October 16, 2009

Updates from Director's Meeting

Please remind 7th grade science teachers about the Genetics Kit.

We are going to receive Success Net Tracker Codes for each school year 3 and beyond. We will send through "snail mail" to AMSTI teachers only.
Do not share AMSTI Bundle numbers with anyone. The Bundle numbers are for AMSTI sites only.
Math Specialist - you will receive an email from SDE Math asking you to bring lesson plans to the November meeting. Preferably lessons that you have taught in a class. I believe you are going to work on making those into 5 E lessons and then learn how to place those plans on ALEX. I believe you are also going to work with Exam View and Success Tracker.

ALEX contains AMSTI lesson plans. Inform your teachers and you may want to use some of them too.

The new inventory tracking system will bring many changes to our site including but not limited to how materials are handled, ordered, checked out, etc. More later. FYI - everything will have to be inventoried in the warehouse. This will be a TEAM project probably summer of 2010.
Barry -- think about beginning to order and collect non consumables. The recommendation is enough non consumable for 10% of our kits.
Materials will need to be formally requested from the warehouse and recorded as used. More later when we begin to make this transition. Just fyi!

From Steve: Remember, if you are going to retire or take another position, please let me and Steve know at least 6 months in advance, 1 year if possible, so that a smooth transition can take place. Troy still does not have a director or materials manager. They have not even interviewed for the directors position. They left in July so this situation has reminded Steve that for a smooth transition to take place then advance notification must take place.

2011 Budget will be worse than 2010. Begin praying for funding and developing a plan for getting support from teachers and public for funding.
Sustainability and getting schools to implement is very important. We must make gains in test scores.
MSP money - Keep contact hours on everyone like you have been doing.
We need to develop some workshops to offer to schools. I would like to hear more about the GLOBE and math work that Sandra and Lynn Vaughn have been working on. I think a good title is: Milk and Oreos – made for each other just like GLOBE and Math. I also want us to develop Alphabet Soup – making sense of SAT10, ARMT, ASA, and AMSTI- basically a work session for teachers to find in their AMSTI materials were each of the standards for the test are addressed and develop a plan to get them taught before testing! There are two more but we will partner with Eric to deliver those. I am thinking after testing for the Milk and Oreos workshop but BEFORE testing for the Alphabet Soup workshop. We can pay subs. It's part of the sustainability grant/MSP grant. We can also offer these in the summer time.
Making Middle Schools Work: Saks Middle, Wellborn High, Emma Sansom, Gadsden Middle, Hokes Bluff Middle and Litchfield Middle are all participating. I have a SREB booklet to share with Mary and Sue. We were given one per site. When working with these schools we are to consult the SREB book.
PLTs - I have worked with WE Striplin and I think they can continue. I have a date scheduled to work with Weaver HS, and Hokes Bluff Middle. Piedmont Elementary and CA Donehoo are sending me dates.
Eric will deliver technology PD to us on November 30. It will take place here. You will need your laptop and blackberries’.

Calhoun County would like Sandra, Kay and Donna to deliver a PD on AMSTI math to the Para pros that are working with kids and teachers at their schools. They need to understand how to work with them. Probably how to use the investigations. Would a 1/2 day work? If so, get together and give me data so I can call Bobby Burns back with a date for training.
Sue had given me dates for compressed training. I need dates from everyone else so I can schedule compressed training. Please supply those dates by the end of Monday, Oct. 19.