UAI Staff News
Volume X
Issue 15
December 19th, 2022
Holiday Gratitude. As the holiday season approaches, it's important to take a moment to recognize and appreciate all your hard work and dedication these last four months. You each play a vital role in helping each of our students learn, grow, change, and develop into their best selves! The process of this change is not easy for anyone.
Tirelessly, each of you rose to this challenge to continually refine your practice to learn from your own mistakes in order to continually to bring our students the level of learning they deserve. I know I don't say it enough, but please also know that I always recognize, see, and appreciate all that you do and the impact you have on our kids and their families each and everyday.
Thank you.
Last night, I went to my first social holiday party (that wasn't school related) since COVID. It was filled with non-pedagogues, and I forget how folks see each of us. To others, we, in education, are part angel, part activist, and part crazy person. Folks asked me how long I've done this, and when I answer, their eyes pop out. What followed was the how and why?
Well - it's always the kids. No matter how crazy, kids are always wonderful. But I could work with kids anywhere. What really inspires me and makes me want to keep doing this crazy, thankless job year after year is working with you!
UAI is a staff of smart, creative, driven, hilarious, passionate, and loving groups of folks working together in our fantastic school. It's not always easy - working with smart, creative people rarely is. But at the end of the day, it is always fulfilling.
So, I thank each of you!!
We have five work days left in 2022. At the end of these, I do wish you all the best over the holiday season and a wonderful new year! Please make sure tot take some time to relax and recharge, and try to stay healthy!
Important dates.
- Monday 19DEC22. Gratitude PD
- Tuesday, 20DEC22. Staff Circles & Survey Review
- Wednesday, 21DEC22. UAI Winterfest
- Friday, 23DEC22. Rapid Dismissal for Holiday break
Announcements & To Dos
Tech Inventory. This Thursday, we need all students and staff to bring in their DOE tech for inventory. Please be prepared to bring in the tech on each of these four days until it has been catalogued by the Tech Inventory people.
MP2 Planning Check In. Have you had a chance to give kids an unscaffolded, unsupported, low-stakes assessment experience (e.g. practice test that they've done alone, or timed independent writing)? One of the learnings that came through each one of our subject team Instructional Rounds was that al of us could do more to support student independence. One idea was giving unscaffolded assessments and following that up with feedback aimed at helping kids get ready and feel prepared for the actual test.
Progress Reports. Here are the progress reports. They'll be printed and ready for pick up tomorrow. Advisors can review Progress Report grades HERE. Thank you everyone for the timely update of these, once again. Please make sure families know that these are coming home, too (you may want to email or text a picture home). Please prioritize calling the homes of any advisee who has failed MP1, PR1, and PR2. This is evidence of long-term failure, and we need to figure out how to get families to help us turn it around. Contact those homes to connect and find out from families how we can best support students in turning this failure into a learning experience. In so doing, the goal is to turn the grades around in time for the close of MP2 at the end of January.
<<REPOST>> The Tripod Survey & Benchmark Exams. The Student Tripod Survey will be giving in January along with our Midyear benchmarks. To prepare...
- Student Tripod Survey. This survey is a student survey about their teachers & classroom instruction. This survey provides feedback from students for teachers in various categories. You can see the questions HERE. Please review the questions for yourself and personal reflection now. We will do a sample survey in December to provide teachers with initial feedback prior to the January, formal administration.
- HS Benchmark Exams. During the week of January 17th, we will be giving benchmark exams for courses terminating in regents exams or AP exams for all students in grades 8-12. Regents-based classes will be provided with the assessment (so we can do school wide analysis). All non-regents based courses should develop their own final assessment for MP2. Non-regents/AP exam courses should plan to have their final assessments for MP2 on the assigned days below:
- Tuesday, 17JAN22. ELA Assessment Day
- All students in Course A-D will take ELA Regent Benchmark (provided by UAI)
- AP Students should take an AP Benchmark, teacher created
- LINCT Students should take LINCT assessment, LINCT created
- Wednesday, 18JAN22. Math Assessment Day
- All students in Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra 2 will take Regent (provided by UAI)
- All students in Pre-Calc or Calc will take teacher created assessment
- All students in LINCT will take LINCT assessment, LINCT created.
- Thursday, 19JAN22. Science Assessment Day
- Friday, 20JAN22. Social Studies Assessment Day
- Monday, 23JAN22. Theater, ENL, Spanish, Computer Science, PE Assessment Day, MP2 Ends, Grades due 3PM on THursday
- Tuesday, 24JAN22. Regents week begins - no classes for students in grades 9-12. 8th graders will be in attendance, but with special schedule for that week.
- MS Benchmark Exams. During the week of 23JAN, we will be giving benchmark exams in math & English for grades 6 & 7.
- Monday, 23JAN22. Social Studies Assessment Day - teacher created
- Tuesday, 24JAN22. ELA Assessment Day - NYS ELA benchmark (UAI Provided)
- Wednesday, 25JAN22. Math Assessment Day - NYS ELA benchmark (UAI Provided)
- Thursday, 26JAN22. Science Assessment Day - teacher created
- Friday, 27JAN22. PE Assessment Day & Computer Science Assessment Day
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