With the new LTEL courses, English teachers are probably looking for opportunities to get training this summer. Please check out the flier and go to the learning zone to sign up today!

Dear CNMT Community,

In the 11 years I have been at Roosevelt, I have seen many changes in structure and leadership. Students have come in as Freshmen, made their mark and moved on to bigger and better things. Teachers have come and gone too, but the core of our faculty has been at Roosevelt for a number of years. We have endured budget cuts and reduced enrollment, and now it is rare to have a teacher whose been with us for fewer than seven years.

When I walk around visiting classes, I see teachers doing amazing things with their students, sometimes going unrecognized. For example, at our pullout tablet PD on Thursday I learned that Mr. Pedregosa is having the calculus students record and critique themselves teaching Algebra lessons in preparation for actually going to the classes to teach.

I also have seen recently some powerful teaching by Ms. Duenas’ students, who were taught the backwards planning of Understanding by Design and ran with it!

I saw Ms. Perez leading AVID tutorials with her Freshmen, with seniors serving as AVID tutors and the students really embracing the process.

I also saw Mr. Alva’s and Mr. Lopez’s students thoroughly engaged in a project of documenting community treasures of Boyle Heights, a project of ACTA, with their writing supported by tutors from 826LA.

I could go on and on because their truly is some impressive work happening in our classes. However, teachers don’t have enough opportunities to collaborate and to reflect and to learn from each other and from working with administration.

LAUSD is right in the middle of the national conversation about teacher effectiveness, teacher evaluation and teacher development. With the recent changes in the evaluation process mandated by Doe vs. Deasy, student learning outcomes have become part of how teachers will be judged. This process actually started in a small way with the teachers who were evaluated this year, who were required to identify student data that they wanted to have considered as part of their evaluation.

In the Partnership, we also went through our second year of piloting a multiple measures evaluation system that will have some influence on the official new evaluation system the District adopts, as it takes shape. There are four main measures that are being considered: observations based on the LAUSD Teaching and Learning Framework, student learning outcomes, stakeholder feedback and contributions to the school community.

This year two CNMT teachers went through the entire process with me as “Pioneers”, and I think the experience was positive for them and for me. Although it is an evaluation process, it is as much about growth, reflection and improvement as it is about appraisal.

I am excited that this coming year the Partnership has decided to continue the Pioneers program and has opted to add two new teacher leadership opportunities, Common Core Implementation Teachers and Peer Observers.

The application process has started, and I encourage all interested teachers to apply before the deadline of May 27. The link to apply is here: Partnership Teacher Leader Application.

Here’s a brief summary of the three positions:

First, the Pioneers are a group of teacher leaders who seek continual growth and development to become experts on the Teaching and Learning Framework which directly connects to their students being able to achieve mastery of Common Core Standards. The Partnership will add two additional teacher leadership programs for the 2013-2014 school year. Peer Observers will participate in specialized professional development on how to support Pioneers completing formal observation cycles at their school site. Common Core Implementation Leads will support their colleagues with the Common Core instructional shifts in mathematics and literacy with a focus on planning and delivery of instruction.

Each position has its own application requirements, roles and responsibilities and incentives. Teachers should have received an email from Partnership Chief Academic Officer, Colleen Oliver, with a link to the application packet with more details.

With the reorganization at Roosevelt next year, there is a great need for teacher leadership to guide the school forward and to keep the focus on students and on improving teacher practice to meet student needs. We all want to get better at what we do, and I know that many teachers have wanted to have better structures to grow within their profession and within their school. These Partnership teacher leadership roles have the potential to meet those needs. I hope that a good number of Roosevelt teachers will apply.

Educators of the Week:

Last Friday we had our least Coffee with the Principal of the year. We looked in more depth at the English Learner Master Plan and discussed the new LTEL support classes that we will be offering next year. We also recognized CNMT students who scored proficient in the March CAHSEE administration.

It was also an opportunity to recognize our teaching assistants, who do an amazing job with our students every day. I would like to recognize here the dedicated team of general education and special education assistants. They work with teachers as partners, supporting students who need extra explanation, monitoring student progress in APEX, AR and Achieve 3000, helping with classroom management, setting up science labs, managing our mobile carts and 1:1 iPads, and much more. They are some of the unsung heroes who do so much for our students, and in CNMT we have an outstanding team. So on behalf of all CNMT teachers and students, thank you to Lydia, Michelle, Sergio, Karin, Norma, Christian, Alfred and Barbara.

Upcoming Events:

Mon May 20, 2013

• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• 12pm – 12:30pm CNMT Technology Brown Bag: R-211
• 2pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
• 3:30pm – 5pm SDMC

Tue May 21, 2013

• BANKED DAY Dismissal @ 1:29pm
• SHOUT Advisory Council – B21
• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• 9am – 12pm Adult Ed Workshop – Parent Ctr
• 1pm – 9pm JROTC Awards Ceremony – Harrington-Aud/Cafe
• 1:45pm – 3:05pm Banked day PD: Room R-211
• 2pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe

Wed May 22, 2013

• People v. Sweatshops Mock Trail – PH/Castillo
• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• SLC Olympics – QUAD/Lunch
• 8:30am – 9:30am CNMT counseling meeting: R201
• 2pm – 3pm CNMT EL Staff Meeting
• 2pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
• 3:15pm – 5:00pm Putting it all Together: R-211
• 3pm – 9pm STEM Awards Night – S.Bldg.
• 3:30pm – 5pm Master Schedule Working Group
• 5:30pm – 8:30pm L&G Senior Dinner – Cafe

Thu May 23, 2013

• Magnet Social Justice Conference – Lg. Gym
• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• SLC Olympics – QUAD/Lunch
• 2pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
• 3:30pm – 8pm Senior Awards/ Reception – Aud/Cafe/Carreto
• 3:30pm – 5pm SHOUT – Latin Dance – Aud

Fri May 24, 2013

• Locks of Love – Quad-Leadership
• Minimum Day
• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• SLC Olympics – QUAD/Lunch

Sat May 25, 2013

• 7am – 2pm Dist. 5 ROP Training -Cafe/Carreto

Mon May 27, 2013

• Memorial Day Observed – School Closed

Tue May 28, 2013

• BANKED DAY Dismissal @ 1:29pm
• SHOUT Advisory Council – B21
• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• 9am – 12pm Adult Ed Workshop – Parent Ctr
• 1:45pm – 3:05pm Banked day PD: Room R-211
• 2pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
• 4:30pm – 8pm College Track Awards Night/Spring Showcase – Cafe

Wed May 29, 2013

• John F. Kennedy’s Birthday
• Music Department Spring Concert -Aud/P1-P4
• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• 8:30am – 9:30am CNMT counseling meeting: R201
• 2pm – 3pm CNMT EL Staff Meeting
• 2pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
• 3pm – 5pm Teen Court – Penthouse
• 3:30pm – 5pm Master Schedule Working Group

Thu May 30, 2013

• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• 2pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
• 3pm – 8pm Bible Club Baccalaureate Ceremony – Aud
• 3:30pm – 5pm SHOUT – Latin Dance – Aud

Fri May 31, 2013

• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• 5pm – 7pm CNMT Awards Night – Cafe
• 2pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe

Sat Jun 1, 2013

• 8am – 12pm SAT TESTING – A BLDG.
• 8am – 2pm Student Conference/Aud. Cafe & R. Bldg. – CNMT/L&G/Magnet

Live now on Radio Sombra. Tune in radiosombra.org

Por Vida Youth Radio

A future Rough Rider celebrated an early Mother’s Day with her mom on Saturday at the CNMT LTEL parent workshop.

Dear CNMT Community,

This weekend CNMT celebrated Mother’s Day with a workshop targeted to parents of Long Term English Learners. Organized by Dr. Ibarra, Jantre, Nelson and our TAs Michelle and Lydia, the workshop focused on reclassification to Fluent English Proficient.

Ms. Alva recorded a message to EL parents to help them understand reclassification.

To start us out, Ms. Alva delivered a recorded message that she created on her laptop in which she gave parents some ideas about how they can support their child in learning English and improving their reading and writing skills. Parents commented that they found the presentation to be very helpful. A nice touch with that Ms. Alva shared information about her own daughter’s scores and how she was able to improve her own achievement on the CST and go to college.

Ms. Bizarro shared some insights from her students and led parents in a pledge.

After Ms. Alva, Ms. Bizarro spoke to the audience about what her students told her matters to them when it comes to communicating with their parents, particularly about school. At the end of her presentation she led the group in a pledge to be involved in school and to find a good place and time for homework. It was a very positive moment.

One of my favorite parts of the workshop involved a lot of prep work. Jantre and Dr. Ibarra created a student friendly view of each English Learner’s reclassification data, including their CST English scores, CELDT score and last grade in their English class. They had the students reflect on how they did any area and what they could do to improve.

Dr. Ibarra sat down with a parent to review his sons’ EL reclassification data.

At the workshop, each parent got their child’s sheet and those students who were with their parents explained the data and their reflections to their parents. It was a great example of student-led conferencing, something I would love for us to do on a larger scale at Roosevelt in the future.

Congratulations to CNMT Junior Tamara Solache for winning the raffle for a Samsung Chromebook donated by the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.

We ended with a raffle and hotdog lunch and I got to talk to some of the parents. They commented on what a great team we have and how close they are. It’s true. We are very fortunate to have a group of people who are so dedicated and work so well together. Go Team!

I would be remiss if I didn’t also acknowledge and thank Mr. Ramos and Irene for volunteering on Saturday.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day. This week I hope to see more parents at our Coffee with the Principal on Friday at 8:30am in R-211. If you can’t make it to that, I hope you will plan on joining us at our CNMT Awards Night on Friday, May 31 at 5 PM in the Student Cafeteria.

Upcoming Events:

Mon May 13

• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• 8:00am – 12:00pm AP Biology Exam
• 2:00pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
• 3:30pm – 5:00pm SDMC Meeting: Penthouse

Tue May 14

• BANKED DAY Dismissal @ 1:29pm
• 1:45pm – 3:10pm Banked Day PD with L&G – Library
• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• SHOUT Advisory Council – B21
• 9:00am – 12:00pm Adult Ed Workshop – Parent Ctr
• 2:00pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
• 6:00pm – 7:00pm CNMT ELAC Meeting – R-211

Wed May 15

• 8:00am – 12:00pm AP U.S. History Exam
• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• Marine Table Info – Quad
• 7:00am – 1:00pm AP EXAMS
• 2:00pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
• 3:00pm – 5:00pm Teen Court – Penthouse

Thu May 16

• iPad planning pullout day
• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• 12:00pm – 7:00pm Faculty Talent Show – Aud/Leadership
• 2:00pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
• 3:30pm – 5:00pm SHOUT – Latin Dance – Aud

Fri May 17

• 8:30am – 10:00am Coffee with the Principal: R-211
• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center 7:00am – 1:00pm
• 2:00pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe

Mon May 20

• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• 2:00pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe

Tue May 21 All day

• BANKED DAY Dismissal @ 1:29pm
• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• SHOUT Advisory Council – B21
• 9:00am – 12:00pm Adult Ed Workshop – Parent Ctr
• 1:00pm – 9:00pm JROTC Awards Ceremony – Harrington-Aud/Cafe
• 2:00pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe

Wed May 22

• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• SLC Olympics – QUAD/Lunch
• 2:00pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe

Thu May 23

• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
• SLC Olympics – QUAD/Lunch
• 2:00pm – 4:30pm SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
• 3:30pm – 5:00pm SHOUT – Latin Dance – Aud
• 3:30pm – 8:00pm Senior Awards/ Reception – Aud/Cafe/Carreto

Fri May 24 All day

• SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center

Dear CNMT Community,

State testing is almost over! We have just over one month left of school, one month before graduation and summer vacation.

This month is an opportunity for students to do their best to bring up their grades and finish their adult school classes in APEX classes so that they can graduate or be on track to graduate if they’re not seniors. It’s also the month for AP testing and for juniors to take the SAT for the first time.

For teachers, this month is also an opportunity to take more chances with integrating new concepts like the teaching and learning framework comment that Common Core State Standards, and the iPads. Tomorrow morning, our students will have their last chance to get an iPad. If they have a parent signature on the contract, they can come at 8 AM to Room R-211 and we will be distributing the iPads and setting them up there.

On Tuesday, at our professional development, we will be joined by Marco Torres from Apple, who will be working with teachers to help them develop ideas for integrating iPads in class activities and projects. I am really excited about the work with Marco and the ideas that I am seeing from teachers. Tuesday is also our last day of testing, just for the 10th-graders. It is the NCLB Life Sciences exam.

The following week, we will be working with Law & Government to do the third District module on the Common Core State Standards. The week after that, we will be joined by Joe Provisor, who is from the Ojai Foundation and is an expert in Council in Schools, which is an approach to community building that shares a lot of ideas with restorative justice and aligns well with CCSS. This session will also hopefully be together with the School of Law & Gov’t teachers, since we will be together with them next year.

Educator of the week:

On Friday seniors enjoyed it wonderful prom at Almansor Court in Alhambra. The prom was very well attended and very positive. The food was great, the music was fine and the extra little activities were a nice touch. (Loved the photo booth!)

The prom would not of been what it was if it were for the tireless work of Mandy Fernandez, computer teacher from HARTS. Ms. Fernandez has volunteered this year as Senior Sponsor along with Frank Aguilar from STEM. Prom was a HARTS event and Ms. Fernandez did an incredible job of coordinating. Thank you for all of your dedication to our students!

Upcoming Events:

Dear CNMT Community,

This Monday is Earth Day, a perfect opportunity to discuss the paperless classroom. Although environmental protection is not on the list of justifications for the Common Core Technology Project, let’s think about the potential benefits of going paperless. My essential question is whether iPads have a net environmental benefit.

If you just think about books then it would take a while for an iPad to really have any environmental benefit over books. In fact, studies have shown that when you take into account the manufacturing process and all of the resources used, and iPad equals about 30 to 40 books in environmental impact. So it’s not so clear-cut.

But let’s also think about all the other resources that we use as a school and what an iPad can replace. Let’s start with paper. In CNMT, teachers are allotted two boxes of paper a year, with 10 reams of paper in each box. This equals 10,000 pieces of paper per teacher. One tree produces 17 reams of paper and takes 100 years to grow. Cutting down a tree releases 110 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. That same tree would absorb 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.

Students also use their own paper in classes to take notes and complete assignments that they turn in.

In a true paperless classroom, everything could be on the iPad including the textbooks, assignments, handouts, student notes, and other supplemental materials.

There are other instructional materials that an iPad can replace as well. Think about calculators, laptops and other classroom computers, novels, encyclopedias and other reference books, timers, SmartBoards, video cameras, camera, audio recorders, etc. The point is, although there is an environmental impact to producing iPads, the fact that they can replace so many other resources means that they can have a significant environmental benefit

I know it’s short notice, but perhaps if you can’t do it on Earth Day, you could make an attempt to have a paperless day sometime this month. See if you can take on that challenge. I would love to see our school minimize the use of paper and other resources, and having 1:1 iPads is a perfect opportunity to do so.

Here are some other benefits:

By Steve Katz

10. Work doesn’t get “lost” in the bottom of a backpack.

9. Save space (no file cabinets).

8. Nobody ever forgets their pencil.

7. Collaboration is easy from anywhere.

6. No carrying notebooks (only netbooks).

5. Students are building digital portfolios.

4. No more “no-name” assignments.

3. You never have to wait in line for the copier.

2. Save paper, save the Earth.

1. The dog can’t eat your homework.

Upcoming Events

Monday, April 22

SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
2:00 PM to 4:30 PM SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM SDMC

Tuesday, April 23

BANKED DAY Dismissal @ 1:29pm
SHOUT Advisory Council – B21
SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
CST/CMA Testing – Math Part 1
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Adult Ed Workshop – Parent Ctr
1:45 PM to 3:05 PM Counselor PD with UCLA Rape Treatment Center
1:45 PM to 3:05 PM Banked day PD: Room R-211
2:00 PM to 4:30 PM SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe

Wednesday, April 24

SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
CST/CMA Testing – Math Part 2
Denim Day – Quad
Elections – Leadership-Ceja/Aud/Lunch-Adv.
8:30 AM to 9:30 AM CNMT counseling meeting: R201
2:00 PM to 4:30 PM SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM CNMT EL Staff Meeting
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM Master Schedule Working Group

Thursday, April 25

CST/CMA Testing – Science
SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
2:00 PM to 4:30 PM SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
2:30 PM to 4:30 PM Baseball
2:30 PM to 5:30 PM Volleyball vs South East: RHS
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM SHOUT – Latin Dance – Aud
3:30 PM to 5:30 PM Budget Working Group: PCR

Friday, April 26

SHOUT Fitness – Fitness Center
12:30 PM to 1:00 PM HARTS Chess Club Location: RHUM3
2:00 PM to 4:30 PM SHOUT Afterschool Tutoring – Cafe
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM Prom Make-Over – Tch Lounge/S. Reynoso
6:00 PM to 1:00 AM (4/27) RHS Prom: Almansor Court