staff development august.10

8/9/2019 Staff Development August.10

1/5

Creating Empowered Community Members Through Real-World Education

As staff and faculty, we work hard to expose students to a variety of experiences in the localcommunity. We want our students out learning from the world and feeling empowered to have anactive voice in changing the world. Our students should be out there getting their hands dirty andtheir minds active as they grow as young adults.2010

Rainshadow CommunityCharter High School

RAINSHADOWSTAFF

DEVELOPMENTVOL. II ISSUE 1

The Art Auction was a great success inMay of 2010. Staff members greetincoming guests.

Insidethisi

ssue

ProfessionalD

evelopmentS

chedule 1

ToDoListf

orStaffDeve

lopment 2

Microworldsa

ndModels2

ThemeResou

rces2

EnhancedAnc

horedInstruc

tion 3

StartingtheN

ewYear

3

TheFirstDay

Back3

Benchmarking

Students

4

ClassroomMa

nagement

4

LoveandLogicDisciplin

e 4

UpcomingEve

nts 5

DontSweatth

eSmallStuff:

Work5

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

7:30-8:30

8:30-9:30

9:30-10:3

0

10:30-12

12-1

1-2

2-3

3-4

Personal Time Personal Time Personal Time Personal Time

Welcome Back!! Staff binder, policies, andprocedures

Benchmarking students, pacing guidesfor courses

Leave for Equus Insight Infinite Campus Training

Microworlds and Models brainstorm: Resourcelist, collaborations, cadre system

Accreditation: Attendance incentives andpeer mediation, new progress report,incorporating portfolios, alternativeschedules

Staff Development Insurance DiscussionInfinite Campus

Linking theme to common core standards,review portfolio guidelines and standards,remove RS standards and move to corestandards

Ferpa, HSPE Testing, Child AbuseProtocol, Community Resources,Rainshadow Counseling Services

Staff Development First Day Back Review, DutyList, Donors Choose andDonations

Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch

Personal Time Student Orientation Return from Equus Insight Personal Time

Personal Time Student Orientation Personal Time Personal Time

Personal Time Personal Time Personal Time Personal Time

s

hine

Professional Development Schedule


2/5

Theme ResourcesThematic ideas and websites tosupport the theme: Microworlds andModels in its first quarter. Moreresources to be assembled for the StaffDevelopment in August of 2010.

Truckee Meadows Microcosm

www.truckeemeadowstomorrow.org

a site focused on improving the qualityof life in the Truckee Meadows usingten different indicators, includinghealth and well-being.

www.thinking.netan interesting site devoted to systems,

creativity, and thinking.

www.plannevada.orga site that looks at some of thepressing issues facing Nevadans. (Seealso www.myspace.com/102215794to view Citizens for Sensible Growth or

www.theurbanblog.com)

www.almanac.coma site where you can gather data fromall over the world, including weatherand a calendar with all kinds ofinteresting tidbits!

www.newtoreno.com/nonprofits

a great site with all kinds of links andresources for everything Reno.

www.volunteermatch.orga site that will link you to volunteer

experiences anywhere in the country.

http://dsa.nevadaculture.orglinks to state library and archives forNevada, the arts council, and Nevadahistory resources. All kinds of goodNevada stuff!

Year Three Theme: Microworlds and Models

To Do List for this

Staff Development

August 2010

2010-2011 Staff Goals

Infinite Campus Training

Thematic Development

and Partnerships

Policies and Procedures

Discussion of the Cadres

Eno Boards, Staff WishLists, Duty List

RTI, Aimsweb, andReading Intervention

Class Syllabi

Transitioning to CoreStandards

Team Building with Horses

Accreditation/SIP Review

Insurance

Discussing the First Day

After our previous staff development day, thefaculty determined that we would go ahead withthe theme Microworlds and Models. While itmay seem to be a science-based theme, thereality is that much of the science lends itself toother areas of study. The faculty alsodetermined to make this a whole school theme,though there will be special attention paid tojunior level links across the curriculum. In2011-2012, the year four theme will be usedwith a specific focus on seniors and the yearthree theme will be used with Juniors as a

focused theme. By 2012-2013, all classes willbe organized by theme. There will be sixcadres of students moving through these themes.

To begin looking at the year-long theme, we willfirst evaluate everything that has been puttogether at this time by faculty and staff. A

comparison between our portfolio requirementsfor year three Rainshadow students will becompared to what is being developed for theyear-long theme Microworlds and Models. Thisprocess has been started. From this point, wewill begin to think about potential connectionsbetween each of the disciplines. Brainstormingof specific activities and projects, as well as fieldexperiences, will occur. Collaborations betweenindividual instructors to map out projects willalso be a focus.

The hope for this curriculum is that it can serveas a skeletal framework for year three studentsat Rainshadow well into the future.Modifications will occur annually, but having abasic framework will help the curriculumcontinue to improve.

Social CommunEnviro

ity and Physicalnment

Utopias and DIndividu

ystopias: Onels Play

Quarter 1

Truckee MeadowsMicrocosm

Quarter 2

The Lives of a Cell:from stem cells to fuel

cells

Quarter 3

The Lives of an Atom

Quarter 4

Model UniversesNear and Far

Similarities and

Differences

Cellular Makeup Positive and Negative

Forces

Storytelling

Health and Well-being Interactions Matter in the Universe Revolutions and

Rotations

Constitutions Divisions Compounds and

Mixtures

Motion

Migrations and

Expansions

Spontaneous

Generation

Quantum Mechanics The Unknown
http://nsla.nevadaculture.org/http://nsla.nevadaculture.org/http://www.volunteermatch.org/http://www.volunteermatch.org/http://www.newtoreno.com/nonprofitshttp://www.newtoreno.com/nonprofitshttp://www.almanac.com/http://www.almanac.com/http://www.theurbanblog.com/http://www.theurbanblog.com/http://www.myspace.com/102215794http://www.myspace.com/102215794http://www.plannevada.org/http://www.plannevada.org/http://www.thinking.net/http://www.thinking.net/http://www.truckeemeadowstomorrow.org/http://www.truckeemeadowstomorrow.org/


3/5

Starting the New SchoolYear: Setting Personal andProfessional GoalsAs you begin a new year, it is important to reflect onwhat you have done and what you wish to do. Thenew year affords you the opportunity for change andgrowth. At the end of last year, each of you wrotedown goals that you had for yourself for the newyear. Think back on those goals. How will you

implement them in your day to day practice?

Just as you are thinking of your personal goals, wemust begin to think about goals for the school. Whatdo we wish to see Rainshadow become? What isthe school expected to achieve? What are someconcerns that we have about our current progress?What would make our progress better?

1. Vision of Rainshadow:

____________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. School Goals:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Day to Day Implications:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. My Personal Stake:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________

5. How will all in the community be apart of this process?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Visioning our school is the first step to seeing thatvision implemented. Each of us has a responsibility

to model goalsetting and dreaming for ourstudents. Having a vision in mind provides the start

of a road map to achieve the vision. Think aboutlooking at your goals, and the schools goals, andincorporating time for your students to set goals.One great site to support this process is:www.legacyproject.org. There are many goalsettingsheets for students out there, see Toby for someexamples.

The First Day Back...

Setting Your Classroom Up for Success

Remember: Students wish to know you andeach other just as you need to know them.While you may know many of your students, youwont know all of them. And, they may not knoweach other. Allow for time to get to know each otherevery day. It is more important than your curriculum.Try using get to know you games, goalsettingactivities, or icebreakers. Create a climate in yourclassroom where students know that you value whothey are.

Set Your ExpectationsWhile you will spend some time getting to know each

other in the first weeks, it is also important to setyour expectations and make those expectationsclear. Expectations for classwork and work ethic, forclassroom procedures, for classroom rules, and forschool rules should be set and followed. Thinkabout spending some time discussing the rules as aclass and allow your students to interpret what therules mean to them. Day one is the day that you setyour classroom management, but the processcarries on throughout the school year. Review yourclassroom management system with students (andwith yourself.) Use Rainshadow TERMS as astarting point for discussion.

Get Your Students Moving

Even on day one, its important that students have achance to access the curriculum. Look at theamount of time that they are in your class, and thinkabout how you can break up the time so that you aremeeting social-emotional needs as well as beginningto sow seeds for the academic needs. Discuss theschool theme, and how it is a part of Rainshadow.

Value Your Time TogetherUse your class time to your advantage. Remember,class begins at a certain time and ends at a certaintime. During that time, students should be activelyworking to reach certain goals. If students finishtheir work early, use the extra time as time to reflecton what was achieved in the class period. Working

time is important.

Be In The MomentTry to stay in the present moment. As anexperienced teacher, you know what to do. Dontdwell on what happened in the past or what youneed to have done for the future. When you areteaching, you are responding to what is going on inthe present moment. Leave all your baggage at thedoor, and encourage your students to do the same.

Steal Ideas From Others!Check out www.educationworld.com/back_to_school/index.shtml#first_day for some great

icebreaker ideas. There are so many great toolsavailable. Try to pick up at least one new one!
http://www.legacyproject.org/http://www.legacyproject.org/http://www.legacyproject.org/


4/5

Benchmarking StudentsUse Week One As Your Chance to See How

Students Are Doing

This year, we will be benchmarking our studentsabilities in the core areas of reading andmathematics throughout the first week of school.Students will be assigned a temporary AdvisoryClass. The instructor in this class will be using thetime to discuss rules, and benchmark students.

Each day, a different assessment will becompleted. Students will complete the ReadingMAZE, a Reading CBM where the student will readaloud for 60 seconds, a Math CBM, and a MathAssessment developed by Rainshadow.

A Note About Benchmarking...Typically, a student will take a benchmarkassessment three times. The middle score is thescore used as the starting point. For our purposes,we will benchmark with three assessment for theMath CBM and the Reading MAZE. For theReading CBM, due to the nature of theassessment, only one assessment will be done. Iwill support the teacher completing the assessmenton that day. For the Math Assessment, it is a 12minute assessment to help the math instructorshave an idea of where their students skills lie.

Aimsweb CBM Testing TimesEach test is meant to be a snapshot of whatstudents are able to do. The skills measured areconsidered to be important skills to studentsuccess. While the math skills measured arentconsidered high school level skills, the speed withwhich a student can work through the problemsindicates the level they are performing next topeers their age across the country.

MAZE: 3 minutes

M-CBM: 4 minutes

R-CBM: 1 minute

Math Assessment: 12 minutes

Classroom Managementwith Love and Logic

Jim Faye first created his love and logic model forparents. It has since been modified to support theclassroom. If you have time, check out his work. Acouple of key ideas that seem to fit with our goalsat Rainshadow are as follows:

RULE #1Adults set firm limits in loving ways without anger,lecture, or threats.

RULE #2When a child causes a problem the adult hands itback in loving ways.1. In a loving way, the adult holds the childaccountable for solving his/her problems in a waythat does not make a problem for others.2. Children are offered choices with limits.3. Adults use enforceable statements.4. Adults provide delayed/extended consequences.5. The adults empathy is locked in before

consequences are delivered.

Do not warn students about consequences inadvance. Just indicate that you will respond toeach problem in an individualized manner,depending upon the unique situation.

Here are two examples of Love and Logic lists:

Classroom Expectations (Example #1)1. Feel free to do anything that does not cause aproblem for anyone else.2. I teach when there are no distractions or otherproblems.3. I listen to students who raise their hand.4. I listen to one person at a time.5. Please treat me with the same respect I treat

you.6. If someone causes a problem, I will dosomething.7. What I do will depend on what happened andwhat the person is willing to do to solvethe problem.

Classroom Expectations (Example #2)1. I allow students to remain in my classroom aslong as they do not cause a problem foranyone else.2. If they cause a problem, I will ask them to fix it.3. If they cant or will not fix it, I will do something.4.What I do will depend on the unique situation.

When making disciplinary decisions, ask yourself,"How is my proposed intervention consistent withmy Core Beliefs of discipline that I have included inmy plan and my posted list of expectations?"Encourage yourself to handle discipline problemson a case-by-case manner, focusing on the uniquecharacteristics of each situation.If you don't know what to do at any given moment,delay the consequence, refer to your plan, anddiscuss possible solutions with other teachers, youradministrators, the child's parents, or others.

Your goal is to achieve consistency by basing eachof your decisions on this same set of values orprinciplesrather than trying to treat everyproblem the same using a "cookbook" approach.Consistency with values is more attainable thanconsistency between students, situations, andconsequences.

An Example of a Love andLogic Classroom Discipline

PlanGuidelines and Code of Ethics for DisciplineMrs. Krochmal 199697

Rules in my classroom are few. I believe that as allchildren are different, and all actions and reactionsvery personal in nature, effective discipline involvesa few overriding tenets rather than a long list ofspecific rules. Situations are dealt with as theyarise with the focus on enabling the child to growand learn from his or her actions.

Guidelines for Student Behavior1.You may engage in any behavior which does no

create a problem for you or anyone else in the

world.2. If you find yourself with a problem, you may

solve it by any means which does not cause aproblem for anyone else in the world.

3.You may engage in any behavior that does notjeopardize the safety or learning of yourself orothers. Unkind words and actions will not betolerated.

In ensuring that the above guidelines are adheredto, I will operate with the following principles as myguide:1. I will react without anger or haste to problem

situations.2. I will provide consequences that are not punitive

but that allow the child to experience the resultsof a poor choice, enabling him or her to makebetter choices in the future.

3. I will proceed in all situations with the bestinterest of the child whoforemost in my mindacademic, social and emotional well-being willbe fostered.

4. I will guide students toward personalresponsibility and the decision-making skills theywill need to function in the real world.

5. I will arrange consequences for problemsituations in such a way that the child will not behumiliated or demeaned.

6. Equal is not always fair. Consequences will bedesigned to fit the problems of individualstudents, and they may be different even when

problems appear to be the same.7. I will make every effort to ensure that, in each

situation, the students involved understand whythey are involved in consequences.

8. If I at any time act or react in a way that a childtruly feels is unjust, that student need only say tome, Im not sure thats fair. I will arrange aprivate conference during which the student canexpress to me why he or she feels my actionswere not fair. This may or may not change mycourse of action. I am always open to calm,rational discussion of any matter.


5/5

School August September October EventsThe followin dis la s

23Staff: Welcome Back!

6No School: Labor Day

1Cardboard Box City

upcoming events, discussions,accreditation concerns, etc. 24

Orientation

23Count Day

25Professional Development

25Equus Insighttraining

30Professional Development

28Half day for Nevada Day

End of Quarter

30Students Return

Dont Sweat the Small Stuff at

Work

Richard Carlson, Ph. D.

Prevent Burnout

You may find yourself feeling a little frustrated at

various points of the school year. Part of this isnatural. There are ways to prevent feeling sooverwhelmed that the very idea of school isrepulsive.

The keys seem to be balance and growth.Balance in life, and growth-oriented. To bebalanced in life means that there is a life outsideof work. A balanced life allows for time to bespent with friends and family, exercise, hobbies,free time, and as a contributing communitymember. Growth-oriented means that specificgoals are set, and working towards those goals byworking hard is important. Individuals who haveboth balance and growth in their lives are open to

learning new things, reflective, curious, and enjoylistening to others.

An uplifting, positive attitude is also important.People who avoid burnout have outside interests,and take advantage of their time away from work.They are fulfilled and nourished outside of work,and can then carry a freshness to work. The oldexcuse I dont have time to have a life is anarrow, shallow, and extremely short term way oflooking at your life and your career. The truth is,for most people, if you dont get a life, you will

end up with a major case of burnout. So askyourself, is it smarter to live life out of balance orto get involved in other aspects of your life?

To begin this process, evaluate your prioritiesoutside of work. If you had to pick one, whatwould be the most important? Whatever it is,exercise or meditation, art or reading, begin tocarve some time out for it by looking at your

calendar. This may be before school, or right afterschool. Whatever it is that you love to do, it will beworth it. It will help you create a more balanced,growth-oriented life. Its inconceivable that youwouldnt feel better about life and about yourselfby creating some balance. And as an addedbonus, youll prevent burnout. Its really thatsimple.

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staff development august.10

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