01-04 -2021 - CHEC BULLETIN

CHEC BULLETIN
A weekly update on our professional learning community

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CHEC bulletin for Week of January 4, 2021
CHEC COAT AND FOOD DRIVE
MARIA TUKEVA’S (MT) MESSAGE:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I hope all have had a refreshing and rejuvenating winter break. Time for family, self, and friends, always helps put everything into perspective.  As we transition back into session, I hope the energy you have gained during the break will serve you well.

January will be a month of major transitions.  There are sixteen days until the end of the second advisory, and as always we end the advisory with our assessment process, including portfolio presentations and final exams. Semester and nine week courses will be ending, and students will be transitioning to a new set of classes.  We are also in the process of transitioning to some in-person learning experiences.  This will require a transition for all of us, as we sustain our virtual practice and incorporate strategic in-person activities for students most in need.

SLC Administrators are finalizing the cohort lists, so that this week we will have a clear picture of what is needed at each grade level in terms of staffing in content as well as in support services. The virtual master schedule will remain the same, and a parallel in-person schedule will be created. Most of our in-person classes will be scheduled on Wednesdays, with someon Saturdays.  A second semester schedule of  What’s Up Wednesday virtual classes will be created to meet student needs and interests.  All classes for In-Person as well as for What’s Up Wednesday will be scheduled in ASPEN for greater coherence.

I thank all of you for your thoughtful contributions and ideas to the Reopening process, in particular, our LSAT and Reopen Community Corp.  



REOPEN UPDATE

Next steps  include:
  • Our Staffing Plan is due January 6th.
  • Our Operational Plan is due January 8th.
  • Staff Notification of In-Person Assignments will be sent January 8
  • Virtual PD for all staff returning in Person – January 13
  • Seat Offers for Students begin – January 11
  • Courses Scheduled in ASPEN – January 15
  • Walk through of Buildings with Stakeholder Representatives – Week of January 21
  • Master Schedule for In Person Complete – January 22
  • Classroom Set Up and PD for Staff Returning in-person – January 27
  • TERM Begins – Virtual and In-Person – February 1



SHOUT OUTS

  • Shout out to Dr. Barnett, Mr. Onley, Mr. Jacobs, Mr. Naavs, Ms. Menendez, Mr. H. Diaz and the entire Arts Department, for an outstanding International Holiday Celebration!
  • Shout out to all who supported our Reopen Community Corp Meetings!
  • Shout out to all SLC Administrators for identifying our student cohorts for our Reopening!
  • Kudos to the Ops Team for keeping the building open, running and serving the community throughout the winter break!




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 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!
MEETINGS THIS WEEK:
All Departments and SLC’s send individual notifications of their meetings
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Monday, January 4, 2021


Tuesday, January 5, 2021
ALT Team 4:00 p.m.


Wednesday, January 6, 2021
9:30 a.m. CHEC Parent Workshop en Espanol
4:00 pm LSAT Reopen Community Corps Meeting


Thursday, January 7, 2021
11:30 a.m. CHEC Parent Workshop in English
4:00 p.m. Faculty Meeting


Friday, January 8, 2021



UPCOMING EVENTS
INSTRUCTION:
CHEC LOVE FOR TEACHERS
WEEK 8 OF ADVISORY 2

We are beginning the eight  week of the second advisory.   By this week the first GRASPS of the advisory should be  complete, should have received feedback, and students should be revising as necessary. There are two weeks until the second advisory portfolio presentations,  and in the independent work period of the class, students should be reflecting and revising work, in preparation for portfolio presentations and exams.  All students should also have received direct instruction in how to organize their portfolios and what the required exhibits are.  

There are sixteen instructional days left in this advisory, and during this time, students must prepare for portfolios, final exams, and ANET/AP interims.

In reflecting upon the First Advisory portfolio presentations, we saw that in order for students to speak authentically on the essential questions of the unit, it is important to weave those questions throughout the instructional process. Other reflections and suggestions to consider as we progress through the second advisory:

Take advantage of Break Out rooms as a way to engage students in more academic discourse with each other and reduce the amount of teacher talk.

Provide incentives and fun ways for students to come on camera daily, so that when it comes time to present their portfolios, they are ready to come on camera and speak in front of others.  For example, let students know a week in advance, when their turn will be to come on camera and show their work or present something.  Then, provide badges or other incentives. The Dean Team will be visiting classes to assist in promoting a higher level of engagement.



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.




IMPACT UPDATES

Informal observations for teachers have begun and will continue until every teacher has had at least one informal observation. Once you have had an informal observation and feedback, the formal observation will take place. As a follow up to our IMPACT orientation, 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.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professional Development and learning is a priority for all of us, and we are all on a new learning curve.

Here is the link for topics being covered in office hours this week:


Join the Summit Master Course Training each Tuesday during the first 30 minutes of your planning period to learn new Summit Projects and PLT Best Practices!

Ms. Ramirez- Building engaging content assessments and checks for understanding

Ms. Zuccarello- Focus Area Workshops and Mentoring during PLT

Contact Veronica Zuccarello or Gabriela Ramirez with any questions.

You can find the link for all office hours on the CHEC EdTech Course Homepage Link to office hours

If you have any suggestions or questions, please let me know, mya.ferguson@k12.dc.gov.




EQUITY BEGINS WITH OUR CURRICULUM
 
 
As part of our mission to develop as leaders in the quest for social justice, it is important that we continually review and revise our curriculum to align it to social justice and anti-racism.  Please take advantage of this great opportunity.  T

Black Lives Matter at School 2021 Curriculum Fair


Please join Teaching for Change and the D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice network for a virtual Black Lives Matter at School Curriculum Fair, co-hosted by Howard University's School of Education, on Saturday, January 30 from 10:00 am - 12: 30 PM ET. Teachers will have the opportunity to: - Join workshops featuring lessons related to the BLM at School Week of Action - Hear from guest speakers and panelists - Receive a FREE e-book for remote instruction Learn about previous BLM at School curriculum fairs here: https://www.dcareaeducators4socialjustice.org/news/black-lives-matter-curriculum-fair and RSVP below.



OPPORTUNITIES:
TEACHING FOR CHANGE
UPDATES FROM: I FACULTY MEETING I LEADERSHIP TEAM I LSAT/REOPEN I





FACULTY MEETING

Our January Faculty Meeting will be held on Thursday, January 7th, at 4:00 pm on TEAMS.  



LEADERSHIP TEAM

The Academic Leadership Team is a group of faculty and staff, which meets every two weeks to implement and monitor our Comprehensive School Plan.  The meetings are open to all, so please come and make your voice heard!




LSAT / REOPEN COMMUNITY CORPS

The LSAT/Reopen Community Corps is a body of elected representatives of each stakeholder group, as well as interested volunteers.  The LSAT is currently working on next year’s budget as well as the Reopen Process.  All are invited!
THE DEAN TEAM:
Hello CHEC Family!

We hope you all are well. The Dean Team would like to share a few friendly reminders.

Teacher Spotlight:
Today the spotlight shines on all of our TEACHERS and STAFF! Happy New Year to you and your families. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to surveying our students. You are much appreciated. We are excited about the new year and our continued service to our students. Let's remind our students of the engagement norm and how to earn PBIS points. The Dean Team will continue to pop in classes to shout out students with their cameras on and give additional PBIS Points!

CHEC Happening:
What's happening at CHEC? We have added an Activities and Trips Tab to the Canvas hub. The Canvas hub will serve as our central location for all things LIT; hence the tab LIT School Activities and Trips! All students will be receiving notifications of activities, events, and trips happening at CHEC. Please use the link below to see activities added to the LIT School Activities and Trips Calendar. https://dcps.instructure.com/courses/206982. Also check out our IG page @checdc!

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,
The Dean Team
WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE
Happy Holidays to all from the CHEC Athletic Department!  

Are you missing the spirit of competition because you haven't been able to compete on the playing field yet?  Then join our inaugural Esports team!  You must be at least 13 years old and have access to a Playstation 4.  If you are interested in Esports (even if you don't have a PlayStation 4), reach out to Coach Duvall at ryan.duvall@k12.dc.gov.

The District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) recently announced that unfortunately due to the current public health emergency all DC extracurricular activities has been suspended.  As a result, our sports seasons have been pushed back.  The DCSAA is targeting Monday, February 1, as the new start of the 2020-21 athletic calendar, with the intent of holding three seven-week sport seasons:

Winter sports: Practice begins February 1; competition February 8 to March 27
Fall sports: Football practice begins March 1; other sports begin practice March 8; competition March 15 to May 1
Spring sports: Practice begins April 26; competition May 3 to June 12

More information can be found on https://www.thedciaa.com/.  If you have any additional questions, please contact Coach A at desmond.alexander@k12.dc.gov.  
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