Category: Principals’ Office

Curriculum & Instruction

Quarterly Midpoint Progress Reports

Per Board Policy IHA, report cards for all students shall be sent home and posted in the online grade book four times a year at the end of the quarter (please see district calendar for the end of quarter dates). In addition, progress reports for all students shall be issued at the midpoint of each quarter. Grades shall be updated in the online grade book each week (approximately 10 per quarter) to keep everyone informed of student progress.

The following weeks will be dedicated to sending home Quarterly Midpoint Progress Reports:

Quarter 1- Week of October 5-9, 2020 (Family Advocacy Day- October 9, 2020)

Quarter 2- Week of December 14-18, 2020

Quarter 3- Week of February 22-26, 2021

Quarter 4- Week of April 26-30, 2021

All Principals

Re: Literacy Festival and Math Relays

With the suspension of events that require student groups to meet in person, the Curriculum and Instruction Department is cancelling the Literacy Festival and Math Relays for the 2020-21 school year. 

Middle and High School Principals

Re:  Signaling Shifts in ELA Instruction (Revised GVC and myPerspectives) 

The purpose of this asynchronous learning opportunity will be to revisit shifts in Secondary ELA instruction through the revised GVC and the new resource, myPerspectives.  This video (approx. 1 hour) will highlight program components in the new resource and reacquaint you with the Student-Centered Unit Structure.  By participating in this learning opportunity, you will gain additional background information that your teachers received during the week of training (August 18-20).   After viewing the video, take time to explore myPerspectives on your own and immerse yourself in the work alongside your ELA teachers.  The demo log-in is available in the video.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to Kristi Chalk with questions or concerns, as teachers and PLCs continue to move forward in this work. 

Secondary ELA Instructional Shifts (Video)

Slide presentation pdf

Middle and High School Principals

Re: Math Curriculum Access for Administrators

If you were unable to schedule a time to meet with Kurt Parker about the math curriculum and resources this week, please contact him via email to set up an appointment. The meeting will take less than an hour and is required before administrative access can be granted.

Middle School Principals

Re:Robotics

With the suspension of events that require student groups to meet in person, Middle School Robotics is cancelled for the 2020-21 school year. 

High School Principals

Re:Robotics

High School Robotics is slated to begin in January of 2021.  We will wait to determine whether teams will be allowed to meet in person, per local health official recommendations, to fulfil the requirements needed for competition.

Elementary School Principals

Re: Math Curriculum Resource (Eureka Math in Sync)

 Update: Great Minds and our IT department have started the rostering process of Eureka Math in Sync. Teachers and students will access Eureka Math in Sync using Clever. Great Minds anticipates access to the platform will take approximately 5 business days. In the meantime, please work with your building representative to provide staff with the professional development session around utilizing Eureka Math in Sync. Building representatives have already received the training and have been provided with a PowerPoint to help guide their work. If questions arise please do not hesitate to reach out to Marica Rhone and she will be happy to assist your building.

Student Services

Info from Student Services on Social Emotional Learning

As we enter this school year, know that the Student Services Department is here to support you and your community. Here you will find pertinent information and helpful resources related to Social Emotional Learning.

Curriculum & Instruction

Middle School Principals

Re: Math Curriculum Resources & Support

Our Middle School program has changed dramatically this year. We have: added new honors courses as well as Algebra 1; rewritten all the GVC documents; and adopted a brand new resource in Big Ideas Mathematics, which includes a teacher and student digital platform. Many of you have reached out to me asking for clarification and support with one or more of these areas. However, before I can grant anyone access to the curriculum resources and your log ins, I need to meet with them to provide guidance and clarifications around the GVC, support documents, courses and resources. This meeting will not take more than an hour.

I would very much like to meet and discuss how I will support your leadership and math team this year. I would also like to gather input on the kind of supports you feel you need specific to your buildings. I will create a zoom link and send it to you once I receive notification you have signed up.   Please sign up using the following link. 

Thank you,

Kurt Parker

Curriculum & Instruction Coach – Secondary Mathematics

High School Principals

Re: Math Curriculum Resources & Support

Our High School program has changed dramatically this year. We have: added new upper-level and honors courses; rewritten all the GVC documents; and adopted a brand new resource in Big Ideas Mathematics and Cengage, which includes three new teacher and student digital platforms. Many of you have reached out to me asking for clarification and support with one or more of these areas. However, before I can grant anyone access to the curriculum resources and your log ins, I need to meet with them to provide guidance and clarifications around the GVC, support documents, courses and resources. Our meeting will not take more than an hour.

I would very much like to meet and discuss how I will support your leadership and math team this year. I would also like to gather input on the kind of supports you feel you need specific to your buildings. I will create a zoom link and send it to you once I receive notification you have signed up.  Please sign up using the following link. 

Thank you,

Kurt Parker

Curriculum & Instruction Coach – Secondary Mathematics

The Leadership Mobile Minute – Up to date information regarding Instructional Technology (Canvas, Software, Seesaw, Clever, etc) for KCKPS Leadership.

Families Remote Learning Plan Quick Guide

The Families Remote Learning Plan Quick Guide has been translated into multiple languages for your use. Please see the links below:

Families Remote Learning Plan Quick Guide (Arabic)

Families Remote Learning Plan Quick Guide (Hakka Chin)

Families Remote Learning Plan Quick Guide (Somali)

Families Remote Learning Plan Quick Guide (Burmese)

Families Remote Learning Plan Quick Guide (Karen)

Families Remote Learning Plan Quick Guide (Nepali)

Families Remote Learning Plan Quick Guide (Spanish)

ESOL

In order to prepare for September 20^th it is imperative that the September 20^th timeline be followed to the best of our ability.

Principals tasks should be completed by submitting updated endorsed teacher rosters, teachers plan of study, and bell schedule should all be submitted to Connie Thao and CC Jacqueline Rodriguez. Please ensure that ESOL teachers are working through the Virtual Test Plan to pre-screen students for ESOL services no onsite testing should be occurring. At the Early Childhood level the screener will be completed by classroom teachers during Family Advocacy Week. In addition to the September 20^th tasks verify that ESOL staff completes transition and exit paperwork for students based on the 2019 KELPA assessment. These documents must be printed and signed and sent to Dasiel Suarez before September 1^st.

Please reach out to Jacqueline.rodriguez@kckps.org for questions.

Federal Programs

ALL Principals

Title & Board of Education Compliance Checklists

Stay on track by reviewing the KCKPS Required Documents Compliance Checklists to make sure you’re covering all of the Title (IX, VI, VII, I) requirements as we start the 2020-21 school year.  There are TWO checklists located in the Federal Programs shared drive; Elementary & Middle Schools and  Early Childhood, High School and Alternative Schools.  School checklists should be submitted to Lisa Walker by 9/28/20.

KCKPS Student Harassment & Discrimination Mandatory Training Videos 2020-21

The KCKPS Harassment & Discrimination Student Mandatory Training Video Bundle 2020-21 (grades 3-12) is located in the Frontline professional development library.  (The student training bundle includes both an English and Spanish version of the same content.)  Staff members can access the training bundle by going to the Frontline platform, searching the District Catalog and the All Events dropdown window, and selecting 2020-2021 Mandatory Trainings.  Once the KCKPS Student Harassment & Discrimination Mandatory Training Bundle 2020-21 displays in the search results, the bundle can be selected and moved to the staff member’s Learning Plan. (Contact Jared.Alexander@kckps.org for Frontline questions.) Student video trainings or age appropriate talks (EC-2^nd grade) should occur during the first week of school with student training completed by 9/11/20.

Title I Principals

Parents-Right-To-Know Letters for Long-Term Substitutes

A reminder that Federal Program guidelines require buildings receiving Title I funds to notify parents any time their child receives instruction for four weeks or more without a highly qualified teacher in the classroom.  Templates (English and Spanish versions) for these individual classroom situations are located in the Elementary/Middle Title I Schools – Required Documents 20-21 folder in the Federal Programs shared drive.

If you are starting the year with a long-term substitute in any of your classrooms, you will need to provide a letter to your families. Please provide Bridgette DeSmet with a signed copy on your school letterhead to retain for the 2021 SY compliance report.

As these situations occur during 2021 SY, please use these Parents-Right-To-Know templates to inform families of long-term substitutes and provide a signed copy to Bridgette DeSmet.  Thanks for your help and let us know if there are questions.

Fall District Title I Advisory Cluster Meetings Rescheduled

Due to the delayed start of the school year and the transition to the Remote Learning Platform, the mandatory District Title I Advisory Cluster Meetings scheduled for 8/31/20 (Harmon), 9/1/20 (Schlagle/Sumner/Washington) and 9/3/20 (Wyandotte) will be delayed to October.  Stay tuned, more information will follow

Human Resources

SAVE THE DATE(S)!

Below you will find a list of trainings for Principals and Assistant Principals provided by LSI during the month of September.  Your participation is required.  Please see the Attendees column for details about which sessions you need to attend.

You only have to attend one of the sessions focused on effective feedback.  Use the link below to enroll in the How to Make Your Feedback More Effective session.  Zoom links and resources will be provided closer to the training dates.

https://forms.gle/9PtpPn48gvFR3CGKA

Attend to Achieve (A2A)

Attend to Achieve (A2A) is working to promote and encourage school attendance for students’ learning and overall academic success. One of A2A’s goal is to be preventative and assist schools in making sure that students participate, engage, and succeed in this virtual world by removing and addressing barriers early in the school year for better chances of success.

In order to achieve our goal and be preventative, we are asking for your list of high-risk students who had trouble engaging and participating during the last few months of last school year of virtual learning. A2A is working to ensure that we contact and support families before it’s too late. We can only do this with your help and support.  Please send your list to  naomi.tolentino@kckps.org and feel free to send your questions and concerns as well.

Also, in order to provide interpreter support during FA, please let us know (same email) who is the main contact for this at your building.

Curriculum & Instruction

Please open the following link for the latest information regarding Instructional Technology in KCKPS.

The Leadership Mobile Minute – Up to date information regarding Instructional Technology (Canvas, Software, Seesaw, Clever, etc) for KCKPS Leadership.

Human Resources

2021 Horizon Award Application Now Available!

The Horizon Award Application is now available to view and print from the KSDE website. As a reminder, the award is intended to recognize exemplary first year teachers who perform in a way that distinguishes them as outstanding. In order to be eligible, the nominee will need to be a full-time teacher who completed their first full year of teaching in the 2019-20 school year.  The nomination packet is lengthy and detailed, please ensure that the nominee receives this packet as soon as possible to begin the process. The deadline to complete and submit the nomination packet to Ana Perez-Sievert (link my name to my email) is October 2, 2019.

College & Career Readiness

Curriculum & Instruction

Elementary School Principals

Re: 4th & 5th Grade CKLA Teacher Log-ins

Please click on this link for information around how teachers will access the Amplify CKLA digital resources needed prior to professional learning on August 19th.  Please reach out to allison.rice@kckps.org and cheryl.beyer@kckps.org with any questions.

Re: Eureka Math in Sync Professional Learning Registration

Eureka Math in Sync has been purchased to enhance the district’s current math resource, Eureka Math. Eureka Math in Sync provides standards-aligned short and digestible videos along with aligned student resources, such as fillable pdfs and virtual manipulatives. Standards-aligned assessments and practice are also incorporated into Eureka Math in Sync. As students complete asynchronous work utilizing Eureka Math in Sync, teachers will be able to utilize the data to focus synchronous learning on priority standards to better meet students’ needs, thus maximizing instructional time and improving student achievement. Each building will need to designate a representative to attend a virtual training on Thursday, August 20th from 2:30-4:00 p.m. The designee (teacher, instructional coach, etc.) will be responsible for bringing the learning back to individual buildings and providing training for the staff. Use the Google Form to register your designee and school for the Eureka Math in Sync training. Please complete registration by August 18th.  

Registration Link

Marica Rhone
EC-5 Math Curriculum Instructional Coach
Kansas City Kansas Public Schools
(913)-279-2284

Re:  Amplify CKLA Professional Learning Registration for SPED & ESL Co-Teachers, Instructional Coaches, and Administrators

There are a limited number of additional seats available for the August 19th Amplify CKLA Curriculum Resource and Digital Platform Training sessions for 4th and 5th grade teachers.  We are requiring registration to be completed by any SPED & ESL Co-Teachers, Instructional Coaches, and Administrators interested in attending the session. The content of the 4th and 5th grade sessions will generally be the same, so attendance is needed at only one of the sessions. Priority will be given to SPED & ESL Co-Teachers when assigning available seats.  Please note that an asynchronous session will also be available the following week for those that we are not able to accommodate in the ‘live’ session.  Additionally, a separate training session for Instructional Coaches and Administrators will be scheduled in late September geared specifically for building leaders.  This information is also communicated within the session information on the Professional Learning Calendar. Please complete registration no later than noon on August 18th.

Registration Link

Please reach out to allison.rice@kckps.org and suzie.legg@kckps.org with any questions.

Equity & Inclusion

• Representation: The experiences of women, minorities, and other underrepresented groups are central to E&I work, and their perspectives must be centered.  Of course, this does not mean that race should be a factor to exclude individuals from consideration. Many effective diversity leaders across race categories are actively involved in diversity work.
• Relationships/Respectability: Consider building colleagues who others respect and look to as leaders and guides.  Identifying persons who have the respect of their peers and the ability to move the masses is essential.

• “Folks who play nicely together in the sandbox.” Undoubtedly, the nature of E&I work can cause sand to be tossed a bit, but being collegial as we work to determine what’s most essential and timeless in our values and plans is critical.

Facilities

Attached is a “sample” document which is a required form for inspection of backflow prevention devices.  These have apparently been sent to schools, and we have received a couple via inter-office mail and email.
I need to ask if you have received one of these or any other paper work that you think pertains to building issues that they be forward to me, Doug Clements.

Fine Arts (IARC)

ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS – ART SUPPLIES

When we all met via Zoom with Wayne Correll for the Purchasing Department meeting, there was discussion about the free supply kits for kids.

Please order one per student through the Store Room to distribute during the Family Advocacy week.  This will allow us to teach our art classes with integrity.

This is not a special art kit.  This is simply the basic, pre-packaged supply kit Wayne offered to you for each student.

If you have questions, please reach out.

All principals

Many buildings have itinerant art, music, PE and/or strings/orchestra teachers.  As your building creates student and teacher schedules, it is important to ensure the itinerant staff are able to fulfill obligations in all assigned buildings.  Keeping true to the original, assigned times will guarantee the itinerant team members will have no conflicts.  If you are making adjustments, please check in with the itinerant staff before moving forward with changes.

Fine Arts (IARC)

Middle School Principals

Re:  Art supplies

IARC is working with the Purchasing Department to have special art-friendly supply kits sent to your schools for all students enrolled in an art class first semester.  These are different kits than what are available to our other middle school students through the Store Room.  Therefore, it is critical your art teacher work with you to deploy the kits to every art student.  The kits will be sent to the attention of the art teacher.  Please make certain our art students receive the kits when your building has Family Advocacy days.

Re:  Band and Orchestra instruments

IARC will be meeting with teachers soon to finalize the instrument deployment plan for students who have prior experience.  The teachers will work with you to ensure our students pick up their instrument during the Family Advocacy days.

Beginning band and orchestra students will start remote learning by focusing on the targets that can be learned without an instrument.  Deployment of instruments for beginning students (students with no prior experience) will take place once we return to in-person learning.

Elementary School Principals

Our 5th grade strings classes will engage in remote learning along with our other content areas.  The strings teachers will meet with IARC soon for the instrument deployment plan, and I will send you all details once they are finalized.  Instruments will be deployed during the Family Advocacy days.  With our strings staff being in multiple buildings, we will have to work together and will likely need alternate days/times to serve all of the families.  Regarding 4th grade strings, we will begin our enrollment process and launch these classes once we return to in-person learning.  Please let your 4th grade teachers know of this adjustment.

High School Principals

The IARC electives available during remote learning will be limited.

• Visual Art — Art History Beyond the West
  • Sumner only — IB Art
•  PE — Essentials of PE, Modern Dance and Fitness & Conditioning
• Music — Choir, Concert Band, Orchestra, Music History and Music Appreciation
• Theatre — Intro to Theatre, Technical Theatre and Theatre Performance

Course names will have to be adjusted.  Please work with your counselor to ensure the changes are made.  Changes are needed as follows:

• With the exception of Sumner IB art, all art courses shall be Art History Beyond the West
• Team Sports, Lifetime Sports and Athletic Weights shall all be Fitness & Conditioning
• Piano Lab shall be Music Appreciation
• Marching band shall be Concert Band

Federal Programs

Federal Program Reminders for Building & District Administrators

Elementary/Middle School Title I Principals

A reminder for all Title I funded buildings, principals are required to provide (mail or post) several documents to parents at the start of each school year.  These documents include School-Home Compact, Family Engagement Plan,  Parents-Right-To-Know ESSA letters, and Standard Complaint Resolution Process. All templates and documents stored in the Federal Programs Elementary/Middle Schools Title I subfolder meet the 2021SY compliance guidelines regarding annual notification to parents related to highly qualified staff and other funding mandates.

Title IX Building & Department Title IX Coordinator/Investigator Information  – Title IX Updated Documents & Forms

As discussed during training sessions, the new Title IX regulations require buildings and departments to identify and publicize their building or department Title IX Coordinator/Investigator.  Principals with more than one assistant principal should send the name of their school’s Title IX Coordinator/Investigator to Lisa Walker by Friday, August 14, 2020.  Likewise, district administrators should send the name of their department’s Title IX Coordinator/Investigator to Lisa Walker by Friday, August 14, 2020.   (The principal will serve as the school Title IX Coordinator/Investigator in buildings that do not have an assistant principal.)

Title IX documents and editable forms, revised as a result of feedback received during training sessions, are now located in the Federal Programs shared drive.  Please be sure to use these updated Title IX documents when filing complaints and incident reports.

Due Dates for ALL Staff Mandatory Trainings

It’s important for all staff to receive training prior to the return of students.  Therefore, a reminder that all mandatory training videos must be completed by Friday, September 4, 2020. Building principals and department supervisors should clearly communicate the dates/times the Mandatory Training Bundle (1 of 2) will be facilitated through the group training setting for staff assigned to their respective building or department.  Principals and department supervisors may also choose to facilitate the Mandatory Training Bundle (2 of 2) in a group setting, to ensure all staff members complete the training by the September 4, 2020 due date.

School Compliance Checklists

The deadline for principals to submit the school Required Documents Compliance Checklist has been extended to Monday, September 28, 2020.

Please contact Lisa Walker with questions.