West Goshen News
March 18, 2016
Don't forget...
Fun Fair here at West Goshen tomorrow night from 5-7 pm.
It's going to be a fun time (it always is!) with our students and families!
Week in Review...
Taking time to check out the baby pictures...
Recess and sunny skies
10's and 1's
Reading time...
Human web...
One on One
TLT Focus
"If students are motivated to learn, they are generating authentic, honest questions to move to a new level of knowledge and understanding."
The mentor teachers are "trying out" how to take these components from our mastery list to a deeper level. Karen, Aimee, and I are getting into the mentor teachers' rooms to collect some student data on how the specific teacher move is impacting student outcomes.
The new learning that we are gaining will be shared with all of you during cluster cycle 3!
Summer School
-- We will offer one section of summer school per grade level (if we have more 3rd graders for 2 sections, we will offer 2 sections for 3rd grade only - this will be decided once IRead scores come back)
-- We want to keep it as close to a 15:1 student/teacher ratio as possible
-- It will last for 3 weeks (Monday-Thursday from 8:00-1:30) As of right now dates will be June 6-23.
-- Breakfast and lunch will be provided
-- Pay will be $40/hour per certified teacher
-- Pay will be based on 72 hours (66 hours of actual instructional time; 6 hours of planning time)
Begin thinking of the students you think would benefit from summer school. E-mail me if you are interested in teaching summer school this year! :) So far, I have heard from Brenda, Melissa, Heather E., Lindsay, and LaDene.
Please e-mail Karen the names of students you are requesting going to summer school! We want to keep a running list so we can track numbers.
High Ability Reminder:
Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grade teachers – please turn in all planned experiences to Mrs. Lantz before spring break.
St. Patrick's Day Fun
The students were not just making the pudding - they were predicting, wondering, and studying the process. They created wondering questions before they started, they were drawing and writing about their observations, and even got to eat it at the end to "taste the magic". Check out the pictures below!
Directions for the Leprechaun pudding
Jose mixing the concoction and writing his observations
Diana is enjoying the taste of the pudding
Central Office Updates:
Today’s Focus: Talent
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
– Maya Angelou
Reflections to Guide Your Journey
Think back to one of your greatest achievements. Who helped support you and how did that make you feel?
What have you done recently to contribute to the positive feelings that someone has about themselves?
Who taught this to you? Have you had a chance to thank them for it?
Principals,
The members of the EVALUATION COMMITTEE have been working with some challenging issues and it is now time to share information with you so that you can in turn share with staff. If you would like Regina and me to attend a future staff meeting to share this information in more detail, we would be happy to do so.
In 2011 there were several statutory changes governing teacher evaluations that became effective in the 2012-13 school year. Because Goshen Community Schools had settled a four year contract we were not held accountable for those changes. Prior to the implementation date, we had also adopted TAP and because it is an approved evaluation system, we were able to continue with our implementation of TAP without meeting all of the regulatory requirements until the contract ended.
During the 2014-15 school year, the evaluation committee (comprised of teachers and administrators) met to begin digesting the requirements and developing our district evaluation plan. Annually our plan must be submitted to the IDOE for monitoring and compliance. Following are the pieces of the legislative requirements which had to be addressed:
Objective measures of student achievement and growth must significantly inform the evaluation. These measures must include:
-- Student assessment results from statewide assessments for certificated employees whose responsibilities include instruction in subjects measured in statewide assessments.
-- Student assessment results from locally developed assessments and other test measures for certificated employees whose responsibilities may or may not include instruction in subjects and areas measured by statewide assessments.
For the 2015-16 school year, the committee determined that we would use the TAP metrics that have been applied for the performance based compensation (PBC) and apply these same metrics as we factor student achievement measures into the overall effectiveness ratings for teachers. As you know, these metrics are only based on ISTEP and school letter grades. Thus, the first bullet point above is now included in our plan. However, we must address the other components for the 2016-17 school year. Failure to do so could result in the loss of significant revenue for the district that could be applied to performance pay in the future (through the Teacher Performance Grant).
In order to address the last two assessment measures listed above, we are considering two possibilities: (1) extending/expanding the use of NWEA as a growth measure for some grade levels; and (2) joining a Consortium of schools that have joined together to develop assessments for non-tested grades and subject areas. In the coming months, members of the evaluation committee will be learning more about both of these options and assisting administration in forming a compliant evaluation plan for GCS.
2016 TELL Indiana Survey
April 11 - May 16, 2016
The TELL Indiana Survey is a survey of school based licensed educators to determine if they have the supports necessary for effective teaching.
Teachers & Administrators: This is your chance to inform the district and school improvement planning processes.
Upcoming Dates:
Saturday, 19th:
PTO Fun Fair at WG - 5-7 pm
Monday, 21st:
7:30 - data meetings in TAP room
3:05-4:30 - TLT meeting
Tuesday, 22nd:
Before School - Related Arts Cluster
After School - 4th/5th Grade Cluster
Wednesday, 23rd:
Before School - K/1st Grade Cluster
After School - 2nd/3rd Grade Cluster
Thursday, 24th:
1:20 - 5th grade "talk"
3:30 - Reading Camp Volunteer/Parent Celebration
25th: No School - Good Friday
Monday, 28th:
7:30 - data meetings in TAP room
3:05-4:30 - TLT meeting
6:00 - School Board Meeting
Tuesday, 29th:
After School - All School cluster - reflection process
Spring Break - March 31st-April 8th