OGCS/SSCS February 2011 ES Agenda (2 1/2 hours)

Please read the Please read the agenda, along with each of its links (all links available in ES Handbook for future reference).

The agenda quizz must be completed in your ES WEBfiles BEFORE attending your ES meeting.! This agenda has been posted 2/3/2011 and the agenda quiz is due 2/14/2011.

 

Please note that if you must miss your ES meeting, you should inform your Area Facilitator and ES Advisor and make arrangements with another AF to attend another meeting that month. (All meeting times and dates are posted in the ES handbook along with AF e-mail addresses and meeting date, time, and location). Your AF is listed in ES Webfiles on the ES Welcome page. If you miss the meeting altogether, you will be reminded of your responsibility to attend and will be held responsible for the information given at the meeting. If you miss another meeting, it will become a discipline issue and may result in a drop in your student load. We do not believe that you can effectively serve your students if you miss critical information about the school and your job. Thank you for making these meetings a priority as you schedule your time for this school year!  The ES Support Department.

 

1) Dates to Remember and Dated Duties

a) February 10, 2011: Complete transcript coding in ES Webfiles for any 9th to 12th grade students with transcripts not currently sub-coded.

 

b) Feb 15, 2011 and March 17, 2011 at noon: Payroll Snapshot dates.

 

c) February 25, 2011: Complete mid-year check and email to your advisor.

 

d) February 28, 2011:  By this date, send the parent assessment letters as directed in the assessment section below, then check that it is done on the Parent Checklist (PALTR). 

 

e) February 28, 2011: All 2nd to 11th grade students have been assigned to a STAR test site on your Assessment page in ES Webfiles.  If you have a student who needs to test in a location other than their local area, you can email that information prior to Feb. 28 to Fina at assessmentclerk@ieminc.org. Be sure to indicate the student’s name, number, and the site where they need to test.  (Note: This is only for unusual circumstances!).

 

f) February 28, 2011: Last day to make any final assessment duty trades and inform the Assessment Department at:  OGCS: proctor.ogss@ieminc.org; SSCS: Scantron@ieminc.org . We will review the schedule for any ESs who have gone from full-time to part-time or vice versa at that time.

 

g) February 28, 2011: Phase 3 of the Materials import cleanup is to be completed. 

 

h) March 1 & 2, 2011: Please remind your 4th and 7th grade students this month of their upcoming STAR Writing assessment on these dates. Again, the school must have 95% participation; therefore do all you can to make your students/parents feel comfortable with this upcoming assessment. We hope the school writing assignment was a help again this year for this. (Remember the email samples to use for this and other emails to parents already approved for your usage at http://www.sscs.cc/Handbook/samples/indexiem.html .  If you create your own email, it must have your advisor approval before sending out.)

 

i) March 4, 2011:  Have all Writing Scores entered in ES Webfiles and also the Postmark date for original writing samples with scored rubrics to be sent to the school office (See 2a below).  Mail originals to:  SSCS/OGCS Writing Samples, 1166 Broadway, Suite Q, Placerville, CA  95667.

 

j) March 4, 2011: Complete and email/mail your ES Self Evaluation to Your ES Advisor by March 4th. (See January agenda for info)

 

k) March 4, 2011: Mark in your graduates as planning to attend the graduation ceremonies or not in ES Webfiles at View/Students Graduation tab.  (All fields there are for you to enter except for the middle section labeled “CAHSEE” and “Materials”.) Enter participation under the correct column for the student’s grade level (HS or 8th).

 

l) March 13, 2011: Daylight savings time change!

 

m) March 14, 2011: This is the last day to sign a SA and start a student for the 2011 school year. This enrollment cut-off date is based on state funding, and the minimum amount required to support a student’s enrollment in our school until May 20.

 

n) March ES Group Meeting:  All 2011 perfect portfolios are due!

 

o) March 24 to April 28, 2011: STAR/PFT testing window.  All of your students must be tested in this timeframe--either by attending a site, or by you testing them individually if they miss attending their site assessment date.

 

p) April 1, 2011:  Complete all of the materials import project phases.

 

q) April 29, 2011:  2011 Order deadline—plan ahead!

 

2) Things to Do

a) Finding Answers Quickly and Efficiently: As an organization that encompasses a large geographical area, with school employees whom our IT department tells us work their own set hours, which are 24/7, we have used internet based resources to enable you to find most of your answers at your fingertips within minutes.  Please do your own research in our provided school documents before contacting a person for help. The volume of information and choices we offer would be overwhelming for anyone to always remember!  Therefore, when you need an answer, please check your favorite online resources (geared to your learning style) before calling or emailing a friend or an advisor.  Your friend may not have dealt with your situation since policies/processes have changed, and your advisor may be dealing with a large unusual situation for your fellow ES (you may be next!) that must take priority.  Meanwhile, we want no one to have to wait for anyone else in order to do their job (except for special circumstances).  Become familiar with and make good use of your online ES Resources:  Documents, Webexs, Fact Sheets, Sample emails. Then remember to please exhaust these handy resources before going to your advisor—save them for your “impossible” situations, which they are great at helping you to solve!

 

b) Orders for 2011 & 2012:

·         You should be finishing up your orders for items that will be used in the 2011 school year.  Ask your families this month to begin making their list of what they think they would like to use for 2012, if they will be returning.  Then you can look over those items together at your March ES meetings, and begin to place the orders for 2012 as you have time prior to ES Checkout in June.  Remember to check the Bulletin Board for available items already school owned before placing your orders. We always ask you to plan ahead, as we want you to be able to have a wonderful work-free summer vacation time to get in a good break from school. More information on ordering for the year ahead will be coming in future agendas.

·         For planning purposes, the last date to order using 2011 IF is April 29, 2011.(Don’t enter your 2012 POs until we give you the go ahead.)

·         SSCS only:There will be no “Delayed POs“ this year! Spring ordering will revert back to the regular Spring PO ordering processes.

·         Note: Any items needed for a student for summer school must be ordered from 2011 IF--there will be no separate summer school funding.

 

c) IT updates:

·         LR Dictionary: If you are not already using the LR Dictionary feature, please read the training for how to use the FRED Dictionary to add words to it for spell checker usage: http:/www.ieminc.org/handbook/computerrel/FREDDict.htm .

·         Smart Phones and Email: If you have not set up your smartphone to receive our school email system, read this configuration document:  https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1W6SJWZip3SWjeucGJjCMeG0W7SvpdWWEn7rzDCWjipk .

·         Considering a new computer purchase for work:  http://www.iemsupport.com/PrefComputers.htm  .

·         IT Blog Link: http://it-ieminc.blogspot.com/ .

·         MAC and Webex info:To those of you who use MAC computers for your ES job duties, please be aware that in order to watch our school WebEx recordings, you must have the following:

1)     You  need 10.5 operating system or higher in order to view WebEx recordings

2)    No matter what operating system you have, you cannot view DivX recordings

3)    You need to view WebEx recordings using Firefox, not safari

In order to resolve your issues, start with upgrading your system to 10.5 or higher and downloading Firefox to your computer (Safari doesn’t work for this).  Then, re-download the latest WebEx player tools from either our website under the videos, or from WebEx directly – being sure to select players for MAC. If you cannot upgrade at this time, it is your responsibility to find a way to watch required WebEx’s prior to your AF meetings or whenever else they are assigned.  You may either ask a friend to view it on their machine, or a fellow ES might be willing to help you too.

 

d) Expository Writing Assignment Follow-up reminder

·         AFTER SCORING - AT HOME (January):  While at home after scoring, you will prepare two packets:

1.)  Parent Packet: Staple going from top to bottom, a copy of the scored Rubric(s) with the rubric having the “final averaged score” on the very top of the packet, the writing prompt, and a copy of the student’s writing sample. Give this packet to the parent for feedback and discussion purposes. 

2.)  School Packet:  Staple going from top to bottom, the original scored Rubric(s) with the rubric having the “final averaged score” on the very top of the packet, the writing prompt, and the original student writing sample.  You will also enter the score (or the “final averaged score”) in WEbfiles.

·         STUDENT/PARENT WRITING ASSIGNMENT FOLLOW-UP (February):

o  ESs are to enter the student’s score in the ES Webfiles View/Active Students on the Student Detail/Testing Assessment button/School Assessment tab in the Writing Assignment section. Enter the student’s grade level for this 2011 school year, the school year (2011), and the student’s overall final score.

o  At the February Learning Record meeting, provide your parents/student with the parent packet of the student’s scored writing sample (listed above).  Use this activity as a productive time for your parents/student. Plan to explain to them why the student received the scores and final score they did by reviewing the completed Rubric with the checklist embedded, and give them suggestions as to what they can do to improve their student’s writing overall.  It would be a good time to provide some helpful curriculum ideas and/or weblinks for further practice, especially for your 4th, 7th, and 10th grade students. You might consider asking your students to do a rewrite based on their scoring feedback and offer to score it for them at the end of the year (This rewrite does not need to be sent to the school, nor is it a school requirement). Webpage writing helps are posted at: http://www.sscs.cc/Handbook/writing_2011/wr_exp_index_11.dwt   

·         AFTER SAMPLES ARE SCORED (March):

Each ES is to make writing sample packets described above, and disseminate them as stated below:

       1. Be sure scores are entered in ES Webfiles as noted in Feb above.  Then mail together all of the original writing samples and prompts with attached scored rubrics in one packet to the school office by the first Friday in March. Mail originals to (School Name—NOT IEM), Writing Samples, 1166 Broadway, Suite Q, Placerville, CA 95667

       2. One copy of the writing sample and prompt with attached scored rubric is to be kept in the ES’s student file to follow the student while they are enrolled in our school. It can be used from year to year to show student progress, and to help the ES know where to focus the writing instruction. (This is not the same copy as a “portfolio sample”, which will be viewed by an auditor, then stored for 3 years as required by law, then discarded).

       3. One copy of the writing sample and prompt with attached scored rubric should be given to the parent/student at their February LR meeting. The scored samples should be used to facilitate a productive educational session.

       4. ESs should be prepared to explain to the parent why their child received the scores that they did, and suggestions as to what can be done to help improve their child’s writing.


e) Graduation Ceremonies:

·         Since students who complete their graduation requirements during the summer are considered Dec 2011/12 graduates, they will receive diplomas after Jan 2012 but may walk (with prior permission and a summer school enrollment) in the May 2011 graduation ceremony.  Remember, official transcripts are always better than a diploma if a student needs it for graduation verification, and are available as soon as their final report card has been submitted!

·         Put the graduation date on your calendar if you have a 8th or 12th grade graduate--it is important to your students that you attend!

·         Be sure to provide graduation ceremony information to your students, ask if they wish to attend, and indicate Yes or no for participation in Webfiles.  All high school students, those receiving a diploma or a certificate, may participate in the ceremony, as well as 8th graders. Be sure to keep the year/semester of expected graduation current as plans change.

ü  OGCS Graduation: Saturday, May 14 at 10:30 am for 8th grade and Noon for 12th grade at Ocean Grove's Resource Center site, 16900 North Highway 9, Boulder Creek, California.

ü  SSCS Graduation: Saturday, May 21 is the planned date—details still being arranged.

 

f) Portfolio Collection:

-Reminder: Remember that portfolios are due at your March ES Regional meeting. Plan now to collect any missing samples during your February LR meetings! Your ES portfolio checklist is in WEBfiles (Create/Print Portfolio List), and can be printed now for reference, and may be reprinted right before portfolio submission for the most up-to-date list if you transfer/drop/add students. It would also be wise to again read through the portfolio information and portfolio review in the handbook now to make sure that you understand all aspects of compiling and organizing the portfolios. If you have questions, do not wait for the agenda compilation, contact your Advisor now! Remember that there is a portfolio video available from the ES Protected page—Video link (bottom section). If you are a new ES and have not yet completed that section of your training and viewed this video, do so this month ASAP!

-March ES Meeting: All ESs must turn in final, complete 2011 portfolios for all students on your portfolio list at your meeting. You do need to attend your assigned regional meeting this month!! See this link for your March meeting information by school: OGCS  SSCS

 

3) Training Items

a) 2012 calendar:  OGCS   SSCS (Posted on school websites) For you planning, the school calendars have been set for the 2012 school year, and will soon be entered into ES Webfiles ready for Fall Student Agreements to be completed. The Fall 2012 General Info sheet is not ready (the state does not finalize our planned assessment dates until typically August), and should not be provided to families until the first meeting of 2012 school year. The STAR test window is given for general planning purposes only at this time, and is subject to change.

 

b) Professionalism Reminders for school meetings:

·         Professionalism at your ES Group Meetings: The ES Group Meetings are a time when very important and timely information is disseminated to the staff, and everyone must come prepared, undistracted, and ready to focus on the issues at hand.  You received PG credits for this time, you are held accountable for the information, therefore do not act rudely towards your fellow ESS and bring a child who will not allow you and your fellow ESs full attention to the agenda items. As a result, alternate childcare arrangements should be made for ES attending their AF meetings. IF you have a nursing infant, follow the directions in the Employee Handbook: Special Permission may be granted by the School Director for Nursing Infants.  Please make this request of your Advisor who will communicate with Janet to receive your permission.  Without permission, NO MORE CHILDREN AT ES GROUP MEETINGS.  Even with permission, it is your responsibility to ensure that neither you nor any other ES at your meeting is being distracted by your child away from the issues at hand. (pg 20 of Employee Handbook)

·         Professionalism at any Meetings:

ü  Remember that you also need permission from your parents in order to bring anyone with you to your meetings in their home.  It is not a school location, and privacy must be respected. You are expected to go alone to your meetings with parents unless it is a security issue and your advisor or another school employee is going with you.

ü  Show your professionalism by be prepared for your meetings--ES Group meeting, LR meetings with parents, AESS meetings with students, etc.

ü  Be sure to respect those you are meeting with (parents or at your ES Group meetings) by turning off or setting to vibrate your cell phone while in a meeting.  Wait to take a call until after the meeting!  Be professional by focusing all of your attention on those you are meeting with!

·         Timeliness: Remember that it is rude to be late--respect those you are meeting with by leaving early enough to arrive on time and do call in an emergency.  You would like the same courtesy, please give it to those you are meeting with while representing your school!

·         Professional Dress: Please review the dress code on page 21 of the employee handbook.  A good professional rule of thumb is to be sure to dress "better than" the family you are visiting, or appropriate for the group meeting you are attending while on school business. Parents have made change of ES requests for "dress issues"--let's try to avoid any of those requests in the future, please!

·         Professional Contacts: Show your families professionalism in your communication with them by asking at your first meeting with them (or now, if you haven’t yet) how they prefer to have you communicate with them.  Some families prefer emails, others want items mailed to them.  Some prefer phone calls, and some do not like calls interrupting their day.  Find out what time they prefer to be called, then make a note and respect their wishes.  Some like texting, some must pay for every text they receive and it is a big inconvenience for them to be “texted”. This little courtesy goes a long way in the parent/ES relationship.

·         Professional Transfers:  If you must initiate a transfer of a family away from you to another ES, please do so professionally to effect a smooth transition to the next ES.  A courtesy call to the family to let them know that you must make a transfer will help keep the school’s reputation intact, and your fellow ES who is receiving your student will start off on a better foot.  I know you would like this courtesy for an ES you are receiving as a transfer—please give the same courtesy when you initiate  a transfer—regardless of the circumstances. Remember, you are the professional and set the tone.

 

c) Materials Plan: Complete all of these projects by April 1.  Consult with your advisor on a difficult situation you are unsure of how to handle.

1. OGCS Only:  Concentrate on transferring items to the OG RL that you have taken there, now that you know none of your families have those items. (Training for this is in the Webex you will be watching together at your meeting). Do not take any more items there until you have entered them into ES Webfiles (see below), labeled them, transferred them, printed out a list, then boxed the books and the list together to make it an easy acceptance of the items for Kim.

2. Both Schools:  Catch up on any projects not done from prior months. Watch prior Webexs for refreshers of how to use this materials database.

3. Enter items in your possession not in FRED/not transferred from other ESs: (You will watch a Webex on how to do this at your meeting). If you have items to share not listed in FRED and other ESs have not transferred them to you from their list, then now you may enter those items and print labels.  They are ready to track and list on the bulletin board if you don’t need them. (Hint: A good time to deliver any items that other ESs want that you post on the bulletin boards may be at the March ES Group Regional meetings. )

 

d)Summer School (SSCS only for 2012): 

·         Info:

o  SSCS only plans to have summer school this year.  There was not much interest in OGCS last year.

o  Dates: May 31 to June 27, 2011.  6 hours a day.

o  ESs will have the option of teaching their own students, plus taking extra students if an ES does not wish to work summer school (it is not required).

o  More details are in the works and will be sent out soon. Watch the ES Listserve for details.

·         To do:

o  Summer school will be for High School students only, and only for those who are behind in credits to graduate this year (2011) or did not pass CAHSEE and need to take English/Math only.  Students who did not pass CAHSEE are expected to participate in an intensive CAHSEE Boot Camp, then will attempt the CAHSEE at a July administration just for them right after summer school is over.

o  Ask your parents/students if they are interested in summer school (only if they will qualify) and agree to the Boot Camp/CAHSEE plan, and keep a list of names (even if you do not plan to teach summer school).  Decide if you wish to teach for summer school. ESs who may be interested in serving as a summer school ES should then wait until more information is available on the listserve.

·         High School Graduates Preliminary assessment for summer school students: If you are planning on having a student graduate after Summer School, and haven't turned in the preliminary graduation assessment to your advisor for that student, please do this right away! We do not “graduate” students after summer school, but consider them 1st semester graduates of the next school year.  But, if all requirements have been met, they do not need to have continued enrollment/attendance in the school for 1st semester if we have approved their grad packet. Watch the new "Grad Procedures" Webex posted on the ES Videos webpage if you have a graduate!.

 

4) Messages from School Departments

a) Assessment

·         4th & 7th grade STAR Writing test final reminders: Test sites start at 9am on March 1st.  March 2nd is for make ups only. Students do not have to attend both days as most students finish their essay in a few hours. (The exception is the OG San Jose site which is broken down March 1 student with last names beginning A-L and March 2 M-Z due to room size constraints & SS Davis site is from 10-2). Students are assigned a writing site in FRED and locations of the sites may be found here: http://www.sscs.cc/Assessment/index.htm#STAR

·         If you expect to transport any students to the Writing test or STAR testing, please read our policy posted on the assessment page at: http://www.ogcs.org/assessment/transportstu.htm. 

·         Proctor Changes should be given to the assessment department by February 28th.

·         Inform your parents/students of their STAR test sites ASAP: We cannot take parent calls in the school office asking which site they are assigned to—it is your responsibility to print the STAR letter from FRED and give them to your families (by February 28th).  If families need to change their test site, YOU must inform the assessment department by February 28th.  You should also check in with families again just before their test dates to ask if they have any questions about where to go and when.

·         To make notes regarding your students' STAR attendance in FRED please make sure you’re putting your notes in the correct location. (View > Testing > STAR attendance > select the appropriate student and click one of the gray boxes on the right under “CST comments”.) Place notes in the green section next to the appropriate test. This is the only place the accountability coordinators will have access to on the testing day so they know which absent students to call or not.

 

b) Guidance:

·         Important Notice!!!  CAL GRANTS – the deadline to submit Cal Grant applications is March 2nd.  There are NO exceptions. Steps to getting CalGrant money:
1)  Go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/   click “FAFSA on the Web Worksheet” print out this worksheet and give it to your graduating seniors
2)  Have the family use last year’s tax returns to help them answer the questions on the worksheet;  have the family use the worksheet to complete the online FAFSA application
3)  To apply for a CalGrant, students must also get an official GPA verification form signed by our school’s Guidance Department http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/march2_11-12_gpaform(fillable).pdf  After the Guidance Department signs the GPA verification form, it is mailed back to the family.  The GPA verification form and the online FAFSA application need to be done well before the March 2nd deadline.  It is suggested that you print up the GPA Verification form and FAFSA worksheet and give those to your graduating seniors.  Additional information about applying for Cal Grants and access to the required forms is available at their website http://www.calgrant.org/.  

·         On Feb 11th at 1 pm, WebEx training will be offered to parents needing assistance in filling out the FAFSA application.  Parents interested in attending this training will need to email Teri (guidance@ieminc.org) to reserve a space.

·         Congratulations to SSCS ES Joyce Padgett! Joyce had a very high percentage of her students pass the CAHSEE and had two students move up 80 points in their score!!!  In speaking with Joyce, she indicated that she has used many different interventions and she is addressing CAHSEE concepts at each learning record meeting. If an intervention starts becoming ineffective, she stops using it and starts another intervention. In addition, she doesn’t expect perfection and often meets her AESS students a second time during the week to ensure their success.  Joyce tries to empower her students with positive feedback and give them confidence that they can succeed.  She rewards her students for even small progress.

·         Thanks to all the dedicated teachers/families!  We now have test preparation part of Bridges!! This test preparation is for CAHSEE, but the vendor also states that it is appropriate for CST preparation for CA as well (grades 7 to 12).  Once a student logs into this Bridges site:  www.bridges.com, Site ID: 1222374    Password:  Z8z5b5X7  and creates their portfolio here (note, this may be a different site than you have used in the past—start over to use this great new feature!), they can then begin the test gear for math and English.  One amazing part of this program is that a student takes a “Brain Scan” to create a personalized learning path.  The Brain Scan takes approximately 30 minutes for the math and 30 minutes for the English. Hopefully ES’s will use this as part of the CAHSEE intervention and also part of the CST preparation. If a high school student needs to take the general math CST, this math portion could be a perfect preparation. Please encourage your students to take the Life Skills class with Bridges and plan for a successful future.

·         SSCS Boot Camps – the CAHSEE Boot Camps had 42 students which is a major increase from last semester. The students at the Boot Camps were enthusiastic, showed up early for class and were very engaged in the CAHSEE preparation.  This is because of the dedicated teachers that are encouraging their students and making CAHSEE a priority.  Thanks for all the hard work and hopefully our test scores will continue to improve because of this!

·         OGCS Only: Excellent Opportunity for our Ocean Grove students living in the following districts: Campbell Union High School District, East Side Union High School District, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, Milpitas Unified School District, San Jose Unified School District and Santa Clara Unified School District. The Central County Occupational Center (CCOC) offers courses within 12 industry sectors where junior and senior high school students can explore and develop technical skills that will lead them to higher education or into the workplace. Students attend half-days on the CCOC campus and half-days at their home high schools for a semester or an entire school year.  For more information:  http://www.metroed.net/cte-day.html   http://www.metroed.net/~polanski/2010-11EntireCounselorsHandbook.pdf .

 

c) Curriculum                             

·         CaliQity (online)--New online vendor coming soon!  Watch list serve for vendor trainings.  Plan now for next year.

This vendor is in the process of contracting with many various online vendors whose course content will all be delivered through this one online management system.    

--At this time, CaliQity is offering Aventa core course content re-branded as CaliQity “Currium” courses.  You will be able to purchase unlimited, asynchronous “Currium” core courses through CaliQity for only $30 a year!! 
--The year license will run from the beginning of the school year to the end of the school year (and do I need to say this) there is no pro-rated pricing. 
--At this time, the vendor is too new for us to know its downside.  The main downside, as with any new online vendor, is that it will take time to become proficient at their course management platform to give your student an optimal experience.   

--Please make every effort to attend one of the vendor “Go To Meeting” teacher trainings being given during February and March.

If you would like to participate in a live demonstration webinar, you can visit www.iq-ity.com. To the right of the page, you will see “Sign Up For a Free Webinar.” Simply select “California,” and then select a date from the drop-down list.

·         Strategies for Writers 2008 (Zaner-Bloser) http://shop.zaner-bloser.com/c-105-strategies-for-writers.aspx

--A user-friendly, effective writing program that gives yearly age-grade appropriate instruction in each of the four genres:  narrative, descriptive, expository (including compare & contrast), and persuasive.

--Available in grades K-8.
--Genre units can be taught in any order.
--Additional instruction for taking high stakes tests in each genre.
--Integration of six-trait writing.

·         2012 School-Wide Writing Assignment Genre – Expository Compare & Contrast

--Begin planning now for next year’s school wide writing assignment and be thinking about what writing resources your family may want to purchase for this genre.  Strategies for Writers 2008 by Zaner-Bloser is a very good resource for this.

·         2012 HQT SME’s

The laws have changed…again!  (My husband always says, “The only constant is change.” ) See below for what this means for us:
1. Foreign Language: Next year, the Foreign Language SME’s will only be able to supervise students in the language there were certified in.  Both schools have SME’s that are certified in Spanish and SSCS has an SME that is certified in Russian.  What does this mean for you?  This means that we will most likely not have a SME for many of the foreign languages that our students may want to take (e.g. Urdu, Swahili, Italian, Japanese, etc).  Therefore, it will be more incumbent on our students to take those languages through an online vendor or at a community college so as to not need a SME.  If you know of someone credentialed in any of the other foreign languages, please have them consider working for our schools and have them contact Tracy Edwards, tedwards@ieminc.org. 
Online vendors to check out are:  Middlebury Interactive Languages, National University Virtual High School, North Dakota Center for Distance Learning, APEX CTV, APEX ALVS, and BYU to name a few.  These vendors, however, tend to all offer the same 3-4 languages.  We are also able to use Rosetta Stone CD’s in lieu of an SME.  We currently do not have Rosetta Stone as an online vendor and will begin working on making them a vendor, but this one is very complicated. 

2. VPA Dance is now considered part of the PE standards and no longer requires an SME. You will no longer need to enroll your students in a Dance SME course!

3. VPA Theatre/Drama is now to be an extension of English and comes under those SME’s credentialed in English, which we have available for both schools.  But, if you have your English HQT certification, you will no longer need to enroll your student with a Theater/Drama SME.

4. VPA Music now needs an SME that is credentialed in Music, and we will be hiring someone who will be the SME for both schools. 

5. Sciences: Each of the sciences need their own SME now, but we have a SME that can handle each of the individual sciences for both schools, except for Physics.  So encourage your students to consider taking Physics at the Community College or through an online vendor.

 

d) ROP:

·         It is the ESs responsibility to know what courses your student is taking with ROP, know how many credits the course they are taking is worth, and to know if you student is attending throughout the semester. Each ROP has a website with a lot of good information for you and your students.  Check out the ROP in your county at the following website: http://www.carocp.org/carocps.html.  If you have students who would benefit from this program, suggest this to them!  If the course falls within a core subject area, ROP is considered by the state to be NCLB compliant, and therefore a SME is not required. Put the ROP course name with maximum credits on the report card for SA and portfolio purposes, but do not click “done” on that line when submitted a report card, as  ROP will send official grades and credits to our school office for the transcript.

·         For SSCS, remember that our ROP coordinator is Dennis Fuller and your student taking an ROP course should be enrolled in a CP with Dennis.

 

e) Vendors: SSCS  OGCS

·         PO Procedures through STOP-PO Done Vendors:  When receiving a Problem PRVPO email, follow these steps:

o  ES makes corrections to the PO

o  ES rechecks STOP-PO Done to let the office know the PO is finished and ready for a final review

o  Do Not check ES Done, as the office will do that on approval.

·         Adequate Item Descriptions in POs: Descriptions need to be complete enough so that the office when reviewing the PO, is easily able to discern what the items are.  Descriptions that are readily understood, will not require back and forth emailing, and will be approved more quickly.  It is also important when our records are audited (as is EVERY PO), that items are easily understood and not questioned as to their educational value, being purchased with instructional funds.

 

f) Ed Liaisons:

SSCS:

·         GEA’s:

February 11-Romeo and Juliet at the Sacramento Ballet

March 8th- Raley Field Home run tour

May-TBA

·         Please, when signing up a family for a GEA, make sure that they really intend to go and that they are sure of the instructions. This last GEA with Romeo and Juliet was a nightmare as parents did not email me, did not send money on time or at all, never notified me that they were not going to send money.  It really makes it difficult to plan for certain numbers of people when they don’t follow directions or follow through with the directions. 

·         Fundraising-continue to collect box tops.  Also, if families are using escrip to shop at Safeway, they need to “reregister” their Safeway cards at www.escrip.com every year.

·         SSCS Graduation- Graduation is on May 21st, but the location will be different than previously announced.  Check your email for updated announcements.

8th grade Grads-ES’s, please ask your 8th graders if they will be participating in 8th grade graduation.  Please click the yes in EWS Webfiles if they are as this is the only way we have to get numbers.  8th graders do not order Cap and Gowns.

·         If you have parents who are interested in helping organize a park day for South Sutter students in their area, please have them email me lvoss@ieminc.org to let me know and I will help them set it up. We want to encourage this networking and school community activity!

OGCS: (Please read attachment at: Link). Print to take with you to your family visits.

 

5) ES Networking

a) Watch the Advanced Materials Training & the Materials Adding Items Webexs together as a group and discuss/look at how to do items the group has a question on in FRED/talk about what would be helpful additions.

b) Discuss help needed from each other for textbook ideas, CP classes, tutors, and other curriculum. and share peer tips.

 

6) Good Ideas from ESs from January meetings:

*Rubricstar.org is a good website for creating your own rubrics

* A great suggestion regarding Plagiarism, was to assign students a research essay or summary about Plagiarism to keep in their files!! 

* Would it be possible for someone to bring their printer/copier/scanner to each regional meeting in order to make quick easy fixes, scan questionable samples, or copy samples if need be?

*One ES reiterated the benefit of using Khan academy for CASHEE help. Especially for those students who are close to passing. It can give them that extra push.

* These are some applications to create calendars, lesson planners, etc for the computer or phone. Some look really nice for high schoolers too. 

Soshiku

 More for the student, than the teacher. The best way to describe Soshiku is to compare it to that day planner you lug around with you. You know the one: full of rescheduled assignments, course work, your daily schedule, sticky notes and paperclips hanging out all the over the place. It's your everyday life crammed into a book that you can't live without. Or maybe you do live without it, but you really need to get one :) This site is that day planner. It organizes your courses, manages assignments, keeps your notes, allows you to upload files, reminds you of due dates and upcoming tests, and lets you work with your science fair partner. The absolute best part: it can notify you of upcoming tests or assignment due dates via e-mail or TEXT MESSAGE! Where was this site when I was in college? I am so jealous! The site says it is for high school or college students, but it is simple enough to use for all ages. And because it's online, you can access your information anywhere there is an internet connection.

mySchoolog

Similar to Soshiku, this site focuses on the student world of courses, assignments, and tests. A few things that separate this site from the others is that it allows you to keep track of exam grades and calculate averages. It currently does not offer any compatibility with your phone, but the site says those capabilities are coming soon. I think once it can text you with notifications, it will surpass Soshiku.
Donna Young's Free Homeschool Planner
If you prefer the good old fashion paper planning, this is the site for you. This site offers lots of free printable forms, and some that you can fill in before you print. It offers lots of neat stuff, helpful advice on planning a curriculum, and tips on using the printable forms. They offer calenders, daily planning sheets, weekly planning sheets, journal pages, and even an adorable kindergarten diploma. I would recommend this site to anyone who spends money on planners of any kind, and is a great way to have make your schedule and info more accessible in the home.
Stixy
 This may be my inner child talking, but Stixy is so super cute! Stixy is like the family message board (schools and offices have them too). Some people prefer the cork boards, some people prefer the more updated magnetic/dry erase ones, some people still roll with the chalk boards of yester-year. Whichever fits your family style, Stixy will bring it online. Have you ever been on the road, at a meeting, or on the way to the grocery store and you needed something off of that board. You can picture the little sticky note that you need, or the magnet holding your grocery list in place. Now you can check your board from your cool new smartphone or anywhere there is an internet connection. And this board is way more interactive than the one you have the fridge at home. You can attach images, pdf files, word documents, calendars, to-do lists, assignments, important dates or appointments, the list can go on. You can change the color, style, and size of your font. You can make it as super cute or mundane as your heart desires. Those techy teenagers might actually remember to check the board. Stixy is also great for class notes, assignments, quizzes, storing and organizing research, sharing photos, and keeping connected with your local homeschool group.
Weblist
Yep, it's a list. . . on the web. Weblist allows you create, store, organize, and share information on the web in what it calls a list. Your list can be anything, about anything. Your lists can contain websites, photos, videos, text documents, pdfs, and more. Have a long list of websites that you like to reference in your lesson plans? Create a weblist for each subject and never go on the hunt for that site with the really good worksheets again. This site is also great for research projects and reports that include various forms of info and digital media that you need to store in one place. Each list gets its own unique URL, so you can easily share your personalized list of great resources and info with whomever you choose instead of sending out massive files to download or multiple urls to websites. Perfect for a teacher to make all the course materials available to the students and parents at home. And a great way to keep track of files that a home school group may share.

"Courtesy of Crawfish Pie Blogspot"