Friday, November 2, 2012

November 5 - November 9


Monday,
November 5
Tuesday,
November 6
Wednesday,
November 7
Thursday,
November  8
Friday,
November 9
3:00-3:50:
Student Government
3:00-3:45:
PNA Leadership Team Meeting

School Culture & Activities Team Meeting
Election Day
Staff PD Day
(No Students)

PNA 3-on-3 Tournament
3:00-3:50:
Yearbook Club
Graffiti Mural Club
Video Game Club
3:00-3:45:
School-Wide Data Team Meeting
3:00-3:50:
Youth Court
3:00-3:45:
Accreditation Committee Meeting
8:30:
Attendance Team Meeting
...
12:20 – 1:10:
Department Meetings
1:10-2:00:
Grade Team Meetings

November 6th Schedule of Activities
Tuesday, November 6th is a Staff PD Day. Students will not be in attendance. The Schedule of Activities for this day can be found at the following link: https://sites.google.com/site/pablonerudaacademynyc/schedules/pna-staff-pd/november-6-schedule-of-activities. Session assignments can also be found on this page. Contact Ms. Cook (scook@pablonerudaacademy.org) if you have questions.
Supporting Students Effected by Hurricane Sandy
Some of our students may need support in dealing with issues around Hurricane Sandy. Teachers are encouraged to engage students in classroom discussions around this event. There are two resources for assisting staff members with these discussions:
Discussions with Children Around Hurricane Sandy
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B61KP63aTacYN1ZuTnNjVmpyejQ
Tips for Administrators, Teachers, & Counselors
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B61KP63aTacYb19rYVpCbnZMNUU
If any staff member notices a student who is having a particularly difficult time, please refer them to the social worker office immediately.
Engagement Best Practices
Grade Team leaders and administration conducted Engagement walkthroughs during the month of October. Grade Team Leaders developed a list of best practices based on the low inference observation data that were collected. The best practices can be found at the following link:
Sustainability Goals
Each year all city buildings create Sustainability Plans that include goals. This year, our goals are to reduce energy, increase student awareness around being Green, work with Bronx Guild on expanding the Community Garden, and lessen trash by increasing recycling. All staff members should support these goals by:
-    Turning classroom and office lights off at the end of each day
-    Unplugging projectors at the end of each day
-    Turning air conditioners off at the end of each day
Contact Mr. Liu (dliu@pablonerudaacademy.org) if you have any questions or have ideas in which you can help support this initiative. 
Parent Outreach
As a reminder, Ms. Santos, our Parent Coordinator, is available to support staff members in contacting parents. She can make phone calls, arrange meetings, or translate for Spanish speaking families. Additionally, if you are scheduling a meeting with a parent, please ensure you notify Ms. Santos of the date and time of the meeting.
Per Session Timesheets (REMINDER)
As you know, our budget is extremely tight this year, and the school has less money available for per session activities. As a result, we are very closely monitoring these funds. In order for us to accurately monitor this money, it is imperative that per session time sheets are submitted on time. Please be advised that in order to stay eligible for per session activities, you must submit time sheets on time. Arrangements will need to be made with Ms. Cook in order to submit a time sheet after the deadline. Contact Ms. Franqui (gfranqui@pablonerudaacademy.org) if you have any questions.
Curriculum Map Rubric (REMINDER)
The Accreditation Committee is utilizing a Curriculum Map Rubric to give feedback on all curriculum maps. Many members have expressed the usefulness of this tool. Contact your department’s Accreditation Committee representative if you have questions.
The rubric can be found at the following link: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B61KP63aTacYUWNwcDM2aGlQa1k
Emergency Lesson Plans (REMINDER)
As stated in the PNA Staff Handbook, emergency lesson plans should only be used when someone is physically unable to email work (in cases of extreme emergency). Whenever you are notifying Mr. Liu of an absence, ensure you provide work that is relevant to what students are currently studying.
Student Work (REMINDER)
As a reminder, this year, all teachers are working with students to create student work folders. As we enter the second marking period, all teachers should now be using the student work folders to hold significant pieces of student work (i.e. essays, projects, etc.). Student work folders should include the task, work, and assessment. Please also ensure student work is displayed on bulletin boards both inside and outside of classrooms. See Ms. Cook (scook@pablonerudaacademy.org) if you have questions.
PBIS (REMINDER)
One of the PNA Instructional Expectations focus areas asks all teachers to fully adopt the PNA PBIS Program in their classrooms. When conducting observations, administrators are looking for evidence of the integration in the lesson. All teachers should ensure they are participating. See your Grade Team Leader if you have any questions.
Look Like a Student (REMINDER)
Part of the PNA PBIS program asks students to “Look Like a Student”. This includes hats off, pants pulled up, back-packs off, heads up, and following the PNA dress code. Please ensure that all students “look like students” in your classrooms at all times. Ensure you address any student who has their head down.