• VanCon 2019
  
• Flipgrid Fever
• Calling all VanCon Presenters!
• XP Due Soon!
• School Lead Applications
• GaETC Presenter Applications
• Shining a Spotlight on Success

April 26- VanCon Presenter Application Due

May 1- XP Due

May 1- Flipgrid Fever Twitter Challenge

May 10- School Lead Applications due

June 7- VanCon

We are very excited for our June PD, VanCon 2019! VanCon will be held at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday, June 7th, 2019.

This event will focus on our four Vanguard pillars: Transform, Innovate, Mentor, and Support.

The day's agenda includes a special keynote speaker and various choice concurrent sessions! There will also be sessions tailored for new members and current and aspiring leaders!

Let's spread some Flipgrid Fever in Fulton! We have a 5 day Twitter challenge and it begins May 1st! Participate and win prizes. Click this link for more information.

Interested in presenting at VanCon 2019? We are looking for Vanguard members who are willing to share their knowledge related to the following topics. If you are interested, please fill out the Session Interest form by Friday, April 26th.

As we did for the January PD event, we’ve got something special in store for all VanCon 2019 presenters! Anyone who is accepted to present will be entered into a drawing for a brand new Vanguard Exclusive laptop. The Lenovo Yoga X1 is a high end laptop that will replace your current FCS teacher laptop. Its fast processor, 360 degree hinge, touchscreen, HD display, and built in stylus will be the envy of all your teacher friends!

• Sign up to present here! https://forms.gle/PZR5bDzHTGK1Tah88
• Register to attend VanCon here! Microsoft Forms
• Want more details? View the special edition smore!

We will be constantly updating as information becomes available!

The final XP deadline for the year is approaching soon! May 1st is the final day to have your XP submitted as well as submit any XP issues to the issues form. As a reminder, the Vanguard requirement for members in instructional positions is to earn 100 or more XP, with at least 50 of that coming from the two required mentoring cycles. Members in non-instructional positions must earn 50XP by May 1st.

The XP system is the way the Vanguard team documents the amazing work we are doing. It is our way of demonstrating the value that Vanguard adds to our district. As Vanguardians, we have to ensure that we are following through on our commitment to the Fulton County Board of Education. As much as we love all of our Vanguard members, we must be accountable for the work we are doing to further the Vanguard mission. With that said, we understand that members may face challenges in earning their XP, which require additional support. We want to honor that, so we have developed a process that will allow us to support our members, while still ensuring the mission of Vanguard continues to be promoted in our schools. We are still solidifying some details, but here’s what we can share today.

Members that earn more than 35 XP, but less than the required 100XP (again, with 50 or more coming from two mentoring cycles), will be asked to participate in a support opportunity during the first semester of next school year. The completion of that support opportunity will return the member to good standing at the end of the semester. The type of support offered will depend on the type and amount of XP earned. For example, a member who earns 50 or more Total XP, but didn’t complete their mentoring cycles, would be offered additional support on the mentoring process. Finally, members that earn fewer than 35 total XP will be asked to step down from the team. If you feel you have an extenuating circumstance that should be considered, please reach out to Justin Evans (evansj@fultonschools.org) and Heather Van Looy (vanlooy@fultonschools.org).

School Lead Applications for the 2019-20 school year are open!

Responsibilities include:

• Serve as bridge between Vanguard leadership and your school team.

• Attending monthly school lead calls (Thursday evenings before Twitter chats).

• Holding monthly school Vanguard Team meetings, where you share information from your school lead call.

• Participate in the work of one of our committees (events, communication, XP, new members, and possibly others).

• A time commitment above and beyond your normal school duties and Vanguard responsibilities.

This is an excellent opportunity to grow in your role as a Vanguardian and contribute more to the team's mission and vision. We will be looking to this group of individuals first when we have any openings on the leadership team.

For the full details and explanation, see the April 17th Van Weekly!

The application window will close on Friday, May 10th. This application is open to all Vanguard members in good standing, i.e. you will meet the XP requirements by the due date in May.

You can access the application here: https://forms.gle/ArcSVAWzZRgyC93Z6.

Please email Justin Evans (evansj@fultonschools.org) or any member of the leadership team with any questions you may have.

GaETC is home to some of the most dedicated professionals in the education industry. Tell your story, inspire change, and gain a new following of experts and peers. THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JUNE 1st.

NEW for 2019: Please check back on the GaETC website after September 1st to view your submission status.

Read as Tammy reflects on her 2018-2019 School year...

"As the school year closes, I realized had some awesome moments! These include building a full Vanguard team, a Vanchise team (used my last stipend to spread some tech love to them!), supported the parent liaison as the Classdojo Mentor and with innovative ideas such as a commercial to support our low parent engagement with our parent resource room ( later brought to life w/ our KSU rep), speaking at the Jan PD, nominated for TOTY ( 1st !), keeping my first grade parents in the loop with Seesaw and Classdojo, and the great gains in reading in my class; average growth: A to G ( and that was in March!!!)"

We are so proud of your growth, Tammy!!! Continue to shine your Vanguardian light!!!

Follow her at https://twitter.com/Tteachcreators2

Vanleads, do you see any vanguard members at your school doing something awesome? Were they struggling with a tool before and are now using it? BRAG on our Vanguard members. If you see something awesome, please submit about your team member.

Please share your success stories with us! You may see your "Spotlight" in an upcoming Vanweekly!

Share Your Success!

Mission: Building the capacity of instructional leaders to transform learning and teaching.

Vision: Through building colaborative relationships and supporting student focused learning, the Vanguard Team will positively impact student achievement.

Pillars: Transform, Innovate, Mentor, & Support (TIMS)

@FCSvanguard