Science Teachers Collaborate

Fifth grade science teachers throughout the district met Friday, October 13, to collaborate and learn together.  Their goals for the collaboration included developing better assessments, creating effective lessons, Participants included Mary Wilson, Cheryene McGuire, Monica Bramlett, Blaire Perry, Rashel Darnell, and Rhianna Redding.  Dr. Phyllis Faust, K-12 Science Coordinator, facilitated.

Elementary Math Teachers Attend NCTM

Participants in the TCS Elementary Math Teacher Institute traveled to Orlando this week for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Regional Conference.  These teachers will provide turnaround training and modeling for colleagues.  Participants include Nancy Camara, LeDerricka Dickerson, Emily Durham, Haley Dykes, Cheryl Enoch, Laney Horn, Holly Howard, Lori Jackson, Nicole Jenkins, Sabrina Johnson, Erin Philpot, Callie Russell, Lynette Summers, Cynthia Wyerman, and Stephanie Wilkerson.  The group is led by Math Coach Lisa Lothspeich.  

Happy First Birthday, Magnolia Elementary!

One year ago today, Magnolia Elementary celebrated its opening day!  Today, on their first birthday, students, staff, and invited guests were treated to delicious birthday cake.  Everyone wore red for the celebration.  Congratulations to Dr. Jeter and the entire Magnolia Staff on creating a very special learning environment for their community. 

Revising Pacing Guides

Teachers throughout the district used Tuesday, October 10, as a day to revise and update pacing guides and curriculum guides.  These guides will be uploaded to school websites for teachers, parents, and students to view.  We are thankful for the thoughtful work of our teachers to create learning progressions that insure the state standards are being taught in ways that students can deeply learn grade level content.

TCS Administrator Collaborative Meets to Learn Together

TCS administrators met October 4 at HTHS to learn together through a shared book study of Learning That Lasts by Ron Berger.  The group is also carefully studying the indicators of effective instruction through discussion of the TCS Plan for Educator Effectiveness.  A makeup session was held October 6 for those unable to attend October 4. 

TCS Schools Host Math Nights

Elementary schools in Trussville are working to build schoolwide cultures of mathematical literacy and achievement.  An effective culture is not easy to build and maintain, and it does not happen overnight, according to Ron Berger in Learning That Lasts.  Our schools are building a new mindset for mathematical learning, building excitement in teachers and students to dig into, embrace challenging problems, and work hard at fluency and conceptual understanding.  The biggest change in instruction is that lessons begin with intriguing and challenging problems that students grapple with on their own before they get help and confer with others.  Classrooms are filled with rich mathematical discourse; whether in kindergarten or high schools, students are discussing mathematical concepts and patterns with sophistication.  

Educating parents is a vital step in successful implementation of mathematics instruction that provides opportunities for students to grapple and construct their own knowledge.  Most parents learned mathematics in classrooms where the teacher modeled procedures and students memorized the steps and mimicked the teacher's process.  Oftentimes, this can cause confusion and frustration for parents.  To support parents' new learning, our schools are hosting Math Nights, where parents can participate as students alongside their own children in number talks, mini-lessons, math games, and rigorous problem solving.