Weekly Bulletin
November 4-8 ~ Week 11
KUDOS: Staff & Faculty Recognition
Distributed Leadership!
This past week SEED participated on district Instructional Rounds and the findings are reason for celebration, celebrating you! The quality of student work, student outcomes, and teacher practice was exemplary. Thank you to Ms. Ana for joining the instructional rounds and providing such valuable insight! Thank you to Olivia, Daniel, Sanae, Priscilla, Beth, Shula, Tom, Leo, & Mark for allowing us to visit your classrooms and observe your instructional practice. If you see Todd Davis, please thank him for the immense support he provides to our school! Thank you to Sam, Todd, & our room leaders for coordinating such fun event for our students. When you see Simone, please congratulate her for the outstanding leadership she brings to the ASP. The OUSD ASP conducted its 13-14 program quality assessment & SEED passed with flying colors!
TESTS, TESTS, & more TESTS! - ON GOING!
November & December
Science Writing Task (SWT) for grades 3-5:
October 21 through November 15th - Testing window. Test needs to be scanned by no later than December 6th.
11/13 & 11/20: SWT scoring, Math Scoring, & bubbling
Math Benchmark Assessment
K-5 Math 1, 11/4-15, Scan by 11/22
TK-ECERS 2, Closes 11/22
TK DRDP 1 - SR locked on 11/8, PA check in on 11/15
Science Writing Task for DL Calibration!
We would like to invite you to a Science Writing Task (SWT) professional offering Tuesday, Nov. 12th from 3:30-5:30
Thanks,
SBAC Practice Test - Have you tried to take the test?
Wonder what types of questions our 3rd through 5th graders will be exposed to with the SBAC? I invite you to check out this link, http://sbac.portal.airast.org/practice-test/ .
POSITIVE & WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT
ON-GOING - PBIS Cafeteria Chart
As part of our efforts to continue working for our students to have a sense of community and responsibility in all aspects of their educational experience at SEED, I would like to introduce the monitoring chart for the cafeteria. Currently, students leave the cafeteria in poor condition, minor issues arise due to behavior issues, etc.
Furthermore, the Student of the Month recognition is for the purpose oF celebrating successes. We know that on a daily basis our students need redirection and consequences, but they also need their efforts in character, attendance, and academics to be recognized. I ask that you support us on this implementation.
PBiS Cafeteria Chart will be introduced during the community assemblies due to multiple schedule conflicts, but also to reduce the number of interruptions during instructional time. My apologies for not making it to your classroom last week.
2. Be part of the solution!
3. Unite, "Not in our school!"
4. Speak up for others!
5. Don't be a bystander, be an UPSTANDER!
What's up for this week?
November 5th - Beatrice out on School Business
Beatrice @ Global for Instructional Rounds
1:00-3:00 PM
Beatrice @ Critical Friends Group
3:00-5:00 PM
Beatrice @ DL Leadership Meeting
November 6th: Wednesday PD - Expeditionary Learning
Expeditionary Learning Differentiated PD
2:00-3:00 PM
EL 101 - presented by John LeCavelier
All new teaching staff required to attend this PD
Room: Beth's Room
EL National Conference Share Out & Academic Discussions PD
Room: Priscilla's Room
Grade level collaboration notes due at 3 PM through Google Drive.
November 7th - Faculty Council Meeting
Location: Beatrice's Office
CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION
Here is a link for relaxation videos for children to use as a cool down (or a calm down). Also I have shared the Take 10 P.E. curriculum in google drive with you. Please let me know if you have questions or cannot access these materials.
Thanks,
Mazy Marx
New Info - Instructional Rounds Findings!
For the instructional rounds, I developed a guiding question to drive our classroom visits. This Problem of Practice, as called by OUSD, was intentionally designed to give us very specific data to inform our future PDs in the area of academic discussions that promote critical thinking for all of our students.
P.O.P. - How are students engaging in academic discussions where they are applying, analyzing, evaluating, &/or creating during a significant portion of the lesson through questioning opportunities that promote critical thinking?
Summary Statements
- Evidence of structures that lead to academic discourse such as TPS, sentence frames, learning targets (Academic & Character)
- Calm physical environment
- Oral practice opportunities
- Classroom routines
- Opportunities for questioning - Student to Teacher, Teacher to Student, & Student to Student
- Conditions in place for deeper discourse
- Students self directed, on-task, engaged
- Structures for talk
Next Steps/Recommendations
- Expand on study group work, teacher leadership work, DL cohort work
- Leverage central resources to support site teacher leadership (ex: working with Dale)
- Peer observation structure
- Develop shared definition of Academic Discussions
- Discuss different discourse models for different content
- Develop agreed upon strategy bank (ex: questions, math structures)
- Make PD cycle of peer observations about questioning, teacher modeling
XXII Convocatoria de Escribo en Español
Our Embassy and the Department of Education of California are pleased to announce the literary contest “Escribo en Español” for students of Spanish in California public schools.
The contest is for students enrolled in high, middle and elementary school Spanish courses and students in Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Programs.
Students will be writing on the topic “Una experiencia aterradora o divertida” (A terrifying or funny experience).
The contest rules and prizes are detailed in the attached brochures.
If you have any questions, please contact Josefa Salvador Hernández, at the Consulate General of Spain in San Francisco, by phone at 415-922-2038 or by e-mail at josefa.salvador@mecd.es.
Sincerely,
Agregaduría de Educación en Los Ángeles, California
Consulate General of Spain
Education Office in Los Ángeles, California
Peer-to-Peer Observation Tool
Peer observation of teaching enables professional educators to:
- connect with their colleagues in collaborative working relationships,
- reflect and gain insight on their instructional skills, and
- engage in public discourse about best teaching practices.
The ILT team came to consensus that in order to support to each other, build tour capacity within instructional practices, and provide feedback to each other we will open up the opportunity to peer observe. This new method will be developed organically between peers but still with a clear focus on student outcomes.
If you need coverage to observe your peer, the following will support you:
TK-1st: Jennie Tunney (Tuesdays through Thursdays)
2nd-5th: Beatrice (except the 2nd & 4th Tuesday of each month)
The 2X2 Peer Observation Tool has been shared with you through Google Drive.
~OPERATIONS~
Vision/Hearing Screening
These are estimated time frames; please keep in mind we may have to be flexible about timing.
11/15
11:40 AM - 12:20 PM Mr. Reynoso
1:20 PM - 2:05 PM Mr. Zucker
11/21
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM Ms. Ana
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM Ms. Parchia
10:40 AM - 11:25 AM Ms. Ortiz
CPR Verification
Hi teachers!
Some of you that have been contacted by Lorna for CPR Verification:
I am emailing you all because you have a student who has a severe allergy. Not all students have Epi-pens at school yet but I am working on that.
More information about severe allergies will be given at the next staff meeting but if you have any questions now I will be more than happy to answer them. As I mentioned to some of you, in order to administer an Epi-pen, you must be CPR certified. The California Department of Education requires that unlicensed school personnel who administer life saving medication to students be trained in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
Please let me know if you plan to attend or if you have any other concerns or questions.
Thank you!
Lorna Kwok RN, PHN
lorna.kwok@ousd.k12.ca.us
c: 510.773.0724
Library News!
Hi staff,
Also if I am with a class and you want to request a book, look for a book or ask me a question try to refrain from that because I will not be able to serve you well. Soon, I will send you all a video I will make of how to use the library database. It will be a step by step tutorial. You can access the database from anywhere.
Manny
Technology Inventory
Can you all send me an email as to what you have in your classroom in regards to Elmo or overhead projectors? I am doing an inventory so we can get a sense of what the school needs are.
Low on Supplies
As you know, we have a major shortfall on our budget ($50K). Our supplies are running low and we ask that you help us by only taking what you need.
State Audit
We have been selected to be audited by the state; the auditors will be at our site this week. This will not affect any of our instruction nor school routines. This is for informational purposes ONLY.
ATTENDANCE
Any student that arrives after 8:30 AM MUST get a tardy slip from the office.
NEW INFORMATION - Friday's Community Assembly
Changes as per staff recommendations effective 1st week of November:
Thank you for the feedback to improve our community assemblies. We will be dividing our grade levels so that each grade is represented at each assembly. As now, your class will participate on the community assembly every other week.
Here are the new groupings:
Week 11
TK/K: Mr. Pastrana & Ms. Mazy
1st: Ms. Tapia & Ms. Goodie
2nd: Ms. Ana & Ms. Parchia
3rd: Ms. Cato
4th: Ms. Bien
5th: Mr. Zucker
Week 12
K: Ms. Udovic/Saleski & Ms. Elana
1st: Ms. Superfine & Ms. Hudson
2nd: Ms. Ms. Ortiz
3rd: Ms. Perrone
4th: Mr. Mayock
5th: Mr. Reynoso
Staff Culture & Climate
11/8 Friday Treats: 3rd Grade & Library & Music Enrichment Teachers!