Sandy Plains
Roundup February 6, 2015
Administrators' Address
After having such a successful professional development with Dr. Lindsey Moses in the Fall, we were excited to have her back for a second round of learning. Based on teacher feedback, it was decided that February's professional development would pertain to meaningful small group ELA learning activities. Several staff members volunteered to plan a lesson with Dr. Moses and present a model lesson to their colleagues. Thank you Ms. Wallace and Ms. Jacobs for opening your doors to visitors. Through collaboration, we build a stronger professional learning community.
Thank you to Dr. Moses for planning with our teachers, providing meaningful feedback, and providing many suggestions and ideas for independent work and small group instruction. We are looking forward to having her return to Sandy Plains for a third round of professional development in the Spring. Thank you to all teachers who participated in the professional development. The support you provide each other is invaluable to the success of ALL of our students.
Scenes from ELA Professional Development
100 Day Celebrations in First Grade!
Click on the title above to learn more about school counseling. Thank you Mrs. Brasher for all you do for Sandy Plains students and families!
Essential Events
February 2 - 27: Attendance Incentive
February 9: Action Teams (Gather in library first.)
February 13: School closes 3 hours early; ½ day PD
February 16: President’s Day-schools closed
February 19: PJ Reading night, 6:00 PM
February 19: Spring Picture Day
February 20: Awards Assemblies
February 26: NAEP Assessment, Grade 4 only
March 2 - 27: PARCC Assessment Window
BCPS Bytes
559. SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE TO STUDENTS
A video message from the superintendent to students has been prepared specifically for each school level. Principals are requested to have teachers show the video to their students on Monday, February 9 or Tuesday, February 10, 2015. The instructions to access the video are as follows: Log on to Safari Montage. Enter the name of the video, "Dr. Dance Message to Elementary Students Feb.2015" or "Dr. Dance Message to Middle & High School Students Feb. 2015," in the Safari search engine, and the video will appear. Another way to access the video is to enter the following link in the Internet browser: https://vimeo.com/118847270 for "Dr. Dance's Quarterly Message to Elementary Students" or https://vimeo.com/118847267 for "Dr. Dance's Quarterly Message to Secondary Students."
Questions regarding this information should be directed to the following individual(s):
Mychael Dickerson, Chief Communications Officer 5908
561. BLACK HISTORY MONTH COMPETITION
In recognition of Black History Month, the Maryland State Conference NAACP is featuring a competition in which students at all elementary, middle, and high schools may participate. The competition consists of essay/poetry contests for each school level, and awards will be given and winners will be honored at a ceremony on Saturday, February 28, 2015. See the attached for more information. Entries are due to the NAACP by Friday, February 20, 2015.
Questions regarding this information should be directed to the following individual(s):
Michele Prumo, Chief of Staff 8706
566. ELEMENTARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS ENHANCED COURSE MAP STRUCTURE IN BCPS ONE
The structure for the elementary English language arts course maps have been enhanced on BCPS One. The enhanced course map will provide easier access for teacher planning, as well as assigning resources and content to students using lesson tiles. The update has been added for Unit 4 in Grades 1, 3, 4, and 5, and Unit 4M in Grade 2. There are no curriculum changes within these course maps. Support for planning with and assigning curricular resources can be found using the following link to the BCPS One manual:
https://bcpsone.pbworks.com/w/page/91738482/Planning%20and%20Assigning%20Content%20Using%20the%20Enhanced%20ELA%20Course%20Structure. Units 5 and 6 for all grades will also be updated to this new enhanced structure.
Questions regarding this information should be directed to the following individual(s):
Nancy Reed, Supervisor 4039
572. NONVIOLENT CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING: INITIAL AND REFRESHER
The Office of Special Education will be providing both initial and refresher nonviolent crisis intervention training courses throughout the remaining school year. The training emphasizes early intervention and methods for preventing and managing disruptive behaviors.
The initial training is being offered to staff who have never been trained in nonviolent crisis intervention. The refresher training is only offered to staff who have had the initial training and require the yearly refresher.
Interested participants must register one week prior to the date of the appropriate offering being held, using the Workshops-Registration Catalog on the Online Registration System at
https://www.bcps.org/apps/registration. The workshops are titled Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Initial or Refresher Training, 2014–2015. Registration instructions are available from the login screen.
Questions regarding this information should be directed to the following individual(s):
Denise Mabry, Coordinator 3660
574. RENEWAL OF MARYLAND CERTIFICATES
COMAR 13A.12.01.11 (2) states:
Renewal requirements shall be received at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) within 90 days of the expiration date listed under "Period of Validity" on the certificate in order for the certificate to be considered continuous.
Past practice has allowed an individual to submit credits for course work earned after the expiration date of the certificate but within the 90-day grace period. For example, if a certificate expired on June 30, the courses could be completed over the summer and submitted within the 90-day period from the expiration date. MSDE indicates that this practice conflicts with the regulation and must be discontinued. Effective January 1, 2015, courses used to renew a certificate must be completed prior to the expiration date of the certificate. Courses completed prior to the expiration date can be submitted to the Office of Certification within the 90-day period after the expiration date so that the certificate can be considered continuous.
Failure to complete and submit documentation to renew a certificate prior to the expiration date may result in the following:
1. Issuance of a substandard conditional certificate
2. Loss of tenure
3. Salary step frozen
4. Placement on a conditional year-to-year contract
5. Transfer to another school
6. Termination
Employees are not to submit course work directly to MSDE. All course work must be sent to the Office of Certification. Employees are to e-mail the Office of Certification or call to schedule an appointment if unsure of their renewal needs.
COMAR states that it is the individual’s responsibility to know and meet the renewal requirements prior to the certificate’s expiration date. Information regarding renewal requirements is on the Office of Certification’s Web site at www.bcps.org/offices/personnel/certification. In addition, general reminder letters are sent out one year prior to the expiration date of a certificate.
Questions regarding this information should be directed to the following individual(s):
Kenneth Kuyawa, Personnel Officer 4147
575. BCPS ONE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
BCPS One will undergo routine site maintenance on Friday, February 6, 2015, from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. During this four-hour timeframe, the BCPS One site will be unavailable.
Questions regarding this information should be directed to the following individual(s):
Jeanne Imbriale, Director 5769