Teaching & Learning

As early as next week, the state BOE should approve Hays USD 489 to be fully accredited. The process for that accreditation has been a six-year journey of school improvement which, based on feedback from you, focused on relationships and relevance. Those focus areas led us to professional learning in the areas of CHAMPS, trauma and resiliency, student engagement, family communication and partnerships, IPS (individual plans of study), social & emotional learning, curriculum alignment, kindergarten readiness, civic engagement, and MTSS…to name a few. 😊

Our most recent partnership with MTSS led to our work with LFI (Leading for Impact). That partnership has at its core the belief that systems and schools and classrooms and teaching and learning can’t be left to chance, but instead MUST occur by design. That belief is what will carry our district into the next cycle of accreditation, and it won’t be a single event that happens annually for the next five years. It will instead be staying the course with the foundational pieces already put in place such as teacher clarity/success criteria (tier 1 for all kids), BSEL protocols, LETRS training, effective leadership teams – PLC, BLT, DLT.

Just the other day I received a phone call from a member of the accreditation council to congratulate us on our accreditation and to share that there is talk at the state level as to what is happening in Hays. The design of processes and the results of our student outcome measures are being noticed. After thanking him for the feedback, I promised I would pass it along to all of you – those who did the real work of improving and learning, so thank you and CONGRATS and keep on doing things the Hays Way!!

April 3rd-5th: HHS Student-Led Conferences

April 7th & 10th: No School

April 12th: Early Release

Our Purpose: Provide educators with assistance so students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be successful...read more here

District Assessment Schedule

Professional Learning Timeline

Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Teacher

This notice is being sent in preparation for potential Horizontal Salary Movement for the 2023-24 Contract year. You are required to notify Human Resources if you intend to move Horizontally on the Certified Salary Schedule for the 2023-24 Contract Year by filling out the Electronic Form here: https://forms.office.com/r/WzU16AUNLU.

This form helps us gather information regarding any Continuing Education Graduate Credit, and/or Professional Development Points you have earned since your last Horizontal move. June 1st is the deadline but the sooner your information is received, the quicker we can process and validate your information; May 1, 2023, as the PRIORITY DEADLINE.

PLEASE NOTE: Per the most recent round of HNEA Negotiations, this is the LAST YEAR that you can advance Horizontally using only "Knowledge" points. Effective June 2, 2023, PDC points will have to be for "Application" and/or "Impact". Per associated negotiations, there are also updates regarding Micro Credentials and a new threshold for the number of PDC points that can be applied per year for Horizontal Salary Movement. These new guidelines are applicable in preparation for 2024-25 school year. It is highly recommended to click the link below for the details: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1196/USD_489/2817660/Horizontal_Movement_2023-2025.pdf

Please read the following information regarding travel.

REGULATIONS FOR TRAVEL

Our business office ran an audit of the first nine weeks of school and found the following:

• 48 Professional Meeting Absences were not entered into Skyward
• 50 Sick Leave (illness, personal, funeral) absences were not entered into Skyward

All leave tracking and balances are maintained in Skyward and, therefore ALL leave must be requested in Skyward. This includes allocated leaves (sick leave, personal leave etc.) uncharged leaves (professional development, student activity, etc.), as well as special leaves (Family Serious Illness, Jury Duty, etc.). Linked here is a document outlining the process for requesting ANY type of leave.

CLICK HERE!

The testing season is upon us for ELA, Math, and Science, and History Government Social Studies. See this 2022-23 Kansas Assessment Program Overview for specific grade levels and testing windows.

PLC Chair Members

Subject Area Committee Members

ELA & Math SAC updates can be found here

On behalf of Dr. Paul Adams, please find attached flyers that detail options for professional learning opportunities for teachers at FHSU. These are great opportunities for your teachers to take advantage of, and they do offer college credit. If you happen to have any teachers interested, please go to our SMEI website to sign up. www.fhsu.edu/smei If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

CLICK HERE FOR FLYERS

A family member of a HMS student who works at the National Weather Service Training Center in Kansas City, MO, reached out to offer this information – the NWS Outreach program has created NWS Virtual Talks to bring the excitement of the Weather Service to students K-12. More info can be found at this link, https://www.weather.gov/education/school-outreach.

April is packed full of learning opportunities to stretch yourself. HERE IS THE LINK where you can dive in to read about the offerings and register!

~Joann McRell, KSDE

May 3 • 1 PM PT | 4 PM ET • 1 Hour

Explore the essentials of writing instruction with Dr. Steve Graham, lead author of the IES Educator's Practice Guide for Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers. Dr. Graham is Regents and Warner Professor in the Division of Leadership and Innovation, Teachers College at ASU.

Can't attend live? Register to receive the recording.

LEARN MORE OR REGISTER

APRIL 2023

There is additional information and a link to previous newsletters at the link below.

Early Literacy/ Dyslexia

Additional information can also be found at the KSDE Dyslexia Webpage.

District Reading Materials folder

The best phonics instruction is explicit, systematic, and engaging. The recent national conversation around Science of Reading clarifies the important role of phonics in early reading development. Download these three research eBooks by Wiley Blevins, author of From Phonics to Reading for Grades K–3, and discover the importance of strong phonics instruction.

The Effects of Using Decodable Texts with Systematic Instruction

Learn what Wiley Blevins found in his research study on the potential impact decodable texts have on early reading and spelling growth as well as motivation to read

Phonics Instructional Guide: Multiple Tiers for Success

The phonics instruction we deliver must be based on our awareness of grade-level reading demands while simultaneously meeting students where they are.

The Phonics Instructional Guide: Multisensory/Multimodal Instruction

Effective and efficient phonics lessons incorporate multimodal instruction. Activities should engage a student’s multiple senses, yet focus on a direct connection to authentic reading and writing experiences.

K-5 teachers, please complete this form, https://forms.office.com/r/fmkpFuxzSm, in regards to instructional materials used, needed for next year.

APRIL 2023

K-12 students can use their creativity by entering an illustration (art conveying a visual representation of a theme or idea) for the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) Annual Conference theme - Great Ideas in Education: Empowered Together!

Entries must be postmarked by May 26, 2023.

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: Link does not work. Go to website.

KS Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board: https://licensing.ks.gov/Verification_BSRB/Search.aspx

Staff should be able to submit maintenance tickets through ClassLink.

Once logged into ClassLink, staff should see a maintenance helpdesk icon. If you don’t see the helpdesk, you may need to switch your profile.

IT shared these steps to follow:

Switching Profiles

1. Click on profile dropdown arrow on top right by your picture
2. Select profile menu
3. Select appropriate profile - either Teacher or Staff

Free Lessons

Click here for more information!

For More Information: HirePaths - Connect Your Kids to In-Demand Careers

For more information and FAQ's, click here

WCKSEC Lending Library.xlsx: Contact - Shaley Sciacca

Curriculum Library: Contact - Gabriela Schmidt

Renaissance is now the parent company for FastBridge and partners with KSDE to offer resources for FastBridge. Please see this month’s newsletter for information about various reports and upcoming KSDE-sponsored professional learning opportunities.

April Newsletter

Events & Resources

• April: Classroom Strategies

IF YOU MISSED A TRAINING, CLICK HERE FOR HANDOUTS & VIDEOS

• Logging into FastBridge for the First Time
• Forgotten Password
• FAST Assessment Estimated Administration Times
• Quick Sheets, Student Materials and Demo Videos can be Accessed on the Assessment Page HERE
• How To Access the List of Student Usernames & Passwords for Your Building
  

Creating an Incident in eduClimber

Link to Seesaw’s info about the new messaging feature (including short videos).

The "one app" piece still requires you to sign out as a "teacher" and sign in as a "student" to see things in the class Marie and Allison made (on cell phone or iPad). But the rest of that part about the updated app is still correct.

A Teaching and Learning SeeSaw (elementary) and Canvas (secondary) page has been created and shared with teachers throughout the district. The goal for creating these courses is to share resources, dates, and general information in a one-stop-shop method. In the course you will find a calendar with PD dates, assessment windows, days off, early releases, etc. You will also find resource folders/modules with several tutorials or info for FastBridge, eduCLIMBER, ELA, Math, Progress Monitoring, and more. If there is anything you would like to see added to this page let Allison or Marie know.