Wednesday, December 20

BOCES newsletter
Another fine correspondence from Barry Derfel at BOCES

Go Guardian for Teachers program review

This email came from Denny a few days ago:

We are in the second week of two week trial of GoGuardian for Teachers. Go Guardian is the monitoring and filtering system that we use for Chromebooks used by students.  It is effective both on campus and away. GoGuardian for Teachers has various features, and I am not well versed in it, but one thing it allows is for the Teacher to observe the Chromebook desktops of selected students during sessions lasting up  to two hours.

About a dozen people so far have been invited to test the software,and at least five of them have done so, and comments I've received are favorable.  If you would like to try GoGuardian for teachers during the week ending Dec. 22, please send me a reply e-mail.  

Click the title above for more info.  Paul is trying to have the trial extended so more folks can get a good idea.

Here is some input from a few teachers:

Rachel:
I'm loving it! I don't use it to block any thing, but I check after class to see if any students were on a non-academic site so I can correct that / monitor them more closely.

Here is a response from a teachert in Beekmantown.  They did a really nice presentation when I was in Albany.

I will be upfront and tell you that I'm only an occasional user of GoGuardian Teacher.  My goal is to build a level of trust/expectation so that students know how to properly use in class without having "big brother" over their shoulder.

That being said here are three situations I personally find it to be effective:

1. When I have a substitute and I want to be able to see what students are doing/did while I'm not there.  For example, if one of my kids is sick and I'm home for the day, or I'm at a conference, I can still check in to make sure kids are doing what's expected.
2. When you run a study hall and you have a mix of students from various grades/classes, you can be aware of and monitor what they're doing. 
3. When you have to document and provide evidence for how a student is using class time.  This can be helpful for team meetings/parent conferences, etc.  

January testing
Here's the file, and it's also linked from the Master file.


A writing sample for your review
I received this message from a student the other day.  I initially got a kick out the message, but it drives home the fact that quite a few of our students simply write too informally. I know it's just an email, but the student in this case might project this lack of grammar and spelling skill when he gets into the workplace unless we hammer home these skills now.

The moral of the story is to make our students write often, and point out their mistakes so they can see the need for better work, both now and down the road. You can bet this young man will be in my office getting help with viewing his grades, and with writing an email!

New Book: The i5 Approach:
Lesson Planning That Teaches Thinking and Fosters Innovation

Friday, December 15

Have a great weekend!!

Data site updated
You can see 2016-17 info on the NYS data site. Here is a link to South Seneca on the site.  For HS Regents info, click the School Report Card link. 

RTI attendance procedures for middle school
Please be sure to remind students of their on-going responsibility to report to Todd or Tera as the schedule indicates.  If you have any questions or concerns, please speak with Missy or me.  Clear procedures for the process have been added/copied from the staff handbook to the RtI flow chart form for the sake of clarity.

A review of Class Attendance Procedures (click here for the staff handbook):

We believe that there is a direct relationship between a student’s class attendance and his/her successful achievement.  It is important that we continually reinforce this basic concept with our students and their parent/guardian.

The following instructions must be carefully observed if we are going to be successful in establishing and maintaining student respect for the need to be in school and in class.

1. Accurate attendance must be carefully taken at the beginning of each class and study hall.  Teachers who do not have access to a computer must call the Main Office, Ext 4122 (Kim Dresser, HS) or Ext 4120 (Karen Denmark, MS).

It is in the interest of all students to have a collaborative relationship between staff members who support the efforts to improve and support the whole child. To this end, while the provider is responsible for checking on the safety and whereabouts of the student they are assigned and therefore responsible for, it is appropriate for the classroom teacher to remind and send students to their lessons, counseling, etc.

In the instance of Learning Labs or lessons (band or RtI) other pull out supports (nurse, counseling etc.) -students who do not report to the location, lesson, or service should be contacted by the service provider to both remind them and check that they are safe. This includes calling classrooms when necessary.

ELA and Math Update 
This is from Missy's Instructional Planning Council at BOCES.  It covers updates to the spring tests.

Save a Life Tour
The Save a Life Tour (distracted driver education) will be at our school on Wednesday, March 14.  We will have a high school assembly that day, and the equipment will be available for kids to try throughout the day.  The tour was here a couple years ago.  We'll do this every few years as kids cycle through the high school.

Standing desks are on the way
As time allows, the desks will be assembled and delivered to classrooms.

BOCES Weekly Bulletin
There are always some great opportunities from our friends at BOCES.  Opportunities include:

• Demonstration classrooms: You can visit classrooms around the region where teachers have volunteered to allow visits. 
• Google G-Suite training:  Become one of our first teachers to use Google G-Suite. 
• Summer School for the Arts - info on how students can apply.

ASCD Quick Reference Guides
These look very useful. Feel free to check them out.


Product Showcase - Discovery Education

I received the following email last week.  The product is available through BOCES.  Please speak with Jody about it or others.  BOCES has many resources that are part of their library. If you're not familiar with Discovery Education, the linked clip below should give you a good overview. 

Dear Mr. Houseknecht,

I am excited to share with you some recent research findings that link Discovery Education Streaming usage to increased student engagement and achievement. These studies, combined, tell a consistent and promising story of how Streaming is impacting outcomes that matter across the country for students overall, and especially for racial/ethnic minorities and students impacted by poverty, disabilities, and limited English proficiency. The research studies show that students in elementary, middle and high school that have regular access to Streaming resources have higher attendance rates, and are outpacing their peers on state assessments in reading, mathematics, and social studies.  Streaming is, in fact, making a significant difference in teaching and learning.  

Initial findings were based on three separate studies, conducted in districts in three different states – Texas, California, and Tennessee – and supported by the independent findings of a published university study.  A subsequent study was conducted for the entire state of Kentucky. You can read more about this research in the attached flyer.

VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/237127592

Our goal is to make sure that you have resources at your finger tips that will make a real and lasting impact on teaching and learning in your district.    If you’re looking for ways to further integrate Streaming resources into your instructional program, please let me know. 

Sincerely,

Joseph Cuello

National Partnerships Consultant
Discovery Education

DiscoveryEducation.com

Tuesday, December 5

Thanks to Christine Williams

On Tuesday morning about 6:15, Chris was working on the beautiful arrangements in the atrium.  Thanks Chris, they look wonderful. 

Two of my favorite Falcons.  
I'm sure others feel the same!












BOCES bulletin for December 5
Barry has some good PD opportunities listed in the current bulletin. Check it out.


Time sheets needed

The business office will need the time sheets by Monday, December 18th even though the previous payroll ends Friday, December 15th. This will allow 2 days to process, one day to certify and 2 days for direct deposit.


Steelcase Active Learning Center Grant
The grant cycle just opened today, as proposals are due in February. Here is the eligibility page.  This is an exciting opportunity for anyone who would like to modernize their room.

Standing desks on the way
The order for 20 standing desks has been placed. If you haven't expressed interest yet, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Friday, December 1

Thanks for your work on parent-teacher conferences the other day.  We had a pretty good turnout.  Missy, Cathy and I will always so our best to help you with parent communication. 

Half day schedule
We're going to do the reverse schedule on half days and early release days for the rest of the school year, including Dec. 6.

Rich Johns for the High School:
I can let the whole high school student body attend the assembly.  If you need your kids, please let me know. Click here for his website. 

• Periods 1-4, 10, 9 - regular classes
• Period 8 - lunch for HS kids
• Period 7, 6, 5 (10:18 to 11:20): High School presentation in the aud

If this plan is an inconvenience for anyone, please let me know.  If you need your class, that is fine.  The presentation should be very valuable.

NYS Ed Tech Innovators
...a Newsletter from the Office of Educational Design & Technology

• The Office of Educational Design and Technology is pleased to announce publication of the first issue of its newsletter, NYS Ed Tech Innovators.  The newsletter contains articles describing innovative educational technology programs that have been, or are currently being, implemented in New York State schools, school libraries, and districts.
• NYS Ed Tech Innovators is posted to the Office of Educational Design and Technology’s website and will be sent via the Office’s listserv.  If you would like to subscribe to the EdTech listserv to receive the NYS Ed Tech Innovators newsletter, please send an email to edtech@nysed.gov with your name and organization in the body of the email, and “EdTech Listserv” as the subject.
• We are actively requesting articles for future newsletters.  Topics of interest include Project-Based Learning, Personalized Learning, Device Planning and Implementation (1:1, BYOD), OER and Digital Curriculum, Infrastructure, Data Privacy and Security, Keyboarding Instruction, Professional Learning, Technology Planning, and Leadership.  Articles can be submitted to edtech@nysed.gov at any time.  Please see Guidance for more information. 
• Questions regarding NYS Ed Tech Innovators Monthly may be directed to the Office of Educational Design & Technology at 518-474-5461 or edtech@nysed.gov.

Interested in a NYSCATE conference?

Click here for the Southern Tier ConnectED conference in March.  It's taking place in Endwell.