Hello Everyone,

I can't believe that the third quarter is behind us and we are moving fast into Spring. There are many things that we need help with in preparation for the districts summer activities.

Summer Curriculum Development
Most of you are probably aware of the district does not have the funding to pay teachers to work on curriculum development all summer as was the case last year. So this year teachers can be compensated for up to five days of curriculum development. The first three (3) days will be paid at the per diem rate by getting credit for those days as professional development for the 2009/10 school year. The other two (2) days will be paid at the curriculum rate. Teachers are more than welcome and encouraged to attend as many days as they wish but the district can only compensate teachers for the five (5) days outlined above. We are asking that teachers register for weeks that they plan on attending so that we have an idea of how many people to expect. Registering does not imply the requirement that teachers have to attend all days or that teachers cannot come in during weeks in which they are not registered. There will be certain days in which key decisions need to be made or that require attendance for the rest of the week. This information will soon be available as plans are solidified. To register, go to the curriculum website and fill out the form on the Professional Development page.

Summer School Needs

We are getting ready for summer school this year with a new format and time frame. Summer school will be eight (8) weeks and students will be given multiple opportunities to demonstrate proficiency by passing a semester exam at a minimum of 80%. The concept is that students will be assessed once per week and as soon as they achieve proficiency they will have earned the credit and be released from summer school. The summer school teachers will use the data from the weekly tests to modify instruction and work on students areas of weakness on the assessments. As stronger students demonstrate proficiency teachers will be able to spend more time with students that struggle more. This means that we need to have 2 – 4 semester assessments developed for each of the courses that we offer so that we aren’t giving the same assessments every week. These assessments must be aligned to district pacing guides and items must be aligned to the content expectations. We have decided to pay for product with these assessments and are offering to pay teachers $100 for each test that they develop.  Teachers developing these assessments you must be certified in the content area of the tests and format them according to specified guidelines.  

We also need teachers to help us align courses in e2020 to district pacing guides. We will need this in all of the core content in Math, Science, and Social Studies. We are offering to pay teachers $75 for every course that they align in their content area.

If you are interested in working on either of these please contact me as soon as possible so that we can get started.

Professional Development

We are continuing to have good participation in after school professional development but we are not scheduling any more PD in the district as many of you have met your required hours for the year. We do have a National Writing Project session scheduled for April 28th @ 4:15 in the Westwood Media Center for anyone interested. We need a few more people to register in order to meet the required seven participants. If you have any suggestions for PD to be brought into the district next year please contact me so that we can begin to make those plans.

Revamped Resources Page
I have been working on the Curriculum Resource page and updated many new resources for teachers to use organized by productivity and content areas. If you have any resources that you think other teachers will find useful send them to me so that I can add them.

Thanks,

John

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to let everyone know that the registration is open for April professional development. There are a couple of sessions that may interest many of you.

Tech Tools for Writing - 4/2/2009 @ 2:45
Jennifer Parker-Moore from the MISD will be visiting to run this session that she does regularly at the ISD.
Description: Writing papers has changed, and technology has evolved to make paper writing easier. Whether you are taking a graduate course or require students to complete writing assignments in your classroom, there are many tools to aid the writing process. Learn how to use Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature. Check out online citation makers, style guides and writing labs. Learn how to cut your search time in half by accessing educational databases with reliable information rather than search engines’ sometimes meaningless hits. Participants will learn to use the tools to make writing papers an educational endeavor, not a challenging chore! Come to Tech Boot Camp for Basic Training!
Informational Text - 4/7/2009 @ 4:30 (MISD)
Our students need strategies for different kinds of text. We do things differently when we read informational books. Join these presenters in learning some of the best practices associated with informational text. Many activities and ideas will be shared to help students construct meaning.

Interactive Writing - 4/7/2009 @ 4:30 (MISD)
Participants will learn the process of doing Interactive Writing with their students through a modeled lesson. Interactive writing is a great way to teach concepts of print, phonics, oral language and early writing skills. It involves students sharing a story and writing the parts they are able with the support of the teacher. Follow up mini-lesson ideas will be provided.

Reconnecting the Algebra I units - 4/27/2009 @ 4:00 (MISD)
For those of you who have participated or are participating in the Connecting the Algebra I units as the ISD, this session provides time for teachers to meet and discuss strategies that have worked and not worked when teaching Algebra.
National Writing Project - 4/28/09 @ 4:15
For those of you who participated in the National Writing Project session that was held earlier this year, we are providing a follow-up session to support your efforts in the classroom.

As always if you have any ideas for PD please let me know so that we can continue to meet the varied needs of teachers in our school district. On that note, if there is anyone in the district able and willing to facilitate training in Step Up to Writing could you please contact me.

Have a great week.

John