Week of January 21

Bus/Parking lot duty: Hamill and Higgs

Monday 1/21:  Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tuesday 1/22:  

Wednesday 1/23:  

Thursday 1/24:Conferences from 2:30 - 6:30

Friday 1/25:  Teacher Workday, no school for students

Bus/Parking lot duty: Levy and Eastman

Monday 1/28:  Non-Work Day

Tuesday 1/29:  Kaiser out @AM

Wednesday 1/30:  

Thursday 1/31:

Friday 2/1:  Kaiser out @ AM

Bus/Parking lot duty: Mahoney and Meeks

Monday 2/4:  Non-Work Day

Tuesday 2/5:  
Wednesday 2/6:  
Thursday 2/7: 
Friday 2/8:  

Curriculum Audit

Today, the administrators met to discuss the details of our district-wide curriculum audit.  The district has partnered with Curriculum Management Solutions Inc. (https://curriculumsolutions.net) to bring an external audit team of professional educators to perform a comprehensive audit of our written, taught, and tested curricula.  Through this audit, we will learn how well each of these aspects is in alignment with each other and to our external tests, measuring their effectiveness at promoting improved student learning.  Additionally, CMSi will analyze the various ancillary systems and protocols related to teaching and learning to evaluate how well these processes are supporting the District’s goals and make clear, comprehensive recommendations to the District to improve those areas which are not functioning optimally.  These areas include:

●        Curriculum monitoring;

●        Allocation of resources;

●        Instructional strength and weaknesses;

●        Special programs;

●        Use of data to improve instruction;

●        Effectiveness of professional development;

●        Direction provided by District policies and plans; and

●        School climate and expectations.

Their work is expected to be extremely thorough, and auditors will visit each school. With that said, every single teacher in the school district is being asked to submit artifacts/work samples to the curriculum auditors. They have placed us on a very short timeline. Building administrators have been asked to collect and organize artifacts/work samples from each teacher. So, between now and the end of the teacher work day on the 25th (we were able to request an extension through the work day), each staff member needs to do the following:

1. Review your assignments from the last 6 weeks.  They are not necessarily looking for tests of quizzes, but we understand in some instances that may be the best sample to submit.  Math is a great example of this.
2.  Identify a few (2-4) content standards which you have work samples which may demonstrate mastery of the specific standard.
3. Select 4-5 artifacts/work samples from the content standards you chose.  Make sure you choose at least 1 work sample/artifact per standard. This is 4-5 total artifacts/work samples.  You do not need 4-5 from each standard.
4. Fill out electronic copy of cover sheet with your content standards and label your artifacts/work samples according to the standard being measured.  

    The cover sheet can be accessed through the link and an example is provided for you to follow.  Be sure to follow the link and make a copy.  

     You can delete the example and put in your specific documentation

 The cover sheet for the teacher-selected curriculum audit artifacts of student work is now posted on the front page of My CDA Schools and the link here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uRvM0WbOQ8u-2aNYkyTpC_STQo9TxXqvBXpLHhEiNVg/edit?usp=sharing

Users can open the link, make a copy of the Doc (File > Make a Copy) so that they can edit and add their own content and include this sheet on top of their items in the mailing envelopes that will be sent this week. Each envelope will be pre-addressed with your teacher's name and building.

5. Place cover sheet and work samples/artifacts in the yellow envelope and mark the appropriate box(es) on the front of the envelope.

6. Turn in the envelope to Teresa's office by 2:30 pm, Friday, January 25th 

The timeline for this request is not the best, but we are hopeful you can pull this off from work already completed.  We understand some of you may have specific questions/concerns about this request.  

On February 6, the auditors will be at Venture High School to observe classes.  We will meet Friday at 2:30 (not ideal, but this is our timeline) to discuss both the work samples and the school visit.

I can't thank you enough for all the work you do for the students at Venture High School!

Attachments area

Week of January 14

Bus/Parking lot duty: Gaynor and Fehling
Monday 1/14:  Non-Work Day

Tuesday 1/15:  
Wednesday 1/16:  
Thursday 1/17: 2:30 pm - staff mtg in library with Dr. Cook and Scott Maben
Friday 1/18:  

Bus/Parking lot duty: Hamill and Higgs

Monday 1/21:  Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tuesday 1/22:  Kaiser at a conference all day

Wednesday 1/23:  

Thursday 1/24:Conferences from 2:30 - 6:30

Friday 1/25:  Teacher Workday, no school for students

Bus/Parking lot duty: Levy and Eastman

Monday 1/28:  Non-Work Day

Tuesday 1/29:  Kaiser out @AM

Wednesday 1/30:  

Thursday 1/31:

Friday 2/1:  Kaiser out @ AM

Visible Learning in a Competency-Based Program:
We encounter some significant challenges on our journey toward competency-based learning. 

• How do we make learning accessible to all of our students? 
• How do we provide the differentiated, timely support that students need to become the 21st century communicators,  thinkers, and problem-solvers that we all agree they need to be? 

Visible thinking is really about giving students opportunities to practice the thinking that leads to true understanding which underscores the attainment of competence or mastery.  Thinking routines guide the process of peer interactions and active processing that shifts learning from the acquisition of unrelated bits of knowledge to the the connected knowledge that is understanding.

A thinking routine is a simple structure that you can begin using immediately to develop student thinking and classroom culture. 
From the Visible Thinking Website, a thinking routine:

• Is goal oriented in that it targets specific types of thinking
• Gets used over and over again in the classroom
• Consists of only a few steps
• Is easy to learn and teach
• Is easy to support when students are engaged in the routine
• Can be used across a variety of context
• Can be used by the group or by the individual

Here is the video from Project Zero that explains thinking routines:

This link will take you to 7 thinking routines that are easy to integrate with your existing content.  It includes the "See, Think, Wonder" routine that some of you mentioned on your exit slip.

Come see me if you want help to get started or to try new routines. I would love to help you find and implement a thinking routine that "get's at" the kind of thinking you want your students to engage in.  

Week of January 7

Bus/Parking lot duty: Smith and Cooley

Monday 1/7:  8:00 Staff meeting; 1:00 departments meeting/collaboration

Tuesday 1/8:  

Wednesday 1/9:  

Thursday 1/10:

Friday 1/11:  

Bus/Parking lot duty: Gaynor and Fehling

Monday 1/14:  Non-Work Day
Tuesday 1/15:  

Wednesday 1/16:  

Thursday 1/17:

Friday 1/18:  

Bus/Parking lot duty: Hamill and Higgs

Monday 1/21:  Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tuesday 1/22:  

Wednesday 1/23:  

Thursday 1/24:Conferences from 2:30 - 6:30

Friday 1/25:  Teacher Workday, no school for students

Welcome Back!

I hope you're feeling rested, rejuvenated and ready to return to the mission of preparing young people to successfully manage the complex challenges and triumphs of adult living.

I want to share a speech that one of our students presented to the Rotary last month.  It's a reminder of why we do this work:

Presented to the Coeur d'Alene Rotary:

First, I have to say I am honored to be here this morning. 

I would like to thank all of you and especially thank my teacher, Sue Thompson-who nominated me, because without her I would not be here today. 

A little background on myself:  I was raised in Eastern Washington by my father and step-mother.  My mother passed away when I was ten. I had a somewhat chaotic and dysfunctional upbringing to say the least.  I cannot tell you how many times my parents and school staff told me I would never graduate and how badly I wanted to prove them wrong.  My life has been filled with challenges and there was a time when my education was not a priority as I was just trying to survive day by day. 

At this time last year, I was reeling from the loss of my father to suicide and preparing to become a teen mother.   

After the death of my father, me and my sister were taken in and brought to Idaho by our now parents, Cody and Jodi, with no questions asked.  They have shown us unconditional love and given us a life we never had.  They have pushed me to realize my potential and I have achieved things I once thought were impossible.  They tell me it is a privilege to have me as a daughter, but I feel I am the lucky one to have them for a mom and dad.

Over the past year I have overcome many obstacles and put my education and future in the forefront. 

I began my junior year at Venture High School with only six credits.  Each day I stayed after school and worked on Plato recovery classes, and I attended summer school. 

With careful planning from my academic team, one-on-one teaching, and constant encouragement and support from my parents and teachers, I am on track to graduate this June.  I have done all of this while being an active and dedicated mom. 

I can’t say it’s been easy, but it has been so worth it. 

This trimester I will complete my senior project which will include a job shadow experience with an EMT at the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department.  After graduation I plan to complete EMT/Paramedic training through North Idaho College and continue my education by getting my Associates of Science degree.

My drive and determination are fueled by my past and I am proud of my accomplishments and look forward to continued success in my future.

Again, thank you for recognizing my hard work and efforts.