| |
 TRACK
CALENDARS -- Here are the new district multi-track
calendars and single-track
calendar. |
10/09 |
| |
2009
- 2010 PROGRESS REPORT DUE DATES -- Here are the
new elementary
progress report due dates and the new secondary
progress report due dates. |
10/09 |
| |
ESY
REGISTER-PAYROLL SHEETS--Here are the July and August register-payroll
forms for Home teachers and the August register-payroll
form for Supplemental teachers. |
9/09 |
| |
COMPUTER
MODELS--Thanks again to Lydia for the list of
computer-based learning models available to Carlson students
that was distributed at our last staff meeting. Click here for
a copy of the list. |
9/09 |
| |
AUGUST
2009 ESY CALENDAR--Click here to
download a copy of the ESY 2009 August Carlson calendar. |
9/09 |
| |
ESY
CURRICULUM--Just for this summer, when we are
only offering four weeks of instruction to Special Education
students, please simply teach IEP goals. In other words, remediate,
especially in the areas of language arts and math whenever
possible. Your progress reports will ONLY contain IEP goals
and will of course show student attendance and your comments,
as well, with IEP goal sheets also attached. Note that
credits will not be issued to secondary students during
ESY. We will return to using course titles--and issuing
credits to secondary students as appropriate--in the fall.
Please contact Marianne with any further questions. |
9/09 |
| |
PARENT
INVITE TO JUNE SSC AND ELAC MEETINGS--The last
meeting for parent and community members this school year
will take place on Thursday, June 19, at 5:30 p.m. at our
Totally Kids site. If you do not get copies at our June
2 meeting, here is
the flyer for your students' parents. |
7/09 |
| |
END-OF-YEAR
NOTES--Remember, use L1 as an exit code for students
who will be returning to Carlson for ESY/Summer School
or in September. Use L2 for students who will be returning
to their home schools. Also, please fill out your end-of-year
progress reports completely and carefully. Keep in mind
that we do not issue incompletes. (This is Yvette's first
posting with Kate's guidance!) |
7/09 |
| |
DISCHARGE
PAPERWORK, IMPORTANT REMINDER!--When you turn
in progress reports for students with IEPs, you must ALSO
turn in IEP goal sheets with progress marked. Please
be sure to bring IEP goal sheets with
your progress reports on your assigned check-in day! (David
K. asked me to remind you, and he's absolutely right!) |
7/09 |
| |
DISCHARGE
PAPERWORK FOR FINAL CHECK-IN--Although you may
have noticed from the forms Joe e-mailed you that student
discharge paperwork will be checked in pieces, please still
staple them together as you usually do. You'll simply flip
the pages for check-off. |
7/09 |
| |
LAUSD
ESY NEWS--The district has announced that, due
to the budget crisis, they are canceling summer school
for elementary and middle school students, except for those
whose IEPs require it. They will apparently be doing some
credit recovery work with secondary students, as well.
So far, this doesn't change what Carlson is doing, but
we'll let you know if it does. (Carlson is currently authorized
to offer ESY only to students whose IEPs require it. On-track
students will also be served, though that's a separate
issue and we only have a few such students.) |
6/09 |
| |
UPDATE
ON STAFF MEETINGS--(1) Please
disregard previous information indicating that only secondary
teachers need to come to the Staff Development Meeting
at Grace Simon Lodge on June 2; we are now expecting all
teachers currently instructing students to attend, as well
as teaching assistants. (2) In addition,
an optional, unpaid meeting will be held at 12:00 p.m.
at the picnic tables outside Grace Simon Lodge for retired
teachers who would like to discuss their future employment
status with Stacy and Joe. (3) Another
staff meeting will be held on June 9 from noon to 3:00
p.m. in the Carlson Resource Room specifically for hospital
teachers to address their unique issues. (4) See
the calendar below right for other meetings and key dates
up through September 9. |
6/09 |
| |
UPDATED
EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES LIST--I hope you've taken
the time to explore the Educational Websites Project, found
on our Teacher Resources screen. The list is the creation
of Lydia Saxton, occasionally updated by Kate. Here are
a few sample math sites you might want to try: The Ask
Dr. Math site, run out of Drexel University (Math #10),
where all kinds of common and uncommon math questions are
answered; QuickMath, an online calculator that will do
things like factor algebraic equations (Math #34); and
#35, a free online pre-algebra course in 14 lessons. Under
Literacy for Secondary, try #10, High School Hub (or High
School Ace)--it's a collection of links for secondary subjects.
A good Grammar and Style site is #13, a teen-friendly guide
written by a professor at Rutgers University. Under Reference
Materials, we've got RhymeZone, a terrific rhyming dictionary
combined with a regular dictionary and thesaurus (#24).
Or check out Resources and Links for sites like these:
#5 is "Ask Jeeves" for kids, with study tools,
games, a parents' section, and more. Linkasaurus (#15)
is a wonderful collection of hundreds of website links
for kids. And Lydia particularly recommends a site called
Funology (Miscellaneous #4) for our students. It has crafts,
jokes, games, magic tricks, wacky facts, recipes, weird
science, and many other activities intended as boredom
busters. Spend a little time exploring the websites in
the project, and you may find some tools that will be both
helpful and fun for you and your students! |
6/09 |
| |
RESOURCE
ROOM GIVE-AWAY--In case you haven't had a chance
to stop by the Resource Room lately, we are giving away
some instructional materials. These will be available till
the end of the month of May! |
6/09 |
| |
ESY
UPDATE 2--As of now, ESY/Summer School is being
offered only to some of our Special Ed students, but our
administrators are working to try to make it available
to Carlson's Gen Ed students, as well. Meanwhile, teachers
interested in working during ESY should have notified Marianne
Diehl to be put on her list. We'll let you know as soon
as we get any new information regarding Carlson's ESY situation. |
6/09 |
| |
ARTS
AND SPORTS PROGRAM FOR SICK KIDS PLUS SIBS--Thanks
to Arlene Richards for letting us know about a cool program
called CoachArt, which "provides free art, music,
dance or sports lessons to patients diagosed with chronic
illness, and their brothers and sisters, ages 6-18" using
a staff of volunteer coaches. Go to www.coachart.org to
learn more and to refer your students and/or their siblings. |
5/09 |
| |
BRAGGIN'
WRITES DEADLINE (CORRECTION!)--Submissions to
the last edition of our student literary newsletter this
school year are due by Friday, May 22 (not Memorial Day,
as previously mentioned!). Please get them in! Poems and
other writing about summer are especially welcome for this
issue. |
5/09 |
| |
YOUNG
COMPOSERS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM--If you have any
musically inclined high school students who might want
to train with L.A. Philharmonic musicians, film composers,
music arrangers, and publishers, please have them go
to the online
application. The deadline for applications is May
29, 2009. Applicants must live in L.A. County, must be
entering grades 9, 10, or 11, and must be strongly interested
in a career in music composition. Only a handful of applicants
will be accepted. Applicants must be musically literate,
musically skilled, and active
instrumental musicians (orchestra, concert, or jazz band).
They must also be able to provide their own transportation
to and from Walt Disney Concert Hall for fellowship classes,
concerts, and activities. |
5/09 |
| |
2009-2010
SINGLE-TRACK CALENDAR--For those of you planning
your summer vacations, here's the new single-track calendar for
next school year. Happily, this year Pupil-Free Day falls
just after Labor Day, on September 8. (As of now, it looks
like we won't be having Buyback Days again.) |
5/09 |
| |
CHECK
OUT LIVE HOMEWORK HELP!--If you're not available
and your students need help with their schoolwork, they
can get it online from the Los Angeles Public Library as
long as they have a library card. The website is www.librarytutor.org,
and the service is available daily in English or Spanish
from 1:00 p.m. to midnight. For further information, call
(562) 940-8523. |
5/09 |
| |
DON'T
FORGET TESTING MEETING ON TUESDAY, MAY 5--Yes,
it's time for state testing! On Tuesday, May 5 at 1:00
p.m. at Grace Simons Lodge, we are holding a mandatory
testing meeting for all full-time and retired teachers
who are currently working with students. You will receive
testing materials for all tests except the CAHSEE at the
meeting. CAPA teachers will also receive testing instructions. |
5/09 |
| |
SPECIAL
PARENT/COMMUNITY BUDGET MEETING--On Monday, May
4 at 5:30 p.m. at Totally Kids in Sun Valley we are holding
a special budget meeting with our School Site Council and
ELAC committees. The goal is to sign off on next year's
budget. Please encourage parents to attend! Flyers were
distributed at our 4/28 staff development meeting for you
to give to parents, but here it
is again if you need to make additional copies. |
5/09 |
| |
ESY
UPDATE--The district is apparently not willing
to offer ESY/Summer School to Carlson Gen Ed students,
only some of our Special Ed students. Our UTLA chapter
chair recommends that Carlson teachers and parents contact
the Board of Ed to protest this inequity, as other Gen
Ed students in the district ARE being offered Summer School.
Note that while the Division of Special Education is offering
what they should to their students, the Gen Ed side is
not stepping up to the plate. Also, we're back to trying
to apply online on April 23 and 24. Carlson teachers interested
in teaching ESY should contact Marianne Diehl to be on
her list, as well--and to let her know if you are still
having trouble with the online application. Teachers with
Gen Ed credentials in particular may still have difficulty
applying. Our principal is continuing to work to overturn
some of the decisions involved in the situation, but it
is obviously a mess right about now. We apologize for the
inconvenience and confusion this has caused for our teaching
staff. |
4/09 |
| |
SITUATION
IN FLUX--In case you haven't noticed, budget and
staffing and related decisions from the district are changing,
not by the day, but by the hour. Our principal tells us
he was in an all-day principal's meeting in which a set
of policies was announced in the morning session, then
overturned in the afternoon session. So take a deep breath
and hang in there! For better or for worse, we should have
a clearer picture about most of this stuff by the end of
the school year. |
4/09 |
| |
ESY
APPLICATIONS, PART 3--Okay, home teachers, don't
even try to apply online anymore! Instead, please call
Cheryl and ask to be put on her list of people who want
to teach ESY. Joe is working on the situation with the
individuals in charge of ESY. (Also, please do not contact
anyone except Joe with questions about the ESY application
process, as there's a lot of confusion in various district
offices and you're likely to be misinformed.) Note that
we have been advised that we will only be providing ESY
for four weeks, not six. That's the policy this year for
ALL Special Ed schools, and Carlson has been grouped with
those sites by the powers that be. |
4/09 |
| |
ESY
APPLICATIONS, PART 2--Apparently home teachers
with General Ed credentials are still having trouble getting
their applications through. If you are in this category,
please give Cheryl a call and let her know so she can add
you to her list. Joe will be addressing the issue in the
next few days. Thanks for your patience, and be assured
that we ARE looking for solutions! |
4/09 |
| |
ESY
APPLICATIONS--As the programmers have corrected
certain glitches for the majority of LAUSD applicants,
they've inadvertently created problems for Carlson applicants.
Please keep in mind that the problems we’re having
are technical, so the solutions are simply a way of convincing
the system to let you through—you are not lying about
your credential to Human Resources, who are aware of the
difficulty. So, after filling in your basic contact information
in Section 1, fill out Section 2 as follows: Under Program,
put “Special Education.” Under Subject, select “Mild
to Moderate” if you have a General Education credential,
or the appropriate Special Ed credential if you have one.
Under Region, put “North.” You should then
be able to select “Carlson.” In Section 3,
under experience, you can list the year, “Carlson,” “K-12,” and “varied” on
each line. Then at the bottom, you can put “No” or “Yes” for
each training item as appropriate. When you finish, you
will need to print a copy of the application for your records
and then fax a copy to the Carlson office so we know that
you’ve applied. (If you still have trouble applying,
please contact your office rep.) |
4/09 |
| |
WORKSHOP
INVITATION--Westmark School in Encino has invited
area teachers to sign up to attend a free one-day workshop
about language-based learning disabilities on Friday, April
24 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The guest speaker, who's
highly regarded in the field, will be Dr. Sally Shaywitz,
and her topic will be "Overcoming Dyslexia." The
other two parts of the day will be "Current Research
on Language-Based Learning Differences" and "Best
Practices." The school is at 5461 Louise Avenue, Encino
CA 91316. If you are interested, RSVP as soon as possible
to Keri Borzello by calling (818) 986-5045, ext. 346, or
e-mailing to kborzello@westmarkschool.org. (Full-time teachers,
please check with Joe first.) |
4/09 |
| |
HIPPOCAMPUS
LINK--In our March 31 meeting, Michael Maher let
us know about a great LAUSD resource called HippoCampus.
Take a look! |
4/09 |
| |
BRAGGIN'
WRITES DEADLINE--Please get your newsletter submissions
from students in by Friday, April 17! We're looking for
book reviews, poetry, and short personal narrative essays.
Jokes may also be submitted. All artwork should be inked
and sent as originals or very clean copies. Thank you! |
4/09 |
| |
PARENT
COMMITTEE INVITE--Here is
the invite for our April 16 school/parent committee meetings
in case you need additional copies. |
4/09 |
| |
SCHOOL
COMMITTEE MINUTES (FEBRUARY FINAL)--Here are the
minutes from our February CEAC, ELAC,
and SSC meetings,
which were approved in the March 19 meeting. |
4/09 |
| |
FUN
MULTIPLICATION PRACTICE--Leave it to Lydia to
find us a very cool way of generating a math worksheet.
Click here to
go to the site, where you can enter a secret message to
your student, which will then be translated into a coded
worksheet for you to print out. This works best if you
enter brief notes in all three lines. After entering your
message, click on Generate for the printable version. Note
that you will probably get a few pop-up ads, but the end
result is pretty cool just the same. Thanks, Lydia! |
4/09 |
| |
DETAIL
SAMPLES/RUBRIC FOR WRITING--Students aren't always
clear about what it really looks like to "add more
detail," something we often tell them to do. This
one-page set
of samples, arranged in rubric format, should help
students in grades 5-12 to understand the potential for
richer detail in their writing. (Note that although the
handout is set up as a response to a prompt, the prompt
was randomly selected--the samples themselves are the point
of this resource.) This sheet will be added to the Teacher
Resource section of the website. |
4/09 |
| |
HOME
LANGUAGE SURVEY--Home Language Surveys must be
given to the parents of each new student as part of our
enrollment paperwork. You should have received a copy at
our March 3 meeting, but here it
is again in case you need it. It will also be added to
our Forms section of the website. |
4/09 |
| |
HOMELESS
BROCHURES FROM RIA--LAUSD has provided us with
brochures about serving homeless students, available both
in English and
in Spanish.
One of the key questions addressed is how to get the students
enrolled even though certain typical pieces of information
may be missing. These brochures will be added to the Teacher
Resources section of our website. |
4/09 |
| |
IEP
PARENTS GUIDE--In a recent meeting, David Kobosa
introduced us to a new parents' guide to the IEP process. "The
IEP Process Needs You: A Parents Guide," is available
at the Division
of Special Education website--look in the menu to the
lower left to select the document in English or Spanish
(the book, not the DVD!). |
4/09 |
| |
PARENT
INVITES FOR MARCH SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS--The
school committee flyers will be given to teachers at our
March 3rd meeting to distribute to parents, but here it
is if you need more copies. |
3/09 |
| |
CAHSEE
TESTING MEETING--This meeting, from 1:00 to 3:00
p.m. on Monday, March 16, is for all Carlson teachers who
have one or more tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade students
who need to take the CAHSEE. The meeting will be held at
Maurice Sendak Elementary School, 11414 W. Tiara Street,
North Hollywood, CA 91601-1123, near the corner of Oxnard
and Lankershim (off Tujunga, about one block south of Oxnard
Street). Please contact Ria Lindauer with any further questions. |
3/09 |
| |
KOREAN
CULTURE EVENT--Come to the Pacific Asia Museum
in Pasadena on Saturday, March 7, 2009, from 2:30 to 5:50
p.m. for a presentation on Korean Arts and Culture, followed
by a traditional Korean meal. This event is free of charge.
Click here to
see the flyer. |
3/09 |
| |
THE
STOCK MARKET GAME--If you're teaching Economics
to a secondary student this semester, you might want to
take a look at this online resource: www.stockmarketgame.org.
There's a game starting February 17 and another one on
March 16. Teams of students from across the nation compete
to win prizes while learning more about the workings of
the Stock Market. |
3/09 |
| |
SCHOLARSHIP
WEBSITE--It may be too late for this year's seniors,
but you never know. Certainly your juniors might be interested
in going on this website that runs a search for potential
scholarships: www.fastweb.com.
I did a test run and found that you need a whole bunch
of student information--but then you are given a very nice
list of potential scholarships. Thanks to David Kobosa
for letting us know about this resource! |
3/09 |
| |
LAUSD
CHARITABLE CAMPAIGN STUDENT ART AND WRITING CONTESTS--In
an effort to involve kids in the "Sharing Brings Hope" campaign,
our district is holding art and writing contests this year.
Elementary students can enter the art contest and secondary
students can enter the writing contest. Click here for
information and an entry form. The contest deadline is
March 20, 2009. All entries should address the campaign
theme of "Sharing Brings Hope." Sample topics
include nonprofit organizations, volunteer work, a time
the student gave something of value, and the meaning of
philanthropy. LAUSD suggests that you consider working
this project into your social studies or language arts
curriculum. |
3/09 |
| |
SHORT
ESSAY CONTEST FOR SENIORS--We've received information
about an essay contest for high school seniors sponsored
by KTLA-5, the 11th Annual Stan Chambers Journalism Awards.
The theme is "What Matters Most" in your life.
The essay must be 150 words or less, so it needs to be
specific and tightly written! Each of the five winners
will receive a check for $1000 and will be able to work
on a video version of their essay that may appear on KTLA
Prime News or at least on their website. Click here for
the flyer with additional details. The deadline is March
19, 2009. |
3/09 |
| |
MAGNA
CARTA EXHIBIT/EVENT--The Ronald Reagan Presidential
Library will be having an exhibit of an original Magna
Carta from 1215 A.D., on loan from the Lincoln Cathedral
in Lincolnshire, England. Educators are invited to a special
event on Tuesday, February 24th from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Curriculum materials will be provided. They are also available
on the website, as is further information: www.reaganlibrary.com. |
2/09 |
| |
RESOURCES
FROM THE HISTORY CHANNEL--Lisa Spencer e-mailed
me an update from the History Channel about their latest
educational programming, so I went to their
site to take a look. It really is a wonderful resource:
some of the materials in the Classroom section include
the Speech Archive, an online Ellis Island Exhibit, Ideas
for Teachers, and, of course, Programming and Study Guides.
There's also a spot where you can sign up to receive weekly
e-mail updates about the site's educational programming.
In addition to the Lincoln event already listed below,
this week includes some Black History Month programming
and programs about George Washington Carver and even "The
Universe: Biggest Things in Space." Perhaps most intriguing
is a program titled "Stealing Lincoln's Body," about
a group of counterfeiters who planned to steal the 16th
president's body eleven years after his death and hold
it for ransom. |
2/09 |
| |
NATIONAL
NUTRITION MONTH WORKBOOKS--March is National Nutrition
Month. If you'd like student workbooks for 1st and 2nd
graders, leave me a voicemail at ext. 78. Please indicate
1st or 2nd grade, number of workbooks, and English or Spanish.
(Note that these materials are produced by the California
Dairy Council, so I'm guessing they highly recommend cheese!) |
2/09 |
| |
FEBRUARY
SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL PARENT INVITE--Flyers announcing
this month's school committee meetings, to be held on February
19, will be distributed at our staff meeting and should
be given to parents, but click here if
you need additional copies. |
2/09 |
| |
ONLINE
LINCOLN EVENT FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS--On Thursday,
February 12, A&E's History channel and the Abraham
Lincoln Bicentennial Commission will be sponsoring a special
National Teach-in event about President Lincoln for teachers,
students, and families. Three Lincoln scholars, including
the author of Team of Rivals, will be sharing
their expertise and answering students' questions about
Lincoln from all over the country. Send your students'
questions to Lincoln@aetn.com to see if they'll be used
during the broadcast, and register at http://www.history.com/lincoln to
participate in the event (the first 500 registrants will
receive a sourcebook and coin box). Intended for middle
school and high school students--especially 8th graders. |
2/09 |
| |
ALA
NEWS--The American Library Association has given
its awards out! This year's Newbery winner is a horror-fantasy
story by Neil Gaiman, who is also the author of Coraline. The
Graveyard Book is essentially a retelling of The
Jungle Book, only the toddler who escapes a murderer
(instead of Shere Khan) ends up in a cemetery and is raised
by ghosts. The Caldecott winner, The House in the Night,
is illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie
Swanson. It's a cumulative bedtime story with woodcut-style
black and white illustrations touched by yellow. Also,
while I was at the ALA website, I discovered they have
a whole page of links titled Great
Websites for Kids, so check it out! |
2/09 |
| |
CONTEMPORARY
COMPOSITION COURSE--Great news! The District has
recently given us an actual set of course modules for teaching
Contemporary Composition, a key 11th grade English class.
We are working to make copies of the lesson manual binder
available in the Resource Room by February 1 so that you
can use them with any single-track students who will be
taking the course during Spring semester. Note that the
course was designed by a team of Cal State and LAUSD teachers.
You'll find that it is similar in structure to the Expository
Comp materials introduced last year and is based on current
social topics. It looks like a lot of fun to teach! |
2/09 |
| |
NEW
RESOURCE FOR TEACHING ABOUT OUR COURTS AND RIGHTS--Working
with Georgetown Law and Arizona State University, Sandra
Day O'Connor has spearheaded the effort to create this
free web-based program to support the study of our court
system and constitutional rights: www.ourcourts.org is
the link. The site currently offers lesson plans, but it
will be adding interactive games this spring and even a
virtual world in which students can investigate and argue
legal cases. |
2/09 |
| |
CORTINES
PARENT LETTERS--You should have received an e-mail
with these letters attached, but here they are in English and
in Spanish:
The letters explain the potential impact of the budget
crisis and ask parents to contact their state legislators
in support of funding for education. LAUSD teachers are
requested to distribute them to parents. (Note that in
case you haven't read the flurry of e-mails that followed,
here's a summary: UTLA President Duffy expressed concern
about teachers distributing the parent letter, indicating
that the request should be put in writing. Leaving aside
the issue of whether or not an e-mail IS generally considered
to be writing, Superintendent Cortines responded to Mr.
Duffy's concern by explaining that he hopes the cuts don't
have to be made, but wants to keep parents in the loop
about the budget crisis situation and the threat it may
pose to the quality of their children's educations. He
expressed his belief that teachers, parents, and administrators
need to work together in appealing to state leaders on
behalf of students. Cortines also sent us a copy of a letter
he wrote to the governor asking that we not be forced into
the position of having to increase class sizes.) |
2/09 |
| |
MORE
ON THE INAUGURATION--In case you haven't checked
your e-mail, Superintendent Cortines is encouraging teachers
and students to watch the upcoming presidential inauguration
together. He goes on to refer us to the LAUSDnet
Kids portion of the district website, as it has some
instructional materials relating to the inauguration. See
also the materials linked below. |
1/09 |
| |
INAUGURATION
LESSON MATERIALS--We have been given some nice
materials for a lesson on the topic of the upcoming presidential
inauguration. Click here for
a lesson plan for grades 5-12 and here for
an accompanying chart and rubric. You can also click here for
a list of links to additional lesson plans and resources
regarding the inauguration, including some for elementary.
|
1/09 |
| |
JANUARY
2009 SSC PARENT INVITES--Click here for
the parent invitations for our SSC, ELAC, and CEAC meetings
on January 22, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. |
1/09 |
| |
BOOK
REPORT FORMS--One of our teachers recently requested
book report froms. There are a lot of book report formats
available on the Internet, but here are some designed especially
for Carlson teachers: for K-1
students (using simple printing/drawing), for students
in grades 1-3 (simple
fiction and simple
nonfiction), and for students in grades 3-8 (fiction and nonfiction).
The forms will also be available in the Teacher Resources
section of this site. |
1/09 |
| |
FREE
HARVARD TUITION FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS--The president
of Harvard University has announced that tuition to Harvard
will now be free for undergraduate students from low-income
families. The cut-off is apparently $60,000 a year. Keep
in mind that Harvard applicants must be academically outstanding
to get into the university in the first place--so you should
only refer impressive kids. But still: what a great idea!
For more info, go to Harvard's financial aid website by
clicking here. |
1/09 |
| |
PROGRESS
REPORTS AND WINTER BREAK--Teachers, be aware that
the semester ends for five secondary tracks at the start
of winter break. That means, not only that progress reports
should be issued, but that credits as well as grades must
be included--and some of those students will then need
to be signed up for intersession in January if possible.
The tracks are as follows: 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, and 4C. Single-track
is not affected; its semester ends on February 6th. |
1/09 |
| |
ADDITIONAL
INFO REGARDING IEPS AND PROGRESS REPORTS--A couple
of questions have come up regarding the relationship between
IEP goal sheets due at IEP meetings and IEP goal sheets
being requested as part of the Carlson progress report
process. These are two separate processes, following two
separate schedules. Per Carlson administrators, because
IEP goals are involved in the curriculum and grading of
those students who have them, it is important that IEP
goals be a part of the progress report process--to be submitted
with progress reports, on that schedule. (See also Progress
Report Guidelines below.) |
1/09 |
| |
SCHOLASTIC
ART AND WRITING CONTEST--Consider having your
students in grades 7-12 participate in the Scholastic Writing
Awards this year. They might win scholarships and see their
work published. It could even be the start of a career!
Any student can enter, but keep in mind that this is pretty
competitive, with up to 75,000 entries nationally. (Some
well-known past winners include Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote,
and Joyce Carol Oates. Really!) Click here to
get more information and have students register. They can
register now, then turn in their work later. Submissions
are due between December 19 and January 9, so this should
probably be handled before Winter Break. The Visual Arts
categories are Animation, Ceramics and Glass, Computer
Art, Design, Drawing, Graphic Story, Mixed Media, Painting,
Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Video and Film,
also senior portfolios. Writing categories include Dramatic
Script, Humor, Journalism, Novel Writing, Personal Essay/Memoir,
Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Short Story, and Short
Short Story, plus senior portfolios. |
1/09 |
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CORRECTION
TO DECEMBER 2008 CALENDAR--You probably guessed
this one already, but here's the clarification: The December
calendar teachers received at the November 18th Staff Development
meeting indicates that the office will be open on December
22, 23, and 26 during the first week of Winter Break. The
correct dates are December 22, 23, and 24. The Carlson
office will be closed on December 25 and 26 of that week. |
1/09 |
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PROGRESS
REPORT GUIDELINES FOR FALL 2008--After reviewing
the latest progress reports submitted to the office,
we wanted to make you aware of some policies and protocols
relating to filling them out accurately. Please click here to
review key guidelines relating to Carlson progress reports.
The information will also be available on the Teacher
Resources page of this website.
|
12/08 |
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CLOSING
THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP--Teachers, here is
this year's Closing the Achievement Gap document. We
have been asked to make the plan on pages 5-33 (Attachment
A) available to you. A summary for parents is included
in Attachment D (Spanish and English). You will also
receive copies of Attachment D at our November 18th meeting
to distribute to each parent.
|
12/08 |
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SHARED
DECISION MAKING COUNCIL MEETING--The Carlson Shared
Decision Making Council (SDMC) meeting has been rescheduled
for Monday, November 24, at 12:00 noon in the Carlson Resource
Room. We apologize for the inconvenience of having to reschedule!
Thanks to the members of the council for their ongoing
representation and input. |
11/08 |
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SCHOOL
COMMITTEES EVENT--The School Site Council (SSC),
English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC), and Compensatory
Education Advisory Committee (CEAC) will meet on the
evening of Thursday, November 20, 2008. Dinner will be
provided, as will door prizes and childcare. The event
will start at 6:30 p.m. and will be held at Totally Kids,
10705 Penrose St., Sun Valley, CA 91352. Click here for
the parent flyer. We're trying to make this into a very
festive event so we can launch our committees for the
school year--please start telling parents this week!
|
11/08 |
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SUPPLEMENTAL
FORMS--Key forms for supplemental teachers have
now been updated, including supplemental parent welcome
letters, weekly schedule, and daily mileage form. |
11/08 |
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FORMS
UPDATED--Forty-one of the forms in the Forms
menu have now been updated, including most key forms
used by Carlson home and hospital teachers. The most
typical change is the name of our school, now listed
as (Berenece) Carlson Home/Hospital School. The list
of administrators at the top of our letterhead has also
been changed. Minor changes have been made to improve
formatting in some cases. Note that forms for supplemental
teachers will be addressed soon. Forms such as progress
reports and enrollment forms will not be updated at this
time because they are produced through a professional
printer and have not been revised.
|
11/08 |
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GREAT
WEBSITE UPDATES--Take a look at the new and updated
Curriculum screens for General Education (Elementary and
Secondary): You can now easily access not only the State
Standards and latest Curriculum Guides, but the LD2 and
LAUSD websites for each key subject area, all from the
same screen. Note that the math guides are available by
individual classes now, as is high school science. And
what about the History-Social Science guides for high school?
Get a better sense of how those giant textbooks you're
hauling around relate to LAUSD unit pacing and state standards
as you explore these helpful materials! |
11/08 |
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SOCIAL
STUDIES CONFERENCE-- Think ahead to these events
for K-12 History/Social Science teachers: On Thursday,
March 5, the California Council for the Social Studies
is holding a one-day "Pre-Conference" in Rancho
Cucamonga on "Closing the Achievement Gap: Content,
Culture, and Student Achievement." (Here's the
flyer.) Then on March 6-8, The CCSS will hold their 48th
Annual Conference at the Ontario, CA Convention Center,
offering 120 workshops and speakers, plus social events,
field trips, and a materials exhibition. The theme this
year is "Historical Literacy in a Global Society." (This is
the conference flyer.) The events cost $75 and $200,
respectively, though the main conference is $125 for
CCSS members, and the smaller event is only $50 if you
go to both. Please register before December 1, 2008.
To register online for the conference, click here.
|
11/08 |
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COASTAL
ART AND POETRY CONTEST--The California Coastal
Commission is holding their annual art and poetry contest
for students in K-12. As many as 8 winners will win $100
gift certificates to art stores or bookstores, and each
teacher will win a $40 gift certificate for educational
supplies. Winners will also receive tickets to the Aquarium
of the Pacific. Winning entries will be displayed physically
and on the Commission's web site. The deadline is January
31, 2009. The art and poems must have a California coastal
or marine theme. For details, forms, and previous winners,
click here.
This is a nice project for Carlson students! |
11/08 |
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UCLA
WRITING PROJECT CONFERENCE-- The UCLA Chancellor's
Conference on Composition and Literature will be held on
Saturday, December 6, 2008, also from 7:45 to 3:00 p.m.
in the UCLA Faculty Center for $110. The guest speaker
is Luis Rodriguez, author of Always Running: La Vida
Loca, Gang Days in L.A. Kate Coombs will be presenting
a workshop at this conference: "Yesterday I Had the
Blues: Imitation, Comprehension, and Expression." For
more information, go to http://centerx.gseis.ucla.edu/chancellor.
The registration deadline is October 31, 2008. Either of
these conferences can be attended for UCLA Extension credit
for an additional fee--call (310) 206-7574 for more information
about this. |
11/08 |
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WORKSHOP
FOR PARENTS OF IEP STUDENTS IN LD2--On Thursday,
October 30 and Thursday, November 6, from 8:00 a.m. to
noon, Local District 2, the Parent Services Unit, and
Support Unit North are putting on workshops for parents
of children with IEPs. (The same workshop will be repeated
on two different dates.) This workshop will help parents
to understand their parental rights, actively participate
in IEP meetings, and support their children both at home
and at school. The site is the District 2 Parent Community
Center, 9919 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Pacoima, CA 91331.
Parking and light refreshments will be provided, but
childcare will not. For further information, contact
Carol Rodas at (818) 256-2883 or Laura Gonzalez at (818)
755-5384. |
11/08 |
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UCLA
WRITING PROJECT CONFERENCE #1--With Different
Eyes is a conference for teachers of English Learners across
the disciplines. It will be held on Saturday, November
1, 2008, from 7:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the UCLA Faculty
Center. The cost is $110. In addition to three workshop
sessions with multiple choices, lunch is provided, plus
a guest speaker--Sonia Nazario, author of Enrique's
Journey. For more info, call Bettye Scott at (310)
206-3544. (The deadline for registering has been extended.) |
11/08 |
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OCTOBER
CALENDAR CORRECTIONS--Teachers, you are being
e-mailed a corrected version of the last few weeks of the
Carlson October calendar. The two corrections are as follows:
(1) The date for faxing your projected payroll-register
sheet on the last week of the month has been changed from
Wednesday, October 29 to Monday, October 27, and (2) October
31 is NOT a certificated staff payday; it's a classified
staff payday. |
11/08 |
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OOPS!
ELAC, CEAC, AND SSC INVITE HAD WRONG TIMES!--Here is
a corrected copy of the parent flyer. (Again, note that
the meeting place is the Totally Kids office in Sun Valley
rather than the Carlson Resource Room.)
|
10/08 |
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SECONDARY
WRITING PROJECT AND ELA PACING--For a district
pacing chart showing genre focuses for secondary student
writing and English Language Arts study this year, click here. |
10/08 |
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PAPERWORK
CHEATSHEET--Take a look at our new Paperwork
Cheatsheet for Home and Supplemental teachers. This
chart clarifies what to distribute and fill out for Enrollment
and Discharge procedures. Thanks to Rita Z for spearheading
the process of getting this information together in one
place! |
10/08 |
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OCTOBER
PAYROLL/REGISTER FORM!--Here is
the form for home teachers to fax in on Norm Day, along
with your class count. Click here for
the hospital forms. And here is
the form for Supplemental teachers. (Note that the Home
and Hospital forms were revised and reposted at 10:00 a.m.
on October 1. Home teachers, if you need the mileage sheet,
you can use page two of the first
version.) |
10/08 |
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STAFF
E-MAILS NOW LINKED--The staff e-mails, which previously
were simply listed, are now hot-linked so that you can
e-mail directly to the person whose name you select. Thanks
to Lydia S for showing Kate how to do it! Click on the
Staff E-Mail button below to go the the e-mail rosters.
(If your name is missing from the list or your e-mail address
has a typo, please leave Kate a voicemail so she can fix
it.) |
10/08 |
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IF
YOU'RE TEACHING SECONDARY MATH (6th-Alg 2)!--Teachers,
district's math people have kindly divided this year's
instructional guide by classes. Click here,
click on the blue menu button titled Instructional Guide
(to the left), and then select the appropriate course.
The MIGs for any given book range from 15 pages (Algebra
Readiness) to 46 pages (Algebra 1). There are also sets
for Math 6 and Math 7! These documents are invaluable,
as they will help you organize your instruction and are
keyed to all of the District-approved textbooks we carry.
If you don't want to print it out on your home computer,
call Kate to get a copy school mailed to you (hopefully
just a few of you!). |
10/08 |
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FORM
FOR SECONDARY PARENTS FROM RIA--Teachers, please
distribute this
form (English and Spanish) to parents of students
in middle or high school. After parents have completed
the bottom portion and returned to you, please foward
to Ria. Note that this letter is also available in Armenian,
Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese, and Tagalog.
Any teacher needing a letter in one of the above languages,
please contact Ria.
|
10/08 |
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PATHS
INFO FROM RIA--Click here for
District information regarding student discipline. |
10/08 |
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MATH
LINK FROM PUPIL-FREE SPEAKER--For secondary math
tasks that will prompt students' math reasoning, click here.
Then click on any of the blue Secondary Math Instructional
Guides links. It will take a while to upload the old MIGs,
but then you can scroll down to find items labeled Concept
Tasks. Remember to ask students, "How would you figure
this out?" |
10/08 |
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DREAMERS
CHALLENGE SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST--The State Superintendent
of Schools invites all seniors graduating at the end of
this school year to enter a contest sponsored by the California
Museum. The winner will receive a $5000 scholarship. Click here for
details. |
9/08 |
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GANDHI
DAY CONTEST--The Valley Interfaith Council is
sponsoring a student contest in preparation for their Gandhi
Day event on Sunday, October 19, titled "60 Years:
Gandhi's Vision, Our Mission." Students in grades
4-16 are invited to submit entries on the theme: "What
can you do in your life that reflects Gandhi's vision of
non-violence and passive resistence?" Categories are
essay/poem, video/power point, artwork, or monologue. Entry
forms and further info can be found by clicking here.
The deadline is Monday, October 6, 2008. |
9/08 |
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MORE
GANDHI!--Earn discounted course credits by participating
in a conference for educators co-sponsored by the L.A.
County Office of Education, "Rediscovering Gandhian
Wisdom: Building a Peaceful Future." The conference
will take place at Cal Poly in Pomona on October 17-19.
If you're interested, contact Kate for a copy of the flyer
and registration form. |
9/08 |
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FREE
IMAX SCREENING--You and your families and students
are invited to a screening of "Wild Ocean 3-D" on
Sunday, September 28 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Exposition
Park's California Science Center. RSVP by e-mail before
Friday, September 26 to quikscience@usc.edu (seating is
limited and you'll get free parking, too). Learn more about
their science education program, the QuikScience Challenge,
at http://www.usc.edu/quikscience. |
9/08 |
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FREE
OPEN HOUSE AT CABRILLO--Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
in San Pedro is hosting a Back-to-School-Luau for teachers
on Tuesday, September 16 from 5-7 p.m. Wear your Hawaiian
shirts and flip-flops and enter the raffle. You'll also
get 10% off on gift shop/bookstore purchases that night. |
9/08 |
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YES
I CAN! AWARDS--Consider nominating outstanding
students with disabilities for the 2009 Yes I Can! awards.
Nominations must be postmarked by October 14, 2008. For
more information, visit the Council for Exceptional Children
at www.cec.sped.org. (Here's a
link.) |
9/08 |
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REMINDER
ABOUT ALGEBRA 2--Here's the latest: Beginning
with the class of 2012, or this year's 9th graders, LAUSD
students will not only have to pass Algebra 1 and Geometry
to graduate, but they will also have to pass Algebra 2!
Let's all dig in on our math remediation because this is
what students are now facing. |
9/08 |
