April Teaching and Learning Newsletter

April Teaching and Learning Newsletter

 This month's Teaching and Learning Newsletter includes resources for:

• Celebrating our Youngest Learners

• Emergent Bilinguals and Core Instruction

• Sparking Innovation: Tech Tips, Tricks, and Resources
• Elementary

• Secondary

• Science for All
• Birding
• Project Lead the Way
• Bees
• Earth Day

As you explore these topics, we encourage you to reflect on how you and your team can integrate these ideas into your teaching practices. If you have any questions or would like additional support, please don't hesitate to reach out to a member of the Teaching & Learning Team. We’re here to help!

Thank you for all you do to ensure ALL students learn at high levels!

-Southeast Polk's Teaching & Learning Team

Secondary Collaboration

We are looking forward to collaborating with secondary job-alike teams this Wednesday, April 9th. We will begin at 7:30 AM and dismiss in time for people to return to their buildings. The focus of our work will be around continuing to strengthen teaching and learning within each subject area. Please report to the locations below and bring a charged laptop. 

PE/Health 6-12	JH Room 180
CTE (PLTW) & Business	HS Room 169
Science- 6-12	JH Science Rm 223
Math: 6-12	JH Robotics Room
World Language, 8th World Language	HS N148
Art and Music	HS Multi-Purpose Room
Social Studies 6-12	HS N268
ELA 6-12, ESOL 6-12, TAG 6/7, Teacher Librarians	JH Library
Counselors	Skilled Trades Extension Center

*Special Education teachers--please report to the content area you support. 

Feedback on Virtual Learning Day

Snow days are a part of Iowa and they often result in an unexpected change of plans.  For the first time, we adapted our snow day to a virtual professional learning format, providing an opportunity to fulfill the contract day through the completion of required tasks as well as engagement and reflection on our instructional framework. We appreciated the input, feedback, and support of the PD Steering Committee and building and teacher leaders while we navigated both the flexibility and challenges of virtual learning. 

As of today, 99% of teachers have completed the components of the virtual professional learning day! 

Now we would like your feedback on the this day.  How did the learning impact your thinking? What worked well in this format? What adjustments could be made if this format is considered in the future?

Please take a few minutes to provide your feedback on the form linked below.  The information will be summarized and shared with the PD Steering Committee as well as building and teacher leadership in order to continue to grow and strengthen the pathways for professional learning. 

SEP Virtual Learning Feedback Form

Thank you for your engagement, flexibility, and dedication to continuous growth.

February Newsletter and Virtual Professional Learning

 This month's Teaching and Learning Newsletter includes updates on:

• School Counseling and Social-Emotional Learning

• February Learning Opportunities
• Black History Month
• President's Day

• Sparking Innovation: Tech Tips, Tricks, and Resources
• Elementary
• Secondary

• iReady Winter Math Data and ISASP Projections

• Science Updates
• Outdoor Education
• Environmental Education

If you need further information or support, don’t hesitate to contact a member of the Teaching & Learning Team.

Virtual Professional Learning

During our snow day on Wednesday, we implemented a Virtual Professional Learning model to fulfill the contract for that day.  A big thank you to the Professional Development Steering Committee and the Teaching and Learning team for the work and feedback needed to implement this model.  The overall response has been very positive, and we will review data and feedback to determine advantages, limitations, and future possibilities.  Below is the link to the Virtual Learning Plan. As a reminder, the work should be completed off contract and submitted by the conclusion of the day on Wednesday, February 19th.

Southeast Polk Virtual Learning Plan 

Improved Attendance at Southeast Polk!

We all realize that attendance has been a challenge since Covid, and we wanted to share some improvements in the data as we enter the month of February. 

Chronic Absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason.  Our chronic absenteeism for the month of January 2025 was 14%.  This is the lowest number we have seen since returning from Covid, as well as a 4% improvement from December, and a 7% improvement from this time last year!  

• All 11 buildings improved their attendance as compared to December of 2024. 
• All 11 buildings improved their attendance as compared to January of 2024
• No building had above 20% chronic absenteeism.
• 4 buildings had single digit chronic absenteeism
• We narrowed the difference between SEP and the state from 5% to 3%.
• Attendance improved for around 300 students as compared to last month.
• Attendance improved for over 500 students as compared to last year

While we are still focusing on narrowing the gap with subgroups, we saw:

• A 4% improvement for students receiving free and reduced lunch
• A 6% improvement for students with individual education plans

We can't control illness, ways of getting to school, alarm clocks, etc., but as buildings have demonstrated, we can create a school environment that is welcoming, productive, and supportive.  We have great teaching at Southeast Polk, and we appreciate your efforts to ensure that more students are able to experience this and advance their learning.  This has been a districtwide effort, and we thank all who are working hard each day to support student attendance.

Professional Learning Survey/Shirt Order

The Southeast Polk Professional Development Steering Committee met last Wednesday, and WE WOULD LIKE YOUR INPUT!  Please complete the survey at the link below.  There are 8 questions, and it should take no more than 10 minutes.  Your feedback will be used to plan future learning opportunities.

Southeast Polk Professional Learning Survey

*You are welcome to use your name, but it is not required.

**This survey presents as a quiz, but the 'points' are not calculated--just the responses. 

Thank you for your feedback. 

Yes We Can! Shirts

Yes We Can! shirts are available from Fully Promoted through February 9th.  Any shirts purchased after that timeline will be at a higher cost.  If you are interested, you may purchase at the link below. 

SOUTHEAST POLK YES WE CAN! SHIRTS

January Teaching and Learning Newsletter/All Means All Institute Update

January Teaching and Learning Newsletter 

In this month's issue:

• Resources to Support Literacy

• Teaching Gifted and Higher Level Learners

• SEP College and Career Readiness

• Sparking Innovation Tech Tips
• Elementary
• Secondary

• Math Updates

If you would like additional information or support, please reach out to a Teaching & Learning Team member. 

Thank you for all you do to ensure ALL students learn at high levels!

-Southeast Polk's Teaching & Learning Team

All Means All Institute

Our 200 seats to the All Means All Institute were filled in LESS THAN 24 HOURS!!  What a tremendous response and commitment to ALL students at Southeast Polk.  We secured 50 additional seats, and of those seats,  around 15 seats remain.  If you would like to attend, please complete the form as soon as you are able.  

ALL MEANS ALL INSTITUTE SIGN UP

Your dedication to this work is very much appreciated! 

Teaching Resources to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.

As we prepare to celebrate MLK Day, today's blog has some resources to help learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, his impact on the Civil Rights Movement, and his significance to American culture and history.

"I Have a Dream"

While Dr. King had many accomplishments, perhaps he is best known for his "I Have a Dream" speech that was given at the 1963 March on Washington for jobs, freedoms, and civil rights. The link below is a primary source resource and includes the entirety of this famous speech.

 

"Virtual Visits"

Our expanded technology can help students understand the context of King’s life with virtual tours of the MLK memorial in Washington, D.C. and King’s childhood home in Atlanta, GA.

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial: A virtual tour of the memorial with simple English narration.

• The National Park Service, which administers the national MLK monument and MLK birthplace, share a number of digital resources around historic sites, both in the life of Dr. King and the American struggle for civil rights at large, including the Selma to Montgomery National Historical Trail and the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.

• National Geographic Kids shares a full outline of the advocate’s life and times in this simple presentation, ideal for covering the basics.

• The National Archives shares sources, discussion questions, and more.

--@TCEA

Teaching Resources

PBS Classroom Resources

Lesson Plans

The March on Washington and its impact

Black American civil rights leader Martin Luther King (1929 - 1968) addresses crowds during the March On Washington at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC, where he gave his 'I Have A Dream' speech. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 'I Have a Dream' speech as a work of literature

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 'I Have a Dream' speech as visual text

Music and speeches at the March on Washington

Lesson Plans from the National Education Association

Dr. King's Dream
Students in grades K-2 learn about the life and work of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., listen to an excerpt from his “I Have a Dream” speech, and create picture books about freedom for Americans today.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Me: Identifying with a Hero
Students in grades K-2 learn about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., record information on a KWL chart, and keep a journal of thoughts and ideas.

How Big Are Martin’s Big Words? Thinking Big about the Future
Students in grades 3-5 listen to a reading of Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and then analyze excerpts from King’s speeches for "big" words, words not necessarily as large in length as they are in importance: Freedom, Peace, Love.

Students in grades 6-8 create found poems based on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1968 obituary published in The New York Times.

Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Power of Nonviolence
Students in grades 6-8 investigate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolence and the teachings of Mohandas K. Gandhi that influenced King's views.

Lesson Plan: The Children's Crusade & the Role of Youth in the African American Freedom Struggle

Students in grades 9-12 learn about the role of youth in the Children’s Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama and Civil Rights Movement.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" speech as a work of literature
Students (9-12) analyze the rhetorical influences on and the oratorical devices used by King.

Background Resources

I Have a Dream: Celebrating the Vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.
A source of activities, lessons, and websites.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Legacy of Racial and Social Justice: A Curriculum for Empowerment

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. WEBSITES

• The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Online

Videos

• Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream"
• The History Channel provides a collection of 49 short videos on Martin Luther King, Jr. and his career.

Relationship Building Resources: Goal #4-Climate and Culture

Another of our district school improvement goals this year is a focus on school climate and culture.  

As we continue to work on building relationships and school connectedness, below are some resources from CJ Reynolds.  Whether you are starting with a new group 2nd semester, continuing to build relationships this year, or adding ideas for next year, these resources can provide ideas to further a positive classroom climate.

Resource to Build Relationships

Life Odyssey Project

TIME Day: NEW FORM

Nearly 200 teachers submitted TIME Day hours for the first round that ended in November.  For those submitting the remaining 4 hours or all 8 hours for the second round, there is a new form for you to complete.  

TIME Day hours will now be submitted in Laserfiche forms.  This will further improve accuracy and efficiency with payments.

As a reminder, certified teachers may receive up to 8 hours of additional per diem pay for collaborative work completed outside their regular contract time during the 2024-2025 school year. EACH person of your collaborative team will need to submit a form to receive payment. Please review your collaborative plan with your building principal prior to beginning this work. 

Those submitting their remaining 4 hours or their 8 hours will use the new form linked below.  The link has also been updated on the Professional Development site.  For round 2 of payment, all remaining hours must be submitted prior to the end of the day on May 10th. 

For additional information and FAQ's related to TIME, please see the Southeast Polk Professional Development Site.

NEW TIME Day FORM

Research Resolutions

Happy New Year!  As we start 2025 with resolutions and commitments to goals, here are some of the top findings from research studies from the past year.  The topics include:

• The impact of outdoor learning on cognitive and social-emotional growth
• The effectiveness of learning from errors in math
• The importance of keeping English learners with their peers
• The power of peer learning
• A modest turnaround in youth mental health

The Impact of Outdoor Learning on Cognitive and Social-Emotional Growth

Key Findings

• Outdoor activities are easily aligned to course standards in subjects such as art, science, social studies, and English.
• These types of activities can help with student's 'estrangement from nature'.
• Outdoor activities can build cognitive and processing skills, and those who participated reported less stress, closer connections to their own emotions, and improved self-esteem.

From Science to Sunshine: Rescuing Children's Outdoor Playtime in the Digital Era, Charan, Kalia, and Khurana, 2024.

The Effectiveness of Learning from Errors in Math

Key Findings

• Teaching efficacy improved when time was focused on students' mathematical errors and engaged in collaborative discussions about common mistakes of logic or computation.
• Groups of students who spent time in teacher-led learning sessions devoted to answers students got wrong scored roughly the same as their peers; however the group in the 'learning from errors' group invested half the time.
• Embracing mistakes supports learning, alters the climate of the classroom, deepens relationships, and improves student motivation.

Learning from Errors, Metcalfe, Xu, and Vuorre, 2024

The Importance of Keeping English Learners with their Peers

Key Findings

• English learners participated with their proficient peers in a 10-week literacy program building around science and social studies.
• The focus was on interactive read-alouds, target vocabulary, peers discussions, and structured writing tasks.
• Those who remained in the classroom with their peers out-performed English learners who were removed for remediation in vocabulary and writing.

Effects of Tier I Content Literacy, Relyea, Kim, Rich, 2024.

The Power of Peer Learning

Key Findings

• Students who taught a classmate reported elevated levels of anxiety and greater levels of brain activity across the social and cognitive processing of the brain.
• They also significantly out-performed the restudy group on tests of recall and transfer, monitored their learning more effectively, and included more elaborate examples in their explanations.
• Researchers hypothesized that the presence of classmates may have attuned students to 'up their game'
• It's best to mix direct instruction with group activities such as turn and talk, teaching classmates, gamifying quizzes, peer review, etc. 

Effects of Explaining a Science Lesson to Others, Zhu, Wang, Mayer, 2024

A Modest Turnaround in Youth Mental Health

Key Findings

• While student mental health has shown a decline in the last decade, the latest CDC data suggest we may finally reaching a turning point. 
• There was a modest decrease in the percentage of students feeling persistently sad or hopeless.
• There is still much work ahead, but with schools providing more services for youth mental health, there is progress we can build on. 

CDC Data Show Improvements in Youth Mental Health, Centers for Disease Control, 2024