The Goods: Site Reports
Lots has happened at all of our sites across the district since the last PLC meeting. Here are some of the highlights of the Site reports:
Bethany
- Successful Halloween Parade
- Red Ribbon Week
- Science Camp
Altamont
- Halloween parade, pumpkin patch, class festivities, truck or treat event, Halloween grams
- District Dance
- BBQ for middle school
- Started PLTW electives added this week
- Offering advanced coding
- Dance club started this week
- Star Lab is Starting
Wicklund
- Halloween parade
- Game night coming up next Friday
- Interventions started
Questa
- Halloween parade
- Attended challenge
- First movie night next week
- Report cards
- Conference time
Lammersville
- Halloween party, the cafeteria was decorated by the parents for the students.
- Pancake breakfast coming up
- Intervention groups running
- Electives PLTW have been happening since September
Mountain House High School
- Challenge day yesterday, inspired students to speak out
- Faculty today shared their first innovation cycle where they completed action research on rubrics, teachers work on mastery based grading and a four level rubric. There are some amazing things happening in our departments. Loved what the PE department had to share. Teachers are encouraged to get out and share their research and what they are doing with other organizations. It was a very collaborative activity
6-12 Articulation
The PLC team had a discussion about how to begin a more intentional articulation on the transition between 8th and 9th grade. It was presented that in order to do this, we need to talk about this transition starting in the middle school grades (from 6th through 12th grades). Of particular interest in this articulation process are the core subject areas, along with the Professional Pathways. PLC team members were asked for their initial thoughts about how to go about doing this.
Following are some of the thoughts about beginning the articulation process:
- Create a timeline and create benchmarks along the way. 1st benchmark could possibly be articulating priority standards
- Better to start with RCD Leads. RCD created priority standards that might need to be evaluated based on laying out the standards and seeing how they can bridge one grade to another.
- We also need to pay attention to the social transitions. Leadership in K-8 schools and HS need to collaborate
- Students in HS struggle with completing a lab report. we could potentially have cross grade projects/labs
- The idea of an elective fair so that students understand it. There was a request to have a description of the pathways in High School
- It is powerful to have 8th grade kids talking to HS students face to face. It is better to have this exposure rather than a coordinator or counselor. Those conversations are valuable.
- PLC teachers can go back to sites and talk about what HS articulation could look like and report back to PLC on ideas/concerns/questions
Sub-Committee Work
For the remainder of the meeting, the team split into subcommittees to talk about the work that they are doing. Many of the items on this list are brainstorm ideas, and are meant to start the conversation about the work that each group will be doing. The following subcommittees reported their work:
Professional Development/Data
- Professional Development
- We talked about the recent PD that we engaged in and discussed that there was lots of positive feedback. The majority (84%) of survey responses believed the Number Talks PD to be valuable or very valuable!
- Compass Learning
- Need to touch base with teachers about best practices with the Compass Program
- Many don't know that you can use it for EL and SpEd students
- Also can be a resource for help in writing
- Great things have been seen at the sites, and we need to let people know how great they are doing.
- Encourage teachers to share with one another
Communication
- Committee continues to work on the PLC blog and is dedicated to publishing information from meetings the day after the meeting.
- Would love for people to send pictures to the communication team to post for all to see.
- If there are special things going on at the sites we would like to publish those too.
Special Populations
- Go Quest will help with GATE needs.
- Khan Academy can be a resource
- Project Based Learning resources
- Engage NY lessons will provide high levels of rigor and increase expectations within the grades and provide project based learning
- Allow students to demonstrate mastery in content, and allow them to have access to curriculum at their level.
Culture
Fun ideas for culture building:
- (BYOB) Bring your own Banana, and then have a banana split party
- (BYOM) Bring your own Mugh party and have hot chocolate
- End of year talent shows
- Aerial photos of the students/staff...would love to do this for the 140th anniversary of the district with the staff
- Minute to win it, scavenger hunts that takes people in and out of classrooms they don't ever visit
- Ugly sweater contest
- Staff Shirts
- Team Building
Instructional Norming
- Walking and Talking Instruction: detailed plan to have this at each site.
- Rotate teachers throughout the school day
- Discuss what the focus of these visits would be
- Get full engagement
