April 30, 2010

Short and sweet this week --

Etowah County has accepted our offer of Alphabet Soup.  This PD will be open to more than just Etowah County.  We will include Gadsden City, and Cherokee County.  June 30 at Glencoe Middle School.

Schools have been sent flyers for Alphabet Soup.  It is on the In-Service Website.

Lynn has worked in the value to label and make room for all equipment that needs to be behind locked doors.  More equipment to come.  MSP training materials.

April 23, 2010

• Are there any workshops that we are offering this summer through the InService center that should be open to ALL teachers regardless whether or not they have had  AMSTI training or not?
• Computer Lab is reserved for June 14-16 for GLOBE training.
• Oxford City confirmed Alphabet Soup for June 29.
• PLT training for 9 "phase 1" schools has been sent to principals:  Training is May 13th - ACHE Wkshop
• Alexandria Elementary
• Duran Jr. North -- accepted
• Duran South
• Floyd
• Glencoe Middle
• Saks Elementary -- accepted
• Walnut Park 
• Wellborn Elementary - accepted
• White Plains Elementary -- accepted
• Deadline to accept May 6th
• Forms sent to principals to inquire who at their school has NOT had AMSTI training.  Few responded.

April 16th, 2010

Science Compressed Training --
Carolina will provide live animals for training.  Tanya will get with Barry and we will get an order form to you like we use for Summer Institute.   I will have it by the April 26th staff meeting. You will be responsible for completing the order form with the dates you need the animal and when you want them shipped and returning it to Tanya.  We will need to submit the form for the summer trainings after the May deadline and for the fall trainings after the August deadline.  I think Animal Studies is the first one that will need live animals so we will need to submit the form August 6th or 9th.

7 Habits training will begin at 9 am on Monday, May 10 and at 8:30 Tuesday and Wednesday.  Bring drinks and snacks to share.  What ever you like.  Training will probably last each day to 4 or 4:30.

April 9, 2010

THANKS to everyone for a GREAT statewide staff meeting.
Lynn, Barry and Jerry worked  themselves to death taking care of the refreshments.  THANKS so much.

Compressed Trainings Scheduled - Compressed Training will be added to the JSU InService Website when someone registers.

Animal Studies

4^th Science year 1

Presenter: Polly Crow

August 26, 8:30-3:30

4^th Math year 1

Presenter : Sandra Flummer

August 30, 8:30-3:30

2^nd Math , year 1

Presenter: Donna Mullinax

September 1, 8:30-3:30

Solids and Liquids

2^nd Science

Presenter: Carol McGinnis

September 14, 8:30 – 3:30

Electric Circuits

4^th Science year 1

Presenter : Polly Crow

September 14, 8:30 – 3:30

8^th grade math year 1 

Presenter – TBA

July 7 – 8, 8:30 – 3:30

Energy Machines and Motion – 8^th science year 1

Presenter-  Sue McDaniel

July 7 – 8, 8:30 – 3:30

Balancing and Weighing – 2^nd Science

Presenter – Carol McGinnis

August 31, 8:30 -3:30

2^nd Grade, Year 2 Math

Presenter – Donna Mullinax

September 2, 8:30 -3:30

Soils, 2^nd Science

Presenter – Carol McGinnis

September 28, 2010 8:30 – 3:30

Organisms, 2^nd Organisms

Presenter – Carol McGinnis

October 19, 8:30 -3:30

Organisms Macro to Micro, 7^th science year 1

Presenter – Sue McDaniel

October 20 -21, 8:30-3:30

Human Body Systems, 7^th science year 2

Presenter – Sue McDaniel

November 17-18, 8:30-3:30

Algebra I year 1 and year 2 

Presenter : Sara Little

Date : TBA

Advanced Math year 1 and year 2

Presenter Kitty Morgan

Date: TBA 

Specialist PLT Log feedback.

• March 22, 2010 - I can't wait to get into the school to see the informal assessment you are using during modeling. 
• March 15, 2010 - Very exciting decision and tremendous growth is taking place.  I look forward to previewing the self assessment for the summer workshops. 
• February 22, 2010 - GREAT decision.  I look forward to seeing the site toolbox of assessment items.  That will be something you can share with other specialists. 
• February 15, 2010 - Very productive meeting.  Participating in the learning activities is an excellent idea.
• Regarding the questions, it appears from the logs that the PLT met 3 times in October, 1 time in November, 1 time in Janurary and at this point, 2 times in February.  So planning for 3 and sticking to the plan would be proactive. 
• For your consideration, please practice in your classrooms what you are studying.  It may be that you need 2 weeks to practice or incorporate what you learn into your lessons you are teaching or into a PD that you are delivering.  Learn, practice, and share how it worked.  That may not be able to be accomplished in one week so that everyone is ready to move onto something else.   
• As for the purchasing a new book, table that thought until after the next session with Ms./Dr. Chapman.  As I understand it, it may be a continuation/deepening  of the previous session or it might be on her new book.  Hold that thought until your session with her in July. Fair enough?
• February 8, 2010 - Good use of site time bu Remember, Ann Jolly,  not at this meeting.  Not a problem to use site time to plan but it should not be referred to as a PLT.
• January 25, 2010: Great selection of a video. What decisions were made?  What were the big ideas from the strategies and how will you use them?  
• December 7, 2009 - is listed on Nov 9th but there is not a log for December 7. 
• November 9, 2009:  Good discussions. What decisions were made?
• October 26, 2009: What did you do with the articles that are listed?  What was learned?
• October 19, 2009:  Very good goal. Please to list all members present.
• October 5, 2009 -Great place to start.  Good question.

I apologize that I have not commented as I should have. I have read the logs. I will use this blog post and keep adding the feedback each week to it.


It appears that you got off to a good start but have gotten side tract. Please remember....Planning sessions are not PLT sessions. PLT focus on Professional Growth of the participants. What is the date of the next meeting?

In each log, Please remember to list all members present. Please remember to include big ideas from the teams discussion, decisions made, plans for the next meeting, date, leader and recorder.

April 2, 2010

• Compressed training schedule has been emailed to the schools.  It's in the snail mail as well.  Please remember: Compressed training in ONLY for those teachers who have completed summer institute.  All other request will be denied.  It is NOT for new hires or completing of year 2 training.

• ACHE:  Only those schools which attended the spring 2009 PLT Training may attend the trainings on April 28 and May 5.  Other teachers want to attend but we have to deny them.  ACHE - federal funds- will not allow me to pay for them if their school didn't attend the PLT training AND we will have full sessions so even if their school will pay thier sub we will not have space for them or provide them with materials paid for by ACHE.  If you are asked by a teacher, "Can I come?" if they didn't recieve an invite from Tanya, then the answer is no.  We hope to duplicate this training and we will be offering PLT training again, hopefully in May.  I'm still trying to schedule that training.  PLT training is and will be a prerequisite for the content training (LTF, Pearson and Science training).

•   No Staff meeting on Monday.  We have a lot ot do to set up for the state wide meeting and the vision casting. 
• We will meet here on Monday morning and then work on setting up the InService rooms. SDE will be here to help. 
• We will check on the set up of the Civic Center, and set up the video camera around 10.  SDE will probably handle the civic center. 
• The food will be delivered to the Civic Center by 4 so please - we need several people there by 3:45
• Everyone from all sites should be there by 4:30 and the meal will be served at 5 or before if Steve gets ready to begin early. :) 
• I have a Director's meeting on Monday from 1 - 3:30
• Each morning: 

• The back door of (as if you were entering from the bottom parking lot and door by the stairs)  InService Center will open around 7:30.  We will need to be at the In-Service Center around 7:30 each morning.  
• You are free to leave each day as soon as we help Lynn get everything ready for the next morning.  I made copies of the science agenda but there is no ending time on it. 
• I have shared a calendar with you called AMSTI PD.  Lynn is placing all of our PD on the calendar so you can view it from any location.
• I have created and shared with everyone a google doc that contains our compressed training.  With Lynn's assistance we will enter participants names as they register and we will email them a confirmation.  Remember, compressed trainings will not be on the InService Website UNTIL there is at least one participant. 

Reminder About Annual Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

All JSU Faculty and Staff are reminded that the deadline is approaching for our annual Sexual Harassment Prevention Training.

The online program allows you to take the training at your leisure. It may be taken all in one session or you may bookmark and return at a later time. You will need to allow up to two hours to take the training program. You may locate the training on the HR website at http://training.newmedialearning.com/psh/jacksonvillestu/. Once you enter the program, you will select a track appropriate to your position: Supervisory, Non-supervisory, Faculty, etc. You may choose the full course or the refresher course. (Note: the refresher course is condensed and requires a higher level of understanding thus a higher pass score on the exam.)

There will be a test at the end that you are required to pass. When you pass the exam, HR will be notified of the successful completion.  You will also be given the option of printing a completion certificate. Please print and retain in your files. This is required training and must be completed on an annual basis. Please complete this program by April 15, 2010.