Week of 14NOV22

 UAI Staff News

Volume X

Issue 12

November 14th, 2022

Planning For a Successful MP2.  Now that MP1 is complete, tomorrow marks the first day of Marking Period 2.  We've certainly had a lot of ups and downs, and with each up and down, there are lessons and learnings about things we want to keep and change.  As you plan and think about your lessons, units, and assessments for MP2, please keep the following school wide learnings in mind:

• Small Steps Reach Goals & Build Core Values.  You keep the core values alive in the daily work you do.  Rigor, Joy, Equity, and Power are coursing through each instructional decision and move you make.  Think about the goals you reset in last Tuesday's PD, and adjust them to be manageable and achievable by the end of MP2.  Make a plan.   What do you want to be doing to uplift one or more of the core values by the end of January (end of MP2)?  If that is the end goal, where do you want to be by Winter Break (December break)....where do you want to be two weeks from today? Write down those benchmarks and share them with a colleague to help hold yourself accountable to the goals you want to achieve! 
  
  
• Feedback, Communication, and Grades.   Kids and families MUST have constant communication from you about how they are progressing in your class. Different folks are at different stages of competency based grading, and ultimately we all want to get to the same spot.  But that does take time and professional development.  So, we need to acknowledge that we are in the process and not quite there yet.  That said, we still have the responsibility to communicate with homes & our students.  You have a few options (you can do any combination)- all of which need to be in Google Classrooms where students and families can access and find it.
  
  
• Regular Conferences.  1-on-1 or small group conferences are an excellent way of communicating with students about their progress towards mastering skills & content in your class.  These conferences can be scheduled regularly (e.g. you can schedule 2-3 per day while the rest of the class is doing the Do Now, Exit Ticket or is in work time).  That way in the course of 2 weeks, you can meet with all students (less if you have a co-teacher).   Conferences are also an excellent way to cultivate relationships and strengthen the learning community in your classrooms.  You can share conference notes with students and families in Google Classrooms or via email.
• Criteria-Based Feedback.  With regular, frequent, and useful feedback that leads to learning and success, students are able to grow.  If you have a rubric OR clearly state/model/show what high quality performance/work is, then students will be able to use your feedback to (1) gauge where they are in their performance levels, and (2) be able to adjust their work to improve their performance.  Rubrics/Success criteria should be uploaded into Google Classroom and your feedback can also go there for student/family reference.  If you do handwritten feedback, please make sure students have a system (e.g. notebook) to track and find the feedback when they need it.  Families should also know where they can find feedback.
• Weekly Graded Work.  This is the most traditional and straightforward method.  Grades should be uploaded at least weekly in Google Classrooms.  If there is a huge disconnect between progress and performance grades - that is indicative of a scaffolding problem.  Students should be aware of their likely performance outcomes prior to sitting for the summative assessment.

• Scaffolds and Building Literacy & Thinking.  Think about the scaffolds you're using to address student learning gaps.  In particular, think about how you present texts.  Many folks use various forms of chunking or word supports to help students access texts.  Alternatively, folks may use simpler, more accessible texts to meet students at their current reading level.  However, research indicates that one of the best things we can do to close learning gaps is to provide students with grade level texts and then teach them how to do their own chunking, word support, and persistence to get through the texts.  The first few attempts will be hard - so less is more in the beginning.  But as you think ahead to your entirety of MP2, less is only less if that's all we do.  At some point, we have to push them to develop their own stamina and internalize reading strategies to successfully tackle complex grade-level texts. 
• Try Reporter Questions - Who, What, Where, When, How or Why?  These are simple comprehension questions that any student can use to take a first stab at understanding anything they are reading.  You can adjust as necessary (related to content), but these easy questions allow easy access points for students to try to develop their reading comprehension.
• Try the QFT.  The question format technique that Liza and Judy presented last Tuesday is another strategy you can use to get students to engage their thinking and to generate questions about what they are reading (be it as short as a math problem to as long as a novel).  Making questions and then chasing down those answers are the two necessary sides of the learning coin!
• Try Cornell Notes.  Cornell notes - a few lines in a notebook (doesn't have to be a handout - can just be a lesson on how to take notes) can help kids track these questions & ideas to build comprehension and understanding as they are reading.

In the end, the goal we all want is for students to thrive independently.  We use our summative assessments to evaluate how well they can do that.  This MP, before giving the final test - make time to test your instruction and their learning with unscaffolded practice assessments that happen prior to the actual summative assessment. This will give them and you a better idea of how things are going this MP! 

When it works - you'll feel that amazing confluence of Joy, Rigor, Equity, and Power in your classrooms!  And eventually, with consistent effort and attuning, we will all get there!

Important dates. 

• Monday, 14NOV22.  Monday PD in the Farm
• Tuesday, 15NOV22.  Science Instructional Rounds
• Wednesday, 16NOV22.  MP1 Grades Due at 3PM
• Thursday, 17NOV22.  Evening Parent Conferences - 5PM-8PM
• Friday, 18NOV22.  Afternoon Parent Conference - 11:50PM-2:50PM
• Saturday, 19NOV22.  In-Person UA Fair
• Wednesday, 23NOV22.  Rapid Dismissal at 2:30 
• Thursday, 24NOV22.  Thanksgiving Recess - NO SCHOOL
• Friday, 25NOV22.  Thanksgiving Recess - NO SCHOOL

Announcements & To Dos

Monday PD.  Learning Lab tidying up and reset (20min).  The rest of the time will be work time for teachers to schedule conferences and finish grading. Conferences need to be fully booked and grades need to be in by 3pm on Wednesday.  Staff will have time on both Monday & Tuesday to do outreach and finish grading.  

Extended Day & Parent Conferences.  As a reminder, Monday & Tuesday extended days are for all staff until 4:10 on Monday and 4:05 on Tuesdays.  This is in-person time, please do not leave early without getting clearance from Kiri and clocking out.  

Parent conferences, on the other hand, are remote.  Staff will conduct conferences at home on Thursday evening from 5-8PM.  You can use Zoom, Google Meets or phone calls to conduct conference.  Please complete this form so that we can support families in connecting with you in case you're unable to reach them.  

Scheduling Family Conferences.   Teachers will be responsible for scheduling their own conferences for Thursday& Friday.  

Please enter your appointments IN THIS DOCUMENT HERE by End of Day Wednesday.  

Priority should be

• Schedule conferences with families with whom you must speak.  That is any student who has a grade of 69 or less and/or any student who misses your class 1 or more times per week.  The goal of these conferences is to plan with the families how to best support students both at home and in school so that Marking Period 2 is a success for the student.  Please prepare concrete ideas and suggestions for the families to support their child at home.  Counselors, Deans, Annie, Jen, and I will be available to support with any conversations you think will be challenging.  Please reach out with the appointment time, and one of us will be on hand to join you for support!

• Schedule the conferences with families who want to speak with you.  Please review this document.  This is from parents who completed the form to sign up for conferences.  We're still trying to get the word out.  Please let your advisees know that their parents should use THIS FORM to sign up.  You should keep checking this form up through Wednesday PM to make sure you catch all the folks who would like to meet with you!

• Schedule a few conferences of celebration.  Lots of kiddos are struggling, AND lots of kiddos are doing very well despite the hurdles. Make it a point to strategically schedule 1-2 celebratory calls to celebrate and experience the joy of success with families.  Also, prepare your ideas for next steps on how they can continue to thrive and grow for MP2.  Personally - I like to pepper these throughout the night and afternoon, making sure to have my last conference ALWAYS being a celebratory one - particularly the ones where you get to brag to a family about how much an individual student has grown.  So, be intentional about celebrating the good stuff as well as making the necessary stuff priorities.

Per Session Postings

For ALL per session activities (view all 2022-23 postings here),
please complete Per Session Application For

Organization Committee.  We always need folks to help keep things in order in the school.  We have tiny spaces, and many things.  We need many Marie Condos to help us!  If you are interested in working on a committee that is aimed at organizing UAI closets and storages spaces, please fill out the form and email Kiri apply!  Posting closes 28NOV22.

Per Session Postings Now Closed