Clinton Township Newsletter

1 4 M a r c h 2 0 1 7 www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com C L I N T O N T O W N S H I P S C H O O L N E W S check out our new website: www.ctsdnj.org I N O U R S C H O O L S : In the field of education, a number of different strategies and practices are employed by teachers, support staff and administrators which help enhance student learning. One such practice is Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs. The Glossary of Educational Reform defines PLCs as "a group of educators that meets regularly, shares expertise, and works collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students." Study.com defines PLCs as "groups of professional educators who meet regularly to reflect upon and discuss their instruction and student work". The general purpose of PLCs is a focus on continued student improvement based upon data. PLCs are a long-term approach to identified needs or goals as set by a group of educators to improve student performance. The State of New Jersey supports the continued use of PLCs to enhance student learning. They have identified four aspects of work connected to PLCs. These include holding collaborative meetings, focusing on student learning outcomes, aligning standards and student learning objectives, and driving effective instruction. A brief overview of each of these tasks is outlined below: Collaborative Meetings: This task provides for the opportunity to schedule regular meetings which focus on goals, outcomes and progress. These meetings are established with norms, procedures and protocols to ensure effective functioning and equal participation among members. As the process unfolds, the full group will begin to establish sub-groups within that address specific aspects of the overall goal. A strong focus on the meeting process will help ensure consistent operations at times when administrative or personnel changes occur. It will also help new members understand the processes and procedures to ensure continued functioning of the PLC. Focus on Student Learning Outcomes: Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) are statements that identify needed areas of student learning based upon data. SLOs are explained to students so that they understand the purpose and intended outcome of their instruction related to the goal. Staff members working in PLCs use student performance data to identify the critical issues that need to be addressed in order to improve student learning. Using this data, staff members would prioritize curriculum and instruction based upon student performance. They would create guiding questions in order to focus discussions with students. Ideally, this information would then be used to identify strengths and weaknesses in district curriculum and instruction across grade levels and content areas. Aligning to Standards and Student Learning Objectives: As staff members work in PLCs, they will unpack the standards connected to the learning objectives. This means that they will break down the instructional standards to understand the components of each in order to help students achieve a specific goal. PLC goals will be written as "SMART" goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. The goals and standards will be used directly with students and stated in age- appropriate language. Staff members will consistently use student data from this process to continually refine curriculum and instruction as well as SLOs. Driving Effective Instruction: Throughout the PLC process, staff members work collaboratively to identify effective instructional strategies to accomplish the SLOs. They use formative and summative assessment data to guide instructional practices. Staff members continually work to develop strategies to meet various student needs. Effective instructional strategies are communicated beyond the PLC group in order to impact instruction across grade levels and content areas. Best practices as identified through data are shared throughout the district, as appropriate. As a district, we have implemented PLCs throughout our schools. The process began as a pilot in 2014 through the Curriculum Chairs. Since that time, staff members in each building are working collaboratively in PLCs to identify goals based upon student data. They are using this data to identify strengths and weaknesses in order to plan for and implement quality instructional practices used to increase student growth. Administrators are supporting this process by providing time and resources to staff in order to assist in the data collection and analysis. Although the use of PLCs is a multi-year endeavor in order for the practices and procedures to take root, as a district we are well on our way to increased student performance based upon the collection and analysis of data in order to inform instructional practices. Thank you, Gina M. Villani, Ed.D Superintendent of Schools A L e t t e r f r o m Gina M. Villani, Ed.D, Superintendent of Schools Dear Clinton Township Community Members: Su R Scho Reading at Spruce Run School: We love to read at Spruce Run School! Our students and teachers focus upon not only learning to read, but also developing a love for reading. Through the use of leveled reading libraries, students may select books at their "just right" level to employ reading skills taught by teachers. Our classrooms are buzzing with excited readers! The month of March brings a special view on reading at Spruce Run as we celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday, and our students engage in special reading activities and Spirit Days during "Read Across America" week. This reading celebration was started in February with a very special visit from the Cat in the Hat. Keep reading! Kindergarten Round-Up REMINDER! Kindergarten Round-Up is now occurring at Spruce Run School. A child must be 5 years of age on or before October 1, 2017 to be eligible for Kindergarten during the 2017/18 school year. If you have a child who will be eligible for Kindergarten next year, please notify our school as soon as possible by visiting our SRS website at: https:// goo.gl/92yOFX to download and return the Kindergarten Round-Up Survey or completing the survey online at: goo.gl/G8NTpK. Kindergarten Registration will occur during the week of March 13, 2017. We look forward to meeting our new kindergarten students! Paick McGah Scho Second Grade Scientists: Our second g r a d e r s h a v e d e l v e d i n t o t h e N e x t Generation Science Standards, which are K–12 science content standards. A goal for developing the NGSS was to create a set of research-based, up-to-date K–12 science standards. The units of study for second grade are relationships in habitats, properties of and changes to matter, Earth's land and water, and changes to Earth's land. In the fall, second graders dabbled in the Earth's land and water and made landforms out of play dough. In February, they explored changes to Earth's land. They discussed ways of how humans slowed or prevented wind or water from changing the shape of the land. This work was shown through students applying their understanding of the idea that wind and water can change the shape of land and compare design solutions to slow or prevent such change. Students will study volcanoes, canyons, and earthquakes. Erosion was also an area of focus. The culminating activity was for students to work as a team and to design a solution to prevent the erosion of a sand dune. Students Spread Kindness! Did you know that February 12-18 was Random Acts of Kindness Week? At Patrick McGaheran the Word of the Month for February was Kindness and students and staff were busy planning ways that they can spread smiles and laughter. At the

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