Schedule this week: SJE Google Calendar / SJE Morning Show
| PLCs are CANCELLED this week. Topics to remind you about:
Please review, understand these guidelines, and be prepared in the event that eLearning is needed. Students who were absent on Friday, 8/26 can receive their SRC ice cream at the front office with their ticket. Archive OLD Google Classrooms |
Edited on 8/30/2022 @ 9:30 Mark Porter visits SJE Thursday, 9/1 @ 9:30-11:00 Our primary areas of focus for these initial visits will be:
| Achieve3000 Training Session: Paige Perkins will be holding a virtual meeting next Wednesday, August 31st from 3:00 - 4:30 for new to 3rd, & 4th teachers to attend. New teachers are encourage to sign up in TNL. Here is the course information: Achieve3000 Training for New 3-5 Teachers Course #: 321000 Time: 3:00 - 4:30 (Training should only last an hour. Paige and I will be available the last 30 minutes for Q&A) Location: Zoom link will be emailed to participants the morning of Aug. 31st. |
REMINDER - GT Forms (Pam Gravitte) -
3rd and 4th Grade Teachers: All teachers need to advertise about the GT CogAT Parent Referral Form
CogAT STAFF Referral (grades 3 & 4)
This CogAT Referral Form Link is for teachers who want to refer students to CogAT test for GT identification. Referrals are due for students in grades 3-4 by Friday, September 16, 2022.
All administration, faculty, and counselors need to review the Annual GT Characteristics and Identification of Gifted Students Faculty Presentation.
Once you have reviewed this presentation, please complete the following Google form which will verify your training. This needs to be completed by September 2nd.
3rd and 4th Grade Teachers: All teachers need to advertise about the GT CogAT Parent Referral Form
CogAT STAFF Referral (grades 3 & 4)
This CogAT Referral Form Link is for teachers who want to refer students to CogAT test for GT identification. Referrals are due for students in grades 3-4 by Friday, September 16, 2022.
- The 2021-22 GT Screening and Identification notification and translations are posted on the HCS website here.
All administration, faculty, and counselors need to review the Annual GT Characteristics and Identification of Gifted Students Faculty Presentation.
Once you have reviewed this presentation, please complete the following Google form which will verify your training. This needs to be completed by September 2nd.
3rd & 4th Grade ALEKS Consultant
- Wednesday, 9/7 during your planning
BAW Grammar Pacing Guides (Ashley Johnson)
One of the pieces of feedback we got from teachers during our August PD sessions was that they wanted more guidance with how to incorporate grammar instruction into their day. They are going to find that there is quite a bit of grammar discussions that happen when they start digging into word structure lessons. That's one more reason why we have to make sure our teachers are comfortable and confident in 3-5 word structure instruction.
The other way we wanted to provide grammar instruction support was to dig into all the resources we already have and put together an easier to follow grammar pacing guide. The BAW skills practice books will cover most of the grade level standards, and what isn't covered, supplemental lessons are available. For grades 3-5, I've tried to streamline these resources for teachers and still leave room for teacher choice based off their teaching style and student needs.
Before teachers begin their planning sessions this week, please have them look at their grade level's Writing Planning Guide. There will now find a new menu of options:
One of the pieces of feedback we got from teachers during our August PD sessions was that they wanted more guidance with how to incorporate grammar instruction into their day. They are going to find that there is quite a bit of grammar discussions that happen when they start digging into word structure lessons. That's one more reason why we have to make sure our teachers are comfortable and confident in 3-5 word structure instruction.
The other way we wanted to provide grammar instruction support was to dig into all the resources we already have and put together an easier to follow grammar pacing guide. The BAW skills practice books will cover most of the grade level standards, and what isn't covered, supplemental lessons are available. For grades 3-5, I've tried to streamline these resources for teachers and still leave room for teacher choice based off their teaching style and student needs.
Before teachers begin their planning sessions this week, please have them look at their grade level's Writing Planning Guide. There will now find a new menu of options:
Click on the Unit and Grammar Skills Pacing Guide to find 3 different options for teachers to incorporate grammar instruction into writing time. They can choose to
- teach grammar skills by starting with Lesson 1 and then work their way sequentially through the Skills Practice book
- teach grammar skills by jumping around in the Skills Practice book in order to teach skills that most closely correlate with what they will need in their current BAW lessons; or
- give the Diagnostic Proofreading Assessment (pretest) and determine which students need instruction in which skills. Guidance is included on how to meet individual, small group, and whole class needs.
Learning Specialists:
ELA (Terra and Ashley)
Math (Meagen and Sarah)
DreamBox for 3rd Grade Teachers: Students that used DreamBox in second grade will still see the K-2 platform this year in 3rd grade unless teachers choose to migrate students over. Lessons will still adapt based on student need; just the background will stay the same. Students new to HCS (or DreamBox) will start in the 3-5 platform. If teachers want all students to be consistent, please follow these steps.
ALEKS Update: All ALEKS classes have been updated to the correct courses with the SC Standards. You can verify this by clicking on Class Summary and looking under Syllabus and Standards on the right hand side. There is no need to create a sub class until it is time to move children up.
Returning 4th students are currently not being prompted to take a knowledge check. In order to update this, follow the steps below. 3rd grade teachers should not need to complete step 5.
SS (Kelley Wiltrout)
DBQ PD Opportunities
Because the first 4th grade DBQ falls within social studies unit 1, it is recommended teachers attend the following session:
Digital Portfolio PD Opportunities
DBQ Reflection Form
Teachers are asked to complete THIS DBQ form following the implementation of their first semester DBQ. This DBQ form is also found in the curriculum guides. Thank you!
Science (Kim Inman)
Digital access to FOSS resources has been removed at this time due to a change in the way these resources are shared by School Specialty. I am in the process of seeing if we can gain access to the digital FOSS materials this year and will let you know how to find them if we are able to move to the new system. (The online code that is found on the teacher’s manual no longer works). If the curriculum guide references a digital file for something from FOSS that you cannot gain access to, please replace this material with something else. If you are having a difficult time planning for an alternate resource, please let me know and I will be glad to help.
ELA (Terra and Ashley)
- JUST A REMINDER: 3-5 Phonics/Word Structure Instruction:
- HCS has a goal to provide consistent word structure instruction to all students. Word Structure instruction provides students with the skills needed as they transition from decoding (sounding out) words that are already in their oral vocabulary, to reading and understanding words that are truly unknown to them.
- Imagine It! green band is the intended curriculum for all teachers to use. However, we know that there is room for growth and application to words and text outside of the curriculum. Because of this, we are allowing teachers the flexibility to expand the scripted program. We suggest teachers follow the same scope and sequence of skills. However, teachers are encouraged to spend more time with application and a variety of words. Suggestions for this are laid out in the consensus documents and there is an example lesson for 3rd and 4th grade in their Unit 1 Lesson 1 resources.
- NEW! On-Demand Writing PD: Links to BAW professional development modules have been added to the Writing Professional Development On-Demand document! Each module takes about 15 minutes to work through.
Math (Meagen and Sarah)
DreamBox for 3rd Grade Teachers: Students that used DreamBox in second grade will still see the K-2 platform this year in 3rd grade unless teachers choose to migrate students over. Lessons will still adapt based on student need; just the background will stay the same. Students new to HCS (or DreamBox) will start in the 3-5 platform. If teachers want all students to be consistent, please follow these steps.
ALEKS Update: All ALEKS classes have been updated to the correct courses with the SC Standards. You can verify this by clicking on Class Summary and looking under Syllabus and Standards on the right hand side. There is no need to create a sub class until it is time to move children up.
Returning 4th students are currently not being prompted to take a knowledge check. In order to update this, follow the steps below. 3rd grade teachers should not need to complete step 5.
- Click on Class Summary
- Click on Class Options > Edit
- Select “Do Not Carry Over Progress – Students will be given a new Initial Knowledge Check”
- Click Save
- Create an assignment for an Initial Knowledge check by following these steps.
SS (Kelley Wiltrout)
DBQ PD Opportunities
Because the first 4th grade DBQ falls within social studies unit 1, it is recommended teachers attend the following session:
- 4th Grade Social Studies: Implementing the Early Jamestown DBQ -
- Section #41144 Tuesday, August 30 from 3:30 - 5:30 (virtual session: https://meet.google.com/ywk-xcqc-jaa)
- Section #41145 Thursday, September 1 from 3:30 - 5:30 (virtual session: https://meet.google.com/ywk-xcqc-jaa)
Digital Portfolio PD Opportunities
- Getting Started with Digital Portfolios in 4th & 5th Grade Social Studies 22-23 (Course #32068) - RECOMMENDED for new 4th & 5th grade teachers and all teachers needing additional support.
- Section #41205 Tuesday, September 13 from 4:00 - 5:30 at LKES
- Section #41206 Wednesday, September 14 from 4:00 - 5:30 at LKES
DBQ Reflection Form
Teachers are asked to complete THIS DBQ form following the implementation of their first semester DBQ. This DBQ form is also found in the curriculum guides. Thank you!
Science (Kim Inman)
Digital access to FOSS resources has been removed at this time due to a change in the way these resources are shared by School Specialty. I am in the process of seeing if we can gain access to the digital FOSS materials this year and will let you know how to find them if we are able to move to the new system. (The online code that is found on the teacher’s manual no longer works). If the curriculum guide references a digital file for something from FOSS that you cannot gain access to, please replace this material with something else. If you are having a difficult time planning for an alternate resource, please let me know and I will be glad to help.
Other mClass Issue (Tina and Kristy) Many of your teachers are receiving the following error message (to the right): It has to do with the new testing portal for the iPad. In the past the website was: mclasshome.com/assessment. Now it is: mclass.amplify.com/assessment Follow the prompt to the website and that should resolve the issue. We did not realize that this was going to be an issue until it was. Please feel free to reach out to Tina or Kristy if you continue to have issues. |