Pathways A Weekly Collection of Information, Thoughts, Reflections and Accolades for the

Reading Public School Community March 27, 2016 Volume 7, Number 28

Upcoming Dates March 29 – (2:30

p.m.) Five Star

Theatre Camp

Auditions in the

Endslow PAC

March 30 – Grade 6 –

12 Early Release;

(1:00 p.m.) District

PLC Meetings

March 31 – (after

school) Elementary

Building Meetings;

(7:00 p.m.)

Parker/Coolidge

Grade 5 Parent

Transition Meetings

at each middle school

April 2 – (8:00 a.m.)

School Committee

Retreat in the

Superintendent’s

Conference Room;

(6:30 p.m.) PSST

Progressive Dinner

April 3 – (2:00 p.m.)

RMHS Formal Recital

in the Endslow PAC

April 4 – RMHS 4th

Quarter Begins;

(8:00 a.m.) Coffee

and Conversation @

RMHS; (7:00 p.m.)

School Committee

Meeting in the

Superintendent’s

Conference Room

April 6 – (after

school) Secondary

Building Meetings;

(6:30 p.m.) Joshua

Eaton Open House

April 7 – (8:30 p.m.)

Coffee and

Conversation @

Barrows; (6:00 p.m.)

Barrows Grade K – 2

Wood End Read Across America Video

Last week, the Wood End Elementary School, under the direction of Librarian Lisa Norcross, released a music video to celebrate Read Across America. The music video is above and you can also access it at https://youtu.be/JTC2KdMKA0Y . The Read Across America song is based on Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy. Congratulations on a job well done!

RMHS Science Olympiad Team Competes Well at State Event

On Saturday, March 19th, the RMHS Science Olympiad Team, under the direction of RMHS Science Teacher Martha Moore, competed in the Massachusetts State Science Olympiad High School Tournament held at Framingham State University. The team did very well, finishing 13th out of 54 teams in the state. A number of RMHS students did very well and placed in the top 10 in their events. They are: 4th place: Bridge Building: Jahnahvi Patel, Helly Patel and Jared Casalinuovo 5th place: Game On: Jared Whitney and Jacob Beckley 6th place: Wind Power: Kelly Ward, Taylor Bergeron, and Will Qiu 9th place: Robot Arm: Chris Wheeler, Jared Whitney and Will Bresnahan 10th place: Write It Do It: Akshita Rao and Taylor Bergeron

Open House; (6:30

p.m.) Barrows Grade

3 – 5 Open House;

(6:30 p.m.) Killam

Open House

April 8 – Coolidge

Daytime Open

House; (7:00 p.m.)

RMHS Playwriting

Show in the Endslow

PAC

April 9 – RMHS

Broadway Trip

Congratulations to the entire team on a job well done! Special thanks also goes out to the Coolidge Science Olympiad Team for their technical support in the Wind Power and Bridge Building events.

RMHS Students Jahnavi Patel and Srimitha Srinivasan

RMHS Air Trajectory

Kudos and Accolades To RMHS Seniors Kelsey

Barchard and Cameron Dieselman who are this week’s High Five.

Thanks to Library Media Specialists Sharon Burke, Robyn Ferrazzani, Kim Adamo and Lisa Norcross for presenting at a recent School Committee meeting on the work all of our Library Media Specialists have done to create Makerspaces in our district libraries.

To all of the Coolidge Middle School staff who participated in the Annual Family Math and Science Night for Grade 5 to 6 transition on Wednesday Night.

Teaching Students Mathematical Argumentation In this article in Teaching Children Mathematics, Chepina Rumsey (Kansas State University) and Cynthia Langrall (Illinois State University/Normal) provide pointers for teaching elementary students mathematical argumentation, a key component in Common Core and Standards for Mathematical Practice. The authors recommend incorporating five specific components: • Provide language supports. The discourse of mathematical argumentation is unfamiliar to many students, and it’s helpful to teach and model language frames, including:

I agree with _____ because _____.

I noticed ______ when ______.

I wonder why ______.

I have a question about ______.

I disagree because ______.

Based on ______, I think ______. Students might then be presented with a claim and given three possible frames for responding to it. • Discuss rich, familiar content. With odd and even numbers, students could be asked to provide justification for various claims – for example, An even number plus an odd number gives an odd sum, or If you add two even numbers, you’ll get an even number for the sum. These discussions can also be a bridge to understanding arithmetic properties. • Specify conditions. A mathematical proof has a claim and the conditions under which the claim is true. When students are presented with a claim – for example, The sum of three numbers will be even – they realize the need to specify conditions. This also teaches students the importance of precision in mathematics. • Introduce false claims. One of the goals of teaching argumentation is to encourage students to become producers of math understanding and knowledge, say the authors. So teachers need to give students opportunities to develop their own ideas and have the confidence to validate or challenge the ideas of others. A teacher might show students a series of multiplication problems and then ask them to respond to a generalization: Every time you multiply two numbers, you are always going to get an even number as the product. • Manipulate familiar content to be unfamiliar. Building on their knowledge of the associated property of addition, students might be asked if these statements are true or false: (a + b) + c = a + (b + c) (a – b) + c = a – (b + c) The key skill with problems like this is students’ ability to ask What if…? and develop a playful posture trying out different combinations of numbers. “Teaching with an emphasis on mathematical argumentation is a powerful tool that can be embedded into many mathematical content areas as well as other subject areas,” conclude Rumsey and Langrall. “Promoting Mathematical Argumentation” by Chepina Rumsey and Cynthia Langrall in Teaching Children Mathematics, March 2016 (Vol. 22, #7, p. 412-419), http://bit.ly/1RfrLN4; the authors can be reached at chepina@ksu.edu and langrall@ilstu.edu. Reprinted from Marshall Memo 629.

Close Reading 101 This Education Week white paper sponsored by the Great Books Foundation suggests eleven ways to build the skills of close reading – “Getting students to slow down, engage with the text in different ways, and reflect as they read…”

Be a close reader yourself. This means reading texts carefully beforehand and modeling close reading with students (“How do we know that Macbeth feels guilty?”).

Model it first. When students are novices with close reading, use a document camera to show them step by step how to analyze specific portions of a text and annotate, thinking aloud as you do so.

Teach students to look for the evidence. This is a key Common Core skill.

Teach “stretch texts.” Students should be challenged to read increasingly complex texts over time – passages that raise authentic questions and could be interpreted in different ways depending on students’ background knowledge or prior reading.

Always set a purpose for reading. Have students read a passage once and then pose a specific challenge for their second reading.

Differentiate. If a text is above some students’ reading level, they can still think about it in different ways and read “between the lines” by hearing it read aloud or working with a classmate.

Focus on making connections. Go beyond simple comprehension questions, asking students to dig deeper for big ideas, how the reading relates to other texts students have read, and how they might learn more about the topic.

Use student queries to drive discussion. Have students come up with questions about a passage and then sort them by those that can be answered with a few words versus those that are worthy of close reading and further explanation.

Let them make mistakes. Students will misinterpret, and it’s important to use those errors positively to model the process of using evidence and arguing a point.

Listen to your students. “Along with close reading the text, you need to close read your students,” says the paper. “When you begin to let students’ questions and ideas about the text take the lead, you’ll find your class will be much more invested in the reading.”

Close-read across the curriculum. For example, close reading can be used with charts and graphs in science, discussing a math concept, or working to understand various interpretations of a speech by a historical figure.

“11 Quick Tips: Turn Your Students Into Close Readers” in Education Week, March 1, 2016, http://www.edweek.org/ew/marketplace/whitepapers/white-papers.html Reprinted from Marshall Memo 629.

Reading Public School Happenings Coolidge Core Values Event This past week, students at Coolidge culminated their Core Values unit by having the homerooms who earned the top recognition participate in a Hungry Hippo contest. Below are some pictures of the event.

Quote of the Week….

“ The greatest mistake you can make in life is to

continually be afraid you will make one.”

- Elbert Hubbard

Coolidge Students Playing Hungry Hippo

Hour of Code at Joshua Eaton Last week, students in Jane Merrill’s Grade 1 class at Joshua Eaton participated in an Hour of Code that was facilitated by Technology Integration Specialists Kathy Santilli and Janet Dee.

Joshua Eaton Hour of Code-Grade 1

Mahesh Sharma Workshops and Presentation Last week, Professor Mahesh Sharma, the founder of the Center for Teaching Learning of Mathematics spent two days in the Reading Public Schools. Last Monday, Professor Sharma worked with elementary teachers throughout the district to discuss and model mathematics lessons with students. Last Tuesday, Professor Sharma worked with middle school teachers and engaged in similar dialogue. On Tuesday evening, Professor Sharma gave a community presentation on "Prerequisite Skills and Mathematics Learning." Below is the link to the handout.

MaheshSharma PrerequisiteSkillsMathLearning

Disney Tweet of the Week

“A true hero isn't measured by the size of his

strength, but by the strength of his heart.“

–Zeus (Hercules)

Professor Sharma Presenting to Parents at the Endslow PAC

Professor Sharma Working With Grade 1 Students at Killam

Professor Sharma working with Grade 6 Students at Coolidge

Barrows Bistro Last week, the Barrows Cafeteria was transformed into the “Barrows Bistro” to support the Core Values of the School. Below are several photos of students enjoying the Bistro atmosphere.

Stepping Stones… We welcome the following new hires to our school district:

Priscilla Squires, Learning Center Para, Barrows Linda Anthony, Regular Ed. Para, Birch Meadow Marylou Lackett, Daily Substitute, District Jessica Vanderlaan, Daily Substitute, District Ann Whalen, Daily Substitute, District Diane Elenbaas, Special Ed. para, Coolidge

We have posted new positions on School Spring. If interested, please visit www.schoolspring.com to view the job details.

School Psychologist (Temporary Assignment), Parker Middle School

JOB ID #2480314

Physical Education/Health Teacher, Parker Middle School JOB ID # 2484964

Computer Technician, Reading Public Schools JOB ID #2500994

Boys Lacrosse Coaching Assistants (2), Reading Memorial High School

JOB ID #2501094

Nominate Your Super Lunch Hero-Each year, the School Nutrition Association of

Massachusetts (SNA of MA) honors our unsung heroes with the Super Lunch Hero award. This award is given to a nominee from Massachusetts and then the winner is forwarded to SNA National to be considered for an even higher national honor. Essays need only be 1 page or less, describing why you think this employee is a "Super Lunch Hero". Please include the district name, school name, school address and grade level which this employee serves. If you would be so kind, please share this with your students, teachers, faculty, and parents. In the past, we have had individual entries, classroom entries and school-wide entries. The deadline is April 1st and may be forwarded to: Sue Pretola at s.pretola@schoolsofwestfield.org or Mailed to Susan Pretola, School Food Services, 59 Court Street B10, Westfield Ma 01085. If you have any questions, contact Director of Food Services Kristin Morello at Kristin.Morello@reading.k12.ma.us.

Reading Police Department to Offer Free Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) Courses for Women-The Reading Police Department with support from the Reading Municipal Light Department and the Young Women’s League are pleased to offer a

Rape Aggression Defense Course for Women. Two courses are being offered with the following dates: Class 1: Monday, May 9, 2016 6pm-10pm Wednesday, May 11, 2016 6pm-10pm Monday, May 16, 2016 6pm-10pm Wednesday, May 18, 2016 6pm-10pm Class 2: Tuesday, June 7, 2016 6pm-10pm Thursday, June 9, 2016 6pm-10pm Tuesday, June 14, 2016 6pm-10pm Thursday, June 16, 2016 6pm-10pm The class is free of charge. Call 781-942-6752 or email Community Service Officer Stasiak at KStasiak@ci.reading.ma.us for sign-ups and questions.

RCASA Offering Courses –The Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse and the Reading Public Schools are offering free courses in March-June on Mental Health First Aid for staff. The dates are below. To register or to receive more information, please contact RCASA Director Erica McNamara at emcnamara@ci.reading.ma.us. All courses meet from 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 26th Friday, May 6th Friday, May 13 Thursday, June 2 Friday, June 3

Frequently Asked Question: What are the license renewal requirements that take effect July 1, 2016? If your primary, professional-level license is set to expire on or after July 1, 2016, you must complete the following requirements:

Professional development activities identified by you and your supervisor during the development and review of your individual professional development plan in order to better support student achievement. Your plan must have at least 150 professional development points (PDPs), including:

o At least 15 PDPs related to sheltered English immersion (SEI) or English as a second language. (Generally, educators do not need to obtain the SEI endorsement for license renewal. However, core academic teachers of English language learners and the principals and supervisors who evaluate those core teachers of ELLs must earn an SEI endorsement in order to renew their license.)

o At least 15 PDPs related to effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles.

o At least 90 PDPs in the content area of your license or in pedagogy, with no fewer than 60 PDPs related to the content area of your primary license.

If renewing a primary, professional-level license with an expiration date before July 1, 2016, the following requirements apply:

Your individual professional development plan must include at least 150 PDPs for the designated primary license. At least 120 of the PDPs must be in the content area of your license or in pedagogy directly related to it, with at least 90 of those PDPs in your content area and no more than 30 in pedagogy.

Contact Us The Journey newsletter is published weekly for the Reading Public School Community. If you have anything that you would like to share, please email your information to John Doherty at john.doherty@reading.k12.ma.us

Learn more at the Office of Educator Licensure’s website, or call a member of the Licensure team from 9 a.m. to noon and 2-5 p.m. Monday-Friday at 781-338-6600.

Merrimack College to host a Symposium with Alfie Kohn on April 2nd-Merrimack College is hosting a Symposium for New Teacher Support on April 2,2016. This is really a great opportunity to bring both new and veteran educators together as an educational community for professional development. The keynote speakers - Alfie Kohn (Beyond Discipline) will speak to progress made in education .Sean McComb the 2014 National Teacher of The Year will also speak to the participants. The morning schedule involves workshops and panels on Autism, ELL,Special Education and Teaching Strategies. The afternoon session involves a second Workshop dealiing with IEP's and ELL. All participants will receive PDP's.....and all this for no cost. Please do let us know if we can assist you...there is a link here for your staff to indicate interest in the event and to register.

http://www.merrimack.edu/academics/education/new-teacher-support/

Blazing Trails….

Massachusetts Case Study on Educator Evaluation Released-The Center for American Progress recently released a case study of Massachusetts' approach to educator evaluation that found that by "empowering evaluators and educators… and embedding the evaluation system within a broader system of feedback and professional development, the Massachusetts model supports continuous improvement of educators." The report was featured in a piece in U.S. News & World Report.

The case study includes lessons learned from Massachusetts that could benefit other states. In particular, the case study cites the importance of developing a communications strategy. Along with a shout-out for Teachers’ Top Three, it includes an important lesson from ESE’s Teacher Advisory Cabinet: “Most importantly, ESE has learned from its Teacher Advisory Cabinet about the importance of ‘leading with the why’ when communicating with the field. The purpose behind the project or policy is just as important as the approach.”

"Learning for Life." How can we best prepare our students for lives beyond school when it's not

always clear what that life will look like? This issue explores the content and skills that are essential

for future success. From the benefits of project-based learning to the challenges of navigating

college, our expert authors offer insight and advice on how to make sure students are "Learning for

Life." Read More

"Should Educators Stop Giving Grades?" Educator Mark Barnes called for no more grades, tests and

homework during a recent panel where he reflected on his shift to this method. "What everybody

started seeing was an incredible environment that was a little bit messy, a little bit chaotic, but was a

place that was rich with independent learning," he said. Read More

"Mileposts of a Meaningful Life." "I'd cast a strong vote that we think about attitudes, outlooks, and

habits of mind. These may well have much more to do with living a meaningful life than do any facts

we can share with our students," writes Carol Ann Tomlinson in her latest Educational Leadership

column. She reflects on that fact that the "facts" we teach students may soon become obsolete, but

that teaching them certain attributes focused on lifelong learning can prepare them for positive and

generative lives. Read More

Have a Great Week!