Inclusive Practices iSummit17: Inspiring Equity & Access for All

Inclusive Practices iSummit 17: Inspiring Equity & Access for All 

Teachers MUST contact their building principals to register!

DATES: June 12 - 14, 2017

TIME: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm daily 

DESCRIPTION:  The School District of Elmbrook will be hosting the 3rd Annual Innovation Summit focused on Inclusive Practices. The iSummit17 event will again be facilitated by Dr. Tanya Fredrich and Dr. Julie Causton from Syracuse University. Please note there is no cost to attend this summit for Elmbrook administration and educators and professional learning hours can be accrued. The iSummit can be taken for three graduate credit again this year through Cardinal Stritch University. We ask registrants to plan to attend all days as this is journey is designed to build over the three days to increase the collective capacity of attendees. 

Speakers Include:

• Dr. Julie Causton, Syracuse University
• Dr. Paula Kluth
• Sarah Ward, MS CCC-SLP
• John T. Spencer
• Dr. Ross Greene
• LeDerrick Horne

LOCATION: 
Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield 
375 S Moorland Road 
Brookfield, WI 53005

Personalized Learning as a Teaching and Learning Framework

Knowledge Works highlights the innovation of Flight at Horning MS.

Today's students cannot be prepared for the competitive jobs of the future if they do not actively participate in the creation of their own learning and build skills that will translate into the flexibility needed for success in the workforce. Students entering this first phase of adulthood need to be able to communicate with clarity, be creative in their approach to problem-solving, understand how to find and utilize information, and motivate themselves to engage in work that will lead them to thrive in an employment landscape that is constantly shifting.

We celebrate schools and classrooms across our system that have initiated fundamental shifts in teaching and learning by personalizing instruction for each student. This requires a shift in student and teacher roles. Teachers must facilitate the transition to student ownership through projects and activities that help learners understand and assess metacognitive skills, standards, and learning targets. Teachers also guide learners to the appropriate resources and continually monitor and respond to students' data.

Every week I see collaborative, innovative environments that put learners at the center.
Thank you for making this a priority.  #KnowThyImpact

And the award goes to...

Hot off of Grammy week, I am excited to announce our 2017 Site Improvement award winners.  The district, under the leadership of CFO, Darren Clark, allocated $250,000 to the Teaching and Learning Department earmarked for site improvements related to Teaching and Learning. Schools were asked to submit proposals and the following requests across the district have been approved:

1. Hadfield Elementary- Maker space

2. EB Shurts- EB renovation

3. West HS- Computer Lab room update

4. Meadowbrook Elementary- Library updates

5. Butler MS- Quest furniture and mobile media carts

6. Les Paul MS- Weight room upgrade for Physical Education

7. Prairie Elementary- Maker space

8. Randall STEM- Classroom redesign

9. Whittier- Library upgrades

SDW Well Represented at WSRA

At this year’s Wisconsin State Reading Association Convention Waukesha had 10 educators presenting in 6 different sessions!  This is a true celebration of the leadership we have in the district at all levels!  With the district’s focus on CLM and Disciplinary Literacy we have become a model for others to learn from.  Each one of you is contributing to this success by allowing the presenting educators to learn from you and with you!

Thank you to each of the individuals who shared their learning at WSRA on Thursday and Friday.

Humanizing Our Classrooms, Humanizing Our Assessments

Merry Komar - Hawthorne STEM Level 1 Literacy Teacher

The Impact of Involving Families in Students’ Literacy Lives

Jennifer Wienke - English Teacher and Reading Specialist

Nancy Roncke - Horning Literacy Coach

Developing Self-Awareness and Advocacy in a Literacy Classroom

Becky Anderson - Randall STEM Level 3 Literacy Teacher

Feedforward in Disciplinary Literacy

Erica Mueller - K-12 Science Coordinator

The Curious Classroom: Comprehension, Community and Inquiry

Rachel Herman - Lowell Elementary Principal

Growing a Culture of Literacy with a Systems Approach

Lisa Lawrenz - Banting/Bethesda Bilingual Literacy Coach

Gina Bailey - Les Paul MS Literacy Coach

Emily Reddy - K-8 Literacy Coordinator

Melissa Yow - Director of Elementary Teaching & Learning

Communication...Let's do it again

Ok, test time! What are your school's "Big Rocks"? Times up! How did you do? As we look forward to longer days, warmer weather, and the coming forth quarter, we sometimes forget what it is we are focusing on.

SDW's focus on the SAIL process has embedded within its framework a call for on-going and consistent communication. While that may seem obvious (after all, we communicate all the time in education), it is precisely because we communicate so much that we need to remind ourselves of what our goals/focus are. As a system, we do a good job of communicating our "why", our "what", and our "how" at the start of the year. We also do a good job of summarizing the year at the end, but often do we remember to revisit and refocus during this time of the year?

I was reminded of this fact recently when I was in a conversation with a principal. We all have good intentions to communicate the goals and milestones we are trying to achieve. However, in the course of the day-to-day work, it becomes easy to pass over opportunities to recommunicate our big rocks, learning targets, and/or intended outcomes. How can we combat this?

There is no surefire way. Every person has their own approach whether it be calendar reminders, 100-day plans, and/or trustworthy colleagues. The important thing is to determine the best system for you and take time now to start entering in reminders. Another important step is to be aware of your surroundings. If you sense that you, your class, or your school is moving in multiple directions, ask yourself if now is a time to recommunicate what it is you are aiming towards. Lastly, beginning meetings or classes by stating what it is you are all there and how it relates to your overall goals, helps to keep your "first things first."

So as we wait for the first 70-degree day of 2017, we can take the time to communicate/recommunicate our goals. Thank you for everything you do to make SDW better every day.

Welcoming the Wisconsin Seal of Biliteracy in the School District of Waukesha

What is the Seal of Biliteracy?

https://youtu.be/OiZg2XbuVBo

How will seniors in Waukesha Earn this Honor?

Learners are honored for their Global Competency. Global Competency is defined as the ability to Recognize Perspectives, Communicate Ideas in two or more languages, Investigate the World and Take Action.

Seniors must demonstrate Biliteracy through proficiency in English on the ACT or Access Test for English Learners, and proficiency in their partner language measured by the AAPPL test scheduled February 23 and 24 at each high school.

In addition to demonstrating linguistic skill, seniors also need to demonstrate that they can Recognize Perspectives.  Seniors will do this by submitting two essays, one in English and the other in their partner language, on specific topics related to multilingualism in their lives, their future and society at large.

Seniors will also demonstrate their ability to Communicate Ideas and Take Action through a Service Project.  The Service Project will require seniors to take action in a multilingual environment to improve local or global conditions for people and communities.  While in 2017, there will be no specific requirement for hours that must be fulfilled, in place learners must demonstrate that criteria has been met through their project in the time it takes them to fulfill the project goal.

Seniors will submit a portfolio of evidence that demonstrates these three capacities and achievements by May 1st.  Announcements of students who qualify will occur around May 15.  Qualifying students with a guest will attend a recognition dinner on June 6th.

What exactly will be awarded?

Seniors who earn the award will dress with their Seal of Biliteracy Medal of Honor (think Olympic Medal) and graduation cord.  On Graduation day these honorees will receive an embossed diploma with the Seal of Biliteracy Seal.  Official Transcripts will reflect the award and be a form of public communication of achievement to colleges and employers throughout the seniors lifetime.

How can I learn more?

A Web EX is scheduled on Friday February 10 for administrators to learn more and ask questions.  Updated timelines will be shared during this WEB EX.

A parent information session is planned on Saturday February 11 at 10:30 in English and 11:30 in Spanish.

Student Information Sessions are Planned for Monday February 13th during homeroom (between 9:24 and 10:10) at each high school.

D Garcia will be facilitating at South, Angela Jurish at West and Maria Barreras at North High School.

Director of Educator Development named starting July 1

It is my pleasure on behalf of the Teaching and Learning Team to announce that we have hired Sharon Thiede as Director of Educator Development to officially start July 1, 2017. Sharon will replace Sara Behrendt in this role as Sara announced her retirement from the School District of Waukesha at the end of this year.

With close to 70 applicants for the position, Sharon became the number one selection this week after finalist interviews.

In this role, Sharon will lead educator development work including Educator Effectiveness, PI-34 requirements, TDP's and professional learning across our system. She will also oversee Advanced Learning/Gifted and Talented as well as continue her SAIL coaching work with STEM Saratoga, East, and Meadowbrook.

As a former English teacher, at the core, Sharon wants to customize learning for the adults in our system so that they can maximize their work with our students. Sharon was also an AP in Kettle Moraine, at Waukesha West HS and serves currently in her role as Director of Student Services.
Please share in welcoming Sharon to the Teaching and Learning Team!

PLC's....working smarter, not harder.

Todd Gray is constantly reminding us to be the tortoise and we are seeking ways as a system that we can continue to work smarter, not harder...to maximize our own resources in order to positively impact student learning. PLC's are a high leverage distributed leadership model that we all need to take a closer look into.

Professional learning teams provide a powerful mechanism for improvements in teaching and learning. Developing successful PLC's is difficult and it requires intentional effort from teachers and administrators. We know that different teams, develop at different rates and with different personalities, and most pass through the continuum of a focus on teaching to a focus on learning.

Novice PLC teams are likely asking questions such as, "what exactly do they want us to do?" PLC's can seem pointless especially for teams who lack clear guidelines. Setting norms might be step one for a PLC in this stage.
A common next question teachers ask is, "what are you doing in your classroom?". There is great value in these conversations as sharing practice helps to make instruction transparent. Sometimes teams fail to move past this sharing of instructional practices that focuses on individual efforts rather than a collective effort of effective instruction.
As PLC's learn to work together, different members will take on responsibility for lesson planning and sharing of the work. This is a great step, built on trust, and it helps teams lighten the load. At this juncture, teams can grow comfortable with sharing planning but the next critical step would be to focus on results. This is where we ask the question, "are students learning what we want them to learn and how do we know?"

New thinking related to student outcomes forces teams to ask, "what does mastery look like?" What evidence is necessary for documenting success? Using data effectively is not an intuitive process and many of us need experience and support with this. Schools that provide structures and tools for effective data analysis are rewarded with highly successful PLC teams driven by results! On highly functioning PLC teams, collective intelligence provides a never-ending source of support and allows the talents of our SDW colleagues to help us work smarter in the best interests of each learner in our system.

As we all take a collective responsibility for student success, we understand the value of not doing things alone or in isolation any longer. This professional ownership is what defines accomplished educators. It is what every PLC team should be striving for in the School District of Waukesha.