I have arrived back at JHS and have met new students and parents and reconnected with returning students. Although the classrooms are not quite ready, the feeling of anticipation is in the air. Carpets have been scrubbed or replaced. Classrooms have been cleaned and things ready to be brought back out and schedules are ready to be put on the board. I have created new curriculum and am looking forward to updating our high school experiences. | This month we will be using pictures to document our garden for math and science. We are building a scarecrow and learning routes to places in our community. At the end of each month we will use a program called Comic Life to share key events for the month. We will create our monthly placemats to use for dining. At then end of each month those will go home. See you Monday the 27th! |
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Being current on supports for my students is critical. THat is why I am actively involved with professional groups and organizations beyond my classroom and district. I may not always agree with everything but as educators and parents we need to know all the information and make informed decisions.
One area is what should we be doing to prepare the students and their families for a meaningful life after the public education program (IEP) is over. Here are 2 links that may help http://lifeafterieps.com/transition-portfolios/ http://lifeafterieps.com/free-transition-planning-tools/ It contains several sources for you to select to help you with the major decisions along the way. Each state has different opportunities and options. But knowing the major questions to ask and having a guide may help. THis link provides options by a professional Mary Mazzoni whose focus is transitional planning for students. As I find resources, I will share them. They are resources as we move forward as a team. Summer is around the corner. It has been a busy year. This year we began attending the CTEC with the support of Luke Charon, Tammy Acosta and Nadeen Stransky. We had 3 students complete woodworking classes thanks to the support of the peer tutors. Four students sewed bags, shirts, pajama bottoms and quilt squares; thank you Kay Parker and Mikayla Smith! We began with 12 students and ended up 15 strong! As the summer begins, I am going to take 3 more classes in educational technology. The first is learning about Community Mapping which I want to add to our transition and science curriculum. I have committed to updating my curriculum to include these new technology tools. I also will be using Remind 101 that will let me send a mass text message to parents and others as well as to peer tutors for any cell phone to remind about updates and whole program announcements. When our students return I will be sending home a new disclosure that will include any changes to our program. As I began this journey toward improving my skills as well as improving the quality of the Extended Core Curriculum I have learned things that weren't even on my radar!
That is the true meaning of Professional Development; to grow within my profession by pushing myself outside my center of comfort. Can you believe I am back in school AGAIN? I am learning from people who are involved in educating kindergarten to high school, technical education to SALTA and SPED. Some are classroom teachers, some are ed. techs, some are artists, some are adminsitrators; but all are here to bring more to the students of Canyons School District. Some of the priorities for improving my program are: Improving Communication with all stake holders *Newsletters *Google Doc feedback forms *Rubrics for Progress Tonight the Extended Core Curriculum students are heading to the Junior Prom @ Utah state Capitol. This is when I watch the year come together for students and peer tutors, parents, friends at Jordan High. We have practiced dancing, manners, and conversation. Every year is so different.
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