Birdneck Briefing 2019-2020
March 23-27
Tentative: Upcoming Dates and Events
MARCH IS MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH
This week is Spirit Week!
This is your Captain Speaking!
You are all doing an amazing job of providing continuity of learning for your students. Please be sure to not confuse parents by calling the assignments Virtual Learning assignments as these are not "Virtual Learning Days" they are "Continuity of Learning" assignments and resources. As Dr. Spence said:
"We have gotten a lot of questions about whether student work over this closure will be graded, and it is important to reiterate that we are not intending for this learning to replace hour-for- hour/day-for-day instruction. That is why we are referencing the work we are doing as Continuity of Learning rather than ongoing instruction and why we are not grading the work.
I know many of you may wonder why this is, and the answer is complicated. In short, because we are unable to provide for certain services for students while we are closed and because we are unable to guarantee access to online or other learning for all students in our school division, we are unable to account for daily, hour-for-hour instruction to replace what would be offered in the same way with the same access to learning as what would occur while school is open. This is based on guidance and regulations from both the state and the federal government."
Communication with parents/students: By the end of the day on Monday please email a list to me of students who have not logged on or are not able to log into Schoology to receive assignments. Any students who have not been submitting work or have not been accessing program such as Redbird, Achieve 3000 or Smarty Ants need to be contacted by their teachers on Monday to see what can be done to assist them.
Principals have a conference call on Monday afternoon and I hope to have updates to share with you. I plan on having virtual meetings to check in with each team next week. Look for a calendar invitation in your emails on Monday for when your team's meeting will be.
SHOUT OUTS!!!!!
Shout out to everyone who has completed their Schoology course. Reminder for you other folks: This due date has been moved up to the end of the March.
Shout out to Monica for always being so quick to help when something is not working! Thank you to Heather for all that she is doing to help out. Korrin and Jessica have been so understanding in their flexibility when collaborations need to be changed to accommodate other expectations. Thank you to Gail for including us all in her efforts with the Eco Club. My students really enjoyed planting seeds! Thank you to the cafeteria staff for all the improvements this year! Lunch lines are moving faster and the salad bar is amazing!!!
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MARIA, MARCIE AND HEATHER FOR ALL THEIR HELP GETTING ME SETLED AT BIRDNECK. - Mrs. Gordon
Shout out to Kelly Putt for lending us her amazing tiger drawing skills to help us decorate for the bookfair.
Shout out to Gail Campbell for working so hard to create the MakerSpace, where students can “Imagine. Create. Build.” I am totally impressed by the diversity of activities and the welcoming atmosphere. What a special place for the kids to experience and make their own!
Shout out to Maria Hartman, Kelly Gregory, and Mary Stepnowski for lending us their jungle animals.
Shout of thanks to Laura, Devon & RV for reading IEPs while I was on FMLA! I appreciate you!
Shout out to Kristen Rice for all she does for the second grade team!
Shout out to Jo Anne Coauette for the extra time given to help second grade students.
Shout out to Heather McVeen for making me laugh!
Thank you to the amazing teachers who helped with the 5th Grade BIrdneck Battle of the Book Club this year - Amy Winn, Ashley Lambert, Amy White, and Josh Brown! We had a terrific season! Thank you for all of your hard work! Amy Dirks
I would like to give a shout out to Sara Pringle, for always being so flexible and helpful when we need additional help when we don’t have sub coverage she is always willing to stay. She is such a Rock Star!!
Shout out to Monica for being so supportive and helping teachers with Schoology as well as finding us ways to meet "virtually".
Great job to those of you who have been meeting with parents via video or phone to ensure we are adhering to timelines.
Schoology Superheros!
Jaclyn Adams, Leighanne Beaumont, Nancy Bishop (She was THE FIRST!), Josh Brown, JoAnn Coauette, CArly Donohoo, Danice Follis, Kelly Gregory, Bonnie Hartman (She was THE SECOND!) Megan Petermann, Margaret Robinson, Sue Rosignolo, Kaitlyn Rowland, Teresa Stewart, Erin Strait, Lindsay Traister, Josh White, Krista Williams, and Amy Winn!
Teacher Read Alouds
Resource Central
This is a reminder that the Department of Technology (DoT) has put together a cache of great tips and resources about working from home. You need to be logged in to your VBSchools account to access it. As always, the DoT Help Desk is available at (757) 263-1111 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday should you need support as you work to ensure our students continue to learn.
Please share Ms. Stafford's new webpage on Schoology with your students and parents. She's including many SEL resources. https://counselorstafford.wixsite.com/counselorscorner
We continue to keep our students engaged and learning during this school closure and know that the materials and resources teachers have provided have been helpful. If you haven’t started following the #VBAlwaysLearning hashtag, I encourage you to do so! There are a number of new resources listed on our Continuity of Learning webpage as well, including sample schedules, resources about how to talk to children about COVID-19, and login instructions to get to helpful online resources.
VDOE: Frequently Asked Questions
United States Department of Education (USDOE): Fact Sheet: Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Schools While Protecting the Civil Rights of Students
USDOE: Questions and Answers on Providing Services to Children with Disabilities During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak
Our Continuity of Learning plan is intended to provide ongoing learning experiences for students during this time so that when we do reopen, we are able to start right where we left off without any loss of learning. It is also important that students complete this work as they are able so that our teachers might provide them feedback on their learning.
Mrs. Campbell shared this amazing organizational tool is for parents who are struggling with establishing a schedule for their child or how much work they could be doing in a day while learning from home. This is a good resource to supplement what we are providing by adding an age-appropriate schedule. https://khankids.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040315632-How-to-use-Khan-Academy-Kids-for-remote-learning
Career Teacher Application for 2020
The Career Teacher Application for 2020 will be available for downloading from the Intranet (Forms/Human Resources/Career Teacher Application) beginning Feb. 3, 2020.
The VBCPS Career Teacher Allowance is a three (3) year renewable allowance. Minimum requirements for eligibility of the Career Teacher Allowance are as follows:
• Hold an active Virginia Department of Education 5 or 10 year renewable teaching license, or a Virginia Board of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology license, or hold National Board Certification (NBC) issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; and
• Be on a continuing contract with the VBCPS; and
• Have completed 10 years of total teaching experience or hold National Board Certification (NBC) issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards regardless of the years of service; and
• Have received ratings of “Proficient” or higher for each standard on the most recent evaluation and have not been on a Performance Improvement Plan within the (three) 3 year career teacher activity cycle; and
• Have demonstrated balanced professional involvement over the course of three (3) years immediately preceding the initial or renewal application by earning a minimum of 100 points with having at least 20 points earned in each of the four (4) categories: Teaching and Learning; Building Leadership Capacity; Professional Development; and Community Relations.
Full program details including the full list of requirements can be found on the intranet, Career Teacher Allowance page.
Teachers requesting consideration for a Career Teacher allowance should:
• Complete the 2020 Career Teacher Application.
• Collect supporting documentation as directed by the building principal to verify actions in each of the four categories of the form. (Teachers should keep all of the supporting documentation with a copy of the completed application for their records.)
• Request the signature of the building principal on the cover sheet between Feb. 3, 2020, and the last day of school, June 12, 2020.
• If applicable to the application, include a copy of the National Board Certification if not already on file with the Department of Human Resources.
All applications must be submitted by a designated school office member via LaserFiche Forms using the Career Teacher Allowance Application Submission process. Once the successful submission of the application is complete, teachers should retain the original documents for their records. Applicants will be notified by email upon receipt of their application. Once the Career Teacher Application is reviewed and processed, the teacher will receive another email indicating approval or denial of the application.
Those teachers with questions about the Career Teacher Application, or those who need assistance with the completion of the application, may contact John Ogden, Human Resources Specialist, in the Department of Human Resources at 263-1062 or John.Ogden@vbschools.com.
You Make a Difference
From his fun shirts to his galaxy high tops shoes Mr. Taylor has brought his first year at Birdneck some wonderful support for all the students and staff. When he was first subbing for classes, Mrs. Lutturell's students really enjoyed his help and always wanted him to come and visit them. Now, with him being in Gym they get to see him everyday and he does not hesitate to really help the students learn things in gym. He is very caring and shows a lot of patience and interest in the students when they are having trouble or need a person to talk too. Thank you Mr. Taylor for being a fun and positive role model for the students here at Birdneck, we all really appreciate you, you truly make a difference.
Join our PTA
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Join the PTA! Our goal is to have 100% Staff participation!!!!!!!!!
Support Birdneck Elementary students by joining the PTA. Don't miss out on the benefits from joining the PTA. Receive over $300 in savings... all for just $5 for a membership. Check out the PTA website at http://birdneckpta.weebly.com/
BIRDNECK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
BIRDNECK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Twitter@BNESeagles
BIRDNECK MISSION
Mission: We build relationships to encourage, inspire and empower others to meet the challenges of today and to foster the love of learning.
BIRDNECK VISION
Vision: We are dedicated to nurturing an inclusive environment to ensure engaging, student-centered learning resulting in confident independent learners.
BIRDNECK BELIEFS
We believe in a collaborative community in which teachers, administrators, students, and parents work together for student success.
We believe in creating a safe, nurturing, and positive environment in which all students can strive for excellence and achieve their individual potential.
We believe we will prepare our students for success by providing 21st century learning and developing within our students critical thinking, effective communications and problem solving skills.
Website: http://www.birdneckes.vbschools.com/
Location: 957 South Birdneck Road, Virginia Beach, VA, United States
Phone: 757-648-2120