Collaborative Learning Teams/Professional Learning Communities

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING TEAMS

The teachers in the Arlington Public Schools are working together in collaborative learning teams (also called professional learning communities) to analyze student data, find areas for improvement, and improve instruction to address the targeted needs. The below article is an excerpt from the educational "Marshall Memo", which discusses the importance of this type of work by educators.

The Power of Professional Learning Communities

In this advertisement in Education Week, Solution Tree consultant Bill Ferriter says that “groups are almost always smarter than individuals… No challenge is ever too great for a collaborative team.” He cites three characteristics of the best teams from James Surowiecki’s book, The Wisdom of Crowds (Bantam, 2004):

• They are cognitively diverse – When group members have a varied set of aptitudes and abilities, they consider a wider range of ways to tackle problems – which increases the chances that they’ll develop the most effective and efficient solutions.

• They are independent – This protects against groupthink, says Ferriter, because members are “able to act as individuals free from the influence of their peers and willing to push against early conclusions whenever necessary.”

• They are decentralized – Within the boundaries of common learning objectives and assessments, teacher groups should have a measure of flexibility to be creative and divergent in how students are taught.

Professional learning communities don’t have to be in the same school building, says Ferriter. Teachers can join in online forums like Classroom 2.0 http://classroom20.com and The English Companion Ning http://www.englishcompanion.ning.com to study topics of personal and professional interest. Teachers can also use Twitter to share resources, ask questions, and lend just-in-time support, as well as organizing webinars, following blogs, and creating wikis (see http://twitter4teachers.pbworks.com to find teachers at the same grade level or content area). Some teams also use an RSS feed reader to organize blogs written by classroom teachers and spend five minutes a day browsing the latest articles. “Leave comments for the authors,” suggests Ferriter. “Ask questions. Challenge thinking. Eventually, you’ll notice a shift in the kinds of conversations you’re having with colleagues. Provocative thoughts drawn from shared texts will replace small talk in no time!”

But in the end, face-to-face work with your local grade-level or content team is the most powerful, says Ferriter. “Peers with a nuanced understanding of local circumstances will always be able to offer better advice than colleagues in other counties, countries, or continents.”


“Growing Smarter Together” by Bill Ferriter in Education Week, Sept. 15, 2010 (Vol. 30, #3, p. 13), no e-link available

Open Circle Parent Workshop

PARENT FORUM: OPEN CIRCLE PARENT WORKSHOPS
For Parents of children Grades K-5
Three-week program Tues. Oct. 19, Tues. Oct. 26 and
Tues. Nov.2 REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Meeting Location-Thompson School
7:00-9:00 P.M.

We invite you to join a Parent Group based on the Open Circle Program developed at the Stone Center, Wellesley College. In this three-week program, you will learn how to reinforce the social and problem solving skills learned by your children at school.

Here is an opportunity for a limited number of parents to join an interactive program that focuses on the skills your children are learning in the Open Circle Program. This program will suggest ways by which parents can successfully reinforce these lessons at home. The program is designed to teach parents the language and skills their children use in Open Circle in order to develop cooperation, problem solving, self-control and responsibility. The parent forum will help you to adapt these same techniques at home and to develop more effective parenting.

PRESENTER: Debby Broadley MA LMHC is leading these Parent Workshops. Debby has over 30 years of experience working with children and families. She has worked for many years as a mental health clinician for a large Early Intervention Program and she currently consults to the Arlington Public Schools. Debby leads a variety of parent groups and seminars and has a private psychotherapy practice.

RESERVATIONS: Since the group will be limited in size to allow for discussion. Spaces will be filled on a first –come, first-serve basis.

Please call Carlene Newell at 781-316-3571 or e-mail her at cnewell@arlington.k12.ma.us to reserve a place or to obtain more information. Leave or include your phone number and e-mail address when you call. There will be a $25.00 charge for course materials.

Mucho Info!

Hello Dallin Community,

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall-like weather! I am writing to give you some Dallin updates, news, and dates to remember. It's a wealth of information so please take a few minutes to read through this notice. Thank you!

Traffic Flow and Safe Routes Reminder:

It is crucial that ALL families dropping off students in the morning follow the traffic flow procedures, especially this year with only one crossing guard. The procedure is:

Kindergarten drop-offs use the George Street Drop-Off area. This is the same area that we have used in the past. We ask that motorists only drive one-way northbound on George Street and do not turn around. After dropping-off, motorists should turn left on the private section of George Street to exit via Rhinecliff Street and Dow Avenue. The private section of George Street has recently been paved. However, it is wide enough for only one vehicle so we are asking that that you do not enter via this roadway. Because the road is narrow and no sidewalk is provided, we ask that you do not walk on the private section of George Street. PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE FIRE LANE, WHICH IS CLEARLY DESIGNATED. This is very dangerous to students. Thank you.
First through Fifth Grade drop-offs use the pull-off in front of the school. Students in grades 1 through 5 will line-up before school in the area between the school and Florence Park. The George Street drop-off can also be used for students in grades 1 through 5. If you have a child in K or First grade and one in Second grade or above, we ask that you use George Street drop-off. Please do not park in designated "no parking" zones, the teacher's parking lot, or on crosswalks. This is for the safety of both students and staff. Thank you.

Please do not stop in any drop-off area for more time than it takes for your child to get out safely. If you need to speak with someone at the school, please find a safe parking space and park your car. The drop-off area is not an area for stopping longer than it takes for students to safely exit your vehicle and enter the school property.
ADDITIONALLY:

Always have your child cross Florence Avenue at the crosswalks and with crossing guards where they are provided.

Please Do Not drop-off students across from the school forcing children to cross traffic.

Please Do Not park close to crosswalks, as this will restrict visibility.

Parents accustomed to parking and walking their child to school are welcome to continue doing this. We ask that parents respect the flow of traffic and park on the even side (the right side) facing Dallin on:

o Rhinecliff Street

o George Street (south of Florence)

o Renfrew Street

o Waverley Street.
Thank you for your cooperation and assistance in keeping the Dallin students and community safe!

Procedure for calling in a student absence:
Please call the safe phone if your child will be out of school for the day. The safe phone number is 781-316-3725. Nurse Donofrio will be the only person checking the safe phone this year. It would be much appreciated if your child is sick to leave the symptoms such as fever, cough, cold, vomiting etc. If your child has a fever, please keep them home. Students must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. If you forget to call in, the Nurse will call ALL home and work numbers until you are reached. If you cannot be reached, we will call emergency numbers. If we cannot reach anyone to let us know why your child is not in school, we will call the police and ask them to do a "safe check" to make sure your child is safe at home. Again, this is purely for safety reasons so please remember to call when your child will be out of school. Thank you.

Inclement Weather Protocol

On rainy, extremely cold, and snowy days children (no parents please) will be let in at 8:00 a.m. Grades K and 1 come in the front door and line up in the corridor by the gym across from the Music Room. They are not allowed to go to their classrooms or lockers. Grades 2 -5 come in the Cafeteria door and stay in the Cafeteria until the bell rings. We will post a PINK sign in the doors on days the students are allowed in early.

International Walk to School Day - Wednesday, October 6th

Join the Dallin community for a Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 6. All students who walk will receive a small token as a tribute to their walking efforts! Join the fun and leave your cars at home and walk to school on Wednesday, October 7!

Curriculum Night

We are looking forward to seeing all the parents at the Dallin School Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 30th beginning at 6:30 in the gym. Teachers will present their curriculum in two sessions, from 7-7:30 and then from 7:30-8 so parents will be able to visit two different grade levels.

Back to School Picnic

Bring your picnic supper and join other Dallin families for the Back to School Picnic this Thursday night beginning at 5:30 pm on the field by the school. Come get reacquainted with old friends and meet some new ones while the children play on the field and the play structure.

PTO Meeting: The first PTO meeting of the year will be held on Monday, September 27th at 7pm in the school’s library.

Welcome Back

Dear Dallin Families, September 8, 2010

Welcome back to a new school year! I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of our students and was very excited to see the many smiling faces today!

We have some wonderful additions to the Dallin staff this year. Michelle Crowley has joined the third grade team and Christina Hughes has joined the 5^th grade team. Both Christina and Michelle were members of the Dallin teaching community last year and we are fortunate to have them continue their educational careers at Dallin. Also new to our special education department but not new to APS are: Helen Bassett, occupational therapist and Mary Cummings, speech and language therapist.

There are also four new members to our unified arts team. Jenna Havelin is our energetic and enthusiastic music teacher and Cindy Jaquith is our talented art teacher. Additionally, Will Darling and Guy Schiavone will be teaching PE. Both Guy and Will were teaching PE last year in APS. They are all excited about joining Dallin and I am confident the students will have fun learning with them!

Please thoroughly review the enclosed forms in this Back-to-School packet. These forms need to be read and signed by both students and parents, regardless of age. It is crucial that we have up-to-date Emergency Health Information and phone numbers for your child as soon as possible. Additionally, there are a number of informational letters on the Dallin School website, www.arlington.k12.ma.us/dallin.

ALL official notices, newsletters, podcasts, school calendar, and teacher websites can be accessed via the school website as well. Please make a habit of consistently checking the website and the teachers’ websites for new information so you do not miss important notices. If you have not yet signed up for the “Official Dallin School Notices”, please go to the school website, click on the yellow box on the left titled “For Parents”, and click on “Dallin Newsletters.” Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the blue link, “DallinOfficialNotices-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .” Please follow the directions to sign up to receive all official notices to your email inbox. It is crucial to sign up for this list, as we will NOT be sending home most information via paper; we will send the majority of information home via email. If you do not have Internet access, please call Mrs. Burns in the office and we will make other arrangements for communication with your family. Thank you!

The teachers have been working diligently during the past few weeks preparing for the new school year. We very much look forward to working closely with our Dallin families to ensure a positive learning environment for all of our students.

PLEASE RETURN ALL MANDATORY SIGN-OFF FORMS TO YOUR CHILD’S CLASSROOM TEACHER NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17^TH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

Sincerely,

Tara K. Rossi, Principal

MANDATORY FORMS TO BE RETURNED (May need BOTH student & parent signature):

- Student Health and Emergency Information Form

- Dallin School Code of Conduct/Non-Negotiable Rules signature page

- Acceptable Use Policy

- Photo/Video Permission signature-PLEASE read carefully and circle yes or no

OPTIONAL FORMS:

- Free and Reduced Lunch: Please return to Food Services as directed on form

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS POSTED ON THE DALLIN SCHOOL WEBSITE at: www.arlington.k12.ma.us/dallin:

- Asbestos Plan - Food Guidelines

- Health & Sex Education Parental Notification - Safety/Traffic Flow Letter

- School Calendar - District Lunch Menu