Teacher Newsletter K-2

April 2022

Welcome To April

April is one of those months that flies by amidst the hustle and bustle of teaching, learning and of course testing. You and your students are ready for all that April brings.

Please see below for content information, feedback opportunities, and a call for presentation proposals for Together We Learn.

Together We Learn Call For Proposals

Pasco County Schools would like to take this opportunity to invite you to share your expertise with educators from around the county by presenting at our summer learning events happening this July.

Our call for proposals is open to all staff who would like to host sessions to be held during Together We Learn which will take place from Monday-Wednesday, July 25 – 27, 2022 with a target audience of teachers, coaches, school support staff, SRP, and school/district leaders.

View this flyer and submit your proposal to present a session and join your colleagues in exploring integrated MTSS practices happening right here in Pasco County!

Proposal deadline is Friday, April 15, 2022

Click here to submit your proposal!

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Elementary Grading Practices Survey

Please take a few minutes to complete the Elementary Grading Practices Survey. The survey will close on April 1st.

Financial Literacy Workshop

Please sign up for an Everfi - Guest Speaker

April 18 - 22 Financial Literacy Workshop Sign Up

Register for a 45 minute Financial Literacy Workshop hosted by EVERFI, where students will be engaged in digital financial literacy lessons! Space is limited - Click here to reserve your spot.

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English Language Arts

DIBELS

Assessment Window: April 4th through April 22nd. Data entry due date: April 29th

Gating and Discontinue Rules: The End-of-Year (EOY) Assessment will include updated Gating rules for students meeting the Ambitious Cut Score in grades 1-3. Your coaches have received this information during their March 28th coaches meeting and will communicate those rules. If you need a refresher, please reference this PowerPoint. There will not be any Discontinue rules for this final assessment.

Progress Monitoring: Your schools have access to DIBELS measures for Progress Monitoring. Directions for entering data can be found here, Contact a member of the ELA Team and/or Larry Porter if you have any questions.

Module Assessments:

The Suggested Pacing Calendar can be accessed here.
To access the module assessments on the HMH platform for planning purposes, please use these directions.

Reminders:

The optional writing prompt on Module 10 from the grades 1 and 2 module assessments has been replaced with the required Performance Task Writing Prompt. The 12 point scoring rubric will be used to score student responses and report data in myProgress. Please be sure to have your students complete all sections of the Module Assessment (Reading, Grammar, Writing, and Foundational Skills, if applicable). Please note: There is not a Performance Task for Module 11 in grades 1 and 2 as students will work on a genre study project.
Once all Module Assessment modifications have been made, the assessments and administering guides can be found in the Formative and Summative folder. Please refrain from printing assessments directly from the HMH Into Reading Platform to use for testing purposes.

Revisit ELA PD:

Fall PD Session Recordings:

Differentiated Instruction with HMH Into Reading

Summer PD Session Recordings:

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HMH Interactive Games

HMH provides students with interactive games related to the skills being learned within the module. First, select the foundational skills button. Next, choose the desired module under the Table of Contents and set the audience to student. Then you would check the box next to Phonics Interactive Practice under the Component section.

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Book Clubs for 1st and 2nd grade

Book clubs are available by typing in the search bar "Book Clubs". Under the component section, select Focal Text Take and Teach Printables. The discussion guides are provided for each meeting with questions to engage the students in collaborative conversations about the text.

Reading Endorsement

For anyone wanting to pursue an endorsement by taking the K-12 Reading Test, you can register for the Reding Endorsement Prep Course in myPGS section #30847. If you only need a few courses, there is still space in the UF Literacy Matrix, and you can register using this link. Lastly, If you prefer the district online courses, you can access that schedule here. Any questions about the preparation course or reading endorsement classes, please reach out to Danielle Varcardipone.

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Mathematics

It is not too late to join one of our Session 3 Florida B.E.S.T Standards for Mathematics evening PD cohorts. The options are listed below. Session 3 will focus on two learning goals:

How the vertical and horizontal alignment of the B.E.S.T. Standards impacts planning for student-centered learning
How to identify various standard algorithms and how they demonstrate students' mathematical fluency

Instructional participants will receive stipend pay and 2 inservice points for attending one of these sessions. Please be sure to register in myPGS, course and section numbers can also be found below. We look forward to collaborating and learning with all of you as we continue our journey on the B.E.S.T path!

Cohort 1

Date: 4/13/2022

Time: 6:00-8:00 pm

Location: District Complex, Building 2 Oak

myPGS: Course #4245, Section #30920

Cohort 2

Date: 4/20/2022

Time: 6:00-8:00 pm

Location: Virtual

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88104937633

myPGS: Course #4245, Section #30923

Cohort 3

Date: 4/27/2022

Time: 6:00-8:00 pm

Location: Virtual

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83612863828

myPGS: Course #4245, Section #30926

Session 1 & 2 Florida B.E.S.T Standards for Mathematics Recordings

Session 1: Florida B.E.S.T Standards for Mathematics Overview

Session 1 Recording

Session 2: Mathematical Thinking and Reasoning Standards (MTRs) & Fluency with Arithmetic Operations and Automaticity with Basic Arithmetic Facts

Session 2 Recording

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Science

Final Q4 Lessons in Commons

The last few 5E lessons for the 2021-2022 Student facing courses have been uploaded to the MyLearning Commons. This completes the year-long Kindergarten and Grade 1 course (4/1 at 11am). Next year the courses will be available to you already completed at the end of July. If you have any feedback on the course content, please email lwade@pasco.k12.fl.us as we work on revisions. To access the content, click on Commons in the left hand navigation from any MyLearning page. Search 'Lesley Kirkley' and select the correct Q4 module to import.

2022-2023 Science Curriculum Work

We are seeking teachers to help review and revise the 2022-2023 curriculum resources. This year's focus is on assessment items and the Student Facing courses. We are looking for teams that used the SFCs in K-2 this year and are interested in helping to continue to improve these resources. If you are interested in serving on the 2022-2023 Science curriculum team, please review and complete the form linked HERE.

Water Poster Contest

The FGUA and Pasco County Utilities, in cooperation with Pasco County Schools, presents the 13th Annual Water Awareness Poster Contest. This STEAM program educates students on where water comes from, the importance of keeping our water clean, how utilities help protect and care for water, and the importance of water conservation. Students awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, in each grade level K-5, will receive a prize package from local sponsors. All students who submit a poster will receive a certificate of participation.

Winning posters will be displayed in Pasco County Government Centers and online.

Please visit WaterContest.org for more information and program resources, or contact us directly at info@watercontest.org.

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Social Studies

April is Financial Literacy Month. Which is a great opportunity to highlight the importance of financial literacy and teach our students how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits. To celebrate the month and encourage our students to be financially smart citizens in our communities, Pasco County Schools, in partnership with our valued community partners will offer virtual experiences and opportunities throughout the month. These events are designed to help parents/guardians, employees, community members and students with financial planning matters and getting more information for starting a financially successful future. Fun facts and resources will pop up throughout the month in myLearning to encourage Money Matter Mondays.

Teachers will also have the opportunity to sign up for virtual learning opportunities for themselves, as well as to have the opportunity to sign their classes up for guest speakers that will support the learning of the month.

To help celebrate the month with lessons, tasks, texts and ideas to spark discussion, please visit our district Financial Literacy webpage.

TBT - NIE Financial Literacy Resources

There are new April resources available under the Calendar tab on our website.

Please also check out the NIE publications that help support the required instruction around Financial Literacy Month. Class sets of the print materials may be ordered or you may also find digital PDFs of the publications that may be embedded within your Canvas course.

Financial Literacy Month

The Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education at the University of South Florida created resources aligned to the Florida Financial Literacy Standards: Financial Investing, Saving, Using Credit, Earning Income, Protecting and Insuring, and Understand the fundamental concepts relevant to the institutions, structure, and functions of a national economy. Click here for the online materials.

In a partnership the Tampa Bay Times NIE and the Florida Press Educational Services, the Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education at the University of South Florida created a blog that includes lesson ideas that use news texts (articles, videos, cartoons, images). CLICK ON the images below to access the texts and standards-based questions. (For more, check out the archives on the right side of the page).