Good evening-
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. There is a lot going on this week at AHS so Be sure to take a look at everything here.
This year the Hour of Code will be the biggest and best ever. There is so much I can’t wait to share, and it starts with a special video!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. There is a lot going on this week at AHS so Be sure to take a look at everything here.
Just a reminder: Take a look at the email sent last week by Josh Wiczer regarding the Thanksgiving baskets. He needs to order laundry baskets this Friday, so all groups interested must submit the online form by then. This is an amazing tradition and a great way to give back to the community.
Monday, October 22 we will be introducing the students to the Sandy Hook Promise-
Anonymous Reporting System. I have included that was sent to parents here
(attached letter) for more information. As a reminder 11th & 12th grades will see the
presentation during 3rd block and 9th & 10th will see it last block.
(attached letter) for more information. As a reminder 11th & 12th grades will see the
presentation during 3rd block and 9th & 10th will see it last block.
Join us at the first Lead Learner/Innovation Team meeting Tuesday! All are welcome to have
a voice in moving AHS forward.
Please consider joining us in the AHS library next Tuesday, October 23 at 2:50pm.
Bus evacuation drills are Tuesday morning. We should be done by the bell but I wanted to
passit along in case we need more time.
I will host the my first Principal's Advisory Council of the year on Tuesday at noon. Students
know they are responsible for any missed work. I will send the list of student on Monday
afternoon.
I am also looking forward to welcoming the new inductees of National Honor Society
on Thursday, October 25 at 6:30pm. It is always a special night and I hope to see many of
you there. A special thanks to Marybeth Gallant and the Board for the work they did during
the selection process. It is not an easy job and they we so thoughtful during the whole
process.
This year the Hour of Code will be the biggest and best ever. There is so much I can’t wait to share, and it starts with a special video!
Computer science is about so much more than computers. It’s about solving problems, helping humanity progress, and building a world that only existed in your mind. It’s not just coding, but the things that fuel it: passion, collaboration—and creativity.
In just seven weeks, we’ll kick off the Hour of Code during CS Education Week, December 3 - 9th. Students worldwide will uncover something to love about computer science, to see that they too can code and create.
Join us as we post videos and stories about creativity
With 630 million served, you’ve helped build the largest learning campaign in history. Help us reach 1 billion! We invite students, parents, coders, artists, teachers, and creators of all walks to share what creativity means to you. You can post to social media in this format:
Creativity is _______ What will you create? #HourOfCode www.Code.org
Post to Twitter - ideally, include a video or photo with whatever crazy thing makes you feel creative. Or retweet our posts to get the word out!
Technology is changing every industry on the planet, and computer science has become relevant to every career—even those outside technology and engineering. And in only five years, the Hour of Code has engaged 10% of the world’s students, giving flight to imagination for hundreds of millions. For tens of millions of students, the Hour of Code will be an inspiring introduction to crucial 21st-century skills.
Hadi Partovi and the Code.org team
I saw this in the Marshall Memo this week and thought it was worth sharing as so many of you are doing a goal around peer observation this year:
4. The Value of Peer Observations, Done Right
In this article in Tools for Learning Schools, Kathleen Sheehy (LearningAI) and Leslie Hirsh Ceballos (an assistant principal in Allen, Texas) list five potential benefits of teachers visiting each others’ classrooms: another pair of eyes on classroom practices; low-stakes feedback that’s less stressful than a supervisor’s evaluative comments; helpful discussions about teaching and learning among peers; capitalizing on the instructional expertise within a school; and modeling for students that teachers can be learners too.
That said, Sheehy and Ceballos believe peer observers need to think through several issues to ensure success. “It’s important,” they say, “that educators teaming up for this practice have open and honest communication about what their expectations are – what they hope to get out of the observations, in addition to anything they don’t want to happen.” Schedules need to be aligned or coverage arranged; each teacher should be observed the same number of times; there needs to be agreement on how long each observation will last and when the debrief will take place (ideally soon after the class); the lesson plan should be available and specific look-fors or a focus area agreed on (e.g., wait time, checking for understanding); thoughts about which student work products will be shared afterward; and perhaps discussion of the best note-taking approach and where in the classroom the visitor will sit or stand.
During each classroom visit, Sheehy and Ceballos suggest that the observer get close enough to students to see and hear what they are doing without being intrusive; ask questions of students while they’re working (but not while the teacher is addressing the class); take detailed notes on what the teacher and students say and do; and focus on what the teacher asked for feedback on. Some no-nos: taking copious notes on details that aren’t important; writing down only things that fit a preconceived idea; trying to fix the lesson in real time; and jumping to judgments and conclusions.
“Any debrief is more helpful with careful planning,” say Sheehy and Ceballos. Prior to a face-to-face post-observation conversation, the observer needs to analyze the notes taken, highlight everything that worked well in the lesson, and decide on the most important growth area. Some possible prompts as the observer reflects: What questions will be most helpful for the teacher to answer during the debrief? Which suggestion could have the biggest impact on the teaching and learning? What is the teacher most likely to change based on my feedback? What is the ideal takeaway for my colleague?
The debrief conversation is where the most important work gets done. “Powerful questions offer many benefits,” says Sheehy and Ceballos. “They lead to open dialogue and conversation, invite the observee to do the thinking, are open-ended to allow for many possible answers, create a culture of deep thinking about practice, and require the observee to examine events from multiple perspectives.” Some possible questions:
From this list, Sheehy and Ceballos suggest deciding on a couple of questions to launch the conversation, and then adding questions or comments depending on the teacher’s responses – trying to keep the conversation from becoming too emotional. Being direct and specific about what was observed, they say, increases the ease with which the teacher can understand, accept, and act upon the feedback.
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