Pam's Pages
April 3 - April 7
April is Autism Awareness Month
The ninth annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2, 2017. Thousands of iconic landmarks and buildings join the hundreds of thousands of homes and communities around the world to “light blue” in support of people living with autism. Autism-friendly events and educational activities take place all month to increase understanding and acceptance and further support people with autism.
At MWE, we will “Light it Up Blue” on Monday, April 3. Please wear blue to show your commitment to raise your Autism Awareness this year!
You will receive informational handouts in your mailbox to help with awareness.
Some Facts about Autism (From Autism Speaks Website)
Q: What is autism?
A: Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences. We now know that there is not one autism but many types, caused by a combination of genetic and environmental influences.
Q: How common is autism?
A: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates autism’s prevalence as 1 in 68 children in the United States. This includes 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls.
Q: What causes autism?
A: We know that there’s no one cause of autism. Research suggests that autism often develops from a combination of genetic and nongenetic, or environmental, influences. These influences appear to increase the risk that a child will develop autism. However, it’s important to keep in mind that increased risk is not the same as cause. For example, some gene changes associated with autism can also be found in people who don’t have the disorder. Similarly, not everyone exposed to an environmental risk factor for autism will develop the disorder. In fact, most will not.
For more information about Austim, please click on the link below.
Schedule for Early Dismissal April 6 & 7
Grade, Specials, Lunch
PreK/K -10:25 – 10:55----10:55 – 11:25
1st - 8:55 – 9:25----10:10 – 10:40
2nd - 9:55 – 10:25----10:25 – 10:55
3rd - 9:25 – 9:55----10:40 – 11:10
4th- 8:25 – 8:55----11:15 – 11:45
5th - 10:55 – 11:25----11:25 – 11:55
Specials Team Planning time ----8:00 - 8:25
The MWE master schedule is also at the link below:
Class Creator
Our school will be using the Class Creator software to help us with placing students in classes for the next school year. You will receive an email inviting you to set your password which will allow you to log in and complete a survey on your current class.
When completing your survey please be aware of the following:
Separations and Pairings
- Only use in the most essential situations.
- Limit to 5 or less per class where possible.
- If Separations appear red there is a conflict with Pairings or friend Preferences.
- Separations override Pairings & friend Preferences.
Student History
- Since we used Class Creator last year, you will have an H if the student had a separation/pairing last year.
- You can use this to check if this separation or pairing is still relevant or not.
- If it is, you will need to enter it again this year.
If you have any questions please contact me or Lynne.
In the meantime, please watch the summary video for teachers (click the link below). The website is http://classcreator.io (live link).
T-TESS End of Year (EOY) Conferences
Your team leaders should have trained you on what to expect at the conference. Here are some reminders:
Before the conference
- Use the Evidence Selection Sheet to identify evidence, as needed. (This is not an exhaustive list -- please feel free to add your own sources of evidence.)
- Your evidence should be in Eduphoria and labeled by the applicable Domain.
- Lynne and I will set up the summative form and rate Domains 1, 2, and 3.
During the Conference
- Use the Conference Preparation Worksheet to collect your thoughts and reflections.
- Teachers will drive the EOY conversation with Domain 4 as the focus. Please refer to the Conference Agenda as your guide (see below).
- Use the T-TESS rubric to assess your rating. Lynne and I will not score Domain 4 prior to the conference
- If you want to set goals for 2017-2018, please use a word document, as Eduphoria is not yet set up for next year.
- We will printout 3 copies of the summative conference form. The original will stay on campus, you will receive a copy and a copy will be sent to HR.
Although I am not everyone's appraiser, I will sit in on all of the EOY conferences.
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)
MAP reports identify individual students falling below, meeting, or exceeding their growth targets, as well as the concepts and skills each student or student group needs to develop.
The following numbers of students took both fall and winter MAP administrations and have growth scores:
- 2,600 MAP Mathematics;
- 2,803 MAP Reading;
- 697 MAP Language Usage; and
- 627 MAP General Science.
The mean RIT score in MAP Mathematics, Reading, and General Science increased across all tested grade levels from fall to winter.
When compared to other U.S. schools, students in the following areas demonstrated higher than typical growth:
- grade 9 Mathematics;
- grades 5, 7 and 8 Reading;
- grade 3 Language Usage; and
- grade 7 General Science.
Students in all other tested areas demonstrated below typical growth for their grade.
50% or more of the students in the following areas met or exceeded their growth projection from fall to winter:
- grades 6 and 9 Mathematics;
- grades 5, 7, and 8 Reading;
- grades 6 and 7 General Science.
In all other areas fewer than 50% of students met or exceeded their growth targets.
At MWE, we will take the spring assessment at a later date and will assess student growth from Winter to Spring.