Week Ending February 26, and March 4, 2016

Birds of a Feather

I was at the National Secondary School Principal Association’s conference and I am happy to say I was engaged. It seems differentiation has reached administration, too. If there is to be any concrete feedback it would be that I wish the sessions I had attended were tiered or differentiated: Those new to the subject area or technology, those in the middle and finally, those leaders who would like to learn something additional or use the knowledge in a new way. One session was on the use of Twitter and I wanted to get better at hashtags (#) and creating a thread and to learn some new ways to use it from what I am currently doing; which, if I were to honestly assess, would be that I use it too infrequently to make a difference. I knew I would like it because it was facilitated by the same gentleman who showcased blogging for communication with the faculty and school. I am determined to take my new-found knowledge of Twitter and go for it. If you care to follow me to see if I progress, you are all welcome. @NKHS_RI is the high school Twitter account and @dmancieri is my professional account and where my views are my own.

Good News

Two more babies to celebrate in the NKHS family:

Faith Furtado (English) welcomed Luca Lawrence Furtado last Wednesday, February 24.

Mia Toro (Guidance) had a Leap Year Baby, Elaina Maria, was born on Monday, February 29.

Congratulations to both families.

Teachers as Learners

Thank you goes out to Cassie Gardiner for suggesting something we should have done long ago. It seems 5th period announcements have worn out their welcome. Perhaps they were never welcome. Moving forward, if you have an announcement it must be received in the office before advisory and it will be timed according to the broadcast ending in our office. Therefore, please turn on your Com video as soon as the bell rings so that the timing of our whole school intercom will match.

Students as Learners

From Paula Schiavone:

Lots of events I'd like to highlight happening in the Portuguese World coming out of room 204. I have pictures highlighting these events.

1 - Just had another Portuguese Club meeting with Miss Mason and the enrolled students that are going on the Portugal 2016 Summer Trip decided to add another country -Spain.  So, this means that we will be visiting 2 countries, for 12 days at a cheaper rate.  The students are excited and I'd like everyone to know if they are interested in joining us on - Portugal and Spain 2016 Summer Trip - to please see myself of Miss Mason.

2- We watched a movie and we turned it into an event. The students had to answer a question to get a ticket and be able to come inside and eat cheese balls while watching Cristiano Ronaldo.  

3- Our classes made Valentine's Day cards for our significant others, family and friends.  It was a great way to end last week.  

4- The last 2 weeks we started using Google voice to help students better their speaking skills.  We got this wonderful information from Ruthann Baker.  So far, it is going really well.  

5- As always we try to learn and have fun at the same time.

Thank you for letting me share how fortunate I am to have such great students and all of our "happenings".

Have a great day

Health and Wellness

From Linda Twardowski:

A recent article from Health Day News reports that the flu season thus far has been mild.   The closest state with widespread flu cases is Massachusetts.  This year’s flu vaccine has been reported as 59% effective versus 23% last year.  Click on the link to read the article:  HealthDay News

From Karen D’Abrosca

March, a month whose name implies that the school year is indeed “marching” forward!

So many exciting happenings dot our NKSD calendar.  How about “google-ing” a “March calendar with holidays” and pick something unusual to celebrate:  World Poetry Day, World Water Day or National Puppy Day!

Meteorologists celebrate March 1st as the start of spring.  I have pussy willows blooming on my front lawn. Can you notice 5 signs of spring this week?

Upcoming Events/Important Dates

March 4 – Musical – “Fiddler on the Roof” 7 pm

March 5 – Musical --  2 & 7 pm

March 6 – Musical --  2 pm

March 7 -- Faculty Meeting 2 pm

March 8 – School Committee Meeting 7 pm

Student Services Office

Congratulations to Fran Dempsey for being nominated for this week's Skipper Pride for Excellence Award by last week's winner Emily Bell.  From Emily:

Dear Fran,

I have chosen you for this week’s “Skipper Award for Excellence”.  You are a superb advocate for each and every one of your students.  You foster confidence in your students, and in turn, many experience results that far surpass even their own expectations.  You undoubtedly care about your students, and it is remarkable that you “keep track” of them after they leave you.  You always try to involve the support staff at NKHS because you know that it takes a village, and you are the

first to coordinate data to explore how to best support your students.  You truly are and “Excellent” teacher, and it has been a pleasure to work with you.

Sincerely,

Emily Bell Congratulations also goes out to Chris Carty. Fran chose Chris this past Monday. I could not think of two better guys to share the limelight this week. From Fran:

Chris

Since I’ve been teaching at NKHS, you’ve stood out to me as one of our school’s best. Your dedication and compassion as a teacher and coach are evident when speaking with your students and players. Countless times, I have overheard students raving about your class and that you were one of their favorites. As a colleague, you are one of the friendliest in the building and go out of your way to help others. I appreciate the advice you have given me over the years and want to thank you for everything that you do for our school.

Sincerely,

Fran

School Community

Sydney Culbertson was this month’s Shining Star winner. Dr. Auger presented the award to Sydney during her 3rd period class and the students gave her a big round of applause. In her first year at NKHS she has made a difference. Her students go on scavenger hunts, work in the copier center and have adjusted well to their new teacher. Many knew Sydney already from her good work with the RI Special Olympics. Thank you, Sydney, you make North Kingstown High School a better place to be.

School Culture

Students sure do love to reminisce. Thank you to Susan Graham for extending an invitation out to the school community to read their favorite childhood book to one of her English classes on March 2. Immediately, I knew I wanted to read Ferdinand the Bull. When I arrived students were browsing through all of the children’s books displayed around the room. Michelle Neri, Melissa Grinnell, and Dave Avedisian were also there to “rekindle the students love of reading” as it was told to me by the students. As you can see in this photograph, Mrs. Neri is using the illustrations as context clues to help students predict what is next and the students were leaning in to join in on the conversation at 7:30 am. It was lively and entertaining for all.

This weekend the students are performing the Musical, "Fiddler on the Roof." For our newer teachers, if you have not had the opportunity to view one of these productions it is like going to Broadway. Between the actors on stage, the musicians in the pit, the tech crew behind the scenes,and the director running the show there is not a more professional production in the state. I wish everyone involved a great weekend.

Videos Worth Watching

Getting Started with Differentiated Instruction--Carol Tomlinson (4 minutes and chock full of help).

Articles Worth Reading

Teach up for Excellence
Reading from Carol Ann Tomlinson-Elements of Differentiation

Food for Thought

Until next time, Think, Create, Innovate...Denise

Week Ending February 19, 2016

“In so many ways, learning is a fundamentally social act. From circle time in kindergarten, to study groups in college, to team projects in the workforce, sociability has always greased the gears of learning.” -Daniel Pink

There are multiple priorities in our district, our school, and your classrooms. Teachers across the district have attended Kim Ramos’ Google Bootcamp series to learn additional technology skills. Our next faculty meeting on March 7, which will concentrate on technology, is designed to be a social learning time, as well. As the months pass, professional learning and faculty meeting time decrease; we need to be creative on how to attend to our goals. Planning is most important if we want implementation, whether it's in the classroom or at the building level. Additionally, at the building level, the next step in planning/gathering research for our school schedule is to visit a few local schools whose daily schedule was of interest to the focus group--Coventry, Narragansett and Tiverton. Barbara will visit each school with 1-2 teachers from this focus group. Please email her if you are interested in participating.

Corrections

Maxwell Michael Polseno--1 Day Old

Like all ethically published media, one must recognize an error or two. The GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) has changed its name aptly to SAGA  (Sexuality and Gender Awareness) not SOGI as was published last week.

Good News

Received permission from Rich Polseno (English Department) to share this collage of Maxwell. Sheri and he are over the moon with Maxwell’s arrival. Thank you goes out to his sister for the collage.

Teachers as Learners

The Instructional Leadership team, which includes all department chairs, will be meeting next Tuesday to review at-risk data that was collected on the final day of midterm exams. Together the group has been using protocols for text discussions, looking at student work (we did as a fishbowl activity for the October faculty meeting and by department Nov 6 PD morning) and now we will use the Atlas Looking at Data Protocol to make meaning of the data from January 29th.

One particular characteristic I truly enjoy about NKHS is that our faculty are continuous learners. You often learn side by side with your students and I like to learn side by side with you and from you. I am spending this year facilitating the protocols with the ILT so that they will become comfortable with the process and continue to share it with our departments. If data are your thing or not, knowing the indicators to support and provide evidence for effective teaching, interventions, or re-allocation of resources is a good thing to have before requesting changes or making decisions. I asked the department chairs to let everyone know that we will be using this protocol. If any teacher is interested in learning more about the Atlas Protocol please tell your chair so we can get you in the loop. MUST SEE VIDEO from Dr. Elizabeth City of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as she talks about the use of data protocols to analyze data. For those teachers participating on Tuesday this is a great explanation of what we will be doing.

Student/Teacher Learners

Kevin with Sandy Taylor,
the President of the NK Rotary

This past Tuesday was North Kingstown High School’s turn to have a faculty member and student recognized for their service above self. Kevin Barry, was the student recognized by the North Kingstown Rotary. If you know Kevin Barry you need no words to understand why he was selected. For the teachers that have not had the pleasure, here are a few words from Keith Higgins:

Kevin came to me last year as a peer partner for my adapted PE class.

He possesses a natural ability to connect with the students in the class and that became evident instantly.  His interactions with his classmates are always very positive and sincere.  He is one of the most mature, caring and conscientious young men that I have had the pleasure to work with.  He consistently serves as an fantastic role model for his peers to emulate.Kevin Barry is unquestionably one of NKHS' finest.  

John, with Sandy Taylor, and me
at the NK Rotary Meeting last Tuesday.

It was also my pleasure to introduce Mr. John Boutcher to the NK Rotary. John Boutcher is a quiet leader. He knows no boundaries when it comes to assisting others, be it a student who needs an AP BC Calculus course that is not offered, an at-risk child in need of extra help that is not on his classroom roster, a teacher in need of mentoring, or an administrator who is technically challenged. John’s appetite for learning is insatiable; it is part of who he is. He has taken tools given to him, not waiting for training simply because his abilities far surpass most trainers. When advanced training is offered he jumps right in and looks towards how it can be used to assist the students. Then, he is generous in sharing his knowledge without a word or need for public recognition. He is the consummate professional, whenever he sees a challenge he does not shy away, instead he presents solutions that are in the best interest of students while considering the teachers’ perspective as well. Thank you, John, for all you do for NKHS.

Health and Wellness

From American Heart Association: How to Prevent Heart Disease

Do you take care of your family? Goes without saying. Do you take care of your home? Of course. Do you take care of your heart? Probably not.

It may not be at the top of most women’s to-do lists, but caring for your heart through a healthy diet and regular physical activity is the secret weapon to preventing heart disease. While many may assume that popping a few pills that your healthcare provider prescribed is enough to quell symptoms or prevent a heart attack, the real preventative power lies with real changes to your lifestyle – which can reduce the risk for heart disease by as much as 80 percent. Click the link above for more information.

Upcoming Events/Important Dates

February 23 – School Committee Meeting 7pm

February 26 -- Winter Pep Rally (rescheduled due to snow day) Fifth Period

February 26 -- Rewind Dance

March 4 – Musical – “Fiddler on the Roof” 7 pm

March 5 – Musical --  2 & 7 pm

March 6 – Musical --  2 pm

March 8 – School Committee Meeting 7 pm

Student Services Office (Donna)

Congratulations to Emily Bell for being nominated for this week's Skipper Pride for Excellence Award by last week's winner Kathy Whaley.  From Kathy:

"For many years I have observed firsthand your caring attitude towards your students and your strong sense of teamwork! I was one of the lucky teachers that got to co-teach with you; you always made this collaboration easy. Co-teaching with you to meet the needs of our students was always a success because of your philosophy and shared responsibility of implementing lessons.”

Congratulations Emily. Looking forward to see who you will pick next week.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Student Handbook meeting on Friday.  A few teachers asked to attend another session, I will have one planned in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned.

Morgan Sherburne's Senior Project, a Winter Pep Rally will be scheduled on February 26th during 5th hour.  In the next few days, I will be sending out a modified schedule for that week so there are no instructional minutes lost that week.  The Winter Rewind Dance has been postponed until February 26th.

I will be scheduling the Rhode Island Student Survey that is required by the RI Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals.  The survey takes about 30 minutes, so I will extend the survey during advisory into period 3 on March 2nd.  I will send out a link with instructions.  Students can take the survey from their phones.  Otherwise, I know many of you have technology in the classroom.  

Community

From Ruthann Baker: The German Club typically works to welcome all of our International Students at our first opportunity (generally, February). Patti Kirwan's kids were really delightful, expressing sincere gratitude for the chance to be part of the fabric of NKHS. In fact, none of them could recall a single complaint, which we all found impressive -- even uplifting.

Quite a number of our students baked and shopped to make this event a treat on several levels. It was also an honor to have several teachers join us, including Cecile Jones, Patti Kirwan, and Darrell Sutton.

There is interest in keeping this group together by forming an NKHS International Club (in case you know of a faculty member, who might be interested in hosting such a group).  

Technology

Mark DeLucia is the building Technology Support person and doing a great job. However, in departments around the building there are a group of teachers that are comfortable with the technology and are assisting their colleagues. Mitch Cournoyer has been taking the lead in the Social Studies Department and has shared a great idea for uploading documents to your Google Drive or Google Classroom. It could even help solve the copier lines in some areas.

I asked Mitch to explain how the app works. His response follows:

I think there are a number of app's out there that may do the same as this one but the app is called Scanner Pro  The app was free when I found it, but it looks like they have added a price now.  In any case, I take a paper document and place it on a clean surface, open the app and hover over the paper like I was taking a picture of it.  The app automatically finds the borders and takes the picture.  Once you have the image you can do a number of things, email, send it to your google drive folders or to your google classroom or keep it as a PDF.  

Over this past SY, I have been trying to take all of my paper files and digitize them onto my Google Drive and then sent them out to my classes.  I find this to be great when I have kids who are out and can't get access to the docs.  I hand out paper copies and then place the same PDF on my Google Classroom so that they will have a copy of it.  I am planning to start assignments as Rick Powell showed us earlier this year.  

After reading Mitch's response, I emailed Kim Ramos to ask her to offer a similar scanning app for no cost. Kim suggested reading this article with Five Best Mobiile Apps for Scanning.

Finally, Kim emailed me one last time and her email read as follows:

I already had the Google Drive app on my phone. I hit the + for "new" and chose Use Camera. I took a photo of an article and it automatically uploaded to drive as a jpeg. I printed it and compared it side-by-side with the original. It wasn't perfect, but not bad.

If you are in a pinch and have the Google Drive app already on your phone, try it, you may like it! Thank you, Mitch for the detailed information on a great tool for the classroom. Kim, thank you for all of the alternative free ideas.

Happy scanning. Need more time? Our next faculty meeting will concentrate on technology, apps, and use in your classroom.

School Culture

From the Deans:

PBIS/Dance Team groups have rescheduled the Winter Rewind Dance to this Friday, February 26th from 7-10 pm. We are still in need a couple more chaperones if you are available.  This date has changed since the email earlier in the week to accommodate the rehearsal for the musical.    Thank you to Dave Cesaro and Cindy Zito for helping us get the lunch detention project off the ground. This has certainly helped us to ease into the Restorative Justice practices, by providing students with options for discipline.  Lunch detention is designed to allow students with after school obligations to forfeit their social time during lunch and serve their detention in room 202.  Lunch detention is held during all 4 lunches, where students are held to the same standards as after school detention.

Videos Worth Watching

Black History Month Tribute Video

Articles Worth Reading

Why Being Messy Could be a Good Thing

http://greatist.com/live/messiness-can-be-good?utm_source=email&utm_medium=OZY

Food for Thought

“The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

Malcolm X

Until next time, Think, Create, Innovate...Denise

Week Ending February 12, 2016

Big week this week and it ended with Valentine’s Day. Hope you all had a great 3-day weekend. Our Peer Partners in the Best Buddies stayed after school to create Valentine’s for their special people in their lives. One of the Best Buddies, Kevin Barry, (pictured far back left) will be honored at a Rotary Luncheon this Tuesday at noon. More on Kevin, Mr. Boutcher and the Rotary Luncheon in next week’s blog.

There is a great amount of work going on as we prepare for the next school year. The Guidance Department planned and met each day during exams to work on student schedules for second semester, Edgenuity credits, at-risk students who have below the number of credits to be on track for graduation, and updating the FAQ document. This coming week through March there will be much activity regarding scheduling for next year. Thank you to the Social Studies Department; this is the second year the history teachers are welcoming the counselors into their classrooms to schedule students for the sy 16-17. For those of you in the building not as familiar with the student scheduling process here is an overview:

o Feb. 16th-teachers make course/level recommendations. Guidance will work with departments that week in their CPT

o Feb. 22nd-students receive Program of Study (POS), letter from Dr. Morse and worksheet.

o Feb. 24th-students can view teacher course recommendations and comments

o March 4th-last day for students to hand in course sheet to their history teacher

o March 7th-11th--Grade 11 visits History classes

o March 14th-18th-Grade 9 visits History classes

o March 21st-24th-Grade 10 visits History classes

o March 28th-31st-Clean up, and visit to Jamestown

Good News!

 Benjamin Paul Smith

Lynn Pinch (World Language Dept and Special Education Dept) had her baby:

Benjamin Paul Smith was born weighing 7lbs 5oz, 19 inches 2/11/16, 2:25 pm. He is pictured at the right.

So, too, did Rich Polseno (English Department):

Maxwell Michael Polseno was born at 1:32 am on 2/13/16. He weighs 6lbs 7oz and is wonderful. Sorry no picture yet.

I am sure Carole will be sending along addresses this week for anyone wishing to send a card.

Teachers as Learners

Before I recap the exciting activities and many directions the faculty encountered on Friday, it could not have been done without the support and planning from a number of areas in the building: Food Service and Catering-- Barbara Hammick and the capable chefs in the kitchen at NK. Thank you.

Custodians--Tholerme, head of the night GSA custodial staff, and JD, day custodian, Thank you.

Linda, Carole and Jean--Linda for taking the lead on all secretarial support that I needed; and Carole and Jean for assisting. Thank you.

Our Friday PD was full of opportunity for all. The majority of the faculty was in attendance for our guest speaker, Rachel Legend, pictured here. Her interactive presentation on “Becoming Visible” was exactly what we needed for this topic on LGBT. Thanks to Julie Maguire and Kris Graham for introducing me to Rachel Legend’s presentation idea. Additionally, I would also like to thank Christina Lawrence and Courtney Greer for their role as advisors to the SOGI (Sexual Orientation Gender Identification, formerly GSA) and guiding our youth through their journey at the school. There are so many areas of importance in this district that some teachers were in different locations learning together. A list of some of the examples is below. This will give everyone an idea of all the work going on in our building/district simultaneously:

• English Department along with the Middle School English teachers participated in PARCC Calibration Exercises at the Administration Building with RIDE
• Amy Messerlian created an agenda to work with the Middle School Special Educators on Secondary Transition IEP knowledge
• Chemistry Teachers writing new curriculum for School Committee approval
• PE Department updated 9th grade Health Curriculum after participating in the morning PD that respects the diversity and differences of all students focusing on gender identity
• Careers teachers completing a “Fast Track” application approval for their Career and Technical Education bid
• Other areas of focus are mentioned throughout this blog.

Students as Learners

Opening the Friday morning professional development with our own students, Rachel and Justice, sharing their stories and what they perceive as the reality of the NK Community through their lens was also an advantage for us as we seek to understand what it is like to walk in their shoes at the high school. As we stated on Friday we have work to do in several areas. My key takeaway: The NKHS staff is open and willing to create a safe, supportive environment for all.

Health and Wellness

 The PE Department set up a Circuit this past Friday for faculty to take part in two rounds of training before lunch. We received a preview of the entire circuit so we would all know how to approach each area of the circuit. The music began and each interval was approximately 30-45 seconds. On to the next...All PE teachers made themselves available to ensure that we were properly using the equipment and our posture was such that we were using the correct muscles to lift, jump, squat, you get the point. Here are some pictures to showcase the event. Yet another example of the staff coming together to promote wellness to stay healthy this year.

The math teachers, Dave, Shelley, Cassie, and Alicia working out the kinks from our morning session and gearing up for a productive afternoon; most of which would be working with the middle schools, including Jamestown, to vertically articulate classes with the high school.

Sherri, Rich and Syd about to use their core.

Upcoming Events/Important Dates

February 16 -- School Committee Meeting -- High School

February 16 – PTSO Meeting – Carriage Inn 7pm -- Teachers are welcome!

February 18 - Last day to add/drop semester electives (Adjusted for snow days)

February 23 – School Committee Meeting 7pm

February 26 -- Winter Pep Rally (rescheduled due to snow day) Fifth Period

February 27 -- Rewind Dance

March 3 -- RI Student Survey (During extended advisory)

Student Services Office

Congratulations to Kathy Whaley for being nominated for this week's Skipper Pride for Excellence Award by last week's winner Cindy Zito.  From Cindy to Kathy:

"For many years I have observed firsthand your caring attitude towards your students and your strong sense of teamwork! I was one of the lucky teachers that got to co-teach with you; you always made this collaboration easy. Co-teaching with you to meet the needs of our students was always a success because of your philosophy and shared responsibility of implementing lessons.”

Congratulations Kathy. Looking forward to see who you will pick next week.

From Donna Sweet: Thank you to everyone who attended the Student Handbook meeting on Friday.  A few teachers asked to attend another session, I will have one planned in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned.

I will be scheduling the Rhode Island Student Survey that is required by the RI Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals.  The survey takes about 30 minutes, so I will extend the survey during advisory into period 3 on March 2nd.  I will send out a link with instructions.  Students can take the survey from their phones.  Otherwise, I know many of you have technology in the classroom.  

Community

Thank you to Ms. Mason for providing the photographs from the Social Studies Department’s tour to the new and improved SeaBee Museum. From what I read from Ms. Mason, “the department gained a lot of valuable information to enhance our teaching and learning in the US History II, History Through Film, Democracy, and RI History classes. All and all, it was an afternoon well spent locally here in town with peers and our very knowledgeable Korean War Seabee Veteran guide.  I hope we can do something similar again and are afforded the opportunity to continue to explore History right in our backyard and region."

Fortunately for Ms. Mason she is perfectly timed in her WWII unit and she “can't wait until next week when I can share in real time with my student all the Seabee efforts during WWII.”

School Culture

Morgan Sherburne's Senior Project, a Winter Pep Rally will be scheduled on February 26th during 5th hour.  In the next few days, I will be sending out a modified schedule for that week so there are no instructional minutes lost that week.  The Winter Rewind Dance has been postponed until February 27th.

Videos Worth Watching

This month is Black History Month. While I normally try to keep these videos short, I unapologetically include this video. Outside of the English and History departments I am not sure how many people know James Baldwin. I did not…

As a school we thought it important for our students to complete .5 credits in civics, our Democracy class. It is this humble writer's opinion that since the inclusion of this class and the “inquiry tasks” in our science department our students have become better equipped at asking, researching, and presenting “Why?” In any healthy democracy there are a fair amount of debates--both formal and informal. It is through this forum that many students find their voice. This video takes us back to 1965, Baldwin had just published an American novel and is a participant, along with William F. Buckley, the conservative editor of The National Review, at the University of Cambridge in England. The question, “Has the American Dream been achieved at the expense of the American Negro?” Over 50 years have passed since this moment in time and wherever you fall on this debate, it is a challenging conversation that still resonates today.

Articles Worth Reading

Solutions for Stressed-Out High School Students

Food for Thought

“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”

~Thurgood Marshall, first African American U.S. Supreme Court member

Until next time, Think, Create, Innovate...Denise