CSRA RESA Newsletter

Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) affected by Hurricane Helene. It is a challenging time, and our hope is for a swift recovery and for the safety of all those impacted.

National Principals Month is an opportunity to celebrate and honor our incredible school principals for their visionary leadership and tireless pursuit of success for each student.

October is National Bullying Awareness Month, a timely reminder for organizations to take action at the local level to foster safe and supportive environments. By promoting kindness and respect, we can contribute to creating spaces where everyone feels valued and respected. Together, we have the power to make bullying a thing of the past and build a better, more compassionate world.

Some activities and ideas to reach students, families, and the wider community!

• Read an anti-bullying book
• Start a bullying prevention program
• Watch an anti-bullying video
• Encourage student upstanders
• Hang anti-bulling and kindness posters and art
• Build a kindness chain
• Post an anti-bullying bulletin board
• Try a "Random Acts of Kindness" challenge
• Share quotes about kindness
• Paint kindness rocks

Down Syndrome Awareness Month (DSAM) is a month to raise awareness and celebrate the many abilities of our loved ones with Down syndrome. DSAM seeks to break down barriers and focus on promoting advocacy and inclusion.

A few facts about Down Syndrome:

• Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.
• Approximately one in every 775 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome, making Down syndrome the most common chromosomal condition. About 5,000 babies with Down syndrome are born in the United States each year.
• People with Down syndrome have an increased risk for certain medical conditions such as congenital heart defects, respiratory and hearing problems, Alzheimer’s disease, childhood leukemia, and thyroid conditions. Many of these conditions are now treatable, so most people with Down syndrome lead healthy lives.
• Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has increased dramatically in recent decades – from 25 in 1983 to 60 today.
• Quality educational programs, a stimulating home environment, good health care, and positive support from family, friends, and the community enable people with Down syndrome to lead fulfilling and productive lives.

Started in 1998 by the Young Adult Library Services Association and typically observed the week of Columbus Day, Teen Read Week's purpose is simple - to encourage teens to read.

Ways to celebrate Teen Read Week:

• Visit your local library.
• Play reading bingo.
• Read aloud.
• Read a book and watch its movie adaptation.
• Read a related classic.
• Find fun ways to tie reading into your regular schoolwork.
• Take a reading day - or a reading week!
• Start a series.
• Try an audio book.
• Host a family book club.

In 1988, the National Family Partnership coordinated the first National Red Ribbon Week with President and Mrs. Reagan serving as honorary Chairpersons. Since then, the Red Ribbon campaign has taken on national significance, and NFP continues to coordinate the campaign for families, schools and communities across the nation each year. Wearing red ribbons during the month of October continues to represent our pledge to live drug free and honors the sacrifice of all who have lost their lives in the fight against drugs.

Celebrate Red Ribbon Week in your community or your child’s school, and raise awareness of living a drug free life. Take the opportunity to talk to your kids about drugs.

The Growing Readers Design Team presented at the Fall GACIS Conference in Athens, GA sharing an admiration slant on Learning Walks. The session, Maximizing the Power of Learning Walks, provided participants with a structural implementation framework to set up a learning walk, a ready-to-use guidance template for identifying needs and replicating existing practices, and focused on ideas for improvement and refinement following the learning walk. Pictured (from left): Shana Griffin of Chatt-Flint RESA, Margo Huskey of CSRA RESA, Kathy Cobb of North GA RESA, and Ann Marie Johnson of West GA RESA.

Our Growing Readers Specialists provided two days of professional development to assist teachers, instructional coaches, and district leaders from Jefferson and Richmond County with knowledge, skills, and confidence to teach reading. Educators addressed current research and the reader models. They were able to make connections to our current state standards and show how they connect to the Active View of Reading and how it drives their instruction. Educators identified classroom structures that support good reading instruction. Teachers were given the opportunity to create high-impact phonics routines for their classrooms. Finally, they took a deep dive into the power of read-alouds and comprehension skills that enhance understanding of plot and setting and characters.

October

October 22: ELA: Adolescent Literacy - Taking NOTE of Learning

October 23: GaDOE ELA Standards Tour - Foundations and Language for Grades K-5 (National Hills Elementary School)

October 24: GaDOE WLA Standards Tour - Adolescent Literacy, the Science of Reading, and Georgia's ELA Standards for Grades 6-12 (National Hills Elementary School)

October 24: Buff Nuggets with Brian Buffington

November

November 13: Domain Day: Texts (New Georgia ELA Standards)

To register for any of these sessions: registration.csraresa.org/PL_Session_List_Public_View.asp

Due to Hurricane Helene, the PL Catalog link may not be available. You may contact Cindy Hoops for information choops@csraresa.org.

October

October 22: Classroom Behavior Management

October 24: Implementing Assistive Technology to Improve Student Achievement: TextHelp and UPAR

October 29: Preschool SPP/APR Indicators - What are they? What do they mean? How are they determined?

October 31: School Psychologist Consortium

To register for any of these sessions - Log In (eastglrs.org)

For a complete list of professional learning events currently open for registration - Activity Listing (eastglrs.org)

Due to Hurricane Helene, the Registration link and the Activity Listing link may not be available.

Design Process - Engineering Process to Attach for National STEM Day.docx (sharepoint.com)

Book Audio - "The Mess That We Made" - Storyline Online - The Mess That We Made

Lesson Plan - "The Mess That We Made"

- The Mess that we Made Lesson Plan.docx (sharepoint.com)

Book Audio - "When Pigasso Met Mootisse" - Storyline Online - When Pigasso Met Mootisse

Lesson Plan - "When Pigasso Met Mootisse" - When Pigcasso Met Mootisse Lesson Plan.docx (sharepoint.com)

Book Audio - "The Sound of Silence" - Storyline Online - The Sound of Silence

Lesson Plan - "The Sound of Silence" - The Sound of Silence Lesson Plan.docx (sharepoint.com)

National STEM Day Submissions Folder - National STEM Day Submissions Folder (office.com)