CiTi ISS Weekly Communicator

The purpose of this weekly newsletter is to provide professional development, support and resources to foster adult learning and student achievement. You will find offerings from Instructional Support Services, Distance Learning and Model Schools Teams.

***Two different options***

March 17th/18th 8:30-11:30am

April 14th/15th 8:30-11:30am

Dignity for All Students Act (The Dignity Act or DASA) Workshop: Six hour training in Harassment, Bullying, Cyberbullying and Discrimination in Schools: Prevention and Intervention. New York State's Dignity Act seeks to provide the State's public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function. School professionals applying for certification or license on or after DECEMBER 31, 2013 are required to complete six clock hours of course work or training in this area. This training is designed to fulfill that requirement. This training is delivered via zoom in 2 separate 3 hour sessions. An email will be sent to the email address associated with your your MLP account the morning of the training. Tuition is $75.00 for employees of district which subscribe to the Oswego BOCES School Improvement Co-Ser. Tuition is $100.00 for all other attendees. If you are self-paying, please mail a Money Order or Bank Check made out to CiTi Treasurer. NO CASH please. Send to: CiTi BOCES Attention: Roseann Bayne 179 County Route 64 Mexico NY 13114

Registration:

March: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=12396&I=3705997

April: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=12396&I=3706001

The Arts Leadership Network is pleased to announce our next professional development opportunity on Monday February 22nd. This event will begin our breakdown of each Art/Music standard by grade level and area to further understand the meaning and intentions behind each standard. We will be digging into the glossaries and examining multiple template options as we start this journey of creating a database of resources for the new NYS Arts learning standards.

Follow this link to sign up in MLP

If you weren't able to catch the virtual showcase live, we are happy to share that we have a link to watch a recording of the showcase when its convenient for you. The link will be available for a few weeks for schools to preview available shows so take advantage of the opportunity while you can.

https://www.academicentertainment.com/showcase1

We have partnered with DCMO BOCES to continue growing our list of virtual opportunities for this school year. Like all of you, our artists are working hard to modify and adapt to the changing learning environment and are continuously adding new enrichment opportunities that can now be enjoyed virtually. We currently have over 80 high-quality virtual opportunities for students and schools to enjoy with more being added daily. If you have any questions regarding a specific program please feel free to reach out to WJones@citiboces.org.

From elementary schools to psychotherapy offices, mindfulness meditation is an increasingly mainstream practice. At the same time, trauma remains a fact of life: the majority of us will experience a traumatic event in our lifetime, and up to 20% of us will develop posttraumatic stress. This means that anywhere mindfulness is being practiced, someone in the room is likely to be struggling with trauma. This raises a crucial question for mindfulness teachers, trauma professionals, and survivors everywhere: How can we minimize the potential dangers of mindfulness for survivors while leveraging its powerful benefits? This asynchronous or self-paced opportunity brings you through this powerful question. The module begins with a webinar to build common understanding on trauma, mindfulness, and meditation and how they intersect in classroom practice. Participants will leave with strategies to create a safe, supportive mindfulness practice in the classroom. Upon completion you will be asked to complete a survey/reflection where you will offer insights and key takeaways as well as certify your completion of all tasks. Once complete, you will receive 3 hours of professional development, documented in MyLearningPlan. Once registered, you will receive the mini-module in the form of a Smore "newsletter" containing the webinar and all items to complete.

Register in MLP

Cyberbullynig.org found that 28% of students have experienced bullying (2019). With increased online learning, the opportunity for online bullies to take advantage is evident. How can we support our youth with shifts to online learning? Strengthening a student's digital citizenship to combat bullying means strengthening a student's understanding of their social and emotional skill set. Participants will explore the latest research and strategies to support ethical online social emotional understanding and digital citizenship.

Register in MLP here.

As the role of mindfulness in our classrooms and our lives grows ever more necessary, being in community with other educators practicing and implementing mindfulness offers important support and inspiration. This group meets monthly to experience practices together as well as share strategies for implementation with students whether in person or virtual. Join us!

Upcoming Dates:

• 3/10
• 4/7
• 5/12

Meetings are scheduled 3:30 - 4:30 PM

The mindset and skills of SEL are needed now more than ever as we navigate our current world in our own lives and as we educate and support our students, colleagues and our community. This group continues to learn and grow in our efforts to foster SEL and mindfulness practices in our schools and classrooms through modeling of practices in our meetings, sharing of strategies and resources, and exploring a deeper understanding of our own lives in service of others. Join Us!

Upcoming Dates:

• 2/22
• 3/22
• 4/19

All meetings are scheduled 3:45 - 5:00 PM

The focus of this module is to support you in learning strategies to disconnect and focus in simple ways on self maintenance. We cannot show up for others if we do not show up for ourselves. The module begins with the Press Pause webinar. Following the webinar you will find practices to engage in, resources to read and explore, and videos to view. Upon completion you will be asked to complete a survey where you will offer insights you gained and certify your completion of all tasks. Once complete, you will receive 3 hours of professional development, documented in MyLearningPlan.

Register in MLP Once registered, you will receive the module in the form of a Smore "newsletter" containing the webinar and all items to complete.

As the country and the world absorb the impact of the coronavirus, our interconnectedness has never been more clearly on display. SEL offers a powerful means to support one another – children and adults – during this challenging time. Now, more than ever, we understand how important it is to demonstrate empathy and resilience, build relationships across distance, and call upon our collective resolve to strengthen our schools and our communities.

CASEL CARES is an initiative that connects each of you in our global community with experts to address how SEL can be most helpful in response to today’s circumstances.

Access resources and guidance on SEL.

Register for upcoming webinars and access past webinars.

Upcoming Webinar:

FEBRUARY 19

Building Partnerships Inside and Outside the Classroom

Phonemic awareness and letter knowledge are the two best predictors of how well children will learn to read. This pre-recorded webinar focuses on what Phonemic Awareness is, why it's important, and how these skills can be taught and reinforced in classrooms. Pausing points are built-in for practice and reflection. Following the webinar, you will find resources to deepen your knowledge. Once complete, you will receive 2 hours of professional development, documented in Frontline/MyLearningPlan. Click here to register

This asynchronous webinar focuses on the role content area teachers have with developing advanced literacies according to Next Generation Learning Standards. Pausing points are built-in for reflection with accompanying guiding questions. Following the webinar, you will find NGLS resources for further exploration. Upon completion, you will be asked to complete a form where you will offer insights you gained and certify your completion of all tasks. Once complete, you will receive 2 hours of professional development, documented in Frontline/MyLearningPlan. Intended audience: Grades 6-12

Click here to register.

This educator's network will focus on professional dialogue aligned to evidence-based practices in literacy. The topic will be: Effective Practices in Writing. Session will include opportunities to share remote teaching practices. Small group break-out discussions will also be included. Choose only one date in March as session topic/format repeats to accommodate various schedules.

Click here to register for March 17th at 2:00 p.m.

OR

Click here to register for March 19th at 2:15 p.m.

This series of workshops is designed to help with computer skills and productivity through the understanding of similarities and differences between Microsoft and Google products and when it is best to use each platform. Each session, taught by CiTi Model Schools Staff, will have information related to a specific type of product and will include tips and tricks to assist you in your position.

6 Online Sessions from 1:00 - 2:00 PM (Zoom)

Please register on MyLearningPlan/Frontline.

2/23 Microsoft PowerPoint & Google Slides

Compare similarities and explore the differences between Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides. We’ll explore the unique features for each platform to help determine what works best for you.

3/23 Adobe PDF, Microsoft Fillable Forms & Google Forms

In this session, we will look at the similarities and differences between three tools commonly used to collect information: fillable PDFs made with Adobe, Microsoft Forms, and Google Forms. We will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each to help determine which might be most useful in different areas of your work.

4/20 Microsoft Outlook & Google Calendar/ Gmail

We will first explore Microsoft Outlook Email & Gmail, identifying features that differentiate the two platforms and discussing the pros and cons of each. We will then look at Microsoft Outlook Calendar & Google Calendar, examining their defining features. We will close with a discussion about how to decide which tool best fits your needs, and how the platforms can work in conjunction with one another.

5/18 Microsoft Publisher & Google Suite
In this session, you will explore the differences between how Google and Microsoft handle publishing and basic paint/drawing tools. First, we will look at Publisher and understand the limitations of Publisher files and publishing generically in Google. We'll close out by comparing and contrasting Microsoft Paint and Google Drawings. We'll also have a quick detour of the Snipping Tool, and how to take screenshots on Chromebook devices.

Facing History and Ourselves website is an educational resource that provides teachers with support for teaching a complex moment in history or addressing today's breaking news. Click here to view a short video about Facing History and Ourselves. Click here to access a PDF workbook of a teacher checklist for preparing to teach current events to middle and high school students. Included are recommended news sources, key questions to ask yourself as you plan, and strategies for navigating emotionally difficult or complex topics.

Email: CITIISS@citiboces.org
Website: CiTiBoces.org/ISS
Location: 179 County Route 64, Mexico, NY, USA
Phone: 315-963-4425