Week of November 5, 2012
Hello Bulldog Staff,
It’s hard to believe we’re more than halfway to Winter Break! As you know, this week is a short week, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be intense. Take good care of yourself this week. If you need me to sit in on any conferences, I am very available. I will be working on projects in my office and in the gym during conference time. Do not hesitate to come ask me a question if you need assistance during conferences.
Schedule of Events for the Week
– Here are the events of note for the week:
Nov. 5 (M)
2:00-3:30, Joel and Melissa to Title 1 Meeting
3:45-6:00, Joel to Elementary Principal’s Meeting
6:30- 8:00 PTO Meeting in the staff room, Joel and Andrew will attend.
Nov. 6 (T)
Picture Retakes 10:00- 1:00 PM
Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:00- 8:00
Nov. 7 (W)
1:00- 1:30 PBIS and Jog-a-thon Celebration Assembly
Nov. 8 (H)
Parent Teacher Conferences 8:00 PM – 8:00 PM- No School
Nov. 9 (F)
Compensation Day- No School
Thanksgiving Classroom Reminder
– I get the feeling that Awbrey Park staff are pretty aware when it come to diversity issues, but with Thanksgiving coming up I wanted to remind teachers and staff to keep in mind that student conceptions of Native Americans often come from classroom activities around the First Thanksgiving. Many Native American misconceptions have been propagated. When planning activities, be aware that what most of us learned in school about the “Pilgrims” and “Squanto” and the “First Thanksgiving” is a mixture of both history and myth. Thanksgiving activities should avoid reinforcing historical myths and should also avoid stereotypes (ie. NO warbonnets!). It’s often best to shift the focus away from reenacting the “First Thanksgiving” and instead focus on items children can be thankful for such as; something in their own lives and on their families’ celebrations of Thanksgiving at home. One good resource on what to avoid and what to teach can be found at Education World. Here is a good article with a Native American perspective on Thanksgiving. Also, the 4J Natives Program is a resource that is available for classroom presentations and can offer an accurate picture of Native American culture.
Joel still available to teach
Feel free to contact me if you want to step out and watch another teacher teach. I am ready to
United Way Campaign
– We’ve received a total of 17 forms turned in for the annual United Way Campaign. I am waiting for Howard to finish their collection of forms. When they have finished their campaign, Allan and I will compare percentage of staff participation.
OAKS Clarification on the Read-Aloud Accommodation
– The following information came from Kerri Sage, the district OAKS Coordinator:
The Accommodations Manual emphasizes the process of determining appropriate accommodation use for students to be based on an assessment of individual student needs. With that being said, if a team hasn’t identified a specific student to need the read aloud accommodation, it should not be provided to the student while in the moment of testing. The read aloud accommodation applies to one word or many words and by pronouncing even one, it is considered an accommodation. So when a student asks, please pronounce this word, the TA may not do so unless the student has been previously identified as needing the read-aloud accommodation.
New Student Information System
–Next Fall the new student information system will be put in place. Synergy, the replacement for eSIS is currently being piloted. CIS has transferred their first set of data from eSIS to the new system. A general staff training will begin next calendar year and a training schedule is under development.
Real-World Lessons From Hurricane Sandy
– If you are interested in teaching resources connected to the recent hurricane, Ed Week provided several links on their blog. BrainPop also has a good section on hurricanes.
Teaching in the Age of Siri
– Although written from a middle school perspective, this article has some food for thought when it comes to using mobile technology with students. Much of this article easily translates into elementary student use of iPads or iPad minis. When a student can ask his or her smartphone or tablet basic math problems and get answers and explanations of how the answers were derived, it’s time for teachers to adjust their approach. In her “Powerful Learning Practice” blog post, middle-school teacher Marsha Ratzel writes that analysis and application of math-problem solutions must become the focus, moving beyond just the ability to solve equations.
Joel’s iPad Tip of the Week
– Here is a blog post from a teacher who has one iPad in his classroom. He uses it for a variety of instructional purposes. Please take a look at his ten favorite apps and how he uses them. His favorite apps are EVERNOTE, ITHOUGHTSHD , SKITCH, DROPBOX , VOICETHREAD , EXPLAIN EVERYTHING , SOCRATIVE , SKYPE and more. Check it out.
Five Reasons Why Teaching Is Still Great!
– Despite negative headlines about education, high-school English and digital-storytelling teacher Paul Barnwell offers five reasons that teachers should celebrate their profession. Teaching, he writes, provides the opportunity to take pride in small victories daily, focus efforts on what matters and use technology. Teachers also are not tied to their desks and have abundant opportunities for professional growth.
Have a great week, everyone!
Joel