The Screeching OwlAEC Weekly Plan October 3, 2016

Vision: To create a supportive learning environment in which every student graduates with a high school diploma and is college and career ready to further promote growth in our community.Mission: To create a student-centered, non-traditional learning environment that launches lifelong achievement. Beliefs: To achieve our Vision and Mission, we believe: • Accepting, nurturing, and safe learning environment maximizes success.• Ownership and empowerment builds student capacity.• Collaborative and challenging instruction enhances engaged and authentic learning.• Multi-faceted support is necessary.• Professional collaboration is student-centered.• Family and stakeholder involvement matter.• Connection to extra-curricular activities sustains community history and tradition.

In the Know:

The Rocky Face trip scheduled for Sept. 30th has been moved to Oct.7th. Also, our staff contributed $350.00 to United Way. As a way to show my appreciation, I will cover each teacher’s class (full day) that donated at least $50. Also, I will buy everyone lunch on Oct. 7th to show my appreciation for supporting such a wonderful program.

The Fall Ball will be this Friday (10/7) from 3:10-5:00. The cost for admission into the dance is $5.00. Each student will receive popcorn and a drink with the price of admission.

Student Q & A (Updated Wkly.)

Student Spotlight: Nick Bowman

Previous School: EAMS

Something most people don’t know about her is……

I can play 12 instruments. I learned to play the trumpet in 6th grade, guitar and piano in 7th grade, and the rest in the 8th grade.

What do you enjoy the most at AEC?

I really like the teachers. They are really good.

In what way is AEC different than the previous school that you attended?

There is more freedom. Also, we get to do more with Student Council.

Tell me about something that you are currently studying?

In Math we are finishing up learning about factoring and quadratics.

What was the last book that you read? thoughts?

Inheritance, I didn’t like how it ended.

What was the last great idea that you had?

When I decided to enroll at AEC!

AEC Staff Spotlight (Updated Mthly.) Melissa Sharpe

What do you do enjoy doing outside of school? Outside of school I love to spend time with my family, read, and attend my children's extracurricular events.

What was the last great idea that you had? The last greatest idea I had was a new way to teach factoring quadratic trinomials!

When did you know that you wanted to work in education? I knew that I wanted to work in education when I was in kindergarten. I wanted to be just like my kindergartner teacher, Mrs. Bell. I wanted to put cute stickers on papers, write on the board, and grade papers. Throughout my school years, my desire to teach continued, but for different reasons. I wanted to teach to make a positive difference in this world. Now, I feel I am doing that daily.

What do you enjoy the most about AEC? There are many things that I enjoy about AEC, but what I enjoy the most is having the opportunity to teach such remarkable students.

Who’s Whooo

Thank you! Thank you for completing your PDP on -time. I know that sometimes it is difficult to find the time to do everything that is asked, but I appreciate your positive attitude and willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done.Google Apps PD I have decided to share the link below to Mrs. Dawson's Tech. page one more week, so if you haven’t taken advantage of this opportunity yet, please be sure to do so. You can access different on-line PD opportunities through this link. This is a great way to earn CEUs. Take a look! Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great day!https://sites.google.com/a/alexander.k12.nc.us/

professional-development/

gafe-challenges

Did You Know? Early College Designs enable more students, particularly low-income and minority students, to experience rigorous high school and college coursework that leads to improved outcomes. Early college students are outperforming their peers nationwide:

90% graduate high school vs. 78% of students nationally 94% earn free college credit while in high school 30% earn an Associate's degree or other postsecondary credential while in high school

Student PortfoliosStudent led conferences are this Thursday. Please be sure to inform your students that this is a required event. A parent must attend to meet the service hour requirement for the school. I have sent reminders through School Reach, E-mail, and Facebook.Spirit Week Spirit Week: Monday- Hat Day, Tues.- Fictional Character Day, Wed.-Tacky Day, Thurs.- Twin Day, Fri.-School Colors DayUpdates.. Please make me aware of any upcoming events that the staff or parents need to be aware of. I will add them to the weekly bulletin.

AEC Continuous Improvement Plan Focus for the month:GOAL 2. Administrators create and sustain a culture and process for staff to incorporate peer feedback regularly to improve student learning in each classroom.Data Tracking• Classroom Walkthrough Log; The Principal will document Classroom Walk Throughs for the year.• Student Portfolios (goal sheets); Students will create portfolios to compile their work to track their individual progress

in each courseScheduling for Mastery• The AEC Master Schedule will allow for 2.5 hrs. each day for staff to collaborate & discuss student concerns & best

practices• Tutoring/ Enrichment Schedule allows 2+ of tutoring (minimum)/ teacher/ week • Student Led Conferences (every quarter); Students will lead the conf. w/ parents to discuss mastery of curriculum/

class Teacher Empowerment• Teacher Created PD (Google Drive); Teachers will create PD to collaborate w/ each other in iTunes U format • Student Leveling Process; Teachers have the ability to collaborate through the discipline process to meet the needs of

each student.• PLC Process; Teachers provide feedback based on student academic & behavioral needs

Heads Up!!!!I

AEC is in need of items that we can raffle at the Apple Festival to raise money for our school. If you have any items that you can donate, please let me know.

something and it doesn't work, it's OK," explains Bradley. "Otherwise, they're not going to try to grow.”Allow for flexible schedulingEngaging, hands-on projects often don't fit neatly into a 50-minute class period. A teacher might need just 20 minutes for an introduction one day, then 90 minutes for students to work in groups the next day. So Bradley and Tim Fleming, principal at Whitfield Career Academy, the high school, did away with bells at their schools. Instead, each group of teachers shares the same set of students, and each group has the freedom to adjust its schedule depending on the demands of the day.

Build in time to plan and collaborateAn essential part of the High Tech High model is integrating multiple subjects into each project, which requires teachers from different disciplines to plan together. Plus, teachers need one another's support and coaching as they undergo this change. So principals at each of the schools shifting to PBL changed the schedules to allow for daily common planning time. At Whitfield Career Academy, teachers literally share an office; Fleming moved their desks from separate classrooms into a big, shared workroom.

Don't forget the standardsTeachers at Whitfield Career Academy and North Whitfield Middle School say that last year, they were so intent on designing meaningful projects and personalizing the work for their students that they didn't always build in enough academic rigor. The first person that reads this will get to wear jeans this Friday. This year, they're working to correct that."One of my biggest mistakes was thinking that a project has to be a grand display, the more butcher paper and scissors and glitter the better," says North Whitfield Middle School seventh-grade teacher Samantha Bacchus. "Now, I feel like a project really works when I start with the standards and incorporate aspects that I know the students will be able to use to learn the standards."

Remember, not everything is a project"When you jump into something and teachers are excited about it, they may want to force, say, this math into this science, but it doesn't always fit," notes Bradley. "I keep having to say to teachers, 'It's OK if I come into your classroom and it looks very traditional,' because a project for everything is not appropriate, but engaging work is always appropriate.”

Getting Started w/ Project Based Learning By: Edutopia Oftentimes in education, the most inspiring models of excellence can seem the most difficult to emulate. The more innovative a school and outstanding its results, the more impossible replicating it looks to educators elsewhere who are struggling with challenging student populations, limited resources, and unimaginative administrations.

Teachers and administrators from Whitfield schools begin by visiting High Tech High in San Diego. for one of its three-day residencies. Then, once back home, they benefit from continued mentoring by phone, email, and Skype or even by having the San Diego-based trainers visit their schools. Teachers can also access the wealth of free materials available on the charter school's website.

Educators undergoing this transformation don't expect their schools to emerge from it looking exactly like High Tech High. Every school has its own unique teachers, students, culture, history, and setting, and its path to change must uniquely match those. Yet the core design principles that shaped High Tech High -- such as personalization, adult-world connections, a common intellectual mission, and teachers as designers -- apply anywhere, and these are what guide the schools' replication efforts

Key lessons from Whitfield County

Deliberately build trust among colleaguesAny process of change -- not to mention project-based learning itself -- requires teamwork and learning from one another. "One of our biggest mistakes was assuming that teachers could jump in and collaborate and have those critical conversations," says Andrea Bradley, principal of North Whitfield Middle School. "It's very, very hard not to make it personal." After some initial friction, North Whitfield Middle School started using High Tech High's procedure for constructive criticism to help teachers learn to go "hard on the content, soft on the people," as High Tech High describes it.

Grant the freedom to failIt requires courage and a willingness to take risks and experiment to try anything new. Teachers in Whitfield County say a crucial part of their success results from knowing that administrators will support them even if they try something that bombs. "Teachers need to feel that if I walk into their classroom and they're trying

10/3- School Spirit Week

10/6- Student Led Conferences

10/6- PAPA Meeting (Evans) @ Ellendale

10/6- Student Led Conf. @ 4:30

10/7- Rocky Face Field Trip

10/7- Fall Ball (3:10-5:00)

The Screeching Owl

AEC Weekly Plan

Upcoming Events:

Oct.3-7: AEC School Spirit WeekOct. 3- Teacher PD folder assignment dueOct. 5: Visit from C&I LeaderOct. 6- Student Led Conf. 4:30-6:00Oct. 6- PAPA Mtg. Oct. 7- Fall Dance @ 3:15Oct. 10- Annual Leave DayOct. 10-12-Student Fall BreakOct. 11-12- Required WorkdaysOct. 11- ACBE Mtg. @ 6

Oct. 12- SIT Mtg. @ 1:00Oct. 13- Counselor’s Mtg. (CO Board Rm.)Oct. 13- SAR Mtg. 12:00Oct. 14-Curriculum Mtg.(WAMS)@8:45Oct. 15th- Taylorsville Apple FestivalOct. 17- SST Mtg. @ 1:15Oct. 18.- Principal’s Mtg. @ 9Oct. 19- Bookkeepers Mtg. @ 10Oct. 26- College Tour (ASU/ LRU)Oct. 27- Student Performance Review Comm.Oct. 29- Rocky Face Trip @ 1:10Oct. 29- Anime Club @ 1:10Nov. 7- ACBE Mtg. @ 6

Nov. 9- Make-Up pics @ 8:30Nov. 11- Holiday: Veterans DayNov. 14- Parent Advisory Comm. Mtg. @ 4:00Nov. 14- SST Mtg. @ 1:15Nov. 15- Principal’s Mtg. @ 9Nov. 17- Counselor’s Mtg. (CO Board Rm.)Nov. 17- SIT Mtg. @ 7:15Nov. 17- Bookkeepers Mtg. @ 10Nov. 18-Curriculum Mtg. (ACHS)@8:45Nov. 23- Annual Leave DayNov. 23-25- Students Thanksgiving BreakNov. 24-25- Holiday: Thanksgiving

Nov. 29- Student Performance Review Comm.Dec. 5- NCDAP Testing 8-11:30Dec. 5- SST Mtg. @ 1:15Dec. 6- NCDAP make-up 8-11:30Dec. 7- AEC Matriculation Mtg. @1:10Dec. 8- Counselor’s Mtg. (CO Board Rm.)Dec. 8- SIT Mtg. @ 7:15Dec. 9- Rocky Face Trip @ 1:10Dec. 9- Anime Club @ 1:10Dec. 9- NCFE/ EOC Testing 8-12Dec. 12- NCFE/ EOC Testing 8-12Dec. 13- NCFE/ EOC Testing 8-12

Dec. 14- NCFE/ EOC Make-up TestingDec. 13- ACBE Mtg. @ 6 Dec. 14- Principal’s Mtg. @ 9Dec. 12-15- AEC ExamsDec. 13- Student Led Conf. 4:30-6:00Dec. 15- End of 1st Semester Dec. 16- Required Work DayDec. 19-20- Annual Leave DaysDec. 21-23-HolidaysDec. 26-29- Annual Leave DaysDec. 30- HolidayJan. 2-3- Required Teacher WorkdaysJan. 4- 1st day of AEC classes (2nd sem.)Jan. 5- Counselor’s Mtg. (CO Board Rm.)Jan. 5- WAMS-Teacher Training Jan. 9- 1st day of CVCC classes (Spring)Jan. 10-ACBE Mtg. @ 6Jan. 10- EAMS- Teacher Training Jan. 11- Student Presentation-WAMS Jan.12- Student Presentation-EAMS

Jan. 13- Mid year PDP due to Mr. EvansJan. 13-Curriculum Mtg.(SPES)@8:45Jan. 16- Holiday: M.L. King DayJan. 17- Principal’s Mtg. @ 9Jan.17- Parent Info. night-WAMS Jan. 18- Bookkeepers Mtg. @ 10Jan. 19- Parent Info. night-EAMS Jan. 23- Parent Advisory Comm. Mtg. @ 4:00Jan. 26- SIT Mtg. @ 7:15Jan. 26-Student Performance Review Comm.Jan. 27- Rocky Face Trip @ 1:10Jan. 27- Anime Club @ 1:10Feb. 9th- Counselor’s Mtg. (CO Board Rm.)Feb.10-Curriculum Mtg.(HES)@8:45Feb. 13- Open House @AEC-EAMS Feb. 14th- ACBE Mtg. @ 6Feb. 15- Yearbook due to Carolina Photo

Feb. 20- Open House @ AEC-WAMS Feb. 21- Principal’s Mtg. @ 9Feb. 22- Bookkeepers Mtg. @ 10Feb. 23-SIT Mtg. @ 7:15Feb. 24- Rocky Face Trip @ 1:10Feb. 24- Anime Club @ 1:10Feb. 27- Student

Performance Review Comm.Mar. 2- Student Led Conf. 4:30-6:00Mar. 2- Counselor’s Mtg. (CO Board Rm.)Mar. 7- MTSS VisitMar.10-Curriculum Mtg.(WES)@8:45Mar. 20-22: Collaborative Conf. for student achievementMar. 30- Student Performance Review Comm.Mar. 30-31: NCASA Conference

Apr. 6- Counselor’s Mtg. (CO Board Rm.)Mar. 8-10- CVCC Classes CancelledMar. 8- College Tour (Winston-Salem)Mar. 14- ACBE Mtg. @ 6Mar. 20- Parent Advisory Mtg. @ 4:00Mar. 21- Principal’s Mtg. @ 9Mar. 22- Bookkeepers Mtg. @ 10Mar. 24- Rocky Face Trip @ 1:10Mar. 24- Anime Club @ 1:10Mar. 30- SIT Mtg. @ 7:15Apr. 7th- End of Year PDP due to Mr. EvansApril 11- ACBE Mtg. @ 6April 12-Principal’s Mtg. @ 9Apr. 14- Holiday: Good FridayApr. 17- Annual Leave DayApr. 18-19- Optional Teacher WorkdaysApr. 17-19- Student Spring BreakApr. 20- Student Performance Review Comm.

Apr. 27- SIT Mtg. @ 7:15Apr. 28- Rocky Face Trip @ 1:10Apr. 28- Anime Club @ 1:10May 2- Student Led Conferences 4:30-6:00May 9- ACBE Mtg. @ 6May 9-AEC Intake Meeting May 11- Counselor’s Mtg. (CO Board Rm.)May 11-16- AEC ExamsMay 15- Parent Advisory Comm. Mtg. @ 4:00May 16- Principal’s Mtg. @ 9May 16- End of 2nd SemesterMay 17- Bookkeepers Mtg. @ 10May 17-18- Required Teacher WorkdaysMay 18- SIT Mtg. @ 8:00 am ( most of the day)May 19- Annual Leave DayMay 22- HolidayJune 13- ACBE Mtg. @ 6June 20- Principal’s Mtg. @ 9