CHEC bulletin for Week of March 11, 2019
CHEC STUDENTS AT THE WOMENS NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CLUB
MARIA TUKEVA’S (MT) MESSAGE:
There are now five weeks until the PARCC, and six weeks until AP testing, and as we get closer to the assessments, it is time to focus even more closely on what we know students still need to learn, and engage them more deeply in their own progress. The ANET, Math Interims and AP Interims have shown some significant progress in some standards, and others that are still in need of reinforcement. The data will help us to select the most significant standards to address, and also to differentiate by students. By being strategic with what we teach, and how we teach it, we can make sure that students are set up for success. There is still time to make a significant difference and meet our goals of increasing the percent of Proficient students by 10%, and decreasing the number of Level 1 students by 10%. Our approach is one that is school wide and personalized at the same time.
- Schoolwide focus on writing – all departments are supporting the writing process by focusing on specific writing standards, and teaching students to deconstruct the prompt. This concentrated focus will have a major impact on students approach to their writing during the assessment.
- POP sheets are engaging students in assessing their progress and taking charge of their growth
- Department data dives are identifying the key standards for focus, and developing strategies to reteach the standards in a different way
- Saturday Academy and AVANCE are providing extra time for students to work on their weak standards – Please encourage your students to attend Saturday Academy. Starting this week, we will be having sports competitions in combination with academics!
- Portfolio Presentations for the third advisory will focus on students presenting their POP sheets, and a piece of work that they have annotated and analyzed deeply to assess their mastery of the standard.
Thank you to all for your hard work and dedication, as we prepare our students for success in college and careers!
SHOUT OUTS
- Shout out to Ms. Spinks and Mr. Odom for organizing the Cluster Fair!!
- Kudos to our LSAB for their hard work on the CHEC budget, and to all teachers who are assisting!!
- Kudos to all teachers and staff who presented in our Open Space Technology Staff Meeting –
- Ms. Crivelli (Coordinator) Mr. AbuSabha, Ms. Bruggeman, Ms. Cummings, Ms. Emilius, Ms. Garcia-Carmona, Ms. Lesniewicz, Mr. McFadden, Mr.Rahman, Mr. Morden-Snipper, Mr. Talarico, Mr. Zinzarella, and our Student Panel!!!
- Shout out to all proctors, test administrators and counselors for a great administration of ANET and SAT last week
- Kudos to Mr. Diaz, Ms. Strickland, Admin Team, and all proctors for ACCESS Testing
- Shout out to Mr. Odom for receiving a Professional Counselor Recognition from the College Board
- Shout out to all Department Chairs for facilitating our Deconstructing the Prompt PD!!!
MEETINGS THIS WEEK:
Monday, March 11, 2019
SLC Meetings
ACCESS Testing – 11th and 12th Grade
Watson’s Go to Birmingham – 12:30 p.m. – 9th Grade
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
SLC Meetings
ACCESS Testing 12th Grade
Career Day
Dolores Huerta Film – for 50 6th Grade Students
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Department Meetings
ACCESS Testing – 12th Grade
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Departmental Planning Period Meetings
ACCESS Testing 11th Grade
NAF Spring Site Visit 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Friday, March 15, 2019
No Meetings
ACCES Testing – 11th Grade
Advisory
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Saturday Academy
OPPORTUNITIES:
CHEC PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DAY
UPDATES FROM: LEADERSHIP TEAM I RECOGNIZING MR. ODOM I GLOBALIZE DC I CANVAS I WILDERNESS LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING I LIBRARIES I FLAMBOYAN I
ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP TEAM
The last ALT Team Meeting was held on March 1, 2019. The agenda included revising the portfolio presentation prompt, analyzing College and Career Outcomes, and work on the SEL professional development. The next ALT Team meeting will be on Wednesday, March 12 at 3:30 pm, and we will analyze Arts writing products for alignment to PARCC and AP, and calibrate student work from those departments.
COLLEGE BOARD RECOGNIZES MR. ODOM
The College Board is pleased to recognize Hurly Odom from Bell Multicultural High School as an exemplary Professional School Counselor for the 2019 College Board Counselor Recognition Program. As a token of appreciation, Hurly received a lapel pin and a letter of recognition during National School Counseling Week from College Board. It’s an honor to highlight the important work of innovative, results-oriented counselors who are committed to student success and opportunity.
In addition to receiving the lapel pin and letter of recognition, Mr. Odom will also be profiled on the College Board website.
Lorraine Hastings
Vice President, Counselor Community Engagement
OPPORTUNITY FROM GLOBALIZE DC
Globalize DC shares information about free global opportunities open to DC educators, students, and schools. They send information out by email and on their website. These great global opportunities as a “Global Alert” are included at the following link for sharing within the CHEC community – there are trips and other great programs that may be of interest.
LOGGING IN TO CANVAS
For any students who need assistance to log into Canvas, follow the directions below. If there are any students that cannot log into Canvas please have them email the Canvas support team at dcps.canvas@dc.gov.
Student Login Information:
Username: Student ID #
Password: Birthdate (MMDDYY) (Note: include a zero in front of single digits. For instance, 01/09/05 would be 010905)
WILDERNESS LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITY
Wilderness Leadership and Learning (WILL) is a holistic 12-month experiential learning, youth leadership and life skills development program for DC 9th to 11th graders. WILL is beginning to recruit for its 15th class. There have been Bell students in WILL every year. Please refer a student to be part of this amazing program to strengthen student's leadership, life skills, cultural awareness, empathy, compassion, and Environmental Awareness. Contact Ms. Elmore, College and Career Center, A126. Milagros.Lopez@dc.gov with student referrals.
CHEC LIBRARIES UPDATES
LINCOLN LIBRARY
Lincoln Technology Knights are Here to Help!
8th grade students have been selected to serve as technology leaders during second semester. Students have been assigned carts and teachers to provide help as issues arise and assist in inventory or other tech needs. Follow the link below for students introductions and cart assignments. More information will be added periodically.
https://spark.adobe.com/page/MnLykZDHu8wuc/ Tech Help Ticket: https://goo.gl/forms/dx0EWdp1ICe8bGXG2
PBS Media Literacy Education
PBS will now offer a free credential in Media Literacy through the completion of modules centered around a variety of topics. The courses include evaluating online information, analyzing media, creating a code of conduct, evaluating online tools for classroom use, and more. Follow the link below for more information and to start the courses.
Literacy Matters! Mini-Conference: Teaching as an Art; March 23rd (FREE!)
Join PEN/Faulkner's Writers in Schools and The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development for a mini-conference on teaching in the humanities. Literacy Matters! is designed to bring together educators in ELA, history, and social studies as well as librarians and school administrators to learn how you can bring more literacy engagement to your classroom.
Led by faculty at GW's School of Education and staff at PEN/Faulkner, a literary nonprofit that disseminates two of literature's most prestigious prizes, the mini-conference is an engaging and hands-on opportunity to learn how to integrate multimedia into your curriculum to deepen students' connections with contemporary texts. You'll also learn how to create space for authors to visit your classes and how to engage with PEN/Faulkner to bring writing workshops and free books to your students.
Open to educators in 6th - 12th grades.
Articles to Read:
Ten Ways Teacher Librarians Improve Literacy in Schools
STEM Role Models Posters - Nevertheless Podcast
Audiobooks to Listen to During Black History Month
FREE Poster Downloads: Women in Science - Women's History Month
BELL LIBRARY
Please click here for the Bell Library January, 2019 Newsletter
Top Bell Library Patrons for the Month of January:
1. Rashard Thompson
2. Zion Marcellous Caudle
3. Jordan Helena Hopper
4. Armando Abarca-Salvador
5. Miracle Gilyard
6. Robert Myles Hubbard
7. Cora M. Norris
8. Mayra Wallace
9. Cheyenne Miasa Boney
10. Amat Gaye
Please reserve using the Bell library via our reservation platform, Skedda:
(https://reservechecbelllibrary.skedda.com/booking). Once booking your first reservation you will be prompted to create a quick login. Users will be able to see when space is available and when space is unavailable. This will allow for transparency and comfort in knowing that the time that you have requested, is available. There is also a space for *notes. If you would like to request AV material (i.e. projector), please let Mr. Stewart know.
For Black Lives Matter Week and Black History Month--on February 5, 2019 Ballou High School student authors will join us to discuss their book, Our Lives Matter. If you and your students would like to attend this Bell Library event, 10:15 AM- 11:45 AM, please let me know. Each participant will receive a copy of the book that will be signed by the authors-- limited space, please reserve soon! December's author talk with students from the LAYC entitled, Voces Sin Fronteras: Our Stories, Our Truth was amazing with CHEC students asking prudent and deep diving questions.
Please remind students to log their books for the 25 Books Campaign and Winter Challenge via Clever. If you have any questions please let me know.
Whether it's PARCC, the SAT, ACT or simply because you want to be the best you--according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, Kids connect with Robot Reading partners and reading friends which in turn enhances their desire and enthusiasm to read and learn. Educators please identify students who you believe would benefit from a reading partner or buddy! These students will be paired and the reading fun will begin!
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach Mr. Stewart via email: christopher.stewart2@k12.dc.gov or call: (202) 939-7700 Ext. 5118
Bell Library Reservations
The CHEC Bell High School Library would love to invite teachers and staff to reserve library space via our new platform, Skedda (https://reservechecbelllibrary.skedda.com/booking). Once booking your first reservation you will be prompted to create a quick login. Users will be able to see when space is available and when space is unavailable. This will allow for transparency and comfort in knowing that the time that you have requested, is available. There is also a space for *notes. If you would like to request AV material (i.e. projector) I can have that available and set-up for you.
Bell Library Writing Center
Days: Tuesdays & Thursdays
Time: 8 AM- 8:50 AM & lunch periods
Location: Bell High School Library
We all need help! Great authors and writers have editors...the library will assist with:
Interpreting a writing assignment
Creating ideas
Locating and sharpening a thesis statement
Organizing ideas and research
Developing a logical argument
Identifying recurrent errors and strategies for revising.
*Please email papers you would like to be reviewed, at least 48 hours before the due date. Email address: christopher.stewart2@dc.gov.
CHEC Library Brunch
"The Brunch" held, once a month starting Monday, November 5th [beginning of hypothermia season] has been a great way to connect to the community through books and food (all free)! In our Nation's Capitol we have an epidemic when it comes to poverty and homelessness, including heightened illiteracy rates for several populations. Street Sense, a District of Columbia based newspaper that employs formerly and currently homeless individuals and, provides articles that touch on important issues concerning the homeless population will be interviewing me about the Brunch with the CHEC/Bell Librarian: Food, Lit. & Book Discussion program my work on ending homelessness and poverty in the District of Columbia and beyond, including the home for the homeless (no more) that I am opening this winter.
FLAMBOYAN UPDATE
Why Family Engagement?
A strong body of research shows that family engagement matters for student success.
Students do better in school and in life when their parents are engaged in their education. Family engagement contributes to a range of positive student outcomes, including improved student achievement, decreased disciplinary issues, and improved parent-child and teacher-child relationships. Emerging evidence also suggests that family engagement can have important benefits for the inner-functioning of schools, including school staff having higher expectations for students, more shared ownership and trust across their faculty, and, ultimately, stronger school performance.
All families can be capable guides, partners, and advocates in their child’s education.
Regardless of a parent’s circumstances, family engagement is not a static enterprise - with the right interventions parents can change their behaviors in relationship to their child’s education. In focus groups conducted in 2009, District parents in all wards were clear that they cared about and wanted to support their child’s learning but needed additional skills and knowledge to do so. Furthermore, they pointed out that they wanted schools to be more welcoming and responsive to their involvement.
Families play specific roles that support student achievement.
Although there is widespread consensus about the importance of family engagement, there is a diversity of opinions about what, exactly, family engagement means. Research about the impact of different types of family engagement help address this challenge. Meta-analyses find that, when it comes to how strongly parent involvement predicts student achievement, a parent’s participation in school itself is a blip on the radar screen compared to a parent holding high expectations and setting goals for their individual child, monitoring progress and holding them accountable, and supporting learning at home, among other things. Although many of these forms of family engagement are difficult for school staff to see, schools still play an important role in affecting them.
Please join us in giving every student the gift of Family Engagement! Please reach out to your family engagement team, Jessica Gonzalez and Kristen Whitaker if you have any questions or concerns! We look forward to supporting you in this work!
CLIMATE:
CHEC ALUM JEFFREY FUENTES - CLASS OF 2011 - INSPIRING 9TH GRADE STUDENTS
Culture Update with Middle School Dean – Mr. Bode Aking
“The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish the he might have done you a greater one.” –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
I hope everyone had a great weekend and that you were able to honor the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. at some point this weekend as well. Education is “the civil rights issue of our time,” and this work was begun by Dr. King’s movement and there is still a lot of work to be done. We know this when we speak to, work with and care for our students at CHEC. But we are making progress. And we will continue to make progress if we continue to plan for and to love on our students with consistency.
As I considered the words of Dr. King above, I realized that they reflect the same principle for why we spend so much time talking about celebrating our students and why we need do more celebrating. We celebrate the small stuff (just as we “sweat” the small stuff) so that students will wish to do more of the small stuff. Inevitably the celebrations of the small stuff cause the small steps to turn into big successes.
How will you celebrate the small gains, behaviorally and academically, this week? Consider the following:
- Give PBIS points when a student that often has a tough day completes all of his or her work.
- Recognize when a student gets back on track after a redirection.
- Honor publicly students who turn in homework, especially when they’ve struggled to do so in the past.
- Catch students “doing good,” transitioning appropriately, speaking to one another kindly—point them out and give them PBIS points.
Let’s spend these next week’s celebrating the small stuff, the small efforts and the small progresses.
Please don’t lose sight of the following:
Please do not lose sight of each of the following below, as they are crucial to maintaining and improving the culture that we desire:
Uniforms
Please share these important reminders with students and parents.
- Sweaters/jackets – if they are out of uniform, they should be in lockers all day or confiscated. Lincoln and Bell sweaters can be bought from the Deans or the Main Office. Lincoln and Bell sweaters $21 and sweaters with the zipper $27.
- Please call parents when you see students out of uniform and refusing to get in uniform to ensure it is very clear that they should be in full uniform at all times. Refer any further questions to Dean Aking, Dean Boone and Dean Galvan.
Detention
- Detention is a first intervention we have for students to check and correct their behavior in your classrooms. Students being informed of this consequence is vital to the effectiveness of the consequence. Remember to use our 5 step process with fidelity so that our students will not earn a greater consequence of ISS and thus lose valuable class time.
Dismissal
- We always need more support at dismissal from 3:15pm until 3:35pm (High School), 4:15pm until 4:35pm (Middle School). Please follow students all the way out to the front of the building. Students should be encouraged to move on toward their bus stops/metro quickly. Teachers and staff that can make themselves available to stay out front will be greatly appreciated.
Cafeteria Support
- All lunches have their ups and their downs. We always appreciate additional supports in the cafeteria on days that teachers are available. Check-ins with students build relationships and adult presence supports our daily procedures in lunch.
WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE
Athletics are an integral part of the educational program and a means to accomplish the goals of education. Our athletic program exists for the welfare of students and the contributions it makes to their educational experience. Athletic participation builds self-esteem and confidence and provides the necessary tools for success. The interaction between individuals on the fields of sport teaches students the value of teamwork, while developing the proper competitive spirit, combined with a sense of fairness.
CHEC SENIOR RASHAAD HARRIS ON SIGNING DAY
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
Congratulations to Coach Dionne, Coach Aaliyah, and the Cheerleading Team on taking 1st place in the DCIAA championships Level 2. Congratulations to Coach Paul and the Varsity Boys Basketball Team on a great season. The Varsity Boys Basketball lost in the semifinals of the DCSAA Class A tournament to KIPP. Congratulations also goes out to Coach Allen, Coach Baker and the Swim Team. Our Boys and Girls Swim Teams both placed fourth place in the DCIAA championships. Additionally, Stephane Mankemi and Andrea Bonilla were named to the All DCIAA team.
LINCOLN
Girls Softball: 0 – 0
Boys Basketball: 0 - 0
BELL
Boys Basketball: 0 – 0
Flag Football: 0 – 0
Softball: 0 – 0
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Monday
High School Bowling vs. Dunbar at Bolling AFB @ 4:00
High School Boys Basketball vs. Roosevelt at Turkey Thicket @ 4:00
Flag Football vs. Anacsotia at Cardozo @ 5:00
Tuesday
High School Softball vs. McKinley Tech at Riggs LaSalle @ 4:00
Wednesday
High School Boys Basketball vs. Wilson at Ft. Reno @ 4:00
Flag Football vs. Eastern at Eastern @ 5:00
Thursday
High School Bowling vs. Wilson at Bolling AFB @ 4:00
High School Softball vs. HD Woodson at CHEC @ 4:00
Friday
No Games
Saturday
No Games