DCSV Staff eNews
Friday, September 9, 2022
DCS Virtual Vision
Dublin City Schools is committed to providing flexible learning opportunities for all students. DCS Virtual is a virtual learning pathway that offers full-time and individual online courses to meet the needs of a diverse student population.
Team,
We have several celebrations this week. To start, our daily student attendance is now being entered consistently throughout the day. I know this was a shift from last year and new routines take time before they become habits.
We are close to completing all assessments needed for our upcoming Lit Team Meeting. This includes our new MAP Fluency assessment. There is still some work to be done but we are almost there. I will look through the list of students who were absent or need extra time to complete their MAP assessments early next week and let you know the plan. CLICK HERE to add your students who need to makeup their MAP assessment.
We are cracking down on truancy. I am preparing for our first AIT meeting of the year. Your communication with students and family has helped me gather the information needed to have needed conversations with parents. If you have students who are not attending your class be sure to call home. You are the first line of defense. Parents appreciate these calls when they start with the teacher.
We are continuing to streamline our substitute process. Please read the Staff Absences section below to see added details. We will share more information on what this process looks like at our staff meeting next week.
It was so nice seeing the 1st - 3rd graders at our building on Thursday. Please take pictures of our students and/or their work so we can showcase them in the newsletters and on Twitter.
Each teacher has $80 to spend this year. Work with Rene to get your orders in.
All of this work could not be achieved without you. You are appreciated.
#BetterTogetherDCS
Natalie
Important Dates
- MAP Makeups - September 12th-16th - Henderson will be in touch to develop a plan as needed
- Staff Meeting R-Factor Training: September 13th 7:40 am R1: Press Pause Training and our first Potluck of the year.
- Lit Data Due: September 16th CLICK HERE to add your data
- Lit Team Meeting: September 20th 1:00-2:30 pm
- PSAT 8th grade only - October 12th 9:00 am at the Dublin Library
Important Documents:
- Related Arts Rotation: CLICK HERE to view the doc.
- Roles and Responsibilities: CLICK HERE to view the doc.
- AAA: CLICK HERE to view the doc. and access important information for our building.
Book Study
We have been persistent as we work through these first few weeks of school. Your effort has made a positive impact on our learning community.
Be persistent. Keep going, never stop. Keep going, never stop. Keep going, never stop.
Be You by Peter Reynolds
Be You
Difficult Conversations
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse
Staff Absences
In the event you are absent please be sure to follow our building procedure:
STEP 1: Put your time off in AESOP as soon as you can and request a substitute.
STEP 2: Email Rene to let her know you requested time off.
STEP 3: Add your assignments and asynchronous directions to your LMS as you would any other day. As needed, create additional sub notes and leave those with Rene.
STEP 4: Be sure the links in the Master Schedule are accurate. This will be shared with the substitute if they cannot access your live sessions or LMS classrooms.
STEP 5: Communicate with the other teachers on your team letting them know you will be out. This includes related arts and support service teachers.
STEP 6: If you are not able to get a substitute, email students and families to let them know what students need to do throughout the day.
We are creating a substitute folder for each teacher. In the folder, the substitute will find login information, your daily schedule, and tutorials for GoGuardian, Schoology, and/or Google Classroom. Substitutes will be guided to go to the Week at a Glance or Google Classroom to link to your live sessions.
Laura is working to add substitute email accounts to GoGuardian and Schoology. Once they have been added we will need you to add them to your LMS.
Remember: Your substitute plans will live in the LMS. It is important to plan a day or two ahead so you always have emergency substitute plans available in the event they are needed.
NOTE: Kim is registering with the ESC to be on our substitute list so she can help in the afternoons.
Attendance Procedure
I know we are working through our new attendance procedures and there will be challenges to overcome. There has been some confusion as to what procedures we have to follow. Now that we have our own IRN we have to take attendance the same way all Dublin City Schools do.
- Here is a link to DCS Virtual Attendance for Teachers for the steps you will take to submit attendance each day.
- The Dublin City Schools attendance policy is available in the DCS Student Handbooks on the district website.
Step 1: Have your attendance taken every morning K-8th before 9:15 am before the auto dialer report is run.
Step 2: Rene will check at 9:15 who has taken attendance and will reach out to those who have not completed attendance that day.
Step 3: Make sure you submit attendance even if all of your students are there.
Step 4: You will then check attendance for each class period and submit the attendance.
- 6-8th grades All Teachers: will check ProgressBook for each of their classes and submit attendance.
- K-5th grade Homeroom Teachers: you are with your students most of the day so you only take attendance once and communicate any discrepancy (including related arts) throughout the day to Rene by email.
- K-5th Related Arts Teachers and covered study halls: you will check attendance in DASL Student Information on the Daily Absence List to check for discrepancies. If there is a discrepancy you will report it to the homeroom teacher.
- Homebase and All Special Services: you will check attendance in DASL Student Information on the Daily Absence List to check for discrepancies. If there is a discrepancy you will email Rene.
Step 5: If you see a discrepancy email Rene so she can adjust the students' attendance. In your email, indicate the students' names and the exact time they missed or attended. You are only reporting the discrepancies.
Remember: You only report this information to Rene if it is different than the attendance in the previous class. ie, Natalie showed up to my class from 9:20-10:05.
Attendance will be adjusted in real-time, NOT each week. The amount of time will be auto-populated based on time in and time out of class. Please only communicate through email.
I hope this information helps. We appreciate your support with this. We know this is a big shift for our team, so let us know how we can help.
Staff Meetings
R-Factor Teams
Team 1: Joe, Tara, Jen, Paige, Kristie, and Colin
Team 2: Tracey, Kim, Laura, Sarah, Erin, Susan
Team 3: Mya, Erika, Tony, Michele, Morgan, JaneStaff Meetings: Thank you for completing the survey. Our staff meetings have been scheduled for Tuesdays from 7:40 - 8:25 am. Most of our time will be spent covering R-Factor. The meeting titles have the R that will be covered and the team members are in the description. Please work with your team and be prepared to share your R.
Potlucks: Most of you preferred to have our monthly potluck at the same time as our staff meetings. We usually have plenty of food so the team members presenting can be fed by the rest of us. CLICK HERE to sign up. We will use the same sheet for the year.
CLICK HERE for the Culture Playbook/R Factor Presentation. You can use this presentation to prepare for your team's portions of R-Factor training. You will need to make a copy if you want to make adjustments. Let me know if additional resources are needed or if you would like time to discuss your plan.
Student of Concern Form
This form will serve to notify us of your concerns and what interventions you may have already tried. Natalie Henderson, Sarah Loftin, and Nicole Swisher will meet as a team regularly to review these students and offer support and suggestions to you as needed.
CLICK HERE to submit a form.
Instructional Technology
Submitting a Tech Ticket: If you need tech support immediately dial ext. 4400. If it is something that can wait you can submit a Tech Ticket.
- Log into the staff dashboard.
- Click on the Help Desk logo at the top of the screen.
- Click on the COMPUTER TECHNICIAN button on the right.
- Fill out the form and make sure to CC barrett_michael@dublinschools.net. If you do not CC Mike he will not be able to see your ticket.
GoGuardian
GoGuardian is now available for parents K-12. Please guide them to this instructional technology website to support them in setting up: GoGuardian.
Please make sure your staff knows that GoGuardian is available for all. This allows teachers and parents to monitor student Chromebook use.
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District News
COMMUNITY SURVEY OPEN NOW!
You are critical to our district’s success. Planning for the future means ensuring that your voice is reflected in our vision. This is your chance to be heard as part of our Strategic Planning process. Please fill out the survey before the end of September. Here is the link: www.planning-next.com/dublin-city-schools-staff/.
KRA-R Updates
The state is aware of the technical issues with the KReady system but are unable to adjust the deadline due to the window being set in statute. Teachers can enter results into the KReady system up to November 1 but all students must be fully assessed by September 16. The second issue KReady is experiencing is a glitch in their reports. The Language and Literacy and Overall Scale Scores are not calculated correctly. At this time, teachers should not determine on/off track status from these scores. Jessica will update the buildings when the issue is resolved.
Dyslexia Screener Update
Three classrooms at IRES rolled out the Dyslexia Screener last week. The feedback from this pilot was shared with instructional coaches and assistant principals/interns last Thursday. The updated MAP Reading Fluency Resource can be found here and the updated IRES pilot feedback can be found here. Please continue to collaborate with your teaching and learning coaches on how to train and support teachers during this roll out. Training on the reports will be available after the assessment is administered. If you would like additional support in your building at the start of your administration, please contact Jessica and Amy.
Books Selection Processes
Please note that our process for book selection in our media centers is slightly different than that for classroom libraries. For principal reference:
Guidelines for Classroom Libraries (Elementary) (Secondary)
ROTO Field Trips
ROTO of Dublin is ready to schedule field trips for 1st and 4th grades, middle school STEM and art classes. After two years of virtual opportunities, staff and students can once again learn about ROTO’s amazing design process in person. ROTO is internationally unique in that their company completes the entire design process: Ideate (listen and communicate), Design (creativity, being flexible) Problem Solve (engineering-mechanical & electrical) and Build (carpentry, welding, painting). Learn more about ROTO: Roto Info
Previous middle school students were able to see how the lessons they were learning in their coding club were relevant to real world careers. A return to in-person field trips will once again enable students to actively participate in the evaluation and testing phases that provide valuable feedback to the ROTO design team.
Please share this Field Trip Form with your staff. Teachers must use this form to schedule ROTO field trips. Tours are limited and Jessie Hughes, School Programs & Evaluations Manager for ROTO, will coordinate available dates with interested teachers and answer any questions they may have. She will begin scheduling groups in October through the rest of the school year. Laura Maximovich, our district contact for ROTO, will use the form data and assist Jessie to ensure all of our schools have an opportunity to participate.
DCS Global Travel Program
The DCS Global Travel program will hold a virtual information session on Wednesday, September 14, from 3:15 to 3:45 p.m. for teachers who would like to learn more about what's involved in planning these educational travel opportunities with EF Tours. Any educator who is interested in learning more should RSVP here. Zoom invitations will be sent to those that RSVP.
Panorama
Panorama has released an updated Playbook for the 2022-2023 school year. There is a new logo and many enhancements to the platform that are worth checking out. There is support for MTSS and over 200 new strategies and interventions to support the well-being of students. Be sure to login to Panorama at https://www.panoramaed.com/ and check out the new Playbook!
Start with Hello Week
Start with Hello Week is September 19-23. Start with Hello is one of the Sandy Hook Promise “Know the Signs” programs that has been implemented across the country. Thousands of schools participate in Start with Hello Week. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved, please contact Sara Guster at saraguster1@gmail.com and check out the website at Start with Hello.
Reporting Abuse or Neglect
As Mandated Reporters, we are required by Board Policy 8462 and state law to notify Franklin County Children’s Services if there is suspicion of abuse or neglect. As a reminder, school employees must notify the appropriate administrator when making a report. In addition, the building administrator or guidance counselor will remain in the room during questioning unless compelling reasons for exclusion are provided by the agency. (See Board Policy 5540). When making a report to FCCS, use form 8462 and send the completed referral to Tyler Wolfe.
Student Passwords
If you need access to students' passwords, please reach out to the following staff members in your building: Building Admin Secretary and Teaching and Learning Coache
Note: Printing student usernames and password rosters and/or creating student cards may seem like an easy solution, but this practice will need to be eliminated as it creates a security risk. Please inform staff not to ask those with access to print passwords.
Assisting our Students
We do understand that we have learners who need additional support. This is where Clever badges come into play. PK-1 students are set up for badges, and the teachers can print the badges for their classrooms. The tech team does need to take an extra step with the student Chromebooks to turn on the badge login. Let me know if you have Chromebooks that need to be configured for badges.
For our 2-5 students, our teaching and learning team is encouraging our buildings to help these students to become digital citizens and to start learning their passwords and keyboarding. We understand that this takes time, and badges might be necessary on an individualized basis. Please work with your teaching and learning coaches for tips and guidance.
Grades 6-12, if you have unique situations or considerations, please let your teaching and learning coach know.
Public School Works Training
Fall training assignments are underway and will be due 9/30/2022. Please be sure you are encouraging your staff to complete their required training prior to the deadline.
QPR
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer. QPR training teaches individuals how to recognize the warning signs of suicide. Much like the heimlich maneuver, anyone can benefit from this information. Offerings for virtual and in person QPR training are in Frontline Professional Growth for September 15, October 19 and November 30.
SWPBIS Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI)
Your PBIS Team will complete the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) this fall. Guidance for completing the TFI can be found here. MTSS Leads and PBIS Leads are invited to attend a virtual meeting on Tuesday (8/23) or Thursday (8/25) to review this information and ask any questions.
DataMap Access
By the end of the week, your RtI and PBIS Leads should have building access in DataMap to help support teachers with important student information, data and RtI/PBIS plans. The purpose of this access is to help strengthen/improve RtI/PBIS plans and the collaboration between the classroom teacher and the RtI/PBIS Lead/Team. We know schedules do not always align and sometimes support needs to happen behind the scenes.
Important reminders for RtI/PBIS Leads:
1. The classroom teacher is responsible for the creation and implementation of the plan.
2. Please maintain student confidentiality at all times.
3. When searching for students in DataMap, RtI/PBIS Leads will need to remove their names from the teacher list to see all students. (DataMap automatically populates their name, which will only give them access to their class list.)
High-Quality Student Data Collection Form
As we roll out the HQSD portion of the OTES 2.0 rubric, we are asking principals to push out this form to all teachers to collect what two high-quality student data points they will be selecting for the year. This information will help principals identify what data teachers are focusing on this year and will help the teaching and learning team prioritize PD options around assessments. The response sheet from this form will be shared with principals during the September 15 principal meeting. If you want access prior to that meeting, please let Jessica know.
Spring OST/EOC Parent Emails
The Spring EOC and OST results will be shared with families during the week of August 29 via email. The email that will be sent to families can be found here. Due to a change in the Ohio Revised Code (ORC 3301.163), third grade students who did not score 683 or higher on the Spring grade 3 ELA OST will receive this version of the email. This email addresses the ongoing monitoring and support (MTSS) that will be provided during the current school year. Brittany will review this during the next principal meeting. Jessica will share an individual list of students for each building who will receive this version of the letter. The hard copies of the family reports will be sent to the buildings this week. Please keep the family reports at your buildings for one year. Parents can request a hard copy of these results but will receive an electronic version in their email.
District Catalog Entry and Approval
All district PD Catalog entries will now be approved through HR (Mike Ulring and Samantha Althouse). The academic team will continue to partner closely as we have multiple administrative assistants training in Frontline Professional Growth entry. Both Laura Maximovich and Jasmine Montijo can answer questions regarding the PD Catalog.
Recognition of Holidays
As we continue to support, accept and acknowledge diversity, we must continue to provide opportunities of equity for all students, staff and families. While we recognize and celebrate many of the common religious and public holidays found within the calendar year, we want to provide some additional support for students who celebrate the holy days listed below. The district will increase awareness and respect for our Muslin students during the month of Ramadan. Please feel free to share this information with your staff, students and families. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Bailey.
* Denotes the following for these holy days:
No new instruction should be given on this day
No major assignments should be due on this day or the day after
No assessments should be given on this day or the day after:
Islamic Holidays
Eid al-Adha*
Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan)*
Ramadan
Jewish Holidays
Yom Kippur*
Rosh Hashanah*
Hanukkah
Christian Holidays
Ash Wednesday*
Good Friday*
Orthodox Holidays
Orthodox Christmas*
Orthodox Good Friday*
Hindu Holidays
Diwali
DCS Virtual
Natalie Henderson -Coordinator of Online Learning
Nikki Swisher - Guidance Counselor
Rene Kulasa - Administrative Secretary
Email: DCSVirtual@dublinschools.net
Website: https://www.dublinschools.net/domain/1239
Location: 4892 Blazer Parkway, Dublin, OH, USA
Phone: 614-760-4770