ELD Department News
Keeping you in the know! December 4, 2018
Douglas County Outstanding Youth Awards! Please consider nominating a youth!
Hello! It’s time for one of best events of the year! The Douglas County Outstanding Youth Awards! Please consider nominating a youth!
The Douglas County Youth Initiative was established in 2005 to coordinate local youth-serving efforts and assess the needs of the County’s youngest residents.
One of our events is the Outstanding Youth Awards, an award that recognizes teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19 who have overcome personal adversity and created positive change in their lives. The awards program provides business, community and civic leaders an opportunity to actively demonstrate their belief and support for the young people in our community.
PLEASE NOMINATE A YOUTH TODAY!
In describing your nominee, please be specific as to why you think your nominee should receive this award. As you fill out the form, keep in mind that the more information you include, the easier it will be for the screening committee to recognize what makes these young people so special. We realize that some of the information may be sensitive. Please indicate if any of the information needs to be kept confidential.
Please note: If a parent is nominating their child, the screening committee requires at least one non-family member provide a letter of support. These letters can be from a teacher, coach, neighbor, a professional involved in their life, etc.
2019: Each of our 10 winners will be asked to write a short essay about a situation or an influence that made a difference in their life that has created a positive change. They will be asked to read their essay at the reception honoring them. The essay will be due on April 19, 2019, and the reception will be on April 29h.
Award Nomination Forms
Forms must be submitted by March 29, 2019. Use the below link to nominate a youth:
Award Recipient Reception
After selecting our award winners, recipients, their families and nominators will be invited to a dessert reception to be held on April 29th.
Mission of the Youth Award
To identify and recognize 10 teenagers who reside in Douglas County, who have overcome obstacles and risen to challenges life has presented.
The Youth Award is unique because it recognizes youth who have overcome difficult situations in their lives by making positive changes and by exhibiting strength and determination in the face of adversity. The young people we recognize have had a positive influence on themselves and those around them and often have not had any official recognition.
This one-of-a-kind award encompasses all youth: youth who have not finished school, youth in traditional classroom settings, youth in group homes, youth in alternative schools, and youth in foster homes.
Kudos to DCHS!!
Here is a description of their submission: For this year, we have prepared two events to celebrate the cultures and languages represented in our school community. Through short presentations highlighting the home countries of our exchange students and a school-wide food festival, students, teachers and the rest of the staff, celebrate cultural and linguistic diversity in our learning environment and discover new sounds, smells, and tastes.
Congratulations, Carmen and Mark!
NPR Student Podcast Challenge
Do you have a student or group of students who would like to share their story on NPR? Here is their chance! Follow this link for official rules and procedures.
Submissions may be on any topic; however the following prompts are offered as suggestions:
- Tell us a story about your school or community: about something that happened there – recently or in the past — that you want your audience to know about.
- What is a moment in history that all students should learn about?
- Show us both sides of a debate about an issue that's important to you.
- What do you want to change about the world? What's a big change that you want to make in the future?
- Explain something to us that kids understand and grownups don't.
ACCESS for ELLs Online Training
- log-in to your WIDA account at wida.us.
- click on "My Account and Secure Portal".
- complete the training modules and quizzes. 80% is a passing score.
You do not need to submit anything (such as your training certificate). We are able to pull a report to confirm the completion of your training.
ALL team members in your building must complete this training for any assessment they will proctor or administer.
You may choose to complete your online training at one of the upcoming Support Sessions - with administrator approval, of course!
December 10 & 11 ELD Think Tank: Mandatory ACCESS Training - UPDATE!!
Mark your calendars for the December 10th (Parker Library) and December 11th (Lone Tree Library). This specific ELD Think Tank will include our annual required ACCESS training. As the school ACCESS coordinator, you are required to attend. Your team at the school level does not need to attend with you. ELD Think Tanks will begin at 8:30 am, and it will end at 3:00 pm. Please attend the session assigned, and arrive between 8:15-8:30 am at the Library’s Event Hall.
Substitute Teacher Coverage
If you are a secondary teacher, you will need to consider whether or not you require a sub. Consider the following when determining your need:
- If you teach three or more ESL classes as the only teacher of record, you require a full-day or half-day substitute depending on your schedule.
- If you co-teach or push-in all day, you do not require a substitute. If your principal wishes for you to schedule a substitute, your school will pay for the substitute.
- If you teach fewer than three classes as the only teacher of record, you should obtain class coverage. If this is not possible, you should request a half-day or full-day substitute based on your actual need only as absolutely necessary.
- If the above applies, use the code "ELD-ELD Other Training".
Preparation Required:
Please be sure you have read the agreed upon portion of your book study book, and bring your book with you!
To Register:
Course: ELD Department Think Tank
Session: 811-18, ELD Department Think Tank
Start Date: 12/10/2018
Course Link: https://pd.dcsdk12.org/course/view.php?id=11837
Course: ELD Department Think Tank
Session: 811-19, ELD Department Think Tank
Start Date: 12/11/2018
Course Link: https://pd.dcsdk12.org/course/view.php?id=11838
Partnering with Families During the Holidays
Family Engagement
This holiday season, remember that families celebrate in a myriad of ways. Our students may celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or the Chinese New Year to name a few. Here's a great article from Colorín Colorado about celebrating holidays and there are a lot of additional resources at the end of the article.
For students in need, the holiday season can be stressful. Students could be in need of additional food for the holidays since school will not be in session and meals will not be provided. In Douglas County, if a family was connected to an agency and receiving assistance prior to December, then they will likely receive some support this holiday season. However, there will no doubt be families in Douglas County who are not already connected to a community agency or church and will need help. Below are some community resources for families in DCSD:
SECOR Cares (based in Parker but serves Douglas County)
Parker Task Force Resource Guide (includes many resources across Douglas County)
If you have questions or would like additional resources, please reach out to Becky Corr.
SIOP 2 - Register Today!
SIOP stands for Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol and it a framework for supporting students to achieve academic standards while supporting language development. The framework is geared toward English learners, but it is great for all students. Teachers do not need to take the SIOP courses in numerical order, and any teacher or administrator may register.
Course: SIOP 2: Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
Session: 1362-3, Certified Staff ONLY
Start Date: 01/26/2019
Course Link: https://pd.dcsdk12.org/course/view.php?id=11814
Collaboration and Co-Teaching
Title II Course Opportunity: Collaboration and Co-Teaching
Collaboration and Co-Teaching will be offered for co-teaching teams on December 17, 2018 at the Cantril Gym from 8am-3pm. Substitutes will be provided if necessary using Title II funds. This course will be delivered with meeting the needs of English Learners as a priority, and it will be applicable toward the 45 hours of ELD coursework requirement. Please pass this information along to interested teams, and register using this form. Once teams are approved, they will receive an Inspired course notification. For more information, please contact Remy Rummel.
Relevant Information from Previous Newsletters
PSAT / NMSQT Scholarship Opportunities
The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)—which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.6 million entrants each year—and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements. More information can be found at http://www.nationalmerit.org.
To participate in the National Merit® Scholarship Program, a student must:
Take the PSAT/NMSQT® in the specified year of the high school program and no later than the third year in grades 9 through 12, regardless of grade classification or educational pattern;
Be enrolled as a high school student (traditional or homeschooled), progressing normally toward graduation or completion of high school, and planning to accept admission to college no later than the fall following completion of high school; and
Be a citizen of the United States; or be a U.S. lawful permanent resident.
Follow this link for a student friendly explanation of the PSAT / NMSQT.
2018-2019 Colorado Accommodations
PSAT / SAT Update
EL students can use 50% extended time for SAT/ PSAT and still receive reportable scores. Staff will need to work with your School's SSD Coordinator for PSAT/SAT because all accommodations for the PSAT and SAT have to go through the College Board System for approval. The Accommodations window for PSAT/SAT is currently open and will close on February 19, 2019. Students who receive extended time through an approved College Board Accommodation must test in a separate environment.
Approved Word to Word Dictionaries
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sat-sd-college-board-approved-glossaries.pdf
Translated Test Directions Available (see dates)
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/k12-educators/sat-school-day/downloads
Accommodations Crosswalk
The CDE has updated the Accommodations Crosswalk. Please see this link for all state and federal assessment accommodations. It is important to note the information below each matrix of accommodations as it explains the use and reporting style of each accommodation. For example, some SAT accommodations are state approved, but they will not yield a College Board reportable score.