Sunday, October 6, 2024

Week of October 7th

UAI Staff News

Volume XII

Issue 6

October 7th, 2024

Settling into STEM. Curiosity, Problem Solving, and Innovation - these are the key mindsets that we need to settle into as we dig deeper into October. First, let's celebrate what HAS been going well!

From my observations & classroom visits thus far, I can easily see that each of you are working hard to establish a strong emotionally supportive learning environment.

Across classrooms, I see and hear students smiling and laughing, and actively asking questions and helping peers. Many thanks to all of our teachers & paraprofessionals for setting the tone with strong Positive Climates in our classrooms.
Classroom staff are also working hard to cultivate their skills around Teacher Sensitivity andB checking in with students to pick up on cues as their needs & interests throughout the classroom period. I seen multiple teachers and paras move intention to help specific students get into tasks and check in frequently to support their progress as they worked through activities.
Particularly impressive is the consistency with which all classroom staff create opportunities for students to meaningfully discuss their learnings and questions. Discourse is a crucial strategy for girls to build their confidence and deepen understanding, particularly in STEM. Providing these opportunities and being responsive to student voices shows an amazing strides in our collective efforts to cultivate Regard for Adolescent Perspectives.

And still, there are still kids with struggles. There are still those students who persist in struggling through the activities and lessons. They are kids who are new English learners, kids who learn differently and have individualized education plans, and kids who may be struggling with attendance due to issues outside of the classroom. There may be kids who struggle in your class who don't fit any of these!

Now is the time to dive into your own STEM thinking.

Be curious about the kids who puzzle you the most. Talk with them, look at their work. Make sure you are getting the entire picture. Along side the list of the things they are not currently doing well, make sure you are illustrating an equally long list of the things in which they are showing competency. None of us are only a list of failures. Be disciplined and curious to push your perspective and uncover an equally robust list of your students' successes. Curiosity leads to JOY!
From there, dive into problem solving. Use the tools, knowledge and skills you have. You have many!! Think about the hurdles that are getting in the way for your students, and lean into your experience, skills, and pedagogical education to come up with some ideas to try. Cultivate these ideas with your planning partners and teams, and develop an array of strategies and approaches to try with your students to lower/remove those hurdles and to grow their independence and access to lessons and activities. Be rigorous in your thinking. Remember that you're not removing the challenge. You want students to productively struggle.
Then, try it! Innovation & application are the key pieces of STEM thinking. You need to try out your ideas in classes. Include the students in your efforts. Talk with them about your observations and what you're thinking about trying to help them be successful. Including them as collaborators is powerful and equitable.

The greatest thing about STEM thinking is that every success is a party and every failure is simply an invitation to try again. You may not come up with strategies or approaches that succeed right away. However, that's simply a sign that you haven't found the right strategy YET.

So, this month - step into the shoes of the kids who struggle the most in your classes, and look back at your lessons & activities through their eyes. Reach into your rich toolbox and dray on your experience to find ideas that can increase access to the challenge and help them overcome the hurdles that are in the way of learning.

Remember - the only way our students with the biggest challenges can reach the goal of >80 in your class is if we find and use interventions that help them succeed, and ultimately succeed on their own!

Important Upcoming Dates

MON- 07OCT - 1st PTA Dinner at UAI 6PM - Farm
TUE - 08OCT - UA Visit from Centerbridge
WED- 09OCT - Suffs Musical on Broadway
WED- 09OCT - Bridge The Gap Event @3PM - Tillary Park
THU- 10OCT - Latin Dance Party @3PM - Cafeteria
MON - 14OCT - Indigenous Peoples/Italian American Heritage Day
MON 28OCT-MON 04OCT - 1st Benchmark (in Subject Classes - no special schedule)
FRI 01NOV - Diwali - NO SCHOOL
MON 04NOV - End of Marking Period 1
TUE 05NOV - Remote PD Day (Election Day) - No Classes

Announcements & To Dos

Staff Shout Outs. If you haven't yet taken a good look at the Behavior Log, you need to do so now! In the last 20 days of school, the students support team (our Deans and Counselors) have conducted over 225 counseling and behavior interventions with our students. As a result of their proactive and responsive efforts in combination with the work of our classroom staff, we've had one of the smoothest starts to the year, ever AND their team has decreased by two this year. Many, many thanks to Tiffany, Jennifer, Jen, Jean, and Nicole (and Alaisha for the couple of days she was here before her bambino appeared!). Your work often occurs in long talks with kids and families in offices, and the nature is just less public. However, it doesn't mean that the work doesn't have equally big impact for our students and families. THANK YOU!!!

Also a special shout out to Tom W & Jordan (AMNH Resident). I had the lovely opportunity to watch them working together in Earth Science last week. Most impressive was their circulation around the classroom as students engaged in a computer-simulation of how elements are created with the gravity present in stars. Their circulation was intentional - moving to kids who needed the most help first, and specific - asking enough questions to assess student thinking but not giving away too much so students had to work out what was happening on their own. Nicely done!

Monday PD. Monday staff PD will be aimed at supporting our work in finding ways to intervene and support our learners with the biggest learning hurdles. Judy & Phillan will be leading us in launching our case study work around Students with IEPs and finding ways to move them from stuck to productively struggling!

Support Brooklyn PTAs. This is a special post from Mike (6/7th Grade ELA) -

Want to support Brooklyn public school PTAs? Want to enjoy the beautiful fall weather with a fun run / walk around Prospect Park? Sign up for this year's Brooklyn PTA Fun Run for Schools, and join team UAI when you do! The race will take place on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 10 AM. Bib pickup and pre-race activities will begin at 9:00 AM. The race is a ~5k (3.3 mile) lap of Prospect Park, and is very family friendly, with lots of kids participating. Use this link to join UAI's team, and check out the race page for more info. I'll be running, and hope I can see lots of you there! - Mike

Bridging the Gap 2. This is a post from Kelly

The Adams Street Youth Leadership Council (YLC) started a Bridging the Gap Initiative last spring to build relationships between youth and police in order to decreased biased-based violence in downtown Brooklyn. They noted a 54% increase in student feelings of safety around law enforcement after the event last year so are hosting it again.

PLEASE promote this in your classes - there will be free bbq food, a DJ, field day games, and prizes for participation. The students have worked SO HARD on this initiative and spent all of their prize money to host it again. PLEASE help us get a strong student turnout by encouraging your students to attend. Bring your Wednesday CLUBS to the event!

If you have connects at other schools in downtown BK - feel free to share this or send me their contact info. The more the merrier! I attached the flyer AND a promotional video the kids made last year.The Youth Leadership Council is holding their second Bridging the Gap event in Tillary Park this Wednesday.

Clubs Launch. UAI Clubs launch officially on Monday, 07OCT24. Some may have already started an that's OK! Please take a look at the UAI Clubs and please help us promote them with your students. Announce them in class, push kids to get involved - emphasize the importance of extracurriculars and activities OUTSIDE of the classroom. Colleges & jobs look to see what activities kids are in to evaluate them as potential candidates for their university or business. Yes, they get this info from the counselors AND yes, we all need to put this on repeat so that it sinks in to their brains! Here's what you can do

Print this out and hang it on your classroom door: UAI Clubs

Please let Jen know if your club is missing

Make an announcement at the start of each class this week to promote the launch of clubs.

Clubs are great resume builders for jobs and college - remind kids of that!

Highlight how awesome the club teachers are and that this is a great chance to learn more about them in a new way!

Club Attendance & Per Session. Please remember to clock out for clubs that end after school, and to clock in for clubs that begin before school. Lunch clubs are prep-period coverage (not per session). Please remember to take attendance on the Club Attendance Form. You need this completed prior to having your per session approved. We are aiming for all clubs to have at least 10 kids, so please try actively to recruit. If there is fewer than 10, don't stress for now, but clubs that end up having fewer than 3 students will likely not be continued for the spring.

Outreach. This week, please make sure you are fulfilling your contractual obligation around the weekly 55min of family engagements. All activities for remote outreach must be recorded in the outreach log, and these activities include:

Meetings (individual or group) with parents or guardians (this can also be IEP meetings)
Telephone conversations with parents/guardians
Written correspondence with parents or guardians (emails, texts, newsletters)
Creating Newsletters
Creating content for school/class websites (e.g. google classrooms)
Preparing student report cards
Preparing student progress reports
Meetings with parents of English language learners
Preparing for parent engagement activities (e.g. curriculum night, conferences, etc)
Other mutually agreed-upon items

THIS WEEK - Please outreach to homes of kids who are meeting or exceeding the goal! For kids who have >80 in your class thus far, call, email, or text home a note of congratulations. Make sure to include 1-2 concrete things that the kids are doing well (e.g. their understanding of the content, ability to freely ask questions, actively seeks support, helps peers - which deepens their understanding, etc). Families love to be proud of their kids and kids love making their families proud. Sharing the good news spreads joy for both you and the families AND signals to the kids that it is WORTH it to work hard and keep trying!

Per Session Postings

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

Classroom SetUp and Planning. 12 hours total. All Classroom Staff (Teachers & Paras) are eligible. Tue 27-29Aug .

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Week of September 30th

UAI Staff News

Volume XII

Issue 5

September 30th, 2024

Getting Ready for the First Round of Observations. I began the first round of observations on Friday! It was a real joy to visit classrooms and see the kids in their elements on Friday!!

I do know observation evaluation can be stressful, but there are many supports available to you to be at your best for my visit. Judy's CLASS PD is also a good reference for how to think about video in supporting your growing practice. The CLASS Menu of Options goes into depth on this support, but here's some highlights:

One avenue of support is self-video! Watching your own teaching videos with the CLASS Dimension Guide is the first method you can use to observe how the Emotional Support Domain is developing in your practice and then to experiment with different strategies to grow your practice.
Another way is to ask a colleague (ILT lead or peer) to observe you (or if you don't have schedules that allow for this, you can ask them to watch a video of your class). Sometimes someone else's eyes are better at seeing where growth works best.
One of the most impactful ways of assessing your practice is really looking at student work. Instead of focusing on what students DIDN'T get (which is what we all naturally do), look for what the students DID do well. Then ask yourself - why did those things go right? What did you do to make that piece of learning impactful?

As we wrap up the first month of school, it's important to take stock of the wins and to note and interrogate the places where we can be stronger. Fully understanding what went well and how will help us close the gaps in other places. So make time in your prep and planning to reflect and tweak practice to end the first MP strongly!

Important Upcoming Dates

THU 03OCT - FRI 04OCT - Rosh Hashanah - NO SCHOOL
MON/TUE 30SEP-01OCT - MAP ELA and Math Testing (in Math & ELA Classes)
MON - 14OCT - Indigenous Peoples/Italian American Heritage Day
MON 28OCT-MON 04OCT - 1st Benchmark (in Subject Classes - no special schedule)
FRI 01NOV - Diwali - NO SCHOOL
MON 04NOV - End of Marking Period 1
TUE 05NOV - Remote PD Day (Election Day) - No Classes

Announcements & To Dos

Staff Shout Outs. I had such a wonderful time connecting with everyone in our IPCs and beginning my first cycle of observations! I got to see some wonderful practices in classes. In math classes, both Amanda and Denyda & Freida were exploring rigid transformations with their students. For the high schoolers in Amanda's class, students were manipulating shapes on a coordinate plane, making note of what changed, what didn't in the particular transformation. For Denyda & Freida's students, they were exploring how transformations worked, figuring out how to translate a set of parallel lines.

Denyda, Amanda, & Freida all have done great work to establish strong Positive Learning Climates. Kids in both classes were smiling, and actively working to help one another move through the activities. Their peer interactions were meaningful! For example, Amanda's class, students asked one another about they types of symmetry various shapes had and what that mean for a reflection vs. a rotation. In both classes, Teacher Sensitivity was excellent! For example, in Freida & Denyda's 7th grade math, they both circulated frequently, often bee-lining to students who were new ENL learners (like Rihanna) and others who need a little boost in just getting started (like lovely Meena!)

As a result, students engagement in both classrooms was high and because kids' mental activity was largely focused on the task, learning was optimal in their rooms that day! Nicely done!!!

Monday PD. Monday staff PD will be dedicated time for folks to get their Pacing Guides up to date. All lessons should be linked in the pacing guide, and all guides should be shared with your ILT lead and/or with Kiri. Your Pacing Guides should be up to date when I come visit your classrooms. I will go into the Pacing Guides to find the lesson plans as I move through classroom observations.

Tech Requests for Support: In order to streamline support for the full building and ensure all staff receive what they need, Jason will no longer fulfill tech requests that are not uploaded into this form. Jason will post the QR code to the form on all doors, on all floors to make sure you have easy access. Please do not text, call, or email Jason with requests - this makes the tracking of his work very challenging; he has been directed to only use form submissions when prioritizing his work.

Per Session Postings

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

Classroom SetUp and Planning. 12 hours total. All Classroom Staff (Teachers & Paras) are eligible. Tue 27-29Aug .

Sunday, September 22, 2024

Week of September 23rd

UAI Staff News

Volume XII

Issue 4

September 23rd, 2024

Mindsets, Patterns and Habits. This week is our last full week of September. This is the time that we firm up classroom routines and habits that support students learning and achievement, AND it is the time to challenge our own assumptions to make sure we are disrupting any mindsets or biases that may be inhibiting student growth.

RIGOR & POWER [& Teacher Sensitivity]. Ultimately, we need our students to be able to read independently and tackle complex tasks on their own. What they can do on their own today must be a stepping stone to where they need to be tomorrow. Thus, scaffolds, expectations, and support that you give them today MUST necessarily decrease on a timeline that gets them to June with the skills and knowledge they need to have.

Challenge your assumptions - Do you think the task is too hard or that the students require more support ... Pause your thinking [Disrupt a pattern]...What did you do yesterday or the day before or last week to support them? Is what you're doing today LESS? If not, why not? If not, how can you make it less so that your students remain on the path to enduring independence?
EQUITY & JOY [Positive Climate]. It's time to do a quick reflection on your classes. Are the lessons and activities you're executing providing ample places for thinking, discourse, and fun? BTW - when I say fun ... there is fun social fun (and that's not what I'm talking about) and then there is fun academic fun (and that's what I'm talking about!). Are kids having the experience of feeling smart in your class? Have they productively struggled through a task or challenge and arrived at the other end proud of their work and having attained new thinking? Kids should have

Rich tasks
Lots of opportunities to consider multiple perspectives (other kids' ideas, other ways of seeing a situation, other sources of information)
Ways to find and get the help they need (from peers, supports, teachers)
Ways to independently check their learning (rubrics, answers keys, peers)
Pathways for extra help (extra work, learning lab small groups, study hall, etc.)

Revisit & Amplify Your Routines. What instructional routines are in place to make sure these opportunities persist and students are becoming accustomed to thinking in your classroom? What routines and habits exist such that students are in a safe, well-cared for learning environment and are supported in taking the intellectual risks. Check out Rhonda Bondie's Agile Teacher Lab for more on instructional routines. Rhonda worked with the Urban Assembly ages ago to support instruction in UA schools. She went to teach at Harvard School of Education where she did a lot of work with Project Zero. I'm thrilled that she is now back in NYC at Hunter College. She is absolutely brilliant! Look to her work for instructional and classroom management support in promoting a positive climate in your classroom!

CURIOSITY, PROBLEM SOLVING, INNOVATION [STEM]. It's also time to take stock of STEM thinking. For this check in, look inward. By now, you have encountered some student dilemmas...kids are late to class/school (or absent from your class), kids are falling behind in their work, colleague communication may not be perfect...

Challenge your assumptions - Disrupt your usual thinkings with Curiosity. Try wondering what else the issues could be (as opposed to your first instincts - which may be correct...but also may not be...)? How many different ways can you come up with to solve the problem? Which one of those ways would be the most effective? Which one of those ideas is within your locus of control? (those two may also be different- start within your own locus of control, first - what you can do and do well is most empowering). Finally, when you do arrive at a solution that works - share your innovation with your peers. It may be obvious to you - but to another it could be a new and brilliant idea!

You are all scientists - any challenge or problem that arises - science the shizzles out of it, and come up with solutions and approaches that make our school better for all!

Important Upcoming Dates

THU 26SEP24 - IN PERSON Curriculum Night 5-8PM
THU 03OCT - FRI 04OCT - Rosh Hashanah - NO SCHOOL
30SEP-01OCT - MAP ELA and Math Testing (in Math & ELA Classes)
MON - 14OCT - Indigenous Peoples/Italian American Heritage Day
MON 28OCT-MON 04OCT - 1st Benchmark (in Subject Classes - no special schedule)
FRI 01NOV - Diwali - NO SCHOOL
MON 04NOV - End of Marking Period 1
TUE 05NOV - Remote PD Day (Election Day) - No Classes

Announcements & To Dos

Staff Shout Outs. Today, I want to say, many, many thanks to those folks who go above and beyond their regularly scheduled and contracted day to help make our school incredible and help make our kids' experiences the absolute best. Your actions really do make a huge differences when we are all working to make things better. Certainly, UAI has much work to do! It's one thing to stand back and point at the problems. It's another to give your time and energy to step up and do something that makes a difference. Thank you to all that are stepping up (and if you haven't yet, there's still time to join!!)

Clubs

Theater Club - Noelle
Double Dutch & Dance - Denyda
Running Club - Mike (MS) (Camryn - can't wait until you come of the DL!)
STEAM Clubs - Liza (HS); Sarah R (MS)
Cheer - Mary
GSA - Freida
National Honor Society - Amanda
Green Teams - Tom
Farm to Table - Phillan & Sarah R
Photography - Tom
Student Government - Marsha
Youth Leadership Council - Kelly

Committees

School Culture. Thank you Shan for Taking the Lead! Thank you also to Marsha, Yasmeen, Elena, Denyda, Patricia, Patti, Fatima, and Phillan for stepping up to join!
School Equity Team. Thank you Sue & Kelly for Taking the steps to get the team up and running. Thank you to Elena & Crystal for joining. We're still looking for folks to join this really important work. There are still open positions so please fill out THIS FORM to join us for our first meeting on Tuesday, September 24th at 3pm. Room tbd!
UAI Staff Sunshine. Thank you Jasmine and Amanda for stepping up!! We're still looking for more folks and for someone to take lead in finding ways to keep up our staff morale through the year!
UAI Student Recruitment. Thank you Jen for taking the Lead. Thank you Judy, Mary, Mike, Juelle, Tiffany, Sarah R, Freida, and Shan for pitching in to help!

Unsung Heroes In addition to the folks above who are stepping in to go above and beyond the call of duty, I also want to shout out some of the folks whose work in the background often leaves them out of the spotlight. As a school, the spotlight is always going to be on the classroom and the kids, but without the efforts of the folks outside of the classrooms spaces, our classrooms & our kids wouldn't be as successful as they are!

Counselors. Our counselors have been logging in hours to connect with our families and also learn new skills. Tiffany has been working hard to fast track her College Counseling know how to b ready to support the Class of 2025. JJR has been working furiously to resolve and smooth out the final programming bumps and glitches - and both them are now shouldering larger counseling caseloads now that our guidance department is half the size!
Deans. Now that Alaisha is on leave, Jean & Nicole are working to cover! They are working hard to be everywhere when needed, and they are reaching out after school to connect with families to quickly resolve issues and ensure that our students adjust well to the expectations of the new year!
Secretary. Paula has already accomplished so much from behind the scenes. Orders are moving quickly, and so many other background logistics (permits, payroll, etc.) is moving along swimmingly because of her attention to detail and wonderful follow through and follow up. Paula's addition to the main office support team has been truly magnificent!
Transportation Team. Janiya & Tracey executed miracle steps to make sure our kids were getting to and from school safely. This year, that was no small feat. There was a whole new system of metro cards and with that came the usual fog of confusion from the DOE - Tracy was the lighthouse in that storm and pulled us all through! Janiya's bussing load basically tripled this year and we had our fair share of hiccups at the beginning.

ILT & Admin Team: Phillan, Judy, Liza, Marsha, Phillan - Thank you for your leadership and support for all of our instructional team! Also many thanks to Annie and Jen who are constantly ON to be there for you and our students any time and for any reason that is needed!

Monday PD. Monday staff PD will start promptly at 3:30PM in the farm. Mary will hold office hours for our Special Ed teachers needing support in preparing IEPs. We will be reviewing the schedule and expectations for Curriculum Night and giving you time to prepare during Monday's PD.

IPCs. IPCs are beginning. All invites have been sent out. I know it's coming to you as a block of time, but each meeting will only be 15MIN max. I'm still trying to figure out the ins and outs of this calendar. So bear with me as I ramp up that learning. Judy's CLASS PD from our Opening PD is a good refresher to prep for the meeting.

Agenda

2Min - Reflection of the Year So Far -
How's it going with The Emotional Support Domain - Glows and Grows
3Min- Selecting a Level of Coaching Support
5Min - open discussison & Q & A

Folks can expect for the first round of formal observations to start at the end of next week. Everyone will have their first observation by October 18th, with a 2nd round (for those who need 2 in the fall) completed before Xmas break. (At least that's the goal!!)

Tech Requests for Support:

In order to streamline support for the full building and ensure all staff receive what they need, Jason will no longer fulfill tech requests that are not uploaded into this form. Jason will post the QR code to the form on all doors, on all floors to make sure you have easy access. Please do not text, call, or email Jason with requests - this makes the tracking of his work very challenging; he has been directed to only use form submissions when prioritizing his work.

Per Session Postings

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

Classroom SetUp and Planning. 12 hours total. All Classroom Staff (Teachers & Paras) are eligible. Tue 27-29Aug .

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Week of September 16th

UAI Staff News

Volume XII

Issue 3

September 16th, 2024

Setting the Right Conditions. Many thanks to the ILT and all the folks who were able to join last Friday's celebration of back to school! Many thank to Shan and the school culture committee for pushing the School Spirit and getting UAI gear to everyone! We are setting the ground for strong community ties in our adult community, and I look forward to those bonds continuing to deepen and grow as we work through the year!

Similarly, we are also setting conditions within classrooms in these precious early weeks of school. The seeds you sew now will be much appreciated by your future self and your future students if done well!

Use CLASS Domain Guide to help you. Take stock this week to see how things are going

Positive Climate (Elevate JOY) - How many kids are smiling throughout class? If lots - what are you doing to make that happen? If not so much - what can you change to make more joy? Stuck with figuring out ideas - then ASK (ask your co-teacher, your ILT lead, a colleague, or Kiri!)
Teacher Sensitivity (Center RIGOR & EQUITY) - How often are your students taking risks? How often are they raising their hands to contribute, asking good questions, and being brave enough to be wrong? If lots- nice job!! Take note of what you're doing and share with colleagues. If not so much, think about how you're showing kids it's safe to take risks. Use video to see how kids interact with you!
Regard for Adolescent Perspectives (Grow their POWER). To what extent are you following students' ideas/leads? How often are you finding a good idea from your student and using that idea to further the lesson? 1 or 2 times a lesson?? Can you push that to be 2-4 (or MORE) times per lesson?
And never forget....Love, Live and Breathe the STEM. Curiosity..Problem Solving...and Innovation - STEM Thinking needs to be everything, everywhere, and all at once (love that movie). Where are you inviting students to be curious? What are you giving them to figure out? how many opportunities do they have to try out their learning in new ways or novel situations?

Having great ideas and implementing them are important. Checking in to see how they are working (or not) is equally as significant! Now that you've had a full week to plant the seeds, revisit your classroom practices and routines, and check in to see how well you are setting the conditions for a strong Emotional Support Domain.

This week, I'm going to start jumping into classrooms to visit and to meet with folks to begin our IPCs (initial planning conferences - see below). I look forward to seeing your work in this Domain and I look forward to connecting more with you and the kids!

I cannot promise informal feedback for everyone - there are many of you and only one of me. Also - I want you to begin to find multiple sources of feedback. You can rely on your ILT leads for feedback always. We are normed and aligned.

PLUS - You are in charge of setting the conditions for your own success. You each have the capacity to leverage tools like the CLASS Rubric and Video to improve your performance in the classroom! Video and personal reflection are key tools to successfully setting your own conditions for individual pedagogical growth!

Important Upcoming Dates

THU 26SEP24 - IN PERSON Curriculum Night 5-8PM

Announcements & To Dos

Monday PD. Monday staff PD begins in the Farm (205F) at 3:30PM. Please be respectful of the time and make sure you are on time. 2:50-3:30 is teacher work time and office hours. Please begin to wrap up by 3:25 so you have time to get to the farm by 3:30. Please sit in Subject Teams

NOTE: We will be making a decision about the Grading Software to use moving forward...AND we will be introducing IEP Meeting Structures moving forward and giving time for September/October PLOPS

Please complete this quick straw poll so that we can use the information to plan.

Classroom Visits and Meetings Start Next Week. This year, I'm taking over all core instruction (Math, Science, English, and Social Studies) supervision to give Annie the space on her plate to learn and develop her own capacity with school operations. Never fear -she'll back on the instructional supervision in no time! That said, there are a lot of you! So, observations will start the week after next (the week of the 23rd).

My visits are evaluative. It is the nature of the beast ...AND I want you all to be successful. The best way to do that is by getting frequent feedback. Please do NOT expect the feedback to solely come from me. We have an amazing staff with so many years of experience. We have the CLASS Rubrics and Danielson Rubrics - which are both highly quality sources of what to look for in strong teaching practice. I have tons of devices if you would like to video yourself and use that video to self reflect. The expectation is that you get feedback for your own practice prior to my evaluation.

For this first round of visits, I will be really looking at how well you are establishing a strong Emotional Support Domain (the CLASS Rubrics). So, you'll want to get good feedback from peers and your ILT folks in the next two weeks, prior to my visit! ILT and I have normed on CLASS together, so they definitely know how to support you the best.

FYI - The Emotional Support Domain ties closest to Danielson Domain 2, but other Danielson Domains (like planning & prep, 1d in particular, and learning experiences (3c - student engagement, in particular) are also key areas to make sure you are attending to as you prepare for this first round of observations. You can also use this Danielson Look Fors document to see what success criteria I am looking to see.

The goal is to complete everyone's first observation of the year by October 18th. Those who need a 2nd fall evaluation can expect that to happen sometime in Nov/Dec.

To get this party started, we need to have our initial planning conferences. Look for those invites to show up in your inboxes next week! These will be brief meetings (5-10min tops), and very focused on the CLASS emotional support domain. They are not the only meetings we will have this year - just the first! Things to be prepared to discuss:

Which of the 3 parts of the Emotional Support Domain is your strength - why?
Which is your Area in need of the most growth, and
What are you planning to do to work on it?

[REPOST] Committee Sign Up. We are looking for staff to sign up for various committees & teams to help UAI become even better. Please complete this FORM by this MONDAY 23SEP24

Here they are

School Culture Committee. This committee will be led by Shan (with Marsha being leadership support). The goal of this committee is to elevate student voice, create more opportunities for all students to have joyous & strong experiences in school, and for our UAI community and identify to deepen and strengthen as a whole. More details on the committee to follow during Monday PD. Per Session available for activities with students. Meeting time for planning and prep is limited to 1 hour per week.

Equity Team: As we begin a new school year at UAI, we're looking to continue and build our RPET (Restorative Practices Equity Team) and launch this year's equity work. Last year's RPET's mission:

The Restorative Practices Equity Team (RPET) is responsible for providing an inclusive, culturally aware, and equitable environment for all students/staff. Our mission is to educate our community on how we can foster an environment where different perspectives and cultures are accepted and respected despite differences.

Our three main objectives are:

Create structures and systems of support that empower our community to continue to become one where all stakeholders of all backgrounds feel that they belong and are valued.
Educate all students and staff about our diverse backgrounds and learn how to respect and accept all who are different from us
We will work actively towards becoming an anti-racist, fully inclusive, caring community that proactively builds community and education to reduce instances of all types of identity-based bias.

This year's focus is to be determined but the core of the work will be driven by the idea noted in the first sentence above: "...[being] responsible for providing an inclusive, culturally aware, and equitable environment for all students/staff." Equity work is hard work, but it's essential we challenge ourselves to commit to it not only for the students we teach, but for ourselves, our school community and the community at-large.

Per session is available to 1 hour per week for meeting and planning and for after/before school events

Recruitment Committee. This committee will support Jen in planning, executing, and following up on all recruitment activities for the Fall 2024 recruitment seasons. There are significant after school, weekend, and in-day time commitments as we are intensifying our work this year. You do not have to participate in all, but you do need to commit and follow through on some if you choose to join the committee. Jen will lead the committee with team support. Per session available for 1 hour a week meeting and for after/before school events.

Staff Sunshine Committee. This is strictly a volunteer committee - primarily because it can't be per sessionable without kids being the direct recipients. Unlike the other committees, this committee is really aimed about building camaraderie and community of the adults on staff, and while important, the DOE can't use tax dollars to do that....BUT it is important, and we do need more than just my or Annie's or Jen's brain thinking about how we uplift the well-being of our UAI grownups. Please join if you can!

Other Committee. If you have another idea for a committee, please do submit it! Just because it's not here doesn't mean that it's not important! Share your thinking. It may be a blindspot in our school, and we'll make it happen. (It's also possible that your identified need is being addressed in the work of another body - we'll let you know if that's the case too!)

[REPOST] After School or Lunch Time Clubs Sign Up. All staff are encouraged to offer lunch time and/or after school clubs for students. All clubs should be a confluence of teacher interest and student interest. Examples of clubs in the past have been: Guitar Club, Piano, Mural Painting, Running, Dungeons & Dragons, Photography, Youth Leadership Council, Gay Straight Alliance, Muslim American Club, Journaling, Journalism, National Honor Society, Spanish Club, STEM Club, and more!

If you have an interest that you think kids would be interested in, sign up to share!! Please sign up by MONDAY 23SEP24 All before and after school clubs are per sessionable (and max meet 3 hours per week). Clubs must have at least 10 students that attend regularly to remain active. Lunch time clubs will be eligible for coverage pay and staff must collect students from the cafeteria.

Per Session Postings

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

Classroom SetUp and Planning. 12 hours total. All Classroom Staff (Teachers & Paras) are eligible. Tue 27-29Aug .

Sunday, September 8, 2024

Week of September 9th

UAI Staff News

Volume XII

Issue 3

September 9th, 2024

Three & a Half Week Stretch! Congratulations on a super smooth and lovely launch to the school year. Your work to welcome back our students and to create warm and welcoming classrooms for our students was appreciated!! Here are some quotes (and actions) from the folks that matter the most:

Nia (Q.)- "I don't know what it is, Ms. Kiri, but this year feels really great! I usually dread waking up and coming to school, but today I was super excited to see my new friends and my teachers!!"
Layrab - "I have some five-star teachers this year - more than five star for some!! Make sure to tell them that!! They need to know"
In Amanda's class, Lucia was quintessential Lucia with her signature sass, AND she was working well with her own group (and the group next to her LOL) to share ideas on how make the numbers 1-20 using only the number 4 and any combination of operations.
When I asked Milan (C) how the summer Citizen Science experience was, she said "Meh..kinda boring" (because she is too cool for school) and when I followed up with "Would you do it again??" she nodded excitedly and said, "ABSOLUTELY!" (because she really did have fun).

I love our kids!!! They're amazing! Having them back made the first two days the absolute best! As we continue to ride the wave of a new year, make sure to note these moments for yourself! Appreciating the wins are key to sustaining our work and our energy throughout the year!

Looking ahead...we do have 3.5 weeks of uninterrupted instruction. How we set the tone now will be the foundation for our year ahead. Help our kids maintain this excitement and setting into routine by establishing strong patterns of consistency.

Names & Connections. Make sure to get everyone's names and make it a point to connect individually with each person by the end of this week (even if it's just a single question about their summer or their day). As the adults, your positive attention and connection means A LOT. Be generous with it this week!
Cell Phones & Focus. Coming off of the summer and unfettered access to their phones, kids are going to need constant reminders, and we are all going to feel like broken records - but that is what it will take to teach them how to develop the executive functioning it takes to accountably manage their attention in class.

Open each period with a 90 second countdown for students to get ready. Invite student to plug in phones at the front of class, or turn them off and put them inside their bags (not on their bodies). If they are wearing smart watches, ask them to put the watches on theater mode. This slide deck can help you explain why this is so important in class.
Remember - to check constantly THROUGHOUT the class period. Kids will need reminders. Remind them to put phones away. On the 2nd reminder, instruct them to plug it in at the front of class (or store at the front of class, if you do not yet have a charging station).

Engagement & Movement. THE BEST way to get kids to focus on class (and not their phones) is to get them moving and/or talking. Random groups, working while standing (vertical surfaces), and discussion are three strategies that you can easily use to stimulate student thinking and engagement in the lesson activities. If you feel that the energy is flagging in class - get them UP and moving and/or get them TALKING about something interesting.

This 3+ week stretch is how you will ground your class for the year. Focus on establishing strong emotional support in your classroom and with your students. Use the CLASS Domain Guide to help you. In particular, think about the moves you can make to establish routines and habits establish firm foundations and cultivate

Positive Climate (Elevate JOY) - Create mutual enthusiasm for learning in your classroom.
Teacher Sensitivity (Center RIGOR & EQUITY) - See your instruction through the eyes of your students. Take on their perspectives and make the adjustments necessary to make lessons more accessible AND challenging & more relevant AND reflective of who they are.
Regard for Adolescent Perspectives (Grow their POWER). Make space for and promote student independence and inquiry. Create and expect space for student ideas and integrate their thinking into the progress of the lesson (sharing student work, integrating student ideas into discussions, making space in the lesson for student voice and choice)
And never forget....Love, Live and Breathe the STEM. Remember to review your lesson (and your own dispositional thinking) to accentuate and create opportunities for STEM thinking - curiosity, problem solving, and innovation.

I recognize that these are big asks, but I also recognize that each of you were chosen to work at UAI because of your amazing talents! In the coming weeks, I do not expect perfection but I do expect you to show how you are committed to can continually improve.

Ask for student feedback. Ask for colleague feedback. Record your classes and watch the video for your own personal feedback (or feedback from a colleague, ILT lead, or supervisor (Kiri/Annie). Continually strive to take it to the next level - both because you can AND because our kiddos deserve your best!

Important Upcoming Dates

THU 26SEP24 - IN PERSON Curriculum Night 5-8PM

Announcements & To Dos

3:30 Kiri Welcome - Kiri welcomes and gives overview of the PD
3:35 School Culture Student Activities Committee. Shan will introduce the student activities committee to share some of the ideas she has on the docket for the year. Marsha will be her ILT support and together, they are looking to really step up student and UAI culture.
3:45 Intervention Work with New Visions. A resuming of our work from last week's PD to create the intervention groups for MP1
4:15 Google Classrooms and Sync Grades. Sync Grades is the online tool we use to track student PII and take period attendance. The goal is to have it up and running for Tuesday with staff trained on the basics (accessing classes and connecting Google Classrooms).

NOTE: I'm working on setting up SyncGrades AND New Visions accounts with DOE logins - this should all be ready to go by PD on Monday. So, please don't be concerned if it's not ready until then!

Committee Sign Up. We are looking for staff to sign up for various committees & teams to help UAI become even better. Please complete this FORM by this FRIDAY 13SEP24

Here they are

Equity Team: As we begin a new school year at UAI, we're looking to continue and build our RPET (Restorative Practices Equity Team) and launch this year's equity work. Last year's RPET's mission:

The Restorative Practices Equity Team (RPET) is responsible for providing an inclusive, culturally aware, and equitable environment for all students/staff. Our mission is to educate our community on how we can foster an environment where different perspectives and cultures are accepted and respected despite differences.

Our three main objectives are:

Create structures and systems of support that empower our community to continue to become one where all stakeholders of all backgrounds feel that they belong and are valued.
Educate all students and staff about our diverse backgrounds and learn how to respect and accept all who are different from us
We will work actively towards becoming an anti-racist, fully inclusive, caring community that proactively builds community and education to reduce instances of all types of identity-based bias.

This year's focus is to be determined but the core of the work will be driven by the idea noted in the first sentence above: "...[being] responsible for providing an inclusive, culturally aware, and equitable environment for all students/staff." Equity work is hard work, but it's essential we challenge ourselves to commit to it not only for the students we teach, but for ourselves, our school community and the community at-large.

Per session is available to 1 hour per week for meeting and planning and for after/before school events

Staff Social. To kickoff the adult community building, the ILT (Marsha, Phillan, Judy, Liza, and Kelly) are hosting our first social. A back to school Staff Social at the local Pub down the street from the school. All are invited to join at Randolph Brewery. Meet in front of the school for a group walkover at 3:15PM!!

After School or Lunch Time Clubs Sign Up. All staff are encouraged to offer lunch time and/or after school clubs for students. All clubs should be a confluence of teacher interest and student interest. Examples of clubs in the past have been: Guitar Club, Piano, Mural Painting, Running, Dungeons & Dragons, Photography, Youth Leadership Council, Gay Straight Alliance, Muslim American Club, Journaling, Journalism, National Honor Society, Spanish Club, STEM Club, and more!

If you have an interest that you think kids would be interested in, sign up to share!! Please sign up by Friday 13SEP24. All before and after school clubs are per sessionable (and max meet 3 hours per week). Clubs must have at least 10 students that attend regularly to remain active. Lunch time clubs will be eligible for coverage pay and staff must collect students from the cafeteria.

Last Day for Program Change Requests. The last day that students can request to change programs is Monday, 09SEP24 at 3PM. This gives a chance for kids who didn't come last week to make a request to change. This way we can work on making all the changes and balance groups to finalize programs by Friday. The goal is that all program movements are settled by Friday (substantively - we'll still have to make changes as new students arrive), and that we settle into our pattern for the year by Monday 16SEP24.

Per Session Postings

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

Classroom SetUp and Planning. 12 hours total. All Classroom Staff (Teachers & Paras) are eligible. Tue 27-29Aug .

Monday, September 2, 2024

Week of 03SEP

UAI Staff News

Volume XII

Issue 2

September 3rd, 2024

Why we do what we do. Two weeks ago, I was chilling out with my college BFF when the news about the NYS Middle School exam scores came out. I was definitely happy that UAI was out of the woods. Our middle school team is truly talented and truly fantastic. They are doing amazing work and doing exactly the work we are meant to do, and for that, I celebrate them all!

Truth be told, I had already danced my little celebratory jig when the data was sent to schools two week prior to the news stories. So, I had the brain space to get really annoyed with the Post's take on the test scores. {I know, I know...it's the Post...but I can't help myself...}. After I read this story...I leaned back with a sigh of frustration onto my BFF's couch and asked her....when will someone start asking whether or not the tests themselves are the problematic.

Here are some observations on these exams over the years...

In 2010, 2013, and 2018 the state changed the test. The first change resulted in a 28pt drop in proficiency rates. The shift to the Common Core test had an even more precipitous drop. Yet the zeitgeist of the time AND today still points to the failure of schools and teachers- and not the tools we use to measure success.
Over the last15 years of testing, for 13 of the 15 years, a LARGE swath of students (> 40%) did not demonstrate mastery on the test. As every good teacher knows, when that many kids fail the test...there is either a problem with the test or with the instruction. So, here's my question - what is harder to do - create a test where everyone fails or create conditions that convince millions of teachers across the state to make sure their students do not reach proficiency...

At the same time these middle school test scores and proficiency rates have fluctuated wildly, high school data shows steady improvement. Graduation rates are improving, drop out rates are lowering and the 4-year graduation rate gap is narrowing.

I won't say I have the answers - but as the kids say... something's sus...

Structural oppression is exists and this data pushes me to wonder if that is what's happening here. If the same groups of folks (who happen to be black, brown, and poor) are the ones who disproportionately make up the kids who fail the exams... why don't we wonder if there's something wrong with the exam?

It's also important to reflect on what we are here to do. We are here to graduate kids who are ready to thrive in their chosen college and careers. Despite fluctuating MS scores, as a city graduation rates are improving and for UAI. in particular we stand way above our city and district peers for our kids in graduation rate and college persistence (post-secondary enrollment at 6 months and 18months). And that is a function of the strength of our collective work in Middle and High School - both!

It is important to cleave to who we are and why we do what we do. The noise of the media and the world will continually try to cast our work in the light of easily reported measures - the tests. BUT remember...

We are an Urban Assembly school - we intentionally embrace those students who others may screen out or forget.

We are a STEM school for young women & gender expansive your - we intentionally build a learning environment and challenge our assumptions around accepted teaching practices which have traditionally marginalized our students in STEM.

We are a committed community of educators who center the experience of our students & families first and share collective values of Rigor, Power, Equity, and Joy. We are far from perfect, but we alway aim true - and that truth is always for the best outcomes for our kids.

Welcome back to the 2024-25 school year. The metrics by which the world looks at us are not the only metrics we use to measure ourselves. We always have been and will continually make strong strides to ensure that our young people graduate ready to take on the world and effect the change that must and will be!

16 years ago - UAI gathered in the cafeteria to celebrate the election of a Black Man (and Hawaiian born - so you know - extra awesome) to the presidency

8 years ago - UAI was collectively inspired by the prospect of a woman running for president (soul-crushing loss, yes..but necessary step to create a pathway for..)

2 months from today - I hope that UAI finds shared celebration and inspiration once more with the election of the first Black/Southeast Asian women elected to president (and a VP who is and teacher from Nebraska is also extra nice)

Despite the narrative that social media and the press continue to paint for the hopes of clicks and follows...the world is actually changing, and we at UAI are pushing our students, one-by-one, to be part of the positive change.

That is the why we do what we do - not a test score.. not a grade ... but for the hope of a world that is right!

Welcome back UAI - I look forward to 2024-25 and creating another year of awesomeness with our amazing students and families!!

Important Upcoming Dates

TUE 03SEP24 - First Day for All Staff - PD Day
WED 04SEP24 - 2nd Day for All Staff - PD Day
THU 05SEP24 - First Day of School for All Students
THU 26SEP24 - IN PERSON Curriculum Night 5-8PM

Announcements & To Dos

Staff PD. All staff must be in the Farm (205F) by 8:30AM, ready to start the day (so in your seats with all your stuff). Please bring your computers and something to write with/on. Breakfast will be served on the 3rd at 8AM in the library and lunch will be provided on Tuesday. I'm still finalizing the slides for tomorrow, but you'll need them for tomorrow, too. So keep the link handy!

Here's the Goals and Agendas for Tuesday & Wednesday (days are 8:30AM-3:20PM).

Classroom Set Up & Course Planning. You will have time during the day to plan and set up classrooms. However, if you weren't able to come in last week to do classroom set up, you can still use a max of 12 hrs (training rate) to do so. We do not have extended time permits, so your extra time must be before school (6:30AM-8:30AM) or after school (3:20-4:00PM)

Please make sure to grab your time card and to clock in and out in our main office! If you are planning to come in, please complete this Per Session Interest Form.

For Classroom Set-Up

Creating a Warm & Welcoming Environment

You are welcome to decorate your classroom the way you see fit!
Please mind these Dos and Don'ts

DO NOT tape anything on the front of the doors
DO NOT to fully cover the windows on the doors
DO NOT place any excess furniture or trash in the hallways. If you have extra furniture, please try to find a home for it in another classroom or label it to move to the locker room on the 5th floor.
DO NOT dispose of any materials or textbooks. Please find them a new home with another teacher OR continue to store in your closets. We have limited storage space in our school, leaving us only with classroom storage closets as our only option.
DO NOT use nails or tape anything else that damages the paint on the walls. Folks have had success with command strips or Blu Tack. You can use your $250 reimbursable money to purchase these!
DO fill the room with subject matter decorations & supplies
DO make the room warm and welcoming
DO make a folder outside of your room for your attendance sheets
DO visit the general supply closet (across from 145, our main office) for any materials you might need
DO set up desks in groups. We believe in collaboration and discourse. Rows inhibit this, so please set the desks up so that students are encouraged to work together.

Please check your furniture and technology. All rooms should have

A cart with 25 chromebooks
A document camera and projector
At least 28 student desks & 28 student seats. Most classes are 25 students or fewer, but we do have limited storage for furniture in our school. So, please try to find a use for the extra desks (e.g. resource station...independent work site...conference site..etc)

Please check in with Annie in room 301 if you have any needs for your classrooms.

Here are the Room Assignments:

Classrooms

B31 (JJR/Alaisha), B43 (Fatima), B45 (Dyneda/Freida),
B49 (Sarah/Phillan), B53 (Mike)
147 (Tiffany), Gym (Patti)
205C (Thomas), 205F (Tom & Mary)
303 (Sarah M), 305 (Elena), 307 (Patricia & Crystal),
309 (Marsha & Yasmeen), 311 (Jake), 315 (TomM)
403 (Jasmine), 404 (Laura), 405 (Brett & Judy),
407 (Amanda), 409/411 (Noelle), 415 (Liza)
503 (Roger), 507 (Kelly & Martine), 509 (Shan), 511 (JRob), 515 (Camryn)

Offices

145D - Tiffany (Dai's old office)
145 - Janiya, Tracey, Paula
201 - SBST Team (Irina et. al)
301 - Annie.
304 - Girls Inc.
401 - Kiri
402 - Staff Lounge
508 - Jen
B35 and B57 - Counseling/Pull Out Rooms

For planning

Prepare your Pacing Guide & Course Syllabus. Both of these documents will be due at the end of Wednesday, 04SEP. Please make sure your links are set to "Anyone with the link" can "View". Please use these templates. Please plan at least 2 weeks of lessons to give yourself a strong start to the year.

Pacing Guides (Example of 6th Grade IM Math Pacing Guide)
Course Syllabus

[REPOST] Moving to the DOE Domain. This year we will be officially moving out of the UAI Google Domain and under the NYC Public Schools domain. We'll be rolling out the details next week in PD, but for now, here are the big To Dos

UAI Staff Google Classroom. We'll be using a Google Classroom for staff to manage our communications and resources this year. You will need to sign up for the UAI Staff Google Classroom.

Join using your DOE profile -

Go to the top right corner of your Chrome profile and "Add" (at bottom)
Use your doe email (e.g ksoares@schools.nyc.gov) to log in
Select "Google Workspace Account"
Login to your DOE account. If you forgot your password or it needs to be reset, go HERE to do that first.

Once you are logged in copy this invite into the profile (and hit enter) to join the classroom.

https://classroom.google.com/c/NzAzNzYxMTc4NjQx?cjc=6kx2p35

ALL 2024-2025 Work MUST be under DOE profile. This year, all of your work needs to be done in your NYC DOE profile. If you are returning staff, you can share your old files to the DOE, but you need to make copies and transfer ownership to the DOE drive. Any information containing student information (names, personal identifiable info (eg. grades, gradebooks, emails, DOB, address, etc.)) MUST be stored under the DOE profile and cannot be on the UAI Google Drive any longer. Please make sure all of your work is on the DOE servers by doing all of your work under the NYCDOE domain (aka doing all your work in your DOE profile)

Final Schedule. Here is the final Schedule. You can also find it posted on the UAI Staff Google Classroom.

Staff Handbook Review. Please review the Staff Handbook and make sure to Sign Off that you have reviewed it by the End of the Day on 03SEP24. This is also your emergency contact information, so please make sure to complete this ASAP.

Per Session Postings

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

Classroom SetUp and Planning. 12 hours total. All Classroom Staff (Teachers & Paras) are eligible. Tue 27-29Aug .