Paw Prints
Week of February 8, 2016
Panther News
Click here to view the Panther News for this week. As always, please don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to help.
Enjoy your weekend,
Troy, John, and Karen
WJMS FFA "Stuff the Bus" Project
Click here to view the WJMS FFA flyer. Thank you for adding this to your school website and news letter to share the word!!!
K-5 Mock Writing Assessment window
Below you will find guidance on the K - 5 Mock Writing Assessment window from Dr. Amity Hardegree. If you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to help, please let us know.
Directions to get to the LiveBinder:
Go to www.jackson.k12.ga.us
Click on Academics
Click on Curriculum Resources
Click on a grade level
Click on the subject you want
Just a friendly reminder that the mock writing window for K-5 opens today and runs through March 4. All guidance for mock writings is housed in the livebinders accessible from the district website. Actual assessments are housed in the 2015-16 Curriculum Resources folder in L drive.
In light of our recent administration of 3-5 Assesslets through GCA, and our upcoming PL on Feb. 12, I would suggest we hold off with administering the mock writing/milestones for grades 3-5 until the end of the assessment window (Feb. 15-March 4), in case we need to make adjustments based on the data and PL on 2/12. Also, I hate to overwhelm teachers with multiple assessments to grade at one time so this would space the assessments out a little. Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions and share this info with your grade level teams.
Depth of Knowledge
JCSS PL Institute
Below you will find a reminder from Deborah Riddleberger:
Please remind your staff to register online for sessions by Monday, February 8th. Presenters will need to know how many people are in their session so that they can prepare appropriately. Also, rooms will only seat a specific number of people. If a session is FULL, that is because that is all the room we have seating for or the presenter has requested a limit of participants. Please ask your staff to choose another session and not plan on attending a FULL session anyway.
Professional Learning
Environmental Education Alliance Conference; March 4-5, 2016; Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center in Buford, GA. Registration: http://www.eealliance.org/annual-conference
GAEL Spring Legal Issues Conference - March 7-8, 2016, Savannah Riverfront Marriott. Register at www.gael.org
Georgia Association for Gifted Children (GAGC) 2016 Conference; March 14-15, 2016; The Classic Center, Athens, GA; Cost: $225/$255 (Member/Non-Member) by Feb 13; Register at: http://www.gagc.org/2015-Convention-News-and-Updates
Georgia Children’s Book Awards and Conference on Children’s Literature; March 18-19, 2016; UGA Hotel & Conference Center; Cost: $165 (by Feb 15), $195 (after Feb 15); Last day to preregister: March 4; Registration information: http://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/uga-hotel/conferences-events/register/childrens-literature
Leadercast Live 2016 - Leadercast 2016's theme is "Architects of Tomorrow" and focuses on what it means to be a visionary leader; May 6, 2016, Infinite Energy Arena (Formerly Gwinnett Arena); Cost: $250; Registration information: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/leadercast-live-2016-atlanta-tickets-15576442559
Georgia Teacher Conservation Workshop: “Exploring Forestry and Wildlife in Georgia” - a weeklong workshop that uses the forest as a window to environmental education. Activities are led by foresters, biologists, educators, and industry professionals.
Dates: June 20-24, 2016
Location: Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, Mansfield, GA
Cost: $50 (includes all teaching materials, food, lodging and transportation during the workshop. Register early -- class is limited to 30 participants.
Registration: http://gfagrow.org/programs/georgia-tcw/
Free Professional Development Webinar-- Administrators: Using your DreamBox Insights Dashboard to Increase Student Achievement
When: Tuesday, February 16, 2:00–3:00 p.m. (Eastern). In this webinar, Thera Pearce, Director of Professional Development at DreamBox Learning, will share best practices for engaging teachers, students, and families to get the most from your investment. Learn how to use your dashboard to: Understand the health of your implementation and interpret student proficiency and growth data
Register here (If you’re not able to attend live, please still register and a recording of the webinar will be emailed to you afterwards.)
Interested in another degree???
Piedmont College cohort program -- Masters (M.A.) or Education Specialist (Ed.S)--bringing graduate programs to schools using an onsite Cohort model. www.piedmont.edu
Complete your M.A.or Ed.S. on your campus in four semesters. All courses will be held in your school district after working hours. All instructors hold terminal degrees (Ed.D., Ph.D.) and are either full time faculty from Piedmont, or real,
live practitioners from schools and school districts! Piedmont wants the work to be highly context-specific and applicable. Classes will begin in the summer semester, 2016. Please click on the link to our “Fast Facts” for more information.
Piedmont College Informational Meeting for Jackson County Schools
Date: Tuesday, February 23rd
Time: 4:30 pm for the MA and EDS
Location: Jackson County Board of Education, 1660 Winder Hwy, Jefferson, GA
Additional information: Click the link below for the Informational Flyer https://www.dropbox.com/s/5ziqd4nf4vmkynl/MA%20EdS%20info%20sessions%20Jackson%20Summer%202016.pdf?dl=0
They are also offering an MA in Instructional Technology: Design, Integration, and Administration for educators with a clear, renewable teacher certification.
Please contact Dr. Randy Hollandsworth for more details Rhollandsworth@piedmont.edu Informational Flyer: https://www.dropbox.com/s/q5gn7r9088a9wga/Jackson%20MAIT%20022316.pdf?dl=0
Here is a link that explains our schedule of class meetings. https://www.dropbox.com/s/re3gbyzzleb7oij/Class%20schedule%20information%20general%20overview.pdf?dl=0
The MA in Instructional Technology has a slightly different schedule. Dr Hollandsworth can answer all your questions!
The session will last about one (1) hour. There is no registration, just feel free to come!
MA https://www.dropbox.com/s/y4gmv3jivkjeetz/MA%20summer%202016%20ppt.pdf?dl=0
EDS https://www.dropbox.com/s/jn7yvjnui51cplb/EDS%202016%20summer%20%20PPT.pdf?dl=0
MA in IT https://www.dropbox.com/s/pgkhx1jrqx3ym31/MAIT%20sum2016.pdf?dl=0
Dr. Kathy Breithaupt, Senior Fellow in Education and Regional Program Coordinator, will be present to answer your questions and help you explore this option
for your advanced degree. If you have questions about the program please contact Dr. Breithaupt kbreithaupt@piedmont.edu
If you have any questions regarding admissions please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions grad@piedmont.edu
Problem Based Learning Project
Jackson County has temporary full access to the PBL Project website. The site includes the huge number of integrated Problem-Based scenarios (incorporating all core subjects), hundreds of Critical Thinking exercises, and the Problem-Based "Weekly Warm-ups" based on current events. Simply go to http://www.pblproject.com/ and enter the following in the top right-hand corner:
Login Name: Jackson
Password: enjoy
To get everyone started, here is a "3-Minute Tutorial" they can watch that will make them an instant expert on navigating the site: http://pblproject.com/page.aspx?pageid=PBL_3-minute-training
Contact Us
Email: krodenroth@jackson.k12.ga.us
Website: www.jackson.k12.ga.us/wjes
Location: 391 East Jefferson Street, Hoschton, GA, United States
Phone: 706-654-2044
Facebook: www.facebook.com/westjacksonelementary
Twitter: @westelem