Further information will be provided in our Google Documents.
Will Be Sent Home Friday, April 15, 2016
SPRING PICTURES ~ APRIL 15, 2016
CONGRATULATIONS CAROLINE!
GUEST READER:
Margaret Marten (Board of Education)
CONGRATULATIONS ~ TOP SELLERS
DESSERTS:
Elayna Newton $25 Gift Card
Isabella Nasutovich $20 Gift Card
Maddie Johnson $15 Gift Card
CONGRATULATIONS
PRIDE PAW WINNERS!!
M-STEP STUDENT LETTER
From Mr. Darga & Teachers
3rd Grade Reading Proficiency Law
From the desk of Jennifer Sheldon,
Good morning all,
Just wanted to give you an update on the 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency Law… It has passed the House and now is in the Senate with modifications in the works… like all students will be proficienct in reading by 3rd grade or they will be retain BUT waivers can be signed by parents, teachers and/or the principal if they don’t agree with retention. This was a big laugh at our Curriculum Directors’ meeting on Friday. Although it was discussed what a HUGE concern this will be if the students does not do well moving forward in their schooling… will that signed waiver come back in any way to the person who requested it… still many unanswered questions but RESA said prepared for this to be passed sometime in the summer.
5519 Wayne RESA-REMC 20 Day of Discovery – 5519 Session: 1 Designed specifically for Michigan educators, this unique day of learning and networking will highlight creative ways to engage students and invigorate your curriculum using the latest 21st century tools and Discovery Education resources. Discover how Discovery Education resources can inspire students to explore and apply content in purposeful, authentic, and exciting ways.
With information on integrating technology for substance and for meaningful results, this workshop is appropriate for learning leaders – such as instructional coaches, technology integration specialists, library media specialists, and curriculum teams – as well as educators and administrators. This PD opportunity is being provided by Discovery Education as part of their REMC Save statewide contract so there is no cost for this event.
CLICK the SPOTLIGHT to view the entire PDF
DEADLINE IS FAST APPROACHING.
To learn more ~ See Mr. Darga
What’s the Ideal Ratio of Computer Time in Blended Learning Classes?
“More and more people seem to agree that digital learning in K-12 classrooms works best when it is used with the oversight of a teacher,” say Paul Peterson (Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government) and Michael Horn (Clayton Christensen Institute) in this article in Education Next. “A student can learn effectively via computer if an educator is around to assist and supplement, and teachers are realizing the power computers – properly used – have to enhance their craft… [freeing them] to do what only humans can do well – provide empathy, understanding, and mentorship.”
But what is the right amount of computer time? Peterson and Horn decided to crowdsource the question. They asked a representative sample of the U.S. public the following question, allowing responses from zero to 100 percent: About what share of instructional time in high school do you think students should spend receiving instruction independently through or on a computer?The median response – the midpoint between the highest and lowest answers – was 30 percent.
“But is crowdsourcing a question like this a good idea?” ask Peterson and Horn. “Is the public really that smart?” To check this out, they asked the same question to a cross-section of experts in blended learning. Some of them were critical of the question, but when they answered, the consensus was about 40 percent of instructional time. Peterson and Horn then asked a representative group of teachers, and their median response was 20 percent. So the public “crowd” was exactly half-way between the blended-learning experts (who would tend to be more favorable to computer time) and teachers (who would be inclined toward more teacher time). Remarkable!
The authors close with a caveat: of course the amount of computer time varies with individual students and the subject matter.
“The Ideal Blended-Learning Combination” by Paul Peterson and Michael Horn in Education Next,Spring 2016 (Vol. 16, #2, p. 94-95), http://bit.ly/21Ds74X; for a full exploration of the idea that the crowd usually gets it right, see The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki (Anchor Paperback 2015)
Scenario: It’s 6:00 AM. Your sick and can’t go to work. You need to get a sub to cover your class. What’s the process?
<insert Jeopardy music here>
Here’s the process. If it’s after 5:30 am, you must log the information into AESOP and CALL LAURA JONES. Those two steps must happen. We are starting to see a trend where teachers are registering their absence later in the morning (example: 6:30 am or later) and only visiting AESOP. They are NOT calling Laura Jones to report their absence. The chances of that vacancy being filled is minimal. All of the subs have already taken other positions. By calling Laura Jones she is able to start making phone calls to some of our “go to” people to help fill those spots.
After 5:30 AM Call LAURA JONES: 313-559-2494
LINDEMANN FEB. 2016 REPORT
Tech News
Two big tech items on the horizon:
All teacher desktop computers will be replaced over the summer this year. It will be replaced with an updated computer hosting Windows 7 remaining as the OS.
Our entire computer lab will be replaced with Google Chromeboxes. You will have all of the same features as a PC, with a mouse, key board, projector access, etc. Since we are mainly internet based on our current machines, this should be a nice upgrade. This will take place as soon as they are able to start the project. No closures are planned at this point.
Click the link to open the March 10th PDF
Valuable M-STEP TESTING INFORMATION.
Good morning to all,
After many months of your colleagues piloting three math series and much consideration given to student achievement data over time from each series, user friendly teacher’s guides, student friendly workbooks, on-line components, a comprehensive Professional Development Plan and of course cost… Our School Board approved the recommendation of the K-12 Math Committee which included all input for the piloting teachers and our ICC District Committee for the adoption of HoughtonMifflin Harcourt Series, Math in Focus as our new K-5 math series starting in the fall 2016-17.
Again a VERY SPECIAL thank you is extended to Jeanine Haskin, Velaine Nagy, Teri Simonds, Renee Guyot, Maureen Klein and Jerry Lafferty and our elementary principals for putting forth such a comprehensive effort to choose what will be best for our students while making sure each teacher has the best support and PD for a very successful implementation.
You will all be notified well in advance once we have our PD training days arranged. There is also be support through the school year so as we meet challenges or have questions assistance can be provided.
Thank you!!
Best always,
Jennifer
Jerry Lafferty, Math Committee Chairperson
Top ‘o the morning to ya, Jerry,
We couldn’t let another day go by without thanking you, not only for taking the time to attend Monday’sBoard of Education meeting to share information and any questions regarding the new K-5 Math Series, but for the leadership you provided throughout the entire math curriculum review process.
It was clearly evident that this was a huge undertaking and you certainly stepped up to the challenge! On behalf of the Board of Education, your commitment and dedication to the students of APPS is recognized and valued and I’m sure your colleagues appreciate your exemplary efforts and leadership.
Way to go! Thank you once again for your outstanding presentation to the Board of Education last night! The data and information you shared, combined with the activities and strategic actions in place, reaffirmed the diligent efforts of Arno, Bennie & Lindemann Staff! It was awesome to hear from the kids first-hand about their own strategies and resource tools; their contributions to the report were absolutely invaluable! What an articulate group of students!
Your enthusiasm, conviction and expertise were clearly evident in your presentation. We know you will continue to motivate colleagues to strive for continuous improvement in delivering “an uncompromising commitment to excellence.”
On behalf of the Board of Education, thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to share “what is happening” in the buildings. Your outstanding contributions to continuous school improvement are to be commended and we are so very proud to say that you are a member of the APPS faculty.
The leading and learning culture in APPS is alive and well… be proud! Congrats on a job well done!
Regards,
Dr. Sturock
cc: Board of Education
STUDENT PRESENTERS:
Kathryn Mitchell, Alexis Marroquin and Adeline Tuccini
Click the link to view the full presentation
On behalf of our Lindemann staff, I would
like to say THANK YOU ~
MARIE, BETH, LESLEY and ART for
creating our M-STEP & NWEA Testing Schedule.
We appreciate you taking on this very important task!
LINDEMANN LION SUPER STAR
MRS. Sue Clark
Mrs. Clark has been volunteering her time to assist us at the 2nd & 3rd grade Drop Off Zone. She graciously greets each vehicle, opens their door with a big smile and wishes our students a great day. We greatly appreciate Mrs. Clark’s upbeat attitude and willingness to help out. Parents, please be sure to give Mrs. Clark a friendly wave as you pass knowing she is out there to help create a safer drop off zone for our students.
Dear all,
The entire community is cordially invited to participate and/or attend the Autism Walk-Run to Solve the Puzzle Color Run sponsored by the Allen Park HS Autism Awareness Club on SUNDAY, APRIL 24 – 1:00-4:30 p.m. at Champaign Park.
Silent Auction, DJ/Music, Face Painting, Temporary Tattoos, Food/Refreshments – bring the entire family for a walk and some fun! Come cheer on the runners and spread some color! All proceeds benefit the APHS ASD Program.
Discounted pre-registration available – $15 – includes walk/run number, t-shirt, color packet to throw and bidding at silent auction. See attached for more details and registration form! Let’s come together as a school community and walk!
Limited Schools of Choice Program for 2016-17
The Allen Park Public School District has established a successful Schools of Choice Program for the past several years and the Board of Education has approved continuation of the program for the 2016-17 school year for Kindergarten through 8th Grade. (Requests for specific elementary schools cannot be guaranteed)
Applications are available beginning Monday, April 4 at the Riley Education Center, 9601 Vine. Completed applications will be accepted beginningMonday,April 18 through Friday, May 6, 2016 from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. weekdays in the Pupil Accounting Office at the Riley Education Center. Completed applications must be presented in person to ensure that all information is complete. A random draw selection will be held on May 11 at 9:00 a.m. at the Riley Education Center. The draw will determine numerical selection for acceptance of candidates.
We ask that you help us by sharing this information with friends and/or family members who may be interested in having their children become a part of the Allen Park Public Schools Family.
For more information about the Schools of Choice Program, please visit our website at apps.k12.mi.us or call (313) 827-2105.
You have probably heard of Health Care Reform and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and one change that may impact you directly is Form 1095-C. Organizations that employ more than 50 people are required to report to the IRS on the health insurance, if any, offered to their full-time employees. The Form 1095-C includes information about the health insurance coverage offered to you and, if applicable, your family. You may receive multiple Form 1095-Cs if you worked for multiple applicable large employers in the previous calendar year. You may need to submit information from the form(s) in 2016 as a part of your personal tax filing for 2015.
Your employer generally is required to distribute your Form 1095-C by March 31st, 2016 covering information for the previous calendar year. Most full-time employees will receive a Form 1095-C in 2016 for the 2015 calendar year.
*use box at right to search content standards or grade level
~ LEARN MORE ~
Good Morning-
For those that did not attend the PTA meeting on Thursday- the PTA voted to help fund the learning area!! They asked that we ADD more to our proposal (which is awesome) ! Velaine wanted to make a few changes/updates to our “plan” and plans on presenting it to our committee on Tuesday, April 5. Brett, Marlene and I plan on looking over what our committee proposed and “fine tune” anything -since we now know it will be funded! We will present that to our committee on that April 5 as well. Once the “updated” plan is presented to our committee we will then look at pricing for plants to add to our proposal. The PTA asked that we do something in regards to the learning area on Earth Day (Friday, April 22) to get the students involved. We plan on discussing this at our next meeting.
4th GRADE
DTE WIND TURBINE PROJECT
The students love the DTE Wind Turbine Project. Students in all four classes participate.
Pictured below are the Top Performing students and their project.
Each class had 1 project that took the top honor.
~CONGRATULATIONS~
Jasmine Keresi, Carson Burgus, Sophia Colon, and Gabriella Esparza
Mrs. Peschke’s Dental Health Visit
Lindemann Elementary:
May 2 – 6andMay 9 and 10. Re-screening will take place onMay 16.
Grades Tested: K, 1st, 3rd and 5th. ECP & ASD Classes will also be tested.
Because of you, I…
It’s been said that to teach is to touch a life forever. As education is discussed and debated this year, it’s important to recognize the great teachers whose lessons go far beyond the classroom.
Has a teacher made a significant impact on your life? We want to hear about it. Help us inspire the next generation of educators by honoring the remarkable members of the teaching community who have helped their students aim higher.
We’ll post select responses to our College of Education Facebook page. Be sure to like/follow us today! Additional responses can be found at inspiringteachers.wayne.edu.
“PLC Lite” Versus the Real Thing
In this article in Kappan, PLC guru Rick DuFour and author/consultant Douglas Reeves say that, unfortunately, “PLC Lite” is the most accurate way to describe the current state of professional learning communities around the country. “Educators rename their traditional faculty or department meetings as PLC meetings,” say DuFour and Reeves, “engage in book studies that result in no action, or devote collaborative time to topics that have no effect on student achievement – all in the name of the PLC process. These activities fail to embrace the central tenets of the PLC process and won’t lead to higher levels of learning for students or adults.” They list the characteristics of a true professional learning community:
– A teacher team takes collective responsibility for students’ learning;
– A guaranteed and viable curriculum is established, specifying the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students are expected to acquire, unit by unit.
– Frequent, common, team-developed interim assessments measure students’ mastery of the curriculum.
– These assessments identify the students who need additional time and support; students who would benefit from enriched or extended learning; teachers’ individual strengths and weaknesses based on what their students learned; and areas where none of the team members were able to bring students to proficiency.
– A system of interventions guarantees that struggling students get additional time and support in ways that don’t remove them from new instruction.
All this flows from the four questions school staff are continuously asking themselves:
– What do we want students to learn?
– How will we know if they have learned it?
– What will we do if they haven’t learned it?
– How will we provide extended learning opportunities for students who have mastered the content?
“We recommend that faculty members keep a very simple one-page protocol that helps them focus on these questions,” say DuFour and Reeves. “Meetings that only address standards, that focus entirely on disciplinary issues and parent complaints, or that center on employee issues may be very interesting, but they do not represent the work of high-performing PLCs.”
They go on to discuss three areas that are particularly important in productive professional learning communities:
Assessments – DuFour and Reeves draw a distinction between on-the-spot checking for understanding and periodic interim assessments – two equally important but quite distinct success factors. With the former, teachers direct questions at randomly selected students, move around the room checking students’ work, and use whiteboards, clickers, and exit slips to see how well students are grasping the material and follow up accordingly. Students are also involved in assessing their own understanding and taking increasing responsibility for improving their work.
With interim assessments, team members give students a test or performance-based assessment and use the results to identify struggling students, provide timely, systematic support, give students another chance to demonstrate their proficiency, and use the data to improve their classroom skills. DuFour and Reeves are scathing in their assessment of the “uninformative” interim assessment process they see in many schools. It often amounts to little more than shallow test prep including very brief team conversations concluding with, “Thank goodness that’s over – now we can go back to what we were doing.” Even if state tests consist largely of multiple-choice questions, teachers’ job “is not to mimic state tests but to challenge students to show what they know in ways that exceed traditional tests.”
Data analysis – “Many PLC Lite schools have no process for collective analysis of student learning,” say DuFour and Reeves. Without that structure, teacher teams may spend time discussing their policy about student use of cell phones or sharing preferences about how to teach a skill (“I’ve always taught it this way”). All too many teams fall into the time-honored rut of teach, test, hope for the best, assign students to remediation, and move on. “Perhaps the worst examples of faux data analysis are the unfortunately named ‘war rooms’ in which district leaders display data from the previous year’s state tests and use this as a vehicle to publicly praise and humiliate principals and faculty members,” say the authors. “This is what military veterans call ‘fighting the last war’… The best examples of data analysis lead to specific actions by teachers and administrators so that an examination of the data leads to interventions and changes in instruction, feedback, and support.”
Interventions – The key question is, “What happens in your school when students don’t learn what you have deemed is essential?” say DuFour and Reeves. “The least effective response to this question is that students must repeat a grade or a course… The research is overwhelmingly against retention, but facts are merely an annoyance to those with strongly held opinions.” What does work? Systematic, intensive, focused, immediate follow-up instruction at the individual or small-group level. “These interventions do more than improve student success,” say DuFour and Reeves. “They also dramatically improve faculty morale. Imagine what next year would be like if we had fewer repeaters and more elective classes. It might begin to restore the joy of teaching and the reason most teachers entered the profession: to make a positive difference in the lives of students.”
03/23. 7:00 PM. PTA/PTSA Council Mtg. AP Middle School.
03/22 – 03/24. 5th GRADE CAMP
03/23. Mike @ Professional Interview Day Morning Session (APHS) / Mike @ 5th Grade Camp.
03/25 – April 1. SPRING BREAK.
03/27. HAPPY EASTER
Board of Ed Meeting
Monday’s Board meeting (3/14/16) will feature all of the elementary buildings presentation on our current status of the SIP plan and associated data. We would love to see you come out and support your chairs!
The other agenda item for the night will be adopting Singapore Math as the new new math series (not curriculum) for the elementary schools. This has been an exciting process and I know we are all eager to get some training and see what it has to offer our students.
SPRING ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE
We are fortunate to have the opportunity to complete our spring assessements (MSTEP and NWEA) on the Chromebooks this year.
Teachers who will be administering the M-STEP to students: Please make sure that you (and your students) have thoroughly experienced the different test types in the sample item sets. The CAT sections of ELA and Math have a slightly different format than the fixed form Performance Tasks and Science and Social Studies tests. On the fixed form tests, students do have the opportunity to review their answers before ending the test, and the grid will show any unanswered questions. The CAT tests do not allow students to move on without answering. The difference is important to note. The student tutorial videos do show this, so please utilize these resources.
** Also, in the Performance Tasks, students are expected to go back and forth between parts of the question, on different pages, to use information they have already answered for future responses. Students are capable of this, but please ensure that you practice this so they are familiar with the process.
Please check out the updates below from this week’s Spotlight. It was great to read that the state’s recommendations are exactly what we had discussed doing during our MSTEP Teacher Training last week! Spotlight 3-3-16
Help Your Students Prepare for the Online M-STEP
The Office of Standards and Assessment (OSA) has created multiple resources for students taking the Spring 2016 M-STEP online. OSA recommends the following resource sequence:
1) Classroom teachers show the online assessment tutorial to their class as a whole so students gain a general understanding of how the online system works, followed by
2) viewing the computer adaptive test videos to familiarize teachers and students on how a computer adaptive test functions; the videos may be delivered either as a classroom presentation or students may watch the videos individually via their testing device, and ending with
3) students are given the opportunity to log into the sample item sets using the testing device they will use during the actual test.
Resources Described
1) Online Assessment Tutorials are posted on eDirect (https://mi.drcedirect.com) → Test Setup → General Information, select the Test Tutorials tab, then select the Play button in the Action column. There are 3 test tutorial options: M-STEP, MI-Access, and Early Literacy and Mathematics (K-2).
2) Computer Adaptive Test Videos for ELA and mathematics demonstrate how to navigate the computer adaptive tests (CAT), which is different than how the ELA and mathematics tests functioned last spring. These two important videos can be accessed on the M-STEP webpage (www.michigan.gov/mstep), located in the What’s New section. (Continued on next page) on Student Assessment and Accountability March 3, 2016 Quick Links / SAT Corner / ACT WorkKeys / Important Dates 3 Spotlight
3) Sample Item Sets for the Spring 2016 M-STEP for students in grades 3–8, and 11 are a select group of test items in English language arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and social studies that encompass different item types, such as multiple choice, constructed response, and various kinds of technology-enhanced items. The sets provide students practice in solving grade-level and content-specific test items aligned to Michigan’s content standards. Since the item sets are embedded in the online test engine used to deliver state assessments, students will develop familiarity with taking tests online while they practice using the test engine’s online tools and navigation buttons. The Sample Item Sets are contained within the Online Tools Training (OTT) component.
Students needing designated supports and/or accommodations on state assessments can practice using the Grade 3 ELA M-STEP Sample Item Set with accommodations. The Grade 3 ELA M-STEP Sample Item Set with Accommodations demonstrates some of the available online embedded accommodations and designated supports such as Text-To-Speech (TTS), Color Chooser, Contrasting Text, Masking, and Reverse Contrast. Educators and students can access the online Sample Item Sets at school using a Chrome browser (https:// wbte.drcedirect.com/MI/portals/mi/ott1) or INSIGHT* (the online testing platform).
Parents and students can also access the online sets available through the Chrome browser from home (the test functionality requires the use of Chrome). NOTE: The Sample Items Sets are not considered “Practice Tests,” as a practice test implies a test with the same number of items and similar level of difficulty as an actual test. *The Grade 3 ELA M-STEP Accommodated and TTS versions of the sample sets are only available using INSIGHT.
MARCH 10th Spotlight Issue – Active Link. Be sure to view all the latest updates!
Teacher Eval Committee
This week will make the first meeting of a newly formed committee that will be having open discussions on what changes the state has made to the teacher evaluation system and what that means to Allen Park Public schools. Jerry Lafferty will represent Lindemann at the meeting.
MiStar DNA
We recently had an initial introduction to MiStar DNA (works along with Gradebook), which is a system that serves as a data warehouse, provides awesome data reports, allows a user to create assessments aligned to standards (has an item bank as well), and allows users to create a bubble sheet that can quickly be scanned and corrected-giving the user countless pieces of data and exit slips for students.
At this point, the district is going with a train-the-trainer model, with our 2 reps being Kim Migliore and Chelsea Darin. As we know there are many new things going on, this will paced appropriately and training will be available when time allows for it. Stay tuned as we move forward into next year training with our reps.
External Review (QAR)
We have now finalized the dates for our external review, which will be Oct. 9-12. These dates are when the team is in town, not necessarily at Lindemann. The SIP team will be working hard to meet all of the requirements, which we can hopefully accomplish all before school let’s out. Stay tuned for more info and what we may need from everyone moving forward.
I look forward to sharing my AdvancED External Review experience at Brummer Elementary with you.
SAFETY TOWN
Who: Kindergarten to 1st Grade in September 2016
When: Session (A) June 20 -June 30 (9:00am to 11:30am)
Session (B) June 20-June 30 (12:30pm to 3:00pm)
Where: Lindemann Elementary (9201 Carter, Allen Park)
A registration form will be sent home with your child the first week of April. Walk-in registration will also be available at the Allen Park Recreation Center Lobby on April 11th from 4-6 p.m.
Safety Town is an interactive safety awareness program for children from 5-6 years of age. Each day the children will be introduced to various safety issues in a fun and safe environment. The program is taught by a Police Officer and a certified teacher, with hands-on topics led by community guest speakers as well as visits from the Allen Park Police & Fire Departments. Teen volunteers from Allen Park High School lead the children through safety town every day and receive valuable training along with obtaining National Honor Society service hours. The children learn about stranger danger, water and beach as well as playground safety, fire safety, pet and bus safety, electrical and gun safety, personal safety with an emphasis on pedestrian safety. The kids will be bicycling about a miniature town complete with streets, sidewalks, buildings, stop signs and a working traffic signal. Importance is placed on having the children memorize a cell phone number to call if they should ever become lost. We use fun songs to reinforce all of these principles and the children memorize our very own Safety Town Pledge!
AESOP NEWS
As a district, we are having a lot of success filling vacancies with ample notice. However, we are very much struggling to fill vacancies being created after 5:30AM. I certainly understand that emergencies come up and at the end of the day, no system is going to be perfect. That being said, I need to ask you to take an additional step if you are calling off work after 5:30AM. In addition to posting in AESOP, please call or text Laura Jones at 313-559-2494. Laura can start making extra calls to secure coverage. This additional step will really assist us in getting coverage and ultimately save your colleagues from having to sub on their prep period
03/23. 7:00 PM. PTA/PTSA Council Mtg. AP Middle School.
03/22 – 03/24. 5th GRADE CAMP
03/23. Mike @ Professional Interview Day Morning Session (APHS) / Mike @ 5th Grade Camp.
03/25 – April 1. SPRING BREAK.
03/27. HAPPY EASTER
03/02. Happy Birthday Chelsea Darin
03/04. Happy Birthday Velaine Nagy
03/07. Happy Birthday Kerry Carlini
03/14. Happy Birthday Marie Lacey
03/18. Happy Birthday Koren Easlick
PLEASE TAKE PHOTOS OF YOUR STUDENTS WHO DRESSED UP AS A PART OF MARCH IS READING MONTH
Send those photos to Mr. Darga so we can add them into our blog(s).
Thank you!!
-ATTENTION PARENTS-
Stay Updated
M-STEP SLIDE SHOW (PDF)
PROVIDED BY
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Click on the slide to open the PowerPoint Presentation
M-STEP PARENT VIDEO
Sponsored By:
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
HOME BOUND TEACHER
Dear Teachers,
The Special Services Department is still seeking teachers who would be interested in servicing our homebound population. Our student numbers are high this year and we are running out of staff options. (Compensation is $25 per hour)
Please email Marianne Dobek if you are interested or have any questions.
Thank you for considering,
Barb
CLICK ON THE LINK TO OPEN THE SPOTLIGHT PDF
M-STEP TRAINING VIDEOS
M-STEP Training Videos Last week, MDE made available two new training videos explaining how to navigate the ELA and mathematics computer adaptive tests (CAT) on the M-STEP website. If you haven’t had a chance to view these videos, here are the direct links to the videos:
A big THANKS to all who viewed the videos. We hope that the videos will be useful to classroom teachers and students in preparing for the 2016 M-STEP. Additionally, we are open to suggestions as to how we can better serve your training needs. If you have comments or suggestions regarding these videos, or other topics you’d like to see covered, please email baa@michigan.gov, and use the subject line TRAINING. We will be sure to take your suggestions into consideration for future offerings.
This area gives access to Grades 3-5 ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies testing items that are technology-enhanced (have all the tools kids will see)
On January 19, 2016, Jack, a kindergarten student at Lindemann Elementary in Allen Park was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s T-cell Lymphoma. Jack is strong five year old who is now in the fight of his life. We are selling t-shirts to support Jack. Any money raised from the sale of these shirts will go to Jack and his family during this challenging time.
It’s a “big bright beautiful world” for everyone’s favorite ogre in Shrek The Musical, based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation Film.
In a faraway kingdom, the green ogre Shrek finds his swamp invaded by banished fairytale misfits, runaways who’ve been cast off by Lord Farquaad, a tiny terror with big ambitions. When Shrek sets off with a wise-cracking donkey to confront Farquaad, he’s handed a task – if he rescues feisty Princess Fiona from the Dragon-guarded tower, his swamp will be returned to him. But, a fairy tale wouldn’t be complete without unexpected twists and turns along the way.
Part romance and part twisted fairy tale, Shrek is an irreverently fun show for the whole family. With abundant opportunities for imaginative sets and costumes and familiar characters that prove that beauty is in the eye of the ogre.
Performances will be on the weekend of March 18 -19 at 7pm & March 20 at 2pm.
Tickets Prices: Adults $12 Students/Seniors $10 Family ticket $35 (2 adults and all children living in your home under 18)
Early bird prices are $2 off individual tickets through March 17th
Your employer generally is required to distribute your Form 1095-C by March 31st, 2016 covering information for the previous calendar year. Most full-time employees will receive a Form 1095-C in 2016 for the 2015 calendar year.
