September 2016

From the Desk of Dr. Cotton

What a great start to the school year! Thanks to each of you, students and their families are learning and growing. It has been such a pleasure to visit your schools and see meaningful learning taking place, as well as to hear the excitement from your students as they describe what they're doing in class. They are truly engaged and I know that their joy for learning is going to lead them to growth and success this year. Thank you for working to ensure that they each have the support they need on this journey. 



Recognize a Colleague

In an effort to showcase some of the remarkable individuals working for HCPS, school community members are again encouraged to recognize staff members by nominating them for a Superintendent's Starfish Award. The Starfish Award is an award for substantive achievement, to be given throughout the year, to individual staff members of HCPS who have been nominated by their peers or supervisors for performing tasks or services in an exemplary manner, or have improved the quality of life in a department or school. Take a moment to nominate one of your colleagues today!


Professional Learning Opportunities

Click here to register

Thinking about what to do on the November Flex Day? The Department of Special Education is offering a professional development option to the first 40 participants to register. Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training will be offered on Tuesday, November 8 from 8:00-5:00. Contact Emily Roop at eroop@henry.k12.va.us for more information.

Professional Development is changing! As members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, HCPS has the opportunity to offer a wider variety of professional learning opportunities for staff - including micro-credentials. 

The first opportunity for earning a micro-credential this school year is on student Financial Literacy. Learn more about how you can incorporate financial literacy into your classroom by visiting Digital Promise's platform and starting your micro-credential journey.

Interested in learning more about professional learning with micro-credentials in HCPS? Contact Monica Hatchett at mhatchet@henry.k12.va.us.

Did you Miss the Brain and Body Boosts/Brain Breaks Webinar from Focused Fitness? The WELNET® Brain and Body Boosts module is a collection of videos to allow children the movement breaks they need to increase cognitive performance, concentration and fitness. These high-quality educational videos and teaching resources provide an engaging and dynamic learning environment for all students and are free for HCPS use thanks to grant funding. Click here for ideas and tips on incorporating physical activity into your classes. 




Resources


Need additional opportunities to ensure that BYOT is properly integrated into your classes? Check out these tips from our colleagues in Forsyth, GA and start using technology to your advantage! 



Have your students joined the Pokemon Go craze? Thinking about ways to engage students using what they know about Pokemon Go? "There's a 100% chance that many of your students are involved."  You may be as well! Henry County Public Schools' favorite pirate, Dave Burgess, has blogged about how to use Pokemon Go to your advantage in the classroom. Read his practical tips and learn more on what all the fuss is about! 

#TLAP



Through a partnership with Donors Choose, Target is building on its commitment to wellness and continuing to support youth, both in and out of school by investing up to $5 million and reaching up to 200,000 students nationwide by bringing to life their ideas to promote healthy eating and increase physical activity. Think school vegetable gardens planted and tended by kids or playground improvements that focus on fitness and fun. The possibilities - like a kid's imagination - are endless. Starting today, kids and their teachers can work together to submit ideas. Target will fund all ideas that meet the program criteria on an ongoing, first-come basis. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 1, 2016, or until the full $5 million has been awarded.

Food for Thought

During his Teaching and Learning Conference presentation, Dr. John Almarode referred to a study conducted by Hattie and Yates which asserted that there is not recognized evidence suggesting that knowing or diagnosing learning styles will help teachers teach students any better than not knowing their learning style/preference.

He says, "It isn't possible to say learning preferences don't exist, as people can express/self-report clear preferences on a learning styles inventory. There is, however, no proven relationship between what people say on those inventories and how they genuinely learn. Because preferences don't necessarily indicate learning, it is important to include variety in the classroom to engage students." 

In HCPS, we recognize the importance of knowing the way students learn so that we can help them process content and relate learning to previous experiences. As Tomlinson and Willis asserted, "Instruction geared toward students’ preferred learning styles is more likely to evoke positive emotional responses, engaging affective filters to open access to the brain’s processing centers. When lessons are adapted for multiple intelligences, the content is more likely to be personally meaningful, students move the content to their relational memories for successful patterning and long term retention. As a result, students will be better able to access the material at test time. Most important, the information will reach the frontal lobe regions where the highest levels of cognitive processing take place— where learned information becomes wisdom." We know that learning based on student strengths will help them to grow.

What do you think? How do you use learning preferences information in your classroom?

From the Community

Henry County Education Association requests your participation in an informational survey for the school community. Share your feedback with the group as they plan for future endeavors.

Curves of Collinsville would like to extend a special discount to Henry County Public Schools employees with a $0.00 service fee and 1 month free! At Curves, strong is about so much more than building muscles... Curves works to build strength, manage pain, and control weight, all while improving your health. Curves is a facility specially designed for women featuring a complete 30 min. workout that’s fun, fast and safe! Also includes Jillian Michaels Classes and specialty class such as boxing classes, balance classes and more!!!!