Summer Institute 2018-That's a Wrap! Bring on the Learners!

Another Summer Institute in the books with two and a half days of learning, collaboration, and application!  Thank you to all that taught sections and to those who have filled out the evaluation form or clicked on the smiley faces (or frowny face) in Sched.  It helps us since planning for next year begins immediately.  

I wish everyone a wonderful start to the school year.  As teachers, we are lucky that we get a fresh start every year.  Students, too, get a fresh start.  We are all beginning with best intentions:  

🌱"This year, I am not going to get written up for my behavior."  

📓"This year, I am going to be proficient or advanced in all my classes."  

👥"This year, I am going to include purposeful collaboration strategies daily so my students can deepen their thinking."

As we plan with the best intentions, remember Patrick Briggs' message: the achievement gap is actually created by the opportunity and expectation gap.  How will you build relationships with your learners?  How will you have high expectations for all learners?  How will you provide opportunities to all learners so they can meet your expectations, even if they need more than others?  How will you make sure all dollar bills can get in to Coke Machine University?

AVID Site Team Outcomes and Collective Commitments

How are your AVID site teams doing with this?

AVID Site Team Learning Objectives:

(1) Establish a focus and commitment to the AVID College Readiness System.

(2) Apply the concept of "growth mindset" as you develop your own leadership capacity for the purpose of expanding the impact of AVID in your school.

(3) Explore how the CCI (Coaching and Certification Instrument) and a continuous improvement cycle such as SAIL (Student Advancement In Learning) can support fidelity and implementation of AVID to increase school wide impact and sustainability.

(4) Collaborate with colleagues to develop SAIL goals that align with AVID and District goals for the purpose of preparing ALL students for college readiness and success in a global society.

(5) Reflect on new learning and seek clarification on questions you have for the purpose of expanding your ability to access resources across the AVID community. Please use Amanda Wagner for this.

These AVID Collective Commitments used with permission from Learning Forward are A-E-I-O-U norms for any learning team to follow:

Ask questions
Engage fully
Integrate new information
Open your mind to diverse views
Utilize what you learned

College and Career Readiness- Thank you Patrick Briggs

College and career readiness...it is listed in our SDW Mission Statement. It is the goal of AVID.  It is in many of our SAIL Theories of Action, but what does this mean?

According to AVID partner and PHD, David Conley, "A student who is ready for college and career can qualify for and succeed in entry level, credit-bearing college courses leading to a baccalaureate or certificate, or career pathway-oriented training programs without the need for remedial or developmental coursework."

AVID defines college readiness as, "A system that utilizes AVID strategies and structures to empower all students to develop academic skills, individual determination, and social adaptability leading to college graduation."

How are you preparing your students for college and career readiness?

Summer Institute

If you are like me...you simply cannot believe that Summer Institute starts on Monday! Wowza!
Here is the schedule at a glance.



Board members are always invited to attend the learning sessions during these first few days back. I love the shared responsibility of our teachers and administrators in helping to make these opening days memorable and meaningful for all involved.

September TDP Registration

Hello Everyone,

Please see September 2018 TDP courses offered and the link below for registration:

September 2018 TDP Registration

All courses are held on September 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. 

• Literacy Essentials: Elementary K-5
• Math Essentials: Elementary K-5
• Flexible Grouping: Data-driven Instruction 
• Instructional Planning Using Gradual Release of Responsibility
• Standards Based Grading Essentials
• Special Education Scheduling and Planning

Registration for September TDP classes will close at 12 p.m. on Friday, August 31, 2018.

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There are also Self-paced TDP courses available on BB9. You can register for those classes at any time through this link:  http://goo.gl/VkW76t

• BB101
• BB102
• BB103
• Google 101
• Google 102
• Google 103
• SAMR 101
• Literacy Foundations
• Math Foundations
• Standards Based Grading
• Understanding Educator Effectiveness

Thank you!

New Opportunity at Summer Institute!

We can't wait to welcome everyone back on August 27.  Please log in to Sched from the website to make sure your schedule is complete, including signing up for the keynote, lunch option ($5 cash lunch at West or lunch on your own), and all sessions.  If you are in part one of something, make sure you signed up for part two.  Room assignments will be uploaded early next week.

New Offerings:  We have some additional bonus offerings for teachers during Summer Institute!  Monday's lunch has additional time for processing and networking.  We will be offering a lunch and learn session with Chris Hedstrom, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Kay Oldenburg, Employee Benefits/Wellness Coordinator, and Darren Clark, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services.  Darren Clark will be providing information on the upcoming referendum.  Chris and Kay will be available for Q&A regarding benefits.  They will be located in a room off the cafeteria, C117 at 11:00.  So bring your lunch and stop by!  Already have lunch plans Monday?  You're in luck!  You can beat the traffic on Tuesday morning to access this same opportunity at 7:00 AM.  You will be done in time for your first session and won't have to struggle to find parking!  Not an early bird?  We will be offering one more opportunity to hear about the referendum and get any benefits questions answered at 3:40 on Tuesday afternoon.  Both will be in room F110, which is at the end of the hall near the auditorium.  See you there!

AVID Schoolwide

AVID is Schoolwide when a strong AVID system transforms the Instruction, Systems, Leadership, and Culture of a school, ensuring college readiness for all AVID Elective students and improved academic performance for ALL students based on increased opportunities.

Instruction: When the entire staff utilizes AVID strategies, offer best instructional practices, and 21st century tools to ensure college/career readiness.

Systems: When systems are in place that support governance, curriculum and instruction, data collection and analysis, professional development, and student and parent outreach to ensure college/career readiness.

Leadership: Leadership sets the vision and tone that promotes college readiness and high expectations for all students in the school.

Culture: Culture is evident when the AVID philosophy progressively shifts beliefs and behaviors, resulting in an increase of students meeting college/career readiness requirements.

Districtwide AVID is a commitment to aligning district resources to support quality schoolwide implementation of the AVID System, so that all students have access to and success with rigorous instructional experiences.  #SDWCommitment  #ThisisAVID

Back to School

I was at Southbrook church on Sunday, where I attend, and Pastor Jonathan was talking about back to school. The kids in the crowd booed and the teachers booed even louder and I thought...oh boy...the struggle for many is real! So how do we motivate ourselves from a summer that seems to just blend in from one school year to another?

Part of our time away from students involves reflection as a strong habit in our profession, so as we all reflect on how to be our best this upcoming school year, I pose to you the following questions:

(1) How do you know whether your instruction is impacting student learning?

(2) How intentionally do you plan and deliver all aspects of your teaching?

(3) How aware are you of your students, content, and pedagogy?

(4) How are you optimizing performance in your school?

Think about how your answers to these questions will help you enhance your impact this upcoming school year, and never forget that the teacher is the number one determiner of student success. 

AVID Hype

For those of you on Twitter, Wednesday afternoon was such a Waukesha proud time! You could feel the excitement of the room of 2,500 educators even if you weren't there. About 70 attended this Summer Institute from Waukesha and all gathered in one room in Minneapolis to hear speakers from around the state and nation speak about AVID.

One of those speakers, was our very own recent Waukesha South grad, Grayson Cooley. After his speech, I read comments from people outside of Waukesha say that he was the best student speaker they have ever heard! Such an inspiring message about diversity, not being complacent and getting comfortable being uncomfortable. For the full video of his speech you can go to You Tube at https://youtu.be/Hgahp67idOc

AVID is a culture that pushes success for each individual learner. Thank you to all the Waukesha educators who are helping make AVID a success here in Waukesha.  #ThisisAVID