Week of October 1st, 2012
Hi Awbrey Park Staff,
I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable weekend.
It seems as if most are settling in to a routine. It has been very enjoyable to read to your classes. This week I will shift to a more structured walk through experience. Through my course with Jon Saphier, I have learned a note taking strategy for observation called “literal note taking.” This week and next, I will be focused on using these techniques in classrooms when I do walk-through observations. If you are interested, I can share these notes with you and explain them. I am also happy to announce that Christina Powell will be my Jon Saphier/ Learning about Learning Partner for the year. We will be doing plenty of collaborative learning in her classroom throughout the year. Also, Pam Reynolds, Melissa Davies, the Student Council President, and myself will be attending the EEF Gala on October 9th.
Have an exceptional week.
Joel
Calendar:
Monday, Joel at TAG Training 8:00-11:30
Tuesday, Licensed Staff Meeting. Here is the October Staff Meeting Agenda.
Wednesday, Classified Staff Meeting- Medical Training with Robin Wellwood, Room 13
Thursday, Green Team Meeting
Friday, Awbrey Park PD Day #1
• October 5th Professional Development – Here is the agenda for Friday’s professional development. We’ll plan to meet in the Room 13 8:00-11:00. The topic in the morning will be Common Core Math Standards with Chris Castillero,. We will break for lunch at 11:00. Then, there will be an optional (use it for planning if necessary) training on iPad basics; setting up email, Zimbra cal sync, separating iTunes accounts, how to buy apps with district dollars, App use such as Pages and Keynote on the iPad, presenting with an iPad with Misty Forsman. Teachers, if you have an iPad, please bring it. Teachers, if you do not have an iPad, I strongly recommend you come to this meeting. Classified staff, you are also welcome to attend but if you do not attend the meeting, connect with your primary cooperating teacher about what you can be helping with during this time.
• Highlights of the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll on Public Schools – In this Kappan article, William Bushaw (of PDK International) and Shane Lopez (of Gallup) present the results of the 44th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll of American attitudes and beliefs about the public schools. See this link for some of the excerpts. It’s a mixed bag with some positive and some negative, but it’s certainly enlightening to know the public perception of schools.
• Leadership Plans – You may or may not have read Tad and Shelley’s email about changes to school Leadership Plans, but I wanted to let teachers know that we will be changing our plan and it will be the main topic of discussion at our October 2nd staff meeting. I have created some newer positions to support student achievement. The plans are a draft and we will begin to work collaboratively to make them workable and find the right teachers for each leadership position. I have tried to create positions which incorporate some of the tasks of previous plans and will share where those duties landed in the meeting. I will submit the plan on November 1st and will be working with staff over the next month.
• Free Tutoring on Saturdays for K-12 Students – Here’s a resource you can refer families to that you may or may not be aware of. The Back to School/Success in School program is a free tutoring/mentoring service that provides academic support for all students K-12 in all the core content areas. Tutoring sessions are held at the LCC Downtown Campus, 1059 Willamette Street, from 10-12 most Saturdays. I have been to them before and there is excellent support for students. There are no fees and registration is open throughout the year. For more information, families can contact Yvonne at 541.968.8551 or 541.285.1916 or their website. The BTS Invite will go out to families in this weeks’ Thursday/Monday folder.
• Building 4J’S Future: Community Forum on Monday – There was a pretty small turnout for the first community forum last week and the district is hoping to have more for the North Region forum this Monday. It’s Oct. 1st from 7:00-8:30 PM at the NEHS cafeteria if you can make it.
• Free UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History Classroom Programs – Aimee Valencia, the Museum Educator at the UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History, just let principals know about a new classroom visit program the museum is offering for 1st through 5th grade students. She is available to teach a selection of programs about Oregon history, biology, geography, culture, and scientific method in your classrooms for free. All programs are rooted in National and Oregon State Standards. For more information, see her letter or the registration form. If you have any questions about the free classroom program, contact Aimee at 541-346-5019.
Tags: Student Supports