Week of March 26th

UAI Staff News

Volume V

Issue 27

March 26th, 2018

[School Days 126-129]

[19 Days Remaining in MP5]      [48 Days Remaining in HS School Year]      [58 Days Remaining in MS School Year]

Announcements

More Footage of the Student Walkout.  Many thanks go to our friends from Project Occupy, in particular, Tom Griffin, for sharing his footage from the Student Walkout.  This weekend's continued activism, like that of Naomi Wilder and her amazing speech, continues to invigorate our work as educators and shapers of the future.  As we enter this last week before the vacation, take inspiration from our students' efforts, passion, and voice!

Staff Spotlights

Tom Wilson.  Last spring, Professor Andrea Silverman stopped by my office to pitch an idea to work with her on developing curriculum modules on Environment Engineering.   Immediately, I thought of Tom and quickly introduced the pair.  Tom took it from there and has created an amazing curriculum from scratch for our students.  Tom created a series of units and activities that not only hooked our students into the course, but they are also taking what they learned in Tom's class and effecting changes in their own lives.  The connection between his classroom and our girls' lives is electric and what distinguishes Tom this year!  If you have a chance, drop down to B49 to visit Tom's Environmental Science class.

Phillan Greaves.  Last Monday, Phillan & Sarah's 6th-grade humanities class was filmed to be featured in the training and promotion footage the Literacy Design Collaborative uses nationwide to advertise their work and to train new teachers to the program (many thanks to all the LDC teachers who helped, too!).  In her own words, Phillan would be the first to admit her own reticence in adopting the practices of LDC, but now in year two of her planning, her students are thriving with units and lessons that are thoroughly planned, collegially vetted, and crafted to leverage the most thinking from her students.  Phillan, along with Marsha and Rebecca, is spreading the success of our LDC work beyond just the video share. They are all part of the Urban Assembly's Literacy Leadership series and have hosted several UA schools this year to view their practices.  If you find yourself having similar questions about the investment in planning, make time to see Phillan in Room 311.  Her perspective and experience will provide you with invaluable insight!

To Dos This Week

Monday PD Grade Team Meetings.  With the snow day last week, all field trips were put into a kerfluffle.  I want to give time over to grade teams on Monday to finalize logistics for trips that have been rescheduled for this week.  

School Survey Final Push.  The DOE extended the deadline for parent surveys!  Please make another push to get those surveys back from your advisee's parents.  Nancy is still updating THIS DOCUMENT to let you know which of your advisors have brought them back from that distribution.  Please make sure that you call all homes on Tuesday of those students who still have outstanding surveys.  If any of your parents lost their survey (or didn't receive it), please see Nancy. She can provide you with the student code.  Our goal is to reach 80% of our parent surveys returned.  That means we need each advisor to get at least FOUR more surveys back by Thursday, 29MAR18

SEL Update

The girls have been working so hard researching the women they’ve chosen to highlight in their sheroe projects. They will be presenting them to their class on Monday & Tuesday using a rubric to review their peers work. They are really going to learn a lot about lesser known amazing females and which SEL skills they excelled in to make such an impact!

Per Session Opportunities

None this week

Week of March 19th

UAI Staff News

Volume V

Issue 27

March 19th, 2018

[School Days 121-125]

[24 Days Remaining in MP5]      [53 Days Remaining in HS School Year]      [63 Days Remaining in MS School Year]

Announcements

#Less Guns...More Funds!  Last Wednesday, our seniors coordinated their first civil action project by leading our student body on a Nationwide School Walkout.  Seeing our young women come together to unify our student-body in a singular message, was amazing.  Tiara, Nande, and Ana all spoke beautifully (I'm going to play their speeches for you on Monday during PD) and inspired the throngs of young people gathered before them on the steps of Borough Hall.  While each of our girls is wonderful, they did not magically end up that way.  It is through the support and love of their families/friends combined with the inspiration and challenge of your teaching and support that brought them to this point today.  As a secondary school, we spend much of our energy getting our student onto their paths.  We rarely get to see them thrive and blossom while on their journey.  Wednesday was a special exception.  Days like that one gave us a tangible reminder of why what we do each and everyday matters, and why it's so important that we come to each day with our best.  Thank you all for your support and commitment.  It showed brilliantly in the voices of our young ladies on Wednesday, and it will continue to show in the young ones still to come!

Staff Spotlights

Nina Granberry.  A big shout out goes to Ms. Nina who joined our staff in February.  Walking into a position midyear is challenging alone.  Doing so with 10th-grade Geometry is even more of a hurdle.  However, Nina has already had an amazing impact on the classroom culture and subsequently the quality of learning in math.  Last week, her students were all working collaboratively to solve a variety of problems using geometric properties to prove whether or not shapes congruent, similar, or neither.  The structure of the activity had a wide variety in the complexity of problems, giving students multiple entry points, and she leveraged student-student discourse to scaffold their thinking and problem-solving.  As a result, her classroom environment was alive with questions and student thinking.  Visit Nina's class to see more!

Kristina Coriarty.  A big shout out goes to the 7th-grade team and in particular Ms. Kristina for having the highest completion rate (85%) for Student Led Conferences.  Families are our partners in learning.  Without a strong connection to the home, we have a weak foundation with our students.  Regardless of their age, the families of our students play a huge role in the success of our students.  Constant, clear, and significant communication is key to maintaining those relationships.  Many thanks to Kristina for her hard work in making those connections. If you want to understand her method for successful outreach, reach out to her.  You'll find Ms. Kristina in room 307!

To Dos This Week

School Survey.  During Monday's PD, staff will be completing the school survey.  Please bring a laptop with you!  Nancy distributed all remaining parent surveys to students last week.  They were directed to bring those surveys back to her the next day.  Nancy will update THIS DOCUMENT to let you know which of your advisors have brought them back from that distribution.  Please make sure that you call all homes on Tuesday of those students who still have outstanding surveys.  If any of your parents lost their survey (or didn't receive it), please see Nancy. She can provide you with the student code.  Our goal is to reach 80% of our parent surveys returned.  That means we need each advisor to get at least FOUR more surveys back by Friday, 23MAR18

SEL Update

March is all about SHEroes and helping the girls to not only learn from famous historical female role models but to also discover and do a project about  the lesser known girls and women who may not be as famous but equally as important and give them the recognition they deserve.  We are encouraging them to think about the grit and perseverance required to make changes to injustices and debunk the different myths about what a girl's role "should" be.  We will connect how we can use our SEL skills to become sheroes just like the females they will choose to highlight in their poster project.  This week they will begin research for their projects so feel free to ask them who they have been inspired by and why! 

Per Session Opportunities

Summer School.  Thanks to everyone who volunteered for summer school.  I need to coordinate with the other SS principals this week and will get back to you with formal offers.  If you didn't get a chance to express interest, there's still time.  Please email me!

Week of March 12th

UAI Staff News

Volume V

Issue 26

March 12th, 2018

[School Days 116-120]
[29 Days Remaining in MP5]      [58 Days Remaining in HS School Year]      [68 Days Remaining in MS School Year]

Announcements

Lady Eagles Face End Their Season with Passion and Heart.  A huge cheer goes to our Lady Eagles who played their hearts out last Monday night.  With two key players down for this big game, our team was facing an uphill battle.  For three out of the four quarters, the Lady Eagles kept their foes within a point or two.  Finally, they succumbed to the litany of fouls that kept coming from the other team, really challenging our girls' free throw capacity.  It was a heart-breaking loss, but it was also a heartwarming game to see the passion, commitment, and teamwork that our girls demonstrated throughout!  Many shout outs go to Ms. Elana for coaching our girls through another fantastic season!

Girls Inc This Week.  This week even a North Eastern Blizzard couldn’t keep a smile off these strong, smart, and bold girls! On Tuesday, they attended Paul Taylor’s Dance Company performance in Lincoln Center.  On Wednesday, they braved the weather, enjoying a snow fight on the way to see Come From Away and participate in a talkback with the writer, producer, stage manager, cast member, and lighting crew! It’s always a great week to be a part of Girls Inc!

Staff Spotlights

Marsha Derice.  This week in their 8th grade ELA classes, Marsha & Christina's planned a Book Tasting Event for students.  To hook students into their next book, Marsha and Christina planned an ingenious activity to help students make informed selections for the upcoming lit circles.  Literature Circles provide students with voice and choice in their reading.  The Book Tasting event allowed students to peruse a wide variety of genres for their next extended read.  Check in with Marsha to learn more about how to get kids hooked on reading!

Matthew Turner.  Matthew has really developed his ability to use student discourse to support thinking and reasoning.  Just this past week, Matthew's 6th graders were working together to figure out a word problem.  At one point, Matthew posed a question to the group and received back a variety of puzzled looks.  Rather than continue with a whole class discussion, Matthew seamlessly rephrased his question and asked his students to talk about their ideas with their partner.  Matthew then circulated to listen to a variety of pairs, and then used what he heard to facilitate the whole class towards a deeper and more cohesive understanding.  If you're interested in improving the quality of your own turn and talks, drop by to visit Matthew!

To Dos This Week

Student Walk Out.  As you heard from our Seniors on Monday, the students are organizing a walkout on Wednesday, 14MAR18.  This will occur at the end of 2nd period.  The announcement will come at 9:50AM.  Seniors will be visiting each classroom at 9:40 to help coordinate.  We will be reviewing the specific logistics on Monday during PD.  In the meantime, here's the rough outline

• 9:40-9:50AM Walk Out Prep.  Seniors will visit each classroom to give the overview of the walkout, where they're going, why they're walking out, and how to behave when we are out there.  Please help the seniors by managing the classroom behavior and focusing student attention.

• 9:50AM Walk Out. At 9:50, there will be a schoolwide announcement (Elana, we'll radio and text you in the gym).  Teachers will escort student out the front of the building, turn right, cross Adams street, and walk straight up Johnson street to the statue of Henry Ward Beecher. Note:  Those teachers and/or student who do not wish to participate will exit classrooms with their class.  Instead of leaving the building, students and staff who are opting out will report to the cafeteria.  

• 10:00AM Student Speeches.  Seniors will be giving speeches regarding the walkout and/or leading the school in chants [these details are still being developed and we'll have more for you at Monday's PD]

• 10:20AM Return to School.  All* students return to UAI and to regular classes. *Some students may wish to stay.  I will speak more about this on Monday.

Per Session Opportunities

Summer School.  Many of you are submitting inquiries about summer school.  We are still finalizing the details (in terms of course offerings and hours).  Preference will go to those who can work the entire period of summer school.

• Middle School Summer School.  MS Summer school will consist of English, Math, and/or Girls Inc.  Students who do not pass state exams and/or courses will be enrolled in summer school.  MS Summer School runs from Monday, 09JUL18 through Thursday, 09AUG18 - Mondays through Thursdays only.  
• 1st Period:  8:30-10:00
• 2nd Period:  10:00-11:30
• 3rd Period:  11:30-12:00 [Lunch]
• 4th period:  12:00-2:30 [PM Girls Inc.]

• High School Summer School.  HS Summer school will consist of a short credit recovery course session followed by Regents Prep. Students who fail courses or exams will be registered for summer school.  Course offerings will be Core Classes (English, Math, Science, and Social Studies) and PE only.  Course Credit Recovery runs Monday, 09JUL18 through 26JUL18 - Mondays through Thursdays only.  Regents Prep runs Monday, 30JUL18 through 15AUG18 (Mon-Thurs).
• 1st Period:  8:30-9:30
• 2nd Period:  9:30-10:30
• 3rd Period:  10:30-11:30
• 4th Period:  11:30-12:00
• 5th Period:  12:00-2:30 [PM Girls Inc.]

• High School Regents Exams.  High School Regents Exams are on Thursday, 16AUG18 and Friday, 17AUG18.  Summer Exam Grading Day is Monday, 20AUG18.  We'll need proctors and graders.  If you are available for all or part of this session please let me know!

Week of March 5th

UAI Staff News

Volume V

Issue 25

March 5th, 2018

[School Days 111-115]
[34 Days Remaining in MP5]      [63 Days Remaining in HS School Year]      [73 Days Remaining in MS School Year]

Announcements

Lady Eagles Face Off against John Jay.  For our final game at our campus this season, the Lady Eagles face the John Jay Jayhawks one more time.  If you recall, the only game we lost this season was to John Jay, and we defeated them the last time we played, resulting in our first place divisional finish.  Now, only John Jay stands between the Adams Campus Lady Eagles and the citywide semi-finals.  It's exciting times for our young athletes. Come out and support them in our gym on Monday, 05MAR18 at 5PM.  

Black History Month Winterfest. Last Wednesday, Ms. Vanessa and the fabulous staff of Girls Inc. put together an amazing show with our young women.  From dancing to yoga to basketball to entrepreneurship - all of our after-school programs got their chance to shine, and they were brilliant.  Check out some of their videos:  Girl's Anthem & Girls' News Network (GNN)

Christina Choi.  Christina co-teaches English and Social Studies with our Middle School teachers, Kristina, Marsha, and Natalie.  One of Christina's many strengths and talents is her ability to plan for and target students for specific supports.  For example, during independent work time, in place of randomly circulating to check on students, Christina targets her most struggling students and plans accordingly.  During my observation of her practice last week, I was particularly impressed with an on-the-spot reading intervention that Christina did with a student.  Together they read the primary source document and Christina used questions around genre and understanding the author's purpose to help the student build comprehension and understanding.  If you're looking for ways to build reading support into your lesson, check out Christina this week!

Rebecca Candela.  Those of you who are working with our current class of seniors truly understand the complexities of senioritis. Now that the application process is complete and the acceptances are rolling in, our seniors (like so many in the city), are operating under the mistaken belief that they can now check out.  Rebecca is using high-interest topics coupled with accountability (meaningful use of student work) to keep students engaged.  It isn't always easy, and they do present challenges often!  In class the other day, Rebecca taught her AP English students how to improve the quality and complexity of their arguments through using student discourse to scaffold thinking and writing strategies to manipulate and improve their writing.  If you're working on ways to improve student analysis and argument writing in your class, reach out to Rebecca!

To Do This Week

Monday PD.  This is the first Monday of the month.  In place of PLOPs for the rest of the year, we'll be giving time over to teams to have grade team meetings (I forgot this when I wrote last week's blog).  In correction, we'll be continuing our work on planning an instruction next week.  This week, we'll be giving the time to grade teams to analyze student behavior and academic data.  In addition, we'll be submitting to teams the completion of the SLC schedule for review.  Here's the agenda

• 2:50PM - All teams report to the following rooms
• Middle School Teams:  6th - Room 309   and   7th & 8th - Room 303
• High School Teams: 9th/12th, rm 405;  10th/12th, rm 509;  11th/12th, rm B57 
• Teachers who teach multiple grades should go to the teams of their choice

• 3:00-3:45 Behavior Data Dive
• Using the Data Protocol examine the grade data provided to by our Dean Team
  (Admin team members will facilitate)
• The goal of this data dive is to examine the impact of the Social Norms Reset at the start of February and to reflect on practices and commit to next steps.
• 3:45-4:10 SLCs Appointment Completion and Attendance 
• Grade teams will review the percent of grade who have been scheduled for SLCs.  For those advisors having struggles completing their schedule, the team will collaboratively problem solve to support.  The goal is to have 100% scheduled by the end of the day on Tuesday 06MAR18.
• Grade team advisors will receive individual student attendance data by advisory so each advisor can review attendance with families and set attendance goals with advisees for the Spring term. The goal is to have all students with 90% or better attendance for the remainder of the year.  That is, from now through June, we want students to be in school and on time at least 90% of the time.

Tuesday Family Outreach.  Here are the hot topics for this week's family outreach time

• Complete scheduling for your SLCs.  If you could not reach parents on your own last week, this week you need to pull the student and have her call home with you.
• UAI Spring Family Dinner. If you forgot, please make sure you invite families to our UAI Spring Family Dinner on Tuesday, 13MAR18 at 5:30PM.
• SLC Appointment and Family Dinner RSVP.  Both the SLC Appointment sheet and the Dinner RSVP list can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Per Session Opportunities

• UAI Spring Family Dinner.  We're looking for teachers from each grade team to join us for the Spring Family Dinner.  Please respond directly to Kiri by the end of the day on Wednesday, 07MAR18. 
• Middle School ELA Test Prep.  We will be running after-school test prep for middle school students.  For now, we are focusing on ELA (math prep will begin after the April break).  Please respond to Kiri for approval and next steps.