Utt Falcon Update
December 9, 2015
Christa Receives a Standing "O"
TPSF Innovative Grant Program
This is a competitive grants program based on creativity, innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. TUSD teachers are encouraged to apply. These competitive grants are judged without regard to school. A maximum of $2,500 will be awarded per grant. Deadline: January 31, 2016. Apply online at tpsf.net
Utt Chosen as a TUSD Connect School!
We have exciting news! Utt has been selected to be a model school in the second annual TUSD Connect Institute. The TUSD Connect Institute is a workshop where school district leaders from all over the state and country come to hear about TUSD Connect. During a portion of the event, attendees participate in school tours. Pioneer and THS did an outstanding job of making sure that everyone was using their devices, lessons reached the highest levels of SAMR possible, and that the sites were in great shape when everyone walked through. This year, along with Beckman High School, we have been selected for our outstanding use of technology to enhance instruction. The dates of this year’s institute are February 24th – February 27th. Check out the website for the TUSD Connect event: http://conta.cc/1Sx4R5j. Pictured on the right: 7th Grader in Mrs. Barajas class shares the Pic Collage he's created to demonstrate the concept of Photosynthesis.
Way to go Gail!
A parent emailed me with this outstanding compliment to Gail. She has been using the Aeries email update to notify her parents of her student's progress.
Hi Mr. Jennings, it's Taylor Swift's dad. I hope your day is going well
and you're not too busy. I want to take the time to reach out to you and
let you know that Taylor's math teacher Ms. Foley Is going above and
beyond the call of service with her communication identifying problems
and working together with solutions. On her own time she sends me emails
and updates without me asking for them which I know is extremely rare for
teachers. This just demonstrates to me her level of care and love she has
for her students. I just thought you should know. But words cannot express how thankful and grateful I am to have my daughter in her class.
Thank you for taking the time to read the email.
Taylor Swift's Dad
Ok, so the student's name was concealed but the email is real. Way to go Gail! In case you forgot, here's the process for sending an Aeries email update to your parents. It only takes about 2 minutes!
View all reports
Select, gradebook assignment by student
Select classes you want to send by clicking in the box
Select options, write in comments to parents
Run report to preview or print
Select email to parents
PIQE Graduates
Happy New Year
As we wind down the year, I would like to let everyone know how appreciative Christa and I are to work with such a committed and talented team. As we walk classrooms, we marvel at the high level of rigor and instruction that is taking place at Utt every day. We know that this deep implementation of iPads that we are seeing does not come without incredible dedication and pursuit of improvement. In addition to the commitment to academics, we are proud of our team's commitment to our student's well being. Your implementation of Capturing Kid's Hearts concepts and the Bystander shared experience has made a big impact on the culture of Utt! Thank you for making Utt Middle School a great place for kids.
Kris Posavec's daughter is pursuing her teaching credential at CSUF. Here's a short Ted Talk she saw in one of her classes. It's an inspiring video and a great way to reaffirm your commitment to your students as we wind down the year. Happy New Year!