Friday, May 26, 2017

Week Ending May 26, 2017

We are heading into a very busy time for our seniors and their teachers and advisors. This past week we have had the departmental awards and the senior athlete banquet. Coming up this next school week Chromebooks will be collected from seniors, then Honors Night Thursday evening which is followed by Class Day next Friday. That day will be the last time our seniors will officially come to school for daily classes. The time is flying by for all. As we move through the next few weeks of school remember to breathe and enjoy the students, the end is almost here.
Memorial Weekend is upon us. It is time to honor and remember those who have served in the armed forces and lost their life while in the military. The annual parade to honor the nation’s fallen will begin at 10 am from Wilson Park, through Wickford and will end at the High School. Enjoy the day.
Health & Wellness
From Karen D’Abrosca
May 26, 2017
This week’s Wellness tip is about “TINY TWEAKS”.  We think we need to make big sweeping changes with areas in our life not working or flowing as smoothly as we’d like.  Therefore, we procrastinate and often do nothing.  Tiny Tweaks make a big difference in how you feel.  What small change can you make in your yard, kitchen, bathroom, school routine, car or classroom?  What would make the experience flow a bit easier?  Organize, buy flowers or pick what’s in your yard!  You’ve got an extra day this weekend to do it.  Happy Memorial Day Weekend
Upcoming Events/Important Dates
May--Reflection
29 No School - Memorial Day


June - Pride
1 Honors Night
2 Class Day
5 Senior Banquet
6 Graduation Rehearsal
  Senior Prom
8 Dialogues in Democracy
11 Graduation (12pm Ryan Center)
13 School Committee Meeting


Good News!
The Democracy teachers were surprised on Wednesday in front of their advisory classes in the auditorium with a visit from the League of Women Voters to recognize them for their outstanding work in their democracy classes. Below is a section of a letter sent to the school informing me of their award.
Congratulations!  It is a great pleasure to inform you North Kingstown High School’s History/Democracy teachers Christopher Carty, Liam Mooney, David Avedisian, Serena Mason, David Lopes, Larry Verria, and Damon Lindsay are the 2016-2017 Susan B. Wilson Civic Education Merit Awards' Grand PRIZE of  $1,000.00.  
The League of Women Voters of South County bestows this award, through funding from the LWVRI Education Fund, to honor Rhode Island's school teachers who enrich their students' understanding of civic rights and responsibilities; encourage their students' civic participation; bring context and relevance to crucial events affecting governmental institutions within the United States; and/or have promoted understanding and appreciation of individuals who have played pivotal roles in such events.
Christopher Carty, Liam Mooney, David Avedisian, Serena Mason, David Lopes, Larry Verria, and Damon Lindsay provided an extraordinary contribution to civic education that reflected in the knowledge their students’ attained – as identified by a Wilson Award judge:  “The students learn two important qualities of leadership that will impact their lives and the lives of others:  1. The power of influence to change human behavior. 2.  The power of data to support change.  Students learn how to collect data and how to influence others.”
The teachers have been invited to an awards reception at the Statehouse on June 7, 2017 at 4:30 pm in the Governor’s Reception Room. Congratulations.


The Skipper Pride winner is Carol West, who was chosen from the last winner, Cindy Normand
From  Cindy to Carol:
Carol,
It is with great pleasure that I nominate you for the Skipper Award for Excellence.  We have known each other for many years and I treasure both the professional and personal relationship we have formed and maintained over the past twenty-five years or so.  All who work closely with you know that you are one of the most kindest, compassionate, hardworking, intelligent, and classiest gals in the building. Gosh, even on dress down days, you look fabulous in your crisp ironed shirt and perfectly pressed designer jeans! One would never guess your age as you are filled with such positive energy day in and day out.
You put in so much time and effort to your job and can often be seen working into the late evening getting all your work done as most of your day is chairing special education meetings. I am in awe of how well versed you are with all the special education laws yet you manage to find the balance of making parents feel they have been heard.  I have been at many meetings with you at the helm and some of these have been contentious; you show empathy and keep yourself composed at all times which is not an easy feat!

You treat every student and staff member with respect. I truly believe you do not have a bad bone in your body.  Patience is your second name and as such, you have such a calm demeanor. You support teachers, parents and students with such care.  Although you do not have a case load, you are an incredible teacher to all who surround you.  Carol, your words of wisdom carries so much weight as we all hold you in such high regard.

Your generosity is second to none; you are the first person to donate money to help anyone in need and will pitch in to any cause.  You are so talented when it comes to crafting. I have seen you assist students with their senior project, staff members who are trying to finish a project they should not have started (yes, that would be me) and you offer your crafting services to anyone who asks!
You make us all laugh with your sense of humor. We all love listening to you talk about the love you have for your family, especially your latest addition, sweet Will. I am so excited for you as you enter the next stage of your life-RETIREMENT! Words cannot express how much we will all miss your presence in our wing. It just won’t be the same without you Carol.

Teaching and Learning

On May 23rd Susan Eriksen, John Daneau and Richard Sweetman took their chemistry students to URI. There they were able to compete in a contest and also have a tour of the new Chemistry and Forensic Science building which the students got to tour.  The students in the picture are in front of a large Periodic Table. Very cool.
The next day Dr. Reukberg, professor at URI, emailed Mr. Daneau to let him know that
“Your Division I Team and your Division II Team both scored in the Top 5 teams in their divisions.”
The students involved in the contest are listed below. If you see them give them a hand shake.
Division 2 Students (Students with more than 1 year of chemistry)
Ian Wyllie (II)
Josh Johnen (II)
Grace Castillo (II)
Erin Corcoran (II)
Erica Smith (II)
Caroline King (II)
Harrison Elleman (II)
Kaitlin Young (II)
Division 1 Students (Students with less than 1 year of chemistry)
Alex Norris (I)
Jack McCormack (I)
Elisa Quinones (I)
Meredith Thibeault (I)
Kimberly Cameron (I)
Melanie Fournier (I)
Gordon Gray (I)
Zach Wilson (I)

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Tech Tip
From Mark DeLucia:
Week Ending May 26, 2017
Read&Write
I saw this extension being utilized in a life skills classroom in another district and left blown away.  Read&Write provides literacy support for students with learning difficulties.  Students can hear words or even whole passages read aloud to them or even see the meanings of words explained with text or pictures.  For my World Language and ELL colleagues-- it also functions in other languages and has supports for ELL students.  It features speech-to-text, and makes outlining easier, enabling students to highlight text and then cull the highlights into a separate Google Doc.  In addition to web pages, it's compatible with PDFs, Docs and ePubs (for those using e-readers).  These features are free for 30 days, however teachers are able to continue the premium subscription for FREE by clicking here and registering their version.  Get it here.
Food for Thought
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." -- Plato

Until next time, Think, Create, Innovate...Denise
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Sunday, May 21, 2017

Week Ending May 19, 2017

This past week at school we had an incident that involved racism. The people involved do not consider themselves to be racist. The person on the receiving end would like it to stop. There is no room for racism in our school--ever. But I would have my head in the sand to think that it does not exist. My question to our school is, If students and perhaps adults in our learning community and the NK community at large do not understand what racism is or what words fall under that heading then how are we to educate our students to what is acceptable and unacceptable in our school? Donna Sweet did some research and I have included articles further down in the Blog. If you only have time for one, please see the website on Casual Racism It Stops with Me. It certainly resonates here. We need to begin the conversation if we would like to change the culture.
Health & Wellness
From Karen D’Abrosca
May 19, 2017
The poster on my wall says “ACHIEVEMENT”: Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”  How true.
We see this in our students - our senior class -  as they completed the project presentations for graduation this week.  Let’s not forget to look at our own accomplishments.  Those of us on “full evaluation” will be asked the question “How did you grow this year?”  Look at the baby steps we’ve taken toward goals or toward learning something new.  Every part of the journey is important.  Let’s remember our successes as we speed along these next few weeks!!
Upcoming Events/Important Dates
May--Reflection
22 Senior Departmental Awards, auditorium during advisory
23 Chorus Concert 7pm
    School Committee Meeting 7pm
24 Band Concert 7pm
25 Senior Athlete Night 6pm
29 No School - Memorial Day

June - Pride
1 Honors Night
2 Class Day
5 Senior Banquet
6 Graduation Rehearsal
  Senior Prom
8 Dialogues in Democracy
11 Graduation (12pm Ryan Center)
13 School Committee Meeting

Good News!
The Skipper Pride winner is Cindy Normand, who was chosen from the last winner, Melissa Waterman
From Missy to Cindy:
Cindy,
I nominate you for the Skipper Award for Excellence. You and I have been coworkers and friends for as long as I can remember. Those who work closely with you know that your efforts are limitless. I’ve sat through numerous parent meetings with you, and in the modern day of education, where so often teachers can sometimes feel misunderstood and not fully supported, you are not afraid to back the faculty when trying to find a middle ground. You haven’t forgotten your role as an educator, and you are the first to support the teacher during these times
.
This year, in particular, your support has helped me beyond my role as a teacher. As a new department head, the process of scheduling became a bear to tackle. You sat by my side, for numerous hours, both to guide me and to support the English Department, throughout this endeavor. I was blown away at the work that goes into scheduling, and I looked to you for your “guidance” and advice. How you never lost your patience with me, or others in the room, is a testament to your calm demeanor and professionalism.
You have also been a motivating force behind me going back to graduate school. Even though I may not finish in time to fill your shoes, I still plan on continuing down this path. It hasn’t been an easy process, but your encouragement has helped me through some tiring and tough times.
On a personal note, you are a woman I admire greatly; our relationship goes beyond the walls of NK. We discuss titles we’re reading, recipes we like, and our families. Your energy and love of life is contagious, and I am grateful to have you as part of my world.
Much Love!
Missy
Scheduling News
Cindy Normand and Leslie Buckley have met with all of the department chairs to review and read back each scheduled class so that all will be checked and double-checked before Leslie presses the button on ASPEN to run the schedule.
Thank you to Liz Parvo-Brown in Guidance for the tremendous work you did in taking the ideas of personalization for our rising seniors and creating the contracts for those seniors who would like to come in late or leave early. Additional thanks to Cheryl, Cindy and Liz. As they visit the British Literature classrooms to go over junior summer items they will also share the contracts our students must fill out if they would like to opt for these senior privileges. The visits begin midweek and your department chairs will be sharing the documents with you after our ILT Meeting on Wednesday.

Finally, Cindy Normand is working with Ryan Jones, AP Art student on designing a brochure to market the choices for our students during Personalized Learning Time (PLT), formerly known as Learning Centers.
As you can see the work on what needs to happen before the schedule is ready has not slowed. The assistance from faculty and staff has been wonderful and it has made this stressful work a bit easier knowing the commitment from all. Stay tuned we are very close to seeing how our planning and development has paid off.
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Tech Tip
From Mark DeLucia:
Week Ending May 19, 2017

Formative
Formative functions a lot like using Forms with Flubaroo.  It enables you to assess students electronically and shows results in real-time.  Here is what makes it different and, in my opinion, a complete game-changer-- it allows you to upload PDFs and Word documents you've already created, then click where you'd like students to answer.  That means.... wait for it... YES-- you can use all of your old quizzes that you've made on word or simply scan your hard copies (this can easily be done at our copy machines) and turn existing quizzes into electronic ones.  Boom.  See the video tutorial and learn it in 5 minutes!
Articles Worth Reading
From Australia:
The reality of 2017:
Videos Worth Watching
Food for Thought
“Defeating racism, tribalism, intolerance and all forms of discrimination will liberate us all, victim and perpetrator alike” ~Ban Ki-moon

Until next time, Think, Create, Innovate...Denise
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Friday, May 12, 2017

Week Ending May 12, 2017


Great educators are willing to grow and change. How do you know when it is time to grow and change? I would love to hear from you. It does not have to be profound or it can. Perhaps a small anecdote, guidance from a veteran teacher or the latest college research from a newer teacher. Please email me your advice or post to the comments section below. For those of you who do, your names will be put in a hat and there will be three teachers who win a prize...the newly published book on educational change, Start. Right. Now.

Enjoy your weekend. And for those mothers in the building an extra special shout out to you.

Health & Wellness
From Karen D’Abrosca
May 12, 2017
What would our Health & Wellness experience be like without the support of our Nurses (and assistant here @ NKHS!)?  Thanks Barbara Seeley for the shout out to Linda earlier this week and for your smooth coordination of all clinic issues –  Happy National Nurses Week!
Of course…  Mother’s Day is Sunday May 14th.  Happy Mother’s day to all of us – especially Mothers.  At some level, we all “mother” our students, families, pets and each other and contribute kindness and support in this fabulous community called NKHS.
Continue to find time in your days for some type of pause as the speed of May intensifies.  Refill the well!!
Ask yourself:  “What makes me come alive?”  then find 5 minutes -  or longer – on Mother’s Day to do it. Happy Weekend!
Upcoming Events/Important Dates
May--Reflection
13 Junior Prom at the Newport Marriott
18 Senior Project Presentations, 5-8 pm
23 Chorus Concert 7pm
    School Committee Meeting 7pm
24 Band Concert 7pm
25 Senior Athlete Night 6pm
29 No School - Memorial Day


June - Pride
1 Honors Night
2 Class Day
5 Senior Banquet
6 Graduation Rehearsal
  Senior Prom
8 Dialogues in Democracy
11 Graduation (12pm Ryan Center)
13 School Committee Meeting


Good News!
From Janice Strain:
Week 2--Art Recognition is Alive and Well at NKHS:
Faith Bonn’s work was awarded an Honorable Mention at David Cicilline's High School Art Competition! Congratulations, Faith.
The Skipper Pride winner is Melissa Waterman, who was chosen from the last winner, James Bruneau
From James to Missy:
Missy,
I am happy to be able to pass along the Skipper Pride recognition to you. I think that you embody the positive outlook, willingness to help, and advocacy for students that defines pride in our NKHS community. Whether you are volunteering to work with students on graduation speeches or pitching in down in the front office when things get crazy at the end of the day, you seem to be always willing to help.


I knew you as an advocate for students even before I knew who you were. Well over a decade ago, I first heard your name from an NKHS wrestler, who spoke fondly of you and clearly viewed you as a supporter and mentor. Over the years that I have been your colleague, I have heard you speak up for students countless times. Often these are the students who have faced the most challenges in their time at NKHS and who have been the most challenging to work with. Just this week, I witnessed you calm down an upset young man in the hallway that needed your support. The rapport that you cultivate with your students is amazing and I know that you continually make a positive influence in the lives of your students, and your peers, at NKHS. For this, you deserve recognition.
Teaching and Learning
From Julie Maguire:
The Physical Education department hosted its third and final presentation for the 2016-17 school year.  The presentation was titled Inside Mental Illness. The goal of the presentation was to identify how we can create positive change in our society by reducing the stigma associated with mental illness.  The presenters shared personal stories which showed that hope and recovery are possible. The topics covered included: depression, anxiety, eating disorders, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Scheduling News
Leslie Buckley finished up with AP testing this week. A big thank you goes out to Leslie for her first year of coordinating the AP Program and exam weeks; and to the Guidance Counselors for assisting with the proctoring for the last two weeks. All of this is going on during the height of changing over to the 8 period schedule.
Leslie has also been working behind the scenes with Sherri Briggs to add all of the new rules and setting priorities in ASPEN in order to create the 8 block schedule. Classes for each department are being read and double-checked during data entry. Department chairs have been a critical assest working with Cindy to balance the number of electives each period, and Donna to even out the number of Personalized Learning Time sections each period. Based upon feedback from admissions representatives we have changed the name of the Learning Centers to Personalized Learning Time to better reflect the period.
Finally, we are creating the document for rising seniors to use when/if they decide they would like to come in late or leave early. There are criteria that must be met to earn this privilege. The faculty will see the document and we will share what the students will learn regarding this privilege.

Tech Tip
From Mark DeLucia:
Week Ending May 12, 2017
EdPuzzle
For those of you who have already flipped your classroom, you'll love this.  For those of you who haven’t but would like to, here is a great place to start.  Head over to EdPuzzle.com.  EdPuzzle allows you to assign videos to your students-- both ones that you've made or you can search thousands.  Best of all?  The video searches scour multiple platforms at once-- YouTube, Khan Academy, TED, and more.  I typed in "Spanish Object Pronouns" and received myriad results.  If you have an AppleTV, Roku, or Amazon Fire TV at home, it’s similar to searching for a movie and having it search Netflix, Hulu, HBO, iTunes, all at once.  
Here is what else I love about it:  Once you've assigned your video, EdPuzzle allows you to insert questions for students at specific points in the video with real-time results.  The end result is something akin to an educational version of those old MTV pop-up videos (back when they actually played music).  It also makes student management easier as you can see who watched, who fast-forwarded, what parts were skipped, etc.  It even allows for student feedback and participation-- students can pose questions to be answered later during the video-- great for classroom discussions and socratic seminars.  I highly recommend this for everyone, but especially for those looking to flip their classroom for the first time and aren't sure where to start.   In my March 24 installment, I spoke about the flipped classroom and taking it slowly, so as to not get overwhelmed.  This should give first-time flippers a great start with plenty of quality videos to choose from.  
Articles Worth Reading

From Cindy Zito:
Such a great article! I personally use the ​personalized check-in notes! They do make a difference.

Food for Thought
“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother ” ~Abraham Lincoln

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