Fall semester has been busy! We started the semester on July 26th with a half-day training about our new CT&LS Standards and 3-D learning. On November 7th, Science PLC leaders met for a full-day training on 3D Science, focusing more deeply on the Crosscutting Concepts in particular. Our hope and expectation is that this training will be redelivered at local schools over several weeks during grade level/course PLCs. District PLC leaders were also instrumental in the second phase of our content acquisition process in late September and early October. As 2018 approaches, we are gearing up for our science competitions: Science Fair and Science Olympiad.

It's science fair season! Please remember to hold your local school fair by January 29th if you plan on sending students to the district science fair. Visit http://www.ccsdscience.com/k-5.html or http://www.ccsdscience.com/6-12.html to register your school's top winners advancing to the district fair. The deadline for registration is February 3rd, 2018. We are partnering with a new tech company this year, Populy, to streamline the registration and judging process.

Do you or someone you know want to judge projects at the district fair on February 10th?

To judge the elementary fair, register here: https://www.populy.io/register/OQvTbt

To judge the middle/high school fair, register here: https://www.populy.io/register/eWXv0O

The PAEMST award, which recognizes excellent science and/or math teaching by K-6 teachers, is now open. Nominations can be submitted by principals, teachers, parents, students, or members of the general public by visiting the PAEMST webpage at www.paemst.org. Teachers may also self-nominate. To submit a nomination, the form requires the teacher’s name, email address, and school name. If a person knows more than one teacher worthy of this award, more than one nomination may be submitted. The nominations window closes on April 1, 2018.

For additional information on this award please contact Dr. Juan-Carlos Aguilar (jaguilar@doe.k12.ga.us) or Ms. Amanda Buice (abuice@doe.k12.ga.us) for question related to a science nominee or Mr. Brook Kline (BKline@doe.k12.ga.us) or Ms. Lya Snell (LSnell@doe.k12.ga.us) for questions related to a mathematics nominee.

We hope you have a relaxing Thanksgiving and winter break. Knowing the dedication of our Cobb teachers, we also realize that many of you will spend a least some time working on school work. As you plan your lessons, please remember the excellent, work-at-you-own-pace professional learning resource Understanding the New Science GSE.

Elementary teachers can access the online notebook here: www.tinyurl.com/ElementarySciGSEnotebook

Secondary teachers can access the online notebook here:

www.tinyurl.com/SecondarySciGSEnotebook

Additionally, you can access recorded webinars from our series about the Science and Engineering Practices within your CTLS community.

As mentioned, PLC leaders were trained on the Crosscutting Concepts on November 7th. The following resources are helpful for understanding and using the CCCs:

CCC Overview Video

CCC Matrix

CCC Classroom Posters Version 1, Version 2

Prompts for Incorporating the CCCs into Instruction and Assessment