The DCMS Bat Signal: 3/5/19
Super me, super you, everyday heroes make dreams come true.
Good Morning Team DCMS Superheroes!
Team,
Good Tuesday to you all!
Please wash your hands, cover your cough, take vitamin C, run through a Lysol mist...whatever it takes to stay well. This flu season is really taking its toll on all of us. Take care of yourselves. We need you. You, in the classroom, is so much better and more effective than a substitute any day.
On the other hand, if you are sick. Please stay home. Sharing is caring unless you are sick. Then, it is just plain mean. :)
Have a wonderful week!
Marsha Webster
Schoology Training
Whether you already feel like you have a handle on Schoology or you are nervous about utilizing the site and like to move slowly as you learn something new, the training we provide will be just your speed! Your building coordinators will be talking you through a self-paced course that will meet the needs of all teachers individually!
Here are some tips to ensure these PD sessions go smoothly:
- You will need wired headphones or earbuds to listen to the videos during this training session without disturbing your neighbor. If you do not have a pair, please chat with others in your building to see if you can find an extra set you could borrow.
- You will be uploading a profile picture so you may want to think about want you want to use ahead of time and ensure it is saved on your computer (personal picture, something subject/grade level specific, etc.).
- Once you move through the training course, you will have time to add classroom materials to your page for next year. Most of these resources should be saved to your computer to use but if not, please move them to your own computer storage or bring in a flash drive to upload them from there. Unless you fly through the training course, you probably won't need these things until at least the second PD session. Possible list of things to populate: Class information/syllabus (if these are linked to Google Docs and you make a change, they will be reflected accurately!), Calendar events (first day of school, breaks, etc.), Helpful resources for students/links to commonly used websites, Assignments you know you will utilize, Lesson documents (PowerPoints, worksheets, projects, etc.), Daily homework, Discussion topics, Writing assignments, etc.
Knowing Every Child Through Index Card Rosters
recruiting interested Indiana educators to be involved in the scoring process for the
upcoming ILEARN assessment.
Curriculum Mapping from Morgan Walker
One of the goals this year is to ensure we have a guaranteed and viable curriculum for every course and that it is organized into a central location. This work can be done during PLC time, grade level/department meetings, during your prep/school day as needed, and I am also opening back up Title II grant funds for certified staff to work outside the contract day for pay if they choose (see info below). Thank you for the work that has already gone into this organization-- I have heard from many of you that this has been a valuable exercise and you are feeling more organized and in step with each other! The IDOE actually put out a document that we could use to organize our curriculum that looks incredibly similar to our Essential Standards chart recently- so we are on the right track! :-)
Fun fact: DCSC staff have logged 542 hours of work OUTSIDE of contract time on curriculum mapping thus far!
I wanted to take a moment to remind you of the timeline of this work. The goal was to have at least ONE course finished by the end of the first semester. Following the winter break, the goal is to have TWO additional courses completed during the second semester. (Elementary teachers should be able to finish all work by the end of this school year.)
Starting next year, we will work on TWO courses per semester until all of them are complete. **If you find that you are having trouble finishing in the time given to you during PLC time and you are unable to work outside of that time, please let me know. I will do my best to work with you and help in any way I can to finish! You are welcome to move faster than that, of course!
**Certified staff- I have sent out vouchers for winter and am ready to open up work for February and March. If you are working on this outside the school day....click here to submit a form so I can pay you for this time. (This page is also located on the training page of the Curriculum site.) You can submit up to 10 hours at this time and each hour will be paid out at $27.39 per the teacher contract. If you start working and decide you need additional time over the 10 hours, please let me know before you submit so I can ensure I have additional grant funding to cover. All hours must be submitted on the Google Form by April 1st (no fooling!). At that time, I will send out Accounts Payable forms for staff to sign and return to me for payout and decide if the form can be opened up again.
iLearn/You Learn
**If you teach math or ELA in grades 3-8, reading these updates is NOT optional. You are expected to know the information contained in each update. Please make the time to ensure you have read and understood all of this information.**
If you missed a previous version, please catch up by accessing the following links:
Submit Same Day Absences the Same Day in Frontline, Please & More
The only forms requiring a paper request in addition to the Frontline request is a professional leave request. The reason we need to continue using paper, for the time being, is because the account codes are not yet included in Frontline yet. This too shall end in time. Stay tuned.
Upcoming Events
- School Board Mtg - Monday, 3/11, @ SE in the cafe starting at 6:30 PM
- MS Spring Pictures with LifeTouch - Tuesday, 3/19
- Spring Break Begins - Saturday, March 23 - No school 3/23 - 3/31
- School Resumes - Monday, 4/1 - White Day
Upcoming Meetings
- PLC - Wednesday, 2/27, in The Bat Cave @7:25 AM
- PLC - Wednesday, 3/6, in The Bat Cave @7:25 AM
- Faculty Mtg - Tuesday, 3/12, in The Bat Cave @7:25 AM (Part II of Zones of Regulation)
- PLC - Wednesday, 3/13, in The Bat Cave @7:25 AM
- PLC - Wednesday, 3/20, in The Bat Cave @7:25 AM
A Message from the Danville Community Education Foundation
STAFF: We will be making grade level baskets to raffle off at the DCEF BINGO event. We are also asking STAFF members to donate any type of alcoholic beverages to make some adult baskets. We are looking for bottles of wine, wine glasses, craft beers, any type of beer, signs, gift cards, etc. Anything that would be great in a basket!!
These items can NOT be brought into school but we have a drop off location set up at Paisley Peacock on the Square (in Sage Home's old store). They are open Tuesday thru Saturday 11-7pm. Please drop all donations off by March 2nd.
You are all encouraged to buy tickets to attend. Bring some friends and reserve a table! We will be honoring all teachers in attendance too!!
Please help us make this a successful fundraiser to raise more money for teacher grants and senior scholarships by spreading the word, making donations and attending the event!
Thank you for ALL you do for kiddos! It is greatly appreciated!
Regarding...
Marsha will be out Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with Gleason, Hayse, Smith, and Hendricks. We are attending a Teach Like a Champion Training on Behavior and Culture. We will be trainers when we come back. Woot! Watch out world!
Shorts, Longs, & Coaching Observations – Expect that we will be visiting frequently and maybe even multiple times in a week.
Attendance Must Be Taken EACH Period – Attendance must be taken each period. This is not optional and cannot continue to be forgotten. At this point, this is considered a minimum performance expectation.
- Cell Phone Violations Procedures are found here at the following link. Please familiarize yourself with the process. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yo87qFzgaYYG4L5Tw6LKFdpQ7d_OHymU4UId1rL2qlI/edit?usp=sharing
- Friday School / Detention Supervisor Sign-Up – Please sign up to supervise a Friday School or Detention for the good of the school culture using the links below. Detentions will now be on Thursday AM and Thursday PM.
Friday School - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AZ7wto6mePwKuZMiJKTMSHRL7as4EjSdTHnyIUvj91s/edit?usp=sharing
About Us: Mission & Collective Commitments
We are a collaborative group of educators committed to ensuring high student achievement.
We commit to…
- Focusing on student proficiency of Indiana College & Career Readiness standards, not just coverage of material.
- Working collaboratively to benefit all students with a focus on results.
- Join forces to learn by doing on a daily basis.
- Using frequent common assessments that inform and drive our instruction.
- Providing intervention and enrichment based upon the formative data.
- Furthering a culture that uses value-added language, encourages one another, and celebrates successes.
Email: mwebster@danville.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.danville.k12.in.us/Domain/9
Location: 1425 West Lincoln Street, Danville, IN, USA
Phone: 3177455491
Facebook: facebook.com/DCMSWarriors
Twitter: @DCMS_Warriors