March 12, 2010

Happy Blizzard Anniversary!

Remember to SPRING FORWARD Saturday night.  Yea!  The days will be getting longer.

Sustainability news:
Etowah HS, Mr. Wilkinson said that March 23 will be fine to begin.

Dear AMSTI Friends,
I am happy to let you know that Texas Instruments has been accepted as your newest AMSTI Affiliate!

Please find our information at http://146.229.155.222/About/Affiliates/tabid/79/Default.aspx and be sure to let all of your schools know the good news as well!

Thanks, Ned
______________________________
Ned Colley
Texas Instruments
Educational Technology Consultant
Phone: (770) 406-8822
Cell: (404) 435-9516

Cindy, Dr. Carr and I will meet with COE on March 25 to discuss establishing AMSTI preservice training.

Refreshments for State Meeting

Our site will be responsible for paper plates, napkins and home-made goodies. I think that each of us should bring one pack of plates and one pack of napkins considering we will have approx. 150 per day. Please let me know by Friday, March 12th on what home-made goodie each of you will bring so we won't duplicate. I'll make a list and distribute to everyone afterwards. Prepare for at least 2 days - possibly 3 depending on what has not been eaten with something new for each day. We are also to bring 2 cases of drinks and a 24 pack of bottled water as a site. Suggestions are open on how to handle that!
Thanks ahead to everyone in making this a great visit for our fellow co-workers!
Lynn

March 5, 2010

• For the statewide staff meeting in April, I’m going to follow my friend and 7 Habits leader and ask for snack contributions.  

Each site will bring:  2 cases of drinks, a 24 pk  of water and a few snack food items, we would have plenty. Can we break it down like this for the snacks?

UAH: 5 bags of assorted chocolate

USA: 5 cases of assorted crackers (like from Sam’s)

Troy: 5 cases of breakfast items (pastries or breakfast bars)

Athens: Fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, or grapes)

UAB: 5 Cases of assorted individual bags of potato chips

UM: 7 packs of any kind of cookies

UNA : 4 large cans of peanuts and 4 bags of M&M’s to mix in with it.

ASU-WCCS: 5 Bags of any kind of candy other than chocolate

JSU: paper plates, napkins, home-made goodies- Lynn will coordinate the list so we don't duplicate items. 

UA: Cheese and Crackers (you can get cubed cheese at Sam’s)

AU: 5 Bags of Tortilla chips and 5 jars of salsa.

• April 28:  Pearson K-5 PD - math content PD -  ACHE
• May 5:  Laying the Foundation 6-12 math content PD AND K-5 Science PD by AMSTI SDE

• 6-8 Science PD will be in the fall.  

Sustainability/ASAP Success Stories

Please use this post to share specific success stories involving teachers or students.  You do not have to use a name but please identify the school.

February 26, 2010

• Tanya will begin visiting classes in our Sustainability schools.  Be prepared to share your "schedule" for teaching classes at the Sustainability schools.  Remember to submit your sustainability schedule for each school where you are working  to me either via email or place on the "g" drive and let me know it is there. I belive the schedules are in the ASAP folder on the "g" drive.  These will be placed in the schools data notebook.

• Specialists:  Do you  have any of the following books?  They will be needed at the Statewide Staff meeting in April.  Please let Lynn know which ones you already own (if any).   THANKS!

1.      Science Formative Assessment: 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning by Page Keeley (ISBN 978-1-4129-4180-8)

2.      Assessing Science Learning: Perspectives From Research and Practice by: Janet Coffey, Rowens Douglas, & Carole Stearns (ISBN 978-1-93353-140-3)

3.       Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Vol. 1: 25 Formative Assessment Probes by Page Keeley, Francis Eberle, &Lynn Farrin (ISBN 978-0-87355-255-4)

4.      Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 2: 25 More Formative Assessment Probes by Page Keeley, Francis Eberle, &Joyce Tugel (ISBN 978-0-87355-273-8)

5.      Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 3: Another 25 Formative Assessment Probes by Page Keeley, Francis Eberle, & Chad Dorsey (ISBN 978-1-93353-124-3)

6.       Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 4: 25 New Formative Assessment Probes  by Page Keeley & Joyce Tugel (ISBN 978-1-93515-501-0)

 Science Formative Assessment: 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning

• Vicky has suggested that the "E's" on Down the Road workshop be changed to a date other than Friday.  She has said that historically, teachers do not attend workshops on Friday.  Please choose a new date and I'll confirm that there is a room available  Keep in mind...Their big workshop week is June 21-25 so they may not have any extra rooms that week. 

February 19, 2010

April 28th - K-5 --Math Content Builidng for our teachers from the PLT schools.  It would be GREAT if Sandra, Kay, and Donna can attend.  I have requested that the 6-8 science training be that day too.  Still waiting for confirmation.  If Sue can attend that day, you will be able to use the materials with your teachers and in their classes.  We are purchasing the materials.  (ACHE)

May 5th - Laying the Foundation will provide training for the 6-12 math teachers from our PLT schools.  It will be great if Mary can attend.  I have requested that the K-5 science training be that day too.  Same thing..... waiting on confirmation.  If Carol and Polly can attend, then you will be able to use the mateirals with your teachers and in their classes.  We are purchasing the materials. (ACHE).

Calhoun County requests that their Alphabet Soup PD be either June 7, 9,  14, 15, or 16.  This will allow the teachers to pull all of this together before the curriculum project and allow all of their teachers to be on the same page next year. 

I have a CD on Energy Efficiency if someone would like to borrow it to use with teachers.  I have an email to the authors to see if it can be duplicated.

Lorrie Moody, Kevin Lockridge, and Jerriann Bentley may be contacting Sue and Mary for suggestions on differentiate instruction PD. 

February 12, 2010

Happy SNOW DAY
Lila Wooten from Scott Foresman paid a visit to the site. Very nice. She is the one that will be conducting the content building training provided by the ACHE grant. Date is not set. Waiting on the SDE for a definite date.  I gave her a business card from Sandra, Kay and Donna and she left one for each of  you. She was very interested in the results of the data meetings and will attend a data meeting next year. 

I will attend the Calhoun County Roundtable on Tuesday, February 16.  Please let me know what I can report to them based on our sustainability plans at their schools. Maybe I will get a date for the inservice K-5 math is going to present for them.
Making the blog come to your email is a little more complicated than one setting. I have the directions but haven't had time to subscribe to another service to make it available by email. I'll get to it, but this week has been one big ACHE week.

We will resume watching the FISH video on Monday, February 15.  We will resume our discussion of the book on March 1st so please complete the reading of  the book.  The book and videos operate independently. 

I think we need to revisit offering FITH for summer workshops.  Here's my reason ...  we are offering Alphabet Soup for only  5th and 7th grade science. It would be great to offer something at every grade level and reminding the teachers that FITH is something they can always use and should use since it activities based on the COS.  3rd - 5th grade lessons are already written in 5 E format.

Literacy Strategies are also another offering that should be considered. 

These things can also be offered to schools as In-Services.  Once they are developed we will have a
We need to have agendas, outline and material list for the sessions for this summer by the May 3 staff meeting.