Joel's Journal- A Weekly Bulletin Paulo Freire — Education transforms people. People transform the world.

November 25th, 2012

Post for the Week of November 26th

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had some quality rest and relaxation over the Thanksgiving break. We are now in full gear  before the last  four weeks of classes preceding Winter Break.

Schedule of Events for the Week –

Nov. 26 (M)

9:30-10:30, Joel to HR Meeting

1:45-2:10, Office Meeting with Melinda, Claire, and Vicki

3:00-3:20 Joel in pre-conference with a teacher.

3:20-4:00- Joel at IEP Meeting

Nov. 27 (T)

7:45-8:20- Joel in a CLD support meeting with Karen Apgar for new students.

1:00-2:00 Joel doing formal observation.

3:00-4:30, Site Council in Room 13

4:30- Joel to an admin meeting in Sheldon region.

Nov. 28 (W)
7:45-8:45 Meeting at ESS with Amy Tidwell

11:00- Formal Observation of a teacher.

3:00-4:00 Data Meeting K-2

Nov. 29 (H)
3:00- Pre-conference with a teacher.

Nov. 30 (F)

9:00- 12:00 iPad Mini Triad Pilot Planning Meeting with Principals, Downtown

2:00 3:30- Joel meets the new “Taking It Up” graduates at the Auditorium for equity planning.

Final Call for United Way Pledge Forms – Do you have a lingering United Way Pledge form that you forgot to turn in? This week is the last week that Howard and Awbrey Park are competing for the Jamba Juice competition. I know we had record turn out for this but I thought I would make one final pitch just in case. We should know by next week who won (and which principal will have to pay).

Math Walk-Through – Principals were recently given a math walk-through protocol that I am planning to use over the next few weeks. In addition, Beth and Jamie will be meeting next week to brainstorm possible supports in math throughout the year. This document was intended as an admin walk through protocol,  but it can also be used by teachers for planning and self-evaluation.

Earthquake/Fire Drill Rescheduled for Tuesday at 9:00 – We have no rain forecast for Tuesday. We will try again. Remember that this will be an earthquake drill first, then evacuation drill.

January 7th PD Day –  I have been working with several staff members to plan the January PD at Awbrey Park on January 7th. The PD day is 8:00-2:00. The 2 hours of furlough time will commence at 2:00.  We will have a Technology Update session in the morning that will include more iPad training and a chance for teachers to work on blogs or update their websites. Later, after an early lunch, we will have a 1/2 hour session run by Beth and Jamie on math Common Core and to share some material from their Math Leadership Meetings. There will also be a  1/2 hour session by Lindsay, our literacy leader,  about the Common Core ELA. Lindsay will show us what is coming with the ELA Smarter Balance assessments and we will have a discussion about next steps for ELA CCSS preparations.

UO International Cultural Presentations for Classrooms – The International Cultural Services Program is once again making their student ambassadors from across the globe available for the 2012-2013 school year. Since the program’s inception almost 30 years ago, ICPS participants have brought cultural diversity to our community through group presentations, panel discussions, and demonstrations of regional dance, music, food and many other forms of cultural expressions. This program is K-12 and is offered free of charge. If you would like to invite an international student to speak to your class, please contact ICSP at (541) 346-1333 or at icsp@uoregon.edu. More information can also be found on the ICSP website.

Junior Achievement Classroom Presentations – Junior Achievement has offered free classroom presentations K-12 that help students envision the possibilities of what they can be by helping them see the value of staying in school. Their interactive curriculum engages and excites students, leading to stronger critical thinking and decision making skills and more confidence. A volunteer from the local business community would present once a week for five weeks, but they can offer a different schedule if you prefer. If you would like more information see the attached overview sheet describing the topics by grade level and also the presentation request form.

Education Research Resource – Here’s an interesting resource I just recently learned about. The Ask A REL Reference Desk service at REL Northwest functions much the same as a technical reference library. They provide educators, policymakers, and community members with prompt, authoritative resources, customized to individual needs. I haven’t used this myself, but I do know others around the district that have used it and have had a pretty fast turnaround, with useful information. Those who’ve used it said it’s been helpful when they need research on a given topic, but don’t have a lot of time to do the research themselves.

Stopping Small Classroom Cruelties Before They Escalate to Bullying – Here is a nice one page article that emphasizes the importance of stopping “gateway behaviors” before they become full blown bullying behaviors. The author encourages teacher to Take time to notice, Assess what you’re seeing, Respond immediately and to Be assertive but respectful.

Have an awesome week, everyone!

Joel

November 18th, 2012

Blog post for November 19

Hi Staff,

We are so close to Thanksgiving. This will be a short week with a chance to rest and be with family on Thursday.

Week at a Glance

November 19

8:30-11:00 Elementary Counselor Meeting- Kristen out

11:15-12:15 Support meeting for a kinder

2:30-5:00 Elementary Principal meeting downtown.

November 20

9:00 Earthquake/Fire Drill Tuesday Morning

3:45-4:45 New Principal meeting downtown.

November 21

10:15-11:15  Joel teaches in Beth’s Class

November 22
No School -€” Thanksgiving Break

November 23
No School -€” Thanksgiving Break

 

 EEF Grants Awarded to Awbrey Park

The Board of Directors of Eugene Education Foundation is pleased to announce that Joel Lavin’s “EEF-Funded Oregon Battle of the Books” grant request was funded for $500 on November 14th! Also funded were the grants “Bilingual Artist-In-Residence” for $500, “Math License IXL Software” for $2000 and “Elementary Exploring Interest Groups” for $2000.

Across 4J, EEF awarded over $200,000 in grants for students. Additional grants will be made through December 31 as additional gifts arrive and make them possible.

The Eugene Human Rights Commission is Currently Accepting Nominations for Youth Awards

The Human Rights Commission needs your assistance in choosing the recipient of the 2012 International Human Rights Award for outstanding youth in Eugene. On December 10, International Human Rights Day, the City of Eugene and Commission will recognize three youth who are engaged in human rights work in the classroom and outside in the community. The individuals selected for this award may be nontraditional or traditional students in enrolled in elementary, middle and high school.  They will be honored for their human rights work in our community . Peer nominations are highly encouraged for this award.

Here is the online application link.

Nominations are due by 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 13. This form can be emailed to ehrcenter@ci.eugene.or.us<mailto:ehrcenter@ci.eugene.or.us> , mailed to the Equity and Human Rights Center, 99W. 10TH, Suite 116 Eugene, OR 97401; or you may fax it to 541-682-5221. If you have any questions please call Chuck Crockett at 541-682-5177.

The Importance of Math and Science

Here I go getting on my soap box again.  In case you did not know, I am a former science teacher. The skills in math and science are very important to children growing up today. Many times you hear about how we don’t know about the jobs of the future. Well, we do know that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Skills will get them well prepared for those jobs. I would wager that our students will be better off if we prepare them well for these with STEM skills for those professions. Here is a nice infographic that shares some vital statistics about this big issue in the education field. edutopia-stw-mc2STEM-infographic

The 8 Teaching Skills

Here is an article I have read a few times in the last month that still has resonance for me. I really like the way that these 8 skills come up again and again in our classrooms. I am posting this as a reminder to how important your jobs are to the children we serve.  If anything, read it to yourself as an affirmation to the good work you do with our Awbrey Park students.

The Strive for the Struggle not the Answer

Many of our Intermediate teachers learned about math and the common core.  One topic that came up was the differences between Eastern and Western Cultures in learning math.  Read this article to learn more about Eastern vs. Western Math Emphasis.

Earthquake/Fire Drill Tuesday Morning

There will be a fire drill Tuesday morning at 9:00. The earthquake sound will endure for 30 seconds. Then you will hear the evacuation sound at which point you should leave classrooms.

Reminder:  After School Supervision Duty

The last few weeks I have been trying to get out to the sidewalks and the driveways to keep an eye on drivers and ensure a safe passage home for our students. Thankfully, we have a great volunteer who is here rain or sine at the staff lot helping out.  One area which I noticed needs more supervision is the bus zone.  It is important that all or our teachers are out in force managing bus boarding. I know that many students need support in classroom at the end of the day but our priority when the bell rings is student safety.  Please do your part and help out.

My Common Core Page

I have added a new page to by blog called “Common Core”  On this page you will find a variety of web links that lead you to valuable common core information. Lindsay Gietter will be sharing more details about some of the links in our December 5th staff meeting.

 

 

November 11th, 2012

Week of November 12th

Hi All,

I hope everyone had a nice three-day weekend.

Schedule of Events for the Week

Nov. 12 (M)
Veterans Day – No School
8:00-5:00, 4J Planned Network Outage

Nov. 13 (T)

7:30-8:00, Amy Tidwell visit to Awbrey Park

8:30-9:15, Joel teaching in Mrs. Grace’s Kindergarten

8:00-11:30, Grade 3 Understanding Rigorous Mathematical Content PD (Ed Center)

3:00-4:00, Licensed Staff Meeting

4:00- 8:00, Joel at Equity Committee Retreat

Nov. 14 (W)

9:30-10:00, Joel visits a Title 1 group to see Score 4 in action.

11:00-11:50, Joel teaching in 3rd grade for Mrs. Brittenham

2:30-3:00, Pre-observation meeting

3:00-4:00, School-wide Data Meeting

Nov. 15 (H)

8:00-11:30, Grade 4 Understanding Rigorous Mathematical Content PD (Ed Center)

9:15-9:45, Joel teaches  in Mrs. Grace’s kindergarten

2:45-4:00, Optional iPad Training with Misty Forsman

Nov. 15 (F)
8:00-11:30, Grade 5 Understanding Rigorous Mathematical Content PD (Ed Center)

3:00-4:00, PBIS Meeting in Room 13

3:45-5:00 Joel meets administrator PLC downtown.

PLC Opportunity:

Building Reps for Formative Assessment PLC – Schools will be sending teams of one K-2 teacher, one 3-5 teacher, and one intervention specialist (preferably a Learning Center teacher) to attend three sessions in a professional learning community on formative assessment. Guest teachers will be provided and teachers will receive the book, Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It Right-Using It Well. A description and dates are below and in the attached flyer. If you are interested in being the K-2, 3-5 or intervention specialist rep, please let me know by the end of the week.

K-5 Classroom Assessment for Student Learning PLC

Using Formative Assessments:

• Teachers will acquire a deeper understanding of the standards
• Teachers will collaboratively create formative assessments that provide feedback on the identified learning target
• Teachers will use formative assessments to develop clear learning targets in order to develop/adjust an instructional plan that ensures all students are successful in meeting rigorous state standards.

Book:

Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It Right-Using It Well

Building Teams:

K-2 rep, 3-5 rep, and a Learning Center teacher (or other intervention specialist)

Dates:

Session 1: 12/11- 8:00-11:30 (Auditorium)

Session 2: 2/27- 8:00-11:30 (Auditorium)

Session 3: 4/23- 8:00-11:30 (Auditorium)

Title 1 Collaborative Practice Opportunity:

Melissa and I heard from Suzy Price this week about a new opportunity for collaborative practice in the district.  We can apply for a collaborative practice project as a school. Two or three teachers can do work on a topic related to math or reading instruction in Title schools.  The group will be compensated for the collaborative time put into the work. The application needs to be submitted in mid-December. Collaborative work will begin in January. The collaborative team will be doing a presentation of their findings to other collaborative teams in the Spring. Contact Joel or Melissa if you would like to be involved in this.

Licensed Staff Meeting Agenda:

3:00- Thankful Connections- 5 minutes

3:05- Dr. Reynolds on Daily 5 and Cafe Formative Assessment Strategies- 10 minutes

3:15- 504 Regulations Review- Joel reviews rules of 504 and where to find the slideshow for more details.- 5 minutes

3:20- Joel on TAG Coordination and the Zip Train Modules on differentiation. 10 minutes

3:30- Two discussion topics: Reflecting on the conferences, Give feedback the Site Council’s work on Vision and Mission- 25 minutes

3:55- Recap the discussion and meeting adjourned.

Planned 4J Network Outage – If you are reading this before Monday morning, remember that the 4J network will be down from 8:00AM-5:00PM on 11/12 for upgrades.

OSPIRG Energy Service Corp Classroom Presentations – OSPIRG is a student-directed nonprofit at the University of Oregon and are offering free educational presentations for students K-5 that focus on the value of conserving energy and promoting active environmental stewardship. If you are interested in a classroom presentation, see the email I was sent last week and contact Thuy Ann Nguyen (thuyann.nguyen@gmail.com). You can also find out more at energyservicecorps.org and ospirgstudents.org.

Joel’s Tech Tips:

4J Minecraft:  I’m not sure if you are familiar with Minecraft or not, but it’s a first person sandbox indie video game that is focused on creativity and building, allowing players to build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D world. 4J has their own educational Minecraft server that is now operational. It can only be reached from computers within 4J net. The address of the server is mc-1.4j.lane.edu. If you are interested in starting a project with Minecraft or a club, contact Peter Tromba (tromba@4j.lane.edu).

iPad Tips: Here is a beginners blog post  on using iPads in the classroom which considers several management issues.  There is a slide show at the end of the post which includes over 100 ideas on using iPads for education. There are tips that range from increasing reading fluency to using your iPad as a smart board to an IEP writing checklist.  Check it out. Below is an infographic that shares several apps you may already be familiar with and some more advanced apps. I like the way the author organizes the apps into three categories: consume, collaborate and produce.

November 4th, 2012

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

October 28th, 2012

Week of October 29th, 2012

Hello staff,

I want to take a moment to recognize how hard you are all working. I know it was difficult to shift our collaborative practice/ PE/ Music time to April. I appreciate everyone’s positive attitude and flexibility on this. I know that student behaviors are up too. The grace and patience you all use with our neediest students continues to amaze me. Thank you all for your hard work with our little bulldogs! It has not gone unnoticed. As we prepare for the week ahead do no hesitate to give a fellow teacher or staff member a nice thought about their hard work. We are a great team. Take the time to recognize each other for our amazing work.

 

Schedule of Events for the Week

Here are the events of note for the week:

Oct. 29 (M)

7:30-8:30 IEP Meeting in the Conference Room
9:30-9:45 Office Meeting
10:15- 11:30 Kristen going on 5th Grade Field Trip to Lone Pine
10:30- 12:00 Joel meeting with Sara Cramer at District Office

Oct. 30 (T)

10:30-11:15 Joel teaching in Christina’s class.
3:00-4:00 Optional WordPress Blog Training by James and Joel in Room 13
3:00-4:00 IEP Meeting in Jason’s Room in Room 26

Oct. 31 (W)

11:15  Joel in meeting with Brianna Stiller and team about First Steps Program for a student.

Nov. 1 (H)

8:30- 12:30 Joel at 504 Training Meeting in the 4j Auditorium
1:00-2:00 Joel meeting with Allan Chinn at Awbrey Park
2:30-3:45 Joel to Camas Ridge for ESS meeting on regional programs.
4:00-5:30, Joel to All Admin Meeting with Greg Darnieder, Sr. Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Nov. 2 (F)
3:00-4:00 Data Meeting Consults in Room 13.

Thank you to the CLCB team and supporting classroom teachers! 

The past few weeks many of our students have needed high levels of support. Our CLCB staff has risen to the challenge.  They have been very creative and innovative in how they have helped some of our neediest students get access to their learning. I wanted to take a moment to give Jason, Brenda, Jeremy, Jill, Kristen, Didi, Barb, Terri, Cathy, Christina, Arwen, and our office staff a big thank you. Your patience and ingenuity helps our neediest students make incremental progress each day. Thank you for believing in them!

Joel available to teach

The district might have shifted our collaborative time to April, but that won’t stop me from helping you support each other’s learning! To gain a deeper understanding of teaching in elementary, I would like to volunteer to teach in your classroom for 30-40 minutes. I have done one lesson in Christina’s classroom and am planning another this Tuesday. Would you like to spend 30 minutes observing another teacher or planning one of your own lessons using John Saphier methods? Would you like to watch a math lesson taught by one of our math leaders? I am happy to teach for you so you can do this kind of work. Send me a date and time that may work or you. And yes, this is k-5. Bring it on kindergarten!

WordPress Training

James and I will lead a WordPress training for staff on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 in Room 13. We will go over the basics of how to create a blog and the simplicity of this web based program. We will help you understand the differences between WordPress and iWeb to help you decide on using one or both systems.

Planning Parent – Teacher Conferences

Some reminders for Parent/Teacher Conferences next week:

  • Free & Reduced Meals Applications – We can still remind families about renewing and resubmitting the free & reduced meals applications if they have not done so already. Due to NCLB laws, we cannot know which students are and are not currently enrolled in the program, so it would be very helpful if teachers can remind all families about renewing and/or signing up, which will help our school and district receive more Title 1 funds in the future. Applications are available in the office if you want to have some on hand during conferences. Right now we are hovering around 60%  of  students that served in the cafeteria under the lunch program.

• Parent/Student/Teacher Compacts – If you have not done so already, be sure to complete your Parent/Student/Teacher Compacts for all students. These are available in the office. Each student must have a completed compact kept on file with Melissa.

• TAG Plans – For teachers with TAG identified students, conferences are the best time to review TAG plans with families and have them sign off of on this year’s plan. Please see me if you have any questions regarding TAG plans.

• Joel Available at Conferences – It’s not for another week, but I wanted to let teachers know that I am available to sit in on any conferences that you’d like me to attend. Just let me know a date and time and I’ll get it on my calendar. A couple of teachers have already expressed interest in this.

• Parent Teacher Conference Tips – With conferences coming up soon, here’s a good, though rather thick article from ASCD about parent/teacher conferences. If you wade through the article it does have some nice tips for teachers to keep in mind when conducting conferences. I listed the main points here for you to save time.

• Listen well, regardless of the situation.
• Balance constructive critiques with positive comments about the student.
• Make parents feel welcomed and relaxed. Parents are not on their turf; they may feel anxious or nervous.
• Inform parents that you, the teacher, will take notes during the conference so you can carefully address each of their concerns.
• Be cool and calm in everything you say and do. Your tone of voice and mannerisms can escalate or deescalate parent-teacher interactions.
• Be deliberate and realistic in what you promise a parent. Remember that you cannot feasibly call or e-mail several parents or caregivers every day.
• Collect data on what you say. Take note of how many questions you ask, how often you offer the parent encouragement, and how often you emphasize the ideas or suggestions that the parent brings to the conference.
• At all costs, do not use your authority as a teacher as a means of forcing your point of view.
• Interact with parents or caregivers to learn more about the student and to understand how the parent has been successful or unsuccessful with that student at home.
• Understand your role as a teacher and have a working knowledge of how other school professionals can support parents and students. Generic referrals to “seeing a guidance counselor” are not always necessary or appropriate.
• Conduct the conference in a warm, enthusiastic, and professional way. Teachers who appear apathetic, aloof, or begrudging will seldom foster successful relationships with parents and caregivers.

Jog-a-thon Assembly Celebration

We need to have a planning meeting for an upcoming assembly to celebrate the jog-a-thon. Believe it or not, our school has raised over $7600 with the pledges. This is an amazing feat. It may seem late, but this event could also be combined with some PBIS recognition of students. There will be an assembly planning meeting at 7:30 on Tuesday the 30th.   In this brief meeting we will lay out the date and what students to we plan to recognize. It should not take more than 20 minutes. If you cannot make the meeting please send me input on the date and time of the assembly.

Eugene Symphony Opportunity

The Orchestra Sings – As part of Link Up, a national program of the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, the Eugene Symphony will be offering an elementary youth concert that guides students through an interactive exploration of melody in music, singing along with the Eugene Symphony on tunes such as “Ode to Joy” and “Simple Gifts”. Registered classroom teachers will receive curriculum materials created by Carnegie Hall to assist in preparing students for the concert. There is a per student fee to attend. classes at Awbrey Park should qualify for a scholarship and we should also qualify for free transportation. If you are interested in attending, register by calling (541) 687-9487 ext. 116.

 “Taking it Up” Staff Opportunity

There will be an opportunity coming soon for any staff members interested in attending “Taking it Up” who have not already attended. The two-day seminar will be offered twice this year; November 29th & 30th and February 21st & 22nd. Downtown is paying all of the registration fees and I will be paying for substitutes if any of you would like to attend this excellent two-day experience. Two graduate credits will also be available. For those not familiar with “Taking it Up”, it is a provocative seminar focused on helping educators, school board leaders, and community members deepen their understanding of the institutionalized racist barriers that hinder elimination of Oregon’s racial achievement gap. This focus on working from the inside out will challenge participants to step out of their comfort zone and create new entry points for becoming aware of, understanding, and interrupting inequitable policies and practices in our schools. Please let me know by November 9th if you would like to attend this high quality and challenging workshop. We can commit to two or more staff members to go this Fall and the building will cover your substitutes.

Happy Halloween!

Joel

October 21st, 2012

Post for the Week of October 22

Dear  AP Staff,

I hope you all have a good start to the week. I know it will be a busy one. I will be at a conference in Bend to start the week which focuses on leadership in  the following areas, common core, school improvement goal tools, coaching in the classroom, strategic planning and focusing a school’s improvement efforts. I promise to share much of what I learn in the coming weeks. You can always reach me by cell phone or via email if you have any ?’s Many administrators are aware I will be out and have promised to be there for you if necessary or to talk by phone. I will be back in the building by Tuesday at 3:00.

Our leadership plan is shaping up well. I have gotten some edits and commitments from potential leaders to take on the positions. Wednesday we will have time to vote and discuss the changes to the plan. I will try and share the edits with you tomorrow night after the last of my conference sessions so you can be well prepared for our vote Wednesday.

We have raised over $6,250 through the jog-a-thon! Way to go! Please remind students to bring in their pledge forms and envelopes. We are getting closer to our 8,000 dollar goal.

What’s happening this week?

Oct. 22 (M)

Joel at COSA conference.  Kay Mehas (HR) and Alicia Kruska (Madison) #541-790-4300 available to support Monday and Tuesday. Kay will be at the John Saphier Meeting but can answer calls throughout the day. Contact Melinda if you need her phone #.

Oct. 23 (T)

Joel at COSA Conference until noon. Returns to AP for Site Council.
3:00-4:00, Site Council in Room 13.

Oct. 24 (W)
3:00-3:15- Short staff meeting to vote on Leadership in room 13.
4:00-6:00 Wednesday Forum with Jon Saphier (Feedback to students: frequent, timely, non-‐judgmental, and useful.)

Oct. 25 (H)

In the afternoon after lunch, Fire Drill- Weather dependent.

504 meeting 3:00-4:00 Barb Stock’s student in the conference room.

5:00-8:00, Carl’s Jr. North Region Homeless Student Fundraiser

Oct. 26 (F)
8:00- 12:00- Kay Mehas in the building to shadow Joel.

 

• Fire Drill, Thursday in the afternoon.– If we have rain on Thursday then we will push it back to Friday in the afternoon.

Opportunities:

The UO Field experience email I sent out earlier in the week had many interested teachers replying to me.  I will be in contact with them on Monday to see how many practicum students we can place in our building this winter.

This Thursday is the Carl’s Jr. Homeless Fundraiser. I will be there in the evening after I have had dinner with family. Kristen may be there as well. It would be great to show our support for this worthwhile program for our neediest students in the North region. Please consider coming even if it is only for a half hour.

Planning assemblies:

I would like to plan a Jog- a- thon Celebration assembly for the week of the 29th in the morning. Please contact me by email if you would like to contribute to ideas. This will be a whole school assembly.

I would like to set a date for other assemblies as well. Perhaps students can demonstrate some of their musical talents from the fall session with Jeneatte and/or we can have a school wide PBIS booster/ celebration. Please contact me if you have ideas on these possible events or would like to  help organize them.

United Way Drive:

Right now we have at least 12 pledges turned in by staff. I know that Howard is aware of the competition. I do not know if we are in the lead but I would guess we are since we had a head start. Check in with Arwen or Joanne to see what our latest numbers are. Thank you all who have donated to this fund. We Live United at Awbrey Park!

Have a great week everyone and let’s stay dry!

Joel

October 14th, 2012

Week of October 15th, 2012

Hi Awbrey Park Staff,

Fall is really upon us. Our extra Summer days are now a thing of the past. The Jog A Thon was a huge success for our students and staff. The excitement and participation of our students and families was very encouraging. In the coming week we should find out more about the fundraising efforts. PTO will be putting up a thermometer in the front office and will help us get pledges back and count up totals. Have a positive week and focus on what is best for your students.

 

Joel’s Schedule for the Week

Oct. 15 (M) 9:00-9:30 Weekly Office Meeting
2:30-5:30, Joel to Elementary Principal’s Meeting
Oct. 16 (T)
3:00-4:00, TLT Meeting
Oct. 17 (W)
10:00-11:30 Joel doing Technology Tour with Kim K. and Peter T. at Awbrey Park
11:30-12:00, Joel to All Admin Meeting with Rudy Crew at Chavez
Oct. 18 (H)
8:00-3:30, Joel and Christina to Learning About Elementary Learning (LEL) Network at Edison
9:00-12:00 5th Graders (Stock and Moore) to Mt. Pisgah.
Oct. 19 (F)
Kinders to River’s Turn Farm AM and PM

Leadership Roles– I have discussed the various roles with several candidates. We have shifted the positions to put more support in Math. We will run a short staff meeting to vote for the candidates and get staff approval on Wednesday, October 24th from 3:00-3:15.

  • State Report Cards – Here is the a link to the latest state report cards. We will take a closer look at the Awbrey Park report at our Site Council Meeting on the 23rd.
  • Math Professional Development Calendar 2012-2013 (K-5 and Specialists) – Teachers should have received an email on this, but in case it got buried in your inbox, attached is a math workshop flyer containing the dates for all of the required math trainings this year, which are being done by grade level. Specialists are required to choose either the K-2 or 3-5 series of workshops for the year. For example, if you attend the K-2 workshops, you will need to choose one grade level in October, January, and May for a total of three workshops. Awbrey Park staff are to use the AESOP code “Title One” for these trainings. Also take note of the On-going (optional) Math PD for 2012-2013 on the last page of the flyer.
  • Izzy’s Academic Achievement Awards and Free Pizza Parties – Izzy’s is offering free customized award certificates to use as incentives in classrooms. If you would like to order award certificates or need additional information, please contact Heather Long at Izzy’s corporate office by phone (541) 926-8693 ext. 227 or by email at heatherl@izzyspizza.com. Izzy’s also said they would provide pizza’s for class celebrations. They didn’t provide a lot of details, but wrote, “Need a reward in your classroom for a job well done, meeting a goal, or completing a big project? We’ll provide the fresh hot pizza, you provide the praise and fun! Call today! Ask for Keith at (541) 249-1212.”
  • Carl’s Jr. North Region Fundraiser – The NERA (North Eugene Retirees Association) board is holding a fundraiser for North homeless students at Carl’s Jr. on October 25th, 5 PM to 8 PM.This is a great opportunity to help North Region Families in need. They are looking for volunteers from each North region school to come and serve as greeters and general supporters. Let me know if you’d be able to volunteer and the approximate times you could be at Carl’s. I will be at this event if anyone wants to join me.
  • OEIB Community Forum on School Funding, Wednesday, 6-8:00 PM, UO Ford Alumni Center, Giustina Ballroom – Unhappy with the state of education funding? Here’s a chance to have some say. The Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) will hold seven community forums and a webinar at which stakeholders can provide input and feedback on education funding. The Eugene forum will happen this Wednesday. See this announcement for details.

Have a super week!

Principal Joel

October 7th, 2012

Week of October 8th, 2012

Hello Awbrey Park Staff,

We have a short week ahead of us again with much to accomplish. Friday is a Furlough Day for Classified, Certified and Administrative staff. I will be in classrooms at times this week  and working with staff on goals.

I will also be meeting with individuals to talk through our leadership plan. I strongly encourage you to give input in person or by email if you have ideas on the plan. I see it as a flexible document designed to help us make progress on important instructional initiatives in our building.  An example of this is the tech coordinator position. If you are interested in the coordinator position, then tell me how you would lead in that position and what you see as the most important activities. I am open to changing it, but desire strong leadership in that area.

Joel’s Schedule for the Week –

  • October 8 (M) 2:00-3:30, Title 1 Principal & Coordinator Meeting,  4:00-8:00, Equity Committee Retreat
  • October 9 (T) 3:00-4:00 PBIS Meeting in Rm. 13, 6:00-9:00, EEF Gala Event at LCC with Melissa, Pam, and Taylor, our student Council President
  • October 10 (W) 8:00-1:40 Observations, goal meetings, and teaching throughout the day, School-wide Data Meeting, 3:00-4:00
  • October 11 (H) 8:30-3:00, Jog A Thon Day, Joel to meeting downtown at 4:00 PM.
  • October 12 (F) Furlough Day for Administrators- Not working or answering email.

 

 iPad Challenge – Thank you to all the teachers who came to the workshop on Friday to learn about their new iPads. I was impressed with everyone’s enthusiasm. Also, thank you again to Barb, Christa, and Jamie for all the hard work that brought these iPads to our building. I will be attempting to use my iPad for the remainder of the month to do most computing activities. I think I am going to join Pinterest and use it on my iPad too! I encourage you to discover your iPad yourself and take the challenge. Your iPad has the latest version of Pages on it. This makes all iPads compatible with the newer versions of Pages, a previous challenge for some employees in the building. Consider doing your newsletter, website, or other teacher activity from your iPad. And by all means, have fun with it (including for personal enjoyment too). Try out new free apps and share which apps you find useful with your colleagues. This is the best way to learn. One thing I have found about technology is that growth and learning happens when we are social about our technology learning

Huge Visible Thinking Resource: As you may have figured out, visible thinking teaching practices are not new. Harvard School of Education has a small organization called Project Zero. They have built extensive website that explains visible thinking routines and lay out specific steps to transform your classroom at kinder- 12th grade levels.

SPLASH! Program 2012-13 – SPLASH storm water education curriculum is for each grade level from kindergarten through 8th grade. “Salmon and the Ecosystem” continues the curriculum in grades 5-12 with an emphasis on salmon and its role in our area’s ecosystem, economy and culture. Attached is an SPLASH-flyer2012. It includes contact information for new or replacement materials. All materials are free to teachers in Eugene and participating schools will receive a grant of $1,000. Let Melinda or I know if you are interested in the program and we will get you registered.

Oregon Spellers – Attached is a Speller Brochure and information on Oregon Spellers. This is a spelling bee type competition that may appeal to gifted readers and gifted children in general.

Staver Dance Sport Field Trip – A local ballroom dance studio, StaverDanceSport, is offering schools a free field trip on weekdays, from 9:30-11:30 or 1:20-2:30. The trip includes a lesson in Waltz, Cha Cha and Tango and is intended to give the students a chance to really experience Ballroom Dancing in a professional studio. Visit their website or call at (541) 746-6268 for more information or to set up a field trip.

Thank You, Teachers! – And if you’d like a more inspiring of video, Friday was UNESCO World Teachers’ Day, which YouTube used as an opportunity to feature the stories of teachers worldwide who open doors. One of the features was highlighting videos of celebrities talking about their most inspiring teachers. Thank you again for your valuable work in the world.

Have an inspirational week!

Joel

September 30th, 2012

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.

September 24th, 2012

NPR Article on Expectations

Here is a link to an article which some of you may have heard on NPR last week related to a famous study of expectations in 1964.

 

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