New Devices = New Learning Opportunities This Holiday Season

As the holidays approach, most of us look forward to spending quality time with our loved ones, a break from school/work, and time to reflect and celebrate another year gone by.  For many, gifts are exchanged in conjunction with the holiday season, which may mean new electronic devices for some.

I vividly remember the Christmas following my sixteenth birthday.  After turning sixteen a few months prior in September, I received a hot pink Nokia cell phone for my Christmas gift.  I was thrilled!  I set my ringtone to the "Mexican Hat Dance" and quickly learned how to play "Snake", the one game that came on my cell phone, that same day.  My parents were very quick to remind me that the cell phone came with a very limited package of air time, which meant that making calls from my cell phone was to be restricted to driving emergencies only (hence the reason the gift was given after my sixteenth birthday).  No warnings had to be given about texting or appropriate social media use since these things did not yet exist.

Today, parents gifting devices to their children have many more considerations to deliberate than my parents did years ago.  Smartphones and tablets provide immediate access to the internet, and a plethora of downloadable apps allow users to access, create, and share information instantly with others.  Plus, children nowadays are receiving these devices at younger ages, which means their prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for decision making, is less developed.  (Read this quick article from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychology for a brief overview of teen brain development.)  While these devices are extremely useful and provide many positive learning opportunities, it is also important to provide children with guidance as they learn to appropriately navigate the freedom these devices afford them.

In attempts to support parents as they navigate conversations with their children related to the responsible use of devices and social media, we have created an Internet Safety web page on our school website.  For future reference, this web page can be found on the Pleasantdale Middle School website under the "Information" tab.  Posted resources provide parents with information and conversation starters related to topics like safe cell phone usage, cyberbullying, and posting appropriately on social media.  Pleasantdale District 107 actively works to create good digital citizens, and in order to do so, we need the help of our parents, too.

In addition to providing children with guidance on internet safety, it is important to have conversations with children related to the amount of screentime spent in front of a device.  A recent article from T.H.E. Journal titled "Parents Admit to Social Media Spying on their Tweens" provides key findings from a study conducted by Common Sense Media and The Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University related to the impact of screen time for children ages 8 - 18 years old.  One of the most shocking statistics is that parents say their tweens spend approximately nine hours a day on social media.  This makes having conversations related to social media usage, as well as taking the time to monitor social media usage, that much more critical when some spend so much time on such apps and websites.  In addition, a recently published article by Healthy Day titled "Smartphones, Tablets, and Weight gain in Teens"  highlights the health dangers of too much screen time.

So this holiday season, take the time to give the gift of conversation along with that new device.  Take the time to talk with children about responsible device usage, and set reasonable boundaries related to screen time.  This will make for a more pleasant, safe holiday season which will inevitably lead to a more pleasant, safe year ahead in 2017.

Wising everyone a very happy, safe and healthy holiday season!

Teaching Empathy

As we return from the Thanksgiving holiday and look forward to many other holidays in the month ahead, it is hard not to be overwhelmed by a feeling of gratitude.  Pleasantdale is a school community with an abundance of dedicated staff members, kind and hard-working students, and invested parents and community members.  However, along with this gratitude comes the obligation to continually be sensitive to the fact that we only see a portion of each other's lives.  We must constantly consider how we can support our Pleasantdale family through thick and thin, through life's ups and downs.  This week Mr. Glimco blogs about some of the ways we do this specifically around the holidays at the middle school, and Mr. Vandercar explains how this is done at the elementary school.

But what do we do the rest of the year, when the holidays are not upon us?  At Pleasantdale Middle School, our Social Emotional Learning committee, which is comprised of teachers and administrators and is spearheaded by our social worker Carrie Castaldo, has been working hard to ensure students are receiving regular opportunities to engage in social-emotional learning opportunities throughout the school year.

One of the Illinois Social-Emotional Learning Standards that enables students to support others is Standard 2A: Recognize the feelings and perspectives of others.  A key component of successfully doing this is teaching empathy.  The benefits of teaching empathy are clear.  It strengthens a classroom culture, builds community, and prepares students to be leaders in the community outside of school.  Teaching empathy can also help students with academics since it can help students to understand their audience when presenting and speaking, to interpret a character's motives in a text, and to have a better understanding of the solution a problem necessitates.  Behaviorally, empathetic students are able to better understand how their words and actions impact others, which provides for a richer learning experience when mistakes are made.  Our staff strives to embed lessons in empathy into the curriculum by reading and discussing a variety of texts, taking on historical personas during social studies class, and role playing during health class.

With each conversation we have with students, our goal is to increase their capacity to empathize with others.  By teaching our students empathy, it is our hope that we will create a more supportive school culture throughout the school year, not just during the holiday season.

Making the Most of Parent-Teacher Conferences

With the Thanksgiving holiday break just around the corner, we cannot overlook the valuable opportunities for dialogue that next week's parent-teacher conferences provide.  There is a significant body of research that shows a strong partnership between parents and teachers has a positive impact on children.  Among other benefits, students whose parents are involved in their education are more likely to attend school on a regular basis, earn higher grades, have better social skills, show improved behavior, and are more likely to graduate and go onto higher education.  According to the book Partnering with Parents to Ask the Right Questions by Agnes Bain, Dan Rothstein, and Luz Santana (2016), strong parent-teacher partnerships emerge when parents effectively support their child's education at home, monitor their child's progress, and advocate for the child when necessary.  Parent-teacher conferences provide the perfect opportunity to strengthen this partnership as both parties come together to reflect on the child's progress thus far and establish a plan which will maximize opportunities for student success.

It is important to remember going into parent teacher conferences that both teachers and parents are on the same team; everyone wants what is best for the child.  While the teachers are always prepared to debrief parents on their child's performance, it is important for parents to actively engage in the conversation as well.  One of the best ways for parents to do this is through asking probing questions.  By asking questions, parents are able to gain better insight into their child's thoughts, habits, and social and academic skills.

Here is a sampling of good questions to ask at a parent-teacher conference:

• How would you describe my child's work habits?
• What are my child's biggest areas of strength?  Target areas for improvement?
• How can I support my child's learning at home?
• Does my child listen well?
• How would you describe my child's interactions with his/her peers?
• Does my child persevere through difficult tasks?
• Does my child ask thoughtful questions?
• Does my child advocate for him/herself when clarification or help is needed?
• How can I encourage my child to take ownership of his/her learning?

The goal is to walk away from a parent-teacher conference with a plan for the future, with an understanding of how both parents and teachers can support the child in his/her learning and improvement.

Finally, please remember if you are unable to attend parent-teacher conferences, there are many other opportunities to have a similar dialogue with your child's teacher.  Please do not hesitate to reach out via email, telephone, or Schoology message to initiate conversations with your child's teacher.  The dialogue is never restricted to parent-teacher conference time.

"Together we may give our children the roots to grow and the wings to fly."

A Work in Progress

"An artist never really finishes his work; he merely abandons it." -Paul Valéry

This past Wednesday night, we held our second District 107 Future Planning Committee meeting.  The focus of this meeting was on setting priorities as we develop a guiding plan for our district that will sustain us the next several years.  In order to do this, we had to contemplate what we hope our "portrait of an eighth grader" would look like, meaning our picture-perfect eighth-grade Pleasantdale graduate.  This, as you can imagine, was a daunting task!

There were so many components to consider as we tried to paint the picture of our ideal graduate.  Do we consider the specific academic skills learned and the experiences that should be had by all students along their journey from kindergarten through eighth grade?  Do we articulate what we hope the students will be able to do upon entering into high school due to our thoughtful efforts and preparations?  Ultimately, groups within the committee came up with a list of 7-10 adjectives to describe the characteristics we would like our eighth-grade students to possess upon graduation.

The group of parents and community members I observed prioritized the following:

8th Graders "Voting" in Our Mock Election

• Accountable
• Fulfilled
• Responsible
• Compassionate
• Resilient (see Mr. Glimco's post)
• Proactive
• Articulate
• Driven
• Curious

In reflecting on this one group's list, what strikes me most is that these are characteristics that I (and many other adults) continue to strive to exhibit on a regular basis.  Although we may cultivate these characteristics in our students as they travel through our school district, living a life where these attributes define who the student is as a person will require diligence and mindfulness.  It will take commitment and vigilance.

As French poet and philosopher Paul Valery said, "An artist never really finishes his work; he merely abandons it."  District 107 hopes to not only cultivate these characteristics in our students as they grown from kindergarten through eighth grade but also inspire our students to continue their quest to fill the great canvas of their lives with the colors and images of their efforts as they grow into happy, successful adults.

Lessons Learned Outside the Classroom

Team Tigers Gaga Ball

As I sit in my office, now a middle school assistant principal, and reflect on my own years as a middle school student, many memories flood into my mind.  Of course I have memories of certain teachers who made a lasting impact on me, but what I remember the most are vivid memories of the time I spent outside the classroom involved in extracurricular activities.  I remember the time I had a leading role in the school musical "The Gigo Effect", the excitement and energy of cheering on the sidelines at school basketball games, dancing and singing with my friends at the "Lighted School House" (like Pdale's "Friday Night Live"), and the lasting impact of participating in Operation Snowflake.

There are so many benefits for children who engage in extracurricular activities.  Sports, clubs, and arts programs allow students to explore their interests, while also providing them with opportunities to hone other skills:

Student Council hard at work!

• Social-emotional development
• Time management and prioritizing
• Problem solving
• Collaboration and communication
• Ability to apply academic skills in a real-life context

These learning opportunities foster a heightened sense of belonging to the school's community, and research has shown this leads to improved attendance rates for students.  Improved attendance rates, coupled with higher levels of self-esteem and the chance to apply academic concepts through the participation in extracurricular activities, tend to result in higher academic achievement.  It is equally important to realize participation in extracurricular activities builds character as students learn the importance of honoring commitments and appreciating the differences of others who are united by a common interest.

Gamer's Club

At Pleasantdale Middle School, our students are fortunate to have a variety of activities and athletics from which to choose.  Jen Driscoll, our activities director, works tirelessly to ensure each week there are many drop-in activity options that will appeal to a variety of students.  The "Activities" page of the Pleasantdale Middle School website provides information on over 25 activities students are able to attend and the calendar of when these activities occur.  Mark Dreher, our athletic director, maintains the athletics calendar on the "Athletics" page of the middle school's website where information on sports tryouts and game dates can be found.

Thank you to Mrs. Driscoll, Mr. Dreher, and all our coaches and club sponsors who make these wonderful opportunities available to our students.  We know the lessons students learn outside the classroom by participating in extracurricular activities will impact our students for years to come!

PMS Girls Basketball

Cheerleading Practice

Building a Healthy Community Together

This week I had the opportunity to attend the annual Red Ribbon Week breakfast at Lyons Township High School.  While Red Ribbon Week is traditionally a campaign related to being drug free, the Red Ribbon Week breakfast at LT expanded its focus to living a healthy life in general.

Red Ribbon Week Poster at PMS

Administrators and counseling staff from LT and feeder school districts gathered together to hear presentations from a variety of community organizations.  Gurrie Middle School principal Ed Hood spoke about how their school implemented educational opportunities for students and parents through Elyssa's Mission and SOS (Signs of Suicide) to proactively provide depression and suicide prevention training to students, staff, and parents.  We also heard from NAMI (National Association for Mental Illness), who provide a plethora of resources related to mental illness for students, families, and the community.  They also sponsor a drop-in family support group the second and fourth Thursdays of the month, which meets at the First Congregational Church in La Grange.  Information about the Community Wellness Center was shared, which hosts free monthly information sessions related to mental health and wellness.  The topics for November's sessions relate to school refusal, dealing with fear and anxiety, and wellness.  Rosecrance, a private not-for-profit organization that focuses on substance abuse prevention, shared information about their recently opened a facility in La Grange that provides a variety of services related to substance abuse education and recovery.  Finally, a representative from the Coalition for a Drug Free Lyons Township shared information about their efforts to make our community a safer, healthier place.

As a result of the wealth of resources shared, we have added a Community Resources page to the Pleasantdale websites.  This page can be found from the district website under the "community" tab or from the middle school website under the "information" tab.  If you have additional resources you feel the community would benefit from, please feel free to comment on this post so we can include additional valuable resources.  We hope these resources are just the beginning of a community-wide effort to promote healthy, happy choices for our students and families.

The Library: The Heart of Our Schools

"Without libraries, what have we?  We have no past and no future." -Ray Bradbury

When I was a little girl, I loved the library.  I have vivid memories of joining the summer reading club at my local library, checking out puppets and puzzles from the children's section, and regularly swapping out borrowed books and magazines.  However, our Pleasantdale school libraries look and feel very different than the library of my childhood memories.  While my nostalgic memories are all positive, it is a relief to know that our school libraries are ever-evolving to keep up with the rapid changes in education and society, while fueling our students' interests and fulfilling their needs.

Mrs. Steinmetz, our district's head librarian, has created a welcoming library environment at both the

Ms. Music & Mrs. Steinmetz 

 elementary and middle schools, while also expanding programming to draw more students and families into the library.  With the hire of our two new library aides, Ms. Music (middle school) and Mrs. Cooke (elementary school), there has been the ability to reorganize the library to align with best practices.  To help students easily find books in which they are interested, fiction books are now organized by genre, and nonfiction books are organized using common sense categories.  Popular book series and award books, like those from the Rebecca Caudill list, are also highlighted on prominent displays to generate interest.

The "Fantasy" Fiction Section

Over the summer, Mrs. Steinmetz hosted "open library" for the community, and there were specific classes offered as well, ranging from crafts (like paper cutting and bookmark making) to technology (start a blog or record a podcast).  However, the fun did not stop in the library when the summer months ended!  On Thursdays after school, two clubs regularly meet in the middle school library.  The Tech Tigers are becoming pros at making videos using the middle school's new green screen and are also having fun building our Lego Maze.  The members of Tiger Tales also congregate in the library on Thursdays to help shelve and organize books.

Trenton Lee Stewart at PMS

Some of the most exciting library-sponsored events are the wonderful author visits that Mrs. Steinmetz arranges.  Students are inspired by authors to write themselves, while also hearing about new books to read first hand from the authors.  Although it is only mid-October, the students at both the middle and elementary schools have already been fortunate to enjoy author visits this school year.  Mac Barnett made the K-2 grade students laugh with his stories and read-aloud at the elementary school on October 5, and Trenton Lee Stewart intrigued sixth and seventh-grade students as he shared tidbits about his newest novel The Secret Keepers on October 6.  On Thursday, October 20, author Bruce Coville visits and will be speaking to the third and fourth-graders at the elementary school.

Rebecca Caudill books
read by students & staff

But wait, there's more!  For the first time this year, the students at Pleasantdale Middle School will participate in a "Battle of the Books" against other LT feeder schools.  Teams from participating schools will read the same 16 books and will first battle it out at their own schools to answer trivia questions related to the book.  The winning team from Pleasantdale Middle School will represent the district at the final Battle of the Books contest against other school districts at Highlands Middle School in February.  The Middle School Readers book clubs are also in full swing with the first meetings taking place the last week of October during lunch periods.  Gone are the days where all students read the same book for book club!  There are twenty book clubs spanning fifth through eighth grade, which allow for students to read the book of their choice and discuss the book with other students and staff members.  Finally, the ever-popular Rebecca Caudill book reading tabulation is in progress, with students and staff members' names displayed in the library by each book read.

A huge "THANK YOU!" goes out to Mrs. Steinmetz for all she does to make our libraries such an enjoyable and inspiring place for our students.  We are lucky to have such welcoming libraries at the heart of our schools.

Students engage with author Trenton Lee Stewart on 10/6/16

Becoming Future Ready

"The future depends on what we do in the present."           -Mahatma Gandhi

For several years now, educational technology has been a focal point of many schools and educators around the globe.  Cutting edge teachers and school districts used to highlight how they were teaching their students "21st-century skills"...until recently when some wise person pointed out that the 21st century actually began well over a decade ago.

The terminology has recently changed, and now schools are helping students become "future ready".  The Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology has even started a Future Ready Pledge for school districts to take in order to motivate more schools to get on board with adequately preparing students for what lies ahead.  Regardless of the terminology, the sentiment remains constant.  Schools do a disservice to their students if they do not attempt to prepare them for the future, and the only thing that is certain is that the future will be tremendously different than the present day.

AMLE National Conference in Austin, TX

Coincidentally, I just returned from presenting on this very topic at the Association for Middle Level Education's (AMLE) national conference in Austin, Texas.  The presentation I gave with two other colleagues was entitled "Technology + Higher Level Thinking = Student Engagement".  Our focus was on how educators can meaningfully integrate technology into the classroom so students can engage in higher level thinking tasks at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy.  Tasks that require students to analyze, evaluate, and create  are the type of rigorous tasks that produce future-ready students.  The important thing for teachers to remember is that the integration of educational technology is not about the tool being used; rather it is about the purpose the tool serves.  If we are to truly make our students future ready, the integration of educational technology should allow students to access information in a new way, communicate learning in a new way, collaborate with others in a new way, and/or create products in a new way.  

Pleasantdale District 107 has already taken significant steps to help ensure our students will be future ready.  Last year, the district created our C4 learning plan to address the "Four Cs" (critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration), thus framing our approach to shaping future ready students.  An integral part of this plan is also helping students understand how to adapt to ever-changing technology, and, of equal importance, how to use available technology in conjunction with the Four Cs to solve problems and demonstrate their understanding of the world around them.  The district also created a new position on the staff, the Innovative Teaching Coach (iTC), who collaborates regularly with elementary and middle school teachers to help them meaningfully integrate technology into their classrooms.  Grooming future ready students is also a central topic of conversation for our district's future planning committee as they prepare a vision for the future of our school district.

We are so fortunate that Pleasantdale is a place where teachers, parents, administrators, and community members all work together to help our students be as prepared as possible for what lies ahead after their time in District 107 is behind them.  Because after all, as Mahatma Gandhi wisely stated, "The future depends on what we do in the present."

Helping Students Help Themselves

"Once a person is determined to help themselves, there is nothing that can stop them."  -Nelson Mandela

In one of my previous posts, I gave an overview of some of the most useful features Schoology, our new Learning Management System (LMS), has to offer.  We are thrilled that Schoology will enable our students to be more self-sufficient learners since class resources, announcements, and calendars with important events and assignments are all posted in one place.  This week, I would like to elaborate how the eventas and assignments features on Schoology provide the opportunity for students to become more self-sufficient after leaving the classroom.

Homework directions posted in an event on Schoology

One of the goals of all educators is to support children as they become independent learners.  In order to do this, teachers provide students with the appropriate tools and resources to help themselves problem solve.  At times, students may forget to write homework down in their planners or may forget the instructions for a homework assignment, perhaps even losing a handout that is necessary in order to complete an assignment.  The events and assignment features in Schoology help alleviate these
problems for students.  An event is created for homework assignments that do not involve a digital submission, like studying for a test or reading pages in a book.  An assignment is created for homework assignments that do necessitate a digital submission, like a paper or project.

A student's calendar view from Schoology website (top),
iPad (bottom), and upcoming assignment display
students see on their Recent Activities homepage (right)

When a teacher posts either an event or an assignment in Schoology, the homework will automatically show up on the student's calendar of events.  This is a helpful feature for both parents and students alike; when looking at the student's calendar, all due dates for all classes will be shown on the same calendar.  This is a very helpful tool for time management, particularly when there are long-term assignments that may require multiple days of work.

In addition, teachers are able to attach helpful resources to both events and assignments.  Hyperlinks, PDFs, and other documents can be attached in order to provide the student with additional information and resources to help with completion.  Teachers can also type specific instructions into the body of an event or an assignment, which students can refer to as many times as necessary.  Since this information is posted digitally on Schoology, students can access this information from their mobile device or from any device connected to the internet.

An assignment with a corresponding resource attached;
student submissions appear on the right side.

Finally, a Schoology assignment allows students to submit work digitally to their teacher.  The submission feature for digital assignments makes it easy for students, teachers, and parents to see a record of student work submission.  The digital assignment submission is time-stamped, and it is easy to see different versions of submitted assignments if more than one version is submitted by the student.  Please keep in mind that not all assignments are digital, so there will still be non-digital assignments accounted for in class.  Furthermore, while feedback on assignments may be given to students in Schoology with their assignment, overall grading records are still maintained in Skyward, our Student Information System (SIS).

Another reminder for parents... if you have not yet had the opportunity to sign into your parent account, please follow the step-by-step instructions.  You can also find additional detailed information in the Schoology Parent Guide.  The district emailed parent login credentials in August.  Middle school parents, please do not hesitate to contact me if you need this information sent to you again.

As Nelson Mandela says, "once a person is determined to help themselves, there is nothing that can stop them."  We hope that by using events and assignments in Schoology to post homework, we can support students as they become more independent learners.

Digging Deeper into Mathematics

Every year, the Pleasantdale District 107 staff members strive to improve their teaching and assessment practices.  This year, a major curricular focus for the district is mathematics teaching and learning.

Math teachers of grades K-8, as well as some district administrators, are participating in the Metro Chicago Math Initiative (formerly the West Cook Math Initiative) in order to collaborate with other educators as we enhance our understanding of best practices in mathematics instruction.  Teachers will be introduced to new strategies that reinforce the implementation of tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving, support productive struggle in learning mathematics, and elicit and use evidence of student thinking. Goals of the initiative include supporting the development of the students’ robust understanding of mathematics and identifying strategies for building a sense-making classroom while promoting the Common Core Standards of Mathematical Practices across all grade levels.

In addition to teachers receiving on-going professional development through MCMI, we are also piloting new math programs at the elementary and middle school levels.  Our goal is to adopt a primary resource to support the CCSS math curriculum at the elementary and middle levels, while also providing students with rich tasks through which to develop deep conceptual understanding through engaging in the Standards for Mathematical Practices.  At the elementary level, the programs being piloted are Bridges in Mathematics and Origo Stepping Stones.  Select middle school math classes are piloting the Big Ideas program.  Piloting teachers will be utilizing the designated program materials with fidelity in order to gain a true understanding of the resources and how they can support our curriculum.  There will be ongoing professional dialogue among piloting teachers, and teachers will also be seeking feedback from students and parents on the math programs.  The Math Curriculum Review Team will make recommendations for future adoption based on these experiences, as well as their new learning about best practices in mathematics based on their participation in the MCMI.

We are excited about the possibilities our new endeavors hold and are looking forward to providing our students with increased opportunities to deepen their understanding of mathematics!

Engage, Excite, Ignite!

"Tell me, and I forget.  Teach me, and I remember.  Involve me, and I learn."

-Benjamin Franklin

Research shows that engaging learning activities must be meaningful and stimulate curiosity, among other characteristics.  At Pleasantdale, we are so fortunate to have educators who strive each and every day to pique our students' interest and ignite in them a passion for learning.  Below you will find just a few of the ways our educators engage students to maximize their learning and growth.

Collaboration:  Humans have an innate desire for social interaction.  Collaborative learning activities are wonderful ways to learn, process, and understand academic content while also teaching valuable social/emotional learning lessons about interacting with others and accepting diverse perspectives.  Through working with others, students can also experience an increase in retention, self-esteem, and responsibility.  In Mrs. Schmager's ELA class, students worked together to write and perform reader's theater skits for Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling to demonstrate their understanding the elements of the story's plot.  Mr. Madsen's sixth graders have been working collaboratively to research different Native American tribes.  Together they are writing a collaborative paper, creating a presentation, and making a flag in order to represent and communicate their learning in multiple ways.

Technology:  Effectively integrating technology into classroom activities is another way to engage students in learning tasks.  Our district's C4 Learning Plan and 1:1 device pilot this year provides all fifth graders with an iPad, sixth graders with a Chromebook, and seventh and eighth graders with a Lenovo laptop for daily school use.  In addition to using Schoology, our new learning management system, to make students more self-sufficient, teachers are harnessing the possibilities of technology in other ways to engage students in class!  Technology provides more options for students, which in turn allows for natural differentiation and the pursuit of student-centered interests related to a topic of study.  Mr. Tatina's music students were excited to use their knowledge to create their own audio tracks by mixing sounds online.  The fifth grade ELA students in Mrs. Triggs's class are used to using PearDeck to start class, which allows the class to compare and contrast individualized answers to the daily "check in" question.  In Mrs. Bubulka's math class, students are learning how to use Noteability to make their math problem solving multi-dimensional, which allows for each student to adapt class activities to best fit his/her own learning style.

Hands-On: Hands-on learning activities continue to be some of the best ways to engage students.  They foster critical-thinking, creativity, and problem-solving while allowing students to connect concepts discussed in class to tangible outcomes.  These hands-on activities can be either individual or collaborative in nature, thus providing invaluable opportunities for communication when done collaboratively as well.  In Mrs. Kim's science class, students have been learning about solar energy and gears.  As a culminating activity, the students are constructing their own solar-powered cars.  Mrs. Lewellyan's STEM students have learned a lot about aerodynamics and engineering through the various straw rocket designs they have tested.  Similarly, Mr. Reid's science students can tell you all about making weight-bearing structures after creating pillared structures out of only paper, tape, and glue that will hold up to 60 science books!


This is only a small sample of the many exciting activities our students have participated in throughout the first few weeks of the school year.  Our district's mission is to "ensure each student becomes a passionate learner empowered with the academic and social skills to responsibly choose and excel in life's pursuits".  Our heartfelt thanks go out to our dedicated educators who are committed to engaging our students in exciting learning activities and making this mission into a reality!

Empowering Students with Schoology

In my last post, I referenced our goal of empowering students to take ownership of their own learning.  One excellent venue for promoting this sense of autonomy is Schoology, our new LMS (Learning Management System).  Schoology provides a wealth of opportunities for students to access and share content.  Teachers are able to cater their online learning environment to meet the needs of students, while also assisting in their executive functioning skills since this serves as a central, online location to house resources and important information.

Here are some of the most helpful Schoology features:

Sample Course Update

Course Updates: Teachers can post course updates to easily disseminate information to students.  This can be done for daily class agendas, to share an important announcement, or to post a unique resource.  Updates appear as they are posted on the student's home screen when he/she logs into Schoology, kind of like a newsfeed on Facebook.  These are posted in chronological order, with the most recent update at the top of the page.

Calendar: The calendar feature on Schoology allows students to see all of their important assignments and assessment dates for all of their classes in one place.  This is a wonderful tool to use when creating a study plan to manage time wisely.  The calendar has upcoming dates constantly running on the right side of the home screen, and by clicking on the word "Calendar", students can see monthly overviews.

Sample of What May Be Found in a Course's Materials

Course Materials: Think of Course Materials as an online filing cabinet.  Digital materials for future reference are organized and housed here.  These materials can include hyperlinks to websites, PDFs, videos, online discussions, and past assignments submitted digitally.  Teachers can organize these materials into folders, which will help students with their executive functioning.  Gone are the days where students lose a handout and can no longer complete an assignment!  Even better is that many of the digital resources teachers post allow students to problem solve and extend their learning beyond the physical walls of the classroom.

A few other reminders... Some assignments may be submitted and assessed digitally on Schoology, but there will still be other assignments and assessments that will not be submitted digitally.  Therefore, Skyward is still the best place to look for overall grades and student progress.  However, it is more advantageous for teachers to post assignments in Schoology rather than posting assignments in Skyward since teachers can attach resources to the assignments in Schoology, thus allowing students to be more self-sufficient after leaving the classroom.  Finally, keep in mind that Schoology is a new tool for teachers, students, and parents alike.  There will be a learning curve as we explore the many facets of the LMS, so please be patient as we explore how this tool can best be utilized in our schools.

Parents, if you have not yet had the opportunity to sign into your parent account, please follow the step-by-step instructions.  You can also find additional detailed information in the Schoology Parent Guide.  The district emailed parent login credentials in August.  Middle school parents, please do not hesitate to contact me if you need this information sent to you again.  Elementary school parents, please contact the elementary front office if you need your login credentials sent again.

A Time for Transitions

I have always loved the beginning of the school year.  When I was a student, the end of August meant brushing off my backpack, reuniting with friends I may not have seen over the summer months, and meeting a new crop of teachers who were ready to inspire me.  However along with all the excitement was always a slight undercurrent of nerves.  Would I have classes with my friends?  Would my teachers be nice again this year?  Would I be able to find the right classrooms at the right time?

The first day of school at Pleasantdale Middle School

As an educator myself, I now know all of these feelings are very typical.  The beginning of a new school year is always a time for transitions.  Students are learning how to navigate a new grade with increased responsibilities and expectations, while educators and parents alike are learning how best to support children as they navigate these changes.  Another transition we are all experiencing in Pleasantdale District 107 this fall is the transition from our previous use of the STAR test to now utilizing the MAP test.

MAP, which stands for "Measures of Academic Progress", is an adaptive computer-based test that measures student growth in English and Mathematics over the course of time.  Think of the MAP test as being similar to taking a child to a doctor for a check up.  The doctor is able to determine whether a child is growing at a healthy rate, physically, whereas the MAP test helps educators understand if the child is growing at a healthy rate, academically.  Students will take the MAP test in the fall, winter, and spring to provide "check ups" on their academic growth throughout the school year.

As we look to take our school "from good to great", we are continually looking for ways to help students take ownership of their learning experience.  One of the most exciting features of the MAP test are the reports it provides for each student, which highlight specific areas of strength and areas of growth in English and Math.  This information allows for improved differentiation in the classroom to optimize student growth, while also providing helpful information to students so they can be more invested in establishing SMART goals for themselves.  We are excited to see how these reports help students become more invested in successfully achieving their learning goals.

As the school year progresses, I am looking forward to sharing more ways we are empowering our students at Pleasantdale Middle School to make the most of this school year by taking pride and ownership in their school and community.  On behalf of the entire staff, we are looking forward to partnering with our students to make this the best school year yet!