CPS Teachers Make A Difference
Week Ending January 15, 2016
Happy New Year
Getting ready for the new semester.
Please make sure that on Tuesday your syllabus and first unit are handed out to your students and posted on moodle. Please also send me one copy via email.
From last semester, we need to keep on file from the midterms:
*Each student's graded paper
*Journals from the presentations
*Grades for end of term presentations
Please give these to Traci Haberland this week.
*January 22, 2016 - Norma - We will be leaving at 5:45PM and return around 11:00PM. Please let me know if you would like to attend.
*January 29, 2016 - Fieldtrip to Lynn for HS students. Jumana, Nora, Wendy and Tracey will be attending professional development seminars that day at Lynn while the students are spending a day as a student on the college campus. Traci Haberland and Veronika will be taking the younger students to the Science Museum. Tyler, Rachel and Joyce, please spend that morning hanging up student work in your rooms and hallways.
Please make sure that on Tuesday your syllabus and first unit are handed out to your students and posted on moodle. Please also send me one copy via email.
From last semester, we need to keep on file from the midterms:
*Each student's graded paper
*Journals from the presentations
*Grades for end of term presentations
Please give these to Traci Haberland this week.
*January 22, 2016 - Norma - We will be leaving at 5:45PM and return around 11:00PM. Please let me know if you would like to attend.
*January 29, 2016 - Fieldtrip to Lynn for HS students. Jumana, Nora, Wendy and Tracey will be attending professional development seminars that day at Lynn while the students are spending a day as a student on the college campus. Traci Haberland and Veronika will be taking the younger students to the Science Museum. Tyler, Rachel and Joyce, please spend that morning hanging up student work in your rooms and hallways.
Teacher Meetings With Wendy
Due to some changes in the schedule for next term, in some cases I needed to alter your meeting time with me. We will begin the schedule this week.
Please bring to the meeting the following as we will upload onto moodle:
* Your outline for the upcoming semester
* Plans for first unit including your assessments
Mondays - 10:30 - Jumana Lakdawala
Tuesdays - 10:30 - Tracey Rockett
Tuesdays - 11:30 - Rachel Klein
Wednesdays - 11:30 Nora Teitzman
Thursdays - 11:30 - Joyce Hawkins
Fridays - 9:30 - Tyler Smith
Please bring to the meeting the following as we will upload onto moodle:
* Your outline for the upcoming semester
* Plans for first unit including your assessments
Mondays - 10:30 - Jumana Lakdawala
Tuesdays - 10:30 - Tracey Rockett
Tuesdays - 11:30 - Rachel Klein
Wednesdays - 11:30 Nora Teitzman
Thursdays - 11:30 - Joyce Hawkins
Fridays - 9:30 - Tyler Smith
Attendance, participation and make-up assignments
Several of you have spoken with me privately regarding the issues of attendance, participation and make-up assignments. Your convictions for change have come from experience and insight. I appreciate your suggestions and realize that the definition of insanity - the notion of doing the same thing over and over again with the hope of a different outcome - applies to this policy and change is needed and overdue.
Based upon your collective responses, I propose the following to start for second term:
1. Teachers will need to continue to take attendance each class and notify the office if a student is not present. Students who are absent 10 days (which are unexcused) in a semester will not receive credit for the class. This follows Florida Law. Students who are late, but in attendance for at least half the class will receive 1/2 an absence.
2. The majority of the grade needs to be on the assessment and actual work produced. Students have come to realize that if they don't misbehave they will achieve their points. Students need to be graded on cumulative projects, based upon class lessons. Students need to have a minimum of one grade per week, per class. This way, if a student misses a class, he or she will need to catch up quickly in order to give the presentation, paper or project for the week. It is imperative that teachers create assessments which are very detailed with the expectations and adhered to on a weekly basis. A project may last for 2-3 weeks, but each week there should be part of the project due.
3. Participation can be part of the assessment for the cumulative project. For example, if you are having the students prepare for a debate, 10-20% can be for their participation in preparation.
Based upon your collective responses, I propose the following to start for second term:
1. Teachers will need to continue to take attendance each class and notify the office if a student is not present. Students who are absent 10 days (which are unexcused) in a semester will not receive credit for the class. This follows Florida Law. Students who are late, but in attendance for at least half the class will receive 1/2 an absence.
2. The majority of the grade needs to be on the assessment and actual work produced. Students have come to realize that if they don't misbehave they will achieve their points. Students need to be graded on cumulative projects, based upon class lessons. Students need to have a minimum of one grade per week, per class. This way, if a student misses a class, he or she will need to catch up quickly in order to give the presentation, paper or project for the week. It is imperative that teachers create assessments which are very detailed with the expectations and adhered to on a weekly basis. A project may last for 2-3 weeks, but each week there should be part of the project due.
3. Participation can be part of the assessment for the cumulative project. For example, if you are having the students prepare for a debate, 10-20% can be for their participation in preparation.
A new platform for grades and posting lessons
For the last 2 years plus, we have been the guinea pig for Thinkwave. While there are good qualities to the program, we are not finding it to be as user friendly and easy to use as expected. Starting next term we will be using https://conservatoryprep.moodlecloud.com
Your username is your first initial followed by your last name in lowercase (e.g. wweiner). The password is cps5850. You may change the password when you log in to the program. Your course is already posted and editing is easy. You all have access to the Service Learning Class, where I fill out the first lesson, to give you an idea.
Since most of our classes are unit to unit, please write an overview of each unit (this will be in place of writing the overview each month in the monthly portfolios) and add any films and readings you want the students to have completed with due dates. You will also be able to upload your class project assignments. Student will be able to send you their papers through icloud and you will be able to grade online. There is a grade book online for you to set up as well.
Your username is your first initial followed by your last name in lowercase (e.g. wweiner). The password is cps5850. You may change the password when you log in to the program. Your course is already posted and editing is easy. You all have access to the Service Learning Class, where I fill out the first lesson, to give you an idea.
Since most of our classes are unit to unit, please write an overview of each unit (this will be in place of writing the overview each month in the monthly portfolios) and add any films and readings you want the students to have completed with due dates. You will also be able to upload your class project assignments. Student will be able to send you their papers through icloud and you will be able to grade online. There is a grade book online for you to set up as well.