Have you read . . . ?

How do other countries create “smarter” kids? What is it like to be a child in the world’s new education superpowers? The Smartest Kids in the World “gets well beneath the glossy surfaces of these foreign cultures and manages to make our own culture look newly strange....The question is whether the startling perspective provided by this masterly book can also generate the will to make changes” (The New York Times Book Review).

In a handful of nations, virtually all children are learning to make complex arguments and solve problems they’ve never seen before. They are learning to think, in other words, and to thrive in the modern economy. Inspired to find answers for our own children, author and Time magazine journalist Amanda Ripley follows three Americans embed­ded in these countries for one year. Kim, fifteen, raises $10,000 so she can move from Oklahoma to Finland; Eric, eighteen, trades his high-achieving Minnesota suburb for a booming city in South Korea; and Tom, seventeen, leaves a historic Pennsylvania village for Poland.

Through these young informants, Ripley meets battle-scarred reformers, sleep-deprived zombie students, and a teacher who earns $4 million a year. Their stories, along with groundbreaking research into learning in other cultures, reveal a pattern of startling transformation: none of these countries had many “smart” kids a few decades ago. Things had changed. Teaching had become more rigorous; parents had focused on things that mattered; and children had bought into the promise of education.

Building a Positive Classroom Culture

The Teaching Channel has short, informative videos that support teachers in creating a positive classroom culture and good classroom management.

HTMS Beginning Band

Sixth grade students, under the direction of Corinth Lewis and Brandon Peters, begin their lesson with breathing exercises and playing scales.  In a matter of weeks, these students will sound like a high school band!  

Hands On Learning at HTMS

Students in 6th grade science had an opportunity this week to put the scientific method in practice as they asked the question, "How does the weight of the material affect the flying distance of a paper airplane?"  Students constructed their hypothesis, tested their hypothesis through an experiment, analyzed their data, and drew conclusions.

 

The lesson began with a brief discussion of the learning target for the day. 

Students discussed and developed their hypothesis.

Students made identical airplanes out of the three different materials.

Students conducted experiments to determine the lengths of the flights of all planes.  

TCS Plan for New Teacher Orientation and Support

Trussville City Schools has a district plan for orienting and supporting new teachers.  Our objectives are:

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

Each school has a designated New Teacher Coordinator who will work closely with mentors and new teachers throughout the year.  Already, new teachers have met with coordinators for lunch and an orientation to their schools.  All new teachers attended a systemwide orientation prior to the opening of school.  Each month, the groups will meet to share and to learn from each other and receive initial training for technology, etc. that experienced teachers might not need. Coordinators will provide opportunities for new teachers to observe in the classrooms of peers and to be observed and coached with feedback.  

Coordinators are:

Paine - Melanie Glover and Kristi Stacks

HTMS - Leigh Stovall

HTHS - Dawn Kilgore

New Teacher Coordinator Dawn Kilgore debriefs with new teachers after the start of the year.  

Focused, Intentional Instruction in Our Schools

Learning Targets are in use in classrooms throughout the district.  Learning targets take the "mystery" out of the goal.  We are helping students to see the goal of the lesson; then they are able to self assess and determine if they achieved the goal or if they need support or more practice.  Revisiting the goal before, during, and after the lesson will help students self assess.

Intervention occurs before a student gets far behind.  We are intervening so that remediation is not necessary.  Teachers are pulling small groups to provide targeted assistance on particular skills.  We assess, then provide intervention, and assess.  And the cycle continues . . .

HTHS Hosts Luncheon for New Students

Students who are new to HTHS this year enjoyed a pizza luncheon Friday, August 21.. Everyone had a great time getting to know students new to HTHS.

Chromebooks Delivered!

April Chamberlain and Matt Georgia delivered four sets of Chromebooks to schools today!

TCS Trains 100 Substitute Teachers

Approximately 100 people attended substitute teacher training sessions Friday, August 14.  The training is an annual requirement of anyone who wishes to substitute in Trussville City Schools. Candidates learned about  HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act  requirements, as well as Alabama Ethics Laws for Educators.  Officer Chuck Bradford reviewed the district's safety plans.  Many thanks to Mandi Logan, Kathy Burgin, Theresa Ray, Chuck Bradford, Gloria Bellew, and Becky Aydelette for coordinating the training.

Edutopia: 4 Things Transformational Teachers Do

The key to transformational teaching is not reacting, but rather a grinding obsession with analysis and preparation. Lee Shulman, as reported by Marge Scherer, suggests that expert teachers -- despite enormous challenges --demonstrate:

• Cognitive understanding of how students learn; 
• emotional preparation to relate to many students whose varied needs are not always evident;
• content knowledge from which to draw different ways to present a concept; and, finally, 
• the ability to make teaching decisions quickly and act on them.

So how do they do that? Read the Edutopia article to see how they break it down:

4 Things Transformational Teachers Do

Day 2 at HTMS

By 8:10 on the second day of school, HTMS students had put away their things in lockers, heard inspiring announcements from Mrs. Berry, said the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag, and walked to their first classes.  Teachers immediately began engaging their students in learning styles assessments, vocal exercises, aptitude assessments, and writing poetry.  Procedures and expectations have been determined and shared, and teachers are getting students involved in their own learning.  

Learning targets are a focus for our district, as we know that helping students understand what they are expected to learn and assessing their own learning are two beneficial strategies.   

Welcoming Our Students

What a great job everyone did to welcome our students back to school at the Paine Campus.  By 8:03, the car line was empty, and students were in class.  That is not too bad for a first day of school!

Starting the Year with Learning Targets

Learning targets are the foundation of a student-engaged assessment system.  They translate state standards into learning goals for lessons, projects, units, and courses, and are written in student-friendly language that is concrete and understandable.  Because learning targets must come from teachers' deep understanding of the standards they need to teach, they are the foundation and the connective tissue of a student-engaged assessment system.  Learning targets, which begin with the stem "I can," are posted in the classroom and tracked carefully by students and teachers.  Because learning targets are written for and owned by students who are striving to say, "I can . . .," they are an essential ingredient in the engaged part of student-engaged assessment.

__ Leaders of Their Own Learning by Ron Berger, Leah Rugen, Libby Woodfin

Students at Paine began their first day back with clear learning targets.

Teachers at HTHS are providing clarity for students this upcoming year through unit overviews that include Course of Study Standards, unit learning targets, important vocabulary, and a checklist of assessments and activities.  

Unit Learning Targets: (1 = Not at all, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Excellent)

5.1   _____ I can define the term Renaissance.

5.2   _____ I can list and discuss the reasons the Renaissance began in Italy.

5.3   _____ I can identify the major city-states that existed within Italy during the Renaissance.

5.4   _____ I can explain the events within the Italian Wars.

5.5   _____ I can discuss the various aspects of Renaissance Society. (Hierarchy, Family, Marriage, etc.)

5.6   _____ I can define and explain humanism, humanist education, and Christian Humanism.

5.7   _____ I can identify and discuss the early life, occupation, contributions, and impact of the Renaissance and Reformation Figures, (Medici, Savonarola, Machiavelli, Castiglione, Petrarch, Dante, Chaucer, Donatello, Brunelleschi, da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Erasmus, Luther, Charles V, Zwingli, Calvin, and King Henry VIII)

5.8   _____ I can discuss the forms of corruption within the Catholic Church. (Simony, Indulgence, etc.)

5.9   _____ I can connect the Ninety Five Thesis to the creation of the Peace of Augsburg and Protestantism.

5.10                    _____ I can explain the creation of Calvinist denomination.

5.11                    _____ I can discuss the reasons why the Church of England was created by King Henry VIII.

5.12                    _____ I can list the changes created within the Catholic Church during the Counter Reformation.

HTMS teachers spent time earlier this week learning about writing and implementing learning targets for students.  Click on this useful learning target handout from HTMS to learn more about using learning targets in your classroom.  

A New School Year

"Unity is strength . . . when there is

teamwork and collaboration,

wonderful things can be achieved."

-Mattie Stepanek

Poet

As we begin a new school year, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to work and serve in this school district.  We have so many of the necessary resources  - facilities, materials, personnel - to make our school system extraordinary.  We have a whole district of leaders, teachers, and support staff who really care about students and about improving teaching and learning.  YOU are smart, motivated and hard-working.  And best of all, you desire to continuously learn and grow as teachers and learners.  That is evidenced in the amount of time you spent learning together throughout the summer.  

In my reflection of this past year and through getting to know many of you at every level, it is clear to me that together we can solve any problem and can make this district second to none.  Our district vision is:

Educators, staff, parents, and the community will work together to help students

move forward on a positive path toward college and career readiness.

Is that your vision for all students?  Do you envision all of us working together so that every single student has the knowledge, skills, motivation, and work ethic necessary to go to college or to start a satisfying career?  I do.  I believe that if we are willing to work closely together and to learn together, there is almost nothing that we will be unable to accomplish.  What would be the effects if we realized that vision?  Would all of our students leave us filled with hope, dreams that could be realized, and  the desire to be productive citizens?  Could we eliminate unemployment? A depressed economy?  Homelessness?  Working together as a school system, could the 495 TCS employees save democracy in the United States of America?  

I believe that we ought to dream big and think big.  I believe that we can achieve amazing things when we employ collaboration that creates support and pressure to hold one another accountable. When all members of a group are articulating the same story in terms of goals, strategies, and progress - when they know what they are doing and why - the results are far more likely to be successful and sustainable.  

My request is that we all continuously learn together and work together toward our common goals this year.  Put student and teacher learning first and keep the vision of all students on a path toward college and career readiness.  I look forward to our best year ever in Trussville.  The Department of Curriculum and Instruction is here to provide teachers and administrators support and opportunities for continuous professional learning.  Please don't hesitate to contact us for support.  

Beth Bruno

TCS Strategic Plan for Improving Learning

Click on the TCS Strategic Plan to read our nine goals and action steps for reaching those goals.

6 Apps for Teachers

Graphite by Common Sense Media has compiled a list of apps to help teachers make their classrooms interactive, creative and productive in the new school year.  Read the entire article here.

6 Must-Have Apps for Teachers' Back-to-School Toolkit
1. Nearpod - for interactive presentations and assessments
2. eduCanon - gives teachers the ability to enhance video lessons with interactive assessments
3. EdPuzzle -  allows teachers to customize, remix, crop and enhance existing online videos to math their teaching needs
4. Notability - equips students to take notes that they will want to review, revisit, and actively use
5. Knowmia Teach - tool for capturing teacher- or student-created video presentations on an iPad.
6. Collaborize Classroom - offers a secure online antidote to uninspired, disengaged classroom discussions

Paine Elementary Staff Meeting

The entire Paine Elementary Staff met together this morning in a meeting to kick off the merger of Paine Primary and Paine Intermediate.  All three principals shared information and their visions for a positive school year.  With over 200 staff members, it will be a busy, but productive school year!

Dr. Evans shared his thoughts about working together for the benefit of students.

Dr. Jeter provided information regarding the AdvancEd external review that will occur in November.

Mrs. Schmitt reminisced about the 12 years the Paine Campus has been in existence and introduced the assistant principals.  

From The Hechinger Report: The Value of Academic Coaches

Traditional professional development workshops alone translate to teachers changing how they teach only 10 percent of the time. But when teachers have a coach or another teacher come to their class and give them feedback, that rate surpasses 90 percent.   Read more about the role of teacher coaches as a solution to Common Core woes.

New Teacher Orientation

Approximately 40 new TCS teachers gathered at the BOE for New Teacher Orientation today.  The group attended sessions that included information about iNow, technology, the Alabama Code of Ethics, FERPA, Lee v. Macon, Educate Alabama, the TCS Strategic Plan, and the TCS New Teacher Orientation Plan.  This year, each school will have a New Teacher Orientation Coordinator and mentors for each new teacher.  New Teacher Orientation Coordinators are Melanie Glover, Kristi Stacks, Leigh Stovall, and Dawn Kilgore.  Today's orientation was the beginning of strategic support for all teachers who are new to the district.