5/4 ERS

Started the day welcoming students and teachers into the school day.

Met with 4th grade teacher regarding summer work

Answered emails

Recorded Monday Memo for the community.

Met with 1st grade teachers regarding sections.

Met with Teacher's Aides regarding positions

Met with counselor and building principal about class rosters.

Met with 5th grade student

Met with Science kit coordinator about:

• Science kit schedule for next year
• materials list on MYSCI vs. what we have.

Drafted email to Science facilitators:

Hey Team,

After meeting with John and cross referencing our budget numbers, it does NOT appear as though we will be able to institute the My Sci kits.  The My Sci program is asking for $65,000 a year to provide this program for our district.  Needless to say, we can’t swing that.

So, what’s our next step:

1.  I’m working with the My Sci team to come up with an alternative. (we’re meeting on 5/11)

2.  Mary Ann is inventorying the My Sci kits to determine what’s in them that we have and what we would need to purchase to make our own

3.  Mary Ann and I are working on creating WG versions of My Sci kits

4.  I’m expanding the pilot and offering the MySci kits to more classrooms next year in transition.

5.  Mary Ann and I are working on a kit schedule that makes the most use of the resources we have and the new “kits”

6.  I’m hoping for some inspiration that would provide clarity to what teachers want.  Options could include:

• Kits at the school to be used when needed
• Kits for every classroom (expensive dream)
• A small partial kit for every classroom with essentials and a check out system for larger materials.
• A kit schedule determined for teachers at first, then as we invest in more kits a sign up form being offered
• Teachers drafting a schedule for their year and then we build kits from that schedule.
• Another solution I haven’t though of yet….

All in all I think we are doing what’s best for our kids and what’s best for the financial future of our district.  I’m excited for what we’ll create!

Stay tuned to more info!  Questions? Send them my way!

Supervised dismissal

After School attended IDEA meeting at Central Office.

5/1 Chesterfield Day School, ERS

Started the morning at Chesterfield day school.  Met with their Chief Academic Officer regarding shifting their practice to Standards-based versus traditional grading methods.

Afterwords headed over to Edgar Road.

Walked around to greet students and teachers.

Met with building principal.

Drafted email about science kits (see below)

Happy Friday Eagles!

I am seeking out two important pieces of information for next school year.  

1.  Is our current kit schedule STILL accurate with all the changes that have happened in your building?

2.  Does your team have any interest in expanding our MySci Pilot for science during the 15-16 school year?

Kit Schedule:

Below is the kit schedule for your school.  Is it correct in both order, number of classes and number of kits?

Clark	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	#classes	#kits
1st Grade			Water	Air/Weather	3	3/2
2nd Grade	Soil	Pebbles	Sound	Space	3	3
3rd Grade	States	Force	Ecosystem	Life Cycle	3	3
4th Grade	Rocks	Electricity	Heat/Light	Pond	3	3
5th Grade	EMS	Weather	Woods	Chem Inter	3	1

My Sci Pilot

This year teachers from around the district are piloting the My Sci units developed through Washington University (Learn more about My Sci HERE  see their lessons and activities HERE).  We’d like to offer to expand that pilot for next year if there is interest.  Below are options organized by grade level and correspond to our new curriculum to be implemented in 16-17.  Please consider piloting as a team for collaborative planning.

Grade	My Sci Kit
K	Make It Go! (Forces Unit) Sun and Shade (Weather and Climate Unit) Introduction to Plants and Animals (Plants and Animals Unit)
1	Birds, Beaks, and Babies (Plants and Animals Unit) Sun and Moon (Space Systems Unit) Putting on a Show With Light and Sound (Waves Unit)
2	Helping Seeds Travel (Interdependent Relationships Unit) How Things Move (Forces and Interactions Unit) Observing Weather Patterns (Weather and Climate Unit) Tools of the Trade (Engineering Design)
3	Adapting to Change (Life and Environment Unit) Change over Time (Life and Environment Unit) Wind and Water Change the Earth (Shaping the Land Unit) What is Consistent About Matter (Matter Unit)
4	Wave After Wave (Waves and Energy Unit) What Energy Does (Waves and Energy Unit) Earth Cycles (Processes that Shape the Earth Unit) Using Our Senses (Survival, Senses, and Adaptations Unit)
5	From Sun to Food (Matter and Energy Unit) What is Consistent About Matter (Structure and Properties of Matter Unit) Our Place in the Universe (Space Systems Unit) Using Our Resources Wisely (Earth Systems Unit)

NOTE:  These kits would be IN PLACE OF our district kits.

What I would need to know from you if you are interested is:

1.  If your team is interested

2.  Which kits you want (all of them or just pilot select ones)

3.  If you team teach you may want one kit with extra consumables, let me know the number of consumables.

4.  Which of the Webster Groves kits you would NOT need.

Once I know the above information I will work with you to finalize drop off and pick up.

4/30 WGHS, CO, ERS

Swapped out SS resources for laminating at WGHS

Coordinator meeting at Central Office where we discussed the joys of Central Office work.

Attended a meeting at Webster U.

Headed over to ERS

• Walked around and chatted with teachers and students
• Answered emails
• Finalized curriculum documents

Record video for Science:


Recorded video for Social Studies:



 Put together resources for the executive memo which included:

Graphic: Attached

Timeline: Attached and Here: https://sites.google.com/a/wgcloud.org/wgsd-sciss/timeline

Curriculum Documents: https://sites.google.com/a/wgcloud.org/wgsd-sciss/home/draft-curriculum

Alignment of Content: https://sites.google.com/a/wgcloud.org/wgsd-sciss/home/alignment

CNI Server: portal.webster.k12.mo.us

Resource HUB: hub.wgcloud.org

Science Overview Video: above

Social Studies Overview Video: above

Elementary Science NGSS and MAP standards match: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1w1Jhf1hcRja3RlyHLc0RisscNXr1c5n_XLTmJv7EPLI/edit

Middle School Science NGSS and MAP standards match: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1H_2HHJJpPNHGWIwG2LfRLsI_ysGHbnh6DcvdojN0Klg/edit#gid=885320103

OTHER NOTES SCIENCE:

• Remember the conversation about Science and Natural selection, Climate Change and Genetically Modified organisms.  There are hot-button topics.
• Science shift in focus from content knowledge to transferrable Cross cutting concepts.  
• For science: Why Cross Cutting Concepts? The Framework identifies seven crosscutting concepts that bridge disciplinary boundaries, uniting core ideas throughout the fields of science and engineering. Their purpose is to help students deepen their understanding of the disciplinary core ideas, and develop a coherent and scientifically based view of the world.
• In science items shifted grade levels to best align with : Units of Study in writing, resources to support implementation and local expertise.

OTHER NOTES SOCIAL STUDIES:

• In social studies items shifted grade levels to best align with : Units of Study in writing, resources to support implementation and local expertise.
• Biggest shifts includes 3rd grade emphasis on local community issues, a larger emphasis on Missouri in 4th grade, American history to 5th and 6th and modern studies to 8th grade.
• Why the C3 standards?  In the college, career and civic life framework for social studies state standards, the call for students to become more prepared for the challenges of college and career is united with a third critical element: Preparation for civi life.  Advocates of citizenship education cross the political spectrum, but they are bound by a common belief that our democratic republic will not sustain unless students are aware of their changing cultural and physical environments; know the past; read, write and think deeply; and act in ways that promote the common good.  There will always be differing perspectives on these objectives.  The goal of knowledgable, thinking, and active citizens, however, is universal.

4/29 Future Ready Summit

Spent the day learning with the United States Department of Education at the Future Ready Summit.  The "notes" in the form of tweets are below.

4/27 6th Grade Science, Future Ready Set up

Worked with 6th grade science teachers on this agenda.

4/24 Avery Local Government Field trip, CO

Spent the day with Avery 3rd grade and their local government authentic learning experience.

Afterwords headed over to central office.  Met with the Assistant Supt to discuss:

• My Sci kits
• Science Curriculum
• Social Studies Curriculum
• Budgeting for next year

4/23 Maryville U, Avery, CO, Webster U, CECH

Started the day meeting with Maryville University professor.  We discussed professional learning, innovation, creativity and teacher leadership.

Headed over to Avery to meet with the teacher of gifted programs and classroom teacher about providing support for a student who is receiving gifted support in science.

Headed over to CO to:

• Plan Social Justice programming for 15
• Met with Director of Technology and Instructional Technology
• Worked on Science "Patterns" Curriculum document draft 231

Headed to Lunch with the president of webster university and a student to discuss STEM programming.

Headed over to Avery to facilitate conversation with MySci.

Then to City Hall to set up for Local Government Learning Experience tomorrow.  Also known as the chair and cooler fiasco....