The 53
SPRING 2018 Edition of the Academic Services Newsletter
Inspire Invest Innovate
The focus of "The 53" is to highlight quarterly updates from the Academic Services Team. Please visit Inside Liberty or Liberty for Staff for additional document links throughout the month, and give the team a call as questions, comments or concerns arise. Our goal is to serve the LPS staff through improvements and innovations!
Career Fair @ DMS/SVMS
@the53DAS
Thanks to all that participated!
MLP Procedures
This is a friendly reminder regarding MLP.
MLP classes/events have a closing date for enrollment seven days prior to the event date so that MLP and AESOP can secure subs for each in-district PD event. If staff have prearranged for a sub and try to enroll after the deadline, they must contact Melanie Bowlin at x7097 to be enrolled.
Secondary Education
AVID Comes to LPS!
AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is an organization dedicated to closing the achievement gap. The goal is to prepare all students for college and other postsecondary opportunities. AVID works with educators to use proven instructional practices to prepare students for success in high school, college, and a career. Through this program, there is an emphasis on students who are underrepresented in higher education.
AVID is currently in 46 states and 16 countries. It will be coming to Liberty High School and Liberty North High School in 2018. We will start with a small group of freshmen and sophomore students. Teachers will attend Summer Institute to prepare for the upcoming year. Stay tuned for more details.
Curriculum, Instruction and Staff Development
Learning Management System Pilot Update
The pilot for the district Learning Management System selection closed on March 2nd. Surveys were sent to all participants, and focus groups with both teachers and students will be held during the month of March. The district LMS Selection Oversight Team will meet at the start of April to review all the data collected during the pilot and make a recommendation for a platform to Dr. Heide, Assistant Superintendent, by mid-April. The approval for the LMS will go before the Board of Education at the April Board meeting.
Elementary Math Resource Update
The elementary Curriculum Council and Heads of State have made the recommendation to use Eureka Math as the backbone resource for elementary mathematics for 2018-2019. Teachers will also be able to use Zearn math as part of the aligned instructional support system. The DAS is working with the district Warehouse and Distribution to make all teacher resource materials available to elementary teachers before the end of this school year. The logistics for ordering and distribution are still in design for any new classroom manipulatives and student print materials needed, and all teachers will be offered the opportunity to select needed materials for their classroom as soon as the design/process is completed by early summer. Professional learning using the Eureka/Zearn materials will also be offered this summer for any interested teachers. Stay tuned for more information coming from your Curriculum Council representatives following the CC meeting on May 3rd. The funds saved from use of this Open Educational Resource (OER) will purchase the additional manipulatives for classrooms as well as to continue to pay for the Math Solutions professional learning (paid forward in 2017-2018) with expanded offerings in 2018-2019.
State Reporting and NOVAtime
State Reporting:
The Administrative Services Dept. works diligently throughout the year with staff in each building to ensure that data is accurate and consistent. We work with counseling staff to provide monthly attendance reporting. We work with Administrative Assistants monthly to ensure that student enrollment data has been entered correctly using the ADA/ADM reports from PowerSchool. Special Program Coordinators are involved regularly to insure their program data is accurate for each reporting cycle. The most recent reporting cycle was the February Cycle. This MOSIS data includes January membership, follow-up data on graduates, and counts of students eligible for free or reduced lunch in accordance with state statutes. Data are reported in the Student Core and Student Graduate Follow-Up Files.
NOVAtime:
Employees should review their timesheets at a minimum once a week. Giving close attention to missed punches, PTO or Vacation usage posting correctly and total weekly hours. This is the first step in a proper payroll processing for employees. Please visit with your timekeeper if you have questions about the system. You may call ext 6782 or email kay.cox@lps53.org for additional support. If you are a TimeKeeper or Approver and would like additional training contact Kay to schedule a time.
The link below will take you to the NOVAtime Employee log on screen.
College/Career Readiness and Community Partnerships
Northland CAPS Teacher Academy - Summer 2018 - July 10, 11 and 12
Please join teachers in the Northland for a professional development experience!
Attendees will collaborate with teachers and businesses across the Northland to find ways for providing authentic learning experiences for students. This is a great way to connect with businesses to promote PBL in your classroom! www.northlandcaps.org/academy
Health Services
Health Services - Influenza Update:
"Flu" Season 2018 has been a brisk one and thankfully it is finally beginning to trend downward. Clay County Public Health Center has been tracking data for our area throughout the influenza season. The graph notes impressive data for influenza with comparison to the past 5 seasons.
In total, Clay County has had 2,619 cases of influenza reported so far this season. Decreases continue to be seen week-to-week in the number of influenza cases reported. For example, during the week of February 25-March 2, 65 cases of influenza were reported as compared to the week of February 18-24 where 179 cases were seen. Prior to that, over 200 cases of influenza were reported over a sustained period. Decreases in cases will likely be seen each week until the end of influenza season in May. We hope you have weathered the season well! http://clayhealth.com/DocumentCenter/View/619
ACADEMIC SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Assistant Superintendent
Dr. Beth Heide
Executive Directors
Dr. Julie Moore, Secondary Education
Andrea Dixon-Seahorn, Elementary Education
Becky Gossett, Special Programs
Directors
Bob Citro, Administrative Services
Christopher Hand, Assessment, Evaluation and Testing
Dr. Jeanette Westfall, Curriculum, Instruction and Staff Development
Colleen Jones, College/Career Readiness and Community Partnerships
Dr. Kelly Saluri, Data Services
Aaron Money, Fine Arts
Debbie Ervay, Kids Zone
Andrea Sumy, Library Media Services
Kathy Ellermeier, Nursing Health Services
Dr. Kris Martin, Special Education
Dr. Jim Hammen, Student Services