Principal's Corner
Volume XII - January 8, 2017
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DECEMBER TEACHER OF THE MONTH: MR. MATT SALZMAN
Teacher of the Month
Teachers, please announce this to your students, and post the link in your classroom.
What do the students think? (Highlights from this week's Teacher of the Month responses)
- Mrs. Thompson is very energetic and keeps us focused and working whether it's makeup work or something new.
- Mr. Salzman is a good listener and if you need to talk he's always there.
- Mrs. Williams is a good teacher and explains stuff in depth.
- Mrs. Hackett, because she encourages academic growth.
- Mrs. Salas talks to us like we are equals.
- Mr. Spruill has treated everyone very respectfully and truly deserves to be rewarded.
Notes from the RHS Administrative Team
Modified 2-hour Delay Schedule - January 9, 2017:
1st period: 9:15-10:05
2nd period: 10:10-11:00
Homeroom: 11:05-11:45 (Junior and Senior Meetings)
3rd period: 11:50-1:20
(A Lunch: 11:45-12:10)
(B Lunch: 12:20-12:45)
(C Lunch: 12:55-1:20)
4th period: 1:25-2:15
UPCOMING DATES:
- 1/9: Class meetings: Juniors(auditorium) and Seniors(cafeteria); Homeroom
- 1/10: Planning Period Test Training (required)
- 1/12: School Leadership Team; 2:30pm; Media Center
- 1/17: Roster Verification Help Session; 2:30pm; Media Center
- 1/17-1/20: 1st Semester Exams
- 1/23-1/24: Teacher Workdays
- 1/27: Roster Verification Closes
- 1/30: IST Meeting; 2:30pm; Hut 4
- 2/1: Lockdown Drill; 9:00am
- Second round observations (comprehensive/standard) are scheduled from now until January 31. First round (abbreviated) will be completed during this time as well.
From Mrs. Jarman:
If you received an email from ncdesk@cuacsmail.ncsu.edu , this means your account DID NOT transfer and I have created a new account for you. I need you to verify the account and send me an email when you have done this. Your account username and password has been set to the following format. I believe you will be asked or given the opportunity to change this. If you do make changes, please make a note of your login information. (Hint: If you don’t change this information, we will be able to help you with your login later – especially during exams J)
· Username: firstnamelastname (mistyjarman – no punctuation)
· Password: wildcats2016
If you don’t get an email sometime today, your account transferred from NCEducation to the new NC Test Admin site. You will just need to go to https://center.ncsu.edu/ncadmin and login with the information you previously used for the NC Education site. I need you to send me and email when you have done this. If you cannot login to the new site, please email me.
PLEASE, PLEASE make sure you know your NCEducation login information before Tuesday…you will need your laptop and this login information at training. If you cannot get in to NCTest, try logging into NCEducation…if you can’t get in either, you will have to call the NCEducation help desk.
Reminder for students to pay all fees from Fall 2016 (computer usage and unpaid class fees) to media center.
SHOUT OUTS!!!
Shout outs to:
- Ms. Casey and Dr. Jones for being selected for a grant to add a compost bin to the planned barn/farm area
- Mrs. Lentz for hosting a great RHS Christmas Party. Thank you for having us at your home.
DATA SPOTLIGHT
Over the next several weeks, we'll take a look at the data from the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey. This week: Instructional Materials
HOW ARE YOU FOCUSING ON THE WILDLY IMPORTANT?
By IU PIIC Mentors Chris Caton and Loriann Ruddy
Historically, teaching has been an isolated profession in which educators were given little or no time to collaborate, share ideas, engage in dialogue, etc. However, education has evolved to encompass more of a collaborative approach through the development of professional learning communities. Professional learning communities (PLCs) shift the focus of school reform from restructuring to reculturing (Louis 2006). PLCs are seen as a powerful staff development approach in which school change and improvement can be an outcome. Fullan and Senge (Fullan, 1993; Senge et al., 2000) report that the creation and implementation of learning communities is crucial to the future success of schools facing the possibility of change.
There are many characteristics of PLCs as outlined by Richard DuFour. First, PLCs operate under the mission that students are to learn as opposed to ensuring that students are taught. The shift from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning has numerous implications for both educators and students. To accomplish this, educators must consider three essential questions: What do we want each student to learn?, How will we know when each student has learned?, and How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning? Participating in a PLC enables educators to identify effective teaching practices that maximize student success.
DuFour later explains that educators who participate in a PLC understand that they must work together. In a PLC, teachers and administrators share a vision which is focused on student learning and success. Students benefit from the expertise of various educators who share a vision focused on student learning and a commitment to improvement (Reichstetter, 2006). Participating in PLCs allows educators to build capacity within a district by working as members of ongoing, high-performing collaborative teams.
Last, PLCs monitor their effectiveness based on results. Within a PLC, teachers work to identify the current levels of student achievement, establish a goal to increase achievement, work together to achieve the goal, and report the progress. Teachers collaborate to analyze the data and disseminate the information to the staff to make it relevant to their teaching practices. Moreover, teachers collaborate across disciplines to discover what works best for students.
When we as mentors speak to coaches, there is an overwhelming belief that establishing PLCs could improve their schools. So why haven’t they become an ubiquitous part of school life? Getting PLCs off the ground is not always easy. With conflicting schedules, mounds of paperwork, and additional responsibilities, teachers are not always keen on giving up what little time they have to engage in this kind of activity. PLC organizers need to be creative in scheduling convenient times to meet. For example, groups can meet during their lunch period. This will not only create a relaxed, personable atmosphere, but will also prevent PLC members from losing their free time.
A mantra to follow when getting started with PLCs is, “Work with the willing”. By forming around a core of enthusiastic participants on a topic of shared interest, a coach can avoid selling the idea while ironing out the kinks of how the group needs to be run. It’s better to have a few interested professionals who are dedicated to showing up regularly than a larger group that is sporadic in their attendance. One example of a group that formed very organically around a topic grew out of a conversation that a PIIC coach overheard. Teachers were fuming about the bad press that the “Waiting for Superman” documentary was creating for education. Seizing the opportunity, the group agreed to read the book that spawned the film. The success or failure of a school’s first attempt will spread to the rest of the building. The first group should be the advertisement that pulls others into the fold.
Perhaps the most crucial value to follow for sustaining professional learning communities is consistency. Whether your group is to meet every month, every week, or every day, keeping a regular schedule of meetings is essential to participant attendance. Undoubtedly, there will be times when school schedules clash; however, meetings should always be rescheduled. Many PLC’s operate under the belief that in order to improve student learning, job-embedded learning for educators must be continuous (DuFour, DuFour et al., 2006; Haar, 2003; Phillips, 2003). If the group allows for other things to get in the way of their meetings, the purpose becomes devalued and inevitably participation will fizzle.
Professional learning communities can be a way for educators to connect with colleagues, share best practice, or develop a school-wide program. PLCs encourage teachers to improve themselves and their schools between coach visits. The spark that the group creates will need to be fanned to become a flame, and that fire will need to be fed if it is to spread across a school.
SEE THE LATEST EDITION OF WILDCUTS HERE:
Peachjar is coming!
Like us, you may be tired of dealing with all the printed materials your child carries home from school.
In December we will be moving away from printed flyers to a new "electronic backpack" system. We have begun working with a company named Peachjar on this new system. Each school will have its own online backpack where school information, calendars, activity information from enrichment providers, and school letters will be posted.
Students’ backpacks will be lighter and family members will learn about school and community events and activities directly via email. This "green" initiative will save our schools tons of paper and reduce copy costs by thousands of dollars. No more worrying what was lost between school and home either.
Provided we have parent/guardian email addresses, no action is required. We encourage all parents to go into their parent portal and post their email address if they have not done so already. Once we are set to launch Peachjar we will send parents a welcome email that includes a username and password. This is provided to give parents the opportunity to manage their account and flyer delivery preferences. It is not necessary to login to receive or view school-approved eflyers.
Emails are not the only way to tap into flyers and other materials, it will also be possible to click on the Peachjar button on a school's website to find and view flyers.
More specific notifications will be sent as we get closer to launch.