Week of September 25th

UAI Staff News

Volume XI

Issue 05

September 25th, 2023

Last Week of September.  It's hard to believe that September is already over, and next week marks the start of October - the year is flying by.  We all launched this month with the best of intentions and aims of creating rich and impactful learning experiences for each of our students. 

By the end of this week, we'll be about a third of the way through the first marking period, and it's a good time to pause to reflect how much our reality matches our plans.  Inevitably, there is always a difference between goals and realities, and that gap is precisely what we look to examine, understand, and close.

Allow for the missteps.  They are inevitable.  They are opportunities for learning and growth.  We continually find ways to improve and be better.

Allow for imperfection.  It's easy to get things right, and to be right.  It's hard, really hard, to mess up and feel like you've failed.  But while being right feels good, being wrong leads to growth and strength.  Being right a thousand times means you are hitting way below your weight class, and you're not challenging yourself to be better.  So, take the brave step and allow yourself to make mistakes - so that you can take a deep look at those gaffs to learn and grow.

Allow for sharing your growth.  Often students fall into the rut of not trying because they would rather not try than fail.  It's rational thinking if you believe that failure is the worst thing ever.  However, nobody can learn how to do anything well until they learn from mistakes.   That lesson is probably the most important lesson you can share with students, and one of the best ways to teach that is to share your own experience and wisdom with trying, failing, learning and thriving.

As we turn into October, think about how you launched the year and evaluate what went well, what went left, and what you can do to learn and improve upon your work even more.  

Ever onward and upward!!

Important Upcoming dates

• Tuesday, 26SEP23 - Affinity District IM Algebra I Learning Walk
• Wednesday, 27SEP23 - NYSED Enhancing Principal Leadership Visit - CEP Literacy Goal
• Thursday, 28SEP23 - Zoom Curriculum Night 5PM-8PM
  
• Zoom Meeting:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81765931467
• Meeting ID: 817 6593 1467
• Passcode: UAIZOOM
• Tuesday, 03OCT23 - High School Application Period Opens
• Monday, 09OCT23 - Indigenous People & Italian Heritage Day - NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday, 11OCT23 - 2nd Day of Elevate Study Skills in 6/7 and 8/9 Learning Labs

Announcements & To Dos

SyncGrades Attendance.  I took a look through SyncGrades to see how folks were doing with attendance.  Some folks missed some days, and some folks missed no days.  Some folks missed more than some days....

Weekly Outreach Log.  Please remember to complete the outreach log by midnight Sunday nights.   You MUST document all 55 minutes of remote time.  Some folks did not document all 55 minutes last week.  I know we're learning a new system, so please make sure that you have fully documented all 55 minutes this week.  Many, many thanks to so many of you who have already entered their information!  It's much appreciated!

Academic Conferences and Grades This Week.  Please make sure that you have entered Grades into SyncGrades this week.  Students should have at least 1 progress grade in SyncGrades, and more importantly, please make sure you are conferencing with students and communicating home about student progress this week.  If you have students who have less than a 75 in your class, please make sure you are meeting with them to help them turn their performance around.  Also, please make sure you are contacting their homes to connect with families to explain how they can help their student thrive.

PLOPs Due.  Plops are due tomorrow.  Please make sure you have thoroughly complete your assigned PLOPs on time.

Lots of Visitors This Week.  We have three big visits this week!  Lots of folks are coming to see what we're up to in our math, english and history classes.  Please help out your colleagues by planning structured classes and keeping an eye on the hallways to keep kids moving in and out of classes efficiently.  Here's who is coming:

• Tuesday, 26SEP23 - Affinity Learning Walk to Algebra I classes.  Teachers, District Staff, and School leaders will be visiting UAI from 12:30-3:30PM to see how our implementation of IM Algebra I is going.  We're also hoping to connect with folks throughout the district to help our math team collaboratively problem solve their way through a brand new curriculum.
  
  
• Wednesday, 27SEP23 - NYSED Leadership Visit.  Principals of other CSI schools from across the city are going to be taking a look at our CEP Literacy goal and visiting from 9AM-12PM to see how our work in ELA and Social Studies is helping us achieve that aim.  In this work UAI school leaders & teacher leads will connect with other leaders at other schools to collaborative and get feedback on our work and find ways where we can improve and excel.
  
  
• Friday, 29SEP23.  We have a brand new, super awesome course in AP African American History.  We have our first visit from other teachers across the city also implementing the course and Ellis Valentino of the NYCDOE Office of Equity and Access to see Kelly's & Martine's work in the course thus far.

Curriculum Night.  This Thursday's Curriculum Night will be from 5PM-8PM for all staff.

• 5:00-6:00PM 
• All staff are expected to call TUESDAY FIRST PERIOD student families to remind them to join Curriculum Night (which begins at 6PM).  Each section will be split in half with one staff calling the first half (A-L), and the other calling the latter half of kids (M-Z). We'll all hop on zoom at 5PM to share how use SyncGrades to find rosters and contact info.  Then from 5:15-6PM folks will make phone calls to remind folks to join our curriculum zoom at 6PM.
  
  Here are the assignments:
• Middle School (Grades 6/7)
• [A] EENM6_1:  Phillan (A-L); Mike (M-Z)
• [B] HSNM6_1:  Fatima (A-L); Juelle (M-Z)
• [C] SSNM7_1:  Sarah R (A-L); Alison (M-Z)
• [D] MMNM7_2:  Dru (A-L); Matthew (M-Z)
• Lower House (Grades 8/9)
• ZJALG1_1:  Danielle H(A-L); Kaitlyn (M-Z)
• ZJALG1_2:  Amanda (A-L); Patti Gr. (M-Z)
• ZLGEO_1: Alexis (A-L); Noelle (M-Z)
• ZJPPNH1:  Roger (A-L); Lia (M-Z)
• ZJQN21_4:  Joanna (A-L); Tomas (M-Z)
• Upper House (Grades 10/11/12)
• HGN21_1:  Kelly (A-L): Sarah M (M-Z)
• HFN11_1:  Shan (A-L); Martine (M-Z)
• HGN22_1:  Jake (A-L); Yasmeen (M-Z)
• SBN11X_1:  Camryn (A-L); JRob (M-Z)
• SCN11_2:  Liza (A-L); Crystal (M-Z)
• SPN11_1:  Judy (A-L); Sue (M-Z)
• EEN42X_2:  Freida (A-L); Pauline (M-Z)
• ZJEEN42_3: Marsah (A-L): Laura (M-Z)
• EEN43X_3: Patricia (A-L); Tom (M-Z)
• 6:00-6:30PM
• Welcome and State of the School Address for Families
• 6:30-7:45PM
• Breakout Room Open House.  Families will be able to choose five rooms from each of the following rooms.  If they need to speak to a certain teacher, we'll include a sign up form to share with staff, and then specific staff can reach out during outreach time in the upcoming week.  Here are the rooms:
• Math Team
• Science Team
• English Team
• Social Studies Team
• Breadth Teachers (PE, Spanish, Theater)
• Student Opportunities (Girls Inc, UAI After School, and Other Opportunities)
• Student & Family Support Team: Counselors, Parent Coordinator, Deans, & Paras
• Information Share.  All rooms should have the same agenda
• Introductions and Contact Information
• [FOR CORE & BREADTH CLASSES] 
• Course Expectations.  Please Provide an overview of their courses (AND invite to Google Classroom for Families), and share what families can expect students to learn, and how much at home work vs. in-class work they can expect to see from your classes.
• Family Engagement.  Please Provide a list of resources and/or ideas for how families can support your class at home (e.g. math games, spaces for homework, encourage reading, practice speaking in spanish, running lines for theater, etc.)
• Share List of Resources & Tips for How Families can Help at Home
• [FOR  COUNSELORS/DEANS/PARAS/ADMIN]
• Share overview of what your role is and what families can expect
• Save time for Q & A from families
• 7:45PM
• Closing And Thank Yous

After School.  I want to strongly encourage folks to help our students out in after school.  They are actively looking for staff to help them sponsor clubs, and for staff, clubs are the PERFECT way to forge connections with kids outside of the classroom.  AND it is precisely those connections that make the relationships inside the classroom work better.  Kids are asking for folks to head up the following 

• Black Student Union
• Muslim Student Association
• Dance Club
• GSA Club
• Dungeons & Dragons Club
• Community Service Club
• Coding Club
• Art Club
• ANY Craft Club
• ANY other Culture Club

Check out the clubs that have already been GREEN LIT.  Please sign up soon so that we can begin to advertise our after school opportunities to families and kids this week and during curriculum night!!

• Theater Production Club with Noelle
• Student Government with Sue, Marsha, Phillan, and Girls' Inc's Kassi
• Youth Leadership Council with Kelly
• Photo Club with Tom
• Cheer with Mary & Lia
• Anime Club with Adelle
• Visual Art with Francis
• Running Club with Camryn (after the marathon is over)

Please complete THIS form by EOD TUESDAY 26SEP23 if you are interested in running an after school club.  Clubs are planned to launch the week of October 1st.

Per Session Postings

For ALL per session activities, please complete Per Session Application Form"

After School Clubs.   If you are interested in running an after school club, please complete THIS form by EOD TUESDAY 26SEP23  AND submit the Per Session Application Form.  Clubs are slated to start next week.  Clubs must have a steady roster of at least 8-10 students per week in order to NOT be cancelled.  Rosters & Attendance lists MUST be submitted with per session time cards.  If your club goes three consecutive weeks with less than 8 students, your club will need to be cancelled (so that we can optimize funds for other uses - so sorry...wish we could fund everything all the time, but unfortunately, we don't have endless sums of funds).  After school sessions can be 3-4PM or 3-4:30PM or 3-5:30PM (teacher's choice)up to three days per week.  So per session hours can range from 1-7.5hrs per week).  Posting Expires 10OCT23.

PSAL Supervision.   Posting Expires 10OCT23. PSAL Games are starting up soon. Please submit the Per Session Application Form if you are interested in supervising student spectators.  Hours vary depending on games.  Each game (basketball or volleyball) is usually 4-6pm (is) so each supervision session is about 2hours.  Staff are welcome to sign up for as many games as they'd like.  Please see UAI calendar or PSAL website for game dates. Duties include making sure

• students remain safe and orderly during games
• only eligible students are admitted to games
• all students fully dismiss from the building at the conclusion of the games

CSI Planning & Supervision.   Posting Expires 10OCT23. This posting if for supervision per session to plan, supervise, monitor and coordinate extra improvement efforts to address UAI achievement gaps and improve student performance in target metrics.  Activities include analyzing and reviewing data, planning and executing professional development experiences to improve staff performance, analyzing and editing video footage to improve teacher lesson execution and lesson implementation, and supervising out of school activities - including recruitment, staff planning, and after school activities.  Hours vary per week depending on task and work completed.  Hours range 1-7.5 hours per week.

Classroom SetUp.  All classroom staff are invited to come in to set up and plan for up to 10 hours all together any day this week Monday-Friday 9AM-2PM.  Staff must clock in AND out each day, and cannot be in the building after 2PM.  Please adhere to guidelines set out in the blog post above.  All Staff MUST also apply to this position by completing the "Per Session Application From" - see link above.  [Posted 27AUG23] - Posting CLOSED and JOB is over.

Week of 18SEP23

 After School Program

UAI Staff News

Volume XI

Issue 04

September 18th, 2023

Teacher Sensitivity & Adolescent Perspectives.  This week's post continues with a look at two more of the CLASS Rubrics (CLassroom Assessment Scoring System), Teacher Sensitivity and Regard for Adolescent Perspectives.

Along with the Positive Climate rubric (introduced last week), these two rubrics round out the Emotional Support Domain of CLASS, which is critical to cementing a solid and nurturing foundation for learning in each of your classrooms.

Core Value ---> Equity:  UAI's core value of Equity can show up in many ways in the classroom.  With respect to today's focus on the Emotional Support Domain, Equity shows through when we maximize Teacher Sensitivity.   Taking on the perspectives of our students is key to elevate and center their voices in our decision making and instructional moves. 

There are two extremes on the continuum of traditional classroom management...and in the case of all extremes - neither are good.    

• Respectability Based Authoritarianism - Do what I say because I am your elder and I said so...
• Excessive Student Choice - Students run the show - and chaos is the norm.

The Teacher Sensitivity Rubric provides clear expectations on how to avoid these extremes and aim for behaviors (teacher & student) that describe the teacher's role & responsibility to attune to and anticipate student emotional & academic needs, and the subsequent student responses to the consistency of their teachers' responses to their needs.  Having a well-developed capacity to read and respond to student cues (verbal, facial, written, etc.) is critical to anticipating and successfully responding to potentially disruptive behaviors that will derail your lesson.

Developing your capacity to recognize & appropriate address your students' needs in the moment is THE way to construct a fully inclusive learning environment, and the pathway to ensuring that everyone of your students experience success and belonging in your classroom.

Core Value ---> Power:  While both of these rubrics describe what to look for in the teacher's capacity to perspective shift and step into the shoes of their students to leverage empathy & understanding, Regard for Adolescent Perspectives also focuses on cultivating student power.   Planning lessons and activities that allow for student voice and choice is the first step to creating space for student power.  Integrating student experiences and adapting to their responses in the moment is key to investing students in their learning and amplifying intellectual engagement.

The true secret to being able to do this well is to have high levels of fluency in your CONTENT.  If you know what you are teaching inside out, upside down and backwards - you will be much more capable of responding to unexpected student responses in their discussions, questions, and work.   There is nothing more potent to developing student academic identity than connecting an original thought of their own to the class' overall learning objectives.  To be able to explain which piece of their thinking is true and which needs a little work helps them understand how to keep working on refining their skills - that they are not all wrong leads to the want to be all correct!  Once you have that want, that desire to think & learn, you have successfully lit the spark to learn and you are well on your way to maximizing intellectual engagement.

This is not easy.  Doing fun things is definitely the easier path to getting kids active and entertained.  Finding gems within their thinking is more nuanced, but so, so important to shaping student self-concept as intellectuals and learners.  It is this self-concept which is the kernel of their power.  

On the surface, these three rubrics seems straightforward enough.  But they lead to profound and powerful teacher moves and students behaviors that will undergird learning for the entire school year.  

Please make the time to review this entire domain and all 3 Emotional Support Domain rubrics.  The CLASS systems lends specific, concrete language around what types of behaviors and interactions result in a strong Classroom Environment (Danielson Domain 2).

  

(Create Strong Emotional Support by Maximizing Each of These Areas - Aim for High)
Achieving high levels in each of these categories consistently 

will lead to Effective or Highly Effective Practice in Danielson 2a & 2d

Here a quick article that talks about the importance of cultivating strong emotional support and the science of belonging.  From that article, a quick quote that sums up so much:

"I know it sounds obvious, but asking good questions—and listening to the answers—that’s the solution to so much."

Important Upcoming dates

• Monday, 18SEP23 - 2nd PM Office Hours and Monday PD
• Monday, 18SEP23 - MAP ELA and Math testing begin this week.  Please reach out to Marsha (ELA) and Judy (Math) for details.
• Monday, 25SEP23 - Yom Kippur, NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday, 26SEP23 - Affinity District IM Algebra I Learning Walk
• Wednesday, 27SEP23 - NYSED Enhancing Principal Leadership Visit - CEP Literacy Goal
• Thursday, 28SEP23 - Zoom Curriculum Night 5PM-8PM
  
• Zoom Meeting:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81765931467
• Meeting ID: 817 6593 1467
• Passcode: UAIZOOM
• Tuesday, 03OCT23 - High School Application Period Opens
• Monday, 09OCT23 - Indigenous People & Italian Heritage Day - NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday, 11OCT23 - 2nd Day of Elevate Study Skills in 6/7 and 8/9 Learning Labs

Announcements & To Dos

SyncGrades and Attendance.  We have been doing GREAT work on Attendance in SyncGrades.  There are still some minor kinks, but mostly things have worked themselves out.  (When ATS comes back on later today, I'll reload, and hopefully iron all the kinks out). 

Your efforts in taking attendance in your classes everyday has not gone unnoticed.  It's really, really, helping us keep on top of kids both for daily attendance and school lateness.  

Our counselors & parent coordinator have been doing herculean efforts to make sure to call every single kid who is absent or late to school each day.  It's a LOT of work, and you can do your part to help them by making sure you accurately take attendance in your classes everyday.    Keep it up!!  It's working!!!

Weekly Outreach Log.  Please complete the outreach log by midnight tonight.   You MUST document all 55 minutes of remote time.  I will be checking this log first thing tomorrow morning - mostly to see how it went for the first time through.  Please make sure you log your time and interactions before that! Many, many thanks to so many of you who have already entered their information!  It's much appreciated!

Monday Office Hours for September.  Monday, 18SEP23 is the second Monday of our Staff Work Time & Office Hours.    If you have not already done so, please use this time to create your course syllabus for Thursday night's Curriculum Night.  The syllabi will be collected on Tuesday, 19SEP23.

Monday PD.  This Monday we will be giving time to teams to plan for Thursday's Curriculum Night, and time for PLOPs from 3:00-3:30.  

From 3:30-4PM, folks will meet in subject teams to plan for curriculums night.  In particular, teams should make a plan on how to do the following (including who is talking when and how you will share electronic resources)

• Course Expectations.  Please Provide an overview of their courses, and what families can expect students to learn, and how much at home work vs. in-class work they can expect to see from your classes.
  
  
• Family Engagement.  Please Provide a list of resources and/or ideas for how families can support your class at home (e.g. math games, spaces for homework, encourage reading, practice speaking in spanish, running lines for theater, etc.)
  

After School.   There are opportunities for staff to offer after school clubs!  They are clubs of your own (or kids') proposals.  All clubs are good to go - you just need to have a solid list of at LEAST 10 consistent kids to earn per session for the work.  Please complete THIS form if you are interested in running an after school club.  Clubs are planned to launch the week of October 1st.

Per Session Postings

For ALL per session activities, please complete Per Session Application Form"

Classroom SetUp.  All classroom staff are invited to come in to set up and plan for up to 10 hours all together any day this week Monday-Friday 9AM-2PM.  Staff must clock in AND out each day, and cannot be in the building after 2PM.  Please adhere to guidelines set out in the blog post above.  All Staff MUST also apply to this position by completing the "Per Session Application From" - see link above.  [Posted 27AUG23] - Posting CLOSED and JOB is over.

Week of 11SEP23

UAI Staff News

Volume XI

Issue 03

September 11th, 2023

Accentuating the Positive and Eliminating the Negative.  Congratulations on a fairly smooth launch to the school year.  Of course, there were some bumps along the way with programming and learning the new ins and outs of SyncGrades (for ALL of us).  

As we enter into the first full week of school, the goal is to create a firm foundation of a rigorous and emotionally supportive learning environment.  

Core Value ---> Rigor:  One side of this work is our the quality of the tasks we put in front of students.  Planning teams should be launching into their meetings this week, diving in to Lesson Run throughs and working collaboratively with colleagues how to adjust lesson to best push and deepen student thinking throughout the entire class period.  

Core Value ---> Joy:  On the other side of this work is creating warm, nurturing, and emotionally supportive environments where students feel safe taking intellectual risks.  You can measure the impact of your work to create a positive climate in your classroom by focusing your attention on student-student and adult-student interactions.  The CLASS Rubrics (CLassroom Assessment Scoring System) provide useful language that we can collectively used to work on this collaboratively.  These classroom interactions have been heavily studied by TeachStone folks at the University of VA, and have been shown to lead to desired outcomes of increased students attendance & performance.

Once we settle into the routines of the year, we will take a deep dive into these rubrics together as a staff.  In the mean time, please do begin to take a look through the rubrics on your own.  Also, each of our Instructional Leaders have been full trained on them, so please do reach out to any of them with any specific questions you may have.  

As we enter into this week, we can expect more students to join us.  It is the perfect time to build up the joy in learning and create smiles and warmth that sparkle through the class period.  It's also important to minimize the negative.  For example, use of sarcasm may be funny to some, but taken as offensive to others.  As such, because some may take harm - it's important to maintain a healthy environment for all and to keep it out of the classroom.

Take a look at Positive (maximize) and Negative (minimize) climate rubrics. These are exactly the behaviors you want to accentuate (positive) and eliminate (negative).   Here's some great thinking music for you to enjoy while you do!

(Maximize Positive Climate - Aim for High)           (Minimize Negative Climate - Aim for Low)

Important Upcoming dates

• Sunday, 10SEP23 - Counselor Jennifer's Birthday!
• Monday, 11SEP23 - First PM Office Hours and Monday PD
• Monday, 11SEP23 - Custodian Junior's Birthday!
• Wednesday, 13SEP23 - First Day of Elevate Study Skills in 6/7 and 8/9 Learning Labs
• Wednesday, 12SEP23 - MS Social Studies Teacher, Fatima's Birthday!
• Friday, 15SEP23 - First Day of Hispanic Heritage Month
• Monday, 18SEP23 - 2nd PM Office Hours and Monday PD
• Monday, 25SEP23 - Yom Kippur, NO SCHOOL
• Thursday, 28SEP23 - 
  
  
• Tuesday, 03OCT23 - High School Application Period Opens
• Monday, 09OCT23 - Indigenous People & Italian Heritage Day - NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday, 11OCT23 - 2nd Day of Elevate Study Skills in 6/7 and 8/9 Learning Labs

Announcements & To Dos

SyncGrades Updates.  Each day that we us SyncGrades, we learn a bit more.  We have to keep at it, and keep pushing.  New things take time to master.  We need to give ourselves the same grace we give our kids! 

• Add Your Co-Teachers.  All teachers have been added to SyncGrades (still working on paras, deans, and other support staff).  If your co-teacher doesn't have access, please ADD them by the EOD Monday.
• Explore Your Students.  Click on one of your students and Open their Portfolio.  On the left, you should see a bunch of different options.  Click through each of them to see what it shows you - don't forget to scroll up and down.
  
  You'll notice that you can check on students' attendance to other classes.  If you click on each class they have, a calendar pops up on the right.  For some classes, it shows you the kids' attendance.  For other it doesn't....
  
  You can only see attendance if attendance WAS TAKEN.
  PLEASE take attendance EVERY PERIOD - EVEN if SyncGrades isn't perfect - take attendance of those who ARE there. 
  This week - rosters are closer to accurate.  So PLEASE TAKE PERIOD ATTN.  EACH PERIOD.
  
  Thank you ;-)

• SyncGrades Teacher Overview:  A walkthrough on using SyncGrades for your courses and classrooms.  Please go through this if you haven't yet.
• SyncGrades FAQ:  Answers frequently asked questions such as how to create assignments, enter grades, and see student information.  Please go through this if you haven't yet.
• Explore the Wiki.  Make sure to look at the Blue Left Hand bar for links to many more How Tos and detailed directions.  Please go through this if you haven't yet. 

Monday Office Hours for September.  Monday, 11SEP23 is the launch of our Staff Work Time & Office Hours.  For the month of September, please use this time to get ahead in your planning and to set up GoogleClassrooms.  Monday Office Hours are 2:50-3:30 every Monday.

Monday PD.  This Monday we will be reviewing some protocols and reminding you about a few others.  The PD will be short, and the remainder of the time will be used for Teacher work time.  We need to present evacuation protocols and review classroom guidelines with cell phones and technology use.  Then, work time!! 

Family Outreach & Curriculum Night.  This week also marks the launch of our family outreach work.  All paras and teachers are required to conduct 55 minutes of family outreach each week and document it here.

Student Email Reset.  This weekend, I gave permissions to everyone to be able to reset student passwords when needed.  Of course, it takes 24-48 hours to reset.  So, check back Tuesday if you can't reset.  Here are the directions.  

NOTE:  Advisors and Learning Lab Teachers:  Please take the time in Advisory or Learning Labs this week to have students set up their own PINs (the directions are on the same page Here - just scroll down).  Once students have a PIN number (e.g. use their birthday or some other easy to remember number), they can reset their OWN email account any time.  Let's make it a goal to get everyone to do this, then we will only have to work with incoming new student each year to get access.

Classroom Technology.  Jason did a sweep on Friday to check in with folks.  It sounds like one of hurdles may be student email access.  Please DO NOT default to having kids use their cell phones in place of using classroom computers.  In the beginning we ALL need to be lock step around NOT letting kids use phones in the classroom.  Without clear, common practices, students find the wiggle room and push boundaries - because that's what teenagers are engineered to do - push boundaries.

However, teenagers are also smart, rational people - if they encounter the same set of circumstances in all of our classrooms - they will adapt.  Please - do NOT allow cell phone use in classes for any reason.

Per Session Postings

For ALL per session activities, please complete Per Session Application Form"

Classroom SetUp.  All classroom staff are invited to come in to set up and plan for up to 10 hours all together any day this week Monday-Friday 9AM-2PM.  Staff must clock in AND out each day, and cannot be in the building after 2PM.  Please adhere to guidelines set out in the blog post above.  All Staff MUST also apply to this position by completing the "Per Session Application From" - see link above.  [Posted 27AUG23] - Posting CLOSED and JOB is over.

Week of 05SEP23

UAI Staff News

Volume XI

Issue 02

September 5th, 2023

Kicking off the Year.   One of the best things of working in schools is the cyclic nature of the program.  Each year starts fresh, full of opportunities to apply to lessons learned and to find new ways of growing and improving.  

The restart and continual opportunities to do again are an important concept to center in our thinking and planning as we step into the 2023-2024 school year.  As we learn new things are begin new things, mistakes and imperfections are the rule.  Failure is to be expected, and a chance to learn from those mistakes and failures is critical to growth and achievement.

This is UAI's 18th year opening.  We are quite far away from that first day of school in 2006.  Back then, we were in a 3-room temporary school house with a cute little yard and only 75 kids and 10 staff.  We made many mistakes and missteps over the last 18 years, but we have also learned deep and invaluable lessons that have strengthened our school to where we are today.

18 years later, we open our school with over 400 students, nearly 70 staff, 7 floors of classrooms and a cute little yard out back!  We have successfully graduated 11 classes of students, firmly established partnerships with NYU & CUNY, and have created a community and family of students, families, and staff that feel connected to one another and the school long after they have left our walls.  Our alumni have graduated to become teachers, nurses, medical assistants, and engineers.  Our teachers have moved on to roles in leadership, teacher training, and curriculum development.  Our staff has evolved from entry level positions, working on their degrees, to fully certified pedagogues and counselors, deepening their capacity to support our families and students.

18 years ago, when we first opened our doors - we were executing and idea.  We stumbled, erred, and learned... A LOT

Today, when we open our doors - we are opening an institution aimed at providing young women with the knowledge, opportunities and connections that will lead them to careers and pathways that will help them reshape our world.

This year, we will inevitably continue to find new ways to flub and mess up, but I treasure those, now. I know that without those moments of "oops" and "uh oh" we cannot become excellent.  I embrace every "oh shizzles" and "again?" as an opportunity to refine, hone, and enrich our home, our families, our community, our school

Welcome back UAI - I'm excited to see you all again tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to the magic we collectively create together this year!

Important Upcoming dates

• Tuesday, 05SEP23 - First Official Day for All Staff
• Wednesday, 06SEP23 - Second PD Day for All Staff
• Thursday 07SEP23 - First Day for All Students
• Monday, 11SEP23 - First PM Office Hours and Monday PD
• Wednesday, 13SEP23 - First Day of Elevate Study Skills in 6/7 and 8/9 Learning Labs
• Friday, 15SEP23 - First Day of Hispanic Heritage Month
• Monday, 18SEP23 - 2nd PM Office Hours and Monday PD
• Monday, 25SEP23 - Yom Kippur, NO SCHOOL
  
  
• Monday, 09OCT23 - Indigenous People & Italian Heritage Day - NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday, 11OCT23 - 2nd Day of Elevate Study Skills in 6/7 and 8/9 Learning Labs

Announcements & To Dos

SyncGrades is Up!  SyncGrades is our brand new online grading system.  From the original makes of Skedula, SyncGrades is a DOE approved 3rd party software to manage our grades and communications with kids and families.   

We are still finalizing some steps of set up (for example, we haven't yet linked your accounts to our UAI domain - that's coming soon).  AND remember, this our first time with SyncGrades - so perfection is not happening - but many lessons from the mistakes await ;-)

Go ahead and Login with your DOE email and credentials (so click on the button that says login in with DOE email).  Click here if you Forgot DOE Password.  

MUCH of this is incredibly intuitive and user friendly.  Go ahead and navigate to the Wiki to learn how to use SyncGrades (upper righthand corner where your initials are and then select Wiki).

Or you can go directly to:

• SyncGrades Teacher Overview:  A walkthrough on using SyncGrades for your courses and classrooms.  
• SyncGrades FAQ:  Answers frequently asked questions such as how to create assignments, enter grades, and see student information.
• Explore the Wiki.  Make sure to look at the Blue Left Hand bar for links to many more How Tos and detailed directions.

If you have any questions that are UAI specific (e.g program questions), please complete this FORM.  You can also email SyncGrades directly if the issue is a technical (click the "Need Help" button just below where you found the "Wiki").    Please do not email Kiri any questions about SyncGrades.  Kiri only did the set up and will be handing over SyncGrades management to Jason, our tech coordinator.  He, himself, is new to SyncGrades, too.  So, please have patience. 

 

First Days PD.  Tomorrow and Wednesday are our opening PD days.  We'll be meeting in the farm (room 205) for both days.  All PD Days for the 2023-2024 School Year are 6hours and 50 minutes.  So the days will be 8:30AM-3:20PM.  Here's the Agenda for those days:

    

    Tuesday, 05SEP23:  Day One

• 8:00AM [ALL Staff] Breakfast - Optional - Provided by UAI (from Panera)
  
• 8:30AM [ALL Staff] Introductions and Connections
• 9:00AM [ALL Staff] Principal's Opening Address
• 9:20AM Break
• 9:30AM [Deans, Counselors, Teachers, Paras] 2023-24 School Policies & Structures
• 10:20AM Break
• 10:30AM [Teachers & Paras] Co-Planning, Conferences, and Shared Curriculum
• 11:30AM Lunch
• 12:30PM Meetings
• Co-Planning Team Meetings - with ILT Leads
• MS Team Meeting - with Phillan - Rm B49
• 8-12 Advisors & Counselors Meeting (Room 303) - with Jen & Kiri
• Learning Lab Teachers (Room 305) with Annie
• 2:00PM [Teachers & Paras] Classroom Setup
• 3:20PM Days Ends

    Wednesday, 06SEP23:  Day One

• 8:30AM [ALL Staff] Introductions and Connections
• 9:00AM [ALL Staff] Principal's Opening Address
• 9:15AM [Teachers & Paras] Instructional Excellence - Danielson & CLASS
• 10:15AM Break
• 10:30AM [Teachers & Paras] SyncGrades & Grading at UAI
• 11:30AM Break
• 11:45AM [ALL Staff] Nuts & Bolts and First Days Logistics Review
• 12:15PM Lunch Provided by UAI (from Sophie's Cuban)
• 1:00PM Meetings
• Co-Planning Team Meetings
• Math (All Alg 1 teachers) Team Meeting - with Supt. Fred Walsh - Rm 403
• 2:00PM [Teachers & Paras] Classroom Setup
• 3:20PM Days Ends

UAI Schedule.  There were some changed made to the UAI schedule to accommodate for balancing sections and meeting SPED and ENL service requirements.  Please review your schedule again.  What you see on this form may differ from what you see in SyncGrades.  If that is the case, email Kiri immediately.  That means there's an error somewhere and we need to catch it before the first day!  You'll also see Class Lists.  Take these with a grain of salt. There is much shifting in the first week of school.  So, please allow for that.  

Classroom Setup.  Many thanks to those who came in last week to set up classrooms!  We are getting it together!  As a reminder, please do NOT leave furniture in the hallway.  You can either bring it to the locker room across from 503 or you can complete this form for custodial removal if the furniture is too large for you to move on your own.

All classrooms have been set up with 28 desks and chairs.  Please be mindful that while your specific classes may not have 28 students, another class that uses that room may need all 28 seats.  So, please make sure that you are not removing desks unnecessarily.  

Classroom Set Up Guidelines

• Physical Classroom Set Up.  The physical learning environment is an active partner in how well your lessons land.  The physical learning environment should demonstrate our schools' core values so that our students can more readily experience and understand how those values permeate throughout our school and throughout their day.  You will be reimbursed up to $250 for anything you need for your classroom practice.  So, find ways, relative to your discipline, to highlight our core values
  
  
• Equity - Representation matters - Students should see and hear themselves and folks who look like them and share their experiences.  Make sure your classroom highlights these folks within your curriculum.  
  
  
• Power - Voice & Choice - Students' voice matter.  We are a school aimed at helping young women cultivate their voice and power.  How you arrange desks says A LOT.  Our mission is to amplify student power.  Desks should be structured for collaboration & discourse - our primary tools for growing student power to think, create, and analyze.
  
  
• Rigor - Challenge Minds - Students should be able to see examples of what they will learn this year.  Eventually, your walls will will with student work - either on active problem solving or final work products.  Until then, what can you put up to illustrate the high academic expectations you have for their learning this year.  

• Joy - Learning is Fun - Last but definitely MOST important.  We are all here to have fun doing what we do.  Let your creativity fly as you find ways to make your classroom feel warm, welcoming, and joyful!  

• Google Classroom Set Up.  This year, the DOE is really wanting us to migrate to their domain.  Well... for some of us - that's asking to move like 18 years worth of work...and they say that we are only allowed to move things over 1 file at a time.   So... we will begin the migration, and it will probably take the year to complete.  So, here's the plan.

• Create a 2023-2024 Folder and an Everything Else (archive folder).  All staff should create a 2023-2024 Folder in their UAI Google drive.  Everything you do this year should be created in and/or moved in to this folder.  This will allow you to cull your documents from the things that you actively use (and will thus have to migrate). For the things that are not so frequently used, create an archive folder.  This will essentially separate your drive into two folders - what you're using (2023-2024 Folder), and what you're archiving (Archive Folder)
  
  Your 2023-2024 Google Classrooms should be created in (or copied to) the 2023-2024 Folder.  This year we will be using SyncGrades which communicates with your Google Classroom Gradebook (more on that later).  Please coordinate with your co-teachers to see who is going to what for the Google Classroom set up.  
  
  There are a million different ways to organize your google classroom.  Simply google "How should I organize my google classroom" to see more!!  The most important thing is that you are strategic in your organization.  Think about the whole year and how you would want your classroom to look when the year completes.  Things that are helpful for you and your students

• Get inspired. Take a tour through other folks' Google Classrooms.  Get inspired by what other folks have done (or what you've done in the past!).  Make a copy of the classrooms that you want to emulate, and begin your build from there.

• Give your Assignments and Numbering Nomenclature.  For example, the 3rd progress assignment from unit 5 might start with "5.3P"(Unit 5, Assignment 3, P for Progress) and be called "5.P3_ Right Triangles Practice 2".  The 2nd performance assessment task from unit 5 might be called "5.A2_Right Triangles Quiz".  This will help you and your students more readily find and reference Assignments and Assessments.
  
  
• Create a Resources Topic & Keep it at the Top of Classwork Page.  For things that you use all the time throughout the year (e.g. Earth Science Reference Tables, ELA or SOC Essay Rubrics, Links to background skill builds (e.g. iReady) or curriculum (e.g. HMH online curriculum), create a Resource Topic and pin that to the top of your Classwork page.
  
  
• Be intentional about your notifications.  Your class is one of 7-8 classes that each student has.  That can be a lot of messages which overwhelm students.  As you set up assignments and use your stream, think about how you are notifying students.  Be strategic.

First Days of School and New School Structures.  Students and families will receive this opening email along with links to SyncGrades for returning students to login.  Students will be able to see their programs in SyncGrades OR into their NYCSA accounts to see their programs.

• Thursday, 07SEP23
• Middle School
• All 6th grade students will be directed to B49 for Breakfast and 1st Period.  
• All 7th grade students will be directed to B53 for Breakfast and 1st Period.
• Advisors will distribute programs and welcome students during 1st period.
• All students will follow normal programs beginning 2nd period.

• 8th/9th (Lower High School)
• All students will be brought to the Gym where we will orient students and distribute programs.  All teachers who teach 8/9th graders 1st period on Thursday should report to the Gym.  Once orientation and program distribution is complete, student will resume normal program (no later than the start of 2nd period).
  
  
• 10th-12th (Upper High School)
• All students will report to their 1st period teachers to receive their programs.  There will be lists of where to go for 1st period posted in the cafeteria.  1st Period Teachers will distribute programs to students.
  
  
• Friday 08SEP23 will be a normal program, but as we manage new admits and kids who are new to UAI, there will likely be lateness to class and changes in rosters.  Your patience is much appreciated as we work to settle kids in. 

• Your first two days should definitely focus on building relationships AND launching into course content.  Joy doesn't come at the expense of Rigor or Power or Equity.  So please make sure to plan intellectually engaging AND fun activities that spark the joy of learning with peers.  
  
  
• As you look ahead to planning out the year, please check out the UAI Calendar (at the bottom of this blog post) to see important dates.  As a reminder, all teachers of the same course are expected to use the same final banchmark assessments which will be given and analyzed at the end of each marking period.  Please see the calendar for those dates.

[Repost] Staff Handbook and School Schedule.  Please make the time to read through the staff handbook and review your schedule.  All staff are expected to read through and sign off on the staff handbook by the Tuesday, 05SEP23.  Also, please review the 2023-2024 UAI School Schedule.  We are still balancing sections and finalizing the schedule this week, so you can expect class lists next week. But you should certainly review the program carefully, looking at your own and student programs (and room programs) to make sure there aren't any mistakes.  We've certainly combed through it a lot, but it never hurts to have more eyes!

Per Session Postings

For ALL per session activities, please complete Per Session Application Form"

Classroom SetUp.  All classroom staff are invited to come in to set up and plan for up to 10 hours all together any day this week Monday-Friday 9AM-2PM.  Staff must clock in AND out each day, and cannot be in the building after 2PM.  Please adhere to guidelines set out in the blog post above.  All Staff MUST also apply to this position by completing the "Per Session Application From" - see link above.  [Posted 27AUG23].