Embedded Files
Ron Gallagher
IU1 Curriculum Department
Save the Date
Summer School Leader retreat dates June 17-18 or July 10-11
P2C Pilot
Discussion topics
AI Updates
AI for Admin
ACT 45 Updates
PA Inspired Leadership (PIL) Program
Continuing Education
Principal Induction - Register now
It is your responsibility to sign up each month and complete each session. Monthly sessions must be taken in order within the one year period.
The new induction program will be one year in length and participants will earn 80 hours at the end of the year
Common Ground
Not required to use the guidelines
But law requires a training
1.Cultural Awareness,
2. Trauma-Aware, Mental Health and Wellness, and
3. Technological and Virtual Engagement.
Induction through IU1 -
Digital Literacy/Inclusive Practices/ESL - Starting January 13th
PVAAS Updates
Wednesday, November 20 Release (Phase II of PVAAS Releases)
Student enrollment update
This means updated access to Projection Summary reports!
Now have access to students new to your schools / LEA.
Local assessment data
Value-added & diagnostic growth measures
Testing history on Student Reports
PVAAS Public Site with SY23-24 Data
Scatterplots
District / School Search
Plan now for the PIMS Teacher-Student Linkage Collection (due January 10)
Update teacher-student linkages for easy access to class lists.
How can this student data be used in the second semester?
Projections to support monitoring progress toward proficiency and advanced levels of performance
Data to support course recommendations
Data to support creating the school-wide schedule
Check out the new look of the Scatterplots!
ACT 13 Updates
Building level scores have been released.
Here are the conversions: https://pdesas.org/Page/Viewer/ViewPage/75?SectionPageItemId=3618
Here are the percentages: https://pdesas.org/Page/Viewer/ViewPage/75?SectionPageItemId=3562
PVAAS Demo
Request 1 to 1 consultations
Breakout Discussion
CDT Updates
Using CDT's and AI as a perfect marriage
Comp Planning/FRCPP
CP Tip Jar - Moving to PDESAS
Teacher Learning Pathways- a visit to Cornell School District (January 31st, 2025)
Attention school leaders. Does this scenario sound familiar to you? You are working hard to check off the many tasks on your to-do list. You check the calendar and are reminded of the upcoming professional development time for staff that you are responsible for providing. You tell yourself that you will carve out time to develop a well thought out plan for PD that will really help grow your staff. Unfortunately, items on that to-do list continue to pile up. The next thing you know, the PD you are supposed to give is the next day and you haven’t even had a chance to think about it!
Research shows that professional development must be thoroughly planned to be effective. It also states that “one and done” PD, where a topic is covered one time and then never spoken of again, does not grow teacher practice. The problem is that school leaders are often pulled in so many directions that they do not have the time to develop the impactful PD sessions that they wish they could.
Join us on January 31st for a trip to the Cornell School District, where they have reimagined what professional learning and education can be by providing innovative learning experiences based on the needs of their teachers. At Cornell, teachers are given the opportunity to CHOOSE the topics they want to have professional development on by selecting from a list of learning pathways. Once a teacher selects a pathway, they receive professional development on it in multiple sessions throughout the course of the year from an expert in that area. Giving teachers the agency to choose the area they want to grow in has boosted their self-efficacy. Providing sustained PD over time has led to a true change in teacher practice. This trip will allow building leaders to see Cornell’s learning pathways in action and begin to develop a plan for implementing learning pathways within their own schools. Please fill out this form if you are interested in attending on January 31st, and we will follow up with more specific details. Lunch will be provided. A closer look at Cornell’s learning pathways can be found on slides 17-31 on the following presentation.
Jordan Lozosky-Social Studies Curriculum Specialist
Now offers free field trips for any School-wide Title 1 Districts!
If interested for more information, please contact Melissa Tran at mgtran@heinzhistorycenter.org
Free Asynchronous Course! (Act 48 Awarded Upon Successful Completion)
If you are seeking additional resources or any information related to enhancing your existing social studies curriculum, please contact:
Jordan Lozosky, Curriculum Specialist
Phone: 724-938-3241 ext. #405
Email: jordan.lozosky@iu1.org
Jordan Lozosky-Induction & Gifted Education Updates
District Induction Schedule 2024-25.pdf*Participants must register on the hyperlinks on the flyer via Frontline.
**District Participation Form Linked Here**
Click Here To Register for the Gifted Email Listserv
Regular Ed Teacher Slide Deck (It will force them to make a copy. That way they can make changes to the slides.)
New Information
There will now be GIEP clinics for case managers/gifted teachers 4 times a year (virtually) .
This is an excellent opportunity for them to review the needed components of the GIEP and ask some questions of both of us and their colleagues across the state.
If any of you would like to join for your own learning, the dates for those are below and the attached flyer has sign up links. We ask that teachers only attend one per year, but admin can join any/all as needed.
You can register for them by clicking here.
October 10 @ 9:00am
December 3 @ 9:00am
February 19 @ 9:00am
April 2 @ 9:00am
Additionally...
The PA Gifted Consortium is also leading statewide administrator meetings where district administrators can join us for some learning as well as some Q&A sessions.
You can register for these sessions by clicking here.
Below are the dates:
October 17 from 10:00am-11:30am Virtually
March 13 from 10:00am-11:30am Virtually
IU1 Gifted Boot Camp
IU1 Gifted Boot Camp
Friday, February 21st
Friday, February 21st
9am-2pm
9am-2pm
(Offered Only Virtually via Zoom)
(Offered Only Virtually via Zoom)
This daylong workshop is for the new gifted coordinator, teacher, administrator, or anyone in your district that wants to learn more about Gifted Education and GIEPs.
Topics will include an overview of PA's definition of gifted education, Chapter 16 and a review of the forms that support gifted education.
Math- Sam Taylor and Teresa Brown
Free AI PD for Teachers & Admin
Free AI PD for Teachers & Admin
Online Testing Tools PD
Online Testing Tools PD
-Registration coming soon-
IU1 Math Specialists have developed an Interactive Newsletter to keep you up to date on trainings and events!
Is your district using Illustrative Math (Open Up Resources, Kendall Hunt, or Imagine Learning) or Engage NY (Eureka)? Check out Assistments! It's free!
Science- Alyssa Moore
Upcoming Events
MWEE Banner.pdfBringing MWEE to Life!
Join us for a FREE, Meaningful Watershed Education Experience Workshop!
This immersive workshop prepares 3rd-12th grade teachers with tools to implement an inquiry-based experience for students aligned to the "ELS" of PA STEELS.
Open to the first 15 teachers who register from IU1. Teachers who attend have the opportunity to receive funding to support a project for implementation for their classroom!
Register HERE!
Save the Date- Elit Conference.pdfThe SW PA Environmental Literacy Network is proud to announce the second annual environmental education summit themed "Learning Without Walls".
Save the Date and share with teachers to attend this event where we will bring formal and informal educators and partners from southwestern PA and contiguous WV communities together. There will be sessions and exhibitors with a focus on the "ELS" of PA STEELS, outdoor learning, and an emphasis on strategic partnerships.
June 10th-11th at Waynesburg University!
Penguin Bowl at the Pittsburgh Zoo
The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is Returning to Pittsburgh!
The Zoo is looking for local high school teams to compete in the annual Penguin Bowl at the Pittsburgh Zoo.
Save the Date: Saturday, February 1, 2025!
What is the Penguin Bowl? Teams of high school students battling it out in an ocean-themed quiz competition. The event runs from 8 AM to 6:30 PM. For more information about forming a team, please see this link as well as additional details in this flyer. https://nosb.org/team-information
Remake Learning- Rural Schools Collaborative
Re-join the network!
https://remakelearning.org/join-in/
If you or your district was once on the member directory, you will need to re-join to continue to get the newsletters and resources that the network has to offer!
Rural Schools Collaborative-
Teacher Highlight
Do you have a teacher who deserves recognition for exciting work or programs that they facilitate? I would love to highlight them. Please email me at alyssa.moore@iu1.org or alyssa@remakelearning.org to connect around this teacher.
Rural Lunch & Learn/Meet-Up Request- Do you or networks that you lead or work on want to convene around a topic of interest with Remake Learning? Fill out the form and we can collaborate to make it happen!
Upcoming Events:
TRETC Conference- Hosted by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the Three Rivers Educational Technology Conference (TRETC) is an exciting professional development opportunity to advance the integration of educational technology for teachers, K-12 administrators, industry experts, and higher education decision-makers in South Western PA. When: January 20, 2025 Where: Sewickley Academy
Elementary Science Symposium- Science and engineering education is undergoing a transformation (Kober et al, 2023). We all know that children learn science best by engaging in the subject from an early age in the way that scientists and engineers do, but…How can we find the time to teach science consistently and in a phenomenon-based, three-dimensional way in K through 5? Join this free event to gain resources and experiences to support your implementation of the newly adopted PA STEELS Standards. When: February 5, 2025 Where: The Allegheny Intermediate Unit
Climate Change Teacher Fellowship- Communitopia will be hosting its 5th cohort of the Climate Change Teacher Fellowship on January 11 & 25. Join other regional educators interested in incorporating solutions-centered climate education into their curriculum. Gain the confidence to teach about climate change, empower your students, and connect to solutions regardless of which subject you specialize in! Open to certified K-12 teachers from Western PA.
Remake Learning Days!- Southwestern PA May 1-May 23, 2025
Remake Learning Days is celebrating 10 years in 2025! The website for this year's festival is live and you can submit events now.
Career Readiness-Elizabeth Meerdo
BotsIQ Educator's Workshop--January 15, 2025 at IU1 McMurray Campus
Join BotsIQ for an exciting day of learning and innovation at our McMurray campus on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided, and the session is FREE! The workshop is open to 30 educators--all grade levels and subject areas are welcome to attend.
Explore new programs that offer free, hands-on activities in manufacturing and robotics that are designed to enrich any classroom. Age-appropriate interdisciplinary lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms will be included, as well as, support materials, including worksheets, presentations, and guides--all from BotsIQ.
The day aims to inspire, equip, and empower every educator with practical tools and strategies to engage students in dynamic, real-world learning.
To register: BotsIQ Workshop Registration Form January 15
The deadline to register is Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
For more information: BotsIQ Educator's Workshop Information
ELA
Dr. Tracey Czajkowski & David Dunham
TDA Day 3 Location Change
TDA Day 3 Location Change
The IU1 Central Office is currently under construction.
Please refer to Frontline for updates on this event's location, and carefully review all event postings.
TDA Roll Out Day 3 on Tuesday, January 7, will be held at Brownsville Middle School in the FRC. Lunch will not be provided due to the location change. Please bring your lunch. We will do a working lunch, and the training will run from 9-2pm.
ELA Spotlight
ELA Spotlight
Best Practices
Students need to be engaged in the reading process to improve comprehension. In order to promote improved text understanding, teachers should model for their students how to do this as a think aloud of their thought processes to engage with text. This should be followed up with the students having an opportunity to emulate the teacher's model with a given excerpt that is on the student's instructional or independent level. After the students have attempted to text annotate for a given purpose, allow the students to think, pair, share with a peer to see what each other found in their annotations. Changes are encouraged to be made in the annotations over this discussion.
This conversation allows for students to stay engaged and learn from one another while also addressing PA Academic Core Standards for speaking and listening.
January
January
January 3 – J.R.R. Tolkien Day: Celebrates the birthday of the author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
January 6 – Sherlock Holmes’ Birthday: The fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is said to have been born on this day.
January 18 – Winnie-the-Pooh Day: Honors the birthday of A.A. Milne, the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh.
January 19 – Edgar Allan Poe’s Birthday: A chance to delve into Poe’s dark and imaginative works like The Raven or The Tell-Tale Heart.
January 23 – National Handwriting Day: Ties to the birthday of John Hancock, promoting handwriting and letter-writing.
January 27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day: Engage with Holocaust literature, such as The Diary of Anne Frank or Night by Elie Wiesel.
Other Ideas
Other Ideas
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (3rd Monday of January): Read and analyze King’s speeches or letters, such as Letter from Birmingham Jail.
New Year’s Writing Resolutions: Early January is a great time to discuss personal writing goals or literary ambitions.
Unified Robotics with VEX: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDigPLFt1E3/
Unified Robotics integrates neurotypical and neurodiverse students on the same team, promoting respect, empathy, and collaboration. Teams must have an equal amount of neurotypical and neurodiverse students. For example, a team of 6 students would have 3 neurotypical and 3 neurodiverse students.
More information at: https://www.roboticstogether.com/
Contact:
Jason McKenna - jason@vex.com
VP, Global Educational Strategy, VEX Robotics
Have a safe & relaxing break!
Have a safe & relaxing break!
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