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May 20, 2022

Issue #20

*The Thursday edition of the AON was not sent out yesterday due to tech issues impacted by the severe weather.

Special Shout Out

Graduates Earn State Seal of Biliteracy Award

We want to recognize 4 graduating seniors who earned Missouri Seal of Biliteracy Award:

Nevin Ndonwi (Metro Academic & Classical High School) – Missouri Seal of Biliteracy in French
Isabelle Jackson-Cameron (Metro Academic & Classical High School) – Missouri Seal of Biliteracy in French
Katherine Ramos (Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience High School) – Missouri Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish
Tebah Al Hadrawi (Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience High School) – Missouri Seal of Biliteracy in Arabic

The Seal of Biliteracy is an award available to native English speakers studying a foreign language and English language learners acquiring English and maintaining their heritage language.

To earn this award, students must meet 3 criteria:

Proficiency in English
Proficiency in a language other than English
Socio-cultural competency

Many universities have incentives for the Seal recipients and award up to 12 credit hours of coursework. The Seal can also benefit students as they apply for jobs as more and more employers support the Seal of Biliteracy.

Congratulations, to our Seal of Bilitearcy recipients!

In addition to the Seal of Biliteracy, as a district we have two (2) Pathways to Biliteracy to recognize our younger scholars working towards biliteracy:

Emerging Bilingual for PreK 4 scholars
Developing Bilingual for 5th and 8th grade scholars

This year, 122 scholars from Dewey, Oak Hill, Mullanphy, Froebel, Gateway Elementary, Lyon at Blow, Compton Drew, Long, Carr Lane, and AESM met the requirements and are recognized with the Pathways to Biliteracy Awards.

Congratulations to all of our Pathways to Biliteracy award recipients!

2022 Virtual Science Fair

The 2022 Virtual Science Fair was a tremendous success! We are excited to announce the winners of this year's competition:

Middle School: McKinley Classical Leadership Academy High School

1st Place - Gram Miller with project Throwaway Insulation
2nd Place - Willa Mayrose with project Death by Acid
3rd Place - Tesa Link with project Saving the Streets

High School: Metro Academic & Classical High School

1st Place - Sonali Sharma with project Modeling Acquired Drug Resistance in Multiple Myeloma

McKinley's winners (in the front) and participants (2nd row), with Lisa Stortzum, the teacher, and Dr. Holloway, the principal in the 3rd row in the back.

Sonali Sharma in the middle, Jeremy VanPelt, the teacher (left), and Valentina Bumbu, the Science Curriculum Specialist (right).

Subject Area Spotlight: Math

As mathematics educators at all levels consider effective implementation and instruction related to State Standards, a frequently asked question is, “What does it mean to be fluent in mathematics?” The answer, more often than not, is, “Fast and accurate.” Building fluency should involve more than speed and accuracy. It must reach beyond procedures and computation.

Principles and Standards for School Mathematics states, “Computational fluency refers to having efficient and accurate methods for computing. Students exhibit computational fluency when they demonstrate flexibility in the computational methods they choose, understand and can explain these methods, and produce accurate answers efficiently. The computational methods that a student uses should be based on mathematical ideas that the student understands well, including the structure of the base-ten number system, properties of multiplication and division, and number relationships” (p. 152). What a wonderful description of fluency! It reminds us that a student cannot be fluent without conceptual understanding and flexible thinking.

Focusing on efficiency rather than speed means valuing students’ ability to use strategic thinking to carry out a computation without being hindered by many unnecessary or confusing steps in the solution process. Accuracy extends beyond just getting the correct answer. It involves considering the meaning of an operation, recording work carefully, and asking oneself whether the solution is reasonable.

Fluency encompasses more than memorizing facts and procedures. [...] memorization is one of the least effective ways to reach fluency. Anyone who has spent time teaching in the elementary grades realizes how many students are unsuccessful at rote memorization and how often they revert to counting on their fingers. We would agree that third or fourth graders who are counting on their fingers certainly have not reached a level of fluency, even though they may do it pretty quickly and accurately!

How do we help students progress from the early stages of counting to mathematical fluency? Do we give students the opportunity to think about what they know and understand and use it in ways that make sense to them? Do we model questions that students should be asking themselves as they strive to reach fluency in mathematics?

As we think about fluency, we should realize that it is more than procedural. Are there mathematical topics in which we want students’ thinking to be flexible, efficient, and accurate beyond computation and procedures? Can a student reach fluency in areas of geometric thinking, algebraic thinking, statistical reasoning, or measurement? What does geometric fluency look like? What are the characteristics of a student who is fluent in algebra? What areas of fluency in the K–12 curriculum reach beyond procedures and calculations but are not mentioned in the standards?

Our students enter school with the misconception that the goal in math is to do it fast and get it right. Do we promote that thinking in our teaching without realizing it? Do we praise students who get the right answer quickly? Do we become impatient with students who need a little more time to think? As we strive for a balance between conceptual understanding and procedural skill with mathematical practices, we must remember that there is a very strong link between the two. Our planning, our instruction, and our assessments must build on and value that connection. Fluency entails so much more than being fast and accurate!" By NCTM President Linda M. Gojak.

For more guidance please contact: Zehra Khan, Secondary Math Curriculum Specialist - Zehra.Khan@slps.org or Dr. Taresa Wright-Fraser, Elementary Math Curriculum Specialist - Taresa.Wright-Fraser@slps.org

Department Spotlight: Early Childhood Education

NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Starting August 1, 2022 all general education scholar registration will occur at school sites only. Special Education registration will remain centralized. ESOL Families are to be referred to the ESOL Office. The 2022-2023 Early Childhood Education registration structure is outlined here.

Please refrain from conducting any onsite registration until August 1st at which time, enrollment will return to school sites and school-based staff will receive training.

The process for registration for families interested in enrollment at a neighborhood school is below. Pre-K registration is currently occurring at Central Office.

Go the SLPS Early Childhood Education webpage
Complete the Pre-Registration Form online
1. For your convenience, the direct link to the Pre-Registration Form is provided here.
An ECE Team Member will reach out to schedule a registration appointment at Central Office
At the in-office appointment parents are to bring required documentation and complete forms
1. Official Birth Certificate
2. Immunization Records
3. Physical Exam
4. Parent's Identification
5. Proof of Residency
Families will receive an approval letter and school placement upon submission of documentation and completion of paperwork

Disclaimer: There are still Magnets seats available. ECE Staff are assisting referrals to Magnet Office.

Pre-K Registration Training

Initial training will be held Wednesday and Thursday, June 1st and 2nd at Central Office from 9:-00-11:30am. This training is opening to school-based secretaries and school administration.

For more guidance contact Dr. Samantha March, Early Childhood Education Director – Samantha.March@slps.org

Network Spotlight: Network 4

Education & Therapeutic Support at Madison

Education & Therapeutic Support at Madison is an alternative school for scholars in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. The mission is to provide continuous support, self-care, and personal growth for our scholars, parents, and staff.

Relationships are key to the programs’ success. Teachers and staff work to build positive trusting relationships with scholars and their families. The staff provide scholars and families with a structured learning environment and consistent reinforcement. Parents are thrilled with the positive change they see in their scholars. They appreciate the support the school provides not only to scholars but to the families as well. Scholars receive behavioral and academic supports. Many scholars have experienced personal growth and are able to return to their home schools and continue using the skills they have learned.

Nahed Chapman New American Academy

We are so blessed at Nahed Chapman New American Academy (NCNAA) to be surrounded by so many cultures! To celebrate our diversity, our amazing Art Teacher, Zoe Reed, worked diligently with scholars to create self-portraits. These portraits were then drawn, painted and fired in our very own kiln. As a result, we have this lovely mural in our main hallway to celebrate our scholars. Each one of these faces represents an extraordinary journey to freedom and safety in the United States. While our scholars have sacrificed much to be here, their resilience and positive spirit are an inspiration to us all!

Boys to Men 1st Award Luncheon @ Long Middle School

"Boys to Men” is a mentoring program for young men. This program helps guide and support young males into productive members of society. They engage in weekly mentor meetings to discuss the role and responsibilities of all members. We recently had our first Awards Luncheon. Along with our program liaisons Brother Ajuma Muhammed and Brother Shariff Hassein, the scholars were introduced to our guests' speakers Brother Chester Dean and Brother Kevin Anderson. Our guests shared words of encouragement, motivation, and wisdom to further increased awareness. Our scholars shared stories of their mentors with the entire group. They were given trophy's, certificates, gift cards and enjoyed fellowship over lunch. Our Family Community Specialist, Mrs. Pang, has established and grown the program over the past years. This was our first Awards Ceremony"

Columbia Y Mi! Heritage Spanish studies Encanto and Columbia

In Spanish for Heritage Speakers class, scholars watched and studied different topics based on the movie Encanto. Scholars earned and practiced specific vocabulary words, studied the culture of Colombia, and all the elements that are present in the movie. In collaboration with ELA, scholars used the components of a story and characterization to analysis the plot. Finally, scholars reflected on the importance of representation and identity.

Heritage Spanish classes are taught by our Spanish Teacher and Related Arts Lead, Mrs. Fita-Lluch, and available to our ESOL scholars with the primary language of Spanish from several countries, including Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

8th Grade Novel Engineering

Over the course of 3 weeks, scholars read the first 5 chapters of the novel A Long Walk to Water. This was a collaboration between our Science and ELA classes. Scholars read the chapters and then wrote a summary with a partner. Additionally, these scholars are developing methods and inventions that would make life easier for the novel's characters to go along with the reading of each of the chapters.

In Science class, these inventions took the part of a prototype specifically developed for one of the characters. Each group researched a problem of the characters and then developed a solution and prototype to address the problem. Each group did presentations to discuss the process behind making their different prototypes for the intervention. This process is called Novel Engineering which has shown to help with scholar engagement and developing problem solving skills. Below are some pictures of scholar presenting and the prototypes that students built using recyclable materials.

For more guidance contact Dr. Jere Hochman, Network Superintendent - Network 4 – Jere.Hochman@slps.org

Updates Around The District

Blewett Traditional Scholarship

Hello SLPS Educators!

The Fall Session for the Parsons Blewett Traditional Scholarship opened May 15, 2022 (12:00am) and closes June 15, 2022 (4:00pm). This program provides educational tuition assistance scholarships to qualified educators who wish to pursue additional training or education that will support their work in the classroom or career-related profession.

The Fund has an online-only application process available HERE.

If you were hired after June 30, 2021, you are not eligible to apply during this funding session. A complete list of Parsons Blewett approved institutions can be found here (Scroll down and select the Approved Institutions tab).

Eligible teachers must have the following:

Full-time employment with SLPS
12 months of continuous service with SLPS (Ex.:9/1/2020-9/1/2021)
A DESE certification in one of the following: Administration; Career (Vocational) Education; Professional; or Student Services
 Good standing with the Fund as to the requirements on all previous scholarships and/or other Fund assistance. NOTE: If you are a certified full-time SLPS employee in any capacity but incurred a break in District service, you must serve another continuous 12 months after your newly assigned appointment date.

Teachers who are interested in applying should do the following to ensure a fluid application process:

Proofread the application before submitting it as no changes can be made after submission.
Be prepared to upload academic calendar plans. The worksheet will summarize courses, credit hours, and reflect all courses required to earn the degree. The academic advisor will provide a condensed version of the academic plan to the educator, usually in a two-page format.
New applicants must change their temporary password assigned by the system upon email acknowledgment.

This process will allow the educator to view their user account at Parsons Blewett (applications, cancellations, payments, university academic plan, and acknowledgments).

Note: Business administration or higher education course electives or substitutions listed on the academic plan do not qualify for tuition reimbursement.

SLPS Masters in Education/STEM Concentration Program

Are you wanting to learn more about STEM and support scholar learning? Consider enrolling in the SLPS Masters in Education/STEM Concentration Program.

Program Rationale:

In order for SLPS students to have opportunities to compete in today’s STEM workforce, a paradigm shift must occur in teaching practices and overall pedagogical approaches; one that supports a student skill set that encourages engagement in complex problem-solving. All hours are graduate credits.

Program Purpose:

Model and shift mindset from isolated content to an integrative approach and connections to real-world phenomena and issues using a constructivist approach (STEM mindset)
Interpret and identify STEM immersions already built in the current SLPS curriculum and improve upon
Assist teachers in constructing structures (scaffolds, lesson plans, collaborative learning, etc.) for all student experience levels
Create a sustaining model for the STEM cohort for the district (STEM Champions) that could be improved and expanded upon beyond the program completion

Who can join this amazing cohort? Anyone that has a Bachelor’s degree and is employed at SLPS. One can choose to pursue a master’s degree or just the STEM concentration program. Those who have been employed by SLSP for 12 months are able to apply for Parsons Blewett funding.

If you would like to apply or seek more information, please fill out the form below.

Click here - Interest in STEM Program

For more guidance contact Carrie Launius, Elementary Science Curriculum Specialist – Janet.Launius@slps.org

Spire Energy Efficiency Workshop for Educators

This summer, EarthWays Center is partnering with Spire to hold virtual professional development workshops on the topic of energy and energy efficiency. In the past few years, most school buildings in St. Louis City were required to report their energy and electricity use to the City. Many buildings will be asked to improve their energy efficiency. This workshop is a wonderful opportunity to integrate those topics and updates into your curriculum.

From basic energy information to energy production and sustainable energy – we will cover it all! This two-day workshop is free to attend and comes with a $100 stipend to all teachers from a Spire service area. Educators who attend the workshop will receive copies of the curriculum, and a handful of energy related give-a-ways for their classroom. These energy kits will be sent to all teachers from a Spire service area, but please register at least 4 weeks in advance to guarantee delivery before your workshop.

Lessons are all aligned with Missouri Learning Standards and activity based which makes bringing STEM lessons to class exciting and enjoyable for the students. At these workshops you will get to have hands-on experience with activities you can do with household materials and the items in your kit. Teachers for 2nd to 10th grade will find lessons leveled for their students.

Each workshop takes place virtually over two morning sessions. There are spots available at all 3 workshops.

When:

June 8 and 9 | 9:00 am to 11:30 am daily
July 27 and 28 | 9:00 am to 11:30 am daily
August 10 and 11 | 9:00 am to 11:30 am daily

Registration: https://2022virtual-spire-energy-efficiency-workshop.eventbrite.com

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history is filled with richness and complexity, yet AAPI people and events are largely invisible in history classrooms. This AAPI Heritage Month is the perfect time to commit to enriching your textbook's history lessons throughout the year with compelling historical figures, inspirational accomplishments, and world-changing events past and present. Here are some resources to get you started!

Share My Lesson AANHPI Collection -- This collection of nearly 70 grade-band-specific lessons (including some authored by Achieve the Core!) covers topics ranging from anti-AAPI racism to Asian art. Resources include lesson plans, activity guides, texts, recordings, and more. And don't miss this one-hour, on-demand webinar: Teaching Asian American and Pacific Island Perspectives and Experiences within Humanities Education.

AAPI Heritage Month Book List and Discussion Questions -- Center the AAPI experience through text with this book list from ADL. Each book recommendation includes age-appropriate discussion guides for teachers and families.

Teaching Asian American and Pacific Islander History -- This webinar from Learning for Justice unpacks the term "Asian American Pacific Islander," delves into the model minority myth, and provides ideas for instruction of AAPI history.

Centering AAPI Students in the Classroom: An Expert Interview -- Asian-American education experts Dr. Guofang Li and Dr. Nicholas D. Hartlep discuss how to center the identities and experiences of AAPI students, how the model minority myth plays out in classrooms, and how teachers can partner with family members to better understand their students.

Northwest Missouri State University

Online MSE and Ed.S Programs

Prepare to meet the needs of your school and district through Northwest’s online programs.

Complete your next degree in as little as 12 months!

Learn More or Ask a Question:

Click Here for more Information

MSE and Ed.S Total Tuition: $10,500*

Upcoming Start Dates: June 27th and August 17th

Master of Science in Education Programs