Captain's Log
PASS CHRISTIAN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Ahoy, Pirates!
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
This term, you have faced an unprecedented moment in the history of our school district. You have kept our students engaged, focused, and safe. Furthermore, you have given them a sense of community that had you not made the leap to online instruction we would have lost. Yet, you have held on and extended yourselves in ways we could not have imagined you would. Whether you have been on the bus, passed out food, visited a home, placed a yard sign, delivered food, or simply made a call or sent a text, you have committed to something much higher than self. In this, an eXtremely challenging moment, you have decided to hold dear to our core beliefs. You have steadied the ship and turned it due north with our mission as your guide. Though the wind be in front of us, you work tirelessly to reach the goal. Keep fighting for our children; keep fighting for our way - the Pirate way! I believe that this new normal will not last forever, but it will stay for what will ultimately feel like a blip in our history. For those of us living in the moment, it will be a battle that is worth the fight. Keep your heads up, Pirates!
The leadership team and I would like to thank the Pirate educators - teachers and teacher assistants - for loving our children and district so much that every day you wake up with eXcellence on your mind, and that you forge a wider path for those who will follow to take. We wish that we could hug you or enjoy a friendly meal. We wish that you could see how you each one goes about instruction with such zeal. We wish that we could all get together in a crowd so that we could say how much we appreciate you once more - aloud. Sending air hugs to all of you. Time will keep us apart and it will bring us together again as well.
Stay safe! Your health is important to us and our children. With that, I submit the Captain's Log. #nosurrender #2020vision #committedtoeXcellence #eXcellencemarksthespot cje
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SUICIDE PREVENTION MOBILE APP
There have been many articles recently indicating that suicide is on the rise in light of the COVID-19 induced quarantine. Feelings of isolation, anxiety, stress, and depression are growing admist a loss of control of one's daily life. To help with prevention, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health’s Shatter the Silence: Suicide—The Secret You Shouldn’t Keep mobile app is available for download from the Google Play and Apple stores at no cost. The app provides suicide prevention information including:
- Facts about suicide
- Warning Signs
- Risk Factors
- How to Help
- What Not to Do
- Resources to Help
If you know of a student who needs assistance, please reach out to your principal and counselor(s) for help. If you need assistance, please reach out to your mental health provider. If you do not have a provider, please use the resources in the app or your regular medical provider to seek assistance. We are in this together!
STUDENT LUNCHES
We have provided 20, 914 meals to the children of our community. Thank you for all who have volunteered. We could not have done it without you! We would like to remind everyone that the meal program is a district-wide program. We would love to see PreK-12 teachers and administrators working the line and riding the buses. The volunteer document has been updated to extend until the end of the school year.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS:
- Wear masks and gloves. Be aware of cross-contamination.
- Refrain from leaning into cars or leaving buses.
- Reduce conversations to reduce risks.
- Make sure you are fever-free. No one who has had a recent fever of 100.4 or higher will be allowed to work. Please take your temperature upon arrival.
- Arrive just prior to @ 11 am. Some days we need assistance as early as 8:30 am.
- Maintain 6ft+ distance between you and other workers.
NEWS YOU CAN USE FROM MPE_Kelly Riley (Pirate Alum)
NBPTS Supports Candidates During COVID-19
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is committed to supporting National Board candidates impacted by COVID-19. Click here for several updates that will prove beneficial for National Board candidates. The NBPTS has revised their assessment due dates and provided opportunities for candidates to switch a component, withdraw or defer a component. The deadline for choosing an option has been extended to May 7. You may view a series of options for initial National Board candidates, and for Renewal candidates and clarifications on the portfolio submission requirements during COVID-19 .
USM Offering Online Graduate Degrees in Special Education
With all that is happening in the world right now, it’s time to take the leap and do what you have always wanted to do – get your graduate degree in Special Education from the University of Southern Mississippi! All M.Ed. and Ed.S. courses are online and most Ph.D. courses are fully online. Graduate courses are taught by full-time Special Education faculty with the highest credentials in Special Education. The deadline to apply for summer classes is May 15, while the fall application deadline is August 15. Visit https://conta.cc/3btpNKq or contact Dr. Alisa Lowrey (alisa.lowrey@usm.edu) or Dr. Hollie Filce (Hollie.Filce@usm.edu) for additional information.
NEWS YOU CAN USE FORM MDE_DR. CAREY WRIGHT
VIRTUAL MEETING FOR EL COORDINATORS AND TEACHERS: The Mississippi Department of Education is hosting an EL check-in meeting Wednesday, May 6 for district EL leaders from across the state. This meeting is an opportunity for EL coordinators, directors, and lead teachers from Mississippi school districts to share triumphs, challenges, updates and next steps related to the recent school closings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MDE EL team members will also be in attendance to answer questions and provide updates.
Date: Wednesday, May 6 Time: 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
We are eager to hear directly from you on your COVID-19 related challenges as well as some possible solutions. Please consider the following questions as you prepare for this meeting. Districts will have an opportunity to share ideas, methods and resources that address these questions.
- What are some of the immediate short-term challenges you are facing?
- What are some of long-term challenges related to COVID-19 that you are facing?
- What are some of the triumphs you have experienced throughout this pandemic?
To register please complete the Microsoft form below: https://tinyurl.com/ycrt326h
Registration must be complete by 8:00 am Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Official access information to the webinar will be emailed Wednesday morning. If you have any questions, please contact Sandy Elliott at selliott@mdek12.org.
TEACHER RESOURCES: The MDE has curated a list of resources and tools, categorized by content area online at https://mdek12.org/covid19/districtresources. These resources include tools for English, mathematics, science, and social studies, as well as resources for arts, world languages, career and technical education, and English learners.
Resources have been divided into the following categories:
- Internet Services
- Multiple Content Area Resources
- Arts (Dance, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts) Resources
- Career and Technical (CTE) Resources
- English Language Arts Resources
- Mathematics Resources
- Science Resources
- Social Studies Resources
- World Language Resources
- Counselor Resources
- English Learner Resources
- Intervention Resources
- Virtual Learning Resources
CHARACTER COUNTS! (Free Resources): During this time of distance learning, CHARACTER COUNTS! is providing free online character development resources for parents and educators that are age-specific for elementary, middle school, and high school. We have been receiving great responses to the resources from educators and parents across the country. We have heard from education leaders in Texas, Kansas, and New York that they are some of the finest character-based on-line resources they have seen.
Lesson plans include a search function by grade level and topical focus. These lesson plans help teachers continue developing the character of their students, while also providing simple writing prompts and other online activities: https://raycenter.wp.drake.edu/category/lessonplans/
Family Guides are available for grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Family Guides are a great resource to share with families who are in need of learning activities to do with their students while at home: https://raycenter.wp.drake.edu/parentguide/
CHARACTER COUNTS! resources were vetted by a curriculum committee at the Iowa Department of Education and have been included in their online resource page for educators and parents: https://educateiowa.gov/pk-12/resources-support-learning-during-covid-19
CA: FREE K-8 TRAINING & UPDATES
CA is excited to announce a series of 4 live virtual Math learning opportunities that Elizabeth Peyser, National Director of Content and Implementation, will be doing in May. Please make your plans to register and join these 4 engaging webinars:
- Wednesday, May 6th, 10:30 1.m. – 11:30 a.m. CDT – Number Lines 101: The Fundamentals: Join us for hands-on learning to build and use this important tool, from whole numbers to fraction computation to double number lines in middle school. Both digital tools and hands-on manipulatives will be explored.
- Monday, May 11th, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. CDT – Moving Beyond Cross – Multiply and Divide: Join us for low-risk, hands-on learning and practice of the models that bring ratio reasoning to life for students. Learn how these middle school expectations prepare students for high school standards.
- Wednesday, May 13th, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. CDT – The Arc of Arithmetic to Algebra: No matter what grade you teach, you will find something to use with your students to propel them forward, as well as how to incorporate digital manipulatives for e-learning.
- Thursday, May 14th, 10:03 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. CDT – Number Lines 102: Fractions and Computations: Participants will learn and practice the third- through sixth-grade strategies to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions with number lines.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
OTHER VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFERINGS:
- New Live Virtual PD Sessions: Four new sessions are available. Register now.
- Expanding Use of i-Ready for At-Home Learning
- Monitoring Online Instruction for At-Home Learning
- Supporting Distance Learning with Ready Classroom Mathematics
- Supporting Distance Learning with Ready Mathematics
Weekly Logs
SENSATIONAL SENIOR DAY BRINGS SMILES & HUGS
What an awesome week of celebrating we have had! Our seniors were all smiles as they came to PCHS for Sensational Senior Day! The high school team of administrators and teachers put a new "spin" on things this year. Check out the photos below to get a feel for the day!
VALEDICTORIAN & SALUTATORIAN
HALL OF FAME 2020
Where's the Superintendent?
OTHER ACTIVITIES:
What am I reading?
Contact Info
Email: cevers@pc.k12.ms.us
Website: www.pc.k12.ms.us
Location: 6457 Kiln Delisle Road, Pass Christian, MS, USA
Phone: 228-216-9184
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/passpiratepride
Twitter: @pcppridealerts
i-READY 10.5 RELEASE – WHAT’S NEW?
The coming 10.5 release of i-Ready® will include features we have expedited to help you cope with the challenges presented by extended school closures. These updates make it easier to:
- Quickly See How Your Class Is Performing. An Early Access version of the new Personalized Instruction by Lesson report for classes and report groups allows you to view performance on recently completed lessons and check the status of In Progress lessons. Using this report, you can now:
- Check student performance on lessons they’ve completed in the prior two weeks and see the status of Teacher-Assigned Lessons that are available to students.
- Identify students who are working in similar levels and domains for grouping.
- See which lessons students are struggling with before there’s an alert.
Cheat sheets and additional resources for the new report will be available on i-Ready Central®. The functionality of this report will be expanded for the coming school year.
- Keep Students Queues Tidy. To keep Teacher-Assigned Lesson queues manageable, i-Ready Teacher-Assigned Lessons will now be removed from a student’s queue 60 days after their due date.
- Engage Middle Schoolers’ Critical Thinking. This release begins the rollout of a new type of middle school Reading Comprehension lesson that focuses on connecting ideas in complex passages. The first new lessons are for Grade 6; lessons for Grade 7 and 8 are coming soon.
PROGRAM SPECIFIC GUIDANCE: i-Ready
- Family Support Site (in Spanish): The new i-Ready Family Support site and its resources will be translated in the next one to two weeks.
- Plory and Snaarg Encouragement Videos: Seven new videos have been added to the Educator Guidance page (see the “Engage Students and Families” section). You can access a full list of videos here.
NEW DISTANCE-LEARNING RESOURCES FOR EVERYONE
- New Math Enrichment Activities provide opportunities to extend understanding of each concept in engaging and challenging ways. Check them out on the Additional Mathematics Resources page.