Week of December 9th

Gradebook Audits

UAI Staff News

Volume VII

Issue 17

December 9th, 2019

Announcements

Happy Birthdays! Happy Birthday to Nina, 10th/12th Grade Math  (Wed 11DEC) and Amy 8th Grade Liv Env. & AP Bio (Fri 13DEC).  Have a wonderful week, and congratulations on another trip around the Sun!!

Lesson Observations.  Annie and I are doing classroom walk throughs and Val, Annie and I will be finishing fall observation this month and in January.  As a reminder, ALL classrooms should be structured to have students:

• Successfully Engage with rigorous texts and concepts.  
• What are you putting in front of your students for each lesson?  What literacy and/or reasoning skills does the text require?  Are those skills grade appropriate?  Could you find more complex texts (meaning literature, charts, graphs, images, etc.) that get at the same concepts but also challenge students?  How could you support student access to those 
• Maximize Discourse to deepen understanding and make connections
• How often do students speak in your class?  Who spends more time speaking - adults or students (time yourself to find out - it should be the kids who talk more ALL the time!).  How do students use discourse in the class?  Are they only telling things or are they working to figure things out (or make connections/new understandings)? [Use discourse to help students figure things out -use your lesson look fors to help you do that!]
• Perform DAILY Writing Tasks that prompt students to consolidate learning
• Students need to be writing their ideas down every day. The easiest way to get them to do this is by embedding this expectation in your tasks (or exit tickets).  Higher order questions that demand students explain, justify, predict, etc. are the types of questions you want to pose to students as a summative assessment that allows them to show their thinking and understanding of the lesson.  
• Effectively utilize discipline-and-grade-level specific vocabulary
• All disciplines have course-specific vocabulary.  Make sure you are not only asking students to learn the new words, but more importantly, they need to be using the vocab in their Turn and Talks and writing.
• Finally, Help us ALL make passing periods shorter.  
• End your classes on time (use timers and keep yourself on pace).  Start your classes on time (make Do Nows that allow you to be at the Door to welcome students and start on time).

To-Do This Week

Blog Review.  Congratulations Kelly!  You get to review the BLOG today!

Staff Holiday Party.  This Friday from 4-6PM will be our annual Staff Holiday party at Commonwealth Bar in Park Slope.  We'll be having an open bar AND Tacos!  So that I can get a good head count for food, please RSVP HERE.  You can pay $25 anytime this week!

Monday Professional Development.  We are going to have another round of Grade Team Meetings this Monday to give the PD committee one more week to finalize planning around the next series of PD (Planning Effective Turn and Talks).  Please come prepared with your suggestions for student of the month for January, and with the student work/data you need to write your January PLOPs.  Here's Monday's Agenda

• 3:00-3:10 - Announcements
• 3:10-3:30 - Student of the Month & Rising Eagle Selections (please come prepared with at least 3 suggestions for each category!)
• 3:40-4:10 - PLOP Writing (Please use Tuesday Outreach & Work Time to complete all PLOPs assigned for 02DEC19.) 
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Tuesday Family Outreach.  Please share with all families that we are hosting our Annual Parent Craft, Snack, & Karaoke night on Thursday, December 19th.

Gradebook Audits.  Because MP 3 is credit bearing if students pass, we need to make sure all gradebooks follow school grading policy, which is submitted to the NYCDOE and Superintendency each year.  We will be randomly checking grade books throughout this month and January to ensure all gradebooks are in alignment.  As a reminder,

• Grades are cumulative - Grades are a reflection of work students have been doing since September.
• The Lowest grade for anything is a 50.  So, in other words, we do not use zeros or any grade less than 50.
• The Only failing grade on report cards is 55.  If a student's overall average is between 55 and 65, teachers must choose to give the student a 55 OR a 65.  

Social-Emotional Learning Updates

Per Session Opportunities

Holiday Craft Party.  If you are interested in working the Annual PTA Craft and Karaoke party on December 19th, please let Jen know ASAP.  We are looking for folks to run craft tables (whatever you'd like!) or any other artistic/holiday related activity.  Please see Jen for details.