https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=688
Hi Everyone,
It was a great first week of school and it was great to see our building full of life again as it filled up with students and families. You all make our school such a positive place for our kids and families (and for your co-workers).
Eight items of note for this week:
• September Math Professional Development – Attached is a flyer regarding a required math workshop for Gr. 1-5 classrooms teachers. The training is optional for Title and Special Education teachers. The flyer identifies what units to bring. Teachers need to get their subs as soon as possible. Use “math articulation” when using the AESOP.
• Bus Safety Mandatory Training – Just a reminder the state requires classroom teachers to teach students bus safety procedures before Winter Break. There are videos available on Learn360 and also on this 4J website, which meet this requirement if you show them to your class. Another option is to schedule a bus to come out during the school day and for a driver to give your class the training. I’m going to assume people are showing the videos unless you email me that you would like the driver led training. Let me know by Friday if the driver led training is your preference. Also, after you have done your training with your students, please email me the date and method you used to instruct your class in bus safety.
• easyCBM Log On Information – It is possible that the upload of new staff to easyCBM has reset the passwords of some staff members to the default setting. If this is the case, you should use your initials in lowercase (e.g. Allan Chinn = ac) followed by their 6 digit employee id (e.g. ac123456).
• Like a Guest Reader? Your Principal? – If you’d like to have a guest reader sometime this month, let me know and I’d love to come in to read a book to your class. I like the idea of being able to sit down in front of each class and get to know them and for them to get to know me outside of the cafeteria and hallways. I also love any excuse to share some of my favorite books. Just let me know a time and date you’d like me to visit and I’ll be there.
• One of My Goals this Year – I tell myself this every year, but I’m hoping to spend more time in classrooms this year. If I come in, please feel free to put me to work. I’m also happy to just sit back and watch students learn. And on a related note, please feel free to grab me if you ever have a volunteer cancel on you at the last minute and need someone to teach a reading group or lend a hand in some other capacity. I like to get my classroom fix from time to time.
• easyCBM Benchmark Assessment Guide – Downtown has had a number of requests for the reading benchmark assessment guide for the year, so here it is.
• Contact Me Quickly on iChat – If any of you use instant messaging, this is a quick and easy way for people to get a hold of me, which several staff members already use. If you do use iChat or other IM apps, my IM address allanchinn@mac.com Let me know if you’d like any help setting up your iChat or if you’d like help setting up an IM account if you don’t have one. If you don’t have an IM account, you can register for a free AIM account at this site.
• Project Based Learning Explained – A popular education buzz term right now is “Project Based Learning”, which is a highly engaging approach for teaching students. In this approach, students solve real world problems using critical thinking, collaboration with peers, and communicate their findings (all of which are how adults in the “real world” actually carry out much of their work). I’ve seen some teachers in our building using this method with students quite effectively and it’s a great approach for working with students. Here’s a link to a short article listing the key factors of a well designed example of PBL. Below is also a nice video with a clear explanation of PBL.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8[/youtube]
I hope you all had a relaxing weekend as we gear up for our first full week of classes.
Allan