I Teach NYC Bulletin: Educator Opportunities February 2015 About this Edition This edition of the I Teach NYC bulletin includes the latest career development and professional learning opportunities for educators. You'll also discover resources and information on grants and financial support for teachers. Click on each opportunity in the table of contents below for more information and links to applications and registration pages. Would you like to receive the I Teach NYC bulletin via another email address? Sign-up here! Table of Contents Professional Learning Opportunities Check Out the After School Professional Development Program Catalogue (All teachers) Attend an Open House: The Teacher Leadership Program (TLP) (All teachers) Discover How to Make Your School More Sustainable (All teachers) Thinking of Incorporating Devices into the Classroom? This Program Can Help (All teachers) Learn More about "Fifty-Four Miles: The 1965 Selma March" (All teachers) Support Diverse Learners through "A Shared Path to Success" (All teachers) Last Chance! Discover Promising Practices at a Showcase School Visit (All teachers) Career Development and Leadership Opportunities Bring Your Idea to Life or Recognize a Colleague: The School Technology Summit (All teachers) Explore the Library of Congress's Collections During the Summer Teacher Institutes (All teachers) Work Alongside Science and Tech Researchers this Summer (Middle school science teachers) Teacher Resources & FYIs Design Formative Assessments with a New Resource (All teachers) Learn More About Advance and Check Out New Resources (All teachers) Find Tips and Strong Practices: Family Engagement Strategies (All teachers) STARS Classroom Updates (All teachers) New Financial Feature in NYCAPS Employee Self-Service (ESS) (All teachers) March 2: Deadline Approaching for Teachers Choice Submissions (All teachers) Please note: Attendance at events and workshops that occur during school hours requires your principal's approval. Please coordinate the necessary approvals and classroom coverage with your principal prior to registering. Hyperlinks to web pages on the DOE intranet require readers to log in with their DOE ID and password. Professional Learning Opportunities Check out the After School Professional Development Program Catalogue for Spring Open to: All teachers Opportunity at a Glance: The After School Professional Development Program (ASPDP) is excited to announce more than 140 classes this spring and invites you to explore the course catalogue. All courses are aligned with the Common Core Standards, the Danielson Framework for Teaching, and the NYCDOE Citywide Instructional Expectations. All online and in-person courses can be credited toward salary differentials, and may be used by teachers toward the New York State requirement of 175 hours of Professional Development with your principal's approval. Event Date: New classes begin Monday, February 16. Take Action: Register for a class today. Deadlines are on a rolling basis. For More Information: Visit the online course catalogue or email the After School Professional Development Program. Return to Table of Opportunities Attend an Open House: The Teacher Leadership Program (TLP) Open to: All teachers Opportunity at a Glance: TLP is designed to challenge and support teacher leaders across the city in developing the content knowledge and facilitative leadership skills needed to guide instructional improvement in schools. Upon completion of the program, participants may choose to remain in teacher leadership roles within their schools or consider applying to a principal preparation program to prepare for roles as school leaders. Program applications require one administrator and a team of teachers from each school. If you are interested, visit the TLP webpage and speak with your school leaders. Event Date: Tuesday, March 10, at 4:30 p.m. Location: Manhattan Take Action: Register by Monday, March 9. (Program application will be available on March 11.) For More Information: Visit the TLP webpage for additional details on the program. Return to Table of Opportunities Discover How to Make Your School More Sustainable Open to: All teachers Opportunity at a Glance: The Office of Sustainability offers training for all school personnel to support the NYCDOE's goals for energy and water conservation, waste management, ecology, and the integration of sustainability concepts into curricula. The day-long training includes roles and responsibilities, classroom activities, resources, and key information. (You do not need to be your school's sustainability coordinator to participate; substitute coverage will be subsidized by the training program.) Event Date: Thursday, March 12 Location: Manhattan Take Action: Complete this survey by Tuesday, March 3, to register. For More Information: Visit the Office of Sustainability website, email the team, or call (718) 349-5738. Return to Table of Opportunities Thinking of Incorporating Devices into the Classroom? This Program Can Help. Open To: All teachers Opportunity at a Glance: More schools are considering the inclusion of mobile devices in the classroom starting in March, pending the vote by the Panel for Education Policy on February 25. The NYCDOE's Innovation Partner Professional Development (IPPD) Program supports teachers with a unique set of offerings that connect you with strong practices for using technology as a tool in the classroom. Event Dates: Various offerings are available. Take Action: Complete the IPPD Central Application by Monday, February 23, to register for any sessions of interest. For More Information: View more information on the offerings, watch this IPPD informational video, or email the Office of Digital Engagement & Professional Learning. Return to Table of Opportunities Learn More about the "Fifty-Four Miles: The 1965 Selma March" Open to: All teachers Opportunity at a Glance: Learn how to use the powerful photographs of Stephen Somerstein, a documenter of the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March in March of 1965, in your classroom. Expand your content knowledge and enrich your use of primary sources through this interactive, Common Core-aligned program. Cost: $15 per person, includes pizza and light refreshments. Event Date: Tuesday, February 24 Take Action: Complete this form to register. Admission is confirmed on a rolling basis. For More Information: Email the New York Historical Society's professional learning team, or call 212-485-9256. Return to Table of Opportunities Support Diverse Learners through "A Shared Path to Success" Open To: All teachers Opportunities at a Glance: You are invited to participate in a variety of professional learning opportunities presented by the Special Education Office, including: o Adapted Materials to Support Diverse Learners in the Least Restrictive Environment (Grades K-5): Learn how to adapt and modify classroom and individual materials in order to ensure access to curriculum for struggling students, with and without Special Education services, in Least Restrictive Environments. Dates: Monday, March 16 Location: Manhattan Registration: Click to register o Crafting Quality IEPs Series: Looking Closely at the Present Levels of Performance: Unpack the most important component of a quality IEP: the triangulation between Present Levels of Performance (PLOP), SMART goals and Recommended Programs and Services. Date: Thursday, February 26 Location: Manhattan Registration: Click here to register o Understanding Dyslexia: Explore the current research and best practices for successfully teaching reading to students with dyslexia and related learning disabilities. Date: Wednesday, March 11, and Wednesday, April 29 Location: Manhattan Registration: Click here to register for March 11, and here for April 29 For More Information: For more details on these and other PD opportunities, visit the Special Education Office PD Catalogue (DOE log-in required), or email the team. Return to Table of Opportunities Last Chance! Discover Promising Practices at a Showcase School Visit Open to: All teachers Opportunity at a Glance: The Showcase Schools Program promotes collaboration and the sharing of promising practices. Seventeen schools have opened their doors to demonstrate and discuss strong structures and strategies in a specific area of learning. Teachers are invited to attend a visit and be part of this unique learning opportunity. (Want to hear what teachers thought of these visits this fall? Check out Teacher Notes.) Event Date(s): Visits are being offered through March 2015. Location: All five boroughs Take Action: Review this form to select and register for a school visit. Please register early, as space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For More Information: View the Showcase Schools flyer, or email the team. Interested in additional upcoming opportunities? Check out the NYCDOE's Teacher Page for up-to-date events and learning opportunities. Return to Table of Opportunities Career Development & Leadership Opportunities Bring Your Idea to Life or Recognize a Colleague: The School Technology Summit Open To: All teachers Opportunity at a Glance: The School Technology Summit is an annual, day-long event that brings together NYCDOE employees for workshops and demonstrations around education-related technology. o Interested in submitting a proposal for a workshop topic, or in being a speaker, presenter, or coordinating a panel? Visit the Summit's website to complete a workshop proposal. o Know a teacher, or school-based staff member, who applies strong practices in technology and education? Anyone who works in an NYCDOE school can be nominated for the Excellence in Technology Award. (Self-nominations are permitted.) Event Date: Wednesday, July 29 Location: Manhattan Take Action: Submit a proposal or a nomination by Friday, March 6. (Registration to attend the event begins in March.) For More Information: Visit the Summit webpage to learn more about this year's event. Return to Table of Opportunities Explore The Library of Congress's Collections During the Summer Institutes Open to: All teachers Opportunity at a Glance: Immerse yourself in the practice of teaching with primary sources from the unparalleled collections of Library of Congress this summer. During the week-long program, explore the millions of digitized primary sources in the Library's collections to design and refine a primary source activity to use with your students. During the 2015-16 school year, you will share outcomes introducing a primary source-based activity in your classroom with Institute staff and your cohort from the program. (Qualification for graduate credit in history is available.) Event Dates: o Open sessions (any subject area): Monday-Friday, June 22-26; July 6-10; or July 27-31 o Science focus: Monday-Friday, July 20-24 o Civil rights focus: Monday-Friday, August 3-7 Location: Washington, D.C. Take Action: Register for the Summer Teacher Institutes by Tuesday, March 24. For More Information: Visit the Library of Congress website for additional details on the program. Return to Table of Opportunities Work Alongside Science and Technology Researchers this Summer Open To: Middle school science teachers Opportunity at a Glance: Spend the summer working with internationally recognized National Institute for Science and Technology (NIST) researchers on combination of hands-on activities, lectures, tours, and lab visits. Teachers are provided with resources and instructional tools for teaching science, with an emphasis on measurement science and engineering research done at NIST. Led entirely by scientists, the grant-funded Summer Institute translates the cutting-edge research done in the laboratory to activities designed to be carried out in the classroom. Event Dates: Monday-Friday, July 6-17 Locations: Gaithersburg, MD Take Action: Apply for this grant opportunity by Friday, March 13. For More Information: Email Kate Rimmer with any questions. Interested in additional resources? Check out the NYCDOE Leadership Pathways website and visit the "Leadership Development Opportunities" section. Return to Table of Opportunities Teacher Resources & FYIs Design Formative Assessments with a New Resource Learn More About Advance and Check out New Resources A new resource, Planning Aligned Formative Assessments, can support you in developing your practice in the Danielson Framework for Teaching Component 3d: Using Assessment in Instruction. This resource will help you design formative assessments and includes a robust bank of assessment strategies. To access, first log in to Learn using your DOE user name and password; then click here. The Advance intranet is updated frequently with everything you need to know about New York City's teacher development and evaluation system. Recently posted resources include Advance at a Glance for Teachers, which highlights key dates and best practices, as well as the Understanding MOSL Selections download, the Understanding Assessment Data to Track Student Progress download, and Suggested Best Practices for Mid-Year Professional Conversations PDF Open to: All Advance-eligible teachers For More Information: Email the Teacher Effectiveness team. Find Tips and Strong Practices: Family Engagement Strategies You and your colleagues deepen your relationships with families through effective and useful activities every Tuesday during the 40 minutes of parent engagement time. Check out Volume 1 of 40 Ideas for 40 Minutes and submit your own strong practices and ideas for Volume 2. For More Information: Email the 40 Minutes team to submit your ideas. For More Information: Email the Advance Support team. Return to Table of Opportunities STARS Classroom New Financial Feature Updates in NYCAPS Employee Self-Service (ESS) STARS Classroom is a web-based system where you can view class rosters, access student data, and enter grades and comments which will appear automatically on student report cards. Several enhancements to STARS Classroom were made during the month of January, including Teachers may now review or change their tax withholdings and/or additional monies deductions, using the employee self-service system, NYCAPS ESS. To learn how to make changes to tax withholdings using NYCAPS ESS, click here. For guidance on logging in for the first time, click here. And for NYCAPS password March 2: Deadline Approaching for Teacher's Choice Submissions All Teacher's Choice participants are reminded to complete and submit a Teacher's Choice Accountability Form, along with proof of purchases (i.e. original receipts) to their payroll secretary by Monday, March 2. (Check out the website for all policies and deadlines, including the process for returning unused funds.) updates to grade entry and report cards and bug fixes. For More Information: Review the full breakdown of STARS enhancements. resets, employees should email the team with their name and Employee ID number. (All password resets will be sent to DOE email addresses.) For More Information: Visit the Teacher's Choice website, email the Teacher's Choice team, or call HR Connect at 718-935-4000. For More Information: Contact HR Connect at 718-935-4000. Interested in additional resources? Check out the Teacher Page for the latest opportunities and resources Return to Table of Opportunities Would you like to receive I Teach NYC via another email address? Sign up here! Newsletter Header Image: The teacher featured in the I Teach NYC header image is Stephen Jackson. Stephen teaches 7th and 8th grade Science at P.S./M.S. 278, the Paula Hedbavny School, in Manhattan. To read more about Stephen, check out the Big Apple Awards website.