JCISD LEARNING SERVICES UPDATE
Volume 2, Issue 5
FEBRUARY AND MARCH NEWS INCLUDED, DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
EAST JACKSON POVERTY SIMULATION
On the county-wide professional development day, which took place on Monday, January 21st, East Jackson offered a poverty simulation to their staff, board members, and volunteer NHS students. The poverty simulation was an opportunity for participants and volunteers to step into the real-life situations of those experiencing poverty. Poverty is often portrayed as a stand-alone issue - but this simulation allowed individuals to walk a month in the shoes of someone who is facing poverty and realize how complex and interconnected issues of poverty are.
After the experience, individuals had the opportunity to discuss what they learned. During this debriefing, participants shared how the experience made them rethink the challenges that low-income individuals must face daily. More importantly, participants were able to identify areas of change that can directly impact the students, families, and community members of East Jackson. Each participant committed to an “I Will” statement. One person wrote, “I will have a better understanding of what many of my students deal with on a daily basis.”
If you have questions or are interested in planning or participating in a future Poverty Simulation, please contact Caitlin Williams at caitlin.williams@jcisd.org.
MATH ACADEMIES ARE ADDING UP!
JACKSON SCIENCE CAFE MARCH 2019
Photo by Project Apollo Archive licensed under Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
PLAYWORKS . . .
- THE PLAYGROUND - THE LARGEST CLASSROOM
The first day of the Playworks training is on the books. On January 21st, over 40 paraprofessionals, teachers, counselors, and principals from 7 different districts around the county gathered to learn about Playworks. What an amazing day with wonderful teams!! Our schools are lucky to have these hard-working and compassionate teams.
Every team went away with research and evidenced-based tier-one management strategies, large and small group activities, as well as action plans to implement over the course of the next two months. These can be incorporated into every setting in the school including the playground, cafeteria, and classroom. The universal strategies that are taught during the Playworks training can also be built right into the school-wide behavior management system which is what the 7 participating districts did.
Playworks research also shows teachers and principals are reporting significant benefits to the classroom including less class time spent resolving conflict, fewer class disruptions, as well as a better focus from students. The research also shows teachers and principals report students are better equipped to resolve their own conflicts and have fewer verbal and physical conflicts.
The local district teams will come back together in March to see what went well, what needs more support, as well as learning new strategies to put into their toolbox. When we consider all the time students spend in school and the opportunities we have to make a difference, we know we need to leverage all the spaces as learning opportunities. Playworks truly hones in on the largest "classroom" each building has... the playground... to create that safe, engaging and empowering space for all students in Jackson County!
SOAR with Townsend Elementary
SPRING COUNT FINALIZED
DEFINING COMMON LITERACY TERMS
ADDITIONAL LINKS
Jackson Community Foundation - January Newsletter
Jackson Community Foundation - How Community Foundations Combat Volatility
Jackson Great Start News - February
Jackson Great Start News - March
Michigan School Accountability
MSD Technical Update - March Newsletter
GREAT START COLLABORATIVE NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
LEARNING SERVICES TEAM CONTACT INFORMATION
Director of Instruction and Learning Services
- Tovah Sheldon, tovah.sheldon@jcisd.org, (517) 990-3612
- Dan Luciani, dan.luciani@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5238
Data and Assessment
- Jennifer Fox, Jennifer.fox@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5212
- Deb Spencer (Support), deb.spencer@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5175
Early Childhood (Birth to Grade 3) / Great Start Collaborative / GSRP Preschool
- Jean Allison, jean.allison@jcisd.org, (517) 990-6710
- Wendy Bell, wendy.bell@jcisd.org, (517) 990-8046
- Christina Blackwell, christina.blackwell@jcisd.org, (517) 990-8015
- Catherine Brubaker, catherine.brubaker@jcisd.org
- Kelly Friedland, kelly.friedland@jcisd.org, (517) 990-3625
- Kelly Sheppard, kelly.sheppard@jcisd.org (517) 768-5281
- Deb Spencer (Support), deb.spencer@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5175
Literacy
- Melissa Bulgrien, melissa.bulgrien@jcisd.org, (517) 990-8077
- Maeghan McCormick, maeghan.mccormick@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5191
- Sandy White, sandra.white@jcisd.org, (517) 990-6718
- Tammy Minder (Support), tammy.minder@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5158
Mathematics / Science
- Heather Holshoe, heather.holshoe@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5151
- William Montgomery, william.montgomery@jcisd.org, (517) 990-6717
- Ronda VanStempvoort (Support, SCECHs), ronda.vanstempvoort@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5251
School Improvement
- Jessica Bucklin, jessica.bucklin@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5759
- Jennifer Fox, jennifer.fox@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5212
- Dan Luciani, dan.luciani@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5238
- Deb Spencer (Support), deb.spencer@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5175
Whole Child / School Health / Project AWARE / Attendance and Homeless Programs
- Janelle Buchler, janelle.buchler@jcisd.org, (517) 787-5903
- Kara Klotz, kara.klotz@jcisd.org, (517) 990-3623
- Caitlin Williams, caitlin.williams@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5264
- Tammy Minder (Support), tammy.minder@jcisd.org, (517) 768-5158