Staff Bulletin – November 29, 2010

1. Welcome Back to School: I hope that your break was peaceful and that you had time to rest and rejuvenate.  I honor you for your tireless commitment on behalf of Oakland Tech’s students.
2. 6 Week Lesson Plans: Please email your 6 week lesson plans to Ms. Andujar by Friday, December 3^rd. Please remember to attach your name to your lesson plans. I am expecting to see 100% completion.
3. Special Education Presentation: Thank you to the entire special education staff for giving such an instructive presentation during PD on November 17^th and for informing us of the various special education programs/services and of our responsibilities for ensuring that IEP’s are followed.
4. Teacher Absences: Please make sure that you have given Ms. Morrison Emergency Lesson plans.
5. PD Attendance: Please try to refrain from scheduling appointments during PD. If you find that you need to be absent please inform Ms. Andujar and complete an absence form for the time missed.
6. Out of classroom: Please put a note on your classroom door when you move to another space (computer lab, library, auditorium, other classroom, field trip, etc). In case of emergency, we need to be able to locate you and your students.

Reminders:

*ABI Gradebook: With 1^st Semester MP 3 beginning, it is essential to regularly communicate with students/parents on academic progress.  As reported last month, close to 75% of our students and families have established an ABI account. Please remember to post your assignments and grades on ABI gradebook at a minimum of every 3 weeks. In addition to conferring with students, please remind students to check their academic progress on ABI.

*After School Activities: You must complete a facilities permit if you will be having an activity/event after 6:00 p.m. or on the weekends.

*Procedures for guest speakers and large group presentations: Please complete the attached form if you plan to have guest speakers and large group presentations.

*SST’s, IEP’s and Student, Teacher, Parent Conferences: Please attend meetings in which you are invited. Your input is valuable as student interventions are discussed and planned.  Please let folks know if you are unable to attend scheduled meetings.

Technique #3

“Stretch It”: The sequence of learning does not end with a right answer; reward right answers with follow-up questions that extend knowledge and test for reliability.  This technique is especially important for differentiating instruction.

Asking frequent, targeted, rigorous questions of students as they demonstrate mastery is a powerful and much simpler tool for differentiating.

*** Remember to always issue a BLUE PASS when a student must leave your classroom. ***