITE YOUR ADMINISTRATOR TO JOIN US!
5/10:   Completed Parent Involvement Questions, from Site Council, due to Bee
5/10:    Parent Involvement Survey window closes and hard copies due to Bee
5/13: District CIP; 12:00-1:00 in auditorium – lunch is provided; INVITE YOUR PARENTS TO JOIN US!!!
5/13: Family Engineering & Parent Involvement Training; 1:00-5:00 (this is in lieu of the regularly scheduled Principal/Coordinators meeting). Principals and 1-2 parent reps are also invited; please let Bee know if parents will be joining us.

What’s New?

THE MARCH PRINCIPAL/COORDINATOR’S MEETING
HAS BEEN CANCELLED

2013-2014 Title I Budget: During my January visits to each of your schools, I shared a brief update on next year’s budget. This update included an anticipated 10% reduction in Title funding to school districts, in addition to some required “set aside” funds to support our Title schools in improvement (Priority/Focus). As a result, individual schools should expect reduced funding as well. Feel free to calculate a 10% reduction of your current budget for a rough estimate of what to expect next year. If the reduction is closer to 5%, this will be good news. Please know that final allocations will likely fluctuate from this 10% figure based on changes in your enrollment and F/R percentages (December 1 figures are used to determine Title I eligibility/allocations).

Title I allocations will be distributed in conjunction with HR staffing allocations, in April. The delayed distribution of allocations will result in a fairly swift turn around for determining Title budgets and staffing plans. To support you in this process, I will be setting up budget meetings with principals to review, and ultimately, approve school budgets.

Family Engineering and Parent Involvement Training with Mia Jackson: Thank you to those of you who completed the short survey inquiring about your interest in a training (there were 13 respondents). Eighty-five percent of respondents expressed an interest in having a training (11 out of 13). If you indicated a “no thanks”, and feel comfortable letting me know, please drop me a line.

Please mark your calendars for 5/13, from 1:00-5:00 for the training (this date/time received the most interest); this will take the place of our regularly scheduled Coordinator/Principal meeting on this same date. Extended contract will be offered, at a rate of $34.50 per hour, for time spent beyond your regular contract hours. PRINCIPALS are invited to attend and a book will be provided for each school!

Demo Event ~ four coordinators expressed an interest in hosting a demo event and seven coordinators would like to participate in the demo event to serve as further training. I will likely draw names to fairly select a school to host the event.

IMPORTANT: Parent/Family Involvement Input from Site Council: With spring just around the corner, it’s time to begin gathering input from parents regarding Title services at your school. Attached, please find a set of questions for Site Council and the Eugene 4j Parent Involvement Policy. Coordinators and/or principals, please share the district policy AND bring these questions to an upcoming Site Council meeting and record feedback on the form.  Please return completed forms to Bee no later than Friday, May 10.
District Title I Parent Involvement Policy (English)
District Title I Parent Involvement Policy (Spanish)
Title I Site Council Parent Involvement Q’s Spring 2013

IMPORTANT: Parent/Family Involvement Survey: On April 1, an electronic Parent Involvement survey will be opened to your families. In TAS, surveys should be given to those families whose child is receiving Title services. In SWP, all families should be surveyed. The survey window closes May 10. Please do your very best to ensure as many families as possible take the survey; we truly value their input as we continually strive to improve. Attached are the questions that will be included in the survey; you will notice some changes. Annual Title I Parent Survey (spring 2013)

PRINCIPALS ~ please mark the date to join your Extended Learning w/Technology Team, on May 7th, to view presentations on the learning/work teachers have been doing regarding the use of technology to support student learning in math and reading. We have focused primarily on ipod touch applications, google doc forms, and the use of Edmodo in the classroom. Presentations will run from 8:30 until approximately 10:00 and will be held in the auditorium.  Coordinators ~ attached, please find the expectations for developing your presentation Ext Learning Presentation Expect. 12-13

School Visitations Schedule for March/early April: If a conflict in your scheduled time arises, please contact Bee and she can work to find an alternative time for us to meet. PRINCIPALS ~ please join our meeting, if you can!! March_April Visitations 2013

Teaching Children in the Crisis of Poverty: You may recall Mary Walston (our presenter) mentioning a self-evaluation to help determine your teaching style ~ is your style more “oral” based or “print” based? As a reminder, we learned that students in poverty tend to be more “oral” learners. Attached is the short self-evalution from Mary; check it out!
Oral/Print Communication Self-Evaluation

Summer School: I am please to share that Wes Flinn will be serving as the Summer School Administrator again this year! Summer school allotments will be shared later this month, as an FYI. You can expect registration forms in mid-April with a return due date the first part of May (specific dates will determined as the time draws near). Stay tuned for more information in the weeks ahead!

Electronic Student Profiles: Matt and I had a chance to review the summary reports. I will bring these reports with me during my March/early April visits and share the findings with you! Overall, you are doing a very nice job of ensuring data is entered and current ~ keep up the great work!!

Collaborative Practice Lesson Study Teams: I trust all is going well and you are out of the starting blocks and moving forward with your lesson study. Please let me know if I can be of any support, any time!

Program Review Document: While work on this document may be a month away, I thought you would appreciate receiving the document sooner rather than later. This document can also be found on the 4j website. Completion of this document has been broken down into two parts in an attempt to make the work a bit more manageable. Be sure and include your Site Council in this process; you will want to speak to your administrator about getting on the SC agenda in the months ahead. Due to the enormity of the document, you may want to consider dividing the work over two SC meetings. Please find the documents below:
Annual Title I Schoolwide Program Review 2013
Annual Title I Targeted Program Review 2013

INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES!
Apps, Apps, and More Apps: Here are the apps Monica purchased for the Title 1 elementary iPod Touches:

• Freefall Money
• Freefall Spelling
• Freefall Time
• Mathmateer (Rocket Math)
• Starfall ABCs

I also received a list of apps (see link below) from an elementary principal (thanks, Joel) who stumbled upon it, by chance. The apps are not free and range from .99 cents to $7.99. Still, I think the list is worth a review, especially since reading comprehension has been a major focus of our work this year AND we are always looking for resources in this area.

Link to the apps from Joel:
15 Of The Best Educational Apps For Improved Reading Comprehension:
http://www.teachthought.com/apps-2/15-of-the-best-educational-apps-for-improved-reading-comprehension/

What is Reciprocal Teaching? Reciprocal teaching is a researched-based, comprehension strategy that is recommended for use with the English Language Arts CCSS.  Reciprocal teaching refers to an instructional activity in which students become the teacher in small group reading sessions. This process can be used in whole group, teacher-led small groups, and student-led small groups. Teachers model, then help students learn to guide group discussions using four strategies: summarizing, question generating, clarifying, and predicting. Once students have learned the strategies, they take turns assuming the role of teacher in leading a dialogue about what has been read.

• It encourages students to think about their own thought process during reading.
• It helps students learn to be actively involved and monitor their comprehension as they read.
• It teaches students to ask questions during reading and helps make the text more comprehensible.For more information on Reciprocal Teaching, go to:  http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Reciprocal_Teaching

Get the Gist Reading Strategy: Here are the templates Kathy shared at our last Coordinator’s PD; thanks, Kathy!
Get the Gist Template
Get the Gist Strategy

Somebody Wanted, But So Reading Strategy: Again, here is another strategy Kathy shared last month! Sombody Wanted But So

Close Reading Strategy: Here is a video link that illustrates a 5th grade teacher using a Close Reading protocol in his classroom; it’s great!:

Literature Books That Help Teach the Modes of Writing: I realize Title does not address writing, still…I thought this site would be worth sharing as there are reading resources available as well. Kathy has located a great website from the Ohio Resource Center which has a K-2 bookshelf.  When you go to the bookshelf press the strand button.  Each of the strands for the English Language Arts CCSS will appear. If you press writing tab, a group of books will appear on the bookshelf.  Choose a book, press on it, and a description, writing activities and related common core standards will appear.  Check it out!   There is also a collection on reading resources (information text)!

http://ohiorc.org/Literacy_K5/K2Bookshelf/default.aspx?filter=strand&strandID=4#browse

Deadlines on the Horizon for Compliance Documents:
NOTE ~ deadlines are aligned with Principal/Coordinator meetings
4/15:    Budget allocation for the 2013-2014 school year (I’ve moved this deadline out a month. Still, this may change, depending on when budget allocations are distributed)
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:
3/11:   Principal/Coordinator CANCELLED
4/15: Principal/Coordinators meeting; 2:00-3:30
5/7:  Extended Learning w/Technology PD; 8:00-11:15 for everyone; 8:00-1:00 for Coordinators. PLEASE INVITE YOUR ADMINISTRATOR TO JOIN US!
5/13: District CIP; 12:00-1:00 in auditorium; INVITE YOUR PARENTS TO JOIN US!!!
5/13: Principal/Coordinators meeting; 1:00-2:30

What’s New?

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed my visits with you during my Title travels in January. These visits provide me with an opportunity to connect with each of you, learn more about your successes, provide guidance, and offer my support/”pats on the back”. Keep up the terrific work you are doing to serve our most needy students; thank you!

Basal Alignment Project: Twenty-six new lessons have been added to the Basal Alignment Project library. The updated folders include HMH Collections, HMH Medallion/Reading, HMH Nation’s Choice, HMH StoryTown, HMH Trophies, MH Open Court, MH Treasures, and MH (CA) Treasures. More to come! As a reminder, you can locate the Basal Alignment Project by logging in to Edmodo. If you haven’t joined the BAP group, click on “join group” on the left side of the home page. A box will appear asking for a code. The code is: etuyrm

OAKS Information:
The testing window will open after spring break and will remain open until May 22.

Following the first administration of the test:

• Students who MEET will not be tested again unless parents have requested it (written request)
• Students who DO NOT MEET will be able to attempt the test again without parent permission

Growth Scores:

• For students who MEET on the first attempt, the growth score will be calculated from the 1st score & date
• If students DO NOT MEET on the first attempt and DO MEET on the second attempt, the growth score will be banked from the score that meets (and date)

Program Review Document: While work on this document may be a month away, I thought you would appreciate receiving the document sooner rather than later. This document can also be found on the 4j website. Completion of this document has been broken down into two parts in an attempt to make the work a bit more manageable. Be sure and include your Site Council in this process; you will want to speak to your administrator about getting on the SC agenda in the months ahead. Due to the enormity of the document, you may want to consider dividing the work over two SC meetings. Please find the documents below:

Annual Title I Schoolwide Program Review 2013
Annual Title I Targeted Program Review 2013

Agendas for Upcoming Meetings:
Title I Principal/Coordinator Meeting on 2/4 (2:00-3:30 in the auditorium):
Princ_Title Coord Mtg 020413A

The topic for the principal/coordinator’s meeting will be “Understanding Poverty and People Living in Poverty”. The presentation is based on the work of Dr. Donna Beegle, a national expert on poverty. The presentation will focus on the role of educators in addressing the poverty related issues that affect students and families. The presentation will be facilitated by Mary Walston, a certified poverty coach of the Communication Across Barriers organization. Attached is a video clip of an interview with Donna on Face to Face public television. The clip is 60 minutes, but even viewing a portion of the clip is very eye-opening. Face to Face with Donna Beegle

Extended Learning with Technology/Title I Coordinators Meeting on 2/12 (8:00 am in the auditorium): Ext. Learning_Title Coord PD 021213A

Websites for Instructional Resources Pertaining to Literacy and Math:
What Works Clearinghouse (click on practice guides). This site will provide valuable information on instructional strategies ~ don’t be overwhelmed at the size of the document; scroll down until you find the pages related to instructional strategies.

Florida Center for Reading Research (go to the instructional materials link on the right hand side). This site has lots of literacy lesson plans, including directions and worksheets.

A Marilyn Burns recommended read…I was at a recent conference at which Marilyn Burns was a keynote speaker. During her presentation she recommended the book, Classroom Discussions: Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn by Suzanne H. Chaplin. Here is an excerpt, from goodreads.com, describing the book:

“This exciting resource provides a unique look into the significant role of classroom discussions in mathematics teaching in grades 1 through 6. Five discussion strategies are introduced to help teachers strengthen students’ thinking and learning and help them build connections among mathematical ideas. A valuable outline is provided to help teachers get started using talk in the classroom, plan lessons, and deal with challenges. Two case studies are also included for further insight into how teachers can use talk effectively.”

LearnZillion: This site has online lessons for the CCSS in ELA and math. It can serve as a resource to help teachers better understand the standards: LearnZillion

Attached, please find a document containing LOTS of resources for Comprehension and Vocabulary!! Comprehension_Vocab Resource Sites

A Nugget: Adults can hold 5-9 “chunks” of information in our working memory before we are on overload. Students can hold 3-7 chunks and very young students can hold 1-3 chunks. Consider this when planning lessons and/or adult presentation!

FRIENDLY REMINDERS

All electronic student profiles should be current and up-to-date by the close of the month. As a reminder, Matt will be running a summary report that will allow us to review progress toward completion of the profiles, along with specifics regarding the type of information that is included in the profiles. I have complete confidence that each of you will have your profiles complete. Remember, we are experimenting with NOT printing profiles mid-year! We will assess the effectiveness of this new system to determine its continuation in the future.

Fraction Nation, FASTT Math, and Go Solve: If you need/want support with the networking or technical end of these programs, please contact Monica Thompson; thompson_mo@4j.lane.edu. Monica provides Title I TSS support on Tuesday and Thursday.

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

2/4:      Semi-annual certification and attestations
3/11:    Budget allocation for the 2013-2014 school year (this may change, depending on when budget allocations are distributed)
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:
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 CANCELLED
4/15: Principal/Coordinators meeting; 2:00-3:30
5/7:  Extended Learning w/Technology PD; 8:00-11:15 for everyone; 8:00-1:00 for Coordinators. PLEASE INVITE YOUR ADMINISTRATOR TO JOIN US!
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

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