Message from Deputy Superintendent of Academics
Dr. Marion Smith Jr.
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| Hello, Colleagues!
It’s always a great day for learning and teaching in SLPS!
As we prepare for the next Districtwide Professional Development Day on Friday, October 14, 2022 culminating the end of Quarter 1 of the 2022-2023 school year, I recently revisited a text resource titled “Radical Departures: How the Reinvention Lab (currently) defines innovative learning.” I would like to share it with you. I invite each of us to challenge ourselves to move beyond ‘status quo learning’ and toward ‘reinvented learning’ by exploring these five questions.
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Did You Know? Bringing Awareness This Month
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National Principals Month| Navigating COVID-19 ushered in many challenging days, yet SLPS principals continued and continue to persist as beacons of light in their communities. Not only have they gone above and beyond to ensure their scholars’ academic success, they’ve also worked tirelessly to protect the health and safety of every person in their learning community. With every new challenge, they’ve risen to the occasion and have led their learning communities forward with bold leadership because they are the experts in what their scholars and schools need.
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Celebrated every October, National Principals Month is an opportunity for district leaders, elected officials, families, scholars, teachers, staff and community members to celebrate and honor our principals for their visionary leadership and tireless pursuit of success for each scholar.
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To kick off an awareness campaign to educate all in the district about the critical role school leaders hold, we will be spotlighting different school leaders on the district website by posting responses to the following prompt: “I am a proud SLPS school leader because…”
- Stay tuned for additional information for National Principals Month in celebration of our SLPS school leaders!
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Filipino American History Month | Filipino Americans are the second-largest Asian American group in the United States. The celebration of Filipino American History Month in October commemorates the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the continental United States, which occurred on October 18, 1587, when “Luzones Indios” came ashore from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza and landed at what is now Morro Bay, California. In 2009, U.S. Congress recognized October as Filipino American History Month.
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LGBTQ+ History Month | LGBTQ History Month was created in 1994 by Rodney Wilson, a high school history teacher in Missouri. In 1995, a resolution passed by the General Assembly of the National Education Association included LGBTQ History Month within a list of commemorative months. October was selected to coincide with National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11th), which was already established, and the anniversary of the first march on Washington for gay and lesbian rights in 1979.
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National Bullying Prevention Month| National Bullying Prevention Month is a campaign in the United States founded in 2006 by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. The campaign is held during the month of October and unites communities nationwide to educate and raise awareness of bullying prevention. Initially held the first week in October, the event was expanded in 2010 to the entire month.
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World’s Teacher Day | World Teachers Day, commonly known as International Teachers Day, is celebrated on the 5th of October to commemorate teachers across the globe. It is an annual initiative to recognize and celebrate each teacher's contribution and efforts, without whom we would not be who we are today. The theme for World Teachers' Day 2022 is “The transformation of education begins with teachers”. This is a day to celebrate the transformative and critical role that teachers play in growing learners' potential.
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Regardless of my professional title, I am a teacher first! As a former public school teacher in grades PK, 6-8, and 9-12 (in my hometown of Las Vegas, NV), I have modified an old adage: “THOSE WHO CAN…DO. THOSE WHO CAN DO MORE…TEACH!” Thank you to each SLPS teacher for all you do.
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Keeping “The Work” of the Academic Office Front and Center
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The WHY of our work for School Year 22-23:
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- To develop and/or deepen the habits of mind and adaptive leadership moves critical to disrupt and dismantle inequities in our systems, practices, policies and procedures so each scholar thrives.
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The WHAT of our work for School Year 22-23:
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Strengthen the *instructional core, so each scholar has access and targeted supports to achieve Standards and to engage in deeper learning through the ‘Key 3’
- Use multiple sources of data (qualitative, quantitative and perceptual) to inform decision-making
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Apply “best we know right now practices” to educate the Whole Child
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*teachers’ knowledge and skills; scholars’ engagement in their own learning; academically challenging content
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The HOW of our work for School Year 22-23:
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"It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow and transform.” – Roy T. Bennett
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Network Spotlight: Learning Network 5
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Pep Zone @ Soldan High School
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In the early morning darkness illuminated by the building lights, 3 Fox 2 News vans sat primed and prepped to feature the Soldan Tigers on the Pepzone.
As the students arrived, they were prepared, prompted and placed by MC Chris Regnier.
The first segment began, filled with anticipation and excitement as the Tiger athletes were proudly on display as the MC opened the show.
After a few moments of hyping the crowd, the first activity began: Footballs and volleyballs being tossed into trashcans for who can get the most as the staff band accompanied by several drumline members played Survivors, Eye of the Tiger.
Returning for segment 2, a soccer skills game was played for 10 push-ups. Needless to say, the MC was the one in the end getting a workout. Next was the powdered sugar doughnut eating contest. Who can eat 5 minis the quickest. It seemed to be an even battle between all the contestants.
Interviews were conducted with Head Football Coach, Ramon Edwards, and Athletic Director John Timm on the importance of Homecoming and the strong alumni base of Soldan High School.
It is always a special time of year for Soldan High School and its rich, loyal alumni base. We hope to see many in attendance at both the game and dance.
In the words of Ice Cube, “It was a good day.”
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Subject Area Spotlight: Social Studies
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Why Does Teaching Social Studies Matter?
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According to the Council of Chief State School Officers, 44% of all districts across the United States have reduced time for social studies instruction since the enactment of No Child Left Behind in 2001. That may not be a surprise, but other details from this study reveal why social studies is critically important.
Within the context of SLPS, social studies instruction is an issue of equity. Having content knowledge, or background knowledge, can actually make struggling readers stronger readers. Most of our state assessments are rooted in social studies and it is that background knowledge which helps our scholars with emerging skills achieve more than those scholars who are proficient readers, but have no background knowledge. When thinking about the long-term impact of social studies education, we have a population which is skilled at critical thinking, more engaged in social issues, and more likely to vote in elections and participate in the democratic process. Also, with a robust background in social studies, people are four times likely to volunteer their time to address community issues. Also, a strong social studies background helps people with public speaking and conveying ideas to an audience. When we consider that 23% of 8th grade students across the nation are “proficient” in civics according to NAEP, we have a lot of work to do. All we have to do is look at our news to see where critical thinking and an understanding of social studies has left us.
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On October 8th, Mahogany L. Browne will join St. Louis area educators for a free event devoted to Literacy for Joy & Justice. Browne is an author whose work ranges from board books for babies to fiction and poetry for young adults. Browne is the founder of a media literacy organization for community justice and the first-ever poet-in-residence at New York's Lincoln Center. Following Browne's morning keynote address, area teacher-leaders will share small group workshops on children's and young adult literature, writing, and anti-bias curriculum. While the event is free of charge, space is limited and registration is required. Visit this website to register and for more information.
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Bill of Rights Day Contest
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Looking ahead, December 15, 2022 is Bill of Rights Day, celebrating the day that the Constitution's first 10 Amendments were ratified in 1791. Courts around the country celebrate this important milestone throughout the month of December.
STUDENT CONTEST: To commemorate this important anniversary, the Court invites students to submit art and essays about the importance of the Bill of Rights. The third annual student contest is open to students in grades 5-12. Students can win up to $500. Contest deadline is Oct 30, 2022. Grand prize winners will be announced at the annual Bill of Rights Day webinar in December. Rules and entry form can be found on the official contest website, hosted by the Judicial Learning Center.
Contact info – Rachel Marshall Rachel_Marshall@ca8.uscourts.gov (314) 244-2410
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Required HS Assessment Reminders
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HS Teachers of US History: Citizenship Test in High School US History- Must be 100 questions and based on the USCIS test. Students need to score 60% or greater. I advise breaking up the test and not giving all 100 questions all at once.
MO Constitution Test in HS Government: Submit results by the end of the semester. Allow for retakes as needed. Passing score (60%) is required for graduation.
US Constitution Test in HS Government: Submit results by the end of 3rd Quarter. Allow for retakes as needed. Passing score (60%) is required for graduation.
***Passing all three exams is required for high school graduation.
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One of the main strategies I shared during August professional development sessions and encourage everyone to utilize are those “edu-protocols,” which are high engagement, student centered and focus as a check for understanding. Thin Slides, Iron Chef, Frayer, 8*parts, Number Mania and The Fast and Curious are protocols to be used in the class to build up skills that get kids excited to learn. These are not for social studies only, but can be applied to other areas as well. If curious, I can share these techniques and strategies with you as well.
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For more guidance, please contact Dr. Glenn Barnes, K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Specialist - Glenn.Barnes@slps.org
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Department Spotlight: English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
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ELL Instructional Resources
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Have you been looking for resources to support ELLs in your content area classes? The ESOL Program website has a section on ELL Instructional Resources with a variety of tools to support you.
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Lesson Planning for ELL Success
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The Content and Language Objectives Resources offer multiple tools to support writing language objectives for your ELLs. Here you will find: a Language Objectives Guide, the SIOP Language Objectives Cheat Sheet, a Toolkit for Writing Language Objectives, Content and Language Objective Samples, and a video presentation Moving from Content to Language Objectives.
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The Teacher Can Dos provide linguistic accommodations in each language domain and proficiency level describing what teachers “can do” to scaffold instruction for ELL scholars. Teachers can use this tool to inform them on ways to differentiate instruction based on scholar’s language proficiency.
The ELL Support Toolkit outlines a variety of scaffolds teachers can incorporate into content-area lessons and supports collaboration between ESOL and content-area teachers.
The Language Companion to myView: K-5 resource provides ESOL and content teachers access to pre-made PowerPoints that include ELL supports for each lesson in the areas of building background/activating prior knowledge, vocabulary, mini-lessons, and scaffolds. Language Companions to myView will be added to align with the district’s pacing guides quarterly. You will need to log in with your district credentials to access this resource.
The Language Companion to the DESE Math Model Curriculum: K-5 provides sample language objectives and linguistic supports for the math Missouri Learning Standards.
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ESOL Focus Strategies are instructional resources that help teachers working with ELLs scaffold and support content instruction in the following areas: activating prior knowledge, interaction, listening, reading, writing, and vocabulary. Each ESOL Focus Strategy resource consists of a narrated PowerPoint and a companion handout describing the strategy and tips for implementation. You will need to log in with your district credentials to access this resource.
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SIOP Training for Classroom & Content Teachers
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Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) training is available through two virtual courses for any content and classroom teacher who has English language learners in their classes. Each course consists of 4 live sessions and 7 self-paced asynchronous sessions. Click Here to view the flyer with training additional details about the training. To express interest in SIOP training, click here.
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SIOP is an instructional approach for teaching content to English Learners in strategic ways while developing their English language proficiency. The SIOP approach focuses on instructional components that both ELLs and native English speakers need for academic success.
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Department Spotlight: Curriculum & Instruction
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Report Cards will be delivered to scholars and scholar-families during Parent Teacher Conferences held the week of October 17-21, 2022.
- TheSIS-360 grade reporting window is now
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You may access Step-By-Step Instructions (including a video and PowerPoint resource) on how to use the SIS-360 Grade Reporting System for both traditional and standards-based grading HERE.
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Standards-Based Grading Update (Grades Pre-K through 5)
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A Booster Session for Standards-Based Grading in the SIS Grade Reporting System will be held on Wednesday, October 12th, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM and again at 4:30 PM and 5:30 PM.You may access the training using the links below:
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For additional support and guidance with grading during our ongoing journey and transition from traditional grades to standards-based grades, please access the Standards-Based Grade Reporting Guidebook HERE.
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The current SLPS Board Policy on Grading is linked HERE.
- The SIS Gradebook Guidance 1-Pager is linked HERE.
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NOTE: In our efforts to address coherence and clarity in our communication across the school district, please be sure to use the information shared here and in the guidebook. If you have created or shared alternative information, conversion charts or crosswalks around Standards-Based Grading, please be sure to update them.
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If you have additional questions or concerns about using the SIS Grade Reporting System, please contact Matthew Haack, Student Information Systems Manager, at Mathew.Haack@slps.org. If you have any other questions about curricula resources, you may contact Dr. Kimberly Moody, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, at Kimberly.Moody@slps.org
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Day of Discovery at EducationPlus
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Discovery Education & EducationPlus invite you to join our upcoming DAY OF DISCOVERY! Join us on Saturday, October 15, 2022 for this unique opportunity for the educator community to learn, share, and connect in a fun, casual environment!
This single-day event gives local educators a way to come together and to learn how your upgraded access to Discovery Education Experience supports SEL, differentiation, and active learning. Through impactful breakout-style sessions, attendees will learn from DE staff, DEN educators, and most importantly, each other.
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WHEN: Saturday, October 15th 9:00-3:00 CST
WHERE: EducationPlus 1460 Craig Road, St. Louis, MO 63146
WHO: Educators, Instructional Technology Specialist, Support Staff, and District Admin from all across Missouri!
Lunch will also be provided for free!
REGISTER TODAY TO SECURE YOUR SPOT!
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FIRST Lego League Challenge
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FIRST LEGO LEAGUE CHALLENGE COMPETITION for the Saint Louis Public Schools will be held on Saturday, December 10, 2022 from 8-3pm. If you are interested in learning more about this event and volunteering (a great way to learn more and to understand the program), please reach out to Elizabeth.Bender@slps.org to find out how you can take part as a judge or volunteer. A brief online training session will be offered. We would love to have you join the learning and fun!
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Board of Education Candidate Forum
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Curriculum Specialists:
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Dr. Esther Palsenberger, Elementary ELA, 314-779-5939
- Judine Keplar, Secondary ELA, 314-532-6427
- Zehra Khan, Secondary Math, 314-532-3574
- J. Carrie Launius, Elementary Science, 314-934-5258
- Dr. Valentina Bumbu, Secondary Science, 573-544-6835
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Dr. Glenn Barnes, Social Studies, 314-934-5267
- John Grapperhaus, Visual Arts, 314-934-5320
- Kaye Harrelson, Performing Arts, 314-934-5445
- Dr. Taresa Wright-Fraser, Elementary Math, 314-943-5266
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