The CIA Report
September 2018 Edition
Welcome to the September 2018 edition of The CIA Report!
We've added a feature to the newsletter: at the bottom, you will find a summary of action items containing any links/due dates of importance. Please be sure to read the newsletter in its entirety, but we're hoping that feature will make it easy for you to locate the items requiring action on your part.
Please take some time to read through this prior to the September 25 administrator meeting. If you have any questions, please post them in this Google Doc.
Thanks!
Learning Today... Feeding Your Professional Soul
What is innovation?
Around the globe, educators are trying to innovate in their schools, including many right here in Wentzville. But do you know innovation when you see it?
Sometimes it's easy to see a teacher doing the same thing he/she would typically be doing but just doing it in a different way (using the SMARTboard instead of an overhead projector with transparencies for instance) as innovative.
Is that really innovating?
Or is innovation really when we are doing something different?
Take some time over the next few weeks to consider that question - what is innovation - as you visit the classrooms in your school. Are you seeing teachers doing things differently? Or are you seeing them doing things that are different?
(Photo cred: Greg Lawrence)
Teaching & Learning
New Teaching & Learning Site (replaces the blog)!
You may have seen this already, but the Teaching and Learning Department has moved from a blog to a Google Site. We LOVE the new format and are excited to use it as a tool to communicate information and share ideas with teachers throughout the district! This will be updated regularly, and an email to teachers will go out monthly reminding them to take a look and see what's been added. We hope you love this new format as much as we do!
Thanks to Technology, the link is now in the WSD Bookmarks housed in your browser's bookmark bar!
Click here to check it out: https://sites.google.com/wsdr4.org/wsd-teaching-learning/home
Curriculum
Nichole Nolan, Social Studies Content Leader, and Meghan Aydelott, Practical Arts Content Leader, have recently formed curriculum teams for multiple subjects and grade levels. The teams are all at various stages of the curriculum review process and will be meeting throughout the year. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Nichole or Meghan.
DRA Folders for 6th Grade
Previous practice has been to hold on to the DRA folders for the first quarter of 6th grade. We are now asking that our 6th grade ELA teachers hold on to those folders for the entire year. This will allow us to keep them as a reference point throughout the year as we consider things like READ 180 placement, Dyslexia, etc. Thank you for your help with this!
Librarians and District PD
This is a friendly reminder that all librarians are expected to participate in district PD on those designated days. This is not the time for them to work on book orders, book fairs, etc. They are expected to be engaging in learning with their colleagues that day. Mernie Maestas and Keri work together to ensure they have learning opportunities that are appropriate for their specific needs as librarians. If you have any questions about this, please let Keri Skeeters know!
The 3rd Annual WSD Film Festival is Coming!
We are thrilled to have Holt High School hosting this incredibly fun event that showcases the writing and creation skills of our students across the district! Mark your calendars! More information will be coming soon!
Assessment
Assessment Team
Please encourage your teacher leaders to sign up for the Assessment Team - there are lots of spots to fill.
Progress Alerts
Thank you for all your patience with me as I learn the Wentzville way. Each and every day I am amazed at the wonderful things that we are doing for kids.
This is a learning and growing year for me, so in order for me to learn, I ask questions.
This week's question center around progress reports.
To gather this information I have created a very short survey for you to complete. Please note - I am fully aware that progress alerts have gone through some serious changes in the past few years. I am not looking to overhaul the entire process - I simply want to make sure they are serving the intended purpose.
I am asking each of you to take the survey - even if you are not in the elementary buildings, your feedback as a leader is valuable. Each of you brings different perspectives to the table which helps us all to grow.
Thank you in advance for the feedback.
Professional & Program Development
Our goal is to have our administrators attend one or more District-Content PD group sessions so that you are learning alongside the teachers you supervise. We are almost finished identifying all groups and learning outcomes for the 9/28 PD Day . Please enter where you will be attending here. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th tabs have the groups/locations on each PD Day. All your Building staff should be in District PD… so no need for your BPDC to plan anything on 9/28!
Principal PD
Please contact Karen Hill regarding PD you and/ or your APs would like to attend in order to discuss which funding source to use. We are hoping to minimize the use of Building PD funds for Admin PD.
New Teachers in their 1st & 2nd Years
Please reach out to your new teachers to have a conversation about guidelines/tips for making phone calls home.
In October, new teachers will be inviting you into their room for a non-evaluative visit for feedback. Use this time to develop a better relationship!
The district is getting feedback from counselors and researching the new legislation for virtual learning to have a procedure in place by January enrollment. Call Karen Hill or Megan Stryjewski with immediate questions.
Giving Feedback
Everyone benefits from feedback! This Types of Feedback document was given to mentors and mentees this month. Remember that coaching (asking questions to help someone arrive at their own solution and build self-efficacy) and collaborating (working with others to arrive at a solution and build collective efficacy) is preferred over consulting (giving advice about solutions). If the person has no idea what to do, then consult… but give them a chance to build self-efficacy and collective efficacy if possible!
Technology
Thank you for your patience and support as we continue to work to address issues that are important to you and your staffs.
HelpDesk Work Orders
Reminder to buildings, if staff needs any technology assistance, please remember to submit a work order to Help Desk. Simply email the request to helpdesk@wsdr4.org or visit HelpDesk.wentzville.k12.mo.us, and log in with your District email. Be sure to include a detailed description of your problem, your room number, and building.
School Improvement
As you finish your School Improvement Plans, please re-share them with Megan and your supervising administrator. Plans DO NOT need to be “set in stone”. We will work together on refining them at your first meeting. At our first meeting, we will also walk the building a bit, popping into classrooms. You can choose to give your building a heads up or not. We will not be evaluating anything.
Missouri Model District (MMD)
Once you have met with your consultant and developed a plan for this year, please add your plan to the table found here. This is simple to fill out. You will just include what your focus will be, who will be working on it, and your building name. Easy, peasy!
If you are planning sub days, please communicate with Billie as soon as possible to be sure you can get on the PD Calendar. You will want to have some “back up” dates because our PD calendar is already filling up.
Below are the items requiring action on your part:
Send School Improvement plans to Megan and your supervising Asst Supt prior to your first meeting
Dr. Megan Stryjevski
Twitter: @DrStryjewski