Chinese teachers tour schools
 |
|
A teacher from China observes a North High School student during his Mandarin Chinese class. Photo by Susan Arensman |
More than a dozen teachers from China toured three Wichita schools Nov. 28 - 29. The teachers toured and sat in on classes at North, East and Stucky. The teachers wanted to observe different secondary classrooms and teaching methods and to see how students learn throughout the school day.
At East High, the teachers visited science and ESOL classes. At Stucky, they observed math and science classes. The highlight of their tour at North was visiting Marcus Marshall's Mandarin Chinese class. They enjoyed watching students learn their language.
"It's interesting because when we teach English in China, we teach grammar," said Wei Yan, who was part of the tour group. "Here, they are teaching how to 'talk' Chinese. We will have to look at how we teach when we get back home."
The teachers also made stops in San Francisco and New York City, but only toured schools in Wichita.
The group's tour was sponsored by Friendship Force of Kansas.
Top
JROTC cadets host Superintendent’s Breakfast
 |
| Photo by Gretchen Cox |
JROTC and Leadership cadets planned and coordinated the 12th annual Superintendent’s Breakfast held on November 29. More than 100 JROTC cadets, district staff, Board of Education members and community members joined Superintendent Winston Brooks for breakfast. Cadets from eight schools shared their experiences with JROTC and how it has changed their lives.
The guest speaker was former Curtis student 2nd Lt. Chrystina Short, who is now in the U.S. Air Force. She talked about how the district’s program prepared her to be a leader as well as her new experiences with the Air Force.
Top
Pleasant Valley a part of TRC Classroom Days
 |
| A Pleasant Valley Elementary student demonstrates how he has placed data into a bar graph. Photo by Susan Arensman |
Pleasant Valley Elementary was one of several schools across the state that participated in Technology Rich Classroom Days. The school had an open house to allow people from other schools and districts and community members to see how TRC grants are being implemented. Many were interested in applying for the grant and came to Pleasant Valley to learn more about the grant and how the school was using the grant to enhance their curriculum.
At Pleasant Valley, the grant was written with a focus on reading, and two fourth-grade and two fifth-grade classes are participating. The goal is to eliminate the achievement gap, while using technology to improve reading skills for all students. While the focus is on reading, the school integrates into all subjects.
During TRC Classroom Days, students demonstrated different classroom projects. In Jared Grover's fifth-grade class, students went online to research a problem in a specific area of the world and developed ideas for solutions to that problem. Students in Sherry Chaver's fifth-grade class used the Photostory program to retell a story. Fourth-grade students in Tonya Martinez's and Arien Dill's classes used the Trackstar program to research the history of Thanksgiving and to create a report.
Another school in the district, Anderson Elementary, received a TRC grant last year. More information about the Technology Rich Classroom grants can be found on Instructional Technology's website.
Top
Levy students collect food for others
 |
| Brock Carr, student at Levy Special Education Center, sorted food items in Marjie Bass’ class. Photo courtesy Levy |
Students and staff at Levy Special Education Center collected, sorted and boxed food for Operation Holiday. The students collected 1,716 items. The students used their skills learned during work time to sort and box food in a very orderly fashion.
There was a contest for the most items collected. The winning team collected 618 items and will be given a field trip to the destination of their choice.
Top
Teachers can become middle school math teachers
There is a critical need for middle school math teachers, and the Wichita Public Schools will pay for college courses to certify teachers. K-9 and 5-9 licensed teachers can apply to participate in the “Middle School Math Cohort” in the spring semester of 2008. Teachers will be certified to teach middle school math by the end of the program.
Selected teachers will take four courses and Praxis in the spring and summer of 2008 at Wichita State University. The district will cover the cost of tuition and materials. Teachers will be assigned to a middle school math position in the fall of 2008 and will commit to teach in the district for one year for each semester of classes they take.
For more information and an application, contact Shelly Martin, Director of Licensed Personnel, at 973-4615. The application deadline is January 2, 2008.
Top
W-2 forms will be mailed soon
The Payroll Department will soon mail out W-2 forms to district employees. Employees need to verify that the address on their paycheck has current information. The change of address form is located on the Human Resources portal site.
If a W-2 is sent to an incorrect address, it will be sent back to Payroll and will not be reissued until the employee requests a reissue in writing. The request can be mailed to the Payroll Department, 201 N. Water, Wichita, KS 67202 or faxed to 973-4767. All reissued W-2 forms must be picked up in the Payroll Department and a photo id will be required at the time of pickup.
For more information, contact Payroll at 973-4574.
Top
Nominate others as Friends of Education
School and district staff are encouraged to nominate individuals or groups for the Friends of Education Awards. The Friends of Education Awards, sponsored by the Confidence in Kansas Public Education Task Force, honor people or organizations who have made outstanding contributions to public education in the following categories:
• School Volunteer – an individual or couple who provides volunteer services in public schools.
• Community Leader – an individual who has made a significant contribution to public education while serving in a leadership capacity.
• Partner Activity – a business, company or agency that has provided an on-going partner activity for three years or more that exceeds typical collaboration from a private or public institution.
• Private or Public Institution – a company, business or agency that has made a significant contribution to public education.
• Community/Civic Organization – a club, organization, committee or task force that has made a significant contribution to public education.
Nomination forms and information about the awards can be found on the Confidence in Kansas Public Education website. The deadline for submitting nominations is January 31, 2008. One Award of Excellence and up to four Certificates of Award will be presented in each of the five categories. All other nominees will receive Certificates of Merit.
Top
Employee discount information available on the portal
Employees can discover discounts available to them on the portal by going to the Marketing and Communications portal site. Many businesses offer discounts to district employees and Marketing and Communcations portal site is where employees can find that information in one place.
The discounts are posted in five categories: computers, organizations, phones, retail, restaurants and software. Some of the discounts available are a computer discount with Dell, software discounts for Microsoft Software, and a discount with retailer CompUSA.
Check the portal throughout the year as different discounts are posted to the site.
Students and staff selected for All City teams
 |
| All City First Team Offensive |
Following another successful fall season in the Greater Wichita Athletic League, several high school athletes and coaches have been selected for the All City Football, Soccer, and Volleyball teams. Selections for these teams are made by league coaches based upon the players and performances throughout the season.
GWAL All City Football – First Team Offensive
Chris Harper, Northwest; Bryce Brown, East; Joseph Randle, Trezz Tillman, Wilbert Hutton, Omar Rivera, Southeast; Jeff Evans, DeAndre Scott, Heights; Marquell Nolen, South
 |
| All City First Team Defensive |
GWAL All City Football – First Team Defensive
Ian Knight, Adrian Hall, Joey Barnes, Dorrian Roberts, Heights; Arthur Brown, East; DeAndre Howard, Jospeh Randle, Southeast; Larry Burnshire, Northwest
GWAL All City First Team Special Teams
Delando Henderson, North; Jeff Evans, Heights
 |
| All City Volleyball |
GWAL All City Volleyball – First Team
Sarah Eldridge, South; Ashlea Bengtson, Heights; Nikki Brown, Northwest; Sadie Clark, North. Dianne Popp, Northwest, Coach of the Year
GWAL All City Soccer – First Team