Our plan for January '08 celebrations will be a focus on each team. Team Unity has already given an indication of the success experienced in '07, so these pages will be well worth reading. We'll also be including photo slideshows and teacher podcasts. February will feature some web tv!
7 Math Celebrations
by the 7 Math team
- Voluntary weekend curriculum meetings to make backwards long-term plans for each unit.
- Common assessments and grading procedures allow us to discuss student data.
On the horizon:
- Celebrating the efforts of higher achieving students
7 ELA Celebrations
by Jenny Johns
The 7th Grade ELA Team can celebrate:
- ELA Test Prep at Saturday Academy: Justice, Integrity and 701, 702 students attended 8 Saturdays of test preparation and skill-building before the January exam.
- The 7th grade ELA teachers hosted a gradewide spelling bee on December 18. 50 students participated, and the whole grade cheered them on!
- The RAFT lessons during test prep and, thereby, the students' use of RAFT on short answer test questions; 7th grade students improved on average from a score of 9 to a score of 14 points on the writing rubric between the first and second Common Assessment during the test prep unit.
On the horizon:
- Gradewide showcase of ELA assessments/projects (in the form of a public speaking contest, performance during the drama unit, or "media that matters" film competition)
- Videotaping "intervisitations" of ELA teachers (similar to videotaping and debriefs being held with Team Unity and soon to be Compassion) - in this way, we can see best practices of teachers in our Content Area Team and improve our own instruction
Team Integrity Celebrations
by Jose Betancourt
- Excellent student behavior.
- Successful Saturday Academy Program.
- Trip to the "Repertorio Español" Class: 841.
- I-Club After School Program for students who need extra-help.
- Punctuality: over 95% of students showed improvement during arrival time.
- Most of our classes had 100% attendance during the ELA assessment week.
- Positive parents' response when required.
- Great collaboration along with Team Justice 7th grade classes.
- Positive input, recommendations, and results thanks to Friday's Intervention Support Team meetings (IST).
On the horizon:
- Parents' workshops.
- Health/Values workshop.
- Develop life skills - Washington Mutual (WAMU) Assembly: February 6th.
- Sport Teams (volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball, etc.)
- Trips.
- Multicultural Week.
- Women's History Month.
- Field Day.
- Careers Day.
- Team Web Page.
- Team Monthly Assembly.
Team Compassion Celebrations
by Patrick Blanchard
- Attendance initiative - absence and lateness reduction
- Consistent uniform compliance and team wide enforcement
- Saturday Academy for ELA, Math team planning
- Compassion teacher-student basketball game
- Culture, tone and team-building success
- Fund-raising
On the horizon:
- Culture Club for students meeting attendance goals
- Saturday GED/ ESL program
- Video tape each teacher to improve our teaching
- Career Fair
Team Unity Celebrations
by Jesse Spevack
- 97% passing rate for the first quarter because of the "Power of I" grading system.
- Students re-do work that is not up to standard.
- I-Club after school extra-help period, every Monday and Friday.
- Lucky 7's early morning, web-based, academic intervention servicing almost 50 below grade level students.
- We work on reading and writing using Google Docs, and using Mathscore.com for math
- Monthly progress reports sent home to parents to keep them informed on their child's progress
- Trip to the Bronx ZooTwo grade wide dances
- Uniform classroom management system
- We are now thinking about incentives to add to our management system. Next week we are starting the Unity Dream Team, which will be made up of students in the top 5-10% of section sheet scores. The Dream Team does not have to line up with the rest of the class during transitions. They can also use the bathroom and get water between the first and third bells. There is also talk of a "Dream Team" Badge. Look out because it's going to be loud and proud.
- Awesome video PD which is almost through its first cycle. Video PD allows all teachers on the team to learn from one another.
On the horizon:
- Team Unity Talent Show
8 Math Celebrations
by Blair Heiser
- Our team has created and implemented a consistent curriculum across the grade.
- Each teacher is using and sharing the same lesson plans, worksheets, and even SMARTboard presentations.
- All assessments are unified which allows us to track data consistently across the grade.
- Each teacher is also using Mathscore.com, a differentiated online skills curriculum that helps build foundational skills in our students.
- The 8th grade math department has utilized a Math Wikispace that is used to share all documents with each teacher.
- 8th grade teachers also use Google Groups to share out materials and update one another on all positive trends within our specific classrooms.
On the Horizon:
- An 8th grade math competition where students will compete within the classroom to be an ambassador for their class and then compete in an all 8th grade competition.
- Teacher created online portfolio pieces for each unit of study
- Specific materials geared towards our high 2s and 3s in the upcoming months to help improve test scores.
8 Science Celebrations
by Melissa Sowin
- Science339 Wikispaces
- 4 collaborative units - Scientific Inquiry, Measurement, Living Environment, & Reproduction & Heridity
- Standards-based Science Assessments
- Hands-on Lab activities & practicuums
On the horizon:
Boat contest, Science Expo, Science & Technology Center trip
Team Courage Celebrations:
by Chrissy Sa
- fundraising efforts (bake sale, candy/candle sales)
- trip to Transit Museum
- J.V. Girls Basketball Team
- Varsity Boys Basketball
- I club
6 Math Celebrations
by Chrissy Sa
- collaboratively creating Unit tests
