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| | | Departments | Announcements | Submitted by
Heather Casteel
Art Specialist | Congratulations...
..to Christy Davis (Farragut Intermediate) who was received the Artsonia Annual Leadership Award, which is only given to 10 teachers in Tennessee. ...to Christy Davis (Farragut Intermediate) and Angie McCarter (Farragut Middle) who are the new Youth Art Month (Advocate) Chairs. If you did not have a chance to visit us at Knoxville's Centennial Conservation Expo, don't worry! The students' art will be on display through the end of the year on the 1st floor of the Andrew Johnson Building. Art @ the AJ: Conservation Expo will also be posted electronically on the Art Dept.'s website: http://art.knoxschools.org/
There will be a REQUIRED Art Dept. inservice on Tuesday, October 22nd. Elementary art teachers will report to Northshore Elementary from 4:00-6:00pm. Secondary art teachers will report to Bearden Middle from 4:30-6:30. Please sign up in TeacherU to receive 2 hours unscheduled inservice credit. The topic is the Fine Arts Portfolio. Follow us on Twitter: @KCS_VisualArts Fine Arts Portfolio GLADiS usernames and passwords have been distributed. Please contact Heather Casteel with questions and concerns. (heather.casteel@knoxschools.org) Portfolio 101 workshops schedule for 2013 below. All Fine Arts teachers and administrators are welcome to attend. Workshops are small group, and questions are encouraged! -
Wed. Oct. 23, 4:30-6:30pm, Simpson Center, Room 106, Facilitator: Heather Casteel -
Wed. Oct. 30, 4:30-6:30pm, Simpson Center, Room 106, Facilitator: Heather Casteel -
Wed. Nov. 6, 4:30-6:30pm, Simpson Center, Room 106, Facilitator: Heather Casteel -
Mon. Nov. 11, 4:30-6:30pm, Simpson Center, Room 106, Facilitator: Richard Mitchell -
Wed. Nov. 20, 4:30-6:30pm, Simpson Center, Room 106, Facilitator: Heather Casteel -
Mon. Nov. 25, 4:30-6:30pm, Simpson Center, Room 106, Facilitator: Walter Mencer |
Submitted by
Daphne Odom
Avid Supervisor | PD Sessions
We are excited to present the following professional development sessions: - November 19th, 2013 – Socratic Seminar training from 4:00 – 5:00 at Northwest Middle School
- December 12th, 2013 – Annotation of Text training from 4:00 – 5:00 at Bearden Middle School
|
Submitted by
Richard Mitchell
Choral Music Specialist | Choral Music News
- Choral Music Teachers: Please keep Tuesday, October 22, after school "penciled in" on your calendar for possible PD training.
- More Fine Arts Portfolio 101 Training: Check available dates remaining to gain more security on the Pilot F.A.P.
- Nashville will be host to the National Association for Music Education Conference, October 27-30, 2013. NAfME is the largest organization for music educators in the world. Congratulations to Central High Choral Department and director, Beckye Thomas for being selected to perform during this national conference. The ensemble will perform October 29, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. at the Opryland Resort Hotel and Conference Center.
- Knoxville Symphony Orchestra annual Young People's Concerts (focused for 3-5 grades) will be October 30, 31 and November 1, at the Civic Auditorium. Thank you to all elementary music teachers who have worked very hard to plan lessons, collected money/permission notes and made travel arrangements for our KCS students to have this unique and awesome experience. Central Office employees are welcomed to attend. Please contact Richard Mitchell for the performance times of the five available concerts.
- Elementary Workshop - November 7, 2013, 4:00-6:00pm at PDTC/Simpson Bldg. Presenters Doris Moreland, Using Nursery Rhymes with 4th & 5th Grades: Using Political Background to Grab Students" and Dorothy Moyers, "Linking Nursery Rhymes and Language Arts in the Music Classroom".
- "Three Read Process for Music" present by ELA Supervisor, Shannon Jackson is a workshop using the "Three Read Process" collaborating with the Music Sight Reader. This presentation is open to all K-12 K.C.S. Music Educators Tuesday, November 12, 2013 @ West High School "Mini Auditorium".
- Talented, Select, Vocalist from K.C. High and Middle School Choral Music Departments will combined their voices with other select students across East Tennessee for the annual All-East Honors Choirs, Thursday-Saturday, November 21-23, 2013, at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Greeneville, Tennessee.
| Common-Core Transition News
Submitted by
Theresa Nixon and
Millicent Smith
Common Core Leadership Council | - Registration for Common Core Leadership 101 & 202 is now open.
- Applications are being accepted for Common Core Leadership Coach.
- New materials & resources are available for Math, ELA, & Literacy.
Visit www.TNCORE.org for more information on the above plus much more! |
Submitted by
Rocky Riley and
Chris Tucker
CTE Supervisors | Header
Agriculture – Congratulations to Mr. Mike Blankenship and North Knox Career and Technical Education Center for the following: The Beaver Creek Task Force, a 21 member organization led by Knox County Stormwater Management, the Tennessee Water Resources Research Center at UT, and Hallsdale Powell Utility District, have strongly supported the Adopt-A-Watershed program in six schools in the Beaver Creek Watershed over the past decade and a half. The Task Force installed, as the last project from a $919,000 grant from the 319 program administered by the TN Department of Agriculture, a 1,500 gallon state of the art cistern to the greenhouse located on the campus of Halls High School as a learning tool. Halls High School has served as a leader in the Adopt-A-Watershed program and in the development of outdoor classrooms. It currently has a 3.3 acre outdoor learning space that provides a venue for the Adopt-A-Watershed’s service learning projects. The greenhouse cistern is a part of an effort to expand the outdoor classroom to the entire campus of Halls High School. On October 08, 2013 at 4:00 pm the Halls Outdoor Classroom Committee comprised of Beaver Creek Task Force members, teachers, and members of the Halls Crossroads Women's League will celebrate the Adopt-A-Watershed program and dedicate the cistern. The cistern, designed and installed by Rainwater Resources of Knoxville, will capture 34,000 gallons of rainwater a year for greenhouse irrigation. . Mike Blankenship, Halls High School Agricultural Instructor said, “This is an opportunity for our students to operate a demonstration system as a part of their scientific horticultural investigations. Our Wisy 4-Step Sustainable System will provide odor free, slime free, water taken from our greenhouse roof with very little in the way of maintenance requirements and put that water back into the greenhouse as controlled irrigation.” Adopt-A-Watershed Coordinator Ruth Anne Hanahan, a Senior Research Associate with the Tennessee Water Resources Research Center, Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment at the University of Tennessee –Knoxville said,” Rain water harvesting is a perfect addition to a campus-wide outdoor classroom and is of interest to community leaders that support engaging students in learning experiences that are relevant to today’s issues and our community." Construction – Congratulations to Mr. Arthur Baham of Gibbs High School for earning National Master Teacher Training Certification for National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Fire Cadet Academy – Congratulations to Mr. Brian Woods and Rural Metro for their partnership with South-Doyle High School’s Fire Cadet Academy. The three South-Doyle HS Fire Cadet Academy students earned their Firefighter status level one and are currently serving at station 28. This program is the first of its kind in the state of Tennessee, which has been adopted by the state department of Tennessee to be offered across the state. District - Advance Placement and CTE industry certifications exams to be a pilot program for Knox County Schools.
- CTE’s has Professional Development dates in October and November for PARCC Readiness focused on “Where we (CTE teachers) fit in and how?
Thank you goes out to all of those who helped organize and plan the CTE goes TEE Time. Teachers raised $3500.00 for classroom supplies. Special thanks to business and industry for contributing almost $14,000.00 in scholarship commitments. The CTE Department would like to thank all of our CTE Teachers and those who go out of their way to support CTE within KCS. | | | | | | READING STREET Professional Development PLEASE REGISTER ON ERO
Select ONE of the Sites
ALL SESSIONS 3:30-5:00 | Kindergarten | | | October 21 | Inskip | Dogwood | Sunnyview | Cedar Bluff | | First Grade | | | October 23 | Christenberry | Dogwood | Green | Ball Camp | | Second Grade | | | October 28 | Powell | Sarah Simpson | Carter | Northshore | | Third Grade | | | October 28 | Copper Ridge | South Knoxville | Spring Hill | Blue Grass | | Fourth Grade | | | October 28 | Brickey-McCloud | Dogwood | Sarah Moore Greene | Cedar Bluff | | Fifth Grade | | | October 28 | Christenberry | Dogwood | Karns | Rocky Hill | |
CARE REFRESHER TRAINING
October 30, 2013 3:30-4:30 Reading Center (Knox Central) - This session is for Kindergarten teachers who have been trained in CARE but would like a refresher course.
- This is NOT for first year teachers OR teachers NEW to kindergarten.
- These teachers will receive ongoing training throughout the year.
PLEASE REGISTER ON ERO | | | | Submitted by
Shannon Jackson
6-12 ELA/Reading Supervisor
| Staff Development
Thank you to all of the teachers and coaches who prepared sessions for our afternoon of professional development at South Doyle High School. Merry Anderson, Robin Curry, Jamie Eskow, Jeni Powell, Cheri Thomas, Julie Langley, Jennifer Ross, Beth Barlow, Joann Miller, Donna Suffridge, Betty Blanton, Amy Layton, Jared Huisingh, Heather Mounce (AVID), Stacy Hilliard, Heather Jarrell, Lindsey Stinnett, Samantha Massey, Judy Sullivan, Dedra Hall, Hayley Jackson, James Yoakley, John Sides, Brooke Hartman, Tim Vacek, Ken Stansberry, Jonathan Snellings, Jessica Thomas. Kelly Dreher, Karen Horton, Erin Powers, Karla Halcomb, Natasha Cass, Judy Rule, and Laura Webb offered sessions specifically around the reading interventions. Thank you to Anna Graham (Bearden High School), Stephen Wicks (Knoxville Museum of Art), Libby Nelson and Mary Pom Claiborne (Knox County Libraries) for working with our English IV teachers to develop a research and synthesis project in conjunction with the Richard Jolley glass installation at KMA and the Children’s Book Festival in May 2014. We look forward to the first round of student work in November. The following workshops are designed to support implementation of Common Core State Standards in the 6-12 ELA classrooms. Please register on ERO. Please let Shannon Jackson or your instructional coach know if there is a specific topic that you need. The Core Coaches are developing a schedule for the rest of the CCSS Summer Training for those who were unable to attend. That schedule will be published to department chairs at the leadership retreat.
| Date | Topic | Time | Place | | 10/22 | Asking Better Questions | 4:15-5:15 | Fulton High School | | 10/28 | Accountable Talk Follow-up | 4:15-5:15 | Gibbs High School | | 10/28 | Charting the Core: Module 2 | 4:15-5:15 | South Doyle Middle
| | 10/30 | Collaborative Conversations
| 4:15-5:15 | Northwest Middle
| | 11/4 | Teaching Grammar through Direct, Explicit Instruction | 4:15-5:15 | South Doyle Middle | | 11/7 | Planning with the TDOE Units | 4:15-6:15 | TBD | | 11/11 | Incorporatin CCSS Vocabulary in Module Planning | 4:15-5:15 | Central High School | | 11/11 | Writing with Frames | 4:15-5:15 | Whittle Springs Middle
| | 11/12 | Effective Peer Editiing in the Classroom | 4:15-5:15 | Austin East High School | | 11/25 | Differentiating for Diverse Learners
| 4:15-5:15 | Northwest Middle School | | 12/3 | Planning for Module 3 | 4:15-5:15 | Austin East High School | |
English IV Final Exam
Thank you to all of the teachers who answered our invitation to work on the English IV exam. We greatly appreciate your after school and Saturday hours of service. Thank you, also, to Farragut High School and West High School for hosting us. The final product reflects the transition to Common Core and the work that we did with UTK English Education Department and Freshman Composition Program to align our expectations.
Middle School Honors Exam
On November 6th from 4:15-6:15, we will have a session for all middle school honors teachers to polish a component of the honors exam. Please register on ERO.
Curriculum Review
The next round of curriculum review is scheduled for November 20th from 4:15-6:15.
Fine Arts Portfolio
Gladis usernames and passwords were emailed to you. Please make sure that you have connected to the Gladis system and that your account is operational. Heather Casteel has scheduled training sessions to support those who may need help with the technology.
Leadership Retreat
We are scheduled for the leadership retreat on October 25th at Ijams Nature Center from 8:30-4:00. Department Chairs and coaches will begin the strategic planning for the English/ Language Arts department. We will have several opportunities for collecting information and for review of our work. We welcome all inquiries and comments.
Additions to the Approved Text List
Newly added texts will be accompanied by the placemat, detailing the rationale for teaching, the text complexity analysis, and the potential concerns. Parents should have time to review the text and the concerns prior to the beginning of the study. After meeting with the committee, we have decided to approve the following: - Touching Spirit Bear for 8th grade. The placemat will be posted on the ELA Intranet Site.
- Fast Food Nation for 8th grade honors or English IV Regular and CP
The next meeting is on November 7th from 4:15 – 5:15 at Panera at Mercedes Place. All are welcome. If there are books that we need to consider, please email titles to Shannon Jackson by Tuesday, October 15th. Once titles have been determined, a list will be emailed to department chairs. Please make sure that you have read the books prior to the meeting. Specific concerns need to be highlighted for discussion. | | | | Submitted by
Alyson Lerma
ELL Supervisor | 72 Languages!
As of Sept. 27th, our ELL educators are serving 2,398 ELL students who represent 67 countries and speak 72 languages!!! Our department is hosting the following PD offerings this month:
1. Training for ELL Teachers (those who have been in KCS for less than 3 years). We will meet in the library at Fulton on October 7th from 4:30-5:30. 2. Registering your ELL Students: a workshop for secretaries and registration personnel on October 24th from 4:30 to 5:30 in the library at West High School. The SRN is 2013159501. Powerspeak Languages is now available for district use for free! Use the link below to get to the long list of TEL databases and then click on PowerSpeakLanguages. Scroll all the way down the page until you see the PowerSpeak icon (2nd from bottom) http://find.galegroup.com/menu/commonmenu.do?userGroupName=tel_k_kcsco Our Kirundi-speaking Family Community Liaison is working with some of our schools to support our Burundi families. Parent meetings will be at the following schools on the dates below: - - October 8th at 8:00: Lonsdale Elementary -
- October14th at 8:30 : Fulton High -
- October 15th at 3:15: Sarah Moore Greene -
- November 7th at 8:00: Beaumont Elementary
| | | | Submitted by
Julie Thompson, Susan Turner, & Donna Howard
Elementary Supervisors
| All Star Tutoring has begun for 18 elementary school sites in October. This program is free to students and provides opportunity for students to have additional support in reading or math after school. The schools are working hard to support their students to be successful. A huge 'thank you' to all of the teachers and administrators who have done a lion's share of work to implement this program in your building in a short period of time. All-Star tutoring will continue to provide services to students through April 17, 2014. | | | | Submitted by
Daphne Odom
Gifted Supervisor
|
Fall is an exciting time in the GT department! Several GT coaches travelled to Nashville early October to present at the annual Tennessee Association for Gifted Conference. Congratulations to Tracy Marsh and Tiffany Nicely for winning excellence in teaching awards at the state conference.
The GT department is happy to continue our support of middle schools. Our Middle School GT coaches continue to see teachers challenging themselves to increase the rigor for their honors students. Thank you for your continued efforts to reach the needs of honors students in the Knox County Schools. If you are interested in additional support in planning for your honors classes please see your GT coach.
The September Honor’s Boot Camp was a success with over 150 middle school teachers gathering at Vine Middle Magnet School to learn more about such topics as Creativity, Cross Curricular Integration, Engineering, Text Mapping, and Teaching Through a Math Task. If you are a middle school honors teacher and have not attended Boot Camp this year, it’s not too late. We will have one more session on Saturday, October 26. Sign up on ERO. All middle school honors teachers are required to attend Boot Camp.
This fall also brings many professional development opportunities from GT. For detailed descriptions, check out sessions on ERO.
Differentiation Through Data , October 14th: Target Audience: 3-8 Presented By: Shayna Holmes and LaRhonda Forsyth from 4:30-5:30
Flip, Flap, and Fold: Ideas to Enhance the Common Core Standards with your Kids Monday, October 14, 4:00-5:00, SSPDC, Target Audience: 3-5 Presented By: Marty Findley, Lisa Jack, Liana Gibson
Bumping Up the Basics Monday, October 21, 4:00-5:00, SSPDC, Target Audience: 3-5 Presented By: Lisa Jack and Carmen Maples
H.O.T.S. Spring Into Complex Thinking Thursday, October 24, 4:00-5:00, Beaumont Magnet, Target Audience: 3-5 Presented By: Jean Terry and Brenda Norris
Text Dependent Questioning Monday, October 28, 4:00-5:00, SSPDC, Target Audience: 3-5 Presented By: LaRhonda Forsyth and Traci Lenz Literacy Circles:
Guided Discussion with Accountable Talk Monday, November 4, 4:00-5:00, SSPDC, Target Audience: K-2 Presenters: Marty Findley and Lois Simmons
Navigating through Nonfiction Monday, November 4, 4:00-5:00, SSPDC, Target Audience: 3-5 Presenters: Jean Terry and Traci Lenz
Moving Text to Talk in the Integrated Literature-Based, Social Studies Middle School Classroom Monday, November 11, 4:30-5:30, SSPDC, Target Audience: 6-8 Presenters: Lois Simmons and Jean Terry
Where’s the Evidence? Thursday, November 14, 4:00-5:00, SSPDC, Target Audience: 3-5 Presenters: Priscilla Presley and Beth Millirons
Enhancing Problem Solving in the Middle School Classroom Thursday, November 14, 4:00-5:00, West Valley Middle School, Target Audience: 6-8 Presenters: Heather Mounce and Kim Dalton
Higher Level Questioning With Accountable Talk Monday, November 18, 4:00-5:00, Chilhowee Intermediate School, Target Audience: K-5 Presenters: Athanasios Bayiates, Heather Mounce and Kim Dalton
Rich Vocabulary Promotes A Rich Language Classroom Thursday, November 21, 4:00-5:00, SSPDC, Target Audience: 3-5 Presenters: Tiffany Nicely and Shannon Johnson
Follow us on Twittter @GiftedKCS for details on PD and resources to use with your advanced students. | | |
| | Humanities
Submitted by
Jean Heise
Humanities Supervisor
| Parent Conference
The Humanities Department will have a table with Humanities materials at the October 12 Parent Conference at Central High School. Please look for our banner that says: "Humanities: We reach and teach the humanity in every child"
| | | | Submitted by
Walter Mincer
Insrumental Music Specialist | Instrumental Music News
Congratulations to all Knox County Schools High School Band Directors and their students for an outstanding All County Marching Band Exhibition. Each marching band put on a SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE at the Exhibition.
A special thank you to Band Directors Megan Christian and James Wilson and the Band Parents at Bearden High for hosting an outstanding 2013 All County High School Marching Band Exhibition.
Congratulations to Eric Baumgardner, Band Director at Halls High School and Matt McCurry, Band Director at Carter High School for each having a student selected to participate in the U S Army All American Marching Band. This is a great honor your your students and for your band programs.
All, there is a Close Reading for Music Teachers Session scheduled for November 12 at West High School. Please go to ERO to register for the session.
All, there are several more FAP 101's scheduled for those that still need help with understanding the New Portfolio System. Please go to ERO to register for a session.
Congratulations to those music teachers that have student groups performing at the NAfME Conference in Nashville on October 27 - 30, 2013. | | | | | Submitted by
Theresa Nixon
Director of Instructional Technology
@KCSelearning
| Instructional Technology News
Canvas is the new learning management system purchased for Knox County Schools. We would like to highlight a few of our "rockstar" Canvas users each month and how they are using the system. - Jessica McDonald (Vine Middle School): Ms. McDonald uses modules to enhance student learning. She has also been able to use Canvas to communicate with her students while there was a substitute in the room. Ms. McDonald used the communication feature of Canvas to login during her class and messaged her students that she was available online to provide help. Many of her students took advantage of this opportunity. (submission by Candace Greer-TPaCK Coach)
- 5th grade PLC (Bonny Kate Elementary School): They are creating a re-teaching module for fifth grade math. They are planning to assign the modules to students who have not mastered the objective. Knowing that our staff is committed to working and planning together, they will embrace dividing the needs and creating modules to share. (submission by Sara Harris-TPaCK Coach)
All Professional Learning sessions have registration available on ERO.
Date
| Time
| Course | Location
| Professional Learning Opportunities
Register Today!
Oct. 15
| 4:00-5:00 pm | Appy Hour- Primary Grades | Cedar Bluff Elem School
705 N. Cedar Bluff Road
| Oct. 15
| 4:00-5:30 pm | Excel Basics
| SSPDTC | Oct. 21
| 3:15-4:30pm | ActivBoard Basics
Elementary Teachers
| Sterchi Elem School
900 Oaklett Drive
| | Oct. 22 | 4:00-6:00 pm | ActivExpressions 1
| SSPDTC | Oct. 23
| 4:00-5:00 pm
| Appy Hour
| Cedar Bluff Elem School
| Oct. 23
| 4:00-6:00 pm
| iPad Basics
| SSPDTC | | Oct.23 | 4:00-6:00 pm | Podcasting | SSPDTC | Oct. 23
| 4:00-6:00 pm | K-8th Student Creations Software/Apps for iPads
and MacBooks
| SSPDTC | Oct. 24
| 4:00-5:30 pm
| Powerpoint Basics- Mac
| SSPDTC | Oct. 24
| 4:00-6:00 | ActivBoard Camera Tool | SSPDTC | Oct. 29
| 4:00-5:00 pm | ActivBoard Actions and Multimedia | SSPDTC | Oct. 30
| 4:00-6:00 pm | iMovie
| SSPDTC | | Be sure to watch your email for news for upcoming courses in November or check in ERO by searching for Technology Courses |
> | | | Submitted by
John Whalen
Library Media Director
and
Connie Booher
Library/Media Specialist
|
We are pleased to announce that elementary students and students at Cedar Bluff Middle School have placed Knox County in the top five percent in the entire country for books read, and number one for books written in Big Universe! Our students have written more books in Big Universe than districts twice our size. We have a bunch of budding authors in this school district! Big Universe is an online platform hosting over 4,000 eBooks, and is available to all elementary students and students at Cedar Bluff Middle school. To learn more about it see your school librarian.
Do your students ever need additional help with homework? Refer them to Tutor.com, a new resource available to all students. This online tutoring service is available from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. To access Tutor.com, go to any Knox County Schools webpage, select the Subscriptions pull down. Tutor.com is the last choice on the list. The password is govols.
In January every school library will be moving to a new library management program called Atriuum. By the end of October, your librarian has a lot of work to do on his or her current library management database. If you pass your librarian and she or he is staring at their computer monitor with a glazed expression, chances are they have been correcting call numbers, or deleting unnecessary information in the current program. | | Submitted by
Daphne Odom
Magnet Supervisor
|
It's our favorite time of the year as we kick off our magnet recruiting period. Our website has had a facelift! Please check out our new site at http://choice.knoxschools.org for all the latest information on each of our magnet schools. You can find the Open House schedule, tour information, and the latest events and programming news there!
Join us at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame on Thursday, November 7 from 5:00 pm-7:00 pm. Each magnet school, administrators, and students will be in attendance to represent their programs.
We are moving forward in our exciting work with the new Career Magnet Academy at Pellissippi State. Watch our website for updates on the addition of our 9th magnet school! | | Submitted by
Libby Burney
K-5 Math Specialist |
Math to GO! Professional Development for Elementary Mathematics Let us customize a professional development for your school. We'll come to you!! Choose from the menu below or request a specific topic. Email libby.burney@knoxschools.org for more information.
*Children in Poverty CAN Learn Math (all grades)
*Focus on Fractions (grades 3-5)
*Just the Facts (all grades)
*Accountable "Mathematical" Talk (all grades)
*enVisionMATH Technology (all grades)
*The Role of the Math Task (all grades)
*Number Talks (all grades)
*Developing Number Sense (K-3)
*Math Vocabulary: Beyond Word Walls (all grades)
*Mathematican's Interactive Notebook | | Submitted by
Gary Petko
Math Superviosr
| The CRA questions for Fall were finally released last week. The Math department has decided that this assessment will just be administered during regular classroom instruction in a timely manner with regards to the curriculum. This means the CRA will NOT be a “testing event”, but rather 1-2 questions administered in the regular classroom setting. We will be communicating with you and your math teachers very soon with detailed instructions. Hopefully this plan will NOT interrupt your school day and it won’t feel like a major testing event.
As a reminder, below is list of some of the Secondary Mathematics Professional Development available this semester: | 2012-2014 High Mathematics School Professional Development | | Date | Day/Time | Topic | Location | SRN | Coach | | Sept. 3, 2013
| Tuesday 4:00-6:00 | Algebra I
/Geometry
| Bearden High | 2013421101 | Deni Migun/ Cheri Siler | | Sept. 24, 2013 | canceled | Algebra II
/Geometry | Central High | 2013421102 | Andrea Lawyer
Alice Carson | | Oct. 12, 2013 | Saturday 9-12:00 | Algebra I | West High | | Andrea Lawyer
Alice Carson | | Oct. 12, 2013 | Saturday 9-12:00 | Algebra II | West High | 2013421103 | Celeste White/ Cheri Siler | | Oct. 12, 2013 | Saturday 9-12:00 | Geometry | West High | 2013421103 | Deni Migun/ Tony Jolly | | Dec. 9, 2013 | Monday 4:00-6:00 | Open Forum
for
all Courses: Prepping for
Spring Semester | Hardin Valley Academy | 2013421104 | Andrea Lawyer
Deni Migun
Tony Jolly
Celeste White
| | | Submitted by
Alyson Lerma
ELL Supervisor
|
Please be sure to give each new enrolling student the Occupational Survey (aka "Migrant Survey"); we are required by federal and state guidelines to give this form to all new enrolling students, even those who have been in KCS before. We must also forward the forms of all of those who answer "yes" to any of the 3 questions (refer to the instructions at the bottom of the form). | | Submitted by
Jean Heise
Humanities Supervisor
| New iPads! Thirty-five iPads are now in the hands of PE, Health and Wellness teachers with plans to purchase more. The use of technology in physical education classes provides students with great academic feedback to improve performance. Heath and Wellness teachers are meeting to develop curriculum guides for use in the 2014-15 school year.
PD session: Thursday, October 24 at 4:30 at L&N STEM Academy Score More & Support the Common Core - Tips and tricks on scoring well on the TEAM rubric which consequently will support the Common Core are explored in this training. Participants will learn strategies and then implement through developing unit plans for their classrooms. | | Submitted by
Millicent Smith |
New Teacher Forum - In an effort to support all newly hired teachers in the district, there are monthly in-service opportunities for new teachers (preK- 12) on the second Thursday of each month through New Teacher Forum. New Teacher Forum presenters highlight strategies each month from the book, "Teach Like a Champion" and also discuss a particular topic of interest. Teachers may register on TeacherU for system-wide in-service credit. Each forum is from 4:00 - 5:30 at the Sarah Simpson Professional Development Center in the Great Room. All new teachers are welcome to attend. Contact Julie Thompson at 594-1755 or Judy Newgent at 594-3608 for more information.
Follow @KnoxCountyPD on Twitter!
| | Submitted by
Andrea Allen
Science Supervisor
@kcsscience
| New Coach! The Science Department is thrilled to announce our new Science Instructional Coach, Tami Russell. Tami taught at Hardin Valley Academy and is an asset to the department.
Science has a prescription for success. Sign up on ERO today. - Building Strong Bones—Developing appropriate academic language and vocabulary skills in our students is critical to their success. Join us as we discuss strategies to make these key components both effective and fun for you and your students. October 29 Location: Vine Middle Magnet 4:15-5:45
- Getting to the Core of the Problem—What does Common Core look like in a Science classroom? Using informational text specific to science first means finding text that both supports your standards and engages your students. We will explore resources available literally at your fingertips to make this process much easier. November 12 SSPDC 4:15-5:45 *
- Just What the Doctor Ordered—Need to challenge your students to think for themselves? This workshop will explore the use of Problem or Project-Based Learning and Case Studies in the middle and high school science class to enhance thinking and problem solving skills while focusing on science content. January 14 Vine Magnet 4:15-5:45
TN-SCORE and Spectrum have created and given KCS five learning modules on renewable energy and solar energy. Teachers in KCS will have access to materials and modules to use with their students. This will be available to secondary teachers after Fall Break. East TN Discovery Center and Knox County Schools are working together to refine and create a "Museum in the Classroom" experience for middle school and elementary students. Please look for more information coming soon. | | | | KCS STEM
Submitted by
Becky Ashe
KCS STEM Coordinator
| Grant Opportunity: TN Society of Professional Engineers announces a grant opportunity for K-12 teachers. We are encouraging local Middle Schools and High Schools Teachers to apply for Grants to assist in the college preparatory programs to encourage the pursuit of higher education in the fields of science and/or math, particularly engineering. Grants will be awarded in February in the range of $250 to $1000. These grants could be used for classroom equipment and supplies, field trip experiences, school and classroom competitions, etc. Find the application on our TSPE website at: https://sites.google.com/site/knoxtspe/ Student awards & ideas: Visit the National Center for Women and Information Technology at https://www.aspirations.org/. There is an award for high school girls interested in computational sciences or technology (deadline Oct 31) and a number of resources specifically designed to support girls in middle school and high school grades in activities and mentorships at this site. Visit today! | | Submitted by
Judy Newgent
Social Studies Specialist | To access all Social Studies newsworthy items, including links to the new K-12 Social Studies Standards, please visit the Social Studies Teacher intranet. Make plans to attend Knoxville’s Centennial Conservation Expo on Saturday, October 12, 2013 from 10:00 – 5:00 at Chilhowee Park. The Social Studies Department extends great appreciation and many thanks to the following educators for facilitating during the p.m. content session at the system-wide staff development on September 27: Peggy Keck, Susan Huffaker, Melissa Treece, Zac Hargett, Clint Sharp, Lydia Nyhuis, Kelly Shanton, Timothy Smith, Karah Loveland, Julie Humphress, Chris Standridge, Karen Peterman, Dr. Rich McKinney, Rachel Kirkpatrick, Kathy Coley, Robbie Beam, Buzz McNish, Seth Rayman, Caleb Clark, Paegan Turner, Melissa Ballenger, Karen Stanish, and Michelle Steffey! A special THANK YOU is extended to Katherine Petko, Social Studies Instructional Coach, for her leadership and Accountable Talk© expertise! To the administration, staff, teachers, and custodial staff at West High School: Thank you for opening your beautiful campus to the Social Studies Department on the afternoon of September 27th! Social Studies Curriculum Writing Teams and Textbook Adoption Committee members will be notified of future work dates by mid-October. Upcoming Social Studies PD Opportunities: Thursday, October 24 Advancing Content Knowledge in 11th Grade US History Central High School, 4:15 – 6:15 If you plan to attend this PD, please bring a lesson plan or task to the session to share electronically; an exemplar lesson from any module/unit is welcome. Also, bring a jump drive to collect lesson plans/ideas from others. Katherine Petko, Facilitator (Registration is open on ERO.) Monday, November 4 Building Vocabulary Skills in the Social Studies Classroom SSPDTC, 4:15 – 6:15 Description: Comprehension of both content specific and general academic vocabulary is a central building block of effective literacy instruction in the Social Studies classroom. Participants in this session will learn how technology can be utilized in following a six-step process to improving students' vocabulary skills. Dr. Rich McKinney, Facilitator (Registration is open on ERO.) Thursday, November 14 5th Grade Social Studies Content and Instructional Strategies Brickey-McCloud Elementary, Room # TBA, 3:45 – 5:45 Description: Participants in this workshop will gain valuable content-specific instruction and examine instructional strategies designed to build literacy in 5th grade Social Studies. Kristin Risdahl, Facilitator (Registration is open on ERO.) Coming Soon! Repeat of September PD Due to Popular Demand: Course Title: 4th Grade Social Studies Content and Instructional Strategies (check ERO for date, place, and time) To view all upcoming PD, log in to http://ero.eschoolsolutions.com/user/Login.taf?orgId=37902 If you are not a member, please join the Social Studies TEACHER intranet today! | | Submitted by
Alyson Lerma
World Language Supervisor | Congratulations, Stephanie!
Congratulations to Stephanie Clark, TN Foreign Language Teacher of the Year! Stephanie teaches French at Karns High and has worked in KCS for almost 3 decades! She will be recognized at the annual TFLTA state conference in November. We are offering 2 department-specific PD opportunities this month: 1. Angela Webb will present a session on changes to the Spanish AP Exam on October 10th from 4:30-5:30 in the Library Classroom at West High. The SRN is 2013158701. 2. Flo Fillers will lead a workshop on "Improv Speaking in the Target Language" on October 29th from 4:30-5:30 in the Library Classroom at West High. The SRN is 2013158601. Powerspeak Languages is now available for district use for free! Use the link below to get to the long list of TEL databases and then click on PowerSpeakLanguages. Scroll all the way down the page until you see the PowerSpeak icon (2nd from bottom) http://find.galegroup.com/menu/commonmenu.do?userGroupName=tel_k_kcsco | | | | | | |
