January 2022
Blended Learning Bulletin
A day late, but not a dollar short.
Happy New Year! We have so many amazing things to celebrate about the growth and progress happening at Uvalde CISD as we enter 2022. Although we are a day late with this publication, we are not short on things to celebrate and we are so thankful to have you here to share all the great news with!
This month brought a little unexpected disruption with the school shut down for 4 days, but we are thankful to see that numbers are decreasing and teachers and students are returning to classrooms safely. Despite these challenges, we have seen some tremendous examples of innovation, creativity, and risk-taking on the behalf of teachers to meet the needs of their students. Thank you for coming back to read this month's update. Be sure to scroll through this newsletter to see all the awesome stuff happening across Uvalde CISD with Blended and Digital Learning.
As a reminder, the graphic below shows the rollout plan for the TEA Blended Learning Grant Program for your reference. However, it is important to note that all grade levels and classes will benefit from the best practices embedded within blended learning this year. PK-12th grade teachers at Uvalde CISD have gained knowledge and training to support a variety of blended learning implementation strategies to ensure we are using technology with intention in our classrooms.
If you are here and wondering what Blended Learning is and why we are implementing it at Uvalde CISD, please check out our website at www.ucisd.net/blendedlearning and explore some of our resources.
Ms. Ayala's Coaching Cycle Request!
Ms. Ayala at MJH is the first UCISD teacher to use our BL Specialist Menu Order form to request a 1-on-1 coaching session with a BL Specialist. Dolly met with Natalie in December and they are continuing to work together this semester. Way to take initiative and challenge yourself, Dolly!
Mr. Navarro's AP Government Clips Project
Ruben Navarro of UHS collaborated with Natalie to create a project for his students to learn and retain court cases they needed to know for the upcoming AP Government exam. He had students collaborate to do research and then, using a rubric, students created videos in groups to present court cases by category to their peers!
Keynote in the Classroom!
Teachers across Flores, Morales JH, and Robb embraced their learning from Apple Professional Learning Specialist, Nelson Taylor, and asked him to show their students how to use Keynote in to create animated GIFs to demonstrate their learning! Below you will see some photos from Flores Elementary classrooms!
Below is a video from Lynn Deming's class at Robb!
Apple Teacher Recognition
As of February 1, 2022, 154 teachers at Uvalde CISD are Apple Teachers! Apple Teacher recognition is awarded by Apple for Education through the Apple Teacher Learning Center. The program focuses on helping teacher learn how to use Apple tools on the iPad and Mac to encourage creativity and innovation in their classrooms with these tools.
During the week of January 24th, our Blended Learning Specialists traveled around to give our Apple Teachers their window clings to show off their recognition and hard work. For more photos of recognitions and celebrations, please visit our website or Facebook page!
Teachers, for more on how to become an Apple Teacher click here.
IXL is designed to support students toward authentic skill mastery, and research shows this approach works. When students consistently reach proficiency and mastery of IXL skills, schools see as much as a 16-point bump on state assessments. Research shows that schools, where students answer at least 15 questions per week, outperform all the others (IXL.com). This month, we would like to celebrate district and campus achievement on IXL. Every student in the district in grades PK-12th grade has access to IXL for Math and Reading, and 2nd - 8th grade students also have access to IXL for Social Studies and Science.
Our focus for blended learning to increase student achievement is to encourage MASTERY of skills. When students master skills, they are building their understanding of the TEKS thus ensuring they are prepared to move on to the next grade level on their path to graduation and post-secondary success. Since our last BL Bulletin in December, students have mastered an additional 28,000 skills across UCISD!
The graphic below shows the # of IXL Skills that have been mastered by UCISD students so far in 2022!
📱 Got an iPad Issue?
Is your student's iPad broken? Lost? Damaged? Let us know! The iPad is a necessary educational tool your child needs in order to be successful. Follow the steps outlined in our plan below to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.
📧 Start by emailing ipad@uvaldecisd.net now!
Please be sure to follow up with your child's teacher for an update within 24-48 hours of the sent email!
💻 Schoology for Parents
Did you know you can see and do all of the following with a Schoology Parent Account?
- Assignment grades
- Assignment details
- A calendar of your child's events and due dates
- Communication from teacher to class
- Send and receive messages from your child's teacher
- School updates
- Group information for your student
- District updates
- So much more!
❓Schoology FAQ
Why can't I see anything in Schoology for my child?
It is likely that you are viewing from the parent view on your Schoology account. Just use the drop down menu on the top right or the three dots to navigate to "impersonate" your child. If you still can't see anything, please reach out to your child's teacher for help.
How can I get a daily summary of what is going on in Schoology for my child(ren)?
From your child's name, go to your settings and set your parent summary to daily or weekly. This will give you a summary of all of their activity and communication from courses and groups on Schoology. (image below)
From your parent tab, go to your settings and be sure you have the notifications you want to receive toggled "on." (image below)
I still need help creating a Schoology Parent Account, where do I start?
To create an account, you will need your child's Parent Access Code. Your child's teacher or your campus Parent Liaison has access to this information and can share it with you. Use the video below to create your account, or contact your campus' Parent Liaison for help.
For additional Schoology Resources, visit the district website and click on the Schoology icon on the homepage.