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Making Learning Personal
Winter 2024
Welcome to Cohort 8!
Alexander Anwar, Oakdale Middle School
Autumn Avila, Middletown Elementary School
Amanda Beach, Urbana Elementary School
Patricia Brooks, Crestwood Middle School
Amanda Carpenter, Oakdale Elementary School
Jordan Chaffman, Green Valley Elementary School
Danielle Clagg, Oakdale High School
Kim Cowles, Urbana Elementary School
Tawny Ditto, Tuscarora Elementary School
Michelle Early, Walkersville High School
Laryssa Edler, Butterfly Ridge Elementary School
Regan Farr, Oakdale Elementary School
Jody Figueiras, Lincoln Elementary School
Andrea Fream, Waverley Elementary School
Kelly Funk, Windsor Knolls Middle School
Maggie George, Oakdale High School
Casey Graham, Urbana Elementary School
Lindsay Graves, Deer Crossing Elementary School
Anna Gurnett, Curriculum, Instuction, and Innovation
Heidi Hench, Emmitsburg Elementary School
Ryan Hench, Middletown Elementary School
Mary Cate Henry, Special Education and Student Services
Daniel Jones, Heather Ridge School
Erin Kane, Monocacy Middle School
Julie Keeler, Middletown Middle School
Darlene Kerr, Catoctin High School
Erin Lafferty, Ballenger Creek Elementary School
Catherine Lee, Oakdale Middle School
Sarah Leo, Carroll Manor Elementary School
Samantha Mangold, Brunswick High School
EB Mulcahy, Oakdale High School
Chelsea Naegele, Ballenger Creek Elementary School
Erica O'Leary, Brunswick High School
Aimee Pernitz, Special Education and Student Services
Ashley Philemon, Valley Elementary School
Krystel Rippeon, Hillcrest Elementary School
Alicia Rodrigues, Monocacy Elementary School
Jennifer Schero, Green Valley Elementary School
April Shanz, Ballenger Creek Elementary School
Caitlyn Sliter, Butterfly Ridge Elementary School
Ron Socash, Oakdale High School
ALonna Soward, Monocacy Elementary School
Julie Tapley, New Market Middle School
Angela Warye, Frederick High School
Heather Wiley, West Frederick Middle School
Elizabeth Wolfkill, Butterfly Ridge Elementary School
Kim Woods, New Market Elementary School
Kristin Yates, Myersville Elementary School
Sherri Young, Brunswick High School
Hunter Yusko, West Frederick Middle School
Editor's Note
Welcome Cohort 8! Congratulations to all of our newly inducted Cohort 8 Vanguard members! We are so glad to have you join us on this networked Vanguard journey, and we look forward to learning about all the amazing things happening in your classrooms.
And congratulations to all who made it to the other side of the Holidaze AND submitted Microcredentials! With February before us at this mid-year point of the school year and with semester changes established, it is a good time to gather mid-year feedback from your students. Find out from their perspective what is going well and what needs to be changed. Dr. Catlin Tucker addresses this in a recent blog post titled Keep, Start, Stop: A Student Feedback Strategy. I like that even with this simple strategy, the process is supported with onboarding, modeling and sentence starters to guide the complex process of metacognition.
This Winter Issue of MLP has a little something for everyone. Speaking of metacognition, Darryl Berg shares how he supports the development of 4th graders' writing with his Stop Light Writing strategy. Cindy Barlow, in her Coach and final Vanguard year, shares her reflections on the Vanguard Program. Dana Stanfield explains her success with the Station Rotation strategy in her secondary ELA classroom. Molly Murphy discuss what it's like to be a teacher leader in the midst of change. And Laura Shearer will write about giving effective feedback! Don't forget about our April Vanguard Speaker Series with our own Dr. Sarah Sirgo. Read more about all Dr. Sirgo has to offer FCPS below. Curl up with a hot drink, take in all the Winter Issue of MLP has to offer and don't forget to stop along the way and smell the roses.
Heather Rose
Innovative Learning Team
MLP Editor
Vanguard Speaker Series
We are pleased to announce that our next speaker in the Vanguard Speaker Series will be Dr. Sarah Sirgo. She will be presenting on April 16, 4:30-6:00, at FHS. You can click here to register.
Dr. Sarah Sirgo is a lifelong educator that was born and raised in Maryland, and served for 23 years in Montgomery County Public Schools prior to joining Frederick County Public Schools in August 2022 as the Chief of Staff.
Dr. Sirgo has her doctorate in organizational leadership and policy studies from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), having also earned her bachelors and master’s degrees from UMCP in speech language therapy and special education. She holds her administrative and supervisory certificate from Johns Hopkins University, and taught adjunct to aspiring administrators in the Master’s Program at Hood College, and currently teaches in the Doctoral program at Bowie State University.
Dr. Sirgo has spent her career focused on organizational excellence and leadership development. She began her career in special education, moving on to serving in a variety of school based roles, including as an elementary principal. For the past 10 years Dr. Sirgo has spent time working on central office transformation with a focus on leadership development for teachers and school based administrators. Prior to joining FCPS, Dr. Sirgo served as a director of school support and improvement in Montgomery County Public Schools.
In her career, Dr. Sirgo has received a number of accolades including Principal of the Year from the National Board Teacher Network of Montgomery County, Principal of the Year from the MCPS English for Speakers of Other Languages Program, recognition from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) for outstanding inclusion and achievement outcomes for students with disabilities, and was a nominee for the Dr. Edward Shirley Award for Excellence in Educational Administration and Supervision.
In addition to her work with FCPS, Dr. Sirgo is a mother to two school aged daughters and enjoys time with her husband and children, reading, sending out her daily Tweets of inspiration @Lead2Support, authoring a weekly leadership newsletter called Seeing It Through, and leadership Podcasts. See the Speaker Series page on the Vanguard website for more information.
Getting Students to Write with "Stop Light Writing"
Darryl Berg, Green Valley Elementary School
Getting elementary school students to want to write is a challenge that we all face. About 10 years ago, I had a class that had a particularly difficult time getting their ideas down on paper. I knew I had to come up with a gimmick to get them eager to write. This was the birth of what I called "Stop Light Writing,” which uses two things students need to develop good writing skills: modeling and meaningful feedback.
Relationship, Reflection and Recess: My Ponderings about the Vanguard Program
Cindy Barlow, Monocacy Middle School
As a Vanguard teacher in my 3rd year of the program, I have learned about so many topics in the Blended Learning area of education. From Playlists, Station Rotation, Flipped Classrooms and Whole Group Rotation I have pivoted my teaching to focus on individualized blended student learning, as defined by Dr. Catlin Tucker, “where students experience ‘Active, engaged learning online combined with active, engaged learning offline’ at their own time, place, pace and path.” There are three areas that I have kept returning to during the past three years and they all start with R. These are not the three Rs taught in school of Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic. The three Rs I am referring to are: Relationships, Reflection and Recess.
Station Rotation Success (and Template to share)
Dana Stanfield, Walkersville High School
I began my teaching career as a fourth grade teacher, and, like many elementary teachers, station rotation was a part of my daily instruction. My readers’ workshop block often began with read-aloud or shared reading and then evolved into rotating guided reading groups while other students independently practiced their reading, writing, and language skills. However, when I moved into teaching middle and high school English, I noticed that some of my colleagues were hesitant to use stations with older students and preferred a whole group approach.
Teacher Leadership and Change
Molly Murphy, Brunswick Elementary School
If there is one constant we can rely on in education it is change. Each year we change classes (sometimes more frequently), we may change administration, teammates, job titles, schools, students and curriculum. Especially this time of year; when the transfer lists start to come out and we begin thinking about our intentions for the next school year. The thought of change may bring a mixture of emotions. We may feel excited and hopeful for a new start, but we may also feel isolated or unsure about leaving our comforts. Our perception will be what allows us to view our changes as a regression or a transformation.
Giving Effective Feedback to Students
Laura Shearer, Innovative Learning Team
There’s no dispute that effective feedback can be a powerful instructional tool to use with students; it can guide them in a positive direction and encourage them to continue to work hard toward their learning goals. But what are the qualities of effective feedback? Let’s take a look at some qualities of effective feedback, as well as the kinds of feedback that can lead students toward greater success.
#FCPSVanguard
Upcoming Dates and Reminders
Mar. 5, 7, 14, 26, 28 - Vanguard Forums (Cohorts 5-7)
Mar. 4, 4:30-6:30 - Cohort 8 Vanguard Launch at Hood College
Apr. 16, 4:30-6:00 - Vanguard Speaker Series: Dr. Sarah Sirgo (All Cohorts)
Apr. 17, 8:00-3:00 - Workshop with Dr. Sarah Sirgo (Lead Year)
May 8, 4:30-6:30 - Teach Year and Lead Year
May 13, 4:30-6:30 - Coach Year Graduation Celebration
June 17-18, 8:00-4:00 - Vanguard Summer Academy (Cohort 8)
Vanguard Teacher Program
Email: eric.haines@fcps.org
Website: vanguard.fcps.org
Phone: 301-644-5182
Twitter: @EHainesFCPS