PKMS Update 2.10.20
A Close Look At How We Did & Will Do Our Work
HELLO, PKMS FAMILY
Great Week of Quarter Three - Thank you to everyone for your clearly communicated expectations and student and family support!
We continue to be appreciative of your engaging learning environments, dedication, planning, collaboration, assessment of students, focus, and hard work.
This week’s quote speaks to our Social Emotional Learning Theme of Love: "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." - Maya Angelou
As has become a part of the PKMS culture, please allow these words to inspire you as you design and redesign lessons, tasks, and questions, and reflect on practice.
Remember, to SMILE (Show My Infectious Lovable Energy) as it is the first thing students, families, and colleagues see.
Let's Keep These Thoughts in Mind:
- Laugh a little. Laugh a little more.
- Gladden the heart of a child.
- Always operate from a honest place.
- Give a soft answer
Turning Up The Heat!
- Thank you to Ms. Ashley Noda for helping our students and staff - We thank her for jumping right in and teaching science classes - We wish her well in her new position
- Thank you to Ms. Judy Sugar for her positive transition the PKMS Family - Thank you to Pat Salvatorelli and 7N for helping Ms. Sugar transition well and fell comfortable
- Thank Ms. Lewis for Town Hall Conversation with Grade 7 & 8 students
- Thank you the District Art Department especially Patricia Roldan and Lindsay Von Bergen for instructing, modeling, and inspiring our students to demonstrate their skill and immense talent
- Thank you to Mr. Arthur and Dr. Toro (and the HS Team) for welcoming our 8th Graders and their families to help with the upcoming HS Transition
- Thank you to Michelle Lieblein for her Employee Assistance Program discussion with our staff
- Thank you so much to Sandra and Emily D for working with our Art Club - Students enjoyed looking at work from African American Artists and drawing and giving each other positive feedback - What a great experience for our students!
- Thank you to Jonathan Harrison for ensuring our students get on the bus
- We thank every department member for your discussions and focus during this week's department meetings- Thank you to those who are training staff in the weekly sessions
- Thank you to our Clinical Team for continuing to support students, families, and staff
- Thank you to staff for parent and family outreach and meetings conducted this week
- We thank Ms. Detres, Ms. Fervan, Ms. King, Ms. Mahy, Ms. Settembre, Ms. Tual, Ms. Zupa, Mr. Harrison, Dr. Robinson, Mr. Hatch, and Mr. Coster for their work during our After School Program - We are also thankful to Andrew Weisman and Parketha Evans for providing a snack and drink (they will provide this until May 7)
- Thank you for the RtI Meetings and Discussions this past week
- Thank you to our security: Chemay, Nigel, Merriweather, Billy, and David for their work
- Thank you to Tim, Mike, Mark, Kristen, Billy, Keith, and Manny for their work
- Thank you to Parketha Evans and her Food Services Team
STUDENT GOV't. PRESENTS STUDENT TALENT SHOWS
9AM - Grade 6
10AM - Grade 7
11AM - Grade 8
We are asking everyone to wear Red, White, Pink or any combination for Valentine's Day
NYS ELA, Math, and NYSESLAT Testing
- March 3rd - NYSESLAT Field Test - Periods 1 & 2 - Periods 2 & 3 and or Periods 7 & 8 - More Info to Follow
- March 24th - March 31st - NYS ELA Computer-Based Exam - We will have staggered administration so as to minimize building impact - More info to come
- April 6th - May 15th - NYSESLAT Speaking
- April 20th - April 27th - NYS Math Computer-Based Exam - We will have staggered administration so as to minimize building impact - More info to come
- April 30th - STEAM Fair - See Dr. Campolongo
- May 4th - May 15th - NYSESLAT Listening, Reading, Writing
- May 15th - Career Day - See Dr. Campolongo
- May 18th- May 29th NYS Grade 8 Science Performance Assessment
- May 30th - GOTR 5K @ FDR Park in Yorktown Heights - Please see Ashley Aucar or Stacy Leitner for details
- June 1st - NYS Grade 8 Science Written Assessment
EMPIRE STATE GRANT AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
Just To Name A Few:
All Girls United - Beats and Video Editing - Broadcasting - Cooking - Fencing - Girls on The Run - Girls Who Code - Hudson Valley/NY Presbyterian - NYSESLAT Work - Parent Workshops - Photography - Regents Prep - School Beautification - Swimming - Yoga & Wellness
STUDENT ASSISTANCE SERVICES
February is full of Awareness And Love
"Black History Month", "Month of Valentine's Day" and Student Assistance Services is recognizing those that have come from families that may have struggled and experienced difficulty with AOD use.
Join us this week in supporting and recognizing "COA Week" at PKMS on February 10th leading into Valentine's Day on February 14th!! Join in and participate in "COA Celebrity Trivia" and learn more about this Awareness Activity and Week in the cafeteria on Tuesday, February 11th.
Listen out for announcements and updates. Be sure to check out the Bulletin Board outside of the cafeteria. Be Aware..to Love Yourself and Others!! Most of All, Always Respect Yourself and Others! Give support and encouraging words to those who may need it throughout the year and especially during this month/week of awareness.
February is Marijuana (Cannabis) Awareness Month! Here is some information for Students, Teacher and Parents. Spread the Awareness and Share the Information! "Sharing is Caring" as it is also the month for Valentine's Day!
Student Assistance Counselors: Ms. C. Lewis & Ms. K. Geider @ 914-737-4542 x 2106
A Humanities Lens
Students reviewing their responses to questions based on The Crossover - demonstrating their mastery of vocabulary from the “Second Quarter” section of the novel - understanding how conflict can guide decisions, that identity is a multifaceted concept with different components, and that people’s sense of identity can change over time - viewing and discussing ghettos, and exploring the Essential Question: What does learning about the choices people made during the Holocaust teach us about the power and impact of our choices today? - discussing the tone and mood of a story and how the main character demonstrates traits of a good attorney as well as a good person - learning about the different physical features that impacted the civilization of Ancient China: Rivers, Mountains, Deserts - developing a definition for what The Silk Road was and provide details about its setting and its function - understanding the purpose and importance of the Bill of Rights - examining & explaining the causes of the Spanish-American War - creating their own newspaper cover page in a “yellow journalism” style about an event from this era - reading, writing, listening, and speaking about what they do during school and telling who is doing the action with -ar verbs in the present tense - learning how to conjugate -AR verbs in the present tense with the proper pronoun - reading, writing, listening, and speaking about the clothing items and department stores - reviewing the stem-changing verbs and demonstrative adjectives
The Arts Live Here
Students were introduced to the content, syllabus, and expectations for the second half of the school year in their Encore Classes - For the courses that are year-long, students were introduced to new concepts building off Quarters 1 & 2 foundation - More specific information will follow
A Health-Conscious Mind & Body
Students were introduced to the content, syllabus, and expectations for the second half of the school year in their Encore Classes - For the courses that are year-long, students were introduced to new concepts building off Quarters 1 & 2 foundation - More specific information will follow
We Got STEM!
Students discovering the graph of a proportional relationship- identifying the constant of proportionality from a graph & table - representing proportional relationships by equations - understanding the concepts of rates and percent using proportions and cross-products - converting a set of data (rational numbers) to an equivalent form - ordering rational numbers - identifying rigid and non-rigid motion transformations - discussing and identifying cell organization and cell division - discussing atoms, molecules, and compounds - learning about the periodic table - exploring weather maps and station models
Town Hall - Student-Building Work
This week’s quote speaks to our Social Emotional Learning Theme of Love: "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." - Maya Angelou
- Tuesday - Friday (Work Completion Days – Please structure it so that students can complete homework, work on projects, and get work from other teachers - Fun Days - Students who have met behavioral expectations will enjoy recess or whatever classroom activity designed)
- April 20th - Town Hall - High School Great potential group will present to 7th & 8th Grades
Collaborative & Department Work
- Full Department Meetings from 3-3:40PM: 3/9, 4/20, 5/11, 6/8
- February 10th - Full Department Meeting from 3 - 3:40PM
- February 11 and 25th- Grade Content Colleague/Individual Work - Work on Interim Assessment II for March 2020 - We have to select a date in March to administer
- March 9th - Full Department Meeting 3-3:40PM - See Department Leaders for Agenda - Math Department will be meeting with Dr. Sobrin - ELA will talk about upcoming ELA Exam led by Michelle and Ms. Simon
Grade-Level Work
- RtI Meetings where applicable - Leslie Detres will communicate specifics
- February 12th - Infinite Campus Tableau (New Features) - Close Look at Attendance, Behavior, and Early Warning System
GOT DATA???
Interim Assessment II will be administered in March - A date will be chosen next week - Please work with your department leader and grade content colleague as you did for Interim Assessment I - We thank everyone who continue to create authentic, challenging, and standards-based assessments - We thank you for the analysis and task/lesson design to enhance learning - #datadriveninstruction
Must ask: Are Our Students Learning
What do my students need to learn? Why?
What have my students learned? How do I know?
What are my next steps? Why?
Task Predicts Performance
Questioning - are we posing low-level questions that address the standard or are we challenging students to think critically while addressing the same standard
LEVEL OF MASTERY THAT WILL BE REACHED IS DETERMINED BY WHAT SORT OF QUESTIONS STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO ANSWER
Work Dates
- February 10th - Full Department Meeting @3PM
- February 10th - Interactive Display Bakeoff in Library @ 3PM
- February 13th - BERT Meeting @7:45AM in Library
- February 14th - Department Leader Meeting @7:45AM
- February 14th - Talent Shows
- February 17th - February 21st - NO SCHOOL - Winter Recess
- February 24th - MBK/PKMS Academic Reward Skating Trip
- February 28th - Nu Psi Zeta Chapter's Black History Month essay contest - Thank you, Ms. Bolden for this continued partnership
- March 2nd - Faculty Meeting @3PM - NYS Testing Information
- March 2 - 13 - NYSESLAT Field Test -Listening/Reading/Writing - Grades 7 & 8
- March 10th - PKMS' Board Presentation of our School Comprehensive Education Plan (SCEP) @7PM in the Ford Administration Building - We'd love for you all to join us as we present
- March 24 - March 31 - NYS ELA Computer-Based Exam - We will have staggered administration so as to minimize building impact - More info to come
- April 6 - May 15 - NYSESLAT Speaking
- April 20 - April 27 - NYS Math Computer-Based Exam - We will have staggered administration so as to minimize building impact - More info to come
- April 30th - STEAM Fair - See Dr. Campolongo
- May 4 - May 15 - NYSESLAT Listening, Reading, Writing
- May 15 - Career Day - See Dr. Campolongo
- May 18- May 29 NYS Grade 8 Science Performance Assessment
- May 30th - GOTR 5K @ FDR Park in Yorktown Heights - Please see Ashley Aucar or Stacy Leitner for details
- June 1 - NYS Grade 8 Science Written Assessment
Work Reminders
- Take attendance for each of your instructional periods
- Ensure 504 and IEP Plans are being supported
- Ensure grade content colleague planning - reflecting Rubicon Atlas
- Ensure Gradebook and Teacher Webpage/Google Classroom reflect current information and assignments
- Communicate with families and maintain that communication in PLP
- Data Driven Instruction Model
- Always Ask: Have They Learned? How Do You Know?
- Training One Another
- Discussing Student Performance Information
- Designing Tiered Instruction
- Reflecting on Daily Practice
- Reviewing Assessments from All Content Areas (Formative, Summative, Interim)
- Discussing Progress Monitoring Efforts
- Pacing through Rubicon Atlas
- Lesson Plans Should Be Designed with the following in Mind
- Questions Posed - What is the level
- Tiered Instruction
- Guided Instruction
- Driven By Data
- Clear and Articulated Assessment Throughout (assessments must contain spiraling back questions)
- Groupings (Fluid)