NPES-Child Studies meeting

review prior child studies written if any if low attendance - first should do attendance mtg/conference 1. contact w/ family 2. contact w/ mr. hailey 3. what does he talk about regarding life after school? continue/terminate-etc cannot discuss meetings here, but observations were quite interesting. one teacher had all documentation prepared - helpful for child. another teacher didn't have a clue what to bring, nor did he have it if he knew.

EL Training - Staff Development

8:30 - noon Dr. Teston provided the focus of today’s staff development: EL Design Principles Literacy Challenge…how to use the best elements of each for OUR STUDENT COMMUNITY Expeditions/Project Based Learning/SOLs should be integrated Results Now…Keep it Simple (KISS) Lori's Morning Example….Morning Meeting Greeting…. Name/position/amazing summer story Activity: Speed Greeting (compare to Speed Dating J) Need a dingbell or gong or cowbell. When its time to stop, I’ll wave my hands madly. Task, when you find your first partner, need to know names, their position, and share one amazing thing or fun story from summer. Two teams pair, partner shares other’s name/position/amazing/scar story Original team finds another team/shares either story/share a goal for this year Debriefing….fun, get to know each other, center of attention, not intimidating, sense of team, used familiar information so everyone was to be successful, make connections, stepping outside of your comfort zone, learning occurred in a social context. Must do morning meeting every morning for first 9 weeks. How will literacy program “look like” and what does it look like in your grade level teams this year. Summer teachers need to share within grade levels their experiences regardless of their success. SOLs and Projects must be integrated and embedded. If you are looking at them as two separate things, you aren’t looking at it wrong. The concern was when the “community day” was held in relationship to the SOL testing. (poor timing). Goal is to making our lives easier by integrating. Read “results Now” message is: KISS (Kiss It Simple Stupid). Use of a circle, playing cards Summer school staff acknowledged, morning meeting evolved from their suggestion, summer school staff asked to sit at individual tables to assist with conversations evolving from the summer school reports. EL Research Based Institution Reading with Meaning Strategies that Work Mosaic of Thought Power of Activity Small Group Using an expert Honored a variety of learning styles Synthesize Readers Workshop Hook….teacher…..models mini lesson 5 – 7 minutes P from Par (Preparation), Before (Anticipatory set…thank you, Mr. Huck!) NNPS….Time will vary depending on strategy, objective, content, students’ need. Done as whole group, using direct instruction. Practice….student (guided) A from Par (Assistance), During Sharing R from Par (Reflection), After Lori modeled the HOOK what the teacher would be doing/thinking/saying while reading an article about morning meetings. Guided practice using metacognition and text coding occurred. Articles used were; Morning Meeting: A Powerful Way to Begin the Day and Start the Day With Community Each person was to share a metacognition point How will the framework of responsive classroom morning meeting help support the building of culture and character with your students? Lori did a share out of how text coding was used. Criteria for a High Quality Morning Meeting After reading the recommendations, discussion ensued. Summarizing can occur either at beginning or end of day (teacher discretion). Setting the tone, culture of the classroom should occur daily. Time and structure may vary. However, each component of the structure has a definite purpose. Team planning for conducting Morning Meetings using all components took place. Staff who use MM consistently were asked to serve as ‘experts’. Break out session…each team was to find an area in the building and conduct/ a morning meeting. Group reconvened in library and shared. Strategies used in above activity Modeling Small Group Critiquing Synthesize Collaboration Keeper Activity What one idea can you walk away with and use? Closing….reading from Morning Meeting book Special Ed meeting – 8/30/06 IEP meetings need to be initiated within the first 3 months of school. Some of the discussion was focused on what General Ed meetings that attend IEP meetings. Discussed grade level team meetings put in place this year to help with strategies to help children before being referred to child study. Another discussion was that several children were referred for retention and evaluation from Briarfield at the end of last year that will need to be addressed next month. Eligibility meetings questions need to go to Marian Harper. Assessment, child studies, and questions need to go to Social Worker and Psychologist. Form was requested from teachers for pre-trianual meeting to keep referrals in order. Trianual schedule should be reviewed by SW and Psy so they can put in notes. IEP peer reviews are recommended (for typos and age-appropriateness, categories, dates) before sitting with parent because any changes need another formal meeting and then an addendum. Goals should be sent home before IEP meeting and a parent should sign it or be asked for their comments. IEPs should be created 10 days before IEP meetings. Resource and LD/ED teachers – 8-30-06 Class card – clarify your class list and which homerooms they’re in (generated by Cece) initiate conversation with regular ed and ask if they reviewed their records. Did you receive anyone with a Level 1 or 2? Also make ranking orders for Title I. The buzz word this year is “to integrate and collaborate” which means co-teaching models. What is co-teaching? Guest speaker – Intermingled in everything. Homo and heterogeneous grouping. Spent time with guidance in small groups. One teacher taught more writing, and the other was teaching math. One was on the outside encouraging, keeping the students on task. Trouble was finding the time to plan because most of the time was spent on talking about specific children. Must have similar behavior management styles and teaching philosophies. From Day 1, told parents that second teacher was a support teacher. Both teachers took ownership of all children. Disagreements should be away from kids but be supportive when children are around. Collaborated with report cards and would have liked to have only split up this task. Parent conferences were done together. Not saying jump into it this year, but try it on one or two classes. Moving away from special ed as a special entity. Push children to be in general ed so they can be more proficient in SOL Paperwork requirements – what are they? Get a mental picture of what you need. Do not pretend if you are unclear. Speech therapist has cheat sheet. Materials – do you have everything you need? VGLA results – excellent job with reading. Accumulation of artifacts.

NPES Staff Orientation-3

mon email dr. t @ sending ppts from last yr & this yr discussed computer w/ dave * had lunch w/custodians afternoon-reading specialist presentations look at leteracy from diff pts of view big push on literacy - out of 1500 seniors w/recevied diploma, only 36 AA males have 3.0+ GPA. why is this? by the time thye leave el schools-the habits develop already Trip to Germany - not yr to take children. Griesfelt has found relationship with montessouri school. reason why want team discussions documented in notebook to publish a book article, or have teacher to teacher exchange in Germany about pedagogy. ask karis to share ppt @ reading strategies ask peggy for teacher first handbook & videos

NPES Staff Orientation-2

AGENDA - School norms-on time who's new at newsome? welcome new members new name changes summer accomplishments invite principal from Briarfield to talk @his children how are we going to look like as a 21st century school? broke up SOL scores into 5 catagories - discussed factors before sharing results - ie. some teachers were dealt a good/poor hand of students. no sped kids included ask David for scores & getting into SOL units a good conversation on how well we are building trust such as "what's happening in your room that's different than in my room?" zara - has testing materials for admin test - 4 wk course - ask her for them how does it look at newsome? new leadership team - only 12 members - elected by peers (8) 4 automatic members (hailey, grimes, wolfson, dr.t) - sch improvement planning - grade level dissemination - el planning & consultation board - meets wed at 8:10-am - no stipends - does not discuss personal issues or personnel issues

NPES Staff Orientation

David - tech support showed slideshow Dr. T - used postcards to drop a line to students

• introductions - culture of bldg. activities
• explained student influx from 2 closed schools
• population now 726 students, K/1 class size = 21, max 24 students class size
• staff handbook pt 1 - protocols pt 2 forms schedule
• dist handbook pocket (prelude)
• PTA - new offices Mr. James Graves-President encouraged to join PTA
• Accrediation (handbook)-schols are rated and Acc is largely dependant on these ratings. 75% = passing rate in English (grades 3-5) to pass proficiency in SOL. 70%-Math, 54%-History 50%-Science/NPES scores were 85% Reading, 78% Math, 85% Science. 4th grade took Math for first time which brought the test down. Also different test vendor.
• 4 magnet schools - we're the only Title 1 magnet school
• Roster - know different resources
• Ross Hayley-Parent resource specialist - resource for students not doing homework home/sch connection. was the ISS inst. at Huntington.
• Difference between reading specialist and coach. coach does not evaluate
• Special needs-2 pronged: 1.? 2.referred to eligibility process-social worker does social background & family interviews
• SAMS teacher - TAG teacher who pulls out TAG students, but also those whom are close computerized phoenimic awareness program
• Breakfst-not for 1st week - students have lunch #s because they're tracked except kinder or anyone new to Newport News
• students report to classrooms first & go to cafeteria after announcement
• past-4yrs getting evaluated evaluation, now-3 yrs, plan of action-do not get raise and may not get contract following year, lead teacher & coaches (different than specialist), documented walk-throughs (past just walked there but need document for central office), new leadership team-school improvement plan (not so new) but revisiting good for 3yrs., block scheduling-team worked w/it, computer instructional asst-mr. gillis new block
• New Focus areas-726 students everyone has duty area
• schoolwide discipline norms-not new-but sch dist is emphasizing this in all speaking same language
• Old language/new language at leadership retreat-qpq "questions behind questions", how can i help you? what can i do to make it better? always involve "i" & always involve an action.
• literacy-harcourt
• spending time communication protocol - cell phones & emails-observations put cell phone on vibrate-& go somewhere so children cannot see you talking, i'm not saying don't use it.
• emails-if the issue is high stress-talk in person rather than email
• safety in community - quality for 2 cafeteria monitors because of high #s.
• what's new in sch. division? Iterim school superintendant dr. kilgore asst. superintendant for inst. services - dr. jeffery smith-executive directions-keep 2 elem. ones - middle school no larger new dr. fahe, science supervisors-elem. need, testing supervisor-need, dr. westin is interim, acting TAG supervisor - patti tac, PTA Board new officers
• NEW Books - Results Now - Schmoker, Good to Great - Collins, Poverty - Payne - our demographics changed, poverty does not mean dischoveled-we have lots who look nice outside but are poor inside, Morning Meeting book-reestablish culture, Code Switching -rachel swartz

Introduce Community Norms - & also to new comm. members

• being on time & prepared
• be positive put difference outside
• be open & willing to support others, ideas
• be courteious, good listeners, & patience
• take the high road - ambitious plans but 1/2 way thru-do we give up & settle or cont. tracking?
• accept diff. options
• respect teaching practice (activity on eagles to help children soar - online, lots of talk, lots of flap, but doesn't go anywhere"
• be proactive
• be curtious we always want to know what's new continue

SOL's score are wonderful this year

Message - what is my personal challenge this year? The only way to deliver the people who are achieving is not to burden them with people.

9/9 - community parade

Coaches mtg - w/dr. t

• do you feel prepared to present?
• expectations - just wet their ears of what's coming up - commercial, and then more later at team mtgs.
• grade level council mtg-1 hr/1 day wk to discuss adm stuff, share strategies-present bulk
• distribute materials-parapros report to ms. wolfson & will dist materials.
• need to know what book w/ what grade
• anything else besides textbooks to be given out?
• tomorrow - pt of presentation - deliver part of role of specialist/coaches
• coaches-not evaluators-observe
• specialists-may be pulled in as part of a walkthough-seek help/feedback
• grade level teams will cover up staff dev plans

Summary of Small Projects for CAVA

During the school year of 2005 and 2006 I engaged in several small projects that helped fulfill the requirements for the PASC. These include:

• Kid’s Clubs – help to create clubs for students to network and share their interests by giving parents and students ideas and initiating first meetings. Some examples of these kids’ clubs started by my students was: Science Fair Club and Entreprenual Club
• Virtual Tutoring network – organized teachers on a synchronous online platform (Elluminate!) to assist students by using my Elluminate account and booked times for teachers and students. Teachers in my area chose an area to tutor in (for example I did Math, Jenny did writing, Dei did Phonics, etc.) and we helped students individually and virtually.
• Family Partners – buddy together experienced parents with new parents entering into the program to form a mentoring relationship.
• Parent Share Forums – Hosted meetings virtually (via Elluminate) and in person (on military base) to have parents share tips and tricks with each other and network.
• Parent “phone dates” – at phone conference time, asked parent if they would like the individual help of another parent (that was selected based on their needs). Create a “phone date” or 3-way call to introduce them, share my reflections about what they shared with me to instigate learning discussions.
• Parent Curriculum Workshops – lead Math, Reading, and Writing workshops to parent virtually and in-person to assist them with teaching the curriculum
• Organized School Directory – help manage school-wide data into publishable and public directory of school to assist in networking.
• Coach & mentor to new virtual teachers – mentored Darcy Miller and Selena Meza; new virtual teachers. Share documents, give feedback, assist with paperwork, phone conferences, face-to-face meetings, and all virtual teaching jobs.
• Match curriculum to state test standards – Match the 7th grade Math curriculum to California state standards to determine holes as create specific math goals.
• Helped create Outings assistant to help match outings with standards and curriculum – assist teachers with creating outings that aligned with curriculum so that the outings were truly an extension of learning.
• Create procedure forms for new and existing policies – create procedure forms in policy committee to reduce confusion with staff when information was processed and procedures changed.
• Moderated school’s community board – helped school community with information distribution and positive school culture by managing and moderating an asynchronous posting board.

Kid's Clubs-Learning Communities

Over the summer I have been reading from Homeschooling in Oregon by Ann Lahrson Fisher. Here's some points I wanted to remember with regards to Kid's Clubs and Online Learning Communities.

Advantages of Learning Clubs 1. Children who learn well in groups have an opportunity to shine. 2. Some activities are more enjoyable in a group setting; other activities require a group. 3. Clubs make a wider selection of expert knowledge available to more learners. 4. Parents share educational responsibility with others. 5. Learning clubs are affordable. Despite income disparity of group members, all members can participate on an equal footing. 6. Parents who work outside the home or who are single parents can participate without being overwhelmed. 7. Kids get to know a variety of interesting adults. 8. Clubs create equal access to learning resources. 9. Learning clubs provide opportunities for social learning. 10. Clubs increase social opportunities for parents and students alike. 11. Clubs create an opportunity for culminating learning activities, public speaking, projects, demonstration, performance, or simply celebration. Launching A Successful Learning Club 1. In the beginning, limit sessions to once a week. Student interest will remain high and parents avoid burnout. Stand firm on this point! If some members want more frequent activities for their child, let someone else start a different club on another day. 2. First clubs should be of short duration - perhaps just a month or so - while you work out the logistics of planning and work. Figure the costs out ahead of time. 3. Keep your theme or subject based learning club family-sized. Six to eight students is optimal. Twelve might work for very compatible groups. Larger clubs can easily become classes and prone to developing behavior management problems. Social clubs can be any size. 4. Expect to spend about half a day or more each time you meet. The time you spend together need not be all planned activities. Include some social time. Bring lunches to share, or potluck, or take turns providing snacks, or meet afterwards at a nearby park. Younger children need time to run off steam, older students need to huddle, and parents need to yak. 5. Remember that homeschool students aren’t pre-programmed to change subjects every 45 minutes. They will focus on topics they enjoy for longer than you might think. Divide the time and schedule several activities that explore the subject in different ways. If you finish early, they can always play! If you complete just one activity, your plans are ready for next time. In the best clubs, the children rarely want to stop or go home. The line between joyous learning and pure play is wonderfully hazy. 6. Avoid the temptation to try to "do school." Clubs that are too school-ish fizzle out fast. One exception to this rule (there is always an exception!) is a group of older students who want to learn a subject together. Some students might even hate the subject, yet recognize that they need to learn it as a prerequisite to future studies. Studying with a group of peers may be preferable to struggling alone. 7. Remember that successful clubs are always voluntary. Be prepared to change the focus of the group to meet the changing needs of students, or to close the club and start a new one. Expect some students and families to move on to other activities as their interests change. 8. Be clear about the ground rules for the group. Answer these questions before you begin: a. What is the maximum number of students that your group can handle? b. Will parents drop students off or are they required to stay and participate? c. What is the age range allowed? d. Will younger siblings be allowed to attend, or will parents need to make other arrangements for them? e. Where will you meet - your home only, rotate among members’ homes, rent a facility? f. Do you have a plan in place to help screen for compatible students and for helping mismatched members move on? g. Do all parents fully understand that voluntary means voluntary, and that students really have the choice not to attend? h. Finally, keep in mind the fact that not all students learn well in groups. If a student doesn’t enjoy attending a learning club, don’t despair. Try another group, let her start her own club, or try general community activities. Students give many clues about how to help them learn. Learn to follow those clues. Conclusion Learning clubs can be thought of as cooperative private learning centers, and are a sound model for developing cooperative community learning centers. Creating and participating in learning clubs is a natural step that parents take as part of their commitment to homeschooling. Greater access to clubs could make homeschooling a more viable option for many more families. Clubs are practical, efficient, and affordable. Real Life Clubs Use these successful club ideas as grist for your own idea mill: Roller Skating Parties, Homeschool Swim Days, Park Days are classic examples of homeschooling social clubs. Many learning clubs get launched at these events. Bi-monthly roller skating parties have been scheduled in every skating rink in my city for more than six years, and homeschool swim days are becoming popular. This type of party is generally open to all homeschoolers. Exercise, meeting new friends, sharing information, forming new groups are all part of the ambiance. Sessions are held mid-week, perhaps on Monday morning or Friday afternoon, and are popular with pool and rink managers whose facilities are idle during the school day. Unit Study Co-op. A group of families selected science/health topics, such as the Eye, Ear, and parents took turns teaching each unit, bringing snacks, and babysitting younger siblings in a separate room. This more traditional school model works best with smaller groups of students of similar ages and interests. Learning Parties. Five families plan a year’s calendar of events. Each family picks a country and sponsors a monthly gathering with that country as a theme. They prepare food, games, activities, crafts from the country. Guest speakers and fields may be scheduled. During the subsequent year, families may choose other topics, such as space or science. Historical Costume Design / Writing Club Exchange. Two moms sponsor these clubs in order to share the sewing and design skills of one parent and the writing skills of the other. The group was formed by invitation. No fees were charged, and non-sponsoring parents had no obligations other than driving. The clubs include four or five teenagers in each of the two groups and meet one morning a week in the kitchen and family room of one of the families. The writing group designed its own format. It began as a combination peer writing group and teacher directed instruction. As soon as students developed their own projects, teacher directed instruction was dropped in favor of individual editing and coaching. The costume design group spends a good deal of time researching costumes of various eras and then sketching the designs they wish to create. They then design patterns for the costumes, shop together for inexpensive fabrics and then sew their costumes under the skilled guidance of a knowledgeable parent. Teen Activity Loop. More than twenty families participate in an e-mail loop that is used to announce various social activities for teens. Activities are scheduled at least monthly with each family taking a turn. Typical activities include visiting a corn maze, game days, bowling, playing pool, going to the beach, going to plays. Parents who drive often stay to visit among themselves and for support. "Chow and Chekhov." For more than six years, families have gathered one Friday evening a month in one another’s homes for a potluck meal. A theme for the food is picked each month by the hosting family - green food, dessert night, pizza toppings, foreign food, etc. After the meal, starting with the youngest child and moving by age to the oldest, everyone takes a turn to talk about their favorite book. Imagine a tiny child telling everyone -- tots, teens, and adults -- their two special sentences about Hop on Pop! as everyone in the room listens respectfully! When younger children are finished, they drift off to play elsewhere while the rest of the group moves on to more complex literature. The founders of this popular event no longer attend, and the club has taken on a life of its own! Little House on the Prairie. This early group developed around the shared love of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. The families read the books at home and meet for dramatic play, field trips, and activities with pioneer themes. Soap and candle making, watching a farrier shoe a pony, historical field trips, dramatic play, and socializing are typical activities. Other literature themes that lend themselves to similar clubs include the King Arthur legends, the Chronicles of Narnia, Anne of Green Gables, Jane Austen’s books, the Boxcar Children. Book Clubs. A straightforward type of club, book clubs abound in the homeschooling community. They are often patterned after adult book clubs. Groups may meet monthly to talk about books they have read. One group selects a genre (i.e., animal stories, mysteries) each month, then books from the genre are shared and discussed at the meeting. Afterwards, a related project or craft activity is offered to round out the meeting. Latin Club. This club includes six families with students aged 9-17. They meet twice a month. Each family purchases the same Latin textbook, as all group members were beginning students. One chapter is covered each meeting. Many fun and enriching activities are organized, such as a toga party, crossword puzzles, movies, preparing Roman food, reading myths, and so on. Parents and children learn together. Odyssey of the Mind. This international organization offers an annual creative problem solving competition. Teams of five to seven children select a problem in the fall and develop their solution for a presentation in March. Homeschooling groups have participated very successfully in OM competitions. Youth Volunteer Corps. Youth Volunteer Corps is a national program that is sponsored by Campfire. In our community, a YVC staff person first attended Homeschool Skating Parties and recruited homeschooled teens who wanted to do volunteer work. Students ages 12 and up met once or twice a week. Projects, both staff and student generated, include working at a soup kitchen, cutting ivy in parks, building a worm bin, visiting elderly.