1St Quarter Newsletter
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Yukon-Koyukuk School District Staff Connections Fall 2007 Special points of interest: • Red Ribbon Instruction & Curriculum by Carol Doyle Week: Octo- Happy fall or winter whatever the toring a new teacher. If others of Some of you have been asking for ber 23-30 case may be. I know some of you you have similar needs for testing a few extra copies of the novels. have already received some snow! or mentoring, please let us know. Most of the novels we ordered (5 • Alaska Federa- This office has been extremely busy of each title) have come in. Let us with all the newly required school Joan has also helped to order some know if you need extra copies of tion of Natives: improvements, data keeping, grants, preview math materials. Right now novels before we make the next Oct. 22-27 curriculum, and testing procedures, this office has Saxon and Everyday order. Your timely response to this to name a few. Math to look at. Carol and Joan will be very much appreciated. would like to have the math curricu- • Thanksgiving Some of you have been asking for lum committee meet sometime in Thank you for being so prompt in Holiday: “Battle of the Books” books. They November to review the curriculum getting your HSGQE exams back Nov. 22-23 arrived in the library a couple of documents and the materials. In- and inputting the information into weeks ago and are being cataloged. terested participants can send the documents provided. It was a Tamara is in the process of boxing Carol an email. big help to me and of course the them up and sending them out. I state and testing company. sent the passwords for the hand- By the time you read this newslet- HSGQE results are posted to DRC’s book and the practice questions via ter, all teachers who were responsi- website by November 30th and we email October 11th. I f you didn’t get ble for AimsWeb reading and math should have paper copies by De- hopefully have completed their it, please email me. cember 7th. testing. Your principal has had Most of the science materials are in AimsWeb notebooks with the test- I will make a trip to Montana with now. We are still missing some ing material in it and an email with Carl’s group to view the training teacher editions for Biology, and a the K-2 materials. The district of- that we will expect in our second few other minor things. Thirty-five fice will insert your scores into the year of the Voluntary Public School high school students books were program as soon as we get final Choice grant. I will be talking to ordered for the major courses: Physi- data (scores). Shawn is in the proc- teachers to see what their chal- Inside this cal Science, Biology, and Earth Sci- ess of setting up your accounts so lenges are and how they best feel issue: ence. Fewer books were ordered for you can review your student scores is the most effective way to meet Physics and Chemistry, taught to just and print out reports for collabora- these challenges. GT Program 2 a few students at the upper levels. tive meetings. Every Science teacher will have a Most principals and a team of dis- manual for each of the different Jimmy Huntington School and trict office certified staff attended Technology 2 courses, but may not have enough Merreline A. Kangas School have the “Response to Instruction” train- student copies and lab manuals for chosen Alternate Learning Styles as ing required by the state in Fair- all of your students. These were their school improvement support banks recently. Ruby, Allakaket, Library News 2 ordered this way because many of services provider. Those schools and Huslia sites will be developing you use AGS materials in Joe Mar- will have Michelle Walker and her their school improvement plan ley’s classes and the materials were colleagues visiting their schools to based on some of the previous Grants 3 very expensive. However, you re- give extra tutoring services to stu- training you all received at the ceived at least one copy or more of dents. Allakaket School has cho- district-wide in-service and on these Glencoe materials. If we need sen Alaska Learning Labs. A some of the RTI model principals Safety 3 more student copies, I believe we teacher from their school will use we learned about. Principals will could order more during the year. this provider’s curriculum to give be talking to their staff about im- Middle School and Elementary mate- students extra tutoring services plementing some of these strate- In-service 4 rials are also on the way. I have not after school. This provider pays the gies. Just a reminder for the 3 Photos received any of the hands-on demon- teacher to complete these activi- schools who need improvement plans—they are due to November stration kits so far. ties. Site News 6 1st and must also be approved by Joan Jones has been working hard Thank you for your kind attention their CSC before hand. on putting the math GLE’s into the during the in-service. We hope you New Staff 7 checklist document as well as the enjoyed the prizes. I have not com- We are beginning the second nine new K-2 GLE’s. The math GLE pleted tabulating the results of the weeks already. Where has the first checklists will be used by the princi- evaluations as yet, but she will let part of the year gone?! We have pals on their observation walk-thru you know the results as soon as I much to do, but you all have our that EED requires as part of the dis- have the information completed. I support here in the district office. I trict improvement plan. Joan also did collect the chart paper from the will travel to Ruby and Allakaket spent a week out in Allakaket help- last day and will summarize your toward the end of the month. En- ing with their Aims testing and men- work. joy the snow! Page 2 Special Education by Cristina Welker Although GIFTED AND TAL- Times Thursday Friday ENTED is not considered connected to Special Educa- 9:30 – 10:30 Jr. Great Books tion anymore, Pat Baser, our Grade 3 Speech/Language Patholo- 9:45 – 10:30 Jr. Great Books gist, is offering a GT program Grade 3 to those sites who are inter- ested. Jr. Great Books and 10:30 –11:15 Sounds Like Fun Sounds Like Fun the National Geographic Bee are two wonderful programs 11:15 – Noon Jr. Great Books to peak student interest and Grade 4 challenge their minds. 1:00 – 2:00 Jr. Great Books Jr. Great Books Please see the video sched- Grades 1 2 Grade 1 2 ule to the right for times and days. (The slots designated 2:45 – 3:30 Geography Bee Geography Bee for “Sounds Like Fun” is for Grade 4-12 Grade 4-12 The GT Program is for Pre-K through grade 2, spe- cifically for Speech/ students who are at *Remember – students must be at or above grade level in reading Language services) to participate. Neither GT program is intended to be for remedial or above grade level services. NO EXCEPTIONS! in reading. Technology News by Patty Hill Just a few updates from the Paskvan will be addressing video- Shawn Coyle—374-9413 Technology Department. We conferencing problems and Patty Susan Paskvan—374-9405 are in the process of hiring a Hill will be helping out with email Patty Hill—374-9416 Technology Assistant here at issues. Please be reminded that In order to get the best service, the District Office to help your first point of contact should please communicate your technol- Shawn out with the huge vol- always be your site tech, but if ogy concerns via email. This way, ume of technology issues your problem cannot be resolved your request is documented with a around the district. at the site level then please feel time and date stamp. Phone calls free to contact the appropriate are easy to forget and are more Also, to alleviate some of the person the District Office: more tedious tasks, Susan likely to get lost in the shuffle. Library News by Tamara Wilkinson Looking for Hello from the Library! Whew, teaching, give me a call and I will spotlight: what a busy year so far. Battle see what is in the library or go supplemental of the Books have been sent online to www.yksd.com, click the JUST IN. out, so everyone should have library link and look around. A teaching Story Watchers Club Series, Our received their books or will be few resources available are the Planet, World Folktales, Keys to materials? getting them soon. As some of Subject Kits, Art Kits, movies and Imagination, Good Character, you know, and some do not, I different types of books. Christmas, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, am new to the library experi- A variety of Please feel free to send an email and Storytellin’ Fun!. The Call of ence. I was transferred over the Story; An American Renais- from the business office, work- regarding what may be lacking in kits are avail- the library so that we can work to sance, Children Tell Stories; ing in payroll. I am learning Teaching and Using Storytelling in everyday, so please be patient purchase what is needed . I will able at the the Classroom if I am not able to answer your be needing your help in the near Library questions right away, but will future choosing some items, Several new art kits also came in answer them after a little re- such as books, videos, books on from the Fairbanks North Star .