Hayley was hanging with her Tam Fam at Skyliners Lodge this week!

To Do:

• Have 0ne building admin attend the Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Plan design meeting on Wednesday (from 8:00 – 3:00) at the Ed Center (board room).
• Share information below with your math folks regarding next week’s SIW PD.
• If you haven’t already, finish up any building certified evals today!  (See Jon’s email from Wednesday of this week if you have questions.)

This and That:

• Here is a video that I recently ran across (because I was scanning the instructional technology blog and read this post from one of the coaches whom I follow quite closely!). As I watched, it made me think about another way Student B (and the 4 C’s) can be reimagined from a teaching/leading perspective. I have recently heard Scott O. say that this would be his preferred way to “test” students – by evaluating the types of questions they come up with related to a topic (Scott said it better than this, but I think I caught the gist).  Hope this makes you think of potential applications like it did me…

• Alyx Lyons, our district’s new Secondary Literacy Coach, will be in touch with each of you at your building soon – if she hasn’t already.  Alyx will not only be introducing herself, but is also interested in hearing your thoughts around ELA curriculum implementation, how she can support your instructional leadership voice, or provide assistance to your teachers.  Connected to that, you will be receiving a flyer from her with information regarding some upcoming ELA PD opportunities for your teachers during our next two district SIW dates.
• As you know, first round of conferences are coming up on October 27, 28 (or more likely, the 26th and 27th with staff consensus).  If you are wanting an interpreter to be at your building you need to request this service through Jody McBride (email or ext. 1056) no later than Oct. 12 – preferably sooner.  Jody will then work with the HDESD to get them scheduled.  Additionally, please make an attempt to block out times when an interpreter will be requested – rather than requesting someone to be present during all conference hours.  All of our elementary schools will also be conferencing during the same dates/times, so planning ahead and “chunking” time will be important in order to have an interpreter available at your desired times.  Lastly, please provide the interpreter with a schedule (or radio) upon her/his arrival as they will likely not know where their services will be needed.
• Here is information from Tara and Matea that includes more details about this week’s SIW math PD – please share it with your math folks!

  Details for Wednesday, 9/28 middle school math meeting:

  1:45 – 3:15 at High Desert Middle school, in the Media Center.

  Bring Module 2 materials for each grade level you are teaching.

  Bring charged iPad and / or computer.

• The following is from Jay – regarding our next Leadership/Building Admin meeting on Oct. 3…

  As we move into our second year of school design work, it is critical that school leaders have time to think with and learn from each other.  To that end, this coming October Leadership Team meeting will provide minutes for us to discuss school design efforts and learnings across our schools.  With an eye on a commitment to collective genius, we are structuring this coming, and some other meetings, with a premium on time to think together.  Part of our agenda below will outline a year-long process that will provide even more time for that work as we will be asking you to visit schools and press into and learn from each other’s design work.  Please read far enough to note the what each administrator will be asked to share on the 3rd.

  Below is a draft of the agenda content for our Leadership Team meeting on October 3 that runs from 3:15 – 4:45.

  • Good of the order
  • “Thank You” from Shay
  • School Design – Why?
  • Design Cycle Visits
    • Design peer teams
    • Story from each school
    • Design process notes
      • Systems, calendared data reviews, successes, failures, ICCL involvement, “bucket teams”, other…
    • Cycle 1 visit focus and direction
    • Calendaring Cycle one dates and times

  ***Each administrator should come prepared to share the following:

  1.  120 second version of your school’s story
  2. Process around design that is helping you move from words on paper to a design that is the driver of the work in your school towards a broader definition of student success…Student B.  Think about who you are engaging in your design work, how you are engaging them, and what they are engaged in.  Consider the following questions to help you with this process part of the discussion on the 3rd:
     • Who is in the room(s) when we are working on school design?
     • How are school teams digging in to this work?
     • What data will we be reviewing as upstream indicators of progress towards goals?  Who will review it?  When will those reviews happen?
     • How will we communicate internally and externally our design values, elements and results?
     • Other thinking that contributes to how your school design process is driving the work to Student B…again moving from words on a paper plan to working the plan in real time.

  Thanks for leading and designing towards Student B…

  Jay

• Another PD opportunity for anyone on your staff (front office secretary, office manager, dean, SPED, teachers, etc.) is a de-escalating training.  The next two trainings are on Oct. 25 and Nov. 9 and available now in PD Place.  Here is a description of this training:

  De-escalation Training

  Over 90% of all crisis situations are emotionally driven.  In this class we will examine the mechanics of a crisis.  By understanding the contributing components of a crisis, and the variables that influence them, it is more easily possible to manipulate those components to bring subjects in crisis to a more rational state of mind.  We will discuss obstacles to communication and how to deal with them.  We will examine Composite Emotions and how to deflate them.  Emotional Prediction will be presented as a rapport building tool.

  If time and technology allow, the lecture will be followed by an interactive training DVD focused on active listening skills.

  Time Requirements – Lecture = 1.5 to 2 hours      Active Listening Video = 30 minutes

Reminders:

• Don’t forget that in order to receive the full stipend, all of your Fall Extra Duty personnel needed to be hired by the end of August (29th).  All Winter Extra Duty must be hired by December 14, and all Spring Extra Duty must be hired by April 3.  Any year-round stipends (e.g. drama, robotics) should have been hired by Sept. 1 of this year.  Seasonal extra duty will be paid in two checks, while year-round stipends will be paid over the course of 10 months.
• SLGGs are due (for teachers to you, VPs to principals, and principals to me) by Oct. 31.  Category I goals (SBAC) are not required this year. You will be able to find the Goal Setting Form in Talent Ed (once it is opened up for this year).  I’ll add this to the To Do list as we get closer to the deadline.