Teacher Talk 10/24/22

 

Message From Dr. Reilly

Dear Teachers and Instructional Staff,

This past week, the Council of Great City Schools held its 66th Annual Fall Conference. This organization brings together 77 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems in a coalition dedicated to the improvement of education for children in the inner cities.

The district is proud to share that Director Marisol Diaz and Special Assistant Jazleen Othman presented how Newark Public Schools are preventing reading difficulties. District leaders from across the country were introduced to the curricular changes that led to the development of knowledge-building units written in response to the Amistad Act and national science standards, including the development of explicit phonics and phonemic awareness units in grades K-3.

The presentation highlighted the curricular work by teachers and central office staff.  This is important work, and we were proud to share it.

As we continue to push this work forward, remember that YOU are the driving force to accelerating learning. Be innovative. Be strategic.

Thank you!

Dr. Reilly

EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS

Office Hours (New)

Contact: KeLee Brown
Email: k10brown@nps.k12.nj.us

The Office of Early Childhood is offering Office Hours for Pre-K teachers to support with lesson plans, Creative Curriculum and Assessment. Please see the dates below, and note the hours are from 3:15PM-4:15PM.Office Hours link- https://nboe.webex.com/nboe/j.php?MTID=m4ea770a02a2fa540d527c99813fcb179

  • Monday, October 24, 2022
  • Monday, November 7, 2022
  • Monday, November 14, 2022
  • Monday, November 21, 2022
  • Monday, December 5, 2022
  • Monday, December 12, 2022
  • Monday, December 19, 2022
 

Pre-K Literacy and Mathematics Assessment (New)

Contact: Mara Kaplan
Email: mkaplan@nps.k12.nj.us

This is a friendly reminder – the Office of Early Childhood developed the Pre-K Literacy and Mathematics Assessment, which is inclusive of 8 individual tasks that are completed three times a year. These assessments support teachers and administrators in understanding how students are progressing to inform instruction and district-wide initiatives.

Important upcoming dates:

  • First Assessment ends October 25, 2022
  • Class Score Sheets are shared with Admin and Teacher Coach by November 1, 2022

Individual score reports are added to GOLD and placed in Assessment Folders by November 8, 2022

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS

Running Record Training – Grade K-5 Teachers (New)

Contact: Heather Lieberman
Email: hlieberman@nps.k12.nj.us

We are pleased to offer continued training on taking and analyzing running records on Friday, November 4th. This voluntary training is being offered to all K-5 teachers and support staff. Please see the attached document for more information and how to sign up if you are interested.
 

Grade 2-4 Teachers & AI’s – Bridge the Gap Training (New)

Contact: Lisa Trobaugh
Email: ltrobaugh@nps.k12.nj.us

Last year, Bridge the Gap, phonemic awareness intervention manuals, were sent to all AI’s, 2nd & 3rd grade teachers. Currently, this resource has been extended to all 4th grade teachers. Training will be held for all 4th grade teachers and new AI’s, 2nd or 3rd grade teachers, and any teachers who had the training last year wanting a refresher, on Friday, October 28th. Sessions are offered at various times. Registration will be available in Whetstone – see the attached document.  Please be sure to get administrative approval prior to registration.

PREVIOUS ITEMS

New Resources For Middle School Science Teachers

Contact: Kathleen Tierney, Office of Science
Email: ktierney@nps.k12.nj.us

New features have been added to the interactive digital editions of IQWST.  Teachers now have the ability to customize activities. In addition, translations into French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Spanish are available. The videos linked here explain how to use these features in IDE.
 

ELA October Office Hours

Contact: Heather Lieberman, Office of ELA
Email: HLieberman@nps.k12.nj.us

October’s ELA Office Hours will focus on using the K-5 Reading Behavior Tracker. Any questions or areas of concern are welcome. Please see the attached document for further information.

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS

NBOE Pre-College Fair (New)

Contact: LaTonya White
Email: ldwhite@nps.k12.nj.us

The NBOE Pre-College Fair, hosted by Student Support Services, will take place on November 9th, 2022 at Central High School from 3:30pm-6:00pm. The fair is open to students from grades 6-12.

Attached is a flyer which may be shared with students and families.

CLICK HERE for the student registration link.

Please contact LaTonya D. White at 973-688-2721 with inquiries.

ALL TEACHERS

Newark Downtown District 2nd Annual Fall Festival (New)

In partnership with the Newark City Parks Foundations, the Newark Downtown District (NDD) is back again on October 29th (October 30th rain date) with the NDD Fall Festival from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Military Park.  

For some great fall fun, there will be family activities, inflatables, a petting zoo with pony rides, food trucks, and the coolest costume contest around! You don’t want to miss it!

Here is this year’s flyer for you to share: 
 

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Waiver Ends Oct 31, 2022 (New)

Contact: Randy Schrader
Email: recordsverification@nps.k12.nj.us

The “limited PSLF waiver” refers to the time-limited changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program rules that allow borrowers to receive credit for past periods of repayment that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF. This opportunity ends on Oct. 31, 2022.

Please click on the link to see if you qualify and get instructions for how to apply.

PSLF Waiver Offers Way to Get Closer to Loan Forgiveness | Federal Student Aid

Additional information available by emailing recordsverification@nps.k12.nj.us
 

Save the Date: “Stock Your Classroom” New Teacher Event (New)

Contact: Julianne Bello
Email: jbello@nps.k12.nj.us

New Teachers,

You are invited to a shopping event to “Stock Your Classroom!”

Please visit the Harold Wilson cafeteria from 3-6 pm during 10/31 to 11/4 to select from NEW books, materials, paper supplies, manipulatives and more to ensure your classroom is stocked!

Save the date!! More details to come.
 

The Office of Special Education (New)

Contact: Amy Woods
Email: a1woods@nps.k12.nj.us

The Office of Special Education offers a variety of Professional Learning Opportunities for CSTs, teachers, and paraprofessionals.  See the attachment for PD resources on IEP Development, including writing Data Driven PLAAFPs, IEP Goals and the EdPlan New User Interface.
 

Homework Hotline Teachers Needed (New)

Contact: Timothy Nellegar
Email: tnellegar@nps.k12.nj.us

The Office of Teaching and Learning is still hiring educators to man the Homework Hotline Monday-Thursday from 3:30p-5:30p. We are in need of teachers in the following areas: Bilingual, Chemistry, Physics, and Social Studies/History. If you are interested in possibly joining our Homework Hotline team please email Tim Nellegar at tnellegar@nps.k12.nj.us for more information.
 

ALEKS is now available in Clever (New)

Contact: Darleen Gearhart
Email: dgearhart@nps.k12.nj.us

ALEKS, an online tutoring and assessment program for mathematics in grades 3-12, is now available in Clever for teachers and students.  ALEKS is only to be used outside of the school day, that is as part of the afterschool program, or at students’ homes.  ALEKS can be used as a homework assignment.  Below you will find web links to pre-recorded webinars for the ALEKS supplemental program.  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mz1HFdzpUfX0h4DESOLZMaeVdvFFUy36t4Y3y2tICzA/edit?usp=sharing

Additional professional development will be held beginning the week of November 7.  Please check Teacher Talk to sign-up for those sessions.
 

Homework Hotline is Open (New)

Contact: Timothy Nellegar
Email: tnellegar@nps.k12.nj.us

Homework Hotline is open and ready to help students for the 2022-23 school year. Students can call and get assistance on homework, reviewing the day’s lesson, or other instructional questions Monday through Thursday from 3:30-5:30pm. For more information, as well as a list of our current instructors and their contact information, please visit the Tutoring Resources page under Students on the Newark Board of Education website.

https://sites.google.com/nps.k12.nj.us/tutoring-site/home

Please encourage your students to use this free service to help them throughout the school year.
 

ALEKS Professional Learning (New)

Contact: Darleen Gearhart
Email: dgearhart@nps.k12.nj.us

ALEKS is now available as an afterschool mathematics resource.  If you are a teacher, choose the McGraw-Hill icon in Clever to access this supplemental math program.   In order to support the implementation of this program, three levels of professional learning sessions (Beginner-Getting Started with ALEKS; Intermediate-Data, Customization, and more with ALEKS; and, Advanced-Dig Deeper with ALEKS) are being offered as follows:

  • November 7, 2022
  • November 9, 2022
  • November 10, 2022
  • November 14, 2022
  • November 15, 2022
  • November 16, 2022
  • November 17, 2022

Sessions will be held 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Sign-up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C4AAFAB2CAAFF2-aleks
 

Open Enrollment 11/1 – 11/15 (New)

Contact: Jennifer Medina
Email: j1medina@nps.k12.nj.us

It’s That Time of Year! Open Enrollment is from November 1st – November 15th. On 11/1, you will be able to enroll in your NBOE benefits at NBOEbenefits.com. Please plan to attend one of the live webinars for further information on the 2023 benefits program: Thursday, October 27 at 3:30-4:30 pm or Wednesday, November 9 at 3:30-4:30 pm. 

More information can be found on www.hrconnection.com (guest key: NBOE). Click this link to download and print the OE flyer to post at your location: Open Enrollment QR Code Flyer
 

Deadline for SEL Rethink Ed Student Self Assessment (New)

Contact: Jessica Silva-Olmo
Email: jsilva@nps.k12.nj.us

All 3rd -12th Grade students are taking a Fall 2022 RethinkEd SEL Self-Assessment by October 28th. The window for the assessment has been open from Sept. 11th until Oct. 28th. A data pull will be shared with Principals and ASUPs 1 (one) week prior to the deadline. Information gathered from the data analysis will be used to support students, parents, and shared with stakeholders as needed. All classrooms should have students complete this in order to capture all students’ SEL strengths and/or challenges.

PREVIOUS ITEMS

NCTM Resources and Group Access for Mathematics

Contact: Darleen Gearhart, Office of Mathematics
Email: DGearhart@nps.k12.nj.us

The Office of Mathematics has purchased Group Access for resources from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics for 3,000 math teachers across Newark’s public schools.  By signing up you receive access to NCTM resources including Illuminations (standards-based resources, interactive tools, and instructional support for teachers and students), Problems of the Week (an extensive library of math problems), Students Explorations in Mathematics (an archive of hands-on activities and materials), and MyNCTM (an online community of math teachers across the globe).

Please sign up for NCTM group access at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_n1tXhaylHGkOaF-B42TrOcJWucWDBJ8FUTvM4QM_W3fXeQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
 

Certifications Team Virtual Office Hours and Professional Development

Contact: Eboni Lee, Human Resource Services
Email: E2Lee@nps.k12.nj.us

To help support administrators and teachers, the Certification team will continue to host Virtual Office Hours and Professional Development through the month of October.

Register for the Professional Development and virtual office hours using the following link: https://forms.gle/J9EmbPxAgG3eiM

The NJ Department Of Education no longer uses TCIS. The new portal is NJ Ed Cert.

Please make sure all of your Instructional, Educational Services and/or Administrator certificates are current.  The Certifications team can be reached via email at certifications@nps.k12.nj.us to answer your certification questions.
 

Parent University – Self-Paced Courses!

Contact: Mariah Alston, Office of Federal Programs & Grants
Email: m1alston@nps.k12.nj.us

Parent University is back for a new semester of learning! Through our website, families can navigate a plethora of Parent University courses on different topics at their own pace! 

Please print, share, post, and distribute the Parent University flyer and encourage families to explore all our website has to offer.
 

The Office of Special Education

Contact: Amy Woods, Office of Special Education
Email: a1woods@nps.k12.nj.us

October is designated as Learning Disabilities Awareness Month, a time to recognize the 70 million people in the United States who have learning and attention differences. Please take a moment to visit and celebrate your school based Learning Disability Teacher Consultant (LDTC).  October is also National Physical Therapy Month.  Please see the attached for additional details.

The attached includes various PD offered by OSE such as New Users to Goalbook, S.E.T.A., CST PD, ReThink PD, STAR Autism PD and PD provided by Gallaudet- Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center.
 

Cannabis on School Grounds

Contact: Anthony Jackson, Office of Safety & Security
Email: a2jackson@nps.k12.nj.us

Please review Newark Board of Education Policy pertaining to the possession and use of Cannabis/Marijuana on District property.

Cannabis-on-School-Grounds-updated.docx
 

SEL/Mental Health Programming Supports SY 22-23 

Contact: Mary Harvey, Office of Student Life – Student Support Services
Email: mharvey@nps.k12.nj.us

Attached is an informational resource on the NBOE SEL/Mental Health Programming Supports being delivered for the 2022-2023 school year.  As you move forward through the school year, should you have questions and/or need support, you may contact our office.
 

2022-2023 Educational Technology Office Hours

Contact: Timothy Nellegar, Office of Educational Technology
Email: tnellegar@nps.k12.nj.us

The Office of Educational Technology will have virtual office hours every Monday from 3:00p-3:45p. This will allow educators to drop in, receive a quick training on an educational technology strategy or platform and to ask questions to help them better use technology in their classroom.

To join office hours, please use this link: https://nboe.webex.com/nboe/j.php?MTID=m71bfa10824509d7c09c77df7edaf6752.

We look forward to seeing you there.
 

Inactivating Gradebook Categories

Contact: Darren Watsky, Student Information Services
Email: dwatsky@nps.k12.nj.us

NBOE updated the grading guidelines and now uses two categories of assignments to determine a student’s grade: Summative Assessments and Formative Assessments. These two categories have been delivered to all teachers’ gradebook. If other categories are used for assignments in PowerTeacher Pro, the assignments will not count for the student’s overall grade. All categories should be made inactive except for the two categories that are district wide categories in all gradebooks. Use the Inactivating Gradebook Categories document to view and edit your gradebook categories as needed.
 

NBOE Grading Policy – SIS Implementation

Contact: Darren Watsky, Student Information Services
Email: dwatsky@nps.k12.nj.us

The updated NBOE grading policy calls for two grade categories: Summative and Formative Assessments. These categories are delivered district wide to every PowerTeacher gradebook. The policy calls for all grades to be calculated using a GPA point scale. PowerTeacher now averages all grades on a scale proportional to the 4 point GPA scale. The Uniform Grading Policy – SIS Implementation document provides more detail.
 

Disciplinary Guide 

Contact: Mary Garripoli, Office of Student Life
Email: mgarripoli@nps.k12.nj.us

The attachment contains the revised Disciplinary Guidebook.
 

McKinney-Vento Resource Hour

Contact: Ana Osoria, Student Support Services
Email: a1osoria@nps.k12.nj.usThe McKinney-Vento Resource Hour is a monthly virtual presentation featuring a different community agency that will discuss strategies, resources, and information on specific areas that affect our most vulnerable population, homeless and displaced families.
 

Health, Physical Education & Athletics Office Hours

Contact: Krystal Rhett, Office of Health, Physical Education & Athletics
Email: KRhett@nps.k12.nj.usThe Office of Health, Physical Education and Athletics will be hosting office hours for teachers. During the months of September and October, we will cover the following topics during the sessions in addition to discussing best practices and providing resources to support student achievement:

  • Health & PE Curricular Guides Review and Implementation
  • K-12 SPARK PE Curriculum
  • KidsFit

Elementary H/PE Teachers

  • Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00-3:45

High School H/PE Teachers:

  • Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00-3:45

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/eiwHVogt9A9RVRDx5
 
  Teacher Talk will be delivered every other Monday.

The submission deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

To support and encourage highly effective instruction, Teacher Talk synthesizes information and resources that will help NPS teachers meet the expectations of the framework for effective teaching. Please open the form with Firefox or Chrome in order to add attachments.

You may submit items for inclusion in the Teacher Talk newsletter via this form:
https://www.nps.k12.nj.us/departments/communications/teacher-talk-form/

  
 

NBOE in the News

Stay informed on everything happening within Newark Public Schools and the Newark Board of Education! Read up on all of the many ways the district is garnering media coverage. 

News Stories
Oct 19, 2022: Paper Blog: 5 Questions with Dr. Maria Ortiz of Newark Public Schools

Press Releases
Oct 19, 2022: United Way of Greater Newark’s My Very Own Library Declares October 20 as Black Men Read Day throughout the City of Newark
Oct 14, 2022: Newark Schools Debut Ballet for Pre-K