AD Connect
10-2-17
“Traditional school cultures that leave a single teacher responsible for addressing all of the learning needs present in his or her classroom are a recipe for disaster.”
~Greg KushnirPrincipal Buddy Walks
So, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to communicate with a colleague in Garland and schedule a walk this week. The walk is to be focused on a target in which the campus either needs to diagnose a problem(i.e..writing), or a focus area of implementation (i.e. CHAMPS or Guided Reading) in which the campus would like to receive feedback.
CIP Update
Thanks!
PD Calendar
- Print a blank calendar
- Mark the district days with content focus...starting in August
- Mark the campus days with content focus....Starting in August
- List any planning days in which you provide subs along with the focus
- List faculty meetings with their focus on PD content
- List any extra trainings that you might provide after school
- List any trainings that you are bring in consultants and paying for teachers to attend
- List any trainings that you are sending people off to attend.
- Color code by content.
You may not have enough colors to do all of this. :). Attached is a similar calendar I have done in the past. The idea here is somewhat similar to the data boards that many of you utilize. It provides a visual of where your focus is, or is not. If you really want something like Restorative practice or Guided reading to be implemented well, you must train and then come back to it repeatedly so that you can ensure mastery.
Instructional Focus Forms
Just like great coaches spend time on the playing field, great instructional leaders spend time in classrooms. Campus specific look-fors have been added to TNL and you can begin using this form to get into classrooms next week. Organizational Learning will send something out as soon as the IFFs are live and ready to go. Here are a some recommended best practices to consider as you visit classrooms:
Schedule visits using your teacher tier lists
Conduct collaborative walks with your admin team to calibrate your observations and feedback that follows
Determine a reinforcement and refinement ratio, i.e., 2:1, or 3:1
Create a system to dialog with teachers about your observations
Track how often you visit teachers to ensure all teachers receive adequate feedback
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for Tuesday, October 24th, and Monday, October 30th. A well-prepared conference can make a huge difference in a student’s academic progress and provides us with a great opportunity to include parents in the process. Here are a few resources to consider as you begin scheduling conferences with your teachers:
*Staff who work six hours on those two dates will be off on June 11th.
Attendance
Defining Rigor with EL Considerations
Virtual Field Trips
I've been doing some research for you. I posted a request on the Facebook Future Ready Librarian's page, and got some great responses. Here are a few that look good. Let me know if I can help you more. :-)
Here's a Symbaloo. If it asks you to authenticate, just click continue:
https://sedcmedia.ut.symbaloo.com/shared/AAAABSytQwQAA41_z1FyBw==
Here's a link to a librarian's page that has a tutorial about how to do Virtual Field Trips. She teaches it as a course:
https://sedcchris.com/virtual-field-trips-for-wcsd/
Natural History Museum
http://naturalhistory.si.edu/vt3/
Discovery VR on youtube google 360 videos....lots of fun trips
Webcams for lots of animals around the world
Skype in the Classroom is a great place to find virtual field trips and other worldwide classroom connections:
https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the.../overview
Texas Weather virtual field trip
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/Texas-Virtual/index1.cfm
Geosciences from UTexas
http://guides.lib.utexas.edu/geo/virtual-field-trips
Texas Landmarks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afF9XHbAWy8
Big Bend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afF9XHbAWy8
Texas State Capitol
https://prezi.com/vwb62qlc3rz8/virtual-field-trip-to-the-texas-state-capitol/
Connect2Texas is a provider of video conferencing sessions. Some have a fee.
Texas History
https://helpified.com/paths/virtual-field-trips-of-texas-history
Let me know if you have a specific interest, and I'll look for you.
Debra Marshall
PermaBound Representative
An Alternative to Smore...Thanks Chris Grey!
Upcoming Events and Dates
September 29-Second cycle begins; deadline to submit booster club form; deadline to access class registration info in old system
October 2-Dimension U Tournament kickoff
October 5-Team GISD; UIL planning meeting at 3:30 (HHB)
October 9-Assistant Principal Mentor Program meeting at 3:00 (HHB)
October 13-Staff development
October 16-Spelling bee enrollment form due
October 16-Fair Day
October 24-Parent Conferences (extended work day)
October 30-Parent Conferences (extended work day)
October 31-Summer program proposals due
Is That a Moon? No...It's a Space Station!
Tuesday: Campus Visits all Day
Wednesday: AM CIA meeting; PM AD meeting
Thursday: Campus visits and Team GISD
Friday: Club Hill District Walk; PM Campus Visits