Teachers, staff, and students will have use of the school’s Wi-Fi network and technology resources, including use of school-issued iPads and laptops for teachers, Chromebooks for students, and on-campus internet access for all. This system is to be used for educational purposes, preparing students for success in their college, their career, and in their home life, for increasing educator-student communication, and enhancing the productivity of the school. These guidelines govern school communication and communication about the school, whether sent over school-owned devices or personal electronic devices. Users shall have no expectation of privacy in the contents of their personal files on school networks and devices and agree to comply with Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) in handling personally identifiable information and student educational records. Protection for Students, Staff, and Schools To safeguard security of data and information, only school-owned encrypted devices will be connected to the school’s Wi-Fi system. Neither employees nor students may use their personal devices for work purposes without authorization in advance from school administration. Employees are responsible for the content of all written text, images, or audio, sent or published over the internet. Employees are prohibited from posting statements, photographs, and video or audio that reasonably could be viewed as obscene, malicious, threatening or intimidating. Employees are prohibited from distributing any message in any form that disparage other employees, students, families, and others with whom we interact or that might constitute harassment or bullying. Furthermore, employees may not transmit messages or other communication by means that hide or mask or their identity or attempt to use someone else’s identity rather than their own. Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash Use of Electronic Communication Tools Teachers should check their email at multiple points throughout the day and respond to emails within 24 hours. Contact with parents or guardians should be made frequently, including positive reports rather than just for student discipline reasons.
Tips for Email Communication with Parents
Communication with Colleagues Any communication sent using school technology and/or school email accounts have no expectation nor guarantee of privacy. We agree to be open, honest, and caring with one another.
Use of Employee-Owned Personal Electronic DevicesMaking and receiving personal calls, text messages, or other communication should be limited. The use of personal cell phones should not result in additional costs to the school and should not interfere with the performance of employee duties or normal business operations. Social Media UseSocial Media is a powerful tool that has a significant impact on the school and student culture. The social media policy is designed to offer practical guidance for responsible, clear, and positive communications via social media channels (Bennett, K. 2018; Fox, S. 2017). Examples of social media channels include but are not limited to the following: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Skype, TikTok, and Instagram.
School-related social media posts should be sent to the officially-appointed employee who is identified as being responsible for the content of the page rather than be posted on personal social media sites. Employees are liable for anything they post to social media sites. Violations of the above will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. References
Accel Schools. (July 1, 2019). Employee handbook for employees at Banning Lewis Academy. Retrieved July 25, 2019, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_sUa6I1UzeKbmwtQjdnbDB4eF9IY0VUNjVJMjV6SnB1NXlz/view?usp=sharing Bennett, K. (2018, September 13). Families Matter: Engaging Families to Strengthen Community. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2014/02/05/families-matter/ Fox, S. (2017, November). Mass imagineering: Combining human imagination and automated engineering from early education to digital afterlife. Technology in Society, 51. Washington County Public Schools (2020). Acceptable use of telecommunication. Retrieved June 17, 2020, from http://wcpsmd.com/documents/acceptable-use-policy-telecommunications Parent Support for Classroom InstructionConsistency and ease of use facilitate the communication flow with teachers and parents. Every teacher will post assignments, announcements, and class information in Schoology, which is the same Learning Management System (LMS) used in every grade level and content area district-wide. Schoology is also connected to the electronic grade book system, PowerSchool, so students and their families can see grades and attendance reports in real-time. Parent Meetings, Conferences, and ActivitiesRegistration day and back-to-school night are the first opportunities for the school to interact with families. To limit crowding and respect parents’ time, registration times are assigned but alternate times are also available to accommodate various family schedules and needs. Teachers post online open-house information in Schoology for parents who cannot attend face-to-face and record Meet The Teacher videos on FlipGrid to introduce themselves. QR Codes to the videos are posted next to each classroom door so they can be scanned at any time, which helps with crowded times at Parent-Teacher Conferences too.
Parent Volunteer Opportunities The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at each building supports volunteerism and tracks hours to follow up with parents and recognize outstanding contributions to the school. Every family agrees to two hours per month of volunteer service or a financial contribution in lieu of time. The PTO communicates with members via remind and email while also inviting nonmembers to participate by posting events and live streaming their meetings via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Teachers can also send emails to parents for each class to express specific needs or projects or submit requests to the PTO for purchasing items or sponsoring student fees for families in need of assistance. School-Parent Compact The School-Parent Compact has been developed in a joint effort by the PTO, School Accountability Committee, SAC, and Banning Lewis Academy school staff. It is spelled out in the student handbook and starts as follows: “Because every child needs stability, continuity and a champion who believes in his or her human potential, Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy works to foster a close connection between home and school.” Parental Involvement in Decision-Making
Parent ResourcesThe school maintains an active website and uses an app to push notifications to parents regarding upcoming events, deadlines, and safety information during inclement weather. Parent University courses are available at the school biweekly and online in the Schoology LMS in both English and Spanish. Course titles include What You Need to Know About Concurrent Enrolment for students interested in taking college courses while in high school, Parenting with Love and Logic to support healthy family relationships, Digital Citizenship to educate about internet and social media safety, and Financial Peace University which is offered in conjunction with the church that rents space in the building. The courses are promoted through Schoology and the school’s social media. References
Banning Lewis Ranch Academy. (2019). BLPA Student Handbook. Retrieved June 10, 2020, from https://www.blracademy.org Banning Lewis Ranch Academy. (2018). Colorado’s unified improvement plan for schools: Banning Lewis Ranch Academy UIP 2018-2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019 from http://co-uip-cde.force.com/?dcode=1110&scode=0555 Bambrick-Santoyo, P. (2012). Leverage Leadership: A practical guide to building exceptional schools. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons: Jossey-Bass. Daniel, J. (2017, August). Strong collaborative relationships for strong community schools. National Education Policy Center. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED578684.pdf Using blogs as a communication tool allows school administrators to connect and collaborate with a wider range of readers than they could possibly reach through face-to-face conversations. There's just not enough time in the day to have detailed conversations about the craft of educators, but these are important conversations to have. Blogging allows leaders in education to leverage technology to facilitate asynchronous interactions, spark deeper conversations, and inspire others to strive for excellence. There are five advantages listed below, but since there are more that I could have mentioned, please add your ideas to the comments below.
1. Model effective and appropriate use of technology. School administrators can use blogs as a meaningful way to communicate, connect, and build a sense of community with other educators. The blog reaches beyond the four walls of their own school, inviting diverse perspectives and ideas to be shared among educators around the world. In a society where digital communication and social media can be isolating and divisive, the administrator has an opportunity and a responsibility to create a shift towards positivity, joy, and enthusiasm. 2. Reflection leads to learning and growth. Educators improve their practice through collaboration and reflection. The value of a reflective practitioner, especially one embracing gratitude, curiosity, and growth, cannot be underestimated. One blogger who does this remarkably well is Seth Godin (@ThisIsSethsBlog). Seth's blog, which I follow on Twitter, has shown me that a blog post does not need to be long to be meaningful. The daily practice of writing, reflecting, and sharing our learning with others is the key.
Some traditions are worth preserving. One tradition I cherish is that my AP Chemistry class gets a chance to express their gratitude and learn about compounds at the same time. Here's some of their work:
1. They don't deserve it.
Your naughtiest class needs to do more labs. You know that one class - they don't listen, don't follow instructions, don't complete assignments, and don't seem to care - they need to do more labs! How else will you entice them if you don't ignite their curiosity and offer them something new and different from all their other classes? Besides, once they know you will give them a chance to move and explore, they also become more willing to complete the seatwork. Do a lab every day (if possible) with your toughest group of kids. You will be amazed at the transformation. 2. They can't sit still. You know this already, so stop trying to force your students to sit in a desk all day! Get them up and moving. It's easier for them to sit still if they trust that you will get them involved in the lesson as soon as you can. It doesn't have to be a formal lab - just get up and act out the motion of molecules or dramatize a physics problem. Not only will it help their comprehension, it will help with behavior problems. Kids sit enough in other classes. Don't make them do it in your class too. 3. They don't turn in lab reports. Who likes to grade those anyway? Give them a lab quiz. Graph the data together and then grade their data analysis. Have a "board meeting" by giving each group a dry erase board to present their findings on. Doing a lab every day doesn't mean grading a formal lab report every day. Be creative and give them a variety of ways to communicate their results. One of the best lab reports I ever got was submitted as a video.
4. There's not enough time.
I often hear from teachers that they would do more labs, but they don't have time. I also hear students say "Our teacher cancelled our lab because we weren't listening during notes/didn't turn in our homework/failed our quiz, etc." Labs are not a waste of time or a reward for good behavior! You don't have enough face-to-face time with your students to waste it by letting them watch YOU solve problems at the board. The level of understanding we can build through inquiry and labs- by DOING SCIENCE - far surpass what we can achieve by just reading, writing, and talking about science. 5. They can't be trusted with lab equipment. Lab safety will only be a priority if you, the teacher, make it a priority. This includes handling equipment appropriately and demonstrating proper lab techniques, and leaving time for clean up at the end. Consider allowing students to earn badges for certain lab skills, like properly lighting a bunsen burner, mastering microscope skills, or carrying out a titration. Make it fun and meaningful - include lab skills and safety in your gradebook. Follow through with consequences for violations. A lot of my glassware gets cleaned during after school detention and it's a logical consequence for repeat offenders. If you are teach science, you get to do one of the coolest jobs on the planet! If you can't get kids excited about the smells and squishes and colors and sounds, you're just missing out - and so are they. Teaching is more than a job; it's my purpose and my passion. As I enter my 20th year of teaching, I have been discouraged and frustrated. It's been over a DECADE already that we've been talking about providing better feedback for student learning than the traditional grading system provides. I'm so sick of students (and their parents) chasing points and percents when does it get to be about the learning? I continue beating my head against the wall.
I've done my best to make my classroom instruction more effective and make dramatic changes in the way we approach learning. There was a time when I offered points for students who brought tissues and didn't use their bathroom passes. But there's no learning target in that and it didn't belong in my gradebook. Guess what - parents still send me hand sanitizer and tissues just because I ask for them, not because I've bribed them somehow. There was a time when 50 minutes of lecture was the norm because we have to get students ready for college. I've learned a better way. But now I'm at a crossroads: do I teach until I'm a blue-haired old granny (by the way, I'm gonna rock the blue hair when the time comes), or do I take my expertise and skills in a new direction and FINALLY get paid what I'm worth and get my life back? Instead of spending every waking moment grading papers and planning lessons, I could spend time with my family - WHAT?!? Teaching is still what I'm here to do, but there are many ways to teach:
I'm good at what I do. I'm just not sure that the public school system has much to offer me anymore. The only thing that keeps me here is the question my 16-year old asked: Are you really ready to walk away and let someone else take over YOUR classroom and YOUR kids? I guess I'm a little possessive. |
Miss Gray's Science ClassesArchives
August 2020
Categories
All
|