Week of April 17th

 UAI Staff News

Volume X

Issue 26

April 17th, 2023

Be That One...  Welcome back from the spring break!  I do hope you all had a wonderful rest and were able to spend good time with family and loved ones.  It's hard to believe, but we are so close to the end of the school year.  It's certainly crunch time.

As we enter this high pressure time, it's super important to pause for a minute and consider our role and who we are in the eyes of our students and families.  

I say this a lot, and I will continue to applaud each of you on this -because frankly, it's amazing and awesome.   Whenever visitors come to our school, one of the first things they notice is how warm and welcoming our community is.  At UAI, our kids are loved, and despite their surly teenage personas at times, they know it.

Now, more than ever, we need to find ways to lean into that strength and extend that love to the kids who need us the most.  They are the ones who aren't in school or the ones who, when they are in school are often not in classes.  They are those few who don't feel our love and support - even though it is totally there for them.  Now more than ever, we need to see through their eyes, and look for a way to
be the one 

• who reaches out with love & support so they know cares about them and their future
• who is there to both hold them to high expectations AND the support they need meet those expectations successfully
• who they hug tightly at graduation, saying thank you for believing in me

From the CLASS Rubrics, this is known as Teacher Sensitivity:

For these last few weeks, now, more than ever, we need to take the time to lean into our strengths around Teacher Sensitivity to connect with our kids who need us the most.  Survey your class lists.  Who in your class is faltering or failing?  Why is that happening?  What do they need and what can you do to help them?

As you start this reflection on each of your students, challenge yourself to steer clear of assumptions.  Making assumptions is our brain's way of trying to efficiently manage loads of information.  However, our brains can also pause, be intentional, and dig deeper into that same information to better understand and address issues.  Are there cues that you may have misread, and may be in fact calls for help?  What information can you find out about the student (e.g. from conferences, communications with home, talking to other teachers of classes where the student might have success) to gain a better understanding of their strengths and how to leverage them?  

Holding students to high standards without matching those expectations with high levels of Teacher Sensitivity will lead only to negative outcomes (e.g. course failure, behavior outbursts, class avoidance, etc.).  Our kids need both to make it across that finish line successfully - they need our rigorous expectations and our love and sensitivity.  They need us to be their ones. 

Important dates. 

• Wednesday, 19APR-20APR - MS ELA Exams
• Friday, 21APR23 - Eid al-Fitr - No School
• Tuesday, 25APR23 - HS Mock Regent Day 1 (Math)
• Wednesday, 26APR23 - Affinity Lever Visit to Math Team
• Wednesday, 26-28APR23 - Trip to Washington DC
• Thursday, 27APR23 - HS Mock Regent Day 2 (Science)
• Tuesday, May 2nd - Tuesday Outreach Time - MP4 Progress Report #1 Grade Entry
• Tuesday, 03MAY23 - HS Mock Regent Day 3 (Social Studies)
• Thursday, 04MAY23 - UAI Math Team Citywide Lighthouse Visit
• May 2, 3, 4, 9 - AP Exams and AP Exam Roster
• Monday, May 8th and Tuesday May 9th - Progress Report #1 Distributed
• May 15st-22nd - NYSESLAT Testing
• Tuesday, May 23rd - Tuesday Outreach Time - MP4 Progress Report #2 Grade Entry
• Monday, May 29th - Memorial Day - NO School
• Tuesday, May 30th & Wednesday May 31st - Progress Report #2 Distributed
• Thursday, Jun 1st - US History Regents - NO School - grades 8-12
• Friday, Jun 2nd - 8th Grade Prom
• June 5th - 12th - Final Exam Week
• Monday 05JUN - English Final Exams
• Tuesday, 06JUN - Math Final Exams
• Wednesday, 07JUN - Social Studies Final Exams
• Thursday, 08JUN - Brooklyn Queens PD Day - NO Classes
• Friday, 09JUN - Science Final Exam
• Monday, 12JUN - Breadth/Elective Final Exams
• Tuesday, 13JUN22 - Last day of High School Classes

Announcements & To Dos

Support our UAI Math Team Lighthouse.  Judy, Tiffany, Amanda, and Danielle H have been working with the book Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl to improve their instruction and student outcomes.  They have only been working for a couple of months, but the tweaks and moves they've made so far have had amazing impact on student engagement and thinking ALREADY!   I could not be more proud of the work they are doing, and I could not be more happy for their students.  They are gearing up to share their work citywide with teachers, principals, and educators from across New York City on May 4th.  Please help them get the word out by sharing this brief
May the 4th Be With You in Math promo, and please help them get the word out by directing folks to register using THIS LINK.

MP4 Log of Support.  We're going to pivot from the MP4 Outreach Log to an MP4 Log of Intervention & Support.  Outreach is only 1 form of support.  What we really need to track is the wholistic record of intervention & support that our students are receiving to prevent failure.  These interventions can be things such as (but not limited to): 

• In-Class Supports:  1:1 Conferences, Individualized Assignments, Small Group Intervention, 
• Advisor Academic 1:1 Coaching (regular grade checks and conferences about course progress)
• Family Outreach: Calls Home, Texts of Progress (e.g. screenshot of grades), Emails home

All classroom teachers must update this MP4 Log of Intervention and Support each week.  Teachers should use regular planning & prep time to update this log.  Entries can be brief (e.g. "Held 1:1 Conference about xyz", or "spoke to mom saying student did abc").  I am asking that folks complete this form weekly so that I can track the support any student who failed a course in MP3 is receiving and so we can better support teachers who need extra help in intervening on failure with students & families.

Advisors:  For any advisee that is on the MP4 Log of Intervention and Support please make sure that you are meeting with them weekly to 

• Have them show you their grades and outstanding assignments
• Review their attendance
• Make a plan for completing assignments and improving course grades
• Call home 1x per week to update family on progress. 
  You can even call with the student during advisory - or text together during your conference.

Classroom Teachers:  For any student that is failing your class and listed on the MP4 Log of Intervention and Support, please update this document weekly.  For any 8th grader or 12th grader that is failing your class, you MUST make weekly contact home to inform students of progress in class.  You must share a weekly progress report towards graduation.  Because they are in matriculating grades, failing your course may mean that they will not graduate.  So, please emphasize the importance of passing your course with the student and their families each week.

Monday PD.  Monday PD will be our next meeting in circles, planned by our Equity Team.  This week's circles will develop our understanding what "culturally relevant pedagogy" is and what it means within our own professional practice. In circles, staff will explore and discuss Culturally Responsive Teaching: 4 Misconceptions, interview with Zaretta Hammond.

MP3 Report Cards.  Please print and distribute your Advisory's MP3 report cards from
THIS FOLDER.  Please distribute during Advisory on Monday or Tuesday.  To print

• Open the grade file
• Find your advisee's report cards (you can search for their names and print 1 by 1 or you can find your first and last advisee's names (sorted by last name) and print the range.  If you don't know how to print a range, just print 1 name at a time.  It will be easier and most likely, it will take about the same amount of time it would take you to find someone to help you to print the range (LOL)!
  
• Alternately, you can take screen shots of the report cards or pics on your phone and text or email the report cards to kids and families.

MS ELA Testing.  Beginning Wednesday 19APR, our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students will be taking the NYS Middle School ELA exam.  All ELA teachers MUST review the lists, room assignments and schedule with kids on Monday &/or Tuesday.  For all students in grades 6, 7, or 8, this the annual English test they take in grades 3-8.  8th graders wanting to take the Regent exam, may also take the English Regent exam in June.   Liza & Judy will be managing this exam with Annie's support.  Any questions or concerns should be directed to them.


Mock Regents & MS Math Testing Next Week.  In 2 weeks, the Middle School will be taking the MS Math exam on 02&03MAY.  We'll also be holding mock regents on those two days.  For Grades 8-12 there will be a special schedule on those two days.  Please stay tuned!  We will be offering Per Session for grading of these mock regent exams.  MS exams are sent out for central grading.

Attendance & Lateness to Your Classes.  Please make sure to keep showing students how important it is to get to class ON TIME.

• Start classes on time - no matter how many kids you have.  The ones who are there came on time. Honor that.  Don't make them wait.  Make a plan for catching kids up that doesn't require making those kids wait.  
  
  
• Show Them Why it Matters.  Remember our kids need to know that you care (first and foremost) and that you don't want them to fail.  Being in class is the best way for them to thrive academically, and they miss a lot when they're not in class on time (which is why you need to start your class on time).   So, when kids come late, go directly to them, find out what happened and why they were late, and then catch them up and make sure to get a commitment to being on time to class tomorrow.  Keep at it - even if they are late again.  Your persistence will pay out!
  
  
• Celebrate the Win.   When a students starts coming to class on time, connect that effort to their understanding in your class.  Help them see how good feels, and how they can keep it going.
• 
  
• Be their Model.  For this last marking period, make it a point to model excellent attendance.  Please schedule all appointments OUTSIDE of the school day (or at least during non-instructional days - like Regents Days, or Brooklyn Queens Day). If you're going to be out, avoid calling out on Fridays or Mondays.   
  
  NOTE:  Please try really hard NOT to be absent during MS Testing Days (19APR, 20APR and 02MAY, 03MAY, 04MAY).  We are using our in-house subs to support proctoring, and if folks call out, we will have to ask teachers to cover classes.
  
  Also, be clear to your students as to what is happening and why - post it up on Google Classrooms or send out class emails so students are clear why you are out.  
  
  
• If you are out for a Professional Development activity - please make sure your students understand that you are not absent, but that you are fulfilling your professional responsibilities elsewhere.
  
  
• If you are out sick or on personal business, please let them know that and remind them that you have only been out x number of days for the year - which gives you an overall attendance rate of y (put it in their terms of understanding)
  
  

Per Session Postings

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

Summer School.  If you are interested in working summer school, please complete THIS FORM.

Per Session Postings Now Closed