MAY 2013 EDITION |
Congratulations Training Team!Not one but all three members of the Training Team received the March Star THINKer award! Renee, Shannon, and Michele were praised for a variety of traits, including:
· Their positive attitude is contagious and comforting, and their hard work and dedication is always evident! · They work as a team, making group decisions always for the common good. · They are extremely resourceful and their approach is always professional. · While training in front of new employees, they set a positive example of how to “kick up” the energy level when delivering a lesson and strive to make PL induction a valuable experience. · They are committed to our value that “Learning is the work” and not only support everyone else’s development but continue to broaden their exposure to new training content, new coaching styles, and facilitator strategies, and getting involved with projects outside of their normal scope of work. |
Renee Martinez , Shannon Voight, & Michele Schwab are our February Star THINKers!
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Renee, Shannon, and Michele are a value add to THINK Together and are all Star THINKers!
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Why You Need to Know About Code.orgby Laura Willson, Director of e-Learning
Two Questions… First, how much do computers impact your life? Second, how much do you know about how they operate? Code.org is sharing a great video about why everyone needs to learn at least a little about how to write “code,” which is basically computer programming. Code impacts every aspect of your daily life, and yet if you are like most people, you are totally illiterate in this language. If you have ever wanted to dip a big toe in the water, check out code.org where you will find free, online, starter programs for you and your students to learn how to write code. If you need support or want to talk about how to get started teaching students to code at your school, email [email protected]. |
End of the Year Appreciation Ideasby Renee Martinez, Staff Development Training Facilitator
It’s May and that means the school year will be over before you know it. Remember that great custodian who always unlocks the computer lab for you, or the classroom teacher who has never once complained about your kids using her room? What about your own hard-working staff? With a little bit of ribbon and some kind words you can show your appreciation. Below are some creative and inexpensive ways to express your gratitude. Find inexpensive and clever ideas like these on our Pinterest board at http://pinterest.com/thinkprograms/staff-appreciation/. Do you have other great ideas? Share them with [email protected] and we’ll put them on Pinterest too! |
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Build the Bench: Empowering Tomorrows Leaders
By Frances Vasquez, Middle School Specialist
In May we will be celebrating the completion of another year of our Build the Bench program. In line with our mission to help our students reach their full potential we strive to provide this same opportunity to those that impact our students everyday. Over 100 program leaders and 25 site coordinators throughout Southern California attended six months of leadership development. The program is designed to develop their skills in the area of program management & development , leadership ability, and the opportunity to garner best practices from their peers.
The participants get the opportunity to visit different sites within their region to observe program components. At the end of each session participants are able to ask their host site coordinators questions, and learn from one another.
Participants are able to see best practices from other sites and learn how they too can put them into practice at their own site. The program not only increases their program management ability, but it challenges participants to find their voice as leaders and to challenge themselves to develop those skills. This year we have further enhanced the Build the Bench by adding a Site Coordinator and QAC panel to support the participants.
The program has been very successful with participants given the opportunity to serve as interim site coordinators, QAC's and even resulted in some participants being promoted. Participants are thankful for the training and the opportunity to grow and be challenged.
In May we will be celebrating the completion of another year of our Build the Bench program. In line with our mission to help our students reach their full potential we strive to provide this same opportunity to those that impact our students everyday. Over 100 program leaders and 25 site coordinators throughout Southern California attended six months of leadership development. The program is designed to develop their skills in the area of program management & development , leadership ability, and the opportunity to garner best practices from their peers.
The participants get the opportunity to visit different sites within their region to observe program components. At the end of each session participants are able to ask their host site coordinators questions, and learn from one another.
Participants are able to see best practices from other sites and learn how they too can put them into practice at their own site. The program not only increases their program management ability, but it challenges participants to find their voice as leaders and to challenge themselves to develop those skills. This year we have further enhanced the Build the Bench by adding a Site Coordinator and QAC panel to support the participants.
The program has been very successful with participants given the opportunity to serve as interim site coordinators, QAC's and even resulted in some participants being promoted. Participants are thankful for the training and the opportunity to grow and be challenged.
Summer Matters - SummerMatters2You.net
A child’s need for meaningful learning and enrichment experiences does not end in June when the school doors close for summer vacation. All children need to be engaged and actively learning during the summer months in order to be on track when they return to school in the fall. They also need to continue to be physically active and eat a balanced diet. Whether these needs are being met may boil down to a child’s neighborhood or family income level. Without ongoing summer opportunities to reinforce and learn skills, children—especially children in low-income communities—fall behind dramatically in many areas of academic achievement. They also risk inordinate weight gain from too much sedentary time indoors and poor nutrition.
THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF SUMMER LEARNING LOSS Summer learning loss is the debilitating result of an absence of summer learning and enrichment. Studies show that the achievement gap between low- and middle-income youth is largely related to differences in opportunity during the summer. By the fifth grade, low-income children are 3 years behind their higher income peers in reading. This chart on the right shows how the gap grows as children experience different opportunities in the summer. |
THE CRITICAL NEED FOR SUMMER LEARNING AND ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN CALIFORNIA
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National Teachers Day — Tuesday, May 7th
Was there a special teacher that you remember who made a difference in your life? As THINK Together we work to support the work of the school day, and May 7th is a great day to acknowledge and celebrate the teachers in your life. Remember that informal educators, like your PL’s, are educators too!
Go to http://classroomsuperheroes.com/ and click on the “Nominate a Hero” button to nominate a deserving educator at your school or on your staff. In case you think nominations need to be for credentialed teachers, please read this amazing story about school bus driver Donna Nielsen http://classroomsuperheroes.com/superheroes/donna-nielsen/ from Laporte Indiana. Listings are by State, District, and School, so make sure your site is represented! |
Free Digital BooksFREE digital copies of books for ages
3-10 are available for you to use from the Pearson Foundation. You can filter by age, genre, or author. New books are added to the lists regularly. Go to www.wegivebooks.org/, select join (located across the top bar of the web page), fill in the short registration form and your off and running. |