Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Contents

New Items

Grading English Learners and Special Education Students – for All Administrators

Previous Items

EC5 ESL PL on October 4th – for EC5 Administrators
Family Advocacy – for All Administrators
Ticket Offer – Brian Stokes with the KC Symphony – for All Principals
Special Ed Special Day – October 4 – for All Principals
National Bullying Prevention Center E-News Bulletin – for All Administrators
PTA Play – for K-5 Administrators

New Items

Grading English Learners and Special Education Students

From Kristen Scott
This communication is to clarify grading of EL and SPED students in our system.

The information below can be used for Early Childhood through 5th grade in reference to the grade card system at that level:

  • The purpose of the grade card is to be a communication tool with parents.
  • If the student is not performing on grade level, the parent should know that ahead of time.
  • If the accommodations do not change the level of the standard achievement and the student achieves the standard, ???Meets Expectations (M)??? would appropriately communicate their achievement. With accommodations, if the student is performing at the level for which the teacher has taught to??the standard, then the student would receive a “meets expectation”.
  • If the student’s work is aligned to the standard but not at grade level, ???Progressing Toward Expectations (P)??? would appropriately communicate their achievement.
  • If the accommodations change the level of the standard achievement and the student is successful, ???Progressing Toward Expectations (P)??? would appropriately communicate their achievement.
  • If the student is given modified work which has adjusted the standard and even with multiple prompts, examples, etc is still only somewhat successful, then ???Not Progressing at this Time (N)??? would appropriately communicate their achievement.

Success cannot be defined with a percentage. You must know your students as a learner. ESL and SPED staff should be involved in the creation of scales with those they co-teach with to show how to meet the needs of the diverse learners. It is the charge of the teacher to utilize strategies and supporting materials (graphic organizers, visuals, adapted text,e tc.) that will make it possible for the student to access the standard/content/information at the language level they are at. It is the teacher???s responsibility to make the accommodations in the delivery, adaptation of materials, (not having a student translate for the child, or giving the student low level activities because they do not speak English).

The report card is NOT a punishment to students for receiving ESL or Special Education services. ????It is, in fact, an accurate representation of the supports that the student is receiving and their level of achievement with those supports in place. ??If a parent questions the supports given, then as teachers, we ought to be able to clearly define what those supports are, and explain our work with the student, through progress monitoring and work samples.

The same information that is listed above can be used at the Secondary level as general education teachers modify and accommodate EL and SPED students through the use of the scale. Understanding that at Secondary the terms ???not progressing at this time??? and such are not part of the grading system. The information above can guide a general education teacher around how to provide the necessary supports for EL and SPED students around the standards.

We want to draw special attention to the information ???Criteria for Grading English Learners??? document was put out to Secondary administrators last week; we do want to clarify that this is only in place for EL students who receive the direct ESL services in EL1 and EL2 courses; it is not for any other teacher/course. The service delivery model for EL students is different from EC5 to Secondary; therefore, this criteria for grading at Secondary cannot be compared to EC5. Our EL students at the secondary level receive their English language services through an actual course (EL1, EL2, EL3); based on the English Language Proficiency Standards with scales to show the progression of learning around English proficiency.

We hope that this answers any questions you may have around grading our EL and SPED students. If you have further questions you may reach out to Dr. Michelle Colvin, Kristen Scott, Alan King, or your Executive Director.

Previous Items

EC5 ESL PL on October 4th

From Kristen Scott
Just a reminder that we will have our EC5 ESL professional learning the afternoon of October 4th from 1:00 to 4:00 at Schlagle High School.

Family Advocacy

From Rosie Rodriguez
It’s time to begin gathering your building needs for interpreter requests. To facilitate this process, please fill out the form below;

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScj1sFV6uZHTklnCOuu7yGLhfhJP_b4zIz7cNjXBdG9jlqbyA/viewform

Ticket Offer – Brian Stokes with the KC Symphony

From Jodie Lin
Please share with all staff in your building.

Kansas City Young Audiences (KCYA) is offering educators from school districts connected with its programs a special opportunity to participate in its upcoming Benefit Concert for Arts Education on October 7th.

The concert features the Broadway and Tony-award winning star, Brian Stokes Mitchell, with the Kansas City Symphony, and will be presented in the wonderful Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. KCYA invites you, your teachers and staff to join us for this exciting event. Please note below the details giving educators an incredible 2-for-the-price-of-one ticket offer.

More information at this link:

https://kcya.org/full_content.php?article_id=400&full=yes&pbr=1

Special Ed Special Day – October 4

From Michelle Colvin
As a reminder, the special education teachers who serve students with mild to moderate disabilities mostly in general education settings will engage in professional learning unique to them on Wednesday, October 4, according to the following schedule:

High School Special Ed Teachers – Central Office Rm 131 from 1:00-3:00

Middle School Special Ed Teachers – Central Office Rm 132 from 1:30-3:30

Special Ed Teachers in 8:30 to 3:30 Elementary Schools – Central Office Rm 333 from 2:00-4:00

Special Ed Teachers who work in 9:00 to 4:00 Elementary Schools – Central Office Rm 133 from 2:30-4:30

Early Childhood Teachers and Paras – Central Office East Wing from 1:30 to 3:30

Paras who work in Secondary SLC/Collab settings and Bridges Central Office – Rm 253 from 1:00-3:00

Paras who work in 8:30 to 3:30 Elementary Schools – Children???s Campus of Kansas City 3rd Floor Conference Room from 2:00 to 3:30

Paras who work in 9:00 to 4:00 Elementary Schools – Arrowhead Library from 2:30-4:00

Special Education Teachers and paras who work in Life Skills, STEPS, or ED classrooms will be in their buildings for professional learning on October 4.

National Bullying Prevention Center E-News Bulletin

From Tina Richardson

Click here to read.

PTA Play

From Stephanie Dickson
PTA Play is once again around the corner. This years??? performance by Theatre for Young America is a brand-new musical based on Doreen Cronin???s latest book in the wildly popular series that began with Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (performed by TYA last season). It???s Halloween time at Farmer Brown???s farm and the literate farm animals want an old fashioned Holiday Celebration. One problem: Farmer Brown does not like scary things???no haunted house or creepy ghosts for him. But the clever, well-read cows, poultry and pigs create a party more fun than fright with apple-bobbing, costume parades and hilarious musical performances. This performance is suitable for all K-5th graders.
Curriculum Connections: Musical theatre adaptation of award-winning literature, farm life, personification of animals, holiday customs, humor.
Dates are Tuesday, Nov. 14th 9:45 showing will only be for early schools and 11:15 open to all.
Wednesday, Nov. 15th one showing at 9:45 open to all schools.
The show will run about an hour. The cost will be $2.50 per student.
Please contact Teresa Kloiber at IARC 627-6850 or Teresa.kloiber@kckps.org to schedule your school.
Any questions call or email Stephanie.dickson@kckps.org 913-627-6862.

Monday, October 2, 2017

Contents

New Items

National Bullying Prevention Center E-News Bulletin – for All Administrators

Previous Items

EC5 ESL PL on October 4th – for EC5 Administrators
Family Advocacy – for All Administrators
SIT Training – for Principals
Attendance Outreach and Interventions – for All Administrators
Anti-Bullying Awareness Week – October 2-7, 2017 – for Administrators
FREE TICKETS for an adaptation of Kite Runner – for Secondary Principals
Ticket Offer – Brian Stokes with the KC Symphony – for All Principals
Special Ed Special Day – October 4 – for All Principals
PTA Play – for K-5 Administrators

New Items

National Bullying Prevention Center E-News Bulletin

From Tina Richardson

Click here to read.

Previous Items

EC5 ESL PL on October 4th

From Kristen Scott
Just a reminder that we will have our EC5 ESL professional learning the afternoon of October 4th from 1:00 to 4:00 at Schlagle High School.

Family Advocacy

From Rosie Rodriguez
It’s time to begin gathering your building needs for interpreter requests. To facilitate this process, please fill out the form below;

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScj1sFV6uZHTklnCOuu7yGLhfhJP_b4zIz7cNjXBdG9jlqbyA/viewform

SIT Training

From Ashley Washington
Hello,

Our first Student Improvement Team (SIT) ???Brown Bag Special” Training is coming up on Friday, September 29th! “Brown Bag Specials” are for SIT team members/building staff, community partners, PTA members, parents, board members, school psychologists, social workers, nurses, members of school site councils and any other persons interested in being a part of the process. The topic of this training will be ???Student Improvement Team Framework/Expectation???. This will be an opportunity to learn all about the SIT process and a chance to collaborate with those who work with our students, as well as partner in promoting their achievement, building relationships, and celebrating their success. If you currently work with students in the SIT Process, are new to the SIT Process, or just want to join in on the work; we will be in room 133 at Central Office from 10:30-12:30.

The training will work in 30 minute intervals???.please do not worry about being late or needing to leave early. We will chat and chew, so feel free to bring your lunch and come to see what SIT is all about. Everyone is welcome!

I am so excited to share and collaborate with all who come, as we begin to foster a universal process that will support our students’ academic and social-emotional growth!

Have a great day,

Ashley

Attendance Outreach and Interventions

From Rosie Rodriguez
We are close to the end of Attendance Awareness Month. Below is a resource for you to continue raising attendance throughout the year. Click on each link to find ideas and resources to monitor and increase attendance at your building.

Schools that have increased or have met our 95% goal of Average Daily Attendance will be recognized by our Superintendent at the end of the month.

Flyer PDF

Anti-Bullying Awareness Week – October 2-7, 2017

From Tina Richardson
Research shows that schools with a positive and welcoming school climate increases the likelihood that students succeed academically while protecting them from engaging in high risk behaviors like substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and violence. A positive school climate encourages behaviors with clear consequences for violating rules as well as rewards for meeting expectations. School climate can be understood as the frequency and quality of interactions among and between staff, students, parents, and the community throughout the entire school community.
In a positive school climate, the caring attitude of the school is clearly visible and is reflected by widespread participation in all areas of the school. According to the National School Safety Center (1990), a student???s perspective of the school climate is affected by the following:
Student involvement: The degree to which students are involved in and enjoy classes and extracurricular activities at school.
Student relationships: The level of comfort students feel in relating to one another and the ease with which they make new friends.
Teacher support: The amount of help and care that teachers direct toward students.
Physical environment: The extent to which the school building reflects the caring attitude of the school, the school buildings are clean, well cared for, supervised, and safe.
Conflict resolution: Whether students are clear about the rules and feel that conflicts are resolved fairly and rules are consistently enforced.
Participation in decision-making: The extent to which students, administrators, and teachers share in making decisions about school improvement.
Curriculum: The extent to which students feel that what is taught in classes meets their needs.
Counseling services: Whether students feel counselors are accessible and able to help with personal problems, job, and career information, and concerns about drugs, alcohol, and relationships.
Recreation alternatives: Whether students are satisfied with existing recreational activities and teachers??? support of these activities.
Personal stress: The amount of pressure students feel they are under and the resources they have to cope with it.
Resource: www.ksde.org

FREE TICKETS for an adaptation of Kite Runner

From Jodie Lin
Schools are responsible for substitutes and buses

10 a.m. Wednesday, October 11, 2017 | Yardley Hall Show length, 90 minutes l Suggested Ages: 14 and up
From the first novel about contemporary Afghanistan to be written in English, this performance dramatically portrays the relationship of two boys ??? Amir, a privileged Pashtun and Hassan, a Hazara servant. Amir takes us on a heartbreaking journey of friendship and betrayal in a society of severe class division. This Literature to Life award-winning adaptation mirrors the original short story written by the author. Using Afghani music as a backdrop, the performance features pre-show discussion, 50 minutes of verbatim performance from the first half of this best-selling contemporary novel, and 30 minutes post show audience dialogue.
FOR YOUR FREE TICKETS, YOU MUST EMAIL ANGEL MERCIER AT amercier@jccc.edu.

Flyer PDF

Ticket Offer – Brian Stokes with the KC Symphony

From Jodie Lin
Please share with all staff in your building.

Kansas City Young Audiences (KCYA) is offering educators from school districts connected with its programs a special opportunity to participate in its upcoming Benefit Concert for Arts Education on October 7th.

The concert features the Broadway and Tony-award winning star, Brian Stokes Mitchell, with the Kansas City Symphony, and will be presented in the wonderful Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. KCYA invites you, your teachers and staff to join us for this exciting event. Please note below the details giving educators an incredible 2-for-the-price-of-one ticket offer.

More information at this link:

https://kcya.org/full_content.php?article_id=400&full=yes&pbr=1

Special Ed Special Day – October 4

From Michelle Colvin
As a reminder, the special education teachers who serve students with mild to moderate disabilities mostly in general education settings will engage in professional learning unique to them on Wednesday, October 4, according to the following schedule:

High School Special Ed Teachers – Central Office Rm 131 from 1:00-3:00

Middle School Special Ed Teachers – Central Office Rm 132 from 1:30-3:30

Special Ed Teachers in 8:30 to 3:30 Elementary Schools – Central Office Rm 333 from 2:00-4:00

Special Ed Teachers who work in 9:00 to 4:00 Elementary Schools – Central Office Rm 133 from 2:30-4:30

Early Childhood Teachers and Paras – Central Office East Wing from 1:30 to 3:30

Paras who work in Secondary SLC/Collab settings and Bridges Central Office – Rm 253 from 1:00-3:00

Paras who work in 8:30 to 3:30 Elementary Schools – Children???s Campus of Kansas City 3rd Floor Conference Room from 2:00 to 3:30

Paras who work in 9:00 to 4:00 Elementary Schools – Arrowhead Library from 2:30-4:00

Special Education Teachers and paras who work in Life Skills, STEPS, or ED classrooms will be in their buildings for professional learning on October 4.

PTA Play

From Stephanie Dickson
PTA Play is once again around the corner. This years??? performance by Theatre for Young America is a brand-new musical based on Doreen Cronin???s latest book in the wildly popular series that began with Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (performed by TYA last season). It???s Halloween time at Farmer Brown???s farm and the literate farm animals want an old fashioned Holiday Celebration. One problem: Farmer Brown does not like scary things???no haunted house or creepy ghosts for him. But the clever, well-read cows, poultry and pigs create a party more fun than fright with apple-bobbing, costume parades and hilarious musical performances. This performance is suitable for all K-5th graders.
Curriculum Connections: Musical theatre adaptation of award-winning literature, farm life, personification of animals, holiday customs, humor.
Dates are Tuesday, Nov. 14th 9:45 showing will only be for early schools and 11:15 open to all.
Wednesday, Nov. 15th one showing at 9:45 open to all schools.
The show will run about an hour. The cost will be $2.50 per student.
Please contact Teresa Kloiber at IARC 627-6850 or Teresa.kloiber@kckps.org to schedule your school.
Any questions call or email Stephanie.dickson@kckps.org 913-627-6862.