What International Teens Think About School in America

I just saw this 8min video from PBS on YouTube. An interesting perspective is taken about how students from other academically high performing countries view our educational system. The video also looks into the cultural dynamics at play in our country and how education is or isn't valued. 

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 12/12/16

- Thanks for continuing to support:
       - JUMP Club's "Toys for Tots" Drive
       - WE Club's "Blanket & Sock" Drive
- Give 6 - RISE Cards Daily! (Please store RISE Cards in a safe place in your room)
- CICO & Dojo Points - If a student does NOT earn points, consider writing a message to 
  explain what could be improved on so parents are kept informed. 

12/12 - Management Monday Schedule
12/13 - Winter Choir Concert 7-8pm
12/14 - Marching Band @ Disney, PLC - District Initiative, Room 36
12/15 - WEB Leaders meet with 6th Graders
12/16 - TRTV Schedule
          - Staff Holiday Breakfast, 7:45-8:45am; Performances by Encore & Jazz Band
          - Turn off all computers, printers, etc. for the break
          - Staff Holiday Party 6pm @ the Hellwigs - FLYER

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Shout Out! - Briggs + Chapluk + Hung + Dominguez + Schlenz

I've been trying to ramp up my walk-throughs this week and have been super excited to see Mary's classes doing their test launches of their Mars Rovers. I also saw her facilitating a Socratic Seminar yesterday. In all activities Mary's kids have been excited and thoroughly engaged! 

Similarly, Cari's classes have been immersed in both coding and producing a newscast using Google Slides and their phones. Lots of tech integration and kids smiling and having fun! 

Lastly, we ALL wanted to thank our amazing performing arts teachers who have arranged amazing performances for us and our community to enjoy. Countless hours of rehearsals before and after school have paid off. The high caliber of performance is evidence of YOUR hard work. Thanks Jessica, Rebecca, and Gary! 

Tech Tip: Formative

Formative is a tool for assessments that allows you to watch them working on their solutions in real time. Thought this might be a great tool for math teachers who want to see which step students are struggling with. You can upload existing docs and students can write on top of them. 

Create an Assignment - Assign to Students - Receive Live Results - Give Feedback

As Teachers Tackle New Student-Writing Expectations, Support Is Lacking

I found this ARTICLE on Education Week. It takes a closer look at how schools are implementing more rigorous writing expectations across content areas. It takes a realistic look at the challenges embedded in incorporating more writing, but gives some tips on how to accomplish it.

An Education Trust study found that fewer than 1 in 10 assignments required multiple paragraphs of writing. Just 4 in 10 assignments were aligned with the grade-appropriate standard, and 16 percent required students to cite evidence from the text, which is a key component of the common core.

TIPS: Jago said, students could assess their own writing and give the teacher their best work to read, along with a written explanation of why they thought that piece of writing was worthy. Or students could share their work in small groups and have the group select the best piece of writing and explain why.

Additional Reading with some great examples of assignments that align and don't align.

Education Trust Study: Checking In: Do Classroom Assignments Reflect Today's Higher Standards

Nuts & Bolts - Week of 12/5/16

- Support JUMP Club's "Toys for Tots" & WE Club's "Blanket & Sock" Drives.
- Please dismiss students from class on time so they are not tardy to their next class.
- Give 6 - RISE Cards Daily! (Please store RISE Cards in a safe place in your room)

12/5 - Homeroom Schedule; 

     - 6th (slide 28, teacher script pg. 67)

    - 7th (slide 28, teacher script pg. 65)
    - 8th (slide 25, teacher script pg. 67)
12/6 - 8am - Team Leader Meeting
12/7 - 9:25am-10:15am MS Holiday Music Assembly; PLC Vertical Teams; 6pm
          Instrumental Holiday Concert, Gym
12/8 -
12/9 - Band/Orchestra @ Knott's Berry Farm

Looking ahead:
* 12/16 - Holiday Staff Breakfast 7:45-8:30am, MPR - Performances by Encore & Jazz Band
* 12/16 - Holiday Staff Party @ The Hellwigs

Shout Out! - Rick Perske + Tracy Bunce

Rick has been at our school since before I arrived. He's one of our noon supervisors. I appreciate his reliability and ability to connect well with kids. He consistently takes the lead and goes where he is needed most. We are grateful that Rick has been able to cover for Lisa Gilles when she's been absent, and want to recognize him for his positive contributions to our school and community. 

Tracy Bunce is our cafeteria lead. She works diligently to ensure all students are fed daily and projects lunch counts to avoid wasting food; planning around special events like a pro. This year, she has taken on the new responsibility of prepping food on site. She has handled this along with all our funky schedules with grace and patience. I also appreciate her coming in each time we have had a Saturday School. She's a fantastic teammate and we want to recognize her dedication to our campus and students! 

Tech Tip: Poll Everywhere

At our last staff meeting I used "Poll Everywhere" for you to post shout outs and observations about CAASPP data. It's a very simple platform to use for polling. You have various options including: Multiple Choice, Open-ended, Q&A polls (audience submits responses, and can anonymously agree or disagree with other responses by upvoting or downvoting), Ranking, or Clickable Images poll. Students can access with smart OR dumb phones, Chromebooks, etc. Great for formative assessment, conversation starters, sharing group input, etc. 

32 Characteristics of High-Performing Classrooms

As I was Pinteresting one eve during Thanksgiving break I stumbled across this great poster. This really sums up many of the characteristics we look for in 21st century learning environments. 

I love that the linked article from "Teach Thought" (great website!) had this brief, yet powerful definition of instructional design: "The strategic creation of learning experiences through intentional planning, sequencing, and data-based revision of learning.

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 11/14/16

RISE Cards - Give 6 Daily! 
ZAP Cards - New ZAP Cards should be in your mailbox. ZAP Sign-Up (Bookmark it!)
    - Use this quick intervention to get completed work back quick! 
CICO - We'll be using Class Dojo to record points for kids this year. It's available online or through a     phone app. Training at this week's staff meeting PLC. 
TRMS Commitments - We appreciate you all committing to making sure:

• You arrive at your supervision duty on time
• Students watch TRTV morning announcements every day free from distraction
• You deliver the homeroom curriculum with fidelity

11/14 - Homeroom Schedule; Management Monday Lesson 11/14
11/15 - 
11/16 - Neon Dress-Up Day; PLC Staff Meeting, Room 36
11/17 - WEB Leaders meet with 6th Graders
11/18 - TRTV Schedule

Shout Out! - Aides

We have a super stellar team of aides who support all of our learners at Travis Ranch. They are hands on with the kids, compassionate, and dedicated to ensuring all of our students are included, stay engaged, and have fun. We would like to recognize them for all they do every minute of every day to ensure our students are safe, learning, and happy. 

April Henderson Anderson - Vigil 9:50-12:30
Claudia Brasov - St. Clair 11:45-3:30
Kelsey Sundman - St. Clair 8:45-12:30
Leanne Gutierrez - Lexin 8:30-12:15
Bernard Spillane "Charlie" - Lexin-12:30-4:15
Jill Buchanan - 1:1 Michael Finley 11:45-3:30
Adriana Fischer -  1:1 Roslyn Berger 11:50-3:15
Bahra, Crissy (11:45-3:30)
Chang, Amy (8:45-12:30)
Cook, Heather (11:45-2:45)
Fox, Maddie (8:30-12:15)
Magdaleno, Heather (8:00-4:00)
Newberry, Amie (12-3:30, W 11-2:30)
Fischer, Adriana (12-3:30, W 11-2:30)
Randall, Jennifer (11:30-3:30)
Rodriguez-Calderon, Stacey (8:30-12:15)
Henderson, April (9:30-12:50)
Pompeo, Annette

Tech-Tip: Ted-Ed Video Lessons

We all know our students love video content, but sometimes YouTube doesn't quite always have the educational spin we'd like. Ted-Ed has 208,000 engaging video lessons sorted by content area and grade level. Definitely worth a try with students. 

My favorite higher level thinking activity for kids. Pull up a random, completely unrelated video and ask them to make the connections to the content currently under study. You'd be amazed at the depth of their group discussions. 

Helping Kids Feel Safe and Supported Post-Election

Occasionally I receive email updates from the company who we purchased our Social/Emotional curriculum from. This ARTICLE does a fantastic job of laying out how we can best support students and each other in the wake of a highly stressful election season. I particularly like their advice about: 

Help Children Feel Safe and Supported   • Smile at them.
   • Use open, relaxed body language and speak in a calm, warm tone of voice.
Help Children Feel Accepted and Understood
Protect Children from Re-Traumatization
Provide Accommodation(more strategies and details within the article). 

Finally, "It’s equally important that educators take care of themselves and work together to find a place of calm. Otherwise, their stress and anxiety will amplify the children’s distress."

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 11/7/16

Supervision Duty = TEAM A

RISE Cards - Give 6 Daily! 
ZAP Begins - Use this to sign-up students for 1st and 2nd lunch
CICO - More time needed to get students/parents on board. Starting 11/14.
Chromebook Carts B, C, D, F, G, H, & Room 45 mostly available for use! Book NOW! 

11/7 - Homeroom Schedule; 
          6th (slide 18, teacher script pg. 49)
          7th (slide 16, teacher script pg. 47)
          8th (slide 14, teacher script pg. 47)
11/8 - 
11/9 - PLC Vertical Teams
11/10 - PM Assembly Schedule - 1st Pep Rally! 
11/11 - Veteran's Day - Take the Day Off!! :-)

Shout Out! - Susan Metcalf, Our Fearless Leader!

She's definitely back in the saddle again at "The Ranch" and doing a fantastic job! From frequent classroom observations, to silly string wars, to supervision on the blacktop, to dressing up for any/all festivities, to working closely with PTA, to handling parent concerns, to handling student incidents, to attending night events, and managing our tight budget. 

She is literally ALL over the place and does it ALL with poise, a smile, and her signature laugh! We're all very happy to have you back and are appreciative of your support in every situation. 

Susan, your guidance and leadership are cherished and admired! 

Tech Tip: Class Dojo & CICO

This year we will be using Class Dojo for assigning scores to students on the CICO program. We may also consider using it as an intervention for students with IEPs. 

Using this amazing and free online platform will enable real-time behavior data collection and parent communication. 

I encourage you to watch the video and set up your Travis Ranch account using this link: https://classdojo.com/?r=VHTCocgXO6Qnd3Uw

Also consider downloading the corresponding app for your phone: https://www.classdojo.com/download/?type=teacher

Critique Protocol: Helping Students Produce High-Quality Work

I found this article on Edutopia. They use this critique protocol as their peer revision process. There's built in tools for learners to analyze work in a constructive and positive way. Teachers talk about using it to look at an exemplary piece as a whole group or with peer to peer. It emphasizes the importance of the setup, establishing effective routines/procedures for it to be successful. Here's their guiding doc.

How It's Done:
1. Identify the critique norms.
2. Model identifying strengths.
3. Have your students analyze exemplary work.
4. Choose what work to show your students.
5. Choose your critique focus.
6. Have your students identify takeaways from the critique.
7. Repeat.

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 10/31/16

• Give 6 RISE Cards Daily! - Remember to circle the letter and verbally tell the student why they are receiving it!
• Interventions Begin
• ZAP Starting 11/7 - Program Details, Sign-Up
• CICO Starting 11/7 - Identify students during Horizontal PLC 11/2

Only 2 special schedules this week! 

10/31 - Quarter 2 Begins; Homeroom Schedule - Second Step Lesson 2; Halloween Dress Up
11/1 - Team Leader Meeting; 7th Grade 4 Word Momentum Workshop; 1st Qtr. Grades due by 12pm. 
11/2 - 7th Grade 4 Word Momentum Workshop; Horizontal PLC: Please identify students for Check-in/Check-out Intervention; 41st Annual PYLUSD Band Pageant @ Bradford Stadium 7-9pm
11/3 - Double AM Assembly Schedule
11/4 - 

Shout Out! - ELA Pilot Teachers

Did you know we're in an adoption process for new ELA textbooks?

We have Catherine, Laura, and Dinah piloting these brand new materials on our campus. It takes a tremendous amount of work to dig into new teacher manuals, student resources, etc. to plan lessons. The new materials are VERY technology dependent, adding their own unique challenges. 

Their shared goal is to make a recommendation to adopt a certain publisher for next year. They have already spent many hours in trainings and adoption meetings to implement this with fidelity. We all owe them a HUGE high 5 as they are representing us at the district level very well through this process! 

Tech Tip: Annotating a YouTube Video - Great Listening Skills Reinforcer

I was recently in Mrs. Riley's classroom where they are starting the Chapman Holocaust Writing contest. Students have to listen to a survivor's testimony on YouTube, take notes, and create a piece of writing or art. With a quick Google Search, I stumbled upon this great resource called http://www.videonot.es/. 

Simply copy/paste the YouTube link into the website and it allows you to take notes on the side and time stamps where you took your notes in the video. Even better, it stores these notes in your Google Drive automatically. Students could transcribe information from the video, pull out main ideas and/or supporting details. Listening Skills + Writing + Tech = Winning!

Laughter, Learning, and Why Teens Are Such a Tough Crowd

"In over 20 years of speaking and performing stand-up comedy for students, I've learned that using humor, interactive demonstrations, and even awkward moments are the biscuits that help students sit up and want more." This Edutopia article explains the science behind laughter and retention. There are a couple strategies offered up to incorporate this routinely into your instructional day. I especially like where the author says, "The best part is that it will spur your brain to look for humor in everyday life, and you'll start feeling more creative." The following 4 strategies are elaborated upon in the article:
1. A Laugh A Day
2. Use Improv to Spin Classroom Disruptions
3. Bring Students Up
4. Take a Comedy Workshop
    

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 10/24/16

• Votes are in! We will be modifying our Monday Bell Schedule: Instruction->TRTV->PBIS Lesson (all periods will be shortened to 43min to accommodate for TRTV announcements). 
• Give 6 RISE Cards Daily - Circle the letter of the behavior observed.
• Old School Phone? - If you have a beige phone in your classroom, you are living in the 70's. Please email Sharon ASAP and she will submit a work order to have it replaced with a modern phone that will display a light if/when you receive a voicemail. 
• AVID Resources: https://my.avid.org/  (Bookmark it!)
• Username: myoung@pylusd.org
• Password: trailblazers1

Monday 10/24 - Homeroom Schedule: "Management Monday" Use this Google Slide; wear College T-Shirts.
Tuesday 10/25 - 
Wednesday 10/26 - Science Reward Day; PLC Structured PD; Sign-up using this Google Form
Thursday 10/27 - TRTV Schedule: October Broadcast
Friday 10/28 - End of 1st Qtr; Minimum Day + 1st Qtr. Positive Behavior Reward Schedule; PTA Trunk or Treat 6-8pm

Shout Out! - Cynde Riley

It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's our very own Super Cynde! Delivering prize reminders, organizing lunchtime activities to support the Color Run and Red Ribbon Week, taking ASB kids to a recent leadership conference, introducing her Honors ELA kids to the Chapman Writing Contest, running the RISE Store, being an active member of the PBIS team. 
We appreciate everything you do for us and our kids! 

Now that we all have whiplash from watching you go Cynde, where do we sign up for workman's comp?! Haha!

Tech Tip: ART!

Our kids are more and more engaged by imagery; thanks Instagram, Pinterest, & PS4! So let's capitalize on that love of imagery and incorporate it into our lessons. 

Ask individuals or teams broad, open-ended questions like: "Discuss the relationship between this art and the content we are studying?" You'll be amazed at the connections they will make. A fantastic way to integrate art, collaboration, communication, and rigor! Novel, creative, and innovative! Engagement through the roof! 

Behance - Website / app that showcases artwork; you can follow, save, like artists and easily access them on your computer.

Google Art Project: Google has curated some of the most famous artwork/museums in the world. You can favorite art and it's all stored via your Google Account. 

Best Education Podcasts

At the same time we seek out short, engaging, and content-related podcasts for our students to listen to using iTunes, etc. it's great to know we can get our own pedagogical "feet wet" by accessing contemporary information about the ever-changing world of education on our car-rides home. 

Read this short ARTICLE on Edutopia that highlights some of the best Podcasts for Educators. Below is a sample of a podcast you could subscribe and listen to: "Homework: All or Nothing"

Consider listening to just 1 per week for starters. I find listening to them is a great conversation starter with colleagues. 

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 10/17/16

RISE Cards - GIVE 6 Daily 

Please Circle the Letter of the Identified Behavior (R.I.S.E.)

Red Ribbon Week + Color Run! 

5 days, 5 different schedules! Hang on tight! 

10/17 - Wear funky socks + College Attire; 10:45-11:15am Dr. Plutko on campus! 
            Double PM Assembly Schedule (Sit with your students in bleachers to monitor 
            behavior)
10/18 - Wear RED; TRTV Schedule; Second Step Lesson, Part 2 
10/19 - Crazy Hair Day; PLC  = Staff Meeting Room 36 
10/20 - Mix & Match Dress; 10:20am - Great ShakeOut (duck / cover; NO EVAC!)
10/21 - Color Run Schedule

Summary of best practices I've seen during classroom visits in the last month 
- Greeting students @ the door
- Essential ? / Lesson Objective displayed
- Teacher / Student Microphone used
- Collaboration / Communication Opportunities throughout
- Students writing and speaking in complete sentences using frames
- Positive, specific verbal praise / encouragement + RISE Card
- Equity sticks for student selection
- Technology Integration- State Changes every 10-15min- Exit Slips

Shout Out! - Jennie Bremer

Jennie has been on a mission since this summer to get Google Cardboard into the hands of our students. It's a way to take students on virtual reality "field trips" to locations around the world. 

She secured a class set (thanks Susan!), experimented with her team, invited in students during a zero period class for a test drive and had fellow teachers in the room to watch and explore how to use them. We can always count on Jennie to be on the cutting edge of innovation for our students. We can also count on her to share all her cool toys and tricks! 

Thanks Jennie for continuing to inspire us with your Jedi Mind Tech! 

Tech Tip: GIFs

While designing lessons, we're always on the best hunt for great images to engage our students and enhance our PowerPoints, Flipcharts, Prezis, Google Slides, etc.  A GIF image is a short animated image that will animate on it's own repeatedly. 

Search for a GIF by topic: http://giphy.com/

Create Your Own GIF using an existing YouTube vidoe or your own video file: https://giphy.com/create/gifmaker

Have you ever embedded a GIF image instead of a JPEG?

GIFs & Google Forms: http://www.thephysicaleducator.com/blog/files/gifs-in-forms.html

He Just Sued the School System

Some of you may have already seen this? I found it somewhat inspiring and I think it mirrors our shared vision to continually innovate and collaborate the best for our students. What are/were your thoughts and reactions to this? Please comment!

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 10/10/16

GOALS / OBJECTIVES DUE SOON! - Email your primary evaluator a copy for review ASAP - Evaluators will be in/out completing 1st informals in the coming weeks.
Give 6 RISE Cards Daily - Don't forget to circle the behavior you're recognizing! 
Tardy Policy (see below)
Visit colleagues, get inspired! - Amazing lessons happen daily, check out our signature programs and fantastic staff. A 5-10min visit will be worth your time! Mike's happy to cover your class if you're interested. 
Academic / Behavioral Interventions - If/when students struggle, utilize a menu of strategies to get them back on track. Communicate openly with parents and other staff.

• • BEHAVIOR SUPPORT
  • MATH
  • Mental Health
  • READING
  • WRITING
  • 
    

Monday 10/10 - TRTV Schedule; Second Step Lessons (25min)
Tuesday 10/11 -
Wednesday 10/12 - Vertical PLC (complete Goals / Objectives)
Thursday 10/13 -
Friday 10/14 - 5pm: Oktoberfest @ Sandi's House - Mike’s famous brew. Enjoy Brats, music, and so much more! 110 S. Woodrose Ct. Anaheim Hills; RSVP by Oct. 12 and BYOB

There have been some questions about our Tardy Policy lately. Once a student reaches Tardy 5 in your class, you can submit an admin referral:

Shout Out! - PDers

We want to recognize all staff who engaged in professional development opportunities within the last week. We appreciate your ongoing dedication to growing as professionals, equipping yourselves with the best instructional strategies for our students! Thanks!
Sandi Schneider - Boys Circle / Gearing Up
Renay Hamlin, Catherine Sullivan, David Gillette - Renew, Refresh, Revise
Brian Shay - Tier 3 PBIS 
Jennie Bremer, Bethany Curtis, Dana LaRue, Mary Chapluk, Catherine Sullivan - Differentiated
Instruction for Secondary Teachers

Tech Tip: Bitmoji in Classroom

Found this ARTICLE on Alice Keeler's website.

"Matthew Farber (author of “Gamify Your Classroom“) shared a project his student did using Bitmoji’s to represent the story of Jamestown. This project hits many of the things I value:

• Integrates technology, not just uses tech. 
• Uses real things that students can relate to. 
• Provides choice. 
• Allows students to be creative. 
• Asks students to communicate their ideas. 
• Lowered fear of risk taking by not having all the elements graded. 
• All students are doing different things. 
• Allow students to figure things out. 
• Values what kids value. The design of the lesson incorporates student interests such as Bitmoji.

Say What? 5 Ways to Get Students to Listen

During our team leader meeting the other morning, we recognized that Listening as a literacy skill is a relative area of weakness for our students. I found this ARTICLE a nice summary of strategies to naturally weave into any content area. Details for each can be found in the article. 

• Strategy #1: Say it Once
• Strategy #2: Turn and Talk
• Strategy #3: Student Hand Signals
• Strategy #4: Pay Attention, Pause, Paraphrase
• Strategy #5: Creating Questions

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 10/3/16

GIVE 6 RISE Cards Daily
Remind students about Color Run Daily! - Team Total Summary

Monday 10/3 - Homeroom/TRTV Schedule: Please use this Google Slide to present the lesson. The lesson/presentation will also always be available via the Master OR TRMS Calendar Event.

Tuesday 10/4 - Mike & Brian @ OCDE for PBIS Tier 3 Training; Dana is Admin Designee from 8am-1pm; Progress Report Grades DUE by 12pm.

Wednesday 10/5 - PLC Horizontal Teams: 1st 30min (suggestion) teams meet by 1st period grade level to review 10/10 PBIS Lesson; 2nd 30min meet by Horizontal Teams to review concerns about struggling students, common strategies, etc.

Saturday 10/8 - Placentia Heritage Parade; Join me on the parade route just north of Kraemer on the median to cheer on our band; light drinks / food provided! RSVP Via Calendar Invite for head count.

9/28 District Initiative PLC: Agenda/Minutes - Action Items Highlighted in Yellow
Admin Referral - bit.ly/TRadminref        

Color Run Standings!

Shout Out! - Club Advisors + Borgese + Schneider

We all wanted to express our gratitude to club advisors for dedicating their time and energy pro bono to get our students connected. This includes: 

• Athletic Club - Brian Shay, Marita Buckley
• WE Club - Paola Hellwig
• JUMP Club - Mary Chapluk
• Robotics Club - Cari Briggs
• Sign Language Club - Shirleen St. Claire
• Buddies Club - Bob Lexin
• The Message - Dana LaRue / Vanessa Amorin

Also, a big Shout Out to Suzanne Borgese who has now hosted 3 math study sessions for ALL students in her classroom before school. She's had a full class each time, evidence that kids really benefit from this support before major tests/quizzes. Great job! 

Finally, we appreciate the investment Sandi is making in the health / wellness of staff by organizing an after school fitness group. Thank you! 

Tech Tip: Video/Audio Download + Cutters

Many times we find video or audio that we want only a "snipit" of. Thankfully, there's some great tools that will let us grab just what we want! 

YoutubeinMP4 - Paste the Youtube URL and it will download an MP4 video.

Youtube-mp3 - Paste the Youtube URL and grab just the audio from the video (great for grabbing music).

YouTube Cutter - You past the URL then select the section you want. The website spits out a new URL that takes you right to the segment of the video you want. 

MP3 Cutter - You have to upload the audio to chop.  Example:   

MUST WATCH: Rosie King - How Autism Freed Me to Be Myself

Get your own valid XHTML YouTube embed code

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 9/26/16

GIVE 6! - Don't forget to seek out opportunities each and every period to reward students for behaviors that meet or exceed our expectations with RISE Cards. 

Progress Reports - 9/30 marks the end of the grading period for 1st Qtr. Progress Reports. Deadline for submission is Tuesday, Oct. 4th.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday 9/26 - Double PM Assembly Schedule - Color Run Kickoff!
   - ASB's sole fundraiser for the year. Please promote it heavily during 1st period for the 
     chance to win a cookie party and have bragging rights all year long!
   - Every Monday is "College Shirt" Monday! Bring it! 
Tuesday 9/27 - 9am Lockdown/Fire DRILL
   - Please take attendance on Aeries quickly. At 9am an alarm or announcement will sound 
     instructing you to lock doors, turn off lights, shut blinds, and have students away from 
     windows and quiet. Once doors have been checked, we will then ask for all staff and 
     students to assemble on the MS Field for student accountability. We anticipate the drill 
     lasting 10-15min.
Wednesday 9/28 - PLC District Initiative, Room 33A
  - Tom Craik will be visiting to review some information. We will also review the plan for 
    Monday Homeroom Schedule / Lessons which will officially start on 10/3.
Friday 9/30 - TRTV Schedule

Shout Out! - ALL STAFF!

On behalf of administration, we wanted to thank everyone for all the preparation that went into getting ready for Back to School Night. From Jalinda preparing the invites; Ish, Dennis, Alfonso, and Ramiro making our campus shine; Cynde organizing ASB volunteers; to every teacher preparing a professional presentation of the amazing programs we offer...we were genuinely impressed and proud to be members of this fantastic team! Well done! 

Tech Tip - Grammarly

I had to plan a training for administrators this summer and stumbled across this Chrome add-on / extension. It instantly proof-reads your emails / facebook posts / etc. and checks for basic spelling and grammar errors, giving you the option to correct it on the spot. 

I've found it exceptionally useful and also think it might be a good one to have students add to their PYLUSD accounts. 

Here's a link to add it: http://gram.ly/rJWb

How Teachers Can Help 'Quiet Kids' Tap Their Superpowers

Nuts & Bolts - Week of 9/19/16

Teacher/Student Microphones - I recommend using these whenever possible as it really does provide the best auditory access to students for them to hear you and each other during share outs. Need a new one or rechargeable batteries, let me know?

PYLUSD Good News Report - Travis PBIS Kickoff was featured! 

PBIS Update - We are planning to "roll out" the Monday morning homeroom schedule starting on October 3rd. Standby for details! 

Need Technology? - Book it! Room 45, CB Carts B (Rm31), C (Rm59), D (Rm42), F (SciStorage), G (Rm60), H (Rm34)! Hopefully, there's one close by for easy access! 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday 9/19 - College Shirts! We're encouraging staff and students to wear college shirts every Monday to support our AVID Goal of promoting College/Career readiness. 

Tuesday 9/20 - Back to School Night - If you need anything fixed, cleaned, etc. to make your room shine let Ish know ASAP! Dinner provided around 4pm -- Stefano's -- by admin! 

Wednesday 9/21 - Structured PD: Please fill out this FORM ASAP with your primary interest. 

Friday 9/23 - TRMS Marching Band @ YLHS. Come support our band and embarass some old students in the stands!  7pm @ Shapell Stadium (YLHS)  Mustangs VS. EDHS - Post game fun???

Shout Outs! - Rebecca, Jessica, & Paola

Before school even started this year, Rebecca Dominguez ran the 1st ever "band camp" in coordination with YLHS. She had a good turn out and her students are already ahead of where they were last year as they prepare to represent Travis at the Placentia Heritage Day Parade and Disney. Thanks for dedicating extra time towards your amazing program! 

Also before school started, Jessica Schlenz ran Encore Camp for her new group. Not only was she here before school, but now she's here 2 days after school per week for 4 hours, plus zero period rehearsals. It takes a significant amount of time, energy, and talent to get this group performing at the level they do each and every year! Nicely done!

Paola Hellwig was running live morning announcements the 2nd day of school! This is an amazing feat because of the amount of training involved to get her students to run this for us. We are the ONLY middle school in the district that has a program like this! Fantastic work Paola!  

Tech Tip - Genius Scan

Want to transform / automatically save handouts, etc. into PDFs from your phone into Google Drive? Genius scan will give you this "power". After you scan your doc, it will allow you to crop, enhance it for readability, and then give you the option to add to your Google Drive. Pretty Slick!  

iOS
Android

What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success

I came across this ARTICLE on my Facebook feed. It's a really interesting take on the societal cause/effect of student success in Finland. Also, it explores the Finnish perception of teachers. In Finland, teachers are treated with prestige and must have a master's degree to pursue the profession. "The Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality (in society) more than excellence." 

How can lessons from this argument affect your current classroom? We are all charged to teach students to drive positive changes in our society. Teaching perspective, engaging students in collaborative discussions, and ensuring they are able to communicate their opinions are key components of our instructional approach for a transformed society that values equality! 

Nuts/Bolts - Week of 9/12/16

Illuminate - You are now able to access your current student's scores SBA Scores in Illuminate. Make sure you set your roster date to "9/8/16" in the control panel before you pull reports. 

Step Up To Writing Online Resources: https://www.stepuptowriting.com/login.jsp
Username: sutw4trms  -- Password: sutw4trms
Click "Tools" -> "Writing in the Content Areas" -> Select your Content Area to see list of tools
Next, click "Bookshelf" to access the full teacher edition of "Step Up to Writing - 4th edition"

PBIS 
Monday Homeroom Schedule Start Date TBD - Our curriculum just arrived. PBIS Team will be meeting Wednesday to review it and begin planning a roll out. AVID team is also meeting Tuesday to help plan what homeroom will look like. Thanks for your patience as we carefully coordinate a well planned roll out.
RISE Cards - GIVE 6: Try to handout 1 per period promoting our positive expectations. 
Admin Referral: Bookmark this link for submitting an electronic referral:  http://bit.ly/TRadminref

Wednesday 9/14 PLC = Vertical

Looking Ahead: Back to School Night 9/20, 5:45-7:30pm

• If you have any outstanding work you need done in your room, please let Ish and Sharon know ASAP (lights, ceiling tiles, etc.)

Shout Out! - Dana Worden

Working behind the scenes since March 2016, Dana has been integral in helping design this year's master schedule. She has worked feverishly to get students scheduled and classes balanced. This is no simple task as she carefully weighs the interests of students and staff with integrity. 

She also offered multiple opportunities for students to challenge test in Math and collaboratively developed a plan for our co-taught classes with Suzanne. 

Our collective hat is off to her on a job superbly done. She deserves a big high five next time you see her! 

How to Become and Remain a Transformational Teacher

I think this blogger summed up some great ideas for educators interested in staying on their "A" game. Here's his POST on Edutopia. Definitely worth a quick read. How many of these tips are you currently following, or are worth pursuing?

• Constantly Share Best Practices
• Find a Trusted Mentor
• Commit to Classroom Observations (in other teacher's classrooms)
• Change Things Up
• Model the Usefulness of What You Teach
• Caring Beyond What You Teach

Tech Tip: Google Keep - Notes, Checklists, Organization!

I've been using the Gmail "Task" list and accompanying cell phone app "Go Task" for 3 years to keep track of work "to dos", personal "to dos", and my personal grocery list. It's great because it syncs across devices. 

However, I'm "converting" to a newer tool called "Google Keep". This is an amazing tool that syncs across devices allowing you to create notes, checklists, etc. all with color coding, images, tagging, etc. You can set reminders by date/time and even have it message you when you arrive at a location. Big brother style?

There's some great applications for teaching students how to organize themselves inside and outside the classroom. I snagged this from one of my favorite EdTech Bloggers Alice Keeler:

7 Features of Google Keep for You To Teach With

Nuts & Bolts - Week of 9/5/16

This week: Supervision Team B

9/7 - PLC: Vertical Teams

PBIS:
- RISE Cards: Every staff member should have received a healthy stack of these on Thursday. GIVE 6 DAILY (1 per period). When you reward a student with one, circle the letter for the behavior they demonstrated, and write their name on it. Please keep these secured in your desk along with hall passes, library passes, etc. 1st TRTV drawing 9/16. RISE Store Opening Date TBD.

- 1st Period Student Planner Check = Thursday 9/8; Students without TR planners will be given a cardstock version of this year's "PRIDE Card". 

- Electronic Admin Referral (Bookmark this link)

Technology
How to Reserve a Chromebook Cart
Troubleshooting 101

Shout Out! - PBIS Team

Many thanks go to our fantastic PBIS Team (Cynde Riley, Brian Shay, Vanessa Amorin, Laura Moody, and Marita Buckley) for planning an amazing 2nd Annual PBIS Kickoff Day. The team took staff and student feedback from last year's event and created an even more amazing day for our students. We appreciate all that staff did to make this day a HUGE success! 

Tech Tip: Google Forms Quiz

The new Google Forms allows you to build quizzes with correct and incorrect answers for multiple choice, checkboxes, or drop-down questions. There's no messy extension or add-on needed. Results can be sent via email to students. Great tool for formative or summative assessment. We just used this for the PBIS Student Survey and got great results! Also shows teachers: 

• Frequently missed questions
• Graphs marked with correct answers
• Average, median, and range of scores

Google's instructions

When Kids Have Structure for Thinking, Better Learning Emerges

This article from KQED's "Mind Shift" series reviews teaching strategies coming out of Harvard's "ProjectZero". It reiterates the importance of teaching students how to think with specific suggestions for integrating these learning habits into the classroom. Specifically:

1. Pick one of the thinking routines Project Zero has designed and use it over and over in a variety of contexts.

2. Start asking students to be more metacognitive by building in reflection time about thinking. Ask students to think about the lesson and identify the kinds of thinking they used throughout. That not only builds vocabulary around thinking, but it often gives kids confidence to name specific thinking strategies they used.

PZ Thinking Routines from Sue Borchardt on Vimeo.