TO DO:

Make sure you have the annual admin BBQ on your calendar for Monday, June 17th at noon here at the Ed Center. The dress is casual.

Hot off the presses… All MS health teachers will be having a half-day (morning) training with the RESPONSE curriculum on day 189 – Friday, Aug. 30. Please notify each of your health teachers of this as this is the first time it is being announced.

THIS and THAT:

Here is a Culture of Care update from Sean – please take some time to read it, even if you were not part of the pilot this year.

Here is another “hot off the presses” item that will take a bit more explaining than what you’ll be getting today, but wanted to provide you with enough information so you don’t have an “I have no idea what you are talking about” moment if someone asks you a question. Please reach out to me for additional information or any questions you might have at this point. We plan to have a .167 MS Literacy Coach position posted internally by next Friday. This position will be a current classroom MS teacher (of any endorsement area) who has an interest in doing some coaching around disciplinary literacy with her/his first and second-year teacher peers. Dean Richards will be working directly with this individual and a HS disciplinary literacy coach. This is all part of a heightened district focus on literacy PD provided to our new hires. There will likely be a preference of where this .167 coach is teaching, based on the number of new hires (last two years) at that building. Here is a one-page document that helps provide a bit more context.

SPO needs your help again this year to ensure all SPED case managers (SPED teachers and SLPs) have completed and finalized their IEP processes and documents prior to checking out for the summer.   Last year we asked that sites add a box on your check-out form that says, “All IEP documents finalized.” Once all paperwork has been finalized,  the SPO office will send each case manager and email indicating that they are “all clear” with their paperwork.  It will be the case manager’s responsibility to provide you a copy (or forwarding) the email from our office.  Please don’t let them check-out until this has been documented.  Please note, we will be sending frequent reminders to case managers on the days leading up to June 14th, so there should not be any surprises. 

In this recent Education Week article (May 14, 2019), best-selling author Daniel Pink shares four ideas on “How Schools can Spend Time more Wisely.” We’ve cracked the code on one of these, and I found the other three worth sharing with you and thinking about how/if they might fit into your schools.

REMINDERS:

A reminder of some information from Kerry regarding math by-pass process:

• If parents or teachers are recommending students by-pass a year of mathematics, students need to meet the minimum scores for EasyCBM and the written portion. Attached are the requirements.
• Administer the assessment in August and/or September. To help with student scheduling, it is recommended that you assess students in August before school starts. Parents and teachers probably know who would be interested in and capable of by-passing now. The few students who cannot make it to your August testing sessions, provide a time during the first week of school.
• If your school decides to administer EasyCBM to every student in September, please call it a universal screener and administer the paper-pencil assessment to students who have parent and/or teacher recommendations.  
• Please do not send a message to all families about by-passing a year of mathematics. It causes stress on students and families. Some don’t want this and they don’t want their child taking unnecessary assessments.
• If students wish to take online math to progress quicker, they must pass with at least a B. This is intended to ensure students are successful in future mathematics. This is a link with some information from Amy Tarnow.