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. | | | | | | | | Departments | Announcements | Submitted by
Heather Casteel
Art Specialist | Congratulations to...
- Stan Hillard (Bearden High), Carol Vinson (South Doyle Middle), Allison Pickett (Beaumont Elem), and Jessica Stewart (Christenberry Elem) for a fantastic discussion for the Knoxville Arts & Culture Alliance in February. We had a large audience and made some new friends in the art community. Thanks also to the KCS art teachers who supported us in the audience!
- Our first teacher, Melissa Wilkinson, (high school visual arts) to officially submit the Fine Arts Portfolio Student Growth Assessment. Great job!
- Karen Brown (Amherst Elem), Logan O'Connor (West Valley Middle), Ben Eng (West High), and Heather Casteel (Visual Arts Specialist) whose work was accepted into the Dogwood Arts Regional Fine Arts Exhibition. There were over 270 submissions from 96 artists in 8 states. 62 pieces from 49 artists were juried into the Exhibit.
Professional Development - March 25th- Art Dept. PD- CANCELLED to provide time for art teachers to work on Fine Arts Portfolio.
- March 29-April 2nd- NAEA Conference, San Diego, CA.
- April 12th- TAEA East Region Spring Conference. Open to members and non-members. All day Saturday workshop.
- April 22nd- Art Dept. PD. Location TBD. Introduction to the new curriculum.
Fine Arts Portfolio Student Growth Assessment- Submission DEADLINE on April 15th. Student and Teacher Art Shows: Save the Date - Synergy: East Tennessee Art Educator Exhibition AND Student Art Exhibition @ the Clayton Center for the Arts, Maryville. Opening reception- Thursday, April 3rd, 5-9pm.
- Dogwood Arts Regional Fine Arts Exhibition @ The Emporium Center. Opening reception- First Friday, April 4th, 5-9 pm.
- Earthfest KCS Student Art Exhibition. @ World's Fair Park. Saturday, April 26th.
- Art Source 2014, Knox County Art Educator Art Show, @ UT Downtown Gallery. Opening reception- First Friday, May 2, 5-9pm.
Follow us on Twitter: @KCS_VisualArts |
Submitted by
Daphne Odom
Avid Supervisor | PD Sessions
The Knox County AVID department was thrilled to host a regional AVID Path Training for teachers in the Eastern division of the United States. A total of 88 educators from a total of six states came together to benefit from the amazing training put on by AVID Center Staff Developers in effective use of strategies in Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading. Sixty-four KCS employees participated with participants from Alabama, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and the Diocese schools of Knoxville. The AVID department would like to thank all those who helped up on a successful event, especially the Knox County Schools Nutrition Department for keeping us well fed! We look forward to another successful event next year!
If you are interested in learning about some of these amazing strategies, we have two training coming up in the coming weeks:
March 24th, 2014
Bearden Middle School 4:00 – 5:00
Topic: Philosophical Chairs
SRN: 201404270702 Description: We all know that students love discussion and argument! So use that to your advantage! Teachers will learn how the use of Philosophical Chairs can enhance student thinking and learning in their academic classrooms.
April 10th, 2014
Northwest Middle School 4:15 – 5:15
Topic: Interactive Notebooks
SRN: 201403250102 Description: Are your kids talking about their 'INB'? Come to this session led by experienced users of the InterActive Notebook and learn how it can enhance the classroom experience and the learning of your students. |
Submitted by
Richard Mitchell
Choral Music Specialist | Choral Music News
- The annual TMEA Confenerce (All-State Music students) dates are April 9-12, 2014 in Memphis. This is a reminder to principals and teachers that several of your outstanding high school students will be attending this in-service conference for teachers as All-State Music students. These dates are also in the KCS calendar.
- Mark your calendar now for the annual district wide music performance of the Knox County "Elementary Honors Choir Concert" Sunday, April 27, 2014 at South-Doyle Middle School, 3:00 p.m.
- Congratulations! Our high school choral directors, and their students are to be commended for their participation in the East Tennessee Vocal Associations – J. B. Lyle High School Choral Festival. This event was held February 25-26, 2014 at Pellissippi State Community College. The commitment to excellence by directors and students was evident by the scores and comments received from the judges. Our middle and elementary teachers should also take pride in these students accomplishments because they provided the foundational elements of music 'brick by brick'! Participating Directors:
- Bearden - Mary Sexton
- Carter - Jessica Strutz
- Central - Beckye Thomas
- Farragut - Kenton Deitch
- Gibbs - William Brimer
- Hardin Valley - Teresa Scoggins
- Karns - Caryn Marlow
- Powell - Jim Kennedy
- South-Doyle - John Maples
- West - Byron Davis
| .
Submitted by
Rocky Riley and
Chris Tucker
CTE Supervisors | CTE News
- Knox County Career and Technical Education has achieved the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certification and training for our district. We are the first and only secondary education institution to meet the requirements to be an accredited official training center for secondary, post-secondary, and industry programs. These programs are Carpentry, Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, and Welding. NCCER is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) education foundation created in 1996 as The National Center for Construction Education and Research. It was developed with the support of more than 125 construction CEOs and various association and academic leaders who united to revolutionize training for the construction industry. Sharing the common goal of developing a safe and productive workforce, these companies created a standardized training and credentialing program for the industry. This progressive program has evolved into curricula for more than 70 craft areas and a complete series of more than 70 assessments offered in over 4,000 NCCER-accredited training and assessment locations across the United States.
NCCER develops standardized construction and maintenance curricula and assessments with portable credentials. These credentials are tracked through NCCER's National Registry, which allows organizations and companies to track the qualifications of their craft professionals and/or check the qualifications of possible new hires. The National Registry also assists craft professionals by maintaining their records in a secure database.
NCCER's workforce development process of accreditation, instructor certification, standardized curriculum, national registry, assessment, and certification is a key component in the industry's workforce development efforts. NCCER also drives multiple initiatives to enhance career development and recruitment efforts for the industry - Congratulations to South-Doyle High School's Ms. Christa Lord and her Nursing Education Students who earned their CNA certifications. Jacob Faucette, Emily Pruitt, Miranda Bratton, Riley Phillips, Haley Wines, Courtney Brown, Shandi McCarter, Casey Gray
- Congratulations to Farragut High School's Ms. Jill Hudson and her students who earned national certification in the area of Certified Solidworks Associates (CSWA) through Dual Enrollment with Pellissippi State Community College. Ryan Sacca, Grayson Bruner, Christian Boone, Daelyn Greene, Peter Reso, Peter Grossman, Makenzie Swicegood, Hunter Norris.
- Good Luck to all of the KCS students who are participating this month in Career & Technical Student Organization (CTSO's)
- CTE goes LIVE will be May 2nd Market Square from 6-9pm. This event will be televised on WVLT-TV. CTE students have produced the commercial and are helping plan, construct, and market this event. The commercial will start airing on WVLT this month.
- CTE goes Shine & Show – Will be May 10th from 10am-2pm. Registration is $20.00. All proceeds go to the CTE Foundation for CTE scholarships. This is event is sponsored by Toyota & Lexus of Knoxville. For more information please visit www.ctepartnership.org.
- CTE Monitoring (Audit) has just been completed! The following teachers were commended by the State Department of Education for various reasons.
- Ms. Dana Howard –West HS,
- Ms. Brittany Bracco-Central HS,
- Mr. Steve Morrell – Fulton HS,
- Ms. Angela Pressley – Powell HS,
- Ms. Robin Davis – Gibbs HS,
- Ms. Jeana Kirby – North Knox CTE/Halls HS
| | | | | | Thanks
Thanks to the 70 classroom teachers who co-presented with instructional coaches on the system-wide in-service February 17th. Investing time and expertise to share with colleagues proved to be meaningful for all. Kudos to teachers who accepted the invitation to be a part of this time of learning. Exemplar lessons have been uploaded to the elementary reading intranet. Click on the Differentiation and Personalization icon.
Follow-up professional development sessions will be provided during March and April. These sessions will focus on scaffolding complex text during small group instruction. Sessions will be provided 'on site' by the instructional coaches. Instructional coaches will be asking teachers to co-present.
ROUND TWO -SAMPLE weekly plans for grades K-5 have been uploaded on elementary reading intranet. Click on the Reading Street icon. | | | | Submitted by
Shannon Jackson
6-12 ELA/Reading Supervisor
| Congratulations!
Congratulations to Merry Anderson for earning the distinction of Knox County Teacher of the Year for Middle Schools! All 6-12 ELA teachers are invited to a conference/un-conference from May 27-30. There will be many options from collaborative planning for the modules to PD sessions of interest. Stay tuned for further information. If you have ideas about how we should structure this time, please contact Shannon Jackson. Upcoming Committee Meetings Curriculum and Assessment Committee: 3/26 and 4/16 from 4:30 – 5:45 Vision, Mission, Beliefs Committee 4/10 4:30 – 5:45 Department Chair Meetings March: Voicethread 3/11 and Meeting /25 April: Voicthread 4/22 and Meeting 4/29 Reading Plus PD David Pearson is presenting his “Tasks that Teach” webinar on March 19th from 3:00-4:00. Teachers wishing to participate should go to readingplus.com/webinars to register. Reading Plus administration is going to send confirmation of participation, so KCS can award unscheduled in-service credit to those who participate. Voicethread PD Offerings Teachers in the ELA Department may complete the following Voicethread PD sessions. As they are asynchronous, teachers have some artifacts to create, and they need to send the follow-up documentation to Shannon Jackson once they have completed the PD session. These workshops are self-paced, so teachers may complete them all at once or in stages. Accompanying documents are on the intranet under “Online PD Modules.” Please download the materials before beginning the online training session. Common Core TDOE Close Reading: https://voicethread.com/share/5368193/ CCSS Vocabulary: https://voicethread.com/share/5444699/
Reading For Meaning (RFM): https://voicethread.com/share/5471886/
Face to Face Workshop Offerings | Date | Topic
| Location
| Time
| Presenter | March 6-7, 2014
| State Reading Course Cohorts for Grades 6-8
| SSPDTC
Room 219
| 8:00-4:00
| Karen Irwin | | March 10. 2014 | Asking Better Questions SRN# 2014390502
| Fulton High | 4:15 | James Yoakley | | March 10, 2014 | Reading for Meaning (Make-Up Day for this Session) | Northwest Middle
| 4:15-5:30 | Jessica Thomas | March 11. 2014
| Enhancing Literacy Strategies within CTE/Non-tested Classrooms
(Aligning instructional practices with the CCSS literacy expectations can be challenging. This workshop will provide resources and strategies to help CTE/Non-Tested teachers integrate literacy strategies in their classrooms.) | Lincoln Park Room 3 Wireless access only | 4:00-5:30 | Judy Rule | March 13, 2014
| Module 4 Planning SRN# 201404270801 | Powell Middle Library
| 4:15-5:15
| Natasha Cass | | Available after Spring Break (March 2014) | Accountable Talk
| Onine PD
| Online PD
| Natasha Cass | March 25, 2014
| Literacy Applications in CTE/Non-Tested Classrooms (Students must possess the requisite literacy skills for career and academic success. CTE/Non-tested teachers can facilitate the learning processes by scaffolding instruction with literacy strategies that will enable all youth with the requisite skills to succeed in school, careers, and daily life.) | Lincoln Park Lab 2
| 4:00-5:30
| Judy Rule | March 26, April 2 & 9, 2014
| Carrying a Load of Feathers Book Study Carrying a Load of Feathers is the second book in a series featuring Luis, the janitor, from Entertaining An Elephant. "The story helps us remember that teaching is not an occupation, but a calling to change people's lives to make a Better world." Ron Klemp This story "gives us a chance to examine what is important in life, in learning, in loving." Dr. Janet Allen. Email judy.rule@knoxschools.org for information re: book access. Please join this 3 hour book study (3 sessions - 1-hour) as we examine the struggles of today's students in our classrooms and the supports needed.
| Farragut Middle PD Room/Guidance
| 4:00-5:00 | Judy Rule | March 27, 2014
| Writing in the Content Areas (Orient content area teachers to the writing demands of CCSS. They will review types of prompts that students may encounter and the source material that could be provided. The workshop will also focus on grading practices on precision with content and idea development.) | Karns Middle
| 4:00-5:00
| Linda Perry abd Stacy Hillard | March 27, 2014
| Teaching Morphemes to Expand Vocabulary
| Whittle Springs Middle
| 4:00-5:15 | Heather Jarrell | March 27, April 3, 10, 17, and 24, 2014
| Entertaining an Elephant Book Study Entertaining an Elephant is the heartwarming story of a burned-out teacher struggling though his fifteenth year of teaching. Through a set of unexpected events, this teacher becomes re-inspired with both his profession and his own life. Woven into this short novel are quotes from world-renown spiritual and philosophical writers who suggest ways for us to face the tough challenges of today's world. Already in its 16th printing, the book is a favorite among educators and parents. Email judy.rule@knoxschools.org for information re: book access. Please join this 5 hour book study (5 sessions - 1 hour) | Farragut Middle PD Room/Guidance
| 4:00-5:00
| Judy Rule | March 31, 2014
| Rewards RTI (Overview session for secondary reading intervention teachers. This session provides general information about the implementation of the program which assists students with systematic decoding, fluency, and vocabulary instruction.) | Karns Middle
| 4:00-5:30 | Linda Perry | | April 1, 2014 |
Explicit Instruction: Utilizing Examples and Non-examples in Grammar Instruction | SSPDTC Room 218 | 4:15-5:15 | Jennifer Ross and Beth Barlow | | April 7, 2014 | Interactive Reading Strategies | Lincoln Park Kelly Room | 4:00-6:00 | Dedra Hall | | April 8, 2014 | Vocabulary for the Common Core | SSPDTC Room 218 | 4:15-5:15 | Jennifer Ross and Hayley Jackson | | April 9-10, 2014 | State Reading Course Cohorts for Grades 6-8 | SSPDTC Room 219 | 8:00-12:00 | Karen Irwin | | April 14, 2014 | Vocabulary: 55 Words that Make or Break Student Understanding (based on the book by Marilee Spenger) | Karns High | 4:15-5:15 | Dedra Hall | | April 14, 2014 | Grit in the ELA Classroom (Middle School Focus) | Northwest Middle | 4:15-5:30 | Jessica Thomas | | April 22, 2014 | Annotating the Text vs. Marking the Text | Karns High | 4:15-5:15 | Dedra Hall | | April 22, 2014 | Using NEWSELA in the Classroom | SSPDTC | 4:15 | Laura Webb and Karen Horton | | April 22, 2014 | Compacting-Advancing the Advanced Learner | SSPDTC | 4:15-5:15 | Erin Powers and Athanasios Bayiates | | May14-15 | State Reading Course Cohorts for Grades 6-8 | SSPDTC Room 219 | 8:00-12:00 | Karen Irwin | | | | | | Submitted by
Alyson Lerma
ELL Supervisor | TNTESOL Next Month
Congratulations to Elizabeth Choi, ELL teacher at Central High. Mrs. Choi will be presenting "Let’s Hear it for the Boys: Engaging Male Students Through Interaction and Competition" at the state ESL conference, TN TESOL, in March.
Natalia Ward, ELL teacher at CBES, will also be a co-presenter at TNTESOL; her presentation is entitled "Understanding Text Complexity in the Times of Common Core."
Thirteen ELL educators, including the ELL Supervisor, will represent KCS at TNTESOL next month! | | | | Submitted by
Julie Thompson, Adam Parker, & Donna Howard
Elementary Supervisors
| All-Star Tutoring - Thanks to all the tutors, teachers, site coordinators, and principals who have participated in All Star tutoring this year. We appreciate all you have done to make sure your students have had additional opportunities to improve their reading and math in the after school program. The last day for All-Star tutoring will be April 17, 2014.
Congratulations to Darlene Miller, Principal at Karns Elementary - Mrs. Miller is this year's recipient of the "Principal as a Leader of Professional Learning Scholarship" sponsored by Learning Forward. This award will assist Mrs. Miller in growing as a professional learner/leader and enable her to better facilitate effective results-based learning for her staff. | | | | Submitted by
Daphne Odom
Gifted Supervisor
|
Join us for these system-wide
professional development opportunities!
Think Tank-No Sinking Allowed
Contemplate the following questions: Have you found yourself entrapped and questioning how to best incorporate thinking within your daily lesson plans? As an educator, have you asked yourself how to structure your lessons to provide valuable thinking opportunities for students? If you answered yes to either or both of these questions, this session is for you! Teach your students to swim for themselves while diving into thinking in the process! Walk away with specific strategies that will incorporate thinking within your classrooms on a daily basis. Hope to see you there! When: March 6, 2014
Where: West Hills Elementary School
Grades: K-5
Time: 3:00 – 4:00 P.M.
Presenters: Heather Mounce & Kim Dalton
Not Just Pretty Pictures Text features have a purpose.
Don't let your students ignore them! Text features provide an alternate route to information, which can help struggling readers understand the information as well as solidify the understanding of more advanced readers. (Norman and Roberts) In this workshop, we will offer strategies to focus your students' attention on the information found in text features. Embark on this scavenger hunt of hidden treasures with us!
Jean Terry and Traci Lenz
Shannondale Elementary (K-5)
(25 seats available)
Thursday, March 6, 2014
3:30-4:30
Follow us on Twittter @GiftedKCS for details on PD and resources to use with your advanced students.
| | |
| | Humanities
Submitted by
Jean Heise
Humanities Supervisor
| Fine Arts Summer Camp
We are excited to announce the second year of the Fine Arts Summer Camp. This year's camp will be at Green Magnet Elementary and Pond Gap Elementary. Students who attend morning summer school will be encouraged to stay for lunch and then classes in art, music dance and P.E. Other students at these schools will be able to attend the Fine Arts Summer Camp as space allows. Fine Arts Summer Camp dates: June 2-27
| | | | Submitted by
Walter Mencer
Instrumental Music Specialist | Instrumental Music News
Thanks to all of the students and teachers that participated in the All County Middle School Band Clinic. The students did a great job.
Good luck to all of the bands and orchestras that will be participating in concert festivals in March and April. The snow has caused a lot of lost rehearsal time, but I have faith that all of you will do well.
- ETSBOA Orchestra Festival March 3, 2014, Clayton Center for the Arts, Maryville College.
- ETSBOA Concert festival at Farragut High school, March 12 and 13, 2014.
- TSSBDA Concert Festival at Hiwassee College, April 26, 2014.
- TMEA Conference and All State Band, Orchestra and Choral Clinics, Memphis, TN, April 9 - 12, 2014.
- State Concert Festival, Vanderbilt University, April 24 and 25, 2014.
- GLADiS Training session for all music teachers, Monday March 24, 2014, SSPDC, other sessions listed on ERO.
| | | | | Submitted by
Theresa Nixon
Director of Instructional Technology
@KCSelearning
| Instructional Technology News
Please join us for our upcoming professional learning sessions. All sessions are available for all staff unless otherwise indicated. If you have additional questions, please email elearning@knoxschools.org. All Professional Learning sessions have registration available on ERO.
| Course | Date
| Time
| Location
| | iPads in the Elementary Classroom | March 6
| 4:15-5:15
| Northshore Elementary
1889 Thunderhead Road
| The Canvas Challenge Kickoff (certified staff)
| March 11
| 4:15-5:15
| Sarah Simpson Professional Development and Technology Center
(SSPDTC)
801 Tipton Avenue
| Student Creations Elementary
(certified staff)
| March 13 | 4:00-5:30
| SSPDTC | iPads in the Elementary Classroom
| March 13 | 4:15-5:15 | Northshore Elementary
1889 Thunderhead Road | | The Canvas Challenge Kickioff (certified staff)/span> | March 13
| 4:15-5:15 | Central High School
Room 123
5321 Jacksboro Drive
| ActivBoard Actions and Multimedia
(certified staff) | March 24
| 4:15-5:15
| SSPDTC | | Microsoft Word Intermediate | March 25
| 4:00-6:00
| SSPDTC
| | iMovie II | March 25
| 4:00-5:45
| SSPDTC | The Canvas Challenge Kickoff (certified staff)
| March 26
| 4:15-5:15 | Hardin Valley Academy
11345 Hardin Valley Road
| ClassFlow
(certified staff)
| March 31
| 4:15-5:45
| SSPDTC | | Canvas Ambassador Celebration (only those who completed the course) | April 2 | 4:30-5:30 | SSPDTC | | Activboard Resources & Building Flipcharts (Certified Staff) | April 7 | 4:15-5:45 | SSPDTC | | Microsoft PowerPoint Intermediate | April 8 | 4:00-6:00 | SSPDTC | | Thinkfinity- Web 2.0 Resource | April 10 | 4:15-5:45 | SSPDTC | | iMove I | April 10 | 4:15-5:45 | SSPDTC | | iMovie II | April 14 | 4:15-5:45 | SSPDTC | | ClassFlow | April 15 | 4:15-5:45 | SSPDTC | | iMovie III | April 16 | 4:15-5:45 | SSPDTC | Excel 101
| Online Course TECH017279 | Onine
| Online
| | Excel 102 | Online Course TECH017300 | Online | Online | Virtual Fieldtrips
| Online Course TECH017301
| Online
| Online | Student Creations Online: Focus on Google Trips
|
Online Course TECH017298 | Online | Online | Activboad Basic Concepts
| Online Course TECH017298
| Online | Online | Getting the Most from Mac OS (part 1)
| Online Course TECH7502 | Online | Online | | Getting the Most from Mac OS (part 2) | Online Course TECH7503 | Online | Online | | Getting the Most from Mac OS (part 3) | Online Course TECH7504 | Online | Online | Cloud Storage 101
| Online Course TECH017230 | Online | Online | | Cloud Storage 102: Evernote | Online Course TECH017198 | Online | Online | | All Professional Learning sessions have registration available on ERO.
> | | | | . | | Submitted by
John Whalen
Library Media Director
| If you are looking for books and articles to improve your own professional practice or to support your faculty’s professional learning, look no further: there are millions of educator resources available to you at no cost! - The Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) includes the Educators Reference Complete and Professional Collection databases. These databases are updated daily and include full-text access to hundreds of journals such as Educational Leadership, School Administrator, Journal of Educational Psychology, and many other discipline-specific publications. You can access these services 24/7 from school, home, or anywhere else you have internet access.
- Knox County Schools have access to a unique interlibrary loan service called InfoToGo, which allows teachers (and students!) to borrow books and journals from the University of Tennessee and the Knox County Public Library. Requests are placed online, and then our courier mail will deliver your books directly to you at school.
Ask your librarian for more details on how to access these excellent resources!
Our new library automation system, Atriuum, is now fully implemented! We want to extend sincere thanks to librarians for their resilience in learning all the capabilities of this new system, and to teachers and administrators for their support during this transition. One big advantage of Atriuum is that you can now search your library’s catalog from home as you plan for the resources you need—ask your librarian for more details!
| | | . | Submitted by
Daphne Odom
Magnet Supervisor
| Welcome!
We are proud to introduce Mr. John Faulconer as the principal of the Career Magnet Academy at Pellissippi State. CMA@PSCC will open with 125 freshmen this August! Visit our website at choice.knoxschools.org for more information about this unique program. SMG News: Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy celebrated National Magnet Schools Month with our Magnet Extravaganza held February 20th. Each class displayed their work related to Media and Communications and the evening featured an African American Wax Museum in honor of Black History Month. Local businesses and professionals joined us to show off how they use science in their jobs and a chemistry show with Dr. Al Hazari finished out the exciting event! Robert Winfree and April Lamb have been selected to present "All Aboard" at the National Magnet Schools Conference in Hartford, Connecticut. The presentation will focus on engaging your staff, parents and the community in a new magnet theme.
AE News: Please join us on March 11th and 12th for a theater production "Proof" at 7PM. Additionally, our Musical Review is on April 16th and 17th at 7:30PM. Our 8th grade parent night is also scheduled on March 11th from 5:30-7PM.
Green Magnet News: Green Magnet STEAM Academy is excited to have begun a three year partnership with Dr. Chris Wright and the University of Tennessee. The goal of this collaboration is to study and support reflective decision-making for engineering design in urban elementary school classrooms. Over the course of the study, the project team will identify the patterns of language associated with reflective decision-making during students' engineering planning and redesign. Teachers and researchers will then collaboratively develop paper-based and digital engineering notebook tools that build upon students' linguistic resources.
Our next STEAM Expo will be on April 10, 5:00 - 7:00. Join us as our students showcase projects that demonstrate their learning. A Magnet Open House for families considering transferring to our school will be held on the same evening.
Beaumont Magnet News: After several recruiting trips to area preschools, our magnet applications are on the rise. We are working hard to spread the word about Magnet School programming. On an even brighter note, the amazing Allison Pickett was selected to speak at the Arts and Culture Alliance Panel about her approach to visual arts education at Beaumont Magnet Academy.
L&N STEM news: The L&N Cyberpatriot team, in its first year of competition, had two teams recently compete in the open division of the state competition. Each team worked for six consecutive hours on various cyber defense challenges. The competition included teams from across Tennessee, ultimately placing 2nd and 3rd. The L&N Cyberpatriots are coached by Dr Jamie Nelson and Mr. Nick Wilsey.
L&N Extends Enrollment Opportunities beyond Knox County and 19 students from outside of Knox County have been invited to attend the L&N STEM Academy.
FulCom News: FulCom will be taking 12 students to the TN TSA competition in Murfreesboro March 6-9. Our students will be competing in the following categories: Webmaster, Photographic Technology, Promotional Graphics, Technology Problem Solving, On-demand Video, and Digital Video Productions.
Magnet Arts Showcase: Join us for a night of the arts showcasing talent from Beaumont, Vine and Austin East. Visual art projects will be on display, vocal music and theater will be showcasing talent, and the talented dancers in our magnet schools will be performing. Look for more information soon on our website- and for now please save one of the following dates: May 1-3.
| | | . | Submitted by
Anne Stinnett
K-5 Math Specialist | Elementary Math News
Thank you to all coaches and classroom teachers who presented for the system-wide in-service on February 17th. We appreciate all those who shared their time and talents! Don’t forget to share your differentiated tasks as they are being uploaded to the Elementary Math Intranet. They can be found in the “Differentiated Tasks” folder in each grade level section.
Fourth and fifth grade teachers will be receiving a survey link to gather input for summer professional development workshops. Please give us your feedback!
Upcoming professional development workshops:
K-2 Teachers- MATH 4251
“From Problems to Rich Tasks”
March 12, 3:30-5:00 at Farragut Primary- Please join us to work on turning textbook problems into mathematical tasks in order to engage students in thinking and problem solving at a deeper level.
K-1 Teachers- MATH 4249
“What the Heck is a Rekenrek?”
March 11, 4:00-5:30 at SSPDC The purpose of this workshop is to introduce the rekenrek as a visual model for helping students master the Common Core State Standards in 'Operations and Algebraic Thinking' and 'Numbers and Operations in Base Ten'. Teachers will have the opportunity to use the rekenrek and make a set to use in the classroom. Register now on ERO | | | . | Submitted by
Gary Petko
Math Superviosr
| Updates
Upcoming Secondary Math Content Professional Development: Date Day Content SRN 4/1/2014 Tuesday Algebra I and II 2014421107 4/29/2014 Tuesday EOC Review Strategies 2014421108 In an attempt to continue the vertical alignment of our Pre K - 12 Math Content, our Pre K -12 Numeracy Coaches will each spend a half day at ONE of there feeder schools from other grade bands (e.g. a high school coach will spend one half day at a feeder middle school and one half day at a feeder elementary school). They all bring back to your teachers information and insight as to how the curriculum and expectations are aligned. More information will be coming soon. | | | . | | Mentoring
Submitted by
Katie Lutton Mentor Advisory Council Coordinator
| Mentoring
This semester's optional professional development session for core mentor teams is titled "Resources for Mentoring," a session exploring different resources Core Mentor Teams can use to conduct mentoring sessions. Part of the session will also include collaborating with other grade-level mentor teams. This session will occur on March 27th from 4:30-6:00 in the Great Room of the Sarah Simpson Center. Please sign up on ERO.
If you are interested in leading a session for the Mentor Institute this summer, please contact Katie Lutton at kathryn.lutton@knoxschools.org. | | | . | Submitted by
Alyson Lerma
ELL Supervisor
| Migrant Students
According to the latest state data, only 27% of officially classified migrant students in TN were also English Language Learners in the 2012-2013 SY. This is a huge decrease from 90% in 2005-2006.
As a reminder, all new enrollment packets should include the occupational survey; this is a federal guideline. If the family answers "yes" to one or more of the questions, please follow the instructions on the bottom of the form. | | | . | Submitted by
Jean Heise
Humanities Supervisor
| Elementary Track meet updates:
April 7: West meet at Karns High West and North Rain date: April 10 April 8: North meet at Halls High East and South Rain date: April 14
April 9: East meet at Fulton High
April 11: South meet at South Doyle
A big thank you to Marty Sonnenfeldt from Knoxviile Youth Athletics for his help with our track meets!
The Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic Annual Sports Medicine Day will be Saturday, March 29 (6 hours unscheduled in-service hours). You can now register on ERO and Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic website .
Knox County Schools Coordinated School Health, the City of Knoxville Parks and Recreation,and 13 other Community Groups have united to present
Let’s Move! Knoxville on Saturday, May 3rd from 10 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
at Victor Ashe Park
Teams of PE, Health and Wellness teachers are finalizing curriculum guides with exemplar lessons and personalization strategies. Thanks to all the teachers who submitted lesson plans. | | | . | Submitted by
Millicent Smith |
Reminder: April 20, 2014 is the deadline for documenting unscheduled in-service hours on your transcript in ERO. For certified employees, transcripts should reflect 18 hours of unscheduled in-service with a minimum of 12 system-wide hours. Classified employees should document 24 hours of unscheduled in-service. If you have questions regarding your transcript, please contact your building administrator, district supervisor, or Becky Kidd. Summer Professional Development Calendar: Please follow the link below for information regarding all professional learning opportunities offered in KCS this summer. This database will be continuously updated with additional activities and information. Registration for activities will still be in ERO. You will need to follow the directions provided to access the database. Please contact the district supervisor or email professional.development@knoxschools.org with questions regarding KCS activities. For TDOE questions, visit www.tncore.org.
Follow @KnoxCountyPD on Twitter!
| | | . | Submitted by
Andrea Allen
Science Supervisor
@kcsscience
| Science PD options for this Spring semester:
Science Literacy: March 13 from 4:30 to 6:00 SSPDC This session is for science teachers who would like to gather ideas and activities that will engage students in literacy in the classroom for middle and high school. These activities vary from fishbowl discussions to popcorn reviews. This will give teachers a toolbox of ideas to use to embed the CCSS into our core content curriculum.
Reading Strategies for Science: April 10 from 4:30 to 6:00 SSPDC This session will provide ideas about getting students excited about reading in the class and ways to hold them accountable and engaged in their reading. We will discuss topics from think-alouds to questioning and graphic organizers students can use during and after the reading. Strategies will directly relate to the TEAM/TAP rubric and address the interdependence of reading and science.
Thinking and Acting Like Scientists March 11 @ SSPDC Incorproating Science and Engineering Practices into your classroom grades 6-12
Uncovering Student Thinking in Science: April @SSPDC This session focuses on effective ways to illicit student misconception and student thinking through the Paige Keeley books that are resources at every middle school. This is for all middle grades and all high school.
Summer Professional Development Opportunities and Student Science Camps are showcased on our science website.
Congratulations to special science educators:
Adam Maitland at Ball Camp Elementary and Lesley Miller at Vine Middle won a STEM grant from Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers, Knoxville TN Chapter (TSPE Knoxville) | | | . | | Special Education
Submitted by
Melissa Massie
Special Education Supervisor
| SPED Teachers of the Year Here is a complete list of Knox County Schools Special Ed Teachers of the Year at each school: Elementary Pre-K - 4
| School
| Carol Jane Rule
| Bonnie Kate
| Denise Strunk
| Brickey- McCloud
| Zel Bond
| Cedar Bluff
| Mandy Dye
| Cedar Bluff
| Susan Cobb
| Farragut Intermediate
| Bonnie Bentley
| Halls Elementary
| Diane Eubanks
| Karns Elementary
| Middle School Grades 5 - 8
| | Kiley Gray
| Gresham Middle
| Romy Reed
| Halls Middle | Susan Goldman
| KAEC | Christing Hiller
| Ridgedale Alternative
| Laura Walston
| Whittle Springs | High School Grades 9 - 12
| | Laurie Price
| Bearden High
| Barbara Wachter
| Farragut High | | | | . | Submitted by
Judy Newgent
Social Studies Specialist | Thank YOU!
The Social Studies Department extends a huge THANK YOU to the many K-12 teachers who are participating in writing curriculum to the new Social Studies Standards. This work is on-going, and all K-12 Social Studies teachers are welcome to attend writing sessions. Also, to the Social Studies teachers who have volunteered countless hours examining Social Studies textbooks for the upcoming adoption- thank you! The sample textbooks are publically displayed at SSPDTC in the lower, right hallway. Also, to the Special Ed and GT Coaches and Supervisors who teamed with us at the February 17th system-wide in-service, thank you!
Upcoming PD: - 3/10 The Write Stuff, West High School, 4:15-6:15 Writing Workshop for Social Studies Teachers, Grades 6-12
- 3/12 Utilizing Unit 6 to Jumpstart the State US History EOC Review, SSPDTC, 4:00-6:00, for 11th grade US History teachers
- 3/12 K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Writing, SSPDTC, 4:00-6:00, All K-12 Social Studies teachers are welcome!
- 3/27 K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Writing, SSPDTC, 4:00-6:00, All K-12 Social Studies teachers are welcome!
- 3/24 Attention APUSH teachers, you are invited to dinner with UTK's Dr. Ernest Freeberg and Dr. Pat Rutenberg! Reservations are required, and you must confirm attendance by Wednesday, March 12. Please email Judy at judy.newgent@knoxschools.org for more information, or for additional information, please see the personal invitation emailed on February 26.
- 3/31 Exploring the NEW 3rd Grade Social Studies Standards, SSPDTC, 3:30-5:30, for all 3rd grade Social Studies teachers
- 3/31 4th Grade Social Studies Content and TCAP Review Strategies, Brickey-McCloud Elementary, Room 308, 3:45-5:45- Participants in this session will gain valuable content-specific instruction and examine several TCAP review strategies to build student understanding in 4th grade Social Studies.
- 4/7 5th Grade Social Studies Content and TCAP Review Strategies, Brickey-McCloud Elementary, Room 308, 3:45-5:45- Participants in this session will gain valuable content-specific instruction and examine several TCAP review strategies to build student understanding in 5th grade Social Studies.
- 4/16 Creating Mini-Units Around Primary Source Document Analysis, SSPDTC, 4:00-6:00, for 11th grade US History teachers
- 4/22 A Brief Overview of the NEW APUSH Curriculum, West High School, 4:30-6:00, for 11th grade APUSH teachers
Ongoing TCAP support for 3rd - 8th Social Studies is available. Please email Katherine at katherine.petko@knoxschools.org to schedule a grade level visit during your plan or after school! We'll come to you!
Additional upcoming K-12 PD opportunities, including Civil War Lecture Series, are announced weekly on the Social Studies Teacher intranet! If you've not recently perused our site, check it out!
Please remember to submit your Documentation Log and Certificate of Attendance for any pre-approved out-of-district PD; the deadline to log those hours is April 30th.
If you are not a member, please join the Social Studies TEACHER intranet today! | | | . | TDOE
Submitted by
Millicent Smith | TDOE TEAM Training Dates
| CORE Region | Type of Training
| Date | Time | Place | East Tennessee
| Teacher Evaluator
| June 10-11
| 8:30-4:30 | Knoxville, TN | | East Tennessee | Administraor Evaluator | June 12
| 8:30-4:30 | Knoxville, TN | | East Tennessee | Teacher Evaluator | July 7-8
| 8:30-4:30 | Knoxville, TN | | East Tennessee | Administraor Evaluator | July 9
| 8:30-4:30 | Knoxville, TN | | East Tennessee | Teacher Evaluator | July 23-24
| 8:30-4:30 | Knoxville, TN | | East Tennessee | Administraor Evaluator | July 25
| 8:30-4:30 | Knoxville, TN | | East Tennessee | Teacher Evaluator | August 13-14
| 8:30-4:30 | Knoxville, TN | | East Tennessee | Administraor Evaluator | August 15 | 8:30-4:30 | Knoxville, TN | | East Tennessee | Teacher Evaluator | August 20-21
| 8:30-4:30 | Knoxville, TN | | East Tennessee | Administraor Evaluator | August 22
| 8:30-4:30 | Knoxville, TN | > | | | | . | Submitted by
Alyson Lerma
World Language Supervisor | Congratulations!
Congratulations to Angela Webb, Spanish teacher and WL Dept. Chair at Gibbs High. Angela was named the Teacher of the Year at GHS for the second year in a row! The East TN regional TFLTA conference will be held at Farragut High School on Saturday, March 29th from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm. Visit http://www.tflta.org for more information. | | | . | | | | . | | | | |
