CHEC bulletin for Week of October 12, 2020
ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK - PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
MARIA TUKEVA’S (MT) MESSAGE:
MEETINGS THIS WEEK:
All Departments and SLC’s send individual notifications of their meetings
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Monday, October 12, 2020
No school for Students, Teachers, Staff
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
CHEC Parent Workshop - en Espanol
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Hispanic Heritage Assembly 9:30am
CHEC Parent Workshop 11:30am (English)
National Hispanic Heritage Month Ends
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Friday, October 16, 2020
UPCOMING EVENTS
THANK YOU TO ALL FOR A GREAT PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DAY
Thank you to teachers, administrators, counselors, parents, and students, for uniting for a successful virtual parent teacher conference day. We don’t have the final numbers yet, but it is clear that the day was full of many virtual interactions. A special thank you to our parents for persevering and finding your way to the educators you wanted to meet with. We were able to get 120 responses to our mini parent survey, as well as rich anecdotal feedback through conversations.
Our Comprehensive School Plan has the following two goals in relation to parent involvement:
- By June 2021, we will engage 100% of our parents in at least two school events.
- By June 2021, we will increase positive response rate on the parent Panorama survey regarding “I feel well informed about what is happening at my child's school” from 79% to 89% and “My school regularly communicates updates about my child's progress with me” from 79% to 89%.
- On our mini-survey, we demonstrated progress toward those goals. For the question, regarding “I feel well informed about what is happening at my child's school,” the positive response rate was 88.4. For the question, “My school regularly communicates updates about my child's progress with me” the positive response rate was 86.7.
Some of the comments that support this growth were:
“CHEC'S adaptation to online learning is commendable. I would appreciate being informed of any missed assignments or project deadlines as soon as possible to help my son organize his projects and create an appropriate work breakdown structure.”
“The teachers are excellent at keeping us informed of participation gaps, project challenges, and progress. We are so thrilled to be at CHEC with this great program and team! Communication about general school events through the text/email system is very frequent (which helps) but sometimes lacks enough detail to know if the event or notice is relevant to us.”
We will continue responding to the feedback so we can continue supporting parents as they partner with us in the educational process.
SHOUT OUTS
- Shout out to the entire CHEC Team for a great Week 6 and Parent Teacher Conferences!
- Shout out to the Dean Team and to all of members of the CHEC team for a successful first WUW!
- Kudos to all for our first Progress Reports!!
- Shout out to Ms. Perez, Mr. Smith, and the whole DL team for two outstanding Parent Information sessions on our DL Program!
WE HAVE A RECOGNITION! HONORED TEACHERS PARTNERSHIP CONTINUES THIS YEAR!
Columbia Heights Education Campus’s great teachers deserve to be recognized! We’re proud to partner with Honored Schools again this year to do just that! Go to our teacher padlet or HonoredSchools.org to tell Columbia Heights Education Campus teachers how they’ve made a difference. Please share this with parents and students! Once recognized, teachers get an email with your recognition story and we’ll celebrate them! Last year our very own Ms. Ramirez won the Life-Changing Teacher Award and a $5000 cash award!
CHEC RECEIVES GRANT TO CONTINUE WHOLE SCHOOL SUPPORT FROM RESTORATIVE DC
Thanks to the proposal written by our fabulous Dean Team and the Development Office, our school has been granted continued whole school support through Restorative DC’s Restorative Justice Technical Assistance for the SY 2020. This means that we will receive training, consultation, access to workshops, and support to continue our work in Restorative Justice. If you would like to get involved with our RJ committee, please see any member of the Dean Team, or Pankaj Rayamajhi.
INSTRUCTION:
ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK - CHEC SENIORS
Living through History
This week we are continuing with Living Through History, with the creation of artifacts and products in all content classes. It is exciting to see how our students are documenting their journey through this moment in time. This week, the week of October 13, we will have lessons in Advisory to continue the curation and reflection on products, in preparation for putting them in the Time Capsule. The links to the lessons and the powerpoints to be used have been shared with you by your SLC. The Living Through History GRASPS can be found through this link, and you can see what each grade level and subject area are contributing to the project. The products and projects different teachers have designed are compelling and engaging, and aligned to our key standards as well.
Please see below updates from DCPS on LTH
Time Capsule Submission
Time capsules are submission dates have been extended to October 16th to allow additional time for schools who may need it. Once your students have completed the full Cornerstone instructions for submissions can be found using the links below.
GRADES 6-12 SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
GRADES 6-12 SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Virtual Showcase
Save the Date: The LTH Virtual Showcase will take place on October 28th, 2020 at 5pm. Details regarding this event will be shared early next month.
LTH Notebooks
Some of the LTH Cornerstone Lessons reference student activities in the LTH OneNote. The Living Through History Cornerstone OneNote can be found in the OTL Curriculum Course Companion on SharePoint. These items can be added directly into your Class Notebook used with Canvas or with your students.
Now that we are moving fully into content, we should focus on utilizing our newly learned “best practices” in virtual instruction. Some of these are very similar to live instruction, just implemented differently:
- Please continue with SEL openers, to continue to build community!
- Please be sure to have a clear objective, unwrapped from a standard, that is shown visually and stated orally, in the beginning of the lesson, but available to be viewed throughout the lesson as needed.
- Take advantage of technology to have visual and audio representations of content simultaneously – the immersive reader function on TEAMS works on all text, and even on the chat. Subtitles are also available, and this reaches students who need visual in addition to audio.
- Continue to encourage students to come on camera, if only when they speak. Virtual equity sticks work in encouraging all voices of students! The CANVAS Badges for participation on camera also help!
- The Discussion function on CANVAS is a great tool to encourage academic discourse and accountable talk!
As you discover new and effective tips and ideas, please continue to share them! We will publish them in our CHEC TECH TIPS, and in this section of the Bulletin
INSTRUCTIONAL CALENDAR
The Instructional Calendar is a living document that houses all the major curricular requirements, assessments, and schoolwide events. The Instructional Calendar is complete for the moment, however changes may be made and will be noted. If you have any requests for additions to the Instructional Calendar, please contact Mr. Magee, peter.magee@k12.dc.gov, or your SLC Administrator.
Please view the Instructional Calendar for 2020-21 here.
IMPACT UPDATES
As a follow up to our IMPACT orientation last week, we are creating a library of practices and videos to support development on particular EP’s. As we discussed, we are all in a learning curve with virtual instruction, and will be learning from each other throughout the year. If you would like to share a best practice and be videotaped for the video library, please let your SLC Administrator know.
During the month of October, we will continue to conduct calibration instructional walks. If you would like to have your class visited, or visit a class for calibration, please email your SLC Administrator or M. Tukeva.
As a follow up to our CSC orientation, there will be optional office hours on Wednesday to discuss the rubric. You can also write your comments right in the shared document that was provided. Thank you for working as team to make IMPACT a learning process for all this year.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
This is a new section of our Bulletin, and within a few weeks it will be populated with a calendar of opportunities. Professional Development and learning is a priority for all of us, and we are all on a new learning curve. If you would like to get involved in either providing or receiving specific professional development, we look forward to getting your feedback to our PD Survey, which will be coming out within the next two weeks. We are able to compensate both those who provide, and those who attend professional development outside of school hours or in lieu of planning periods.
EdTech Office Hours PD
Mr. Loria- Using Class Notebook with Canvas
Mr. Magee- Using ‘Collaborate Boards’ with Nearpod
Mr. Henggeler- Using Collaboration in Class Notebook
Ms. Ferguson- Creating groups in Canvas and using collaboration in Canvas
Summit Master PD Course:
Now that LTH is about finished, it is time to hit the ground running and support our students in passing Focus Areas. Our goal next week will be to lead a workshop for ALL students who have not yet mastered their first due FAs (first ones due in each grade!)
If you need support in creating a workshop for your students, please join for an optional 30 minute session at the beginning of your planning on Tuesday, October 13. In the session we will:
Analyze your student data to see who needs your workshop
Prepare your materials for leading your first workshop
Here are the meeting links!
Contact Ms. Ramirez or Ms. Zuccarello if you have any further questions.
In this week's CHEC EdTech Newsletter, we will cover office hours and Newsela. Did you know Newsela integrates with Canvas? Newsela tracks students' data and had PARCC aligned questions and is aligned to Common Core English standards. In addition, students' scores will sync with Canvas to make it easier for students and parents to monitor growth.
OPPORTUNITIES:
ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK - CHEC STUDENTS AND CASEY TREES
UPDATES FROM: I ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP TEAM I SPIN SCOOTER COMPANY I SEL TEAM I OSSE I LIBRARY I GrantED I GrantED I TYLER MANNING - FINANCIAL CONSULTANT I ELLEVATION
ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP TEAM
The ALT team is a team of educators charged with the design and implementation of our mission aligned Comprehensive School Plan. The Team is composed of all LEAP leaders, Department Chairs, Administrative Team Members, and any interested educator or staff member. We seek to involve all perspectives and voices. All staff members are invited to attend any or all meetings. We are particularly looking for staff members who are in positions other than teaching, in order to have a diverse set of voices. Our work is in the four domains of the CSP – Shared Leadership, Engagement, Culture of Achievement, and Academics. The notes from all ALT team meetings can be found in the Notebook section of the CHEC Team site. Meetings will be held every two weeks, rotating between Friday mornings at 7:30 am, and Tuesday afternoon’s at 4:00 pm. The next meeting will be Tuesday, October 20 at 4:00 pm.
SPIN SCOOTER COMPANY IN DC – UNLIMITED 30 MINUTE RIDES FOR EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONALS
My name is Alex Davis, and I’m a Community Partnerships Associate with Spin, a shared electric scooter company operating in DC. At Spin, we’re dedicated to delivering alternative transportation services for DC residents, especially essential workers in the region. We’re excited to announce that our Everyday Hero Program is being extended to staff members in the education sector.
What does this mean? It means that Spin will provide unlimited free 30 minute rides for educational professionals. As the school year is starting Spin wants to provide staff members in the education sector the support they need to move safely through the city. Whether it’s running errands or a quick recreational break, we want to show our appreciation for the work you’re doing to help DC communities run smoothly. Eligibility is open to anyone in the education sector including but not limited to teachers, administrators, tutors, and janitorial staff.
To get the discount activated we ask all eligible employees to fill out the application form and provide their educational association identification or paystub and government ID.
We would appreciate it if you share this opportunity with your members -- please see attached collateral to help spread the word.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Best,
Alex
Community Partnerships Associate, Spin
alexander.davis@spin.pm | 312.206.1978 | LinkedIn
SEL TEAM RECOGNIZES EXCEPTIONAL STAFF MEMBERS
The SEL Team would like to recognize exceptional staff members who go above & beyond for their efforts around supporting social-emotional learning, wellness & trauma-responsive practices within the CHEC community!
For the month of SEPTEMBER, we would like to recognize:
MS -Ms Veronica Zuccarello
"Ms Z has become at the forefront and spearheaded plenty of organizations at CHEC. One organization in particular is advisory/PLT. She made sure our students not only receive the academic support during that time (MS and HS) but collaborated with counselors, social workers, and therapist to ensure students receive the socio emotional support as well."
HS - Ms Suzanna Weiss
"For several years, Ms Weiss has been a leader at CHEC when it relates to restorative practices and training teachers to conduct restorative circles. Ms. Wiess also provides yoga as a practice for not only students but also staff on a weekly basis through CHEC's social media page. "
And THANK YOU to all each of you do every single day around the social emotional wellness of our students, parents & school staff!
We will continue to recognize you, too!
best,
The SEL Team
AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE DC OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION (OSSE)
Good Day CHEC Educators,
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is collaborating with the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) to monitor compliance with the mandatory youth behavioral health training for educators. DBH provides this youth behavioral health training at https://supportdcyouth.kognito.com District law mandates that all public and public charter school teachers and principals complete a behavioral health training once every two years (D.C. Law 14-56; DC Official Code § 7-1131.17(b)(1)).
Those who completed the trainings in calendar year 2020 do not need to retake the youth mental health trainings this fall. However, all new and returning building administrators and teachers who completed prior to January 1, 2020 must complete the 3 required modules by December 11, 2020. This calendar year will reset the compliance cycle so that all DC administrators and teachers will be required to complete on the same two-year cycle moving forward. Compliance tracking is the responsibility of building administrators.
BELL LIBRARY UPDATE:
Please check out the Bell High School Library website with Student, Faculty and Staff and Hispanic Heritage Month Resources and Events!
LINCOLN LIBRARY UPDATE:
LMS Roles Spotlight: Teacher-Librarian Collaboration Ideas
One of the roles of a Library Media Specialist is Instructional Partner. As your partner, I can help you brainstorm, develop, and co-teach content and process. Some ideas to consider:
Intro to Research lessons (all contents, singular or multi lesson)
Life / Study Skills (all contents, PLT, singular or multi lesson)
Media Literacy lessons (all contents but specifically ELA, science, or social studies)
Culture of Reading or Technology Skills (all contents, PLT, singular or multi lesson)
Lincoln Library Collection Development Input
Each year I submit a wish list to Central Office for book requests and I'd like your input! This year's focus will be on the development of the digital collection. Consider providing requests, including personal and professional development titles requests, in this form.
Digital Library Collections
Ensure your students have access to their public and school libraries by scheduling a visit to class by Ms. Falkenberg (angela.falkenberg@k12.dc.gov). There are a variety of platforms and collections - I recommend starting with SORA or Destiny Discover. If you want more control over what students are reading (track data, assign titles, etc), then Epic! is an excellent resource. All are accessible through Canvas and Clever. It's worth noting the district will monitor SORA and Destiny Discover usage data as a measure of a library program's "effectiveness".
Digital collections will benefit all contents so explore the videos below and reach out to collaborate.
Anti-Bullying Month Resources
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Below are some resources to consider bringing into your lessons or sharing on your virtual platforms.
GrantED OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHEC CLASSROOM MINI-GRANTS WILL BE CONTINUING
CHEC teachers, GrantEd will still be here to serve teachers for the 2020-2021 school year - CHEC will remain a partner school!
Last school year, GrantEd received 22 grant requests from CHEC and awarded 20 of them, for a total of $7,223.81 and they would love to continue supporting us. Grant Ed has already started accepting applications and granting funds for the upcoming school year.
Please don't hesitate to contact Julia at GrantEd if you have any questions.
Best,
Julia Bozzolo
GrantEd Foundation, Co-Founder
DONORS CHOOSE 2020-2021
Donors Choose is a great resource for all teachers. You can receive a mini grant to support a special project or initiative. Please see some of our recent Donors Choose grantees! You can reach out to them for support in obtaining your own grant!
MESSAGE FROM TYLER MANNING - FINANCIAL CONSULTANT
Donors Choose is a great resource for all teachers. You can receive a mini grant to support a special project or initiative. Please see some of our recent Donors Choose grantees! You can reach out to them for support in obtaining your own grant!
I hope you are staying safe! I am sure you have a lot on your mind right now as a result of this COVID-19 chaos. I wanted to inform you that as a financial consultant with AXA Equitable, one of the approved providers of the supplemental retirement plans for DC, I am doing brief phone appointments with faculty and staff to help them get a better handle on how this market volatility affects their:
1. DC Pension
2. 403b supplemental retirement plan
3. 457b supplemental retirement plan
2. 403b supplemental retirement plan
3. 457b supplemental retirement plan
If you think you may benefit from this information, I have attached a PDF that provides insightful and contextual perspective to all this craziness. If there’s another way I may be of assistance, please let me know!
Kind Regards,
Tyler Manning
Financial ConsultantEquitable Advisors
3141 Fairview Park Drive, Suite #250
Falls Church, VA
C: 240-688-6371
ACCESS for ELL’s, ELLEVATION, and English Language Learners
Last year’s ACCESS testing for ELL’s was interrupted by the COVID 19 shut down, however some students were able to finish all or part of the assessment. As of September 29, these results will be on Ellevation. Please check ELLEVATION for your students, and you will find personalized activities aligned to their language needs, by domain.
As distance learning becomes the new norm for students across the country, a lot of families are playing an increased role in the day-to-day education of their child(ren).
The home-school connections added to the Ellevation Distance Learning activities allow educators to engage family members to share in the learning process.
Check out this just released instructional activity that allows multilingual learners to benefit from educational opportunities at home.
Sincerely,
Your Ellevation Team
THE DEAN TEAM:
Hello CHEC Family!
We hope you all are well. The Dean Team would like to share a few shout outs and friendly reminders.
TEACHER SPOTLIGHT:
Today the spotlight shines on two fantastic teachers Ms. Lindsey Benjamin and Mr. Kenneth Williams!
Mr. Williams is our Special Education ELA teacher he as. He has recently joined the CHEC Team and has already impacted many students' lives through his service at CHEC. When asked what has been the impact of using restorative practices this school year, Mr. Williams shared the following. "Using restorative practices in my class has helped a lot during this virtual learning. It's allowed me to use student experiences and interactions as teaching points to model virtual norms. It also helps students figure out how to navigate this new virtual learning space under the understanding that this is a difficult transitional period for not just them but us as teachers as well." Thank you, Mr. Williams, for your commitment to your students and team.
Ms. Benjamin is our 9th grade English teacher. She has impacted the lives of many students within her five years of service at CHEC. Ms. Benjamin shared the following when asked what has been the impact of using restorative practices this school year. "Every day at the beginning of class, I have students share tokens of joy -this may be anything from the moment that made them smile, a person who inspires them, or an accomplishment that they are proud of. This exercise allows glimmers of positivity to shine through during this turbulent time, and it also builds a strong class community!" Thank you, Ms. Benjamin, for your commitment to your students and team.
Everyone, please shine your light on Ms. Benjamin and Mr. Williams this week!
PBIS STUDENT WINNERS: | ||
Student Name | Points | Grades |
Jan Vargas-Vilchis | 26 | 6 |
Jose Casarrubias | 23 | 7 |
Ana Menjivar-Hernandez | 30 | 8 |
Kenai Rivera | 36 | 9 |
Kidist Bizuneh | 35 | 10 |
Michelle Ramos-Canas | 39 | 11 |
Ingrid Arqueta-Cabrera | 26 | 12 |
Please celebrate these students for their high earnings of PRIDE points! | ||
RJ Circle Survey:
A few reminders before you headed to your classes. Please log the community-building circles facilitated during PLT/Advisory and any other circles you have completed throughout the week. This information is necessary for data tracking and proactive intervention purposes. Use the link below to complete the form: Chec DC Circle Tracker.
Student Support Forms:
Also, we have created a padlet which has the student support form and the behavior referral form. Please bookmark this padlet for future reference: CHEC Student Support Guide. Feel free to connect with the Dean Team if you have any questions.
Peace & Love
Dean Team
WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE
Student-athletes are now able to complete participation forms online and upload physicals for this school year. Participations forms are available via https://www.thedciaa.com/participation-forms. Currently, there are no DCIAA physical days scheduled, so it is imperative that potential student-athletes schedule a physical with their own doctor. Physicals must be signed by a nurse practitioner (NP) or medical doctor (MD)Parents should click on the link corresponding to the appropriate level, whether middle or high school. Online forms are also available in Spanish. Additionally, please see the updated current team meet up times during virtual learning! This list will continue to grow! Also, our list of head coaches is below. Reach out to the coaches directly if you are a student-athlete, teacher, or parent for team meet up login information or if you have any other questions. If you haven’t done so yet, follow us on Instagram @checsports.
Middle School
Baseball: Wed. via MS Teams on WUW (1st Block)
Cheer: Mon, Wed, Fri at 4:00 via Zoom
Girls Basketball/Volleyball: Wed via MS Teams on WUW (2nd Block)
High School
Baseball: Wed via MS Teams on WUW (1st Block)
Basketball: Wed via MS Teams at 4:00
Cheer: Mon, Wed, Fri at 4:00 via Zoom
Girls Basketball: Wed at 4:00 via MS Teams
Football: Tue, Thurs at 7:00 via Zoom
Softball: Wed via MS Teams on WUW (2nd Block)
Girls XC & Track: Tue, Thurs at 5:00 via Zoom & W via WUW (1st Block)
Lincoln
Archery – HC TBD (reach out to coach A desmond.alexander@k12.dc.gov
Baseball – Carlos Mesa carlos.mesa@k12.dc.gov
Boys Basketball – Lionel Edmonds lionel.edmonds@k12.dc.gov
Girls Basketball – Constance Hanlon constance.hanlon@k12.dc.gov
Cheerleading – Aaliyah Wright aaliyahwright88@gmail.com
Cross Country/Outdoor Track – Lionel Edmonds lionel.edmonds@k12.dc.gov
Golf – Marie Erickson marie.erickson@k12.dc.gov
Boys Soccer – Rhina Merino rnmerino123@gmail.com
Girls Soccer – Andrea Lewis andrea.lewis2@k12.dc.gov
Softball – Yanerca Marte yanerca.marte@k12.dc.gov
Swimming – Samuel Burmester samuel.burmester@k12.dc.gov
Wrestling – Eduardo Reyes eduardo.reyes@k12.dc.gov
Bell
Baseball – Reiss Allen reiss.allen@k12.dc.gov
Bowling – Mya Ferguson mya.ferguson@k12.dc.gov
Boys Cross Country/Indoor Track/Outdoor Track – Mark Robinson markblaytonrobinson@gmail.com
Girls Cross Country/Indoor Track/Outdoor Track – Donzella Hartwill donzella.hartwill@k12.dc.gov
Varsity Boys Basketball – Rodney Cook rodney.cook@k12.dc.gov
JV Boys Basketball – Mathieu Seichon mathieu.seichon@gmail.com
Varsity Girls Basketball – Rodricus Ficklin rodricus.ficklin2@k12.dc.gov
Cheerleading/Stunt – Dionne Wright dionnewright02@gmail.com
Flag Football – Ryan Duvall ryan.duvall@k12.dc.gov
Football – Daniel Tyson dnltysn@gmail.com
Golf – Ryan Duvall ryan.duvall@k12.dc.gov
Boys Rugby – Brian Mihelic brian.mihelic@gmail.com
Girls Rugby – Katherine Hanson katherinehanson17@gmail.com
Boys and Girls Soccer – Victor Molina victor.molina@k12.dc.gov
Softball – Thomas Spoth thomas.spoth@k12.dc.gov
Swimming – Reiss Allen reiss.allen@k12.dc.gov
Tennis – Lindsey Benjamin lindsey.benjamin@k12.dc.gov
Volleyball – Mafope Alao mafope.alao@k12.dc.gov
Wrestling – Kenrry Alvarado kenrry.alavardo@k12.dc.gov
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Desmond Alexander, CAA
Athletic Director
Columbia Heights Educational Campus
Bell/Lincoln Multicultural Schools