Spring 2022 Curriculum Newsletter

Wrapping up all curriculum writing for Science, SS, WL, and VPA, 5th grade women’s history month cereal boxes, new district pd goals announced: MTSS and POAG, New mandates released by the state, spring interdisciplinary focus, AP testing

Aaron Decker students and teachers participated in a Literacy Night during Read Across America Week. The event was organized by literacy interventionist Jill Muller-Rovell. She was supported by many of the Aaron Decker teachers. The event was a huge success!

• "Myths about motivating students"- In this article in Education Week, Sarah Sparks reports some insights on student motivation that she gleaned from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference in San Diego. She frames them as pushback on three myths that are common in K12 schools https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/3-counterintuitive-findings-about-motivation-that-teachers-can-use/2022/04

• "Using pre-unit assessments to promote critical thinking"- In this Edutopia article, Kristi Mascher (Missouri Southern State University) suggests 3 ways to use diagnostic assessments to gather helpful data, tee up critical thinking skills, and avoid sending unintended negative messages to students:
  https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-simple-ways-use-pre-unit-assessments-promote-critical-thinking

• "Helping Adolescents Deal with a Toxic "Achievement Culture" In this article in Independent School, consultant Beth Cooper Benjamin lists the factors that created a perfect storm of stress for many teens, even before the pandemic reared its ugly head: academic demands, homework, grades, extracurricular activities, pressure from parents, insufficient sleep, complex social lives, social media, peer comparison and competition, political polarization, racial issues, and financial obligations. All these are heightened in schools that have a high-pressure “achievement culture” and an unspoken belief that the effort required to live up to a cultural ideal should be kept hidden
  https://www.nais.org/magazine/independent-school/winter-2022/trend-lines-challenging-achievement-culture-in-schools/
  

The NJ Department of Education recently reorganized their Educator portal to make it easier to find resources and lesson plans that relate to the academic standards as well as the new mandates recently released (including Climate Change resources and resources for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mandate)

During the March Professional Development 1/2 day, teachers worked in many areas including Response to Intervention, Envision Training for the math department, exploring resources for utilizing informational texts across the disciplines, and discussing data and making data-driven decisions.

This year, we began utilizing the Cognitive Abilities Test as part of our screening process for Gifted and Talented programming in the district. Students in Grades 4 and 6 took the CogAT test, and we recently revised and refined our screening process. For more information on our Gifted and Talented programming, please refer to our website: https://nj50000507.schoolwires.net/Page/349

Butler High School students enrolled in AP courses have began their AP tests on May 2. AP Teachers and students have been working hard all year to prepare for these exams, and we are excited to see the results.

Check out the growth occurring by the senior parking lot!

Butler High School now has a Gardening club!

The Butler HS Gardening Club was initiated by senior, Denis Sarisoy. Several Butler companies donated materials to make this project happen: Excelsior Lumber and Glenwild Gardens.

Denis has set up an instagram for the club: @bhsgardeningclub