Curriculum Matters
...but not nearly as much as good teaching!
---------------October 2019--------------- WELCOME TO THE WILDCAT BUFFET
THE ELEMENTARY PD BUFFET
(SVCS STRATEGIC PLAN PRIORITY #1 & 3)
Elementary teachers and staff were able to scoop up some tasty professional development provided by our own SV teachers and administrators. Sessions on the menu were syncing grades in Canvas and going paperless, how to craft a Canvas course, using choice menus to meet the needs of High Ability students, and getting certified in the test administration portal. Thank you to our session chefs for October: Jason Brewer and Maria Sellers.
THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PD BUFFET
Middle school teachers and staff enjoyed a healthy serving of professional development this month. Sessions on the menu included Canvas course prep, hands-on learning in science to increase student engagement, how to organize files and folders in Google Drive, and self-care for educators! Thank you to our session chefs for October: Maria Sellers, Morgan Dezsi, Micah Williams, and Elizabeth Shew.
THE HIGH SCHOOL PD BUFFET
(SVCS STRATEGIC PLAN PRIORITY #1 & 3)
High school teachers and staff gobbled up some home-grown professional development cooked up by the math teachers and our technology director! Menu items included EdPuzzle, Canvas course prep, Delta Math, and a drive-thru option of test administration certification. Thank you to our session chefs for this month: Melinda Clark, Jenny Fossi, and Jamie Dunegan. At the end of each buffet session this month, teachers and staff left their servers a tip by responding to a Google survey that will help define the November PD events.
Supporting our Health Services Program
(SVCS STRATEGIC PLAN PRIORITY #2 & 5)
A recent need, identified by our corporation nurse Hannah Hoover, is a collection of essential clothing items in our school health offices for student emergencies. Our amazing SV family responded swiftly and generously by hosting a Denim Day to raise funds to stock these essential needs. Each school stuffed-a-cuff or pinned-a-pocket with dollar bills to wear jeans on the October PD day. The jeans were signed by teachers and staff who supported this worthy cause, and they will remain on display in each school's health office. This event raised $298 that was converted to a gift card for our nurse to use when an emergency arises. What an amazing effort by so many in support of our students.
Central Elementary's Strive for 5 Program
(SVCS STRATEGIC PLAN PRIORITY #1 & 2)
Expeditionary Learning (EL Education Reading Curriculum) at SVMS
(SVCS STRATEGIC PLAN PRIORITY #1, 2, & 3)
Our middlers are exposed to more in-depth collaboration through group work in ELA classes with the EL Education curriculum. Students move from group-to-group discussing plot moves and documenting evidence of characterization in the novels they are reading. Varying group sizes, alternating group members, and shifts in group tasks provide for deeper comprehension and time to process thoughts since every reader approaches the text from a different angle. Anchor charts are plentiful during these group sessions, and finding creative ways to organize these materials has been helpful for Jana Jo in her classroom.
Corporation-wide Writing Project in Support of our Deployed Military Troops
(SVCS STRATEGIC PLAN PRIORITY #1 & 2)
South Vermillion has joined more than 50 Hoosier school districts in the Indiana Department of Education's outreach effort to send holiday greeting cards to military servicemen and servicewomen deployed around the world. Indiana's Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick's son is a West Point student, and she is thrilled that so many Indiana schools have joined this nationwide effort called Holiday Cards for our Military Challenge. This patriotic writing project began in the state of New Hampshire 16 years ago. This week, more than 1600 students will write to a specific audience in a common mission to spread joy and gratitude during the holiday season.
New Dyslexia Legislation
(SVCS STRATEGIC PLAN PRIORITY #1 & 2)
Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, all Indiana schools will include in their K-2 reading plans the indicators to screen for risk factors of dyslexia. A screening tool approved by the IDOE must include phonological and phonemic awareness, sound/symbol recognition, alphabetic knowledge, decoding skills, encoding skills, and rapid naming skills. The benchmark assessment for the EL Education Reading Curriculum is our state-approved screener along with the Arkansas Rapid Automized Naming Screener. Each school district must identify procedures for completing all aspects of the screeners and subsequent levels of testing. South Vermillion Reading Specialists are designing our corporation's handbook for dyslexia protocol following the Indiana Dyslexia Resource Guide. More information about this legislation can be found by clicking on the link below.
South Vermillion Community Schools
Together we ACHIEVE
Together we SUCCEED
Email: mbeaver@svcs.k12.in.us
Website: www.svcs.k12.in.us
Location: 800 Wildcat Drive, Clinton, IN, USA
Phone: 812-832-2426
Facebook: facebook.com/SouthVermillionCommunitySchoolCoporation
Twitter: @CurriculumSVCS