mrkobot

102 Review, October 23rd, 2017: Making It Count

Posted on May 28, 2018May 18, 2019 by mrkobot in Principal's Blog

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Thank you to everyone who got personalized learning off the ground–it’s an insane mission, and I couldn’t be more proud to be part of a team insane enough to do it.

As crazy as it seems to do this, it’s even more crazy not to do it. Intervention is about stepping up to deter the inevitable harm to a child if we had looked the other way. And to even look the other way once is once too many.

It’s a miracle just for anyone to exist (the probability is similar to 2.5 million people getting together, each to play a game of dice with trillion-sided dice and getting the same number), and the chances of us existing in someone else’s life and to be in a position to help them is even more improbable. But here we are.

We should probably make it count.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

From Mr. Borelli: Ms. Cohen challenged her students to skip count by saying, “I want to start at 9 and count by tens. I don’t think I can do that.” A chorus of students rang out, “You can!” One after another, the students counted, “9, 19, 29, 39…” Mrs. Giampapathrew a curveball at 109 naming it “10-9” and writing it out as “1009.” The students were quick to name the error, correct it, name the pattern, and continue.

From Ms. Weinstein: Ms. Ranzie’s 6th grade science class was learning about potential and kinetic energy. Ms. Ranzie gave the students very basic rules about how to bounce the three balls – tennis, ping pong and golf – and then allowed them to discover the results on their own. This type of independent learning helped drive student conversations in her Science room.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Support Staff Schedule Review: All non-classroom based support staff should submit their schedule to my mailbox to later than Friday. As we ramp up personalized learning, schedules need to be student-centered, sensible, and followed. Lunch and preps may only be taken during the scheduled time.

The admin team will then schedule meetings with individuals to learn more about how to support you in making sure all of your caseloads are serviced.

Khan Academy Pizza Incentive is Live: Ms. Weinstein and Ms. Sheerin have received pizza coupons that are ready to be distributed to students. These coupons can be redeemed at Pronto Pizza for a free slice of pizza. STEM/ Math teachers may set their own criteria for award, and the the most any student can win is 4 for the year (1 per marking period). Please email your AP the recipients and they will bring the coupons to you.

PL Monday: APs will speak reach out to individuals for specialized workshops/ meetings. All other staff will engage in self-directed learning as TG workshops are now a core inquiry project next month. More information to follow.

Writing Task Force will begin meeting in two weeks. Interested teachers should email Ms. Mills before this Friday.

Halloween: Extended day has been moved to November 1st. Should this be in conflict with your personal schedule, email me to discuss.

Halloween Costume Contest: We’re making it bigger this year. Prizes include a $100 gift-card as well as being the first to receive a grade-team shared printing workstation. A memo will go out once we get confirmation from our judges.

102 Review, October 15th: Mid-October Check In

Posted on May 28, 2018 by mrkobot in Principal's Blog

Getting something off the ground is always the hardest and scariest part of any innovation, and rightly so. We’re making something from nothing, and there are always problems we didn’t anticipate. And we’re seeing that with our Personalized Learning as Intervention initiative.

Testing, identifying need, recruiting, planning, advertising, every step took a ton of effort. Thanks to curriculum designers who willed an intervention curriculum to existence by recruiting help, staying late, and even rescuing animals, students now get to enjoy some top-notch targeted remedial instruction they would’ve otherwise missed. Next week 102+ begins for grades 3-8, and I can’t wait to see all the results from the follow-up support we are now giving students who are struggling. Thank you.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

Ms. Brucia has been absolutely stellar this first month and, thanks to her efforts, her students haven’t missed a beat from not having Ms. O’Connor. Not only has she set up powerful structures and norms, she is attending both Humanities and STEM meetings as the ICT teacher, in addition to the rigorous learning we have planned for all ICT teachers to better diagnose learning hurdles. Thank you for being the kind of leader that leads through action.

Weinstein: During Math with Ms. Eliades, 8-409 was adding and subtracting exponents. Ms. Eliades led them from one part of the problem to the next by asking the students to use their prior knowledge. I sat with a group who walked, step by step, through their process before answering the question. Our TGs are designed to include the thinking process as much as the outcome of the student learning and Ms. Eliades effortlessly did this with her class during the lesson.

Sheerin: Class 5-334 engaged in a lesson on dividing 3- and 4-digit dividends by 1-digit divisors, Ms. Luden used a mnemonic phrase to help students recall order of operations when dividing – Dirty Monkeys Smell Bad, Really bad (divide, multiply, subtract, bring down, repeat). By Using this tool to both solve problems as well as to check their work, students were able to productively engage with the task independently while Ms. Luden worked with a small group needing additional support.

Borelli: A new student could not identify a single one, but on Friday he breezed through words such as “like, the, go, its, is” among many others. With each word that he read, you could see his face light up with confidence. Ms. Monteleone, Mrs. Wyckoff, and this student did not do anything complex-it was time, patience, effort, tenacity, and having a clear plan and goal for this student.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Personalized learning is underway and we are working on releasing a report that will inform teachers which students are receiving what interventions by which teacher. Please collaborate with one another as necessary. Stay tuned.

102+ (ENL) Once we conclude 102+ for reading in a few weeks, 102+ ENL will begin to seamlessly deliver support services to ENL students. This will continue for the full year, and teachers who are interested should apply to by emailing Ms. Mills. (smills@ps102q.org)

Announcements: You can request having a morning announcement made on your behalf by submitting this form to Ms. Weinstein’s mailbox.

Field Trips are great. However, field trips can also cause a host of issues should there by any miscommunication between students, families, staff, and administration, so a memo will be in your mailboxes regarding the proper procedures to plan and request field trips. Dates must be on the school’s public calendar and you can do so by speaking with Ms. Belfiore.

Monday PL: We are pushing back our TG workshops to sort out some curricular and operational items; therefore, PL will be structured as follows:
102+ Teams will continue planning and preparing lessons and resources.
K-2 – Room 209
3-4 – Room 329
5-8 – Room 403

All other teams will work on curriculum planning.
K – Room 109
1-2 – Room 213 (Focus: Intervention Planning)
3-5 HUM – Room 327 (Focus: TC Units)
3-5 STEM – Room 323 (Focus: Intervention Planning)
6-8 MATH – Room 405
6-8 ELA/SS – Room 409
6-8 SCIENCE – Room 424
*Staff not listed above will engage in self-directed preparations and planning.

3-8 102+: Here is a brief overview of 102+ Cycle 1 for Grades 3-8:
Wednesday, October 18th Thursday, October 19th
Wednesday, October 25th Thursday, October 26th
Wednesday, November 1st Thursday, November 2nd

102 Review, First Round of TG Feedback

Posted on May 28, 2018May 18, 2019 by mrkobot in Principal's Blog

If sports teams rounded their scores, would it be fair? Why or why not?

Ms. Tasca, 4th Grade STEM (ASD)

TGs are tough, but the impact of a terrific TG can be the difference between a student getting a massive “a-ha” the first five minutes of lesson versus weeks of tedious remedial instruction. Ms. Tasca’s TG hits all the right notes from generating relevance, applying that relevance to new concepts, to pushing students making conjectures as a way to develop deep understanding.

In addition to learning a new skill (how to round numbers), her students are given the opportunity to think deeply about the concept of rounding including its benefits and shortcomings. Great job, Lisa!

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

Sheerin: As she was delivering a mini-lesson, one of Ms. Kaplan’s students raised his hand to ask a question. She shot him a gentle “how dare you interrupt our lesson” look and he immediately shifts right back into listening mode. Class expectations are meaningless unless we enforce them, and Ms. Kaplan’s classes will always enjoy a warm, focused environment because she makes it so.

Borelli: Room 205 was abuzz with learning. Ms. Ramos-Hughes tasked her students to design wind-up chariots and students twirled rubber bands around sticks attached to cups. It was a cycle of testing, observing, adjusting, and by withholding better materials and her expertise, her students learned far more by failing than if they had built the best chariots by following a manual.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

TG Feedback is here.

Please look over feedback for other teachers as well. TGs are definitely on the artisanal side of instruction, and the only way to get good at it is to see a ton of examples and then figuring out the style that most suits you. Instead of learning one TG feedback at a time, you might as well go for all 50 in one shot.

And please email me and/or your AP/coach should you have any questions. We are planning next Monday’s TG mini-workshop and feedback is very much welcomed.

HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST is back with bigger prizes and better judging systems. Once again this will be a contest for grade teams to go against one another, and start recruiting cluster teachers now. Winning teams will receive gift cards as well being the first recipients of a team printing station.

PERSONALIZED LEARNING BEGINS. Already finished with F+Ps, the K-2 will lead the charge in delivering Personalized Learning to every student who needs it. Clear benchmarks aligned to F+P letters inform us on the intensity level of the intervention, and some will get pull-out learning while others will have extended learning via 102+. Thank you to an amazing team of teachers who are stepping to do 6 sessions of AM instruction from now until the first week of November; you’re making a tremendous impact for the kids who need it most.

PERSONALIZED LEARNING FOR 3-8 ELA will begin in two weeks. We are now looking for teachers who can do two days per week for three weeks. You will NOT have to plan as curricular resources tightly aligned to the learning objective will be provided to you and the commitment is only for 6 mornings. Interested, inquire within.

Happy Columbus Day!

102 Review, October 1st, 2017: The First Attempt Should Not be the Last Attempt

Posted on May 28, 2018May 18, 2019 by mrkobot in Principal's Blog

Change for change’s sake is silly; and know that planned change happens at 102 only if it leads to improvement. And when unexpected change occurs, rest assure that we will find a way to squeeze in some improvements anyway.

Case in point: Ms. Russo and Ms. Goldschmidt.

Both are experienced and driven teachers who will be starting at 102 this week. Ms. Russo will be a terrific fit in grade 3, and Ms. McCabe will soon find a new friend in Ms. Goldschmidt. Say hello when you get a chance.

Every resignation is an opportunity to upgrade–and I’m sure both new 102 teachers will rise to the occasion.

HIGHLIGHTS

Thank you to everyone for Family Day. Families had nothing but praise for you, and some have emailed me to express their excitement over our work with Personalized Learning this year. Your talents are much appreciated and necessary.

Intervention is about is about attempting, attempting, and attempting some more until we succeed. We’ll launch our first school-wide crack at this work in the upcoming weeks to make sure everyone learns, no matter how long it takes. If we are to teach our students to grow tenacity and grit, we need to do likewise.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

September is over and we will be looking over READING assessment resultsto deliver the first round of intervention. Please apply to the two postings should you be interested in per-session opportunities to design and/or implement intervention services.
Monday’s PL will be self-directed. We are switching this week with next week to accommodate new staff as well as, you know, life. Too much took place in September–let’s get ourselves settled before we push ahead with a workshop of TGs next Monday.
All classes should now be under the class size limit.Please let your supervisor know immediately should that not be the case.
Technology will be redistributed later this week as middle school just received a batch of chromebooks. More info to follow.
Please make sure your A/C is turned off and your laptops put away before you leave.

P.S. Our new scroll signage writer does not seem to care for providing information such as the day’s date or the day of the school year. What it does have is universally-applicable wisdom galore. And it’s glorious.

Now it feels like I get to open a fortune cookie every time I step into work–and I’m ok with that.

See you in a few.

September 24th, 2017: Preparing for Purpose

Posted on May 28, 2018May 18, 2019 by mrkobot in Principal's Blog

This is late. Sorry.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW: FAMILY NIGHT

Our objective on Tuesday, school wide, is to inject a dose of clarity in the complex work we do each day so parents can join in on the fun. We do it by explaining how we:

Identify key standards per grade that students cannot skip;
Deliver world-class instruction with genuine thinking curricula;
Anticipate strugglers, and identify them early to deliver personalized learning as intervention
Preemptively build systems in place for practice, remediation, and self-paced learning
Align all our work with a laser focus: Promotion decisions, marking period grades, 102+ learning, after school program eligibility, EVERYTHING will be tied to the successful mastery of the grade level key standards.

(3) THINGS PARENTS NEED TO KNOW AFTER FAMILY NIGHT

WHAT IS PERSONALIZED LEARNING AT 102

I’ve prepared a 5-minute introduction on our focus on Personalized Learning, and you can use:

an iPad via the Engage by Scrollmotion app (I will share the file with you)
or a web browser using this link: 2017 FAMILY NIGHT PRESENTATION
For 3-8 classes whose families will meet with multiple teachers, only one teacher should deliver the presentation.
A LIST OF THE KEY STANDARDS IN THEIR GRADE(and when applicable, which months these standards will be assessed)

III. SOME OF THE TOOLS THEY CAN USE NOW TO SUPPORT LEARNING TOWARDS THESE SKILLS

-Lexia/ Khan/ OpenEbooks/ etc.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW: SUPPLIES

Printers. We have funds and we don’t mind spending them. However, we have funds because we make smart decisions. Replacing 20 printers every year is not one of them.

Should teacher teams want to use their Inquiry Funds toward a printer, that’s fine. However, we need to come up with a better system before we purchase printers again as we need to move away from relying so heavily on classroom printers to make copies. Print one and let the heavy-duty machines do the copying.

Now that we will soon have a copier on every floor, you can expect a much quicker (same-day?!) turnaround.

Document Cameras. We will be purchasing them. Let me know if you want one and haven’t requested one already.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW: Personalized Learning in September

TESTING: K-5 should be going full steam ahead with F+P. To assist teachers in 3-5 in testing over 60 students, I will be assignment several staff to assist with testing. 3-5 teachers can expect at least 15 of their students to be “outsourced”, should they be willing. Give the assisting teacher their names and consider it done.

INTERVENING: Once we have the levels, we will identify the most at-risk students (LEVEL III intervention) and provide them with high-impact reading instruction. We will also assign some to AM/PM extended day learning (3-6 weeks).

Teachers who are interested should write one sentence to apply for a per-session posting coming out later this week.

6-8: Ms. Weinstein will provide you with options in a separate memo.

THINGS I NEED TO DO

Starting in October I will be organizing ongoing morning meetings for a writing instruction task force. This team will put in place a vertically coherent instructional plan to elevate student writing, ensuring all elements are in place (grammar, handwriting, using accurate vocabulary to trim length, etc.)

We teachers from all grades–if interested, look out for a posting this week and send back one sentence.

THINKING GENERATOR FEEDBACK COMING SOON. In anticipation of next month’s focus standard, teacher teams should start discussing the TGs they will use to teach them. The most important standards merit the best TGs.