Secondary Collaboration-December 14th

We are looking forward to our secondary collaboration this Wednesday, December 14th, from 7:30-9:00 AM.   All secondary special education teachers will meet in the multipurpose room at the High School.  All other teachers will report to the Jr. High Auditorium.  

The focus of our work will be standards-based learning, and we will be learning more about technology tools to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of retakes and redos. Amy Wichman, a consultant from Heartland AEA will facilitate the first part of the session with all teachers.  Then teams will have the opportunity to collaborate, reflect, and make decisions about next steps. Below are the breakout rooms for the last part of the session.  Please bring your laptops (for the breakout groups) and something to write with (for the large group session).  We are looking forward to collaborating on Wednesday!

• Large group meet in the Jr. High Auditorium at 7:30 AM.
• Breakout rooms for last part of the collaboration session. 

Collaboration Team	Location
Instrumental/Vocal Music/General Music/Guitar 6-12	Band Room JH Room 421
Art 6-12	Lovell- JH Rm 319
PE/Health 6-12	Anderson- JH Room 339
CTE (PLTW)	Mericle- JH Room 357/360
World Language, 8th World Language	Wilson- JH Room 356
ELA 6-12, ESOL 6-12, TAG 6, Teacher Librarians	JH Auditorium
Math: 6-12	JH Room 467 (Chorus/Robotics Room)
Science- 6-12	JH Room 223
Social Studies 6-12	JH Rm 101
Counselors (6-12)	JH Media Center
Special Ed Teachers	HS Multipurpose Room

Elementary Collaboration: November 9th

We are looking forward to our upcoming elementary collaboration on November 9th.  The focus of our work will be supporting science instruction.  We will be meeting from 2:30-4:00.  Teacher teams may report to the locations below:

Preschool	Mitchellville Elementary
Kindergarten	Altoona Elementary
Grade 1	Centennial Elementary
Grade 2	Runnells Elementary
Grade 3	Four Mile Elementary
Grade 4	Willowbrook Elementary
Grade 5	Clay Elementary
Nurses	Clay Elementary
Counselors	Centennial Elementary
Teacher Librarians	Delaware Elementary
Music	Delaware Elementary
Art	Delaware Elementary
PE	Delaware Elementary
ESOL	Altoona Elementary Conference Room
Title I Math	Clay Elementary
Special Education Teachers	Junior High Auditorium
TAG	Join grade level at home building
Title I Reading & Reading Specialists	Information shared from Literacy Coordinators

Please bring a charged laptop and notetaking materials.  We look forward to learning together on Wednesday!

November Social Studies Resources

The month of November brings authentic opportunities to align and strengthen units of study in the area of Social Studies.  Below are three opportunities to consider:

Election Day

Election Day is next week on November 8th.  Below are some resources to support learning in the classroom. 

• The Iowa Secretary of State's office offers Elections 101: A Curriculum for Iowans, by Iowans.
• iCivics offers state, local and midterm election resources, including interactive gaming activities

When teaching about the elections in the classroom, be sure to review and emphasize your classroom norms for safe and respectful dialogue.

Veteran's Day

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has released a Veterans Day 2022 Guide. You can access the guide here. 

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society published a blog published Five Activities to Honor Veterans. 

Geography Awareness Week

Geography Awareness Week takes place November 14-18, 2022. There are many resources to help students see the importance of geography, including: City Walks  36 Maps That Explain the World 40 More Maps That Explain the World 37 Maps That Highlight Immigration in the US 33 Maps That Explain the United States Better Than Any Textbook 30 Examples of Infographic Maps Source: Iowa Department of Education

SEP University: Updates and FAQ's

As we enter conference week, we are getting more participation in SEP University.  The first window is currently open, and below are the courses that are available.

• Effective Feedback with Standards-Based Learning
• Increasing Access & Equity in 6-12 Math
• The Power of Number Talks in a PK-5 Math Class
• Increasing Access & Equity in K-5 Math
• The Art and Science of Teaching: Marzano's Instructional Compendium
• The Importance of Science and Social Studies in the Elementary Grades
• Selecting Instructional Materials
• Mastery Connect 101
• Authentic Literacy: Closing the Gap with Science and Social Studies
• Welcoming EL's in the Classroom
• Effective Instructional Strategies for English Learners

Any one of these modules may be taken between now and December 23.  Your feedback will be valuable as we continue to grow this platform for differentiated professional learning.

Below are the questions submitted during our September collaboration.

Where can I find information on SEP University 

Information regarding SEP University, including the course catalog may be found on the SEP University page of the Southeast Polk Professional Development site.

How do I enroll in a course?

To enroll in a course, click the title of the course in the course catalog.  This will take you to our SEP Canvas platform. Once you are in Canvas, click 'Enroll now' to begin the course.  If you have any questions, please contact the course instructor.

Are there other courses being offered that are not on the list?

More courses will be added on an ongoing basis. There will be opportunities later this spring for teachers to apply to create courses for the fall of 2023.

What do I do when I finish a course?

Once you have completed your course, submit this form to confirm your completion.

Can SEP University Courses be taken for credit?

Modules may be combined to equal 15 hours and taken for no credit, relicensure credit, or graduate credit.  The course requirements are the same for all 3 options.  If you choose to take it for credit, you will pay the additional fee. 

• Relicensure:$35 

• Graduate: $125

Graduate credit is needed to move on the salary schedule.  Current guidelines for salary schedule movement remain the same. 

How do we register for credit?

Enrollment for courses will take place in Southeast Polk’s Canvas platform.

Applying for a credit takes place after 15 modules are completed.  Registration for the credit will take place in Heartland AEA’s Professional Development platform.  Information for credit registration will be sent to you upon completion of 15 modules. 

Are SEP University Courses eligible for Teacher Quality funding?

SEP University coursework completed outside of the contract day is eligible for teacher quality funding. There is a $525 limit for teacher quality funding per school year. In order to be eligible for TQ funding, an application must be submitted.  TQ funding may be applied for any amount of modules up to 15. Each teacher may submit one TQ course application during the 2022-2023 school year. TQ applications may be found on the Southeast Polk Professional Development Site.

May we submit SEP University course work for TIME hours?

Participating in SEP University is not eligible for TIME funding.  Teacher quality funding is intended to support professional learning.  TIME funding is intended to support PLC’s.

District Professional Learning: September 30th

We are looking forward to learning together this Friday, September 30th. The focus of the day will be around school improvement planning, the new IEP platform, and annual training sessions.  

--Please report to your building at 8:00 AM, as the first part of the morning will be spent working on school improvement plans. These plans further support our district improvement goals for the school year.

--At 10:00, all PK-12 special education teachers and nurses will report to the HS Multipurpose Room for part 2 of IEP development in ACHIEVE.

--Lunch is on your own.

--At 1:00, all staff will report to your buildings for the ACHIEVE Child Find training. This training is for ALL certified staff (Teachers, principals, counselors, nurses, etc.) This training will be delivered via Zoom, and the link may be found below.

This training is intended for all certified staff and administrators involved in MTSS. Please note that this training is intended to provide an overview of key concepts related to the Child Find Process in Iowa and additional tailored follow-up discussions at the building-level may be needed in the future.

This training is facilitated by Heartland AEA, and below is further information to support the learning.

To prepare for our time together, we have included links to materials needed for our time together. Please take time to review these documents prior to our time together, to determine if there are any documents you would prefer to have hard copies of. If there are documents you would like an electronic or hard copy of, please download or print before our time together. Electronic and hard copies will not be available at the training. We encourage everyone to have a copy of "ACHIEVE Child Find Note Catcher" readily available, as you will be utilizing this throughout the training to document your individual reflections.

Links:

ACHIEVE Child Find Note Catcher

Roles and Responsibilities with the Child Find Process

Slidedeck PDF for Participants

Iowa ACHIEVE is an online system to support teams of educators, service providers, and families in developing and implementing Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) and Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs). ACHIEVE makes individualized planning easy by focusing attention on the learner, simplifying processes and streamlining the use of data, providing tools to improve decision making and individualization, and facilitating team member communication and collaboration.

Child Find Zoom Link

At the end of the day, you may work on completing some of the annual trainings through Safe Schools. These include:

• Active Shooter
• Bloodborne Pathogens
• Hazard Communication
• Title IX Compliance
• Suicide Awareness, Prevention, & Postvention

  

Below is the schedule for the day.

• 8:00-10:00 AM: All Staff report to buildings

• School Improvement Planning

• 10:00-11:30 AM: PK-12 Special Education Teachers and Nurses

• HS Multipurpose Room

• Achieve: IEP Development, Part 2

• 11:30-1:00: Lunch

• 1:00-2:30 PM: All Staff report to buildings

• Child Find training

• Zoom

• 2:30-3:30: All Staff

• Safe Schools Required Trainings

Elementary Grade Level Collaboration

We are looking forward to our first elementary grade level collaboration on Wednesday, September 28th.  This session will be unique in that we are asking all elementary teachers to remain in their buildings and report to your building meeting location at 2:30 PM.  Our agenda will include considerations for selecting instructional materials, and the launch of Southeast Polk University. You may want to bring a notebook and pen/pencil, and no other materials will be needed.  We look forward to working together on Wednesday!  

Agenda
Selecting Instructional Materials	Southeast Polk University
Considerations for Selecting Materials Vetting Online Resources	Overview Course Design Course Catalog Enrolling in Courses

Secondary Job-Alike Collaboraqtion

We are looking forward to our first job-alike collaboration on Wednesday, September 14th.  This session will be unique in that we are asking all secondary teachers to report to the HS Auditorium by 7:30 AM.  Our agenda will include considerations for selecting instructional materials, and the launch of Southeast Polk University. You may want to bring a notebook and pen/pencil, and no other materials will be needed.  We look forward to working together on Wednesday!  

Agenda
Selecting Instructional Materials	Southeast Polk University
Considerations for Selecting Materials Vetting Online Resources	Overview Course Design Course Catalog Enrolling in Courses

Grading and Reporting Leadership Team Opportunity

What a great start to the school year!  It feels good to see the excitement for learning and being together in the school community. 

Today's blog will have information in regards to our work with standards-based learning, grading, and reporting.  There will be a link below to a form if you would like to join this work. 

As a district, we began looking at how standards influence classroom practices, and how we can best communicate to students and families progress towards priority standards.  Below is a timeline of this work.

As we look to the future, our goal is to fully implement standards-referenced grading in Grades PK-9 when the new building configurations take place in the year 2024-2025.  To continue to prepare for this, we have workgroups in the following areas:

• Evidence and Proficiency Scales
• Behavior Reporting
• Communication
• Feedback
• Letter Grades and Reporting

If you would like to join the Grading and Reporting Leadership team and have input for any of these workgroups, please submit the form below.  Our first meeting is Thursday, September 8th. You may also visit our Standards-Based Learning site for additional information. 

GRADING AND REPORTING LEADERSHIP TEAM FORM

Summer Updates and Opportunities

I hope everyone is finding time for well-deserved rest and relaxation over these summer months.  Educators also use this time to take a breath, reflect, and expand their learning. Today's blog includes some of this learning as well as some upcoming opportunities.

Several Southeast Polk teams attended the "Connecting the Dots" Institute in Cedar Falls during the month of June. We heard from experts in the areas of school improvement, student-centered coaching, and inclusion.  We are looking forward to bringing back new learning to further support our efforts!

In addition, there has been a great deal of curriculum work, summer school, and 2 sections of Youth Mental Health First Aid happening this summer.

Educator Wellness Retreat

The past few years have been a challenge, and mental health and well-being have never been so important. In order to promote positive teacher wellbeing, Please Pass the Love has created the first ever Educator Wellness Retreat. This retreat will focus on the best practices in educator wellbeing, giving educators the tools and strategies to combat the daily stressors of the classroom. Educators will leave with a wellness plan that they have designed. 

The registration fee for the retreat is $388; including the hotel room for two nights, parking pass, all food (except Saturday night supper), and all materials needed. Teachers will also receive a PPTL Swag Bag full of awesome things. For an extra $100, teachers can also earn 1 license credit for the weekend. 

Southeast Polk will cover the registration fee for any teacher who would like to participate in this Educator Wellness Retreat.

The retreat will be held at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown on July 22-24. This educator wellness retreat is a weekend spent learning and applying the Adult Resilience Curriculum (ARC) developed by MHTTC. This retreat will focus on finding your values and aligning them with self wellness practices. It will also include time for meditation, reflection, yoga, massages, and lots of time to connect with others. Registration includes the hotel room for two nights, parking pass, all food (except Saturday night supper), and all materials needed. Teachers will also receive a PPTL Swag Bag full of awesome things. If you would like to earn a credit, you may pay an additional $100.  While payment for seat time is not available (including use as an additional contract day), you may apply for TQ funds if you decide to take this for credit if you have not yet applied for this school year. This retreat is open to all teachers and administrators.

If you would like to participate, please submit the form below by JULY 14th.  

Educator Wellness Retreat Form

In addition to face to face learning opportunities, there are also several virtual opportunities this summer, many of them at no cost.  Below is information on the upcoming Smithsonian National Education Summit that we have been asked to share with all educators. 

This will be a two-day hybrid event on July 27-28, 2022 that will focus on celebrating and honoring educators and magnifying instructional strategies and resources that will help ensure each and every learner has the opportunity to thrive. 

 

Featured Speakers include #1 New York Times bestselling children’s book author Jason Reynolds, Award-winning documentarian, journalist, speaker, author, and philanthropist Soledad O'Brien, the 2022 National Teacher of the Year Kurt Russell, and Dr. Aaliyah Samuel from the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASTLE).

 

Sessions from Smithsonian educators will explore: Cultivating Student Voice & Creativity Through Art and Design, Teaching Inclusive Stories, STEAM Education that Inspires Inquiry, Cross-Disciplinary and Hands-On Learning Approaches, Transformative Student-Centered Technology Solutions, and Special Invited Sessions from PBS Learning, nine State Teachers of the Year,  Harvard’s Project Zero,  and the Library of Congress.

 

I am reaching out to invite you to join the summit and to also see if you would be willing to help me spread the word about the event by sharing the registration page . The full schedule of sessions and keynote talks can be found at the registration page, but more information below: 

 

Details: 

• Dates: July 27-28, 2022 

• Free Hybrid Two-Day Event; Includes Virtual Sessions and In-Person and Livestreamed Programming at the Reynolds Center (Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery) 

• Registration link: http://s.si.edu/EducationSummit2022 

• Content tracks:  

• Cultivating Student Voice & Creativity Through Art and Design

• Teaching Inclusive Stories 

• STEM Education that Inspires Inquiry 

• Cross-Disciplinary and Hands-On Learning Approaches 

• Transformative Student-Centered Technology Solutions 

• Target Audience: The event is open to teachers, paras, curriculum specialists, school leaders and administrators.

 

Social text you can use or adapt:  

Smithsonian National Education Summit: Registration is Live! 

Come together July 27–28 for the Smithsonian National Education Summit! You’ll hear from teachers, museum experts and education policymakers in 30+ free online and in-person skill-building workshops across subject areas, and leave with a toolbox full of classroom-ready ideas: http://s.si.edu/EducationSummit2022 #SmithsonianEdu

If you are aware of other learning opportunities, feel free to share these in the comments.  Enjoy the rest of the summer!