Mustang Message
March 27, 2016
A Message from Jeff and Yolanda
According to Dr. Marzano, instructional rounds are one of the most valuable tools that a school or district can use to enhance teachers' pedagogical skills and develop a culture of collaboration. The primary purpose is for observing teacher is to compare his/her own instructional practices with those of the teachers they observe. Our focus for the two sessions of instructional rounds was to focus on student engagement. The chief benefit of this approach resides in the discussion that takes place among observing teachers at the end of the observation as well as in subsequent self-reflection.
In reading the comments that were shared during the reflection sessions, there are so many positive student learning experiences already occurring at LWTC and LWTHS. We will use the reflections in order to better prepare for professional development going forward. We appreciate the "growth mindset" that everyone exhibited during the rounds. Regardless of how long we have been in education, there is always something that can be learned and incorporated into class for the benefit of student learning!
Thank you to those of you who who shared their instructional round reflections. If you have suggestions on how we can further use the reflections, a way to improve instructional rounds or our next "look for" or focus for instructional rounds next year, please don't hesitate to share.
So, as you continue to reflect on the experience, let us know how we can continue to provide opportunities for you to collaborate with your peers and continue to learn from each other.
Tech Corner
Another Spotlight on Strategy to try this week - Journals. Many of the science and English classes use a type of interactive notebook and this instructional strategy is similar, combining a non-linguistic representation of their learning along with a linguistic explanation. Here’s how it works and how you can combine it with technology! Show a content video or provide a reading selection from your curriculum. Instead of asking students to take traditional notes, have them draw a picture of something they learned and then they can add written text to support their image. Of course you can do this on paper/in notebooks, but you can also ask them to upload the image (snap a photo with device) to a provided Padlet or Lino link where they can be shared with other students as well. Having them on the web also allows for paperless access anytime for additional reference.
Need an April Fool’s Day prank for your students? Check this out and see if there’s something you might be able to adapt for your classroom! :)
There are a couple of messages in this Alan November article worth reading, The Essential Unique Search Tool Your Students May Have Never Used. The first one relates to Digital Citizenship and the permanence of what is created/added to the Internet and the second one relates to Searching the Web - both use Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine site. Using this might be a good class discussion prompt!
A Note from the Wellness Champions
Just another reminder from your Wellness Champions - - the deadline for the Pathways blood draw is rapidly approaching. The deadline is 4/1/16. We have heard from many employees that the morning appointments are almost full through the third week in March. If an employee cannot get an appointment for a Quest site, the best option would be to schedule an appointment here at the MLK building on 3/30 or 3/31 or in Immokalee at ITEC on 3/28 or 3/29. If anyone is having a problem scheduling, please contact Joanna Ciani at 377-0353 or Dayli Christiano at 377-0710. Also, if anyone needs a mammogram, here is the schedule for the mobile mammo unit. Anyone can use this method, even if you are not at that particular school (even volunteers and parents):
o Oakridge Middle Wednesday, March 30, 8 AM to Noon
o Gulf Coast High Tuesday, April 12, 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM
o Immokalee High School Thursday, April 21, 12:30 PM to 5 PM
Happenings
- Fire Drill on Tuesday, 3/29.
- PBS Walkthrough on Wednesday, 3/30 from 10:00-12:00. Please be sure your PBS posters are visible in your classrooms and that you review the LWTHS behavior expectations with students.
- District parent surveys will be distributed during periods 1 and blocks 1/3 on Tuesday, 3/29 as part of the CCPS district accredidation process. Surveys need to be returned by April 7th. Any class with a 100% return rate will win a pizza party.
Reminders
- Please distribute district surveys to students during period 1 and blocks 1/3 on Tuesday, 3/29. We are hoping for a 100% return rate. Please remind students every day to return the forms.
- PLT reflections are due March 31st.
- Don't forget to nominate a staff member for the month of March by clicking on the Padlet link . Type the name of the nominated staff member in the "Title" portion of the Padlet post and your reasoning in the body of the post. Also you can nominate by grade level a student for the month of February by clicking the appropriate link below. Follow the same protocol of putting the student name as the title and reason for nominating in the body of the posting.
9th grade Link:
10th grade Link:
11th grade Link:
12th grade Link:
Spotlight on LWTHS Staff Member
Karly Campbell grew up in San Francisco and knew she wanted to teach since she was a high school junior. She attended Fisk University in Nashville. She loves learning about the past and travel. Recently she traveled to Jamaica and her next stop is Costa Rica, where she would love to live one day. Karly is a former ballet and tap dancer who spent some time in a wheel chair because she had two pins in each foot!
Spotlight on LWTC Staff Member
Anne Fredette is not a woman who gets easily bored. When she is not teaching at Moorings Park, she is coaching volleyball or raising her two boys who are very active in sports. Somewhere in between all that she is a motivational speaker and works as a licensed cosmetologist. Anne moved here from Long Island, NY and is a graduate of Naples High School. If those of us who know her could describe her in one word it would be POSITIVE!! Anne always sees the best in people as evidenced by the miracles she creates with her students every day. Before they encountered Anne, their lives were filled with what they could not do, but now the focus is on the many things they CAN do. Anne is very family focused, but also a devoted friend, mother and inspirational teacher who truly makes a difference in the lives of all she meets!
Kudos
- Marcela Ugarte and Margot Dagher for making sure our students were able to be seen by the Vision Quest Bus.
- Margot Dagher and Carlos Gonzalez for collating and delivering the parent surveys which will go home with students on 3/29.
- Donna Lang, Pat Metcalf, Lisa Perez, Bruce Rutila and Lindsey Simmons for taking part in the Best Practices in Inclusive Education Committee (BPIE) to help us to make our our already great ESE practices even better.
- Kris Betten-Jutasi, Carly Campbell, Joanne Cassio, Marie Coleman and Dawn Peck for creating a Marzano video for DQ2-Element #6-identifying Critical Content which received rave reviews from district personnel.
- To all who hosted the 5th graders from Osceola Elementary in their classrooms.
- To all for participating in instructional rounds
Happy Birthday
No birthdays this week!
Upcoming Staff Meetings and Trainings
- See the lwcampus.wikispaces.com for the LWTC/LWTHS meeting calendar.
- We have received word that the CPR Instructor Training course, originally scheduled for 4/16/16, has been cancelled due to changes from the AHA to the agency that was going to train the trainer. If you are interested in becoming certified as an instructor, this would give you time to take one of our AHA BLS CPR certification classes in the evening. At this time, we anticipate the trainer course will be available in June. As we receive more information, we will pass it on. But in the meantime, think about getting the BLS CPR training as it is the pre-requisite to becoming an instructor. Any questions, please call Fay Warfield at ext. 70953.