SLP Superintendent's Newsletter
Week of December 2, 2019
UPCOMING EVENTS
ADMINISTRATOR'S MEETING
LOCATION: RESOURCE CENTER
SUPERINTENDENT PATRICK JENKINS
A Message from Superintendent Jenkins
During this holiday season, I think it is an important thing for all of us to remember that we are here but a short time and in these uncertain times, we need to make the most of that time always considering compassion, friendship, family, a sense of purpose and hope for a brighter future. Welcome back! I hope you had a restful and yet productive Thanksgiving break.
The Man in the Arena – “The Man in the Arena” tells us that the man we should praise is the man who’s out there fighting the big battles, even if those battles end in defeat. In our day, when cynicism and aloof detachment are considered hip and cool, Theodore Roosevelt reminds us that glory and honor come to those “who spend themselves in a worthy cause.” The students of SLPSS are worthy. Are you willing to spend yourself for this cause?! Continue to inspire our students daily!
The Man in the Arena
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt
Reminders:
- Continue to inspire our students come to school daily as well as consistently correct undesired behavior, model the appropriate behavior desired and reward positive behavior.
- Student Dress – Please have your teachers discuss and remind students of the the dress code for cold weather. See district or school handbook.
- If you haven't submitted your staff handbook, agenda, sign-in sheet for your staff meting on appropriate student contact, please do so no later than Monday, December 2, 2019.
- High, Middle and Junior high schools, submit your mid-term exam schedule to Mrs. Cassimere and your liaison as soon as it is available. Elementary schools, submit activities as planned.
- Students should attend school every day until the end of the semester. Plan accordingly to maximize every day and minute of instructional time. I will be checking attendance daily until the end of he semester.
- Grades – Please ensure that your teachers have ample grades recorded in JPAMS daily to properly evaluate each student’s performance and abilities. The semester and second nine weeks will come and go quickly.
- All staff members that attend professional development conferences must present to faculty members upon return at a designated date and time.
Thought for the week…”Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone else expects of you. Never excuse yourself” – Henry ward Beecher
Professional Development reading :
District 2019 - 2020 Theme: Become What You Believe!
Mission
Vision
LSBA LEGISLATIVE REMINDERS
DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM - ANGELA CASSIMERE
New: New Principals Workshop
The Louisiana Association of Principals (LAP), in conjunction with the Department, is offering a half-day new principals workshop. This workshop is designed for principals with 0–3 years experience. Attendees will learn what it takes to improve staff dynamics, increase morale, and create positive conditions for staff and student success.
The New Principals Workshop will be held from 8:00–11:30 a.m. on December 10 in Lafayette at the DoubleTree Hotel. The cost is free for LAP members and $100 for non-LAP members. Seating is limited to the first 100.
The deadline to register is November 29.
Reminder: 2019-2020 Teacher Roster Verification for VAM
The Curriculum Verification and Results (CVR) Reporting Portal roster verification ensures that teachers are assigned to the correct courses and classroom rosters of students for the purposes of value-added (VAM) analyses. The data in CVR will be used to calculate a teacher’s VAM score even if the teacher and/or principal do not verify the roster. Teachers instructing ELA, math, science, social studies (grades 4—8), and Algebra, Geometry, English I, and English II courses (all grades) should verify their rosters as they are eligible to receive VAM scores.
November 1—December 13 (6 weeks): CVR Open for View-only
● Users can view and check the roster data for accuracy and make changes in the source data systems (SIS, CUR, PEP). The CVR Help Desk will be able to assist with any issues that a school system must correct in the source data systems.
An updated user guide for CVR is now available.
Reminder: Save-the-Date: Teacher Leader Summit 2020
The 2020 Teacher Leader Summit will take place May 27–29 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Registration for the Summit will occur in three phases:
● Early bird registration (January 10 through March 1)
● Regular registration (March 2 through May 11)
● On-site registration for those who do not register by May 11
School systems will not receive a specific allotment of seats. Registration will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
To help offset the cost of running a high-quality, multi-day event for thousands of Louisiana educators, the Department will charge a small registration fee for the 2020 Teacher Leader Summit.
This fee will cover:
● admission to conference;
● conference sessions; and
● lunch (May 27 & May 28).
Description
1-Day Ticket
3-Day Ticket
Early Bird Registration
(January 10—March 1)
$35
$80
Regular Registration
(March 2—May 11)
$45
$100
On-site Registration
(May 27—29)
$60
N/A
Educators can receive a discount by registering early and registering for all three days at once. Educators can choose to not eat the lunch provided, but may not opt-out of the registration fee.
SCOTT CHAMPAGNE - DIRECTOR OF TITLE 1
TITLE 1 REMINDERS
1. Principals of Title I schools are responsible for uploading Title I documentation into their school’s Title I Folder by the deadlines as indicated in the Title I Part A Schoolwide Programs Handbook, pages 12-13.
2. Principals of Title I schools are required to upload their monthly School Improvement Meeting minutes as well as sign-in sheets into their school’s Title I Folder.
3. Title I schools must maintain all Title I documentation for a period of five years.
4. Stipend forms (Originals signed in blue) are due to the Director of Federal Programs no later than by the 5th of the preceding month that the work was completed. During the months of November and December, please submit stipend forms on the last day of tutoring.
5. Title IV Plans are pass due. For all schools that have submitted plans that have been approved, please finalize your requisitions and the necessary quotes so that the purchases can benefit your school during this school year.
6. All schools that have received Title I Direct Student Services funding are required to have provided documentation to their parents that Title I DSS funds were available for their students to participate in after-school tutoring, ACT Senior re-takes, CLEP assessments, Work Keys assessments, and AP assessments. If you have not done so, please submit documentation of your correspondences to parents to the Federal Programs Office no later than Friday, November 22, 2019.
7. Principals are responsible for all Fixed Asset items on their campus. Please be reminded to ensure that all fixed assets that have been purchased with federal funds are accounted for at your school.
8. All English Learners must have a current English Learner Accommodation Plan that has been shared with all teachers.
9. An English Learner must be screened with the English Language Proficiency Screener (ELPS) within 30 days of his/her enrollment. Please make certain that you have a designee that is reviewing Home Language Surveys upon the student’s enrollment. If someone does not review the survey upon registration to determine if a child’s language that is spoken is something other than English, the student could be missed for screening within the thirty-day window.
10. 95% of Title I funding for supplies and equipment must be expended by December 15th, 2019. We want the supplies/equipment to impact the students this year.
11. Please monitor your students that have been identified as experiencing “Homelessness” to determine if they are in need of additional support such as Title I Learning Center, After-School Tutoring, etc.
THERESE ELLENDER - SUPERVISOR OF STEAM
New: 2020 Jump Start Convention Galleria Walk/School Exhibitions Application
Please share with counselors.
The 3rd Annual Galleria Walk/School Exhibitions will be held during the 2020 Jump Start Convention on January 28. Due to limited space, approval for the 2020 Galleria Walk/School Exhibitions participants will be through a short application process sent to school systems who demonstrate:
● engagement for a wide diversity of students, in terms of background, interest, and disability;
● alignment to workforce needs with job placement for students;
● dedication to helping students attain culminating statewide credentials (IBCs);
● commitment to blurring the line between high school and post-secondary; and
● potential benefit of your Galleria Walk/School Exhibitions to other schools.
Those interested in applying to become a 2020 Galleria Walk/School Exhibition participant are asked to please complete the online application by December 6. Approved applicants will be notified via email by December 13 with further instructions and guidelines.
REMINDER: 2020 Jump Start Convention Registration is Open
Please share with counselors.
Registration for the 2020 Jump Start Convention is now open and will close on January 3. Participants will learn the latest trends in career and technical education and take a “deep dive” into the new streamlined Jump Start 2.0 pathways that will be considered for adoption in spring 2020. A list of discounted hotels is available for this event.
Accidents
In an effort to expedite to student accident claims please make sure the attached form is filled out and sent in with the student accident form IF you believe the accident will warrant an investigation or it required medical attention.
Parents/guardians would only get a copy of the regular student accident report—the attached supplement is for our adjuster only.
SCIENCE FAIR
SEE ARCHIVED SEPTEMBER 2, 2019 SU NEWSLETTER FOR DETAILS
*ALL DOCUMENTS CAN BE FOUND IN THE PRINCIPAL'S EBINDER
ALVADO WILLIS - DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
IEP DUE DATES
TRESSA MILLER - DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
You should be reviewing and approving the following bookkeeping reports monthly. And your bookkeepers should be submitting these to Angie Marks monthly by the 15th.
- 1. General Ledger Activity Report for the month
- 2. Bank Reconciliation Report
- 3. Outstanding Check Listing
- 4. Copy of Entire Bank Statement (including copies of checks and deposits)
SEPTEMBER 2019 reports are due.
INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY FACILITATOR/WEBMASTER TRICIA FONTENOT
Principals' E-Binder
https://www.slp.k12.la.us/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=371733&type=d&pREC_ID=1651247
Login Credentials:
Username: slpsb
Password: principals
*Send me an email if there is something specific that you would like included in the e-binder.
PAT MASON-GUILLORY, PARENT & FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
Reminder: Release of School and Center Performance Communications Toolkits
The Department released a toolkit to help school systems, schools, and early childhood centers communicate the release of their 2019 performance scores in the Louisiana School Finder. The toolkit includes resources such as:
● School Finder flyer, poster, website button, and social media graphics
● Sample early childhood and K-12 news releases
● Animated videos to help explain early childhood performance profiles
● Early childhood and K-12 customizable parent night presentations
All resources are available in the principal support library. All videos are available on the Department’s YouTube channel on the “School Finder” playlist.
SUPERVISOR OF INSTRUCTION, SCHOOL CHOICE, & SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT- TRINA PRESTON
WorkKeys
Below is some very important information pertaining to WorkKeys 2.0 testing for the second quarter:
· The WorkKeys online testing window for 11th and 12th grade retesters in St. Landry Parish will be December 9 - 13, 2019.
· High schools may choose their retest dates, but the dates must be within the district’s window.
· IMPORTANT: Students with the small group or test read aloud accommodations cannot be tested during this window. These students may be retested during the Spring 2020 accommodated paper-based window (March 18 – April 1, 2020).
Please be reminded that Bulletin 118 was updated in March 2018, and the administration of WorkKeys must adhere to the following policy:
· Students shall be subject to a 30-day wait period before retesting on WorkKeys assessments, during which time schools shall provide remediation using ACT WorkKeys Curriculum; therefore, students cannot begin a retest until at least the 31st day.
· Due to the 30 day rule, LDOE will no longer accept the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) for accountability purposes. According to Bulletin 111: Districts must provide student results for all WorkKeys tests taken by every student to ensure all results are considered; therefore, schools must submit the skills report for all of the submissions for accountability. Not doing so will result in the school getting zeros.
· In an effort to maintain uniformity throughout the district and to ensure compliance to the 30 day wait period for remediation,all St. Landry Parish schools must adhere to the retest dates outlined in the 2019 – 2020 District Assessment Calendar.
Please note that you currently have the ability to create groups and add students to your realm. All WorkKeys information has been uploaded to the STC Google Drive.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
ASSESSMENT CALENDAR
DISTRICT ASSESSMENT CALENDAR
Submitting Content for Administrative Reminders
Email: TOF9686@SLP.K12.LA.US
Website: www.slp.k12.la.us
Location: 1013 E. Creswell Lane, Opelousas, LA 70571
Phone: 337.948.3657