Teaching & Learning

How best to celebrate the month of February than with some fun, useless facts about this short, but seemingly long month.

February…

• often occurs in the list of most misspelled words in the English language.
• is the only month that can pass without a full moon.
• starts on the same day of the week as March and November in common years; in leap years it starts with the same day of the week as August.
• is American Heart Month, National Chocolate Lovers Month, National Dental Health Month, as well as Black History Month – to name a few.
• was derived from the word ‘februa’ which translates to purification and cleansing.
• 13th, 1905, recorded the coldest temperature in Kansas, -40 F, in Lebanon, KS. (This small town made an appearance in a commercial during this year’s Super Bowl.)

Hang in there! The bitterly cold will not last forever. Soon we will be welcoming the warmth of spring.

~Shanna Dinkel

February 1st: DLM assessment spring window

February 10th: Early Release

February 10th: KESA DLT meeting

February 14th: Valentine's Day

February 15th: Inservice

February 15th: KELPA spring window opens

• May 21st: Last Day of School
• May 24th-25th: Teacher Inservice
• May 26th: Staff Work Day

This past summer, thanks to a grant from the USD 489 Foundation, each of the four elementary schools received 16 books showcasing diversity. Below are three titles to share with your students during Black History Month.

For a complete list of the 16 books, click the link. https://usd4890-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/gschmidt_usd489_com/Ed3elqVlto5OqLu841H-fX0Bz18H8z6VuAn2IhlQh8FK2A?e=N5Lpyo

Kansas 2020-21 KMEA Honor Administrator of the Year!

Recognized by Network Kansas as an outstanding teacher involved in the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Series. He is one of five in Kansas to receive this honor.

ASCD Distance Learning

• USD 489 COVID Leave Chart Updated 12/1/2020
• USD 489 Updated Gating and Quarantine as of 10/20/2020
• USD 489 COVID Plan Update December 2020

• Key STAR Assessment Reports
• Score Definitions for STAR
• Star Instructional Planning Report
• STAR Record Book Manage Groups
• STAR Record Book Plan Instruction
• STAR Screening Report

If there is an event you'd like to attend, please check with your building administrator.

* Southwest Plains Regional Service Center Events

* Smoky Hill Educational Service Center Events

Thanks to the efforts of USD 259, Wichita, here are February Virtual Field Trip "Edventures" coming up:

Friday, February 12 - Love Your Heart Health Fair

We're tapping into health and wellness with a series of virtual events featuring fitness, nutrition, SEL, mindfulness, healthy choices, and careers. We're also hoping to have a few athletes and para-athletes tell their stories.

Wednesday, February 17 - Celebrating Black History Month

Our virtual sessions will honor the African American leaders, artists, athletes, world changers, and innovators who have made an impact on American history. Sessions will support ELA, Social Studies, STEM, music, art, and CTE.

Sessions will support PK-2, 3-5, 6-8. and 9-12 grade bands,

and all school districts/classes are invited to join us.

Event details will be posted to our virtual learning page

soon https://www.usd259.org/virtuallearning

~Mrs. Smoke, Wichita Public Schools

Kathleen Kryza, master teacher, consultant, and coach who has presented highly practical, brain-based, and inspirational workshops internationally for more than 25 years recommends websites that support differentiation in remote classrooms, including:

- Epic! www.getepic.com/educators - A library of 40,000 free e-books and videos

- Unite for Literacy www.uniteforliteracy.com with books in multiple languages

- National Library of Virtual Manipulatives http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html

- Bookshare www.bookshare.org a free online library for students with dyslexia

https://usd4890-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/gschmidt_usd489_com/ES5C_mgJeyBGgIyDl7-WRpMBL7TPqK2pYgiPkdFajoC3YA?e=p30dw9

You can now enable Spanish Language Support in IXL for individual students on your roster or every student on your roster. The video below (0.55) shows you how. If you have questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to let me know!

~Marie Henderson

Each year, most of us sit down to set some type of goal we want to accomplish for that year and I am sure you set classroom goals with your students often. So, why should the KELPA be any different? In an effort to help you and your students prepare for the KELPA, I am providing you with a sample goal sheet that can be completed with students. Having students actually write out their goals and talk about it with their teachers can be so impactful.

Consider reading this article, Goal Setting with English Learners and Multilingual Students

Please note: Teachers do not have to use any of these of course, but this could be a resource.

Language Grow and Glow Goal Sheet

KELPA Goal Sheet- Lower grades

KELPA Goal Sheet- Lower grades 2

KELPA Goal Sheet- Middle grades

KELPA Goal Sheet- Higher

REGISTER HERE

KS Department of Education: https://appspublic.ksde.org/TLL/SearchLicense.aspx

Speech/Language Pathologist: https://www.ksha.org/licensing.php

KS Board of Nursing: https://www.kansas.gov/ksbn-verifications/search/records

KS Board of Healing Arts: https://www.accesskansas.org/ssrv-ksbhada/search.html

KS Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board: https://www.kansas.gov/bsrb-verification/