Alice ISD - ISC Curriculum Gazette
January 2019
A New Year
Even though we are half--way through the school year, don't discard those opportunities to start afresh. It could be starting with new relationships with co-workers, new strategies in the classroom, new opportunities to connect with your students.
I don't personally know the fellow who said this quote, but it is very true.
"It's the little conversations that build the relationships and make an impact on each student." ~Robert John Meehan
Vertical Learning
Take a look at the video, but view with open mind about how to modify the activity to fit your needs.
District Benchmarks
Each year the district gives one benchmark prior to the state assessment. This year the benchmarks are being scheduled to enable teachers to cover more content prior to that test. This will allow 6-8 weeks of reteach time prior to the STAAR.
Assessment dates are as follows:
Feb. 5 - Writing Grades 4 and 7 and ENG. 1 (STAAR test is April 9)
Feb. 6 - Math Grades 5 and 8 (STAAR test is April 9)
Feb. 7 - Reading Grades 5 and 8 ENG. II (STAAR test is April 10 and 11)
March 4 - 8 - EOC Alg. Bio, US History (STAAR test is May 6-10)
Wed. Mar. 20 - Math grades 3, 4, 6 and 7 (STAAR test is May 13)
Thurs. Mar. 21 - Reading Grades 3,4, 6 and 7 (STAAR test is May 14)
Tues. Mar. 26 - Science Gr. 5 and 8 (STAAR test is May 15)
Wed. March 27 Gr. 8 Soc. St (STAAR test is May 16)
English Language Arts & Reading: Taking Running Records
Running records are taken most often at the earlier stages of reading. Taking a running record takes practice. The only way we are going to move students up in their reading levels is if we are listening to them read and planning instruction according to their needs. This is not something that is done once a month or every other week - for those students that are your main priority you should be meeting with them at least 3-4 days a week.
Listed below are some basic reminders on how to conduct a running record.
- Select a benchmark book that is at the student's instructional reading level. Explain that she/he will read out loud as you observe and record her/his reading skills.
- With the Running Record form in hand, sit next to the student so that you can see the text and the student's finger and eye movements as she/he reads the text.
- As the student reads, mark each word on the running record form by using the appropriate Running Record Symbols and Marking Conventions that is in your Guided Reading book or in the F&P Testing Kit. If possible place a check mark above each word that is read correctly.
- If the student reads incorrectly, record above the word what the student reads.
- If the student is reading too fast for you to record the running record, ask her/him to pause until you catch up.
- Be sure to pay attention to the reader's behavior. Is the student using meaning (M), structural (S), and visual (V) cues to read words and gather meaning?
- Do not prompt the student.
- If the student gets stuck on a word first wait 5-10 seconds. Then tell him/her “try something”. If the student still does not make an attempt to say the word, tell it to him/her, instruct the student to “go on” and mark the error with a “T.
If you are in need of guidance or modeling always remember you can reach out to your campus Instructional Facilitator or Reading Interventionist to help. You can also give me (Marta Salazar) a call and I will find you the help that you need - 664-0981 ext. 1082
*See the charts below. Referenced from Fountas & Pinnell Assessment Guide
ELAR Teachers Participate in Planning Sessions with ESC 2 and UT-IPSI
For each performance assessment, teachers mapped out what student expectations in reading would be targeted while also incorporating word study, oral and written conventions, and writing skills. Teachers also discussed what mentor texts they would be utilizing to help students make connections between what they read and write about.
Teachers in third and fourth grade had both Anne Sanchez and Terry Sands from the UT -Institute of Public School Initiatives (IPSI) lead them through their planning sessions. Teachers were also able to discuss reading and writing resources on hand and vet them from within the Learning List website.
Advanced Academics
History Fair
Alice ISD’s Annual History Fair was held January 22-24. We had many competitive entries that will be advancing to regionals, to be held on February 15th at TAMUK. Congratulations to all winners and a huge thank you to all Social Studies teachers that assisted students in their success. Junior division winners are pictured below:
Destination Imagination
Our DI teams have been hard at work with weekly practice sessions in preparation for Spectacular Saturday, to be held on January 26th at Alice High School and the regional tournament, scheduled for February 23 at Veteran’s Memorial High School in Corpus Christi. Good luck to all participants.
Academic Decathlon
Our AHS Decathlon team has been busy with daily and Saturday practices over the last few months, in preparation for their regional tournament taking place at King High in Corpus Christi, February 8-9. Teams from the valley, the Coastal Bend and San Antonio regions are slated to compete. Good luck to our team!
7th Annual Family Engagement Conference
Annual Conference Adds Health Fair to the Program!!
This year we are incorporating a health fair component into our annual event, so all in attendance will have the opportunity for free health screenings of various types.
Registration for vendors, merchants and child care will begin at 8:15 a.m. A free breakfast for all in attendance will be served between 8:15 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Parents and community members will enjoy a Saturday filled with enjoyable, engaging and informational presentations and will be treated to a free breakfast, lunch, numerous door prizes, and free books for the children. In addition, free child-care for Alice ISD school children ages 5 -10 will be provided.
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2019
Place: Alice High School
Time: 8:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Breakfast served from 8:15 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Lunch Menu:
Enchiladas, rice, beans and dessert
Chicken burgers for children (if desired)
Family Engagement Conference Topics
Throughout the morning, attendees will be able to choose from a list of 5 sessions on various topics that span across many grade levels. The sessions offer important information on topics that have an impact on the children and parents in our community. Our conference this year will feature motivational guest speaker Mr. Jonathan Medina from Brownsville, Texas. Mr. Medina shares his uplifting story of his trials and tribulations growing up. He explains how he managed to overcome adversity and go on to attend Georgetown University and play Division I football.
This year we will have four (4) session rotations. The topics to be presented are listed below:
- Cyber Safety, cyber-bullying and Privacy - How to Protect Your Children
- Family Literacy (a bilingual presentation will also be offered)
- Awareness and Prevention of Domestic Violence
- Active Shooter Training
- Recognizing the Signs of Depression
A variety of local merchant and healthcare vendors will be on site for parents to visit while in attendance. Local agencies will be on hand to answer questions about services.
- Session 1 9:00 - 9:45
- Session 2 10:00 – 10:45
- Session 3 11:00 – 11:45
- Session 4 12:00 - 12:45 (Jonathan Medina)
*Lunch will be served at approximately 12:50 p.m. Attendees will receive a lunch ticket when they sign in at the registration tables in the morning. If child care is needed parents need to turn in a preregistration form to their child’s campus ASAP. Childcare provided for Alice ISD students ages 5-10 years.
Technology
Alice ISD went live with our new Raptor system and after a very busy few days ensuring the equipment and program were working, everything seems to be going smoothly now.
Training sessions will continue this semester and will cover topics such as REMIND, Adding Employee Contact Information to Alice Website, and much more!
Inventory
Preparation
Customer Service
Istation! Did you know??
Istation’s edtech enables more instructional time in the classroom through small-group and collaborative instruction.
Istation’s flexible teacher resources support over 4,000 diverse instructional approaches that align with astudent’s results and are based on students’ specific needs.
A recent independent study, using mixed-method, quasi-experimental designs, found that Istation had a statistically significant effect on the literacy learning of students in the study. The study also concluded that Istation can serve as a more knowledgeable solution as students develop some early literacy skills.
Results indicated that Istation had a statistically significant effect on the early literacy skills of the kindergarten students studied and could explain 17.7% of the variance in group differences.
Students in grades 1-5 who moderately used the curriculum grew an average of 61.6% beyond students who did not use it. That growth increased to 84.4% for students who used the Istation programs for 400 minutes or more per academic year.
Students in grades 6-8 grew an average of 15.6% beyond students not using the program; with a growth increase of 67.2% for students who used the program for 400 minutes or more per academic year.
Students, who use the Istation program at a minimum usage of 400 minutes per academic year, grow at a faster rate than those who have not used the program. And, those who are struggling grow at a faster rate when using Istation’s educational technology.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DISTRICT SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS!
Click link below for more Science Fair pics
Facilities Task Force
Last week the task force analyzed several different options that will take our campuses into the next decade and beyond to provide the best facilities for the students of our district. More work is forthcoming. Stay tuned!
Alice ISD Curriculum
Email: anna.holmgreen@aliceisd.net
Website: www.aliceisd.net
Location: 2 Coyote Trail, Alice, TX, USA
Phone: 361664-0981
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliceISD/
Twitter: @AliceISD