Band Directors Attend Conference

Stephanie Ezell, Corinth Lewis, and Brandon Peters recently attended the Alabama Bandmasters Association Summer Conference. The band directors spent time in sessions on percussion instrument techniques, jazz band methods, and building student leadership teams. 

Planning for New Teacher Orientation and Ongoing Support

New Teacher Coordinators met June 29 to plan how the district will collaborate to provide support for our newest staff members.  The group will meet to collaborate and share ideas and strategies. Each school has a coordinator who will work with principals to mentor new teachers or to select mentors from the staff.  The mentors and new teachers will meet regularly throughout the year with the goal of supporting teachers and students.

New Teacher Coordinators:
Paine Elementary - Melanie Glover and Kristi Stacks
HTMS - Leigh Stovall
HTHS - Dawn Kilgore

Objectives for New Teacher Orientation and Support

To retain effective teachers, to provide a positive work environment, and to achieve success in teaching
To clarify the district’s beliefs, purpose, vision, and expectations
To provide intensive coaching, feedback, modeling, and supervision
To provide opportunities for networking, sharing experiences, and reflecting
To nurture a learning community that will produce teacher and student learning
To differentiate the type and amount of support to new teachers based on their needs

23rd Annual Model Schools Conference

Autumm Jeter and Kristi Stacks attended the 23rd Annual Model Schools Conference in Atlanta, June 28-30.  The conference is sponsored by the International Center for Leadership in Education.

 

         Ms. Stacks with author Don Wettrick

Dr. Jeter with Dr. William Daggett, author of Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships IN ACTION and CEO of International Center for Leadership in Education

Edutopia: Multiple Intelligences: What Does the Research Say?

Many educators have had the experience of not being able to reach some students until presenting the information in a completely different way or providing new options for student expression. Perhaps it was a student who struggled with writing until the teacher provided the option to create a graphic story, which blossomed into a beautiful and complex narrative. Or maybe it was a student who just couldn't seem to grasp fractions, until he created them by separating oranges into slices.

Because of these kinds of experiences, the theory of multiple intelligences resonates with many educators. It supports what we all know to be true: A one-size-fits-all approach to education will invariably leave some students behind. However, the theory is also often misunderstood, which can lead to it being used interchangeably with “learning styles” or applying it in ways that can limit student potential. While the theory of multiple intelligences is a powerful way to think about learning, it’s also important to understand the research that supports it.

Click here to learn about the research behind Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences.

Paine Rolls Out New Math Program

Paine Elementary Primary Math Coach, Donna Brumlow, introduced the newly adopted Eureka Math program to K-2 math teachers Thursday.  Teachers will implement this program, along with Math Investigations, in August.

TCS Teachers Participate in GBMP

Paine 5th grade teacher, Susan Brandon, and HTMS 6th grade teachers, Tina Rosetta and Charlotte Booker, attended training with Greater Birmingham Math Partnership June 22-25.  The objective of the four-day course, Expressions and Equations as a Unifying Theme of the Alabama College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS),  is to build teacher content knowledge while fully modeling the Standards for Mathematical Practice that are at the heart of the CCRS for mathematics.

Teaching and Learning with Chromebooks

Technology Coordinator, April Chamberlain, worked with teachers today to learn how to manage teacher and student Google Apps for Education (GAFE) accounts.  Today and tomorrow, participants will experience detailed exploration of Google Drive and Chrome extensions through sample lesson activities.

Making Learning Real for Students K-12

Kindergarten teachers, Marcia Segers and Angela Shorter, facilitated professional learning today for teachers interested in problem based learning.  The teacher leaders presented ways to integrate the curriculum and ways to collaborate with specialists and other grade level teachers to enhance the classroom experience.  Teachers were introduced to Problem Based Learning,  and they collaborated with peers to develop a unit of study, beginning with a problem for students to solve.  

Quotable Quote

“I believe success is achieved by ordinary people with extraordinary determination.”

—Zig Ziglar (born 1926)
Motivational Author, Speaker

Dr. Jeter Addresses CLAS Conference

Paine Intermediate Principal Autumm Jeter delivered an inspirational message to CLAS members at the Awards Luncheon at the CLAS Conference in Montgomery today.  We are proud to have Dr. Jeter represent Trussville City Schools at CLAS!

TCS Educator Effectiveness Team

School systems in Alabama have been asked by the State Department of Education to develop new evaluation plans for their districts.   Plan 2020 calls for the:

"Development and implementation of a professional growth evaluation system for teachers and leaders that includes multiple measures of student growth and achievement."

Teachers and administrators from all four schools met Friday, June 12, to begin the process of developing a plan for TCS.  The study and process will take two years to complete.  The team facilitator is Dr. Alison Grizzle from the SDE.

Quotable Quote

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
Philosopher, Poet, Author, Essayist 

New Math Blog

Check out Math Coach Donna Brumlow's primary math blog:  http://dbrumlow.blogspot.com/

HTMS Staff at Middle School Summit

HTMS teachers and administrators joined others from area middle schools at Liberty Park Middle School on Wednesday, June 3, for the 2015 Middle School Summit.  Many HTMS teachers had been trained earlier this spring to facilitate grade and content specific sessions.  Teachers discussed strategies and common problems in "unconference" style settings.  Dr. Julie Hannah from the State Department welcomed everyone.  The keynote speaker was Alabama's 2016 Teacher of the Year, Jennifer Brown.