UAI Staff News
Volume IX
Issue 14
November 29th, 2021
Principal Message
No Message This Week. This is a late post this week. Had a later than expected return from Thanksgiving Weekend. Moving straight onto to announcements and To Dos.
Important dates this month.
- 29NOV21: Staff Circles - Meet in Library First
- 06DEC21: Monthly Full Staff PD - Meet in the Library
- 07DEC21: Monthly Grade Team Meetings
- 10DEC21: Holiday Happy Hour at 3PM
- 20DEC21: Staff Circles - Remote at 4PM
- 23DEC21: Rapid Dismissal at 1:45PM for All Students (Same Staggered Dismissal)
- 24DEC21 - 02JAN22: Winter Recess - NO SCHOOL
Committee Updates
Equity Team. No Updates this Week
Circles Committee. Reminder to please complete your culture tree and bring it to tomorrow's Staff Circle either physically or digitally. We will be framing our discussion around this. If you need a reminder of the activity, here are the linked slides. Please reach out to the Circles Committee with questions.
Consultation Committee. No Updates this Week. Please review the consultation committee notes from the meeting on Thursday, 18NOV21. We discussed Staff Attendance, Learning Labs, and Masks & Technology issues (See Below). The next meeting is scheduled for 12JAN21. The agenda will be shared out in the Sunday blog on 09JAN21. Damon will be facilitating, so please do share agenda items with him!
Announcements
Do NOT upload Grades THIS week. We've been waiting until the end of the Marking Period to make some adjustments to the course codes. For example, kids can all be in the same PE class, but for 11th graders, that code is PPN43 and for 12th graders it's PPN44. If we changed codes in the middle of the marking period, you would have lost all grades, and that would not have been ok. Jennifer and I will be working this week to align codes for grades 8-12 classes (6 and 7 - you are ok to go). Then, I'll ask Brodie to re-share the Skedula lesson that shows you how to combine all the codes into one section. The goal is to complete this work by then end of today, but hold on grade entry until you receive the all clear from me!
<<REPOST>> January Regents Week. We will not be having many students taking regents during January Regents week. During the PowerUp week prior to Regents Week, those courses terminating associated with a Regent exam this year (Living Environment, Earth Science, Algebra I, English, and US History) will be taking a practice regent exam. We need to take a litmus test of how students are doing in these courses to determine June Regents plans and course plans for next year. The mock regents will be designed by the Instructional Leadership Team and based upon the course topics you will have already taught by then. We'll be using these assessments during Regents Weeks in planning teams to determine spring planning and preparation.
To Do This Week
PAY ATTENTION TO THE YELLOW HIGHLIGHTS
This is the stuff that requires your attention AND it's stuff you need to do!
This is the stuff that requires your attention AND it's stuff you need to do!
Staff Handbook Signoff & Attendance Policy Update. Please review the updated attendance policy under "Sick & Personal Days" in the UAI Staff Handbook. Please sign off on the sign-off form and update any Emergency Contact information by Wednesday, 24NOV21. Please also complete the request for a non-classroom work day for MP2.
<<REPOST>> It's Shopping Time. Please use ShopDoe to submit your orders for the Spring Term. Submit your order requests to THIS folder by 30NOV21. We are aiming to enter all submitted orders before the winter break so that items arrive by the start of the Spring Term. I know it seems so far in advance, but everything in the DOE moves slowly, so we have to create a timeline to accommodate for this.
Learning Labs Expectations. Learning labs need to be stabilized before we can flexibly use them. For MP2, all learning labs will be fixed and silent.
- Implement Learning Lab Expectations. Please make sure to create silent study time for Learning Labs using these expectations.
- Take Attendance. All teachers should have access to their Learning Lab rosters in Skedula. Please reach out to Phil/Jennifer if you cannot see your learning lab in your Skedula. Please take attendance in Skedula and please send students to their correct rooms. DO NOT send students or admit students from other Learning Labs into your room.
- Fluency Work. Nearly all students are behind in their foundational reading, writing, and math skills. All ELA and Math teachers are being asked to create fluency tasks for students to complete in Learning Lab (see Rachel & Judy, Math & ELA ILT leads for details). Students should have fluency work to complete each day in Learning Lab.
- Google To Do List. All teachers should be posting assignments in Google Classrooms so that those assignments appear in a students' to do list.
- What do I do if a students says they have no work
- Check Google To Do List - work on those assignments
- Work on Fluency Assignments - posted on Google Classrooms and in this DOC
- If they finish All of their work, students can always read or journal! Please have paper or direct to news articles online available for students.
- If students need help - have them use email or G-chat to get help. Learning Labs are to be silent work time for all during MP2. Please do not make an exception in your own learning lab. It makes everyone else's learning lab 10 times harder than it needs to be.