2.2.24 Staff Blog
Welcome to February!
Quick Look:
**As always, please check the IEP/SST Calendar for updates.
BLACK LIVES MATTER IN SCHOOLS (from instruction): HELPFUL/ACTION
Black Lives Matter in Schools lessons offer important insights into critical issues that face our
society and the lives in the Black community:
● Reflect the lived experiences of students, families, and friends
● Help students understands inequities based on race
● Affirm that the lives of people of color matter
● Promote the belief that we all have a responsibility to work for equity as a core ideal
SPRING CONFERENCES: ACTION
Please take a moment to look at the spring conference schedule (on the spring conference tab) for conferences scheduled on March 4-8.
Additionally, please take some time to review the materials provided by Mike Van Orden and district administration regarding communication with families for spring conferences.
AIR PURIFIERS:ACTION
In cooperation with PTSA, air filters in the classroom air purifiers are periodically replaced. If you have gotten out of the habit of turning on your classroom air purifiers, please plan on turning them on each morning. That way, we can maximize the air filter resource and hopefully make it through this cold and flu season with fewer impacts to us and our students. I will turn them on if I see they are off as I am in classrooms. Please help by turning on your air purifiers each day.
MID-YEAR CONFERENCES:ACTION
It’s that time of year for mid-year conferences. During this time, we will discuss student progress towards the student growth goals you set at the start of the school year. We will also look at any teacher evidence you have collected. If you need help entering your teacher evidence, we can also go through those steps together during our mid-year conference.
You will receive an email from me regarding a date and time for our conference. If that scheduled time does not work for you, just email me back with a date and time that will work.
REPORT CARDS: ACTION
First semester grading and report card dates for this year are as follows:
● End of semester: January 26, 2024
● Window to complete grades: January 26 - February 8, 2024
○ Non-student grading day: Monday, January 29, 2024
● Report cards sent home: Friday, February 9, 2024
K-5 REPORT CARDS:HELPFUL
Resources:
● Shoreline K-5 Grading Practice Resource Guide, developed by Highland Terrace, can be
shared with teachers to support grading.
● Family guide to go with the new streamlined report cards.
K-5 HI-CAP SCREENING:HELPFUL
For students in grades 1,3, and 5, universal screening has already been completed and further testing for eligible students will be happening at the same time as kindergarten screening.
1/19/24
● Schools and families have been notified of students who are eligible for further testing (CogAT).
● Families must provide written consent for testing by the end of day 1/19.
Rosters will be updated as consent forms are received.
● Each school has a lead proctor who will work with you to schedule dates
and coordinate testing logistics.
1/30-2/16/24
● Testing window. CASCADE TESTING WILL HAPPEN FOR GRADES 1,3,5 ON 2.7.24
● Once you have scheduled your testing days please share information
with teachers and recommend that they let families know the specific
testing dates for your school. Knowing testing dates is a request we
consistently hear from families. I WILL PUT THIS DATE IN A PARENTSQUARE MESSAGE TO THE FAMILIES
Mid-March
● MDSC for eligibility.
● Notification to schools, families, and position control.
● Services start the following school year.
May 2024
July 2024
Families of students in grades 2, 4, and 6-8 who wish to register for optional
testing, will be notified via ParentSquare of the opportunity to register in May
and testing will occur over the summer at the SLC.
Resources:
● School roster of students eligible for testing
ELLISON FOUNDATION GRANTS: HELPFUL
The Ellison Foundation is awarding multiple grants in the Spring of 2024 for the 2024 – 2025 school year. Grant amounts range between $1,000 and $10,000. The Ellison Education Grants were created to empower and support Washington State’s most effective, innovative and inspirational K- 12 public school teachers. The Ellison Foundation offers Academic Enrichment grants to individuals and teams of teachers supporting the development of innovative and engaging classroom or extracurricular programs that improve student learning. Professional Learning grants are offered to teams of teachers only (e.g.,grade level or subject matter) who are dedicated to improving their instructional practice through self-designed and collaborative professional learning plan. Application information can be found here.
NEW DANIELSON RUBRIC AND COMPONENTS: HELPFUL
This year, the Shoreline Joint Evaluation Committee is meeting to review and make recommendations about the transition to the new Danielson Teacher Evaluation Framework and student growth goals that we are required to implement starting next school year.
The Joint Evaluation Committee is a partnership between the District and Association to implement evaluation tools and to facilitate professional growth through the evaluation process. Committee members understand and represent the interests of administrators and SEA members who work across multiple subjects, grade levels and school buildings, and communicate the work of the committee to that broader audience.
This year, committee members will make recommendations regarding the following:
Resources and forms to support the new evaluation processes
Professional development to ensure successful implementation of a growth oriented evaluation process
Outcomes of any mutually agreed upon evaluation pilots
Expectations around scoring practices
Scoring tools
Other issues as mutually agreed
On November 16, the committee held its first meeting of the year to review the changes and requirements that come with the new framework and student growth goals, and to begin identifying the topics and questions we’ll need to address as a district as we transition to the new evaluation framework.
The committee is scheduled to meet again on December 11, January 18, February 15, and March 14. We will be providing additional information and updates following each of the meetings.
More information about the new framework and growth goals can be found on OSPI’s Teacher/Principal Evaluation Program page.
REMINDERS: HELPFUL
LUNCH PERIOD SCHEDULE: HELPFUL
This document is linked in our systems and procedures document, but I am including it here in case.
CK-8 SYSTEMS/STAFF HANDBOOK DOCUMENT (DRAFT): HELPFUL
This document is in progress, and will be updated as we all learn/refresh our memories on the systems and structures in place at CK-8. If you see an area that could use an addition, or if something is not correct, please email me the correction ( rebbecah.emanuel@ssd412.org)
STAFF SHOUT OUTS: HELPFUL
Thank you so much for filling out a staff shout out! If you would like to recognize a colleague, please use the link at the top of the blog.
FOR THIS WEEK!!!:
Amber is amazing! She is always willing to go the extra mile to support CK8 students, parents and staff. Thanks Amber for all you do!
DISTRICT INFORMATION: HELPFUL
FROM INSTRUCTION:
As we shared in the spring, due to our budget reductions, we were unable to purchase student licenses for our digital social studies curriculum this year. In addition, at the elementary level, we did not purchase teacher licenses. Mike VanOrden is working with teachers to review options to support our students, including the potential purchase of a limited number of student licenses for students served by our MLL, Special Education, and 504 programs, and refinements to curriculum materials we do have. We are also working with the publisher of the curriculum to determine if there may be options for elementary teachers. We will share updates with teachers and administrators as we have more information.\
DIMC:
This year, we have a number of openings on our District Instructional Materials Committee.Certificated staff members serving on the committee are paid for their time. If you are interested in serving on DIMC, please complete this short application.
Shoreline's District Instructional Materials Committee, consisting of classroom teachers, teacher-librarians, administrators, and community members, reviews proposed basic and supplemental instructional materials requested for use by teachers, curriculum teams, and administrators at monthly meetings. More information about the committee can be found here.
FROM STUDENT SERVICES:
Schools are required to document whether an interpreter is requested and provided for 1) IEP meetings and 2) reengagement meetings following an exclusionary plan. For every IEP meeting or reengagement meeting with a multilingual family, OFFICE MANAGERS will complete each field on your buildings tab on this spreadsheet. See District Policy 4218 for details about this requirement.
NEW FOR 2023-24: Language Line DOES qualify as use of an interpreter for this purpose.
TECH TIPS:
Here is an archive of all tech tips provided by the district technology team.
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