Week 19

  

Great Things We Noticed: 

• SLT time at Bourns! 
• Pear Deck in Ms. Gallegos's class!
• Kahoot in Ms. Montgomery’s class.
• Examples of all three writing genres in 3rd grade.
• Success Criteria for writing in 2nd grade! 
• ACE Educators laptop stickers - register for the ACES Symposium today! 

Nuts and Bolts: 

• 27th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Walk-a-Thon
• January 20th, 2020 marks the 27th Annual MLK Walk-a-Thon here in Riverside. Beginning at Bordwell Park’s Stratton Center and ending at Riverside City College’s Digital Library, it is a great opportunity for the RUSD community to participate in celebration Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Registration for adults is $25, while for $20 for students. For more information on how you and your site can take part in this Riverside tradition, please click HERE for the event flyer or contact Rochelle Kanatzar.
• Reserve your spot for our Equity Conference - We will be inviting RUSD on Monday 1/6 and sessions will fill upquickly!  Each participant will recieve a copy of My Teacher Believe in Me by Dr. Victor Rios.  

• bit.ly/ArlingtonClusterES 
• Breakout sessions topics include: 
• Big Brothers Big Sisters matched youth facing adversity with a one-to-one caring mentor. We believe that every child is born with potential. Through these strong and enduring professionally supported relationships, a child’s potential is ignited. Our program is free to children between the ages of 6-16 and all matches are professionally supported by a bilingual staff member.
• Boots on the Ground: Please join the RUSD tag team also known as “The Dynamic Duo,” “Starsky and Hutch,” and “The Blues Brothers,” for an entertaining, yet informative and serious discussion about how we can best serve our students! We will focus on the following topics with the goal of empowering educators by adding valuable information and best practices to their existing “bag of tricks!”
  * Gaining a better understanding of our diverse student populations
  * Learning about the history of our community and its potential effects on students
  * Understanding different types of barriers and home environments that can affect a student’s education
  * Identifying the root cause of the problem by “Peeling the Onion” and addressing it appropriately
  * Knowing and utilizing resources available at your school site, district and community levels
• Challenging the status Quo: This session elicits candid conversations about race, culturally relevant pedagogy, and compassionate dialogue that are frequently missing within most organizations. Participants will learn sustainable communication techniques aimed to manage conflict in both professional and personal settings. Participants will explore common communication barriers that perpetuate division in team dynamics. Using the RIR protocol, participants will have the opportunity to practice active listening and thoughtful communication using Conversation Starters. Participants will walk away with key strategies to build internal capacity, deepen understanding around becoming ambassadors for equity in their school/district.
• Classroom Management for All: Participants in this session will gain insight into Culturally Responsive Classroom Management and learn practical, immediately actionable strategies to take back to their classrooms. Culturally Responsive Classroom Management (CRCM) bolsters classroom management systems by determining and using the cultural behaviors and needs of our students to create an environment that emphasizes respect, rapport, and relationships while setting boundaries through the strategic use of a positive, proactive, and preventive plan. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop or electronic device to assess materials.
• Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Participants in this interactive session will understand what Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
  is, how to implement  Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in the classroom, and how Culturally Responsive Pedagogy can help in building student relationships and increasing a positive classroom culture. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop or electronic device as they will have access to a digital choice board with tools to move the needle and interrupt the status quo. 
• MTSS and Equity:Participants will develop a deeper understanding of the components of a Multi-Tiered System of Support and how it can increase the success of ALL students within our classrooms, throughout our schools, and across our District. In addition, participants will unpack the characteristics of an expert learner, investigate how "The Myth of Average" challenges the notion of an "average student", and how this leads to embracing the natural variability of our learners. Learn practical approaches to removing barriers to maximize learning by giving students options and choices that empower them to take control of their own learning and reach rigorous state-standards.
• Powering the Disempowerd: Students have been subjected to the highest number of ACES often feel powerless and are inadvertently disempowered by our school systems—the most restrictive environments, the highest number of disciplinary consequences, and simply feeling that they do not belong with their school-age peers. Yet, these very students who have faced the most trauma are often the strongest leaders: the most charismatic, the strongest interpersonal skills, resilience, grit, creativity and passion. This session will provide specific exemplars of ways we are power sharing with our students mislabeled as “at-risk” or “at-promise,” along with big ideas—philosophical and paradigmatic shifts that will empower us to empower our students. Through their humanization and empowerment, our wounded healers we can see our students do the impossible. This dynamic presentation will leave you inspired and recharged to engage in our difficult and meaningful work of transforming students’ lives.
• Providing Real World Relevance to Engage Students: In the continuing education context, creating an opportunity to access relevant and meaningful experiences that connect to subject area content is a must. Students attending Lincoln High School are credit deficient for a variety of reasons but all share an education experience that has not worked for them. Breaking down personal barriers to learning can be achieved by tapping into topics and questions that are grounded in the daily lives and community experiences of our kids, connecting knowledge with understanding of phenomenon familiar to students. Utilizing topics such as air quality, environmental degradation, robotics, and social justice can lead to student engagement and academic success.
• Removing Barriers to Learning through Family Engagement: The RUSD Family Resource Center (FRC) focuses on building protective factors that support healthy development and family well-being. We recognize that family systems do not function in isolation and acknowledge the unique characteristics and circumstances of each family. Our goal is to develop meaningful relationships and provide parents and caregivers the tools needed to support student wellness, student learning, and pathways to college and career.
• The Archaeology of the Self: How Culture & Identity Impact Teaching, Learning, and The Brain:  We all bring our culture and identity into our classrooms. As teachers and learners, culture plays an important role in our lives both in and out of school. In this session we will interrogate the ways in which our experiences shape the perspectives we bring into our classrooms. Join us as we become archaeologists of the self and excavate our identity while making connections to learning and brain research.
• The Smoking Mirror: Culutral Proficiency for Student Success: This workshop introduces learners to the concepts of cultural proficiency and encourages learners to explore and reflect upon how their personal experiences, biases, assumptions, and culture impact the educational experience of our students.  Activities are designed to challenge assumptions and increase awareness of the every evolving population we serve.  
• If you have any pictures of activities in or out of your classroom, please send to h.e.yearbook@hotmail.com and they will be included in the Yearbook.
• The 100th day of school will be celebrated on Friday 1/24 
• I found this really interesting and encouraging article: https://www.boredteachers.com/humor/binge-watching-make-you-better-teacher

Focus: 

Iron Chef Slides:  

The SLT team used this strategy on Thursday and I wanted to share with all of you! 

You can find more about the Iron Chef Eduprotocol at the following links: 

https://www.eduprotocols.com/iron-chef and https://cue.org/becoming-an-edtech-iron-chef/

Upcoming Events: 

1/13-2/27 - PTA Shop Riverside Card Sales

1/14 - Longi Out 8:00-12:00 - Co-Admin Meeting
1/14 - Family Math Night 5-7.  Still looking for volunteers!

1/15 - Carrie Out DELAC 8:30-12:00

1/15 - Progress Reports Due for Review 

1/15 - PBIS Team and Longi at RCOE - All Day 

1/15 - RUSD Employee Wellness Meeting 2-5:30 - University Heights Middle School

1/16 and 1/17 - Carrie Out - RUSD Discipline Working Group 

1/16 - RUSD Leadership Meeting - Longi Out 2:30 

1/17 - SLT and Longi at Harrison for Instructional Design (Hara Admin Designee) 

1/17 - Progress Reports Sent Home

Birthdays: 

1/14 -  Jae Hall - SDC M/S - 3-6