Regal Leader
Volume 33 - December 11, 2017
A look to the week ahead
It's our last full week of school before Christmas break. Our prayer service and Reconciliation schedule change for Wednesday is below. We have a prayer service (science) on Thursday afternoon.
Monday: Building & Grounds Comm. @ 5:30
Tuesday: Dentist at 12:30
Wednesday: Prayer service @ 8:30, FinanceComm. @ 4:30
Thursday: Prayer Service @ 2:30
Have a wonderful week!
This Week's Morning Prayer
We will pray a different prayer each day of Advent. They are in the Morning Prayer Doc.
12/11 Loving and powerful God, Some days I can only be in awe of your power and love.
You never tire of supporting me.
I constantly ask for help knowing you will always be there.
From some place deep in my soul, I hear you calling me by name
and I prepare with a joyful heart for your coming.
Grant me the gift of hope, patience and waiting in these Advent days
because I want the focus of my waiting to be on you.
I want to praise and glorify you with my life.
Let me live my gratitude to you, rejoicing!
12/12 Jesus, in the darkness of these Advent nights let me be guided by the light of your word.
Give me the humility to be led by you and the wisdom to learn from you.
I feel your light in my life and in the world.
I am grateful for the Savior who awaits us, and eagerly await the time of rejoicing.
Let me look forward in hope and turn to you with great trust,
knowing you will guide my steps along the unknown path of this day.
12/13 Lord of such compassionate wisdom,
How often do I exalt myself and ignore you?
I look over the heads of my more humble brothers and sisters,
not seeing how they rely on you so much more than I do.
Help me to learn from them to make you the center of my life.
You invite me to not be ashamed of what I have done in my life,
but instead offer me a refuge.
Let me call out to you; hear me:
Give me the grace to see those around me who are brokenhearted.
Guide me in staying with them in their sorrows.
I ask for the courage to help them in all the ways they need it
and to be your servant on this earth.
12/14 Dearest Lord, Your invitation settles in my soul: "Turn to me and be safe."
Something lets go inside when I take those words into my heart.
They are an invitation for me to rest.
So many moments of my life are filled with my own needs.
"Turn to me and be safe," you say to me again.
Give me the great grace to let go from the depths of my soul.
Help me to be released from the demons I cling to with so much fear.
I hear your invitation to ask for help
and I begin to list all the places in my life that need healing.
"Turn to me and be safe."
You promise your saving help and I know it is the only thing that can heal me.
I feel your presence in my life and am aware of the growing joy I feel
as I anticipate celebrating the birth of your son.
12/15 Oh, God of wisdom, I want to praise you and give you my life.
Like a loving parent, you bless me.
You have watched over me, knowing my history and the path that led me to you.
Thank you for the peace you promise in my life.
I ask that I be always aware of the strength of your great power.
May it never leave me.
So many people before me in so many generations,
have served you so humbly, answering your call.
Please give me the wisdom and courage to be your humble servant.
ACT Aspire Content Review Workshop
Let me know if you are interested in being nominated for this workshop. I need to get nominations in by Friday. Obviously, not everyone can attend the workshop.
ACT is piloting a new review panel as part of our item development process to include valuable educator input from states using our ACT Aspire product. We are excited to invite your educators to the ACT Campus in Iowa City, Iowa, to participate in a two-day content review workshop to be held on April 10-11, 2018. This ACT Aspire item review will consist of grades 3 through early high school (EHS), in English, mathematics, reading, and science.
Currently, all ACT Aspire items undergo rigorous content reviews by internal and external content experts to ensure that they solicit sufficient student evidence, are developmentally appropriate, and that the contents and contexts are error-free. The process includes internal peer reviews, internal senior-level reviews, and external reviews. The content reviews also ensure that each item or task measures what is intended and functions at the intended DOK. External experts participate in fairness reviews to ensure that items and tasks are fair and not biased to one student demographic.
When items have passed all content, fairness, and sensitivity reviews they are included for field testing. ACT Aspire field testing follows an embedded model in which field test items are spiraled across operational forms. All field test items are prepared and delivered for administration within the same forms as the operational items.
This additional new content review to be held prior to field testing, will allow states administering ACT Aspire to nominate one educator for each subject/grade band for a max of 5 to provide their expertise and help to ensure that ACT Aspire content is relevant and appropriate.
Content Review Details
Content area specific review guidelines will be distributed and discussed at the beginning of the workshop. Below are some general guidelines and expectations for the review:
Reviewers will be asked to read each passage and/or item and review for the following:
· Wording in each item is effective and easy to understand.
· Item and/or passage is grade-level appropriate in terms of information and ideas presented and skills assessed.
· Graphics, equations, diagrams, and tables are readable and accessible.
· Content in one item should not provide the answer for another item in a set (cluing).
· Multiple choice or technology-enhanced items have one and only one best answer (key).
· Constructed response items have one or more appropriate responses based on passage or stimuli.
Reviewers will not review for the following:
· Item and/or passage format, style, grammar, punctuation, and spelling
· Item and/or passage fairness, bias, sensitivity
ACT is establishing some parameters around the workshop to make the best use of reviewer time as well as to define the scope of the work reviewers will do.
· Reviewers will be assigned “pre-work” to best utilize their in-person time. Pre-work might include watching videos or reading documents to become familiar with the review process.
· At the conclusion of the content review session, all edits, comments and concerns will be carefully reviewed by ACT Test Development content specialists. Decisions about changes to content will be done at the discretion of ACT. In order to protect the security of proprietary ACT materials, these decisions cannot be communicated back to the content review panel.
Participant qualifications
· Minimum of five years teaching experience in the content domain
· Grade-level experience in the grade band
· Ability to provide concise feedback both verbally and in written format
· Test development experience preferred, but not required
· Science-specific qualifications: specific education/experience in the domains of life science, physical science (physics and chemistry), and Earth space science.
Participant nominations/applications are due Friday, December 15, 2017. When applying, keep in mind that participants will be expected to travel in the day of the meeting, April 10, and be able to arrive in Iowa City, Iowa, in time to attend all training/meeting sessions. Participants will book travel to not leave earlier than noon on April 11, the second day of the meeting.
Chosen participants will be notified by Friday, February 9, 2018.
Thursday Afternoon Meeting
Catholic Schools Week Planning
Advent Celebrations
12/13: Prayer Service & Reconciliation @ 8:30 - Reconciliation Schedule (attached below)
12/20: Christmas Basket Prayer Service @ 11:00 - Christmas Basket Prayer Service Schedule (attached below)
Google Updates
Head over to the Google for Education YouTube channel for new EDU in 90 episodes on quizzes with Google Forms and Google Keep in the classroom. These fun, bite-sized videos will fill you in on the latest products, programs, and classroom resources from Google.
Edulastic syncs with Google Classroom to simplify assignments and grading. Choose from more than 20,000 standards-aligned questions or create your own to share within your colleagues. It’s all free for teachers here.
Emoji Essay Writing Using Google Drawing to Get Students Excited for New Units Using Chrome Extensions to Build Good Citation Habits
“I use Google Docs as a fun way to engage students when we’re writing essays. I’ll have them generate 5-10 emojis. For example, we generate several random emojis here, then paste them on to Google Docs. Then, students use these emojis as starting points to craft their stories and ultimately share them with the class via Google Classroom.” -Laura Lavery, Poplar Grove Middle School (@fssdPGMSLavery)
“I use Google Drawings to create banners representing the themes for new units with my students. We work on the banner together, then upload it as a new banner in Google Classroom. Then, below the banner I include a link to the Google Drawing in the current unit materials so students can click on it to see more details. This is a fun way to get students excited for a new unit and represent concepts visually.” -Jody Leonard, Eastmont High School (@jodytracy)
“I’ll often use Chrome extensions to help students build good habits of academic honesty and to encourage thoroughness with citations. For example, I use Chrome extensions to help students create quick and easy MLA citations.” -Nathan Gildart, Nagoya International School (@nathangildart)
Blended and Flipped Learning PD
As you are aware blended learning empowers students with control over time, place, path, and pace of instruction, fostering a classroom driven by students, making it more individualized, relevant, and engaging. This instructional model can also help strengthen 1:1 initiatives.
A new cohort for middle and secondary teachers is beginning January 23rd at Heartland AEA and another one will begin July 17th, Several districts are also offering this as part of their district PD. If there is interest in the elementary or secondary cohorts in your AEA, please let us know. The link is embedded below.
Drake University Continuing Ed. & PD
Register Now for a Spring Online Course! Spring registration is now open for Drake University Continuing Education & Professional Development online courses! All online graduate courses are interactive and include practical information. Ensure yourself a seat by enrolling today! Our most popular courses are listed below. Click on any of the course titles for more information. Anti-Bullying: Where to Start (EDMA 205) $625 (Not including the cost of the text) Cultural Awareness: Seeing Past the Stereotypes (EDMA 209) $625 (not including the cost of the text) Differentiation and Literacy (EDMA 244) -- NEW Spring 2018 Dates: January 29 – March 25 $625 Elementary Social Studies: Making Your Content Relevant (EDMA 208) Human Relations (EDMA 204) $625 (not including the cost of the text) Teacher Leadership Strategies (EDMA 206) $625 (not including the cost of the text)
3 Semester Hours of Graduate Credit
Spring 2018 Dates: February 5 – April 1
3 Semester Hours of Graduate Credit
Spring 2018 Dates: February 12 – April 9
3 Semester Hours of Graduate Credit
Spring 2018 Dates: January 29 – March 25
$625 (not including the cost of the text)
3 Semester Hours of Graduate Credit
Spring 2018 Dates: February 5 – April 1
3 Semester Hours of Graduate Credit
Spring 2018 Dates: February 12 – April 8
Other Online Course Topics
- Athletic Coaching
- Classroom Management
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Differentiated Instruction
- Online Learning and Instruction
- Physical Education
- Reading and Literacy
Visit www.drake.edu/cepd/distance/onlinecourses or call 1-800-76-TEACH (8-3224) for more information about all of our offerings.
Students seeking to use these courses for recertification or salary advancement should seek prior approval from their school district or appropriate licensing agency.
Drake University School of Education 2507 University Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50311
T 1-800-76-TEACH W www.drake.edu/cepd
Yearlong Reflection Journal
Links to past videos:
Week 3 - http://beingcatholic.com.au/going-deeper-ep/week-3-2/
Week 4 - http://beingcatholic.com.au/going-deeper-ep/week-4/
Week 5 - http://beingcatholic.com.au/going-deeper-ep/2001/
Week 6 - http://beingcatholic.com.au/going-deeper-ep/week-6_201/
Week 7 - http://beingcatholic.com.au/going-deeper-ep/week-7_/
Week 8 - http://beingcatholic.com.au/going-deeper-ep/big-mansion-episode/
Week 9 - http://beingcatholic.com.au/going-deeper-ep/truth-person-episode/
Week 10 - https://beingcatholic.com.au/jesus-and-the-poached-egg/
Week 11 - https://beingcatholic.com.au/the-nobility-episode/
Week 12 - http://beingcatholic.com.au/going-deeper-ep/new-missionaries-episode/
Week 13 - http://beingcatholic.com.au/going-deeper-ep/2788/
Week 14 - https://beingcatholic.com.au/the-pope-francis-episode/
Week 15 - http://beingcatholic.com.au/going-deeper-ep/internet-episode/
Week 16 - http://beingcatholic.com.au/going-deeper-ep/rigorous-curriculum/
Reflection questions:
Week 3 - Popular culture brings many challenges and pressures to our students. What do you think the Church can bring them to help them deal with all of the outside influences they face? How does Regina do this? Can we do more? How?
Week 4 - What structures or opportunities exist at Regina to help students build a deep sense of community? Can we do more? What?
Week 5 - What kind of balance exists between a Regina student’s intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual lives? Are we happy with the current balance? If so, what can we do to change it?
Week 6 - What practical ways could we incorporate periods of silence into our school day?
Week 7 - Is Jesus the genuine foundation of Regina? In what ways can we improve in making Jesus the foundation of Regina?
Week 8 - Does the sense of Regina achieving its mission ‘depending chief!y on you’ make you feel excited or burdened as a community?
Week 9 - An authentic Catholic school will try to reveal to students the deep truth that they are made in the image of God, that they are loved and that are needed in the world. How effective do you think Regina is at the moment in helping young people know these truths?
Week 9 - It takes courage and effort these days to present Jesus both to the hearts and heads of young people. Do you think your school has the courage to first make Jesus a priority for staff and then proclaim Him to young people in the many opportunities of each day or is Jesus given an occasional mention? What could change and how?
Week 9 - The idea of your subject being a way that students encounter truth can be a paradigm shift. Being totally honest, do you think your school values academic and teaching excellence more in terms of rankings and its appeal to parents or in terms of leading students to truth and Christ? Could both be possible?
Week 10 - What ways currently exist to really encounter the person of Jesus at Regina? What could change or be given more emphasis?
Week 11 - In what ways do you see your school currently developing ‘strong habits of virtue’ in each student that will ‘sustain them in the struggle of life”? What is one thing that could be attempted to strengthen this?
Week 12 - How effectively do you think Regina addresses the spiritual hunger that exists in every young person? Could more be done?
Week 13 - Try and define two or three core elements that truly capture what living the Gospel means.
Week 14 - Do you feel your strengths and expertise are creating a community where love for others is increasing? If not, what could be attempted or done differently?
Week 15 - How could Regina, “...bring warmth and stir hearts.’ through how it understands and uses social communication?
Week 16 - What is your sense of the quality of Regina’s religious education curriculum? Do you think students are given the chance to engage deeply with the Catholic faith on a rigorous level?
Glenn Plummer
Email: glenn.plummer@regina.org
Location: 2150 Rochester Avenue, Iowa City, IA, United States
Phone: 319-321-4234
Twitter: @gap_4