workshop packet - Zeeland Public Schools

ZEELAND PUBLIC
SCHOOLS: 2025
LEARNING FOR LIFE!
ELEMENTARY
WORKSHOP
FALL 2013
Zeeland Public Schools: 2025
LEARNING FOR LIFE!
Elementary Workshop Participants
Kendal
Theresa
Steve
Becky
Nancy
Tonia
Heather
Mike
Tom
Tom
Lana
Amy
Jodi
Jodi
Megan
Shannon
Emily
Stephanie
Ellen
Kari
Kathleen
Clayton
Meg
Karlye
Anderson
Blattner
Braunius
Burgess
Burk
Bybee
Caywood
Dalman
De Graaf
DenHerder
Frody
Funk
Gerrits
Heneveld
Holman
Kalmink
Kamps
Klomparens
Kontowicz
Lacny
Loss
Maas
Macina
McNeely
Roseanne
Mike
Tammy
Rita
Laurie
Alison
Bonnie
Jason
Meredith
Mathew
Sandy
Sara
Meredith
Judy
Rod
Maria
Brian
Stacey
Laura
Jennifer
Sarah
Marilee
McQueen
Nagelkerke
Nelson
Pieters
Poll
Reese
Shidler
Sizemore
Smedley
Smith
Steggerda
Stevens
Sybesma
Tuttle
VandenBerg
VandenBerg
VandenBrink
VanPortfleet
Wedeven
Weenum
Wilson
Wycoff
Calvin
David
Jon
Ginger
Mary
De Kuiper
Van Ginhoven
Voss
Smith
Miilu
Superintendent
Assistant Supt. of Business Services
Assistant Supt. of HR & Curriculum
Community Relations Manager
Assistant to the Superintendent
William
James
DeJong
Kraai
DeJONG Inc.
DeJONG Inc.
Brad
Tom
Hemmes
GMB Architects
Van de Griend GMB Architects
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Zeeland Public Schools: 2025
LEARNING FOR LIFE!
Elementary Workshop
Zeeland Public Schools 2025 is an exciting opportunity to explore,
discuss and establish future direction to help guide the school
district during the next decade. It may be difficult to imagine but
the year 2025 is the year that the current first grade students will
graduate from high school.
Three workshops [Elementary, Middle School and High School]
were held as a follow-up of the Zeeland Futures Conference that
was held on September 19, 2013. The purpose of the Futures
Conference was to begin the initial discussion regarding future
direction for the school district. The purpose of the follow-up
workshops was to begin discussion on the potential future
direction in more detail.
There were several major themes that came out of the Elementary
Workshop.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Skills for Success are essential to what participants want
to see focused on in the Zeeland Public Schools.
Instruction should be more self-paced along with
individual learning plans.
The District should continue its efforts of integrating
technology and expanding IPads to the lower grades.
To address growth, the focus should be on expanding
existing elementary schools.
Building safety and creating secure entrances are a
priority.
The Elementary Workshop, held on October 8, 2013, was attended
by approximately 50 parents, educators, and community members
that represented all of the elementary schools in the Zeeland Public
School District. After opening remarks by Superintendent Calvin
DeKuiper and a short presentation by Dr. William DeJong, the
participants broke into three work groups dealing with programs,
technology and facilities.
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Zeeland Public Schools: 2025
LEARNING FOR LIFE!
Attendees reviewed Tony Wagner’s Seven Survival Skills and the
Skills4Success framework that was developed by the Ottawa
County ISD in collaboration with area community leaders. The
Elementary work group endorsed the Skills4Success framework as
being important in developing well-rounded students in the
Zeeland Public Schools.
[Note: participants suggested changing Skill4Success to Skills for
Success]
Skills4Success Framework
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Technology Literacy
Collaboration & Global Thinking
Communication
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Flexibility & Adaptability
Ethical Citizenship
Personal Accountability
Below are the Elementary Workshop meeting attendee’s ideas
about defining student success, program choices, and student
attributes and qualities.
Attributes, Qualities, and Characteristics:
 Kids as self-evaluators
 It’s ok to ask for help
 What do you bring to the table?
 Kids feeling good about strengths and failures
 Without entitlement and are focused on helping
others
 There are different ways to report success
 Determine new/different ways to report success
 Collaboration / Servant-hood
 Well rounded (multiple skills, exposed to multiple styles)
 Parents letting go
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LEARNING FOR LIFE!
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 Let kids fail sometimes
Global awareness – the world beyond me
Communication skills beyond technology
Adaptability – excitement for innovative ideas
Individual plans for kids
How do we Measure Student Success [Indicators]?
 Focus on individual improvement (individual goals,
individual learning plans)
 Both traditional and skill based
 Objective based
 Move away from traditional groupings (content
mastery)
o Facilities need to change to meet new approach to
teaching and learning
o Teachers teach to their passion
o Strong students mentoring weaker students
 Look at the number of students who finish college, don’t
get into college (or other post-secondary education)
 Track graduate happiness satisfaction (U of M)
List Skills that are Missing or should be Changed:
 Add creativity/entrepreneurship
 Develop better definitions for Skills4Success
 Really like #6 and #7 on Skills4Success list of skills
 More definition needed as to determine what to apply to
the curriculum
 Love of learning is important
 Accessing & Analyzing Information
 Curiosity & Imagination
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Programming:
Participants provided several suggestions regarding programs and
choices:
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Creative grouping in elementary
More year round (off weeks to have time for exploratory;
dance, sports, outdoor discovery)
Secondary project team idea
More multi-cultural and global awareness
Immersion Choices or Options (interest is there)
Home school blend
Options, options, options (like year round and ZQUEST)
Students showcasing work
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LEARNING FOR LIFE!
Below are the Elementary Workshop meeting attendee’s ideas
about technology, future initiatives, blended learning and out of
the box thinking/new ideas.
Technology:
 IPADS
 Beyond games/social media
 Need to demonstrate how this impacts learning
 In grades 3-12
 Need parent training to maximize use/appropriate
use
 Smart boards
 In grades K-2
 Projectors
 Computer labs are probably going to be phased out
 Kids are creative
 Beware of inappropriate usage
 Teacher collaboration
 Paper textbooks are likely to be phased out and replaced
by electronic textbooks.
Technology in the next 5 years:
 More blended
 More self-paced
 Teacher facilitator
 Still a teacher but a different role
 Technology is not going away
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Newer teachers will have grown up with technology
Introduction to new technology
Parents need technology assistance
Teaching of reading
Allows for more different instruction
There will still be teachers
There will still be school
Still need books
Instant feedback which is what kids want
Want “new school / old school”
Keep in balance
It’s here to stay
How would you grade technology in Zeeland at the elementary
level? The groups gave it a B- or C+ due to comparing with the
very best in the country. At the same time the groups indicated
that Zeeland was ahead of other school districts in the use of
technology.
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Don’t want technology to interfere with the teacher role
Technology should be more of an enrichment
If we are going to use it, there needs to be more availability
There seems to be a bit of confusion around best use
Getting here but not there yet
Willingness
Appropriateness
Use by all teachers
Still a work in progress. IPads are just being introduced.
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Where do we want to be?
 Progressive but conservative
 Reinforces relationships but yet functional
 Globally competitive
 Top 10%
 Destination district
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Using digital assessment tools
Online alternative – more secondary schools
What is Next?
 Expand IPADS to all elementary grades
 Textbooks – electronic, publishers will no longer be
making paper textbooks
 Blended learning / flipping
 More emphasis on this
 This will be a challenge
 Extra support to make the transition
 Online
 Don’t want purely online
 Need to provide this option
 Make sure there is a teacher guide/facilitator
 Summer stretch
 Teach students how to use the platform of technology
 Redundancy needed
 Home use – internet connections will be important for all
 Training
 Parents
 Students
 Teachers
 Community
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Out of the Box Thinking / New Ideas
Random list of additional ideas
 Learning Community
o “Summer Problem Solving”
 Building on summer stretch
 Could be online collaboration
 Project based learning
o Alternative schools
o Could be a part-day program
 Alternative school / schedule / programs
 Hybrid home school Option
o Part of school at home / part of school at school
 Create a culture of parental involvement in education
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Below are the Elementary Workshop meeting attendee’s ideas
about facilities, meeting growth needs, safety & security, and
overall improvements.
Facilities:
 Keep schools 500-600 size range
 Suggest schools be 4 section schools [4 of each grade]
o Adams is a 2 section school
o Quincy would need 3-4 classrooms to be able to
accommodate 4 sections and special education.
 Neighborhood schools is a priority
 Spanish immersion and G/T
o Centrally located
o Spanish offered East and West track
 Explore year round school vs. different scheduling options
 Young 5’s – how long will this still be in place? Changes
in cut-off dates for starting school.
 Discussion regarding expanding Adams from a school with
two sections to three sections of each grade.
 Issues associated with other buildings due to site
constraints, demographics, etc.
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Safety & Security
 The need for all buildings to have “through office” check
in’s – consistency
 Ideas
o Quick method of auto locking entrance
o Z kids entrances before and after school
o Beef up external doors
o Machine has to allow access to building
o Key cards instead of hard keys
o Automatic update system for volunteers
o Upgrade security cameras
o Playground – limit visitors from accessing
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Zeeland Public Schools: 2025
LEARNING FOR LIFE!
Below are the Elementary Workshop meeting attendee’s ideas
about district priorities and establishing direction.
There was a great deal of consistency from each of the groups
 Skills for Success
 Safety & Security
 Advancements in Technology
 Choices and Options
Elementary Priorities:
___________
 Academic success for all (individual)
 Program options
 Technology
 Enhancement
 Resource
____________
 Expectations of kids
 I LP’s [Individual Learning Plans]
 Technology is determined based on ILP
 Beneficial for the lower 25%
 Determine and Incorporate learning styles
 Relational / Nurturing aspect is crucial
 Definition of success is different for each child
 Explore their passions
 Project based learning
___________
 Skills for Success
 Blended Learning
 Equal Opportunities
____________
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Ability level grouping by:
 Learning type
 Age
 Subject
 Skills for Success framework
 Security
 Objective evaluations of teachers
 Keeping up with the new way of teaching
 Different / varied report cards
o Skills for Success and grades
___________
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LEARNING FOR LIFE!
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Safety
Method of instruction and student evaluations (qualitative
and quantitative)
 More “hands on” devices in lower grade levels
___________
 Security
 ILP with parent/teacher real time communication – IC
 Changing the paradigm of education
 Year round
 Project based learning
 Utilizing technology
_____________
 Security upgrades so all buildings are equitable
 Individualize education plan (learning style inventories)
 High
All need tailored growth targets
 Medium
 Low
 Technology evolution where we continually evaluate and
keep teacher/pupil relationship in the front (application
analysis)
_____________
 More schedule/choice programs
 Safety
 Skills 4 Success framework
____________
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Individuals
o Ability – learning type
o Choices
Life skills = success
Blended
Security/Safety
Evaluation – qualitative and quantitative
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