Notes+from+Nov.+17+meeting

**Minutes: ** ** Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 6:00 – 7:00PM in Room 516 **  ** 1) **** Check-in (5 min)  ** ** 2)  **** Messages from New Trier HS   ** a. IGSS – choice, unique interests, personal relationships, experiential learning, part of the school day (3-4 periods) b. Advisory, PBL  · 3-4 periods blocked for jrs./srs. (Engl/SocSt/Sci) 65-70 students, self-chosen, not “slc” // per se //  o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">American Studies (Engl and SocSt)—double class period, team taught <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Advisories (25 min. daily, unisex, 25-28 kids), stick with the same teacher/kids until sr. year <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Taking advisories counts as a teaching prep—do home visits, make personal connections. <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Attendance is handled by the Advisory Teacher. <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">PBL—they are beginning to get into it, incorporating projects into classes. <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Some of the PBL is voluntary (b/c it requires time beyond the school day) <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Senior Project option (~20% of the srs. Participate). After AP exams (heavy AP students do not do this), they do a full-day release (last 5 weeks they check in with their project mentor), present their results at a “science fair” type of event. <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">110 hours prep expected <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Two counselors keep track of the students, advise the students as they fashion the project proposal, they also coordinate the mentors <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The mentors may be faculty/staff, or community members <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students come in weekly to give status checks <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">CM noted that this is similar to the IB personal project component <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Required for grad for those students who opt for the projects <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo3; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">No finals for these kids—they agree to take the grade they have when they leave the class <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;">** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">3) **** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Presentations by MS Staff: Jim Revoir and Kristin Hanna – House Structure at HMS  ** <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Benefit 1: “small family” leads to neat opportunities for team building amongst teachers and students  <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo4; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Ex.: House Banner Design activity (many alums come back and look at their banners), Winter Olympics activity, book brawl during teen read week, develop a sense of house pride/identity <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Benefit 2: Interdisciplinary Units, such as the middle ages research project, “I love the Knight Life” week of activities in various disciplines (daily team planning time really helps with this), service learning is enhanced by the “family” connections <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Benefit 3: Allow students to forge deep connections with adults (they see the same teachers three times during the school day); the overcrowding issue (1248 kids this year) has impacted some of this bonding because the students may have an itinerant teacher for one or two subjects <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Benefit 3.5: team prep time—allows staff to discuss and address student learning/behavior needs, teachers can also meet with parents, admin, or counselors as necessary <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Drawbacks (question from team): teachers have to adjust their personal style if their team is not fully compatible in terms of teaching styles, etc. Also, getting to know other teachers outside your team is difficult (compounded by the loss of teacher lunches). In ten years, the admin has not moved a teacher from one team to another, but several have done some shuffling on their own. <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo4; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students might be able to find more friends/similar people if they could pull from all 400 kids in their grade, kids who are more “loner” types may not feel as comfortable in the house model. Admin. is willing to move students if there is a conflict between their personality and the personality of the house they have been placed in (has happened perhaps three times in the past). <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo4; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The Admin is careful to encourage house pride, but not house superiority. The Admin also does a lot of work to ensure that the houses have similar demographic makeups __across the grade__ (i.e., there is no academic house, no athletic house, no rich house, etc.). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;">** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">4) **** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Academy Concept for SLC—ideas from Decatur, IN  ** <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">350 students in a group (self-selected by “path”)—1750 students  <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students stay in their community for all four years <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Structured advisory <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Five “spokes”/communities from which to choose <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">One principal, one AP, and an instructional coach (to help teachers make the switch) <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Content of similar subjects may vary between spokes (i.e. have a different “flavor”) <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Each core areas have common summative assessments, but beyond that there is variety <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Questions <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">How do we ensure that a kid gets his first choice of spoke? NT has a ranking system to ensure that almost every kid gets his first or second choice <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">They make kids wait for a set period of time before allowing them to switch groups <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">We need to keep in mind that how Hudson would create its academies would need to match the needs/desires of Hudson’s students <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Also, almost every school which does this has to take steps to ensure students do not engage in // de facto // segregation based on their choices <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> ** <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">5) Brainstorming Ideas for Structure and Themes (Identifying Characteristics) –  ** <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">a. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Post-it notes on what to avoid when setting up SLCs  <span style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; mso-outline-level: 1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">b. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Post-it notes on what HHS needs to have successful small learning communities   ** <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Organize into like groups of post-its (3-4 in a group)  ** ** <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> // Report Out // **** // <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> This work was moved to our next meeting. // ** ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Next Meeting(s) Date(s): 11:15—12:45, Weds., Dec. 15th 2010, Room 545. We will order in food—Jimmy Johns sandwiches (chips and drinks brought in)! **** J  **<span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> ** <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday, January 11, 2011 in room 516. ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Assignment: Bring in the name of a school with SLCs you would like to know more about for next time. **
 * <span style="color: #9d002c; font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">High School Learning of the Future – Small Learning Communities Study Team **