OLLD Times
Issue 1 Volume 1
Getting to Know the Department
Isabel Hejazi-Rodriguez
As I was assisting Mr. Theaker at Nimitz 9 yesterday, I saw a group of students who were looking at Mr. Theaker with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look as he was explaining how to navigate the Orientation Course. As I questioned them if they had understood, they also looked at me without answering. Then, I realized that there were about 5 students in Mr. Theaker’s class who were recent immigrants and spoke little to no English.
Their frightened looks took me back to my 6th grade year. I am from Laredo, Texas (border town of Mexico and the U.S.), and even though I was born and lived in the U.S., my parents decided to drive every day to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico so my sister and I could attend an all-girls Catholic school. However, after 5th grade, my parents moved me to a school in the U.S. I still get anxious just thinking about my middle school years. I went from being a top student in Mexico to barely passing my classes. It was an extremely frustrating experience.
Teachers often talked down to me because they taught I was not capable and not intelligent enough. It took me about 3 years to catch up and be a top student again. I ran into one of these teachers in the summer and the face they made when I told them I was working on my doctoral dissertation was priceless!
When you see those students in your classes, please think of my story. Try to understand them and be compassionate of what they are going through. Even though it is frustrating to you, be patient and remember that a smile is a smile in any language.
Shanaya's Corner
Virtual School Updates
Credit Recovery Enrollment Vs. Initial Credit Enrollment
A student should be enrolled in an initial credit (IC) course if they have never taken the course before. Credit recovery (CR) courses are for those students who have taken the course and previously failed it. It is crucial that you enroll students correctly. You must look at the online tracking form to see if they are labeled as IC or CR.
If you enroll a student in a CR course when they should be taking an IC, the student will not receive credit for the course.
Always double check your online tracking forms .
Foreign Language Courses
Foreign Language Courses, both initial credit and credit recovery will be enrolled by the Virtual School Registrar, Maryellen Vargas.
If, and only if, you have already received an online tracking form from your counselor, then you can forward the student information via email to Maryellen Vargas.
Remind foreign language students to complete the Power Speak Tutorial on the Orientation Course on Schoology.
Online Tracking Forms
Thank you for adjusting and being patient while we try to improve student enrollment. The OLD personnel, counselors, and teachers are all trying to learn and adjust to the new enrollment system.
Even though we are on the learning curve, these online tracking forms will facilitate and improve how we matriculate students into their Online Learning Classes.
Remember that the online tracking forms should indicate if the class is initial credit or credit recovery. Also, they should also include the class period.
Daily PowerPoint Presentation
The presentation should include a Do-First (having students write their daily assignments on their Goal Tracker) and an Exit Ticket (having students write their Percentage Completion and their Actual Grade).
If you would like another copy of the template for this presentation, please email Isabel Hejazi
Driver's Ed
There is a monetary reward for every 10+ students that the lab teacher enrolls in Driver's Ed. For further questions, please contact Shanaya Anderson.
Cell Phones
Under no circumstances should students be charging cell phones on a school computer. If the student has a virus on their cell phone, it can affect every computer in the network.
Websites
Lan School is a tool to ensure that students stay on task; however, it is not a substitute for teacher's monitoring. As you are actively monitoring students in the labs, make sure that students are only using Google Chrome. Also, make sure that all the tabs that are open are only academic websites.
Online Learning Lab Supplies
Thank you for the teachers who have made a trip to the Staff Development Center to pick up their supplies.
We are still receiving more supplies every day. The materials that we have already received are and you should have are:
· 5 crates (purple, pink, green, blue, and clear)
· College ruled paper
· Set of 25 colored folders and supplemental manila folders
· Green pens
· Box of pencils
· Helping Policy Poster
· Learning Lab Rules Poster
New materials that you have to pick up from the Staff Development Center:
· Box of copy paper
· Stapler
· Highlighters
· Blue pens
· Electric sharpener
The rest of the materials should be coming in soon.
If you are still missing materials from the first list, please contact Isabel Hejazi-Rodriguez
ishejazirodriguez@aldineisd.org
(281) 960-5203
Events Coming Up
Shout-Outs
There are many teachers doing wonderful things in their labs that not everybody gets to see. Thus, we will use this section to celebrate great teachers.
If you would like to add a Shout-Out to a teacher or anybody in the Online Learning Department, please email Shout-Outs to ishejazirodriguez@aldineisd.org