Week of October 13th

UAI High School Staff News

Volume III

Issue 7

Week of Oct 13, 2015

Announcements

Unit Launches and Academic Intervention/Failure Prevention.  Now that unit zero is completed, everyone is in full swing of the first unit.  This first marking period ends two weeks from Friday, so we're at the halfway point of their first round of grades.  Early intervention is key to preventing failure.  Here are some strategies to support student academic success.

• Extra Unison Reading - All students should be participating in Unison Reading roughly once a week in your class.  September was a wash, but not that we are in October, you should be scheduling regular UR groups.  For those students struggling the most, you (and if applicable) the other teachers in the room should be targeting students for extra UR groups.
• Extra Conferences - All students should be scheduled for a conference at least once per marking period.  Just like UR, teachers should schedule struggling students with double conferences.  
• Assignment Recovery - Inevitably, students fail to complete and/or submit work.  After a period of time, as the class moves forward in units and topics, turning in late work just doesn't make sense or address the learning needs of students.  Now is the time to start planning for a new system to intervene on student failure.  In place of turning in late work, teachers should plan to develop in subject teams an assignment recovery system.  I'll be working with Subject Team Leaders after school on Tuesday to help flesh out the system.  Expect to work in Subject Teams this and next on developing this idea.

Observations Start on Tuesday.  If you've already had your initial planning conference, I'll be starting my observations next week.  At this point, all formats should be up and running in academic classes.  If you're not running Unison or Conferences on a particular day next week, please email me and tell me why.  If I'm in a room with co-teachers, my expectation is that both teachers are working in a format (UR or conferences in particular).  I will also be finishing my IPCs with all remaining teachers this week.  First round observations will focus on Unison Reading, Conferences, Classroom Environment, and Positive Climate (CLASS rubric - replaces LC Social Norms rubric).

Co-Teaching and Push In.  As I prepare for  my first round of observations, I want to be clear in my expectations of co-teachers.  Co-teachers need to be CO!   Both teachers need to have opportunities in the classroom to be evaluated.  The simplest way to achieve this is to make sure lessons stay mini and that both teachers are working with students during work time (in conferences, unison, or learning groups).  Additionally, I'm looking for both teachers to universally hold all students accountable to format social norms, and for both teachers to fairly and equitably use of the system of reminders.  So, please be mindful of your time in each other's classrooms. Make sure that the times allotted to formats are clear and allow for both teachers to do their work!

Cookie Dough Fundraiser.  All advisors have received cookie dough packages.  Our goal is to have every student in the building sell at least 5 items.  This week, please remind students in your classes to strive to reach this goal!  The PTA is offering a pizza party for any student who meets this goal and the PTA is offering a prize to the highest seller.  As extra incentive for staff, I'm offering two prizes:  (1) Any and all advisors who have at least 90% of their advisory selling at least 5 items will be treated to lunch, and (2) The Advisory with the highest sales in the school will get funded to go on a field trip of their choice!  So, let's get to it and raise some funds for our PTA to support upgrades in our technology!

Resilient Scholars Project

Launching into our first official unit is putting academic demands on our students.  When you see elevated emotional outbursts or other disruptions in the classroom, you might be encountering a failure in curriculum design.  That is, when students are asked to meet rigorous demands of course standards without adequate supports or scaffolds, kids have a tendency to react emotionally (aka freak out).  Planning is an imperfect process.  There's only so many things we can predict in student need, particularly if we're trying to address individual learning needs.  So, in addition to curricular design, we also need to help students manage their reactions to feelings of frustration or confusion.  

To help students manage, School Connect (the SEL curriculum that we're using with the Resilient Scholars Project) has a module called "Developing Self-Awareness & Self-Management".  Take the time to look through the lessons in this module and select the ones the make the most sense for you and your grade team to use alongside your content lessons for the next few weeks.  I'm working on getting everyone their own logins to school-connect.  For right now, please use Jen's login to School Connect (login: jenc@uainstitute.org and password is emmaemma1)

Important Dates

• Monday, 12OCT15.  Columbus Day, NO SCHOOL.
• Tuesday, 13OCT15.  UAI Open House at 5PM
• Wednesday, 15OCT15.  PSAT Testing, Special Schedule for 10th & 11th Graders ONLY.
• Tuesday, 20OCT15.  Soft Lock Down Drill Planned.  Times will be unannounced - be ready!
• Friday, 30OCT15.  First Full High School Assembly.  Last Period (in Gym)
• Tuesday, 02NOV15.  Election Day Professional Development
• Friday, 06NOV15.  First Full Middle School Assembly.  Last Period (in Gym)

For All UAI School Important Dates, please add "UAI School" calendar to your google calendars.

Per Session Posting

UAI Public Relations.  We need to up our public profile.  This position would entail creating press releases, monitoring and actively engaging our social media, and making key contacts with local press and school-related media. Hours will vary as needed.  Wendy has agreed to work in this position - the position is filled.

First School Dance Chaperones.  The first school dance will be on Friday, >>>DATE CHANGE October 16th<<DATE CHANGE<<<< from 6-10PM.  We are looking for a maximum of 10 chaperones.  Please email Kiri directly if you are interested.  Update (13OCT15): Damon, Elena, Jamie, Kristin, Kerry, Michael, and Anna have signed up so far.  We're still looking for 3 more.