Clif Notes 3/18/19
50 Years Of Building The State & Now Global Workforce!
DATES TO REMEMBER
This Week -
Monday - 8am Start for Extra Help
Tuesday - Special Faculty Mtg.;
Chromebook Redeployment & SAT Information
Wednesday - Academic PLCs;
Thursday - Academic PLCs
Friday - Steering Committee Meeting;
Upcoming:
3/27 SAT Exam
3/29 50th Anniversary Gala; End of 3rd Marking Period; Reapplication letters delivered
4/1 4th Marking Period Begins
4/2 Faculty Meeting
4/3 Grades Due by 3pm
4/5 Ignite the Night 5K
4/10 Report Cards to Students
Ticket Extension Granted!!!!!!
The Rail granted Delcastle the opportunity to continue selling tickets for our upcoming Gala Celebration. This is going to be a wonderful event with Delcastle Alumni, business partners, current and prior staff members. If you know any alumni, co-op employers or prior staff, please share this information. Tickets can be purchased in person with Tina Ramsey before 2:00 pm or online at https://delcastlehighschool.ludus.com/ . The last day to purchase tickets for the 50th Anniversary Gala will be 12:00 pm on Thursday, March 28.
SkillsUSA
Congratulations to all of our students who competed in the 2019 SkillsUSA Competitions. Our students participated in 41 contest and won 75 medals of which 32 medals were gold. This summer all of our gold medal winners will represent the state of Delaware and Delcastle at the National SkillsUSA Competitions in Louisville, KY. Special thanks to all of our teachers who prepared our students to perform at a very high level. Please see the detailed listing of the winners below. Let's Go Delcastle!!
Place Contest Name Teacher
1 Action Skills Jose Barraza -Charley Hackett
1 Automotive Refinishing Technology Niderah Goldsborough -Tony Tiberi/John Collins
1 Aviation Maintenance Technology Maxwell Calvert -Chris Watson
1 Career Pathway Showcase America Hernandez -Paula Tiberi
1 Career Pathway Showcase Bianca Ayala -Paula Tiberi
1 Career Pathway Showcase Briana Rodriguez- Paula Tiberi
1 Collision Repair Technology Alexis Garcia -Tony Tiberi/John Collins
1 Community Action Project Baron Smith -Charley Hackett
1 Community Action Project O'Shea Smith -Charley Hackett
1 Customer Service Nyla Thompson -Karla Denison
1 Employment Application Process Luca Teoli -John Fitzgerald
1 Job Skill Demonstration Open Kollin Krough- Dan Edelen
1 Pin Design Kaylee Neal -John Rykaczewski
1 Promotional Bulletin Board Kaylee Neal -John Rykaczewski
1 Promotional Bulletin Board Malik Hardin -John Rykaczewski
1 Promotional Bulletin Board Tamye Wilson-Allen -John Rykaczewski
1 Quiz Bowl Benjamin Siwik- Geri Swain
1 Quiz Bowl Farazah Jabali -Geri Swain
1 Quiz Bowl Jacob Roberts -Geri Swain
1 Quiz Bowl Michael Tucker -Geri Swain
1 Quiz Bowl Patrick Tucker -Geri Swain
1 Restaurant Service Javre Jaffar -Tom Craft/Gary James
1 Screen Printing Kaylee Neal -John Rykaczewski
1 Sheet Metal Julia Valcarcel -John Fitzgerald
1 T-Shirt Design Luis Pompa -John Rykaczewski
1 Television (Video) Production Collin Henry -Elizabeth Abell
1 Television (Video) Production Ziayre Ruff -Elizabeth Abell
1 Welding James Guthrie -Dan Edelen
1 Welding Fabrication Shane Montgomery -Dan Edelen
1 Welding Fabrication Benjamin Geiser- Dan Edelen
1 Welding Fabrication Bjorn Cummins -Dan Edelen
1 Welding Sculpture Savion Hollis - Dan Edelen
2 Action Skills Clarence Smith -John Rykaczewski
2 Automotive Refinishing Technology TaiKyria Harrell -Tony Tiberi/John Collins
2 Aviation Maintenance Technology John Donovan- Chris Watson
2 Cabinet Making Jose Escobar -Susan Pawlikowski
2 Collision Repair Technology Brian Valezquez Cira -Tony Tiberi/John Collins
2 Community Action Project De'Shawn Coston -Charley Hackett
2 Community Action Project Jeremiah Johnson- Charley Hackett
2 Employment Application Process Hope McGill- Elizabeth Abell
2 Photography Joshua Mitchem -Elizabeth Abell
2 Promotional Bulletin Board Jennifer Marin Camposano -John Rykaczewski
2 Promotional Bulletin Board Julissa Rosado -John Rykaczewski
2 Promotional Bulletin Board Tania Malave Espinosa- John Rykaczewski
2 Quiz Bowl Caelin Foley -Geri Swain
2 Quiz Bowl Carter Henry -Geri Swain
2 Quiz Bowl Johnathan Atkins -Geri Swain
2 Quiz Bowl Luis Flores Lara -Geri Swain
2 Quiz Bowl Zoe Jackson -Geri Swain
2 Screen Printing Jackie Baur- John Rykaczewski
2 Sheet Metal Erick Cortes John Fitzgerald
2 T-Shirt Design Ana Jimenez -John Rykaczewski
2 Television (Video) Production Marc Martinez -Elizabeth Abell
2 Television (Video) Production Rosa Zaragosa -Elizabeth Abell
2 Welding Connor Yocum -Dan Edelen
2 Welding Sculpture Tyler Smith -Dan Edelen
3 Action Skills Riley Marcum- Charley Hackett
3 Audio/Radio Production Isaiah Temple- Elizabeth Abell
3 Audio/Radio Production DeShawn Smith -Elizabeth Abell
3 Aviation Maintenance Technology Ethan Brookins -Chris Watson
3 Employment Application Process Jeremiah Johnson- Charley Hackett
3 Community Action Project Cir-Kris Marsh -Charley Hackett
3 Community Action Project Andreu Taylor-Simmons -Charley Hackett
3 Computer Programming Gabriel Garcia Reyes -Todd Lehman
3 Cosmetology Savannah Murray -Paula Tiberi/Lauren Pressey
3 Job Skill Demonstration Open Z'Aire McFarlin- Dan Edelen
3 Pin Design Tamye Wilson-Allen -John Rykaczewski
3 Restaurant Service Aniyyah Morris -Tom Craft/Gary James
3 Screen Printing Elby Bisch -John Rykaczewski
3 Sheet Metal Luca Teoli -John Fitzgerald
3 Welding Mickey McKenney- Dan Edelen
3 Welding Fabrication Ashley Rodriguez- Dan Edelen
3 Welding Fabrication Charles Blosser -Dan Edelen
3 Welding Fabrication David Pinder -Dan Edelen
3 Welding Sculpture Gianni Abbott - Dan Edelen
ACE Mentoring Awards Breakfast
The ACE Mentoring Awards Breakfast was held on Wednesday, March 6th. Students from Delcastle, Hodgson, St. Georges and William Penn present their design submissions during the breakfast. ACE is a national organization that Mr. Baeriswyl started in Delaware 9 years ago. This program encourages students to continue their education in architecture, construction, and engineering. Mr. Baeriswyl and volunteers from industry met with students for 16 weeks this year after school on Tuesday from 3:00 to 5:00. We have been able to offer our ACE students over $45,000 in scholarships over the 9 year period. Also, the following students were awarded scholarships at this year's breakfast:
Ajah Quawy Grade 12 $3,000.00
Kaylee Neal Grade 11 $500.00
Adriana Swann Grade 11 $500.00
Constance Bradley Grade 11 $500.00
Nancy Deschamps Grade 10 $500.00
Elizabeth Morales Grade 10 $500.00
Lionel Bullock Grade 11 $250.00
Ethan Steinberg Grade 11 $250.00
Sophia Ortiz Grade 10 $250.00
Mason Wilson Grade 11 $250.00
Lillibeth Camacho Grade 11 $250.00
Annual Winter Sports Banquet
Student Receives Full Track Scholarship
On Friday, March 15th, Jalissa Emmens signed a full athletic track scholarship with Morgan State University. Above is a picture of her at the signing. Please congratulate her when you see her.
March Madness
March Madness is upon us. Every year the number of write-ups and student altercations drastically increase in high schools everywhere. We are asking everyone to be proactive by assisting a little more in the hallways between classes and to reiterate your classroom expectations in a positive manner prior to engaging students in the lesson. Let’s finish out this week strong. Delcastle strong!
Have You Completed the 22.5 Snow Hours?!?
Snow Hours are due by May 1st!!!
If you still need Snow Hours or you just want to add some new knowledge to your instructional practice…
Check out the following upcoming sessions that will be offered after school on most Tuesdays and Thursdays up to Spring Break!!! Please use the live links to sign-up for EACH individual session you plan to attend, this is how attendance will be tracked!!!
Tuesday, March 19th: Google Drawings Activities
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C49AFA62AA02-319
Thursday, March 21st: Insert Learning Chrome extension
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C49AFA62AA02-321
Tuesday, March 26th: Gimkit
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C49AFA62AA02-326
Tuesday, April 2nd: Data Service Center
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C49AFA62AA02-42snow
Thursday, April 4th: Flipgrid
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C49AFA62AA02-44snow
Tuesday, April 9th: Flippity
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C49AFA62AA02-49snow
Thursday, April 11: Schoology Analytics
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C49AFA62AA02-411
Tuesday, April 16th: *Smartboard w/ Smart Notebook (*If you already attended the session with Ursula McCoy, you CANNOT attend this session.)
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C49AFA62AA02-416
As always, if you need more assistance or have questions about any of these sessions please contact me.
~Tara
Delcastle Instructional Focus
Talking in the classroom
Content-Area Conversations
by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and Carol Rothenberg
Managing Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
Noise and time management aside, another challenge in using effective collaborative tasks is how to ensure that all students are actively engaged in learning. One common fear is that students will spend their time talking about topics that have nothing to do with the task at hand. There are also the issues of certain students dominating and doing all the work and of students who prefer to work independently. When we add in the elements of linguistic and cultural diversity, we add another dimension to the complexities of managing oral discourse in the classroom. Here again, purposeful and structured planning, along with teacher guidance and support, can maximize participation and learning for all students.
Managing Linguistic Diversity
For obvious reasons, it can be particularly uncomfortable for teachers when students are talking together in a language that the teacher does not speak. Using the primary language in the classroom, whether it is the teacher speaking or students, is a somewhat controversial practice. On one side of the argument are those who believe that students must useEnglish to learn English and that time not spent in English is valuable learning time lost. They argue that, for many students, class time is the only time they are speaking English, because they may go home to communities where there is no need to do so. We wholeheartedly agree that one of the primary goals for our students is proficiency in English, but one of our other primary goals is understanding of grade-level content, which includes progressively more and more difficult concepts as students move up the grade levels.
Consider for a moment this scenario. You are in a class as a learner, studying a subject you are unfamiliar with—perhaps stoichiometry, tessellations, or corpus linguistics. Would you prefer to discuss these new ideas in your native language or in a new language that you are learning—say, Russian, Portuguese, or Amharic? Language choice, like grouping, depends on the purpose. There may be times when students will learn more if they can talk about new and difficult concepts in familiar language. Of course, we want to be sure they are talking about the new concept and that they are on the right track. So how do we do this?
First, when we have created the type of environment we described in Chapter 4, where students understand the purpose of talk, are used to talking, and know that their ideas are important, we can trust that students will value the time to discuss and clarify their understanding. Will they do so 100 percent of the time? Perhaps not, though we would argue that the percent of time on task is not proportional to which language students are using.
Second, we can monitor student talk in a language other than English in the same way we monitor students speaking in English, by sitting with the group and asking questions, in English, to gauge their understanding. They must respond in English, which gives them the opportunity to use the language and vocabulary we expect them to use, with the added support of having first had an opportunity to clarify their thinking in a familiar language.
Finally, accountability is built into all collaborative tasks. Teachers may require students to complete a graphic organizer, write a summary, create a skit, or present their conclusions to the class.
Even when we require students to complete and turn in a written product as part of their collaborative work, this task does not necessarily translate into engagement for all students. Without careful organization, one or two students can end up doing all the work. In the last chapter, we talked about how to teach students to share responsibility, contributing to the discussion and encouraging others to participate as well. In addition to teaching them about the importance of participation in group work, it can be helpful to set up systems and structures that require all students to participate.
We often see group work organized such that each student has a role. One student might be assigned to be the recorder; another, the facilitator; another, the questioner; and the fourth, the timekeeper. Unfortunately, all too often, it is the English language learner, the student who may be most in need of language practice, who is assigned the role of timekeeper—a role that requires little or no language and certainly no interaction with the content. Moreover, it is not even a necessary role; as we've already noted, there are other ways to help students manage their time. This is not to say that students should never be assigned roles. In Chapter 3, we saw Mr. Barber assign roles quite effectively when his students were first learning to do reciprocal teaching. The difference is that in that case, each role is equally important in making meaning. Mr. Barber's expectation is also that students will practice all roles and eventually, as they become more comfortable with the process, will no longer need to be assigned roles.
One way of assuring that all students participate and learn is a collaborative structure called "numbered heads together" (Kagan, 1992). Each group is assigned a number, and each student within the group is assigned a number from 1 to 4 (or 5 when the numbers don't work out evenly to 4). The teacher asks a question and tells students to make sure every student in the group can answer the question. After a predetermined amount of time, usually a minute or two or more, the teacher spins the overhead spinner and announces the number of the student who must answer, perhaps number 3. Groups then have one more minute to make sure that student number 3 in their group can answer the question. The teacher spins again and announces the number of the group that must respond. In this way, students support each other to make sure they all can answer because they never know who will be called on. This strategy is most effective when groups earn points for correct responses.
The other major problem with assigning roles is that only one student is the writer. We prefer to see that all students are required to write their own copies, whether of notes, a skit, or a graphic organizer. Obviously, when the task is to create a poster, this is not so simple. Later in this chapter, you will see how Ms. Chang builds in accountability as her students create a collaborative poster. Each student in the group selects a different colored pen, and all colors must appear on the poster in relatively equal amounts. (She uses this meaning of equality as an opportunity to reinforce understanding of percentage in her math class.) Ms. Chang also insists that, regardless of who is the best artist or who has the best handwriting in the group, all must do both writing and drawing on the poster.
Once we've resolved the issue of all students contributing to the creation of the product, we are left with the question of how to ensure that all students contribute to its presentation. Even when students have written a dialogue—say, to represent the main ideas and events of the westward movement—it may not have a part for all four students. Because we want all our students to practice speaking in more formal situations, we ask that all students present the dialogue even if it means that two students will recite one part chorally. If they are presenting a poster, we give them time to determine how they will organize their presentation so that all group members play an equally important role.
Continue reading next week....