Author: mrkobot

102 Review, Issue 10: It’s Still About Student Thinking

Posted on by mrkobot in Principal's Blog

“Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of learners.”– John Holt

Congratulations to Ms, Winter and Ms. Green’s classes for participating in our first Thesis Throwdown Thinking Thursday! Students from both classes worked on their own time throughout the week, communicating endlessly and even memorized both sides of the argument. And they did all this not for a grade, not to be compliant, and not because they wanted to please authority. They did it because they enjoyed thinking and learning is fun. Please seek out Ms. Winter and Ms. Green if you are thinking about participating and want to learn more about the experience—I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to share.

You should reach out to Ms. Duke if you’re interested in participating in future TTTT; she has prepared several topics for each grade level and you are also encouraged to come up with your own. Especially for those of you who do not share my love for 90s music, TTTT is an amazing opportunity not just in pushing student thinking but also for winning free snacks. Which is important.

I urge you to reflect on this week’s quote as you plan lessons in the upcoming weeks. Try to shift your attention away from thinking about what you’ll say or do during the lesson to planning tasks and student experiences that can lead students to the intended learning. The human brain simply does not engage in learning when it passive; Learning is a complex process that begins and ends within the individual and no amount of “Do you understand?” and repeating a concept will get a student to understand if s/he is not actively thinking. Humans are not computers—we can’t just upload thinking skills to one another. No matter charismatic or shy, authoritative or collaborative, math or ELA, the most effective teachers in a building are always those that never stops pushing their students to think.

Things You Need to Know:

December 3rd is the International Day of People with Disabilities and our ASD Horizon class is leading several initiative to raise awareness for those who are differently-abled and not disabled. We have two magic shows that day—one at 5:30PM and one at 6:30PM and you are welcome to purchase tickets to attend. Staff are excluded from the raffle. Please remind students in your class to wear blue on December 3rd to support our very own 102 students in Ms. Meenan’s class with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). More information will follow in future announcements.

Morning Announcements: Thank you for your patience as we work out the kinks as we shift to a more student-centric approach to our morning announcements. Please be mindful of the days when your students are assigned to be the pledgers and have them go directly to the office from the yard on that day. We want to make sure announcements are completed by 8:30AM and the pledgers must be in the office by 8:25AM.

Technology Inventory: We are looking to purchase some new technology and I am looking for teachers who are willing to take the lead on adopting the next generation of interactive education products. These products include interactive flat panels (TVs instead of projectors), table-tops (for younger students), polling clickers, as well as integrated software that allows for immediate assessing and feedback. If you have a Smartboard that needs replacing and you’re willing to learn, please email me ASAP and we’ll discuss further. Feel free to read about some potential products here: https://www.prometheanworld.com

ClassFlow has potential.

Afterschool Program for ELA and Math: We are still in the planning phase for our Afterschool Academy and you should reach out if you are interested in teaching. In addition to supporting students who need it most, after school is a precious opportunity for us to pilot curriculum, lessons, and systems and you should take advantage of our Afterschool Program to test out your theories and collect the necessary data.

11/16 Professional Learning: Please meet with your inquiry group to continue your research next Monday. Keep in mind that learning is fluid, and you are always free to edit/ chance your focus as you see fit. Often times I would start with a problem only to find a great solution for a wholly different area. Make it meaningful for you and your students—that’s all that I ask for.

Please email me the titles of any books you’d like to purchase for your inquiry research. Once I approve you can purchase them on your own and I’ll reimburse.

Website: Our website www.ps102q.org has a new look and continues to be a work in progress. Check it out and let me know if you think of ways you or your students can contribute.

Enjoy your weekend!

102 Review, Issue 9: It’s All About Student Thinking

Posted on by mrkobot in Principal's Blog

“When we think about learning, we typically focus on getting information into students’ heads. What if, instead, we focus on getting information out of students’ heads?”

-Pooja Agarwal, Henry Roediger, Mark McDaniel, & Kathleen McDermott

No matter the grade or department, I was consistently impressed by the high-level discourses taking place in each of our inquiry groups. The Problems of Practice 102 generated were thoughtful, meaningful for students, and perhaps most importantly, seemingly impossible to solve. Some may argue that thinking and talking about complex issues that do not have pre-packaged solutions—is a poor use of time. I believe in the contrary: Inquiry focused on authentic and complex problems of practice give us the space to engage in discussion, think critically, take risk, and to self-reflect. In short, it lets us learn.

Much like the children we teach, we are more intellectually engaged in rigorous learning driven by real needs and requiring real thinking. I don’t know what will happen at the end of each inquiry cycle; some teams may succeed in bringing about transformative change, and  while some may fail. The only thing I’m certain of is that at the end of each cycle we will have engaged in deep thinking and reflection about our practices, and we’re better learners, and thus teachers, for it.

Weekly Highlights: 

In schools, some achievements are very public while others may largely go unnoticed. Ms. Bagni’s wok may be of the latter category. Meeting one deadline after the next to submit documents to the DOE for compliance purposes, Ms. Bagni has done an incredible job balancing incredible amounts of paperwork, learning to work in a co-teaching setting, and leading her team as the ENL coordinator. Thank you, Josephine.

Ms. Gaffan’s leadership in her work with student council has, on the other hand, been very noticeable. Student council has taken up the morning annoucement duties and it’s so much better to hear students speak than have their principal grumble in the morning. Additionally, student council has been active during Parent Teacher Conferences talking to parents, giving directions, and even providing interpretation services.

Ms. Gonzalez was able to secure a position at District 79 and today is her last day. My work in D79 serving high-needs students has been one of the highlights of my life, and I hope you will find the experience equally rewarding. Good luck, Massiel!

Things You Need to Know:

Assault Near 102: One member of our families was assaulted near Grand Ave. and Van Horn st. while on his way to pick up his grand child from the school audition after school. The suspect is still at large and I have been contacted by both the victim’s family as well as the police. There may be reporters visiting the school in the coming days and I ask that you respect the privacy of our students and to say “no comment” when questioned by reporters. I will update everyone as things develop.

Lunch forms: We need to collect all lunch forms. The office will be informing you later this week the students in your class who has yet to submit lunch forms and please remind the parents to do so if you see them in person. Our Title I status depend on the number of families qualifying for free/reduced-price lunches, and this matters a great deal. Take a look at the amount of Title I funds allocated in 2015 to nearby schools within the district:

24Q049: #31,841

24Q113: $7,581

24Q128: $758

24Q102: $694,420

Yes, it’s not a typo. If it seems like 102 has a bigger treasure chest than other buildings it’s not because we have a magician working in our budgeting department. It’s because our families need support—let’s get it for them.

102 Review, Issue 8: Halloween Edition

Posted on by mrkobot in Principal's Blog

“We have about 100 kids—it’s awesome.”  -Mr. Bianculli, describing 102’s first-ever soccer club

Two months and one marking period down as 102’s principal—time for some reflection.

I can’t begin to count how many people from all corners of DOE called in September to offer congratulations and to say how fortunate I was to be matched with 102. I thought so back then, too. After two months, I know so.

Great students, absolutely. Great families, you bet. Effective instruction? Just look at the numbers. But what’s been truly astounding to experience from an outsider’s lens is 102’s collective willingness to consistently do more than what is asked and to ask what more there is to do. Sure, instruction matters, data matters, and meetings matter. But it is the many little and necessary things we do that are not captured in 15-minute classroom observations that make our school great. And they do not go unnoticed.

Some highlights:

-Upon hearing that a first period class needs immediate coverage, Ms. Delvecchio says without hesitation “I got it” and heads over. The consistency most of us enjoy is partly paid for by your willingness to have none—On behalf of all of us, thank you.

-Recognizing a need to help a disrespectful student de-escalate, Ms. Giampapa patiently speaks with him in the hall to prevent him from further misconduct. Discipline, while necessary in many instances, is often less effective at discouraging misbehavior than compassion and relationships. Thank you Ms. Giampapa for knowing when to choose the latter.

-Across from an auditorium full of students ready to audition for our school play, Ms. Cesar took the initiative to supervise the group as Ms. Zecca, Ms. LeRoy, and Ms. Vicario dismissed their students in the yard. Thank you Ms. Cesar for stepping up and stepping in.

-Providing club activities for NYC students in desperate need of them, Mr. Bianculli, Ms. O’Donell, Mr. Bagg, Mr. Boeckman, Ms. Winter, Ms. Zecca, Ms. LeRoy, and Ms. Vicario all sacrificed time and energy to lead extra-curricular learning. Thank you!

-Mr. McManus: You get your shout out when you get us our first win.

Things You Need to Know:

November 3rd: We are hoping to schedule our Election Day to being at 8AM instead of 8:20AM. Please let me know immediately if you have any concerns with this start time. I will confirm start time on Monday.

Grades are due Monday, November 2nd at close of business. All staff will report to the auditorium Monday for professional learning. Our APs will briefly go over items relating to MP1 observations, and you will then be free to use the remainder of the professional learning time to ask any questions relating to submitting grades and to do so in the auditorium.

Greater Ridgewood has gifted us a 3D printer. We now have one in our Technology Lab and one in Ms. Holden’s room. Please speak with me if you are interested in using our 3D printers in your lessons.

Eat candy.

102 Review, Issue 6: Path to Greatness

Posted on by mrkobot in Principal's Blog

“The real path to greatness, it turns out, requires simplicity and diligence. It requires clarity, not instant illumination. It demands each of us to focus on what is vital—and to eliminate all of the extraneous distractions.” -Jim Collins

Citing the importance of focus and clarity in organizations, the above quote by Jim Collins can be equally applicable when viewed in the context of classrooms. Research after research indicate that ineffective classrooms are those that are prone to be distracted by attractive and often engaging activities that do not lead to intentional learning, and effective classrooms are characterized by a consistent focus on explicit learning targets and disciplined instruction planned to achieve them. Determined not to lose focus and resources to the many trendy new initiatives in education, great schools like 102 thrive by committing to do only a few things and doing them well. Likewise, students learn best in highly-focused classrooms that align everything they do to clearly communicated learning objectives each day. When students—and especially for those who struggle–understand in explicit terms what and how they are to learn each day, learning is demystified and becomes more accessible.

On Tuesday, Superintendent Madelene Taub-Chan visited PS/IS 102 along with Principal Learning Facilitator Charles Simic and they were impressed with the consistency in how rigorous instruction permeate through every one of our classroom. It’s clear we achieve at PS/IS 102, and our focus this year remains the same after day 23: keep doing what we do well and commit to learning more about what we don’t.

Weekly Highlights: 

Our students are very fortunate to have Ms. Gagliadotto as their teacher. Illustrating the power of focus, her instruction is simple, powerful, and makes impossible for any student to not achieve the lesson’s objective. The learning goal—deconstructing steps in solving expressions with multiple operations—is clear in intent to address a common gap in student math understanding (forgetting order of operations), and the learning task is planned with a laser focus to address that identified aim. It requires little more than paper and pencil: Student pairs, assigned to solve a list of multi-step problems, are instructed to do so one person and one step at a time, having to pass a worksheet back and forth as they took turns performing each operation in a problem. For example, to solve for X in the expression 2X + 5 = 3/4 (5/2), one student begins by multiplying the fractions, passes the paper, the other subtracts 5 from both sides, pass the paper back, and so forth). It was incredible to see students excitedly talk and argue about math, and we had little doubt that student mastery was most likely the only possible outcome for this lesson.

Things You Need to Know:

Morning Entry: Please reinforce the expectation to students that morning line up to class is silent. An orderly walk is crucial in ensuring the safety of all our students, and we share the responsibility in holding all students accountable. You should take down the names of students who exhibit a pattern of disruptive behavior to provide to an assistant principal.

Request Forms: In our effort to better organize and fulfill teacher requests, a few new forms are now available for you to complete should the need arise. All forms are in the office and please see Teresa if you have questions.

Morning Announcement:You received a hardcopy yesterday, and you are not required to complete it. Complete it if you would like to have an announcement made on your behalf over the PA or through the K12 alert system.

Off-Site PD: You should complete this form to request approval for an off-site PD. Submit it to your direct supervisor at least one week in advance.

Field Trip Request: Field trip requests should be submitted 21-days in advance.

Thursday Evacuation: On Thursday we engaged in a building exit protocol due to a faulty A/C unit in the gymnasium. Smoke was detected and in order to ensure the safety of everyone we evacuated the building. Thank you to everyone for your cooperation in conducting a swift and uneventful evacuation.

102 Review: Issue 5 (Educating the Heart)

Posted on by mrkobot in Principal's Blog

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” – Aristotle

The 2015 Senior Spirit Week leaves little doubt that we educate hearts at 102. Throughout the week our 8th grade students collaborated, celebrated, competed, and most importantly, found joy in engaging closely with one another. Student achievement means much more at 102 than simply what students do each April, and test scores alone are wholly inadequate to measure the impact of our work in preparing students to lead happy and fulfilling lives. I’m not sure how things like Spirit Week can be quantified and measured, but seeing every student and teacher in all five 8th grade classes decked out in class colors screaming chants after school tells me we are doing something very very right.

Weekly Highlights:

With expert use of redirection strategies, Ms. Danielski successfully refocused a distracted student without needing to interrupt the flow of the lesson for the other students. When her initial least invasive refocusing attempt (proximity—moving closer to the distracted student) did not achieve the desired student response, she used non-verbal gestures as a follow-up strategy. Still unsatisfied with the student’s attention towards the teacher, she was able to refocus the student by using a slightly more invasive strategy and stating his name in a low volume. Pausing instruction to correct one student’s misbehavior can often cause other students to lose focus, and Ms. Danielski was able to protect precious learning time for all students in the classroom.

When her students asked for guidance in rounding large numbers during work time, Ms. Monteleone supported them not by thinking for them and giving them the answer but by reminding them how they can apply a newly-learned strategy. Singing along with their teacher, “Four or less, let it rest. Five or more, let it sore!”, students successfully completed the assigned task independently. Like other habits of mind, problem-solving skills are forged slowly over time, and it is crucial that we allow students the room to practice doing so each day at every grade as they learn new content.

 

Things You Need to Know:

 -2015 State Released Questions for Math and ELA (Grade 3-8): The released questions from the state exam help us better define CCLS and give clarity to student learning targets, and you should reference these materials to ensure your instruction sufficiently aligns to state expectations. You were provided with hard copies of these documents with select questions, and you can access the full version below:

 

-Teacher’s Choice Reminder: Teacher’s Choice has been renewed for the 2015-2016 school year. Educators can submit a form to be reimbursed for school-related items. Please keep your receipts and find more information here:

http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/EnterpriseOperations/ChiefFinancialOfficer/DFO/BusinessOperations/TeachersChoice/default.htm

You may also speak with our purchasing secretary Jeanene if you have any questions.

 -Updated Field Trip Request Form: In order to better support and protect our school and teachers from issues that may arise during field trips, Ms. Atkins has updated our Field Trip Request Form and it will be available in the main office beginning next week. I will be making it available in digital form shortly and you are welcome to email me if you have any feedback.

-Read Aloud Day on 10/23/15: Read Aloud Day is just around the corner, and you are encouraged to invite visitors and other members of the community to be guest readers. Please reach out to your assistance principals for more information.

-Students Running During Fire Drill: Please be mindful in reminding children not to run during fire drills. Although swift exiting is encouraged, running disrupts order and is especially dangerous when it takes place outside of school grounds.