02-24-2020 - CHEC BULLETIN

CHEC BULLETIN
A weekly update on our professional learning community

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CHEC bulletin for Week of February 24, 2020
SENIOR PORTFOLIO PRESENTATIONS
MARIA TUKEVA’S (MT) MESSAGE:
MEETINGS THIS WEEK:

Monday, February 24, 2020
No Meetings


Tuesday, February 25, 2020
SLC Meeting


Wednesday, February 26, 2020
SLC Morning Meeting
Early Release Day – Equity Team Professional Development
ALT Team Meeting – 3:30 pm


Thursday, February 27, 2020
Department Planning Period Meetings
Black History Month Assembly


Friday, February 28, 2020
No Meetings
Black History Month Assembly

CHEC’s budget for SY 2020-21 was submitted on February 14 after review and discussion with the LSAT, as well as input through the Budget Survey.  Thank you to all who completed the Budget Survey and provided ideas and input on how we should allocate our resources for the coming school year.  

Based on the feedback, enrollment trends, and data on our progress in meeting our CSP goals,  next year’s budget reflects an increase in Special Education staffing (8 additional positions), an increase in ELL positions (2 additional Bilingual counseling positions and 3 additional teaching positions, and an increase in SEL staffing, with one additional dean and one behavior tech.  We also allocated resources for a technology aide to assist with technology management.

There were no reductions in current core or elective academic teaching staff, and there was increase of one additional academic teaching position.  There will be an LSAT meeting on Thursday, February 27 at 4:00 pm to discuss the final submission of the budget.  There are still opportunities for input, and a need for advocacy from all to support equitable resources for our school.    Please come and support!



SHOUT OUTS

  • Shout out to Mr. Connor and Mr. Magee for coordinating our Faculty Meeting with a focus on academic discourse, and kudos to all teachers and administrators who presented their practices – Ms. Lesniewicz, Ms. Patterson, Ms. Peace, Mr. Alvarado, Mr. Shoenthal, Ms. Hartwill, Mr. Caceres, Mr. Simon, Mr. Zinzarella, Mr. Rosenberg, Mr. Pyram, Ms. Kamal, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Lindsey, Mr. Talarico, Ms. West and Ms. Thweatt!
  • Shout out to Ms. Abbondanza and Ms. Penn for coordinating Stem Day at the Middle School
  • Kudos to Ms. Nunez and the Middle School SGA for coordinating the Winter Dance on the Friday before break!
  • Kudos to Ms. Nimer for coordinating a professional development on Substance Abuse!
  • Shout out to Mr. Domingo for initiating a professional development on Preventing Gang Violence!
  • Kudos to our LSAT team for its ongoing involvement and advocacy for our School Budget!
  • Shout out to our Custodial Team for deep cleaning parts of the building over winter  Break!
  • Kudos to Ms. Spinks and Ms. Henry for taking students on College Trips over Winter Break!
  • Shout out to Ms. Carino for presenting on our Homeless intervention programs at the MCIP Board Meeting last week!
INSTRUCTION:
ELLEVATION IMPLEMENTATION IN CHEC CLASSROOMS
This is the fourth week of the Third Advisory!  The first GRASPS should be close to complete by now. Students should be engaged in self and peer revisions, and using the rubric to improve their work and bring it to standards.

As we draw closer to PARCC and AP testing, please be sure to follow the action plan developed after the last interim, in order to differentiate and help students to improve in the standards where they are the weakest.

JUNIOR SAT DAY MARCH 4

There are 17 school days left before the SAT. The Pre-Calculus team (Mr. Smith, Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Allen) is going to do an intensive push towards the SAT since most of their students are juniors, and they are looking for support from Admin, Counselors, SPED, and College Career Center to help focus and motivate our students. Please see any member of the Pre-Calc team to share resources, stop by to encourage, provide suggestions and deliver motivational speeches.

The plan this week is to discuss the importance, give an overview and practice some strategies on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday, we will simulate taking Section 3 and Section 4 with the allotted time.  We will score the sections, make a POP sheet for each type of question in order to design review stations to differentiate based on need. Suggestions to appropriately message these practice tests so that students give their best are welcome.  Based on their results, we will design lessons for the following week, a plan for the Feb break and the subsequent week.

Thank you to the Pre-Calc team for this proactive approach to assist our students in doing their best on the SAT!!


INSTRUCTIONAL CALENDAR
The Instructional Calendar is a living document that houses all of the major curricular requirements, assessments, and schoolwide events. Please check it weekly, as it changes as events are added or moved. Please note some additions - the specific dates for each interim have been added, so please check out the calendar! The calendar is curated by members of the Admin team, and Mr. Magee, Science LEAP lead, curates and adds events or items that are submitted by Department Chairs. If you have an event or item that you think should be added to the Instructional Calendar, please submit it to your Department Chairperson first, and then your Department Chair will submit for inclusion if appropriate.



OPPORTUNITIES:
MS. ALVARADO'S MATH CLASS
UPDATES FROM: FEBRUARY 6 FACULTY MEETING I ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP TEAM I TEACHER FEEDBACK I BUDGET SEASON I DONORS CHOOSE I PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT LINK I LIBRARY UPDATE I OFFICE DEPOT GIVE BACK I

ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP TEAM

The Academic Leadership Team (ALT) consists of all administrators, LEAP leads, Department Chairs, and any interested faculty or staff.  Meetings are held twice a month, alternating between Early Release Days and morning meetings.  The ALT team designs and monitors the Comprehensive School Plan.  All are welcome to attend, either for one meeting or for all.  At the February 14  meeting, the ALT team reflected on worked on the data collected from our internal walk-throughs and discussed the budget for School Year 20-21.

The next ALT meeting will be Friday, February 26 at 3:30 pm.  During this meeting we will  receive a training from central office on the TEAMS platform in Office 365, so that we can house all our documents and plans in an accessible place. The notes from this week’s ALT meeting can be found at this link.

In the attached link, you can find the entire year schedule of ALT team meetings and proposed meeting focus here.




MS. MENENDEZ' CLASS AT KENNEDY CENTER PERFORMANCE OF GISELLE



My 8th grade dance students made me feel very proud today.  They ate their lunch on the bus, made sure to put their trash away and after that they exhibited respectful audience behaviors during the working dress rehearsal of Giselle at the Kennedy Center. Dr. Barnett's High School students were also exemplary!  Thanks to Dr. Barnett for providing this experience and to Ms. Shaw for chaperoning.

Ms. Menendez




BELL SENIORS RECEIVE SIX KAGRO (Korean American Grocers Association) SCHOLARSHIPS

Great news for six Bell seniors – On Saturday, February 8th it was announced the Bell students won six out of ten KAGRO Scholarships.  Thank you to Bell Parent Ahmad Nurriddin for sharing this opportunity with us.  The following students won $1,000 scholarships and will be honored on February 16th:

Macximo Delgado
La’Rissa Dunn
Cindy Geuvarra
Mondomdewa Kao
Marvin Lazo
Reagan Robertson



DONORS CHOOSE
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!



GREAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEWSLETTER LINK

Here is a link for a monthly newsletter from OSSE about PD opportunities for a bunch of subjects/areas.
Please take a look … it may have something they could use!   http://eepurl.com/gBFkKw

It has ELL, SpEd, SEL, H & PE, RTI, literacy, math and more.



LINCOLN LIBRARY UPDATE

Important Articles about School Libraries, Teacher-Librarian Collaborations, & Education
 
       

Summer Institutes in DC
 
 
Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institute
 
"The Library of Congress (LOC) is accepting applications for its week-long summer institutes workshop for K-12 educators. This professional development opportunity provides educators from all disciplines with resources and strategies to effectively integrate primary sources into K-12 classroom teaching."
 
 
June 15-19, 2020 - STI Session 1 (Open Session)
 
June 22-26, 2020 - STI Session 2 (Open Session)
 
July 6-10, 2020 - STI Session 3 (Science, Technology and Engineering Focus)
 
July 13-17, 2020 - STI Session 4 (Civics Focus)

 
Applications are due March 23, 2020


Smithsonian American Art Museum: Teaching Humanities through Art
 
"Be inspired this summer! Attend one of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s week-long institutes in the nation’s capital. Join a community of educators from across the country for an exciting exploration of the connections among American art, social studies, history, and English/language arts.
 
Through interactive sessions with museum professionals, you’ll gain skills and comfort in using American art to make interdisciplinary connections, foster critical thinking skills, and develop visual literacy. You’ll walk away with a tool kit of practical strategies for integrating art into your curriculum, as well as lesson ideas developed by your cohort that you can immediately put to use in your classroom."

 
  • Week 1: Monday, June 22–Friday, June 26, 2020 (Middle and High School Teachers)
  • Week 2: Monday, July 13–Friday, July 17, 2020 (Middle and High School Teachers)
  • Week 3: Monday, July 27–Friday, July 31, 2020 (New for Elementary Teachers)
     

 
Applications are due March 30, 2020

Black History Month Resources
 
As you incorporate and celebrate Black History Month within your lessons, here are some resources that will generate discussions, inquiry, and empathy.
 
 
Lesson Ideas
 
  • Biography reports about key figures (STEM, Sports, Literature, Arts, historical movements, and more)
  • Daily facts / Current events to start the period
  • Showcase recent, diverse YA titles in your classroom libraries
  • Play audiobooks or read aloud chapters
  • Include video clips, music, etc. from resources below

DC Public Library

   
 
DC Educators for Social Justice
 
Black Lives Matter Week of Action: Feb. 3 - 7 - lessons and resources applicable year-round
 
 
Library of Congress
     
Visit the Main Reading Room as they highlight Black History Month Resources: Feb. 17th @ 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
 
 
Lincoln Library has 300+ print and digital materials that connect to Black History Month so contact angela.falkenberg@k12.dc.gov to borrow materials, plan lesson collaborations, and more.
 
 

Local Events
 
Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You Book Talk
 
Sunday, March 8th 7:00 PM
 
Capitol Hill United Methodist Church
 
421 Seward Square Southeast
 
Washington, DC 20003
 
 
East City Bookshop welcomes award-winning authors Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi with Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, a remix of Kendi's National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning for young readers. Reynolds and Kendi will be in conversation with The Washington Post's Everdeen Mason.
 
This event is open to the public, but tickets are required. One book is included with each ticket, and you can choose to purchase additional tickets here or at the event.
 
 
The conversation will begin at 7pm, and doors will open at 6:30pm. A book signing will follow the talk.




#WinterRead2020 Challenge
Welcome to the third annual Winter Reading Challenge! We join hundreds of other schools and libraries across the United States as participants in this exciting event. We challenge you to read at least 5 books during the month of January and track those books here in Beanstack. Share your progress on social media using #WinterRead2020!

Iconic publishing imprint Penguin Random House (PRH) is sponsoring this third annual Beanstack Winter Reading Challenge in support of public libraries, school systems, and YOU achieving your reading goals! Last year’s Winter Reading Challenge enrolled 65,323 readers nationwide, who logged over 150,000 books and 13.5M minutes of reading.

Top-performing libraries and schools will earn the Golden Penguin and Random House awards. PRH pledges to donate $50,000 in prizes, including author visits and new books, to be shared among the winners.

Let's light up the mind this winter! Happy reading, LINCOLN KNIGHTS!


Staff Technology Lessons
Do you want to implement more technology in your projects or with your departments but are unsure what to use? Are you wondering how to create or navigate using the tools shared by your school librarians? Contact Ms. Falkenberg (angela.falkenberg@k12.dc.gov) or pop by the library to schedule technology lessons. Lesson ideas include Office 365 apps, PPT alternative tools, book talks, video creations, podcasts, DC Library databases, and more. Library media specialists are both your instructional partners and technology navigators, engineers, and cheerleaders. When you are more confident using tech, students will be as well.


BELL LIBRARY UPDATE

Beautiful Black History Month to you!

As we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Greensboro Sit-In, please watch the video on the home page of the library website.  Also, check out the Black History Month Resources tab which includes essay contest links for students and educators!  

If you are interested in learning more about special education learning tools and information, click on the new tab on the library website, Exceptional Student Resources.  If you have a student who finds it difficult to process or comprehend printed words, see text in books or on a screen, or physically manage books or reading devices, Bookshare may be able to help.  Please send me a list of students who fall within this category and an account can be created specifically for them.  

The 2020 Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (MBSYEP) Application is OPEN!  The application closes on Saturday, February 29, 2020.  Youth have to be between 14-24 years of age.

Free screening of Harriet at select Regal theaters!  Tickets are going fast!!

Have a great rest of the week and Black History Month!

Check out the Bell High School Library Website to watch the newly uploaded video, Our Tomorrows: Teenagers Around the World Share Their Fears and Dreams.   

Please visit the Creative Teaching tab of the library website to explore 2020 (winter, fall and summer) funding opportunities before the deadline.  

Third quarter is fast approaching, I am excited to be teaching A Conversation: Critical Approaches to Race, Ethnicity and Representation during 2nd period. We will visit some amazing places including, the Supreme Court to explore landmark cases, the Rayburn House Office Building, Russell Senate Office Building, University lectures and DC State Board of Education.  Students will write an anthology that will be published during the start of the 2020-2021 school year and throughout the course, students will discover and rediscover humanity as a familial force.  



YOGA WEDNESDAY IS ON!

Bring your yoga clothes to school!
4:30 p.m. in the New Yoga Studio
Room D108



OFFICE DEPOT GIVE BACK
Office Depot has a Give Back to Schools program that provides 5% credit from people's purchases to help schools buy supplies throughout the year. Below is more info and our school ID numbers that people can share at in-store or online check out.  The site provides graphics to share online as well.

Lincoln: 70020154
Bell: 70229484
CHEC: 70020156


'Simply make a purchase of qualifying school supplies, provide your school ID at checkout and your school will receive 5% back in credits for FREE supplies!'
CLIMATE:
MS. WEST WITH CHEC ALUM LEILA VILLACORTA
BEHAVIOR REFERRAL LINK
Below is the Google Survey/Referral link that the entire CHEC school community will be using to send behavior referrals. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to your appropriate Dean directly.

High School - Dean Boone - dewayne.boone@k12.dc.gov
Middle School - Dean Avila - kathrine.avila@k12.dc.gov

Student Culture Intervention Form - Behavior Referral: Please use this link to send any behavior concerns after using the 5-step discipline process and any care system you have in place to support your student's social-emotional learning. You may also use this link to bring to the Dean's attention the need for a restorative circle and/or when students are tardy to your class more than three times. The Dean Team will actively monitor this live document to support all teachers.


REMINDERS

Students that are Out-of-Area  
During the past school year, we noticed a pattern of middle and high school students wandering into the wrong school. For this new year, please be mindful that Middle School students should not be in the High School at all, and certainly not without a pass. High School students should only be in the Middle School on the Lincoln 3rd floor. The route for High School students to the 3rd floor Lincoln is through the Bell 2nd floor and on to Lincoln 2nd floor landing and up the stairs to the 3rd floor.  They should not use the 1st or 2nd floor Lincoln to get to the 3rd floor Lincoln. Students that are not complying should be written a referral, so they can earn a consequence.

Detention
Detention is a first intervention we have for students to check and correct their behavior in your classrooms. Students being informed of this consequence is vital to the effectiveness of the consequence.  Remember to use our 5 step process with fidelity so that our students will not earn a greater consequence of ISS and thus lose valuable class time

Dismissal
We always need more support at dismissal from 3:15pm until 3:35pm (High School), 4:15pm until 4:35pm (Middle School). Please follow students all the way out to the front of the building. Students should be encouraged to move on toward their bus stops/metro quickly. Teachers and staff that can make themselves available to stay out front will be greatly appreciated.

Cafeteria Support
All lunches have their ups and their downs. We always appreciate additional supports in the cafeteria on days that teachers are available. Check-ins with students build relationships and adult presence supports our daily procedures in lunch.

WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE
Athletics are an integral part of the educational program and a means to accomplish the goals of education. Our athletic program exists for the welfare of students and the contributions it makes to their educational experience.  Athletic participation builds self-esteem and confidence and provides the necessary tools for success.  The interaction between individuals on the fields of sport teaches students the value of teamwork, while developing the proper competitive spirit, combined with a sense of fairness.
BELL SHS GIRLS SOCCER TEAM SY 2019-20
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
The High School Bowling Team defeated HD Woodson. The High School Basketball Teams defeated Phelps.
LINCOLN
Boys Basketball: 5 – 9
Girls Basketball: 11 – 0
Wrestling: 0 - 0
BELL
Bowling 1 - 0
Junior Varsity Basketball: 5 – 9
Varsity Boys Basketball: 8 – 7
Varsity Girls Basketball: 3 – 12
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Monday, January 27, 2020
No Games

Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Middle School Wrestling Meet at Hardy @ 4:00 p.m.
High School Bowling vs. HD Woodson at Bolling AFB @ 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020
No Games

Thursday, January 30, 2020
Middle School Wrestling Meet at Johnson @ 4:00 p.m.
Middle School Swim Meet at HD Woodson @ 5:30 p.m.

Friday, January 31, 2020
No Games

Saturday, February 1, 2020
No Games
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