Monday, January 1, 2024

Week of January 2nd

UAI Staff News

Volume XI
Issue 19
January 2nd, 2024



Happy New Year.   Welcome back everyone, and a very happy new year to all!  I do hope this holiday break has been filled with fun, food, relaxation and connections with family and friends.  Our jobs can be so draining, so these breaks are critical to our capacity to fill our own pots so that we have the resources to give & provide for our students and families!

To that end, as we walk back into school this week, we only have a few weeks left in the 2nd marking period.  As an annualized school, our HS students don't receive their full course credits until June.  However, as a reminder of UAI grading policy, students who are passing as of the end of the Fall term will have earned at least 1/2 of their full years' credits.  So, now is the time to push and support our students to prepare for their course benchmarks and to catch up in work they may have missed.

As we near the end of this fall terms, we want our students to show us their best capacities!  Kids and families need our strongest support and clearest communications to get there so outreach and extra help and targeted interventions are super important as we wrap up the fall.

Thank you to all who updated MP2 Interventions document!  This will be extremely helpful moving forward to the end of the term.  Students who are not yet meeting our schoolwide goal of getting >75 in your classes will need extra help and attention both in classes and after school.  Calling home to update families will be critical in making sure that everyone is circling the wagons around our students who need the most so that they can find their own power to thrive!

Please remember - when students are not yet performing it is because they haven't figured out how YET.  Our job is to give them the experiences and support they need in order to be able to achieve the goals they want - and to develop into the best versions of themselves!  

We hold high standards (rigor) so they can achieve (power) to be able to effect positive change on the world (equity), all the while knowing we are there to support where needed and that they are loved (joy).  This is what we do at UAI. This is who we are!


Important Upcoming dates

  • Wednesday, 03JAN24 - Elevate Visits Learning Labs
  • Thursday, 04JAN24 - Instructional Rounds Day for Group 3 (w/ Kelly & Phillan)
  • Wednesday, 10JAN24 - Instructional Rounds Day for Group 4 (w/ Marsha)
  • Monday, 15JAN24 - MLK Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL
  • Tuesday, 16JAN24 - Benchmarks Begin (see below)
  • Wednesday, 17JAN24 - Adams Street Campus Varsity Girls Basketball Home Game
  • Friday, 19JAN24 - Adams Street Campus Varsity Girls Basketball Home Game
  • Tuesday, 23JAN24 - Regents Week Begins

    • January Benchmark Schedule
      • For Grades 8-12:  2nd AND 3rd period Regents Mock
        • Wed 17JAN23 ELA Regents
        • Thu 18JAN23 USH or GLO Regents
        • Fri 19JAN23 LIV or EARTH Regents
        • Mon 22JAN23 ALG 1 Regent
        • All other classes should give their end of MP2 benchmark at some point during the week of Tue 16JAN- Mon 22JAN - any period EXCEPT 2nd and 3rd.
      • For Grades 6 & 7th graders:
        • 2nd & 3rd will be benchmark periods - lunch will be moved to 4th
        • Tuesday 23JAN will be the ELA benchmark
        • Wednesday 24JAN will be the Math benchmark
      • All staff will have grading time build into their Regents Week Schedules.

    • Please Prepare your students for these benchmarks
      • They should be seeing spiral review of MP1 and MP2 topics throughout all of MP2
      • They should have practice with Benchmark questions for BOTH content and literacy
      • You should schedule some type of practice benchmark prior to the actual benchmark so students have an idea of what to study.  This could be in any form you choose - but you need to provide it for them.  Please see your ILT lead or Kiri or Annie if you need more support on this



Announcements & To Dos

Preparing for the End of the Semester.  

Benchmarks.  As you prepare students for the final summative Benchmarks, you need to make sure you are giving them a chance to see how they would do on the big test PRIOR to the big test (a trial run).  For example, students should do a practice test that they can then grade themselves (or exchange to grade) to see which topics for which they are ready to demonstrate competency and to understand which topics need more review, study and preparation prior to the benchmark.  Please make sure you are backwards planning from the benchmark to provide students with this type of learning opportunity.

Intervention & support.  Please continue to provide and monitor impact of your MP2 Interventions.  By the EOD on Friday 12JAN24, please update the document with the current grade of your students.  NOTE:  Students who have grades <75 will be scheduled to come in to meet with you during regents week to get extra help and complete necessary work to develop their competencies in your course and merit a grade of >75.   We all will be using the information in the MP2 Interventions to discuss regents week programming with students.

 

RPET Work.  RPET will release our PD calendar for the year this week to review plans for teach ins and other activities and professional development.  Stay tuned!


Regents Week Assignments.  We are finishing Regents Week Programming this week.  You can see which exams students are currently signed up for HERE.  This is the list of only required tests.  If students want to retake a test, have them email me and Liza to sign up for the exam.  If a student is listed as taking an exam, they are requried to show up.  It is not optional.   If they have questions, please send them to me or Liza.




Preps, Professional, and OPW Time.  As a reminder:
  • Prep Time, Professional Periods, and Other Professional Work Time is time programmed into the work week for professional activities.  This includes small group work (tutoring or intervention), grading and feedback, planning, lesson run-throughs, and lesson prep (copying, etc.).  

  • Family outreach during your prep or Advisory Prep time is part of your in-day schedule and not part of your 55 minute outreach time.  The 55 minute family outreach time should occur after the school day ends.


Trips

    • None this week.



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.

Please continue to help promote your after school clubs.  Please make sure you are getting a reliable group of at least 10 students.  Help our after school classes get off the ground! - I will be collecting final rosters on 30NOV - you have additional time to recruit!!
  • Black Student Union - Joanna & Pauline (Rm 411) - Tuesdays & Thursdays 3-4:30
  • Arts & Crafts Club - Tiffany & Jennifer (Rm 311) - Mon/Tue/Weds - 3-4:15PM
  • Theater Production Club - Noelle (Rm 315) - Tues/Thurs/Fri - 3-5:30PM
  • Student Government - Sue, Marsha, Phillan, and Girls' Inc's Kassi (Rm 309) - Tuesdays - 3-4PM
  • Youth Leadership Council - Kelly  (Rm 307) - Tuesdays 3-4PM
  • Photo Club - Tom(Rm 205F) - Wednesdays 3-4:30
  • Cheer - Mary & Lia - Various days depending on Game Days
  • Anime & Art Club - Adelle & Francis (Rm 409) - Tuesdays & Thursdays 3-5PM
  • Running Club with Camryn (starts after the marathon is over)
  • Dance Club - Girls Inc - Room 503
  • Students Against Racism & Bias Club - Jelissa (Rm 305) Tuesdays & Thursday 3-4PM
  • Muslim Student Association - Laura (Rm 404) TBD
  • GSA Club - Amanda - Rm 407


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.


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