Birdneck Briefing 2019-2020
September 23-27
Tentative: Upcoming Dates and Events
Sept. 23 - Grade 1 Planning day
Sept. 23 - PBIS meeting 3:00 in B9
Sept. 24 - Grade 2 Planning Day
Sept 26 - Staff Meeting 3:00 in Library
Sept. 27 - Kindergarten Planning Day
Sept 27 - Grade 5 Gifted Screening
Sept. 30 - Grade 3 planning day
Oct. 1 -- Grade 5 Planning Day
October 2 - Plan for Continuous Improvement/ School Improvement meeting (admin team)
October 3 - IPT testing
Oct. 4 Grade 4 Planning Day
Oct. 5 - Grade 1 Saplings Fieldtrip. 8:00am
Oct. 7/8 - IPT make ups
Oct. 8 - PAC meeting 3:00
Oct. 9 - Pizza Bingo
This is your Captain Speaking!
Hello Birdneck Family,
Please join me in welcoming Marci Thomas to our front office. She comes to us from Bayside Middle School where she was serving as the site assigned sub. Mrs. Thomas is an extremely positive person who will assume responsibility for attendance among many other support tasks in the office. We are fortunate to have her at Birdneck.
Captain out,
RV Yoshida
BIG WINNER
LEARNING TARGETS AND MOTIVATION
When students understand the lesson’s learning target, the performance that will demonstrate their understanding, and the criteria by which their work will be assessed, they improve their ability to self-regulate. Self-regulating students continually monitor their progress toward a goal, check outcomes, and redirect unsuccessful efforts. Students who self-regulate no longer view learning as a covert event that happens to them as a result of instruction controlled by their teacher. Rather, they view learning as an activity they do for themselves and that is under their control. Self-regulation fuses skill and will and develops as students learn to plan, control, and evaluate their own success within a specific context. A self-regulated learner knows how to learn, knows his or her potential and limitations for the task at hand and can adjust his or her behavior to optimized success. Self-regulation – the motivational energy students need to aim toward mastery in a lesson- requires an understanding of the learning target and the criteria for success. If students have no understanding of the learning target, they will flounder and perhaps quit or at least quit caring. If students understand only the learning target, they can envision where they are headed but will have little confidence in their ability to get there. In contrast, understanding the learning target and the success criteria put students in the driver’s seat. They know where they are going, can assess where they are, are able to monitor their work and can select strategies to help them do their best.
~ From Learning Targets; Helping Students Aim for Understanding in Today’s Lesson by Connie Moss and Saints Brookhart
SHOUT OUTS!!!!!
Get your shout outs in for next week's Smore. Send your message to RV.
Thank you Heather McVeen for all that you do at our school. Not only do you help keep our much needed copy machines working and everything else but you are there when we need someone to talk to. You are integral part of our Birdneck family and are greatly appreciated!
Shout out to Amy Dirks. Thank you for being such a wonderful person who is eager to help others. You not only make a difference in the lives of the teachers but the kids too. Your positive attitude is contagious and I am looking forward to working with you more this year. Your enthusiasm and passion for reading and assisting teachers is welcomed. Thank you again.
Great job Patricia Ragudo! You are doing an excellent job with you kiddos. I love to see you all walking down the hallway and participating in PE, everyone looks happy. Welcome to our Birdneck family
Shout out to all inclusion teachers. To some this may be your very first year, your first year in a long time, or you are seasoned, nevertheless, thank you for your flexibility, patience, and time. Regardless of how much you see them, you are their teacher and you make a difference! Thank you! You ARE impacting their lives.
Teacher Appreciation Night at the Aquarium
Teacher Appreciation Night will take place Thursday, September 26, 2019, at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, 717 General Booth Blvd.
Securly
Select school staff members will once again be granted access to student web browsing histories from within the Securly management portal. This access has proven beneficial as a classroom management tool and will go into effect over the coming weeks. The staff members listed below will receive a confirmation email from Securly announcing access to the portal once the rostering and configuration process for this school year is complete. As a result, these individuals will have the same student web browsing information for all students at their respective sites as parents who register for the Securly Parent Portal. Staff members will receive this email even if they had access previously.
• Principals and assistant principals
• Teachers
• Instructional technology specialists
• Guidance chairs and counselors
AMET
The Annual Mandatory Employee Training for all Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) employees will continue during the 2019-2020 school year.
All employees will be required to view each entire training module assigned to their job title. New employees will also be required to view the training modules from the previous years. Five license renewal points will be awarded to all eligible employees who complete the training before the deadline. A target completion date of Feb. 14, 2020, has been established. Thank you for your assistance in this endeavor.
Review information on how to use and access the VBCPS Annual Mandatory Employee Training Program here. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Steve LePock in the Office of Risk Management (263-2460). Thank you.
SUBJECT: Sick Leave Bank Open Enrollment Information
Virginia Beach City Public Schools offers benefit-eligible employees membership into the Sick Leave Bank. Eligible VRS Plan 1 or Plan 2 employees may enroll in the Sick Leave Bank by donating the hourly equivalent of two (2) workdays of sick leave. Because they are only eligible to participate during their first year of employment, VRS Hybrid employees may enroll by donating the hourly equivalent of one (1) workday of sick leave.
Open enrollment for all eligible employees begins August 1, 2019 and continues through October 15, 2019. The Office of Employee Relations will contact all timekeepers about the process and will provide them with the attached informational flyer. Additionally, this information will be posted on the VCBPS’ intranet homepage under, “Hot Topics.” For specific details regarding the various sick leave banks, please refer to School Board Regulation 4-45.2, Sick Leave Bank.
If you have additional questions, please contact the Office of Employee Relations located in the Department of Human Resources.
Computer and Network Security 2019-20
As we embark upon another exciting school year, the Department of Technology (DOT) would like to once again bring to your attention the importance of good computer and network security practices. It is only through the efforts of every individual that we can hope to protect our networks and, more importantly, our sensitive data. Feel free to share any relevant information found in this memo with your staff.
Password security
1. A poorly constructed password may result in the compromise of individual systems, data, or the VBCPS network. For that reason, safeguards such as password history, complexity, age, and length must meet or exceed the following guidelines:
a. The previous 24 passwords cannot be reused
b. Passwords must contain at least eight alphanumeric characters
c. Passwords must contain three of the following four items:
- i. Upper case letter
- ii. Lower case letter
- iii. One number (for example, zero through nine)
- iv. One of these special characters (, !$%^*()_)
d. Passwords must not contain part of the account name or display name
e. Passwords cannot be changed more than once in two days
2. Never share your password with anyone, and do not write it down. Remember, DOT will never ask for your password.
3. Never allow anyone to use a computer that you have logged into without monitoring their activities.
4. Do not allow anyone to “shoulder surf” or stand over your shoulder as you enter your username and password as they can steal your login credentials.
Locking machines when away
1. Always secure your computer when you step away from it. By not securing (locking) your computer, you may expose and potentially compromise confidential information authorized only for your use to others who might gain access to your computer.
Phishing/spam emails
1. Email attacks whether they be spam or phishing emails continue to be one of the most used attack methods.
2. All users should be familiar with Avoid the Bait Email and Phishing Scams, as this document contains valuable information on how to identify these types of emails as well as the procedure for reporting them to Microsoft.
Protecting sensitive data
1. Protect student data and other confidential data
a. Do not send student data or other confidential data via email whether working inside the VBCPS network or from outside locations. Place data on a secure shared network location (e.g., SharePoint, Office 365) and share only with specific users.
b. Do not use links to share files as this could allow unauthorized access if the link is obtained by any other than the intended recipient.
c. Do not make copies of data containing confidential information on school division or personally owned computers, mobile devices, or external storage devices. Such copies lend themselves to falling into wrong hands and violate legal requirements for confidentiality of data.
2. Do not print confidential information on an unattended printer.
3. As your computer is often used to display sensitive information, clear the display by minimizing or closing applications when unauthorized individuals are near.
4. Treat all information as though it was sensitive data.
Baby Photos Still Needed!
Congrats to Margaret Robinson who won the September edition of Guess Who! (It was RV Yoshida)
Birdneck ITS Coaching
If you have not already done so, please complete this brief Schoology Pulse Check before September 30. Remember that you must be logged into Chrome with your school account to be able to access the survey.
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