`

Maria Quail, Network Leader

Caterina Ditillio, Deputy Network Leader
Sonia Menendez, Senior
Achievement Facilitator
1230 Zerega Avenue Suite 23 Bronx, New York 10462 Phone (718) 828-2440
Network Team Specialists:
Sandra Anazagasti, Germaine Behagen,Dawn Carter, Marian Eugene,
Shehnaz Hashim, Sharees Hatchett, Chris Lee, John Luciano, Michelle
Robles,Freddie Rodriguez, Luis Taveras, Melissa Walford

October 5, 2009
“There is nothing so practical as a good theory.”

Kurt Lewin

1. EXTENSION OF SERVICES REQUESTS FOR ELLs Deadline extended to October 7:

all schools
Please review your schools’ completion rates and direct them to these instructions or their
ELL Compliance and Performance Specialist (CPS) if they have questions. The deadline for
entering the required data into ATS' BEXS screen and submitting the certification form is
now October 7.

2. MIDDLE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS INFORMATION

Action required by October 20: Elementary and Middle Schools
In next week’s Principals’ Weekly, the Office of Student Enrollment (OSE) will ask that all
elementary and middle schools designate a liaison for the middle school admissions process
by Tuesday, October 20. OSE will work with each school’s liaison, who will receive
communications about the process, attend trainings, and coordinate the distribution of
materials to families. OSE created a form for elementary schools and a form for middle
schools. Middle schools can also use this form to submit information about their open house
or audition dates

The middle school choice timeline includes important information for affected schools,
including request for testing deadlines for districts that require the OLSAT for admission
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to certain programs and for Mark Twain and District 21 Talent programs. Middle School
Fairs in Choice districts will be held from October 13 – 22.

For additional information, e-mail MS_Enrollment@schools.nyc.gov or call (212) 374-4944.

3. CITYWIDE HIGH SCHOOL FAIR REGISTRATION Action required: high schools

The Citywide High School Fair is scheduled for Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4
from 10 AM – 3 PM at Brooklyn Technical HS, 29 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn. The fair
provides families with an opportunity to learn about the range of high school choices
throughout the city. It also provides an opportunity for schools to recruit students. Please
encourage schools that have not RSVP'd to send their response to ltrerot@schools.nyc.gov
or mfrumkin@schools.nyc.gov.

4. “PERSISTENTLY DANGEROUS” TRANSFERS FYI, action may be required

NYSED recently announced schools identified as "persistently dangerous" under the No
Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Students enrolled in persistently dangerous schools will be
eligible to apply for a transfer to a school that has not been identified as persistently
dangerous. Parents received this information last week. OSE will send Network Leaders the
list of receiving schools offered to applicants in late October. Schools will receive the list
of students who have been offered a transfer into their schools in late October.
Historically, the transfer acceptance rate is 20%.

Please review these additional details or email NCLB_PSC@schools.nyc.gov if you’re have

questions or concerns.

5. TITLE IID EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY GRANTS FYI

The DOE has been awarded ten, district-based Title IID Educational Technology
competitive grants. We invite you to review this list of eligible schools and brief
descriptions of each grant program. To kick off the newly awarded grants, network
representatives are invited to information sessions hosted by the Technology Integration
Managers (TIMs) during the weeks of October 12 and October 19. Please review the
Information Session schedule and register using ProTraxx. Principals will receive this
information and an invitation to the information sessions next week.

If you have questions about the individual grants, please contact the TIMs directly. If you
have general questions or are not sure who to contact, please email Annie Ulevitch.

6. CENSUS 2010 FYI

The Census count will be conducted in spring 2010 and will impact NYC government
representation as well as funding for crucial government services, including education, public
health, public transportation, and neighborhood improvement. Next week’s Principals’
Weekly will encourage principals to consider including the Census in their curricula and in
the work of their schools. Census curriculum packets were mailed by the federal
government to every U.S. school in August, and the DOE has compiled a valuable list of
Census resources for educators.

In addition, your schools may consider conducting a Census-related service or service

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learning project, which should be submitted as part of the Consolidated Plan due November
6th.

Please contact Rebecca Miller in the Office of Public Affairs with questions about the US
Census.

7. NYS ELA/MATH ITEM-LEVEL ANALYSIS FYI

Next week’s Principals’ Weekly will announce that updated item-level reports for the 2009
NYS ELA and math tests are now available in ARIS Connect. These reports, originally
released to all elementary and middle schools in June 09, are being re-generated to reflect
current 09-10 student rosters. Schools with grades 3-9 may now access these reports in
Excel format in their private community in ARIS. These reports are also available in the
Network Private Community. For more information, please review these Frequently Asked
Questions or contact the Accountability Service Desk.

8. FINAL VERSIONS OF 08-09 CEPs Expired deadline: all schools

The Office of School Improvement is in the process of posting final versions of 08-09 CEP
to schools’ public websites. Over 600 schools have not submitted a final version of their 08-
09 CEP to the CEP mailbox and should do so as soon as possible. Contact your School
District Improvement Liaison with questions or concerns.

9. New Inquiry Spaces in ARIS ConnectAll schools

Beginning this week, collaborative teams can use Inquiry Spaces in ARIS Connect to reflect
on, share, and document their work. Inquiry Spaces allow your school's collaborative teams
to easily access and post resources, share their work, and find other teams engaged in
similar work.

Please encourage each collaborative teacher team engaged in inquiry work at your school to
create an Inquiry Space by December 15. Click here for more information on how to get
started with Inquiry Spaces. If you have additional questions, please contact your network
leader or superintendent.

Assigning ARIS Roles: http://www.scribd.com/doc/20552190/Guide-to-Assign-in-

Garis-Roles-082609

10. MARSH MEMO: HTTP://DOCS.GOOGLE.COM/VIEW?ID=DX6J744_831GQPFFXGM

Here are the headlines:
- Why physics matters
- Middle-school students watch a play about drinking and smoking
- Dealing with adolescents' test and performance anxiety
- The right kind of test preparation
- Rethinking the way we teach and assess literacy in the digital age
- Getting Web 2.0-addicted secondary students writing
- Restructuring a middle-school math inclusion class
- A principal who texts with her 2,000 high-school students
- What happens when high achievers go to lower-tier colleges?

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- Ten tips for making effective presentations
- Links to an online test for hidden bias, a Mandarin Chinese course, and a high-school
biology teacher's blog

11. Network Attendance for the Week of September 14th.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tErhKXoxUgYG1MCPZb4lKBA&output=html

12. October is Disposal Month for Obsolete IT Equipment…

Beginning October 1st, if you are a BASIC PCS school, you will be able to dispose of your
old/obsolete IT equipment as per the disposal guidelines.
If you are a STANDARD PCS school, you may dispose of obsolete computer equipment at
any time during the year as per the disposal guidelines.

How do I dispose of old equipment at my school?

Your Disposal Request is placed thorough the DOE Help Desk 718-935-5100.
BASIC PCS school pickups will take place during the month of October and the month of
April and must meet the minimum requirement of 20 assets. BASIC PCS schools will get
one pick up during each disposal period. STANDARD PCS schools can submit multiple
requests throughout the year as log as the requirement of a minimum of 20 assets is met.
Once the Disposal request has been logged and assigned by the Helpdesk, a representative
from your service provider (Dell or ASI) will contact you to capture all the pertinent
information and schedule a time for the pickup.

Contact the NYCDOE Helpdesk at: (718) 935-5100, and they will assist you. You can also
open up helpdesk tickets through the DIIT self support website at:
http://servicecenter.nycenet.edu/selfsupport.

Prior to pickup, all equipment should be placed in one location and be free of lockdown
devices. Assets that are eligible for pickups are listed below:

Basic Program Standard Program

Bi-Annual (October & April) disposal Anytime pick-up of obsolete equipment
periods Minimum of 20 disposable units
Minimum 20 disposable units

Disposable Units ELIGIBLE for Pick-Up NOT ELIGIBLE for Pick-Up

Desktop computers (CPUs) Lockdown & security devices
Notebook computers Textbooks, Library Books, Magazines,
Netbooks etc.
Servers Copy machines
Monitors (CRT and Flat-Panel) Fax machines
Printers (low-end & workgroup, monochrome Docking stations
& color) Scanners
Loose hubs/routers/switches (boxed, 40 lbs. Televisions & VCRs
max.) Projectors (Overhead and Other)
Loose cables (boxed, 40 lbs. max.) Typewriters

Building a Collaborative Community of Leaders 4

Loose keyboards/mice/pointing devices Telephones
(boxed, 40 lbs. max.) Appliances
Loose notebook computer accessories Furniture
(batteries, AC Adapters, disk or optical Laboratory, Medical, Biological, or
drives, etc.; boxed, 40 lbs. max.) Nuclear waste
Chemical waste (other than toner
cartridges)
Other items not listed as “Disposable
Units Eligible for Pick-Up”

13. The NYS Bronx BETAC would like to share this information with you Spanish Speeling
Bee. See separate attachments.

Monday, October 5: Campus Audit Template due (Schools that share a building))
Building Response Training 8:30-11:30 Guidance Counselors 12:00-3:00 Zerega Ave.
Wednesday, October 7: Test Orders Due
Dawn: Vision Hearing) 9-12 (Fordham Plaza) Germaine: Pupil Accounting Secretaries 1-3
Make-up Inquiry Liaison Meeting@ 382 8:00-11:00
Thursday, October 8: ATS Training for New Users at Fordham Plaza Computer Lab
Friday, October 9: School Safety Plan Due,
Order report cards

Wednesday, October 14: Submit Mentoring Plan

Thursday, October 15: CEP Due
Monday, October 19: Principal Meeting with guest speaker; Dr. Esther Klein Friedman,
Director, Office of Academic Intervention Services K-12
Friday October 30: CEP Due
Special Education Survey Due Visit the Principals’ Portal for detailed instructions

Friday, November 6: Submit School and Youth Development Consolidated Plan

Visit the Principals’ Portal for more information on the consolidated plan, including the new
Service in Schools component.

Saturday, November 14: ABENY Education Conference: - see the attached

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dx6j744_823dqwqx9dq information regarding the program
and workshops, as well as how to pre-register. We are also pleased to announce that
Deputy Chancellor Santiago Taveras will be among our special guest speakers at our plenary
session.

CFN 6 & 10 is happy to invite our schools to ATS for New Users and Administrators
training! Please forward this message to any staff member interested in attending.
To register for this session please click HERE and complete the registration form. If

Building a Collaborative Community of Leaders 5

you have any questions please reply to this e-mail.

When?
Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Where?
Bronx Integrated Service Center, 1 Fordham Plaza Bronx, NY 10458. 8th Floor, Computer
Lab, room 820
We are having this training session at the ISC for use of the admin network in the
computer lab needed for ATS access.
Using GPS? Use the address 450 E Fordham Rd, Bronx, New York

Who?
ATS for New Users and Administrators targets those new to the ATS system as well as
those looking for an ATS refresher. Any school staff member who uses ATS is welcome to
attend (Principals, A.P.’s, Data Specialist, Secretaries, Teachers, etc).

What?
ATS for New Users and Administrators will cover the following topics.
• Introduction to ATS
• Obtaining ATS User ID – Access Request
• Log On Procedures
• Navigating ATS
• Generating Reports
• Using Indicators
• Special Education Issues in ATS
• Understanding Tables in ATS - TBLD
• Downloading ATS Reports into Excel*
• Types of Downloads
• Downloading the DNLO
• Using Excel (basic)
*very cool

How?
All participants attending this training should have a working ATS user ID and password.
If you need access to ATS, please download and complete the attached ATS access request
form. Don’t forget to include the required Mayoral Directive as well. If you need assistance
logging in or need an ATS password reset, please contact your Data/IT Specialist,
Germaine Behagen, gbehage@schools.nyc.gov.

Fax all completed access forms to Germaine Behagen, CFN 6 & 10 at (718) 828-6282 or
(718)-794-4900.

Bank Street College Opportunity:

Our network has been offered the opportunity to join with Bank Street College in the
development and pilot-testing of two on-line professional development for math coaches and
math curriculum specialists. http://docs.google.com/View?id=dx6j744_830dfhkhkzs We are

Building a Collaborative Community of Leaders 6

very much aware of the mathematics achievement gaps for English Language Learners and
are eager to expand our work to include professional development that expands knowledge
and pedagogy to support students in this growing population.

I understand that our involvement will include collaboration with Bank Street mathematics
faculty in the development of preliminary lesson studies with classrooms in the network in
Year I. Then experienced math teacher leaders and coaches in our network (will pilot test
(in Year II) two professional development modules. The first module will focus on math
concepts, related issues of second language acquisition at grades K-5, followed by a second
module focusing on the coaching and consultation process.

We will also be interested in reviewing and analyzing the data from these pilots and
providing Bank Street with feedback and recommendations concerning all aspects of on-line
professional development experience.

Workshop on Differentiation and Fluency Elementary and middle schools / Event:

October 15
The ELA Department and the Office of Academic Intervention Services invite teachers of
grades 4-8 to participate in two half-day workshops on “Big Ideas for Managing
Differentiated Instruction and Putting Fluency in Perspective,” presented by Jan
Hasbrouck, author and educational researcher. The workshops will take place October 15
from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Bookstore at Lexington Avenue and 86th
Street in Manhattan. The event is free, but participants must register on Protraxx
(http://pd.nycoit.org) in order to attend. For more information, contact
ela@schools.nyc.gov.

Workshop on Bringing Global Engagement to the Classroom

All schools / Event: October 26

The Action Center to End World Hunger provides educational workshops, partnerships and
programming to the tri-state area around global issues like climate change, poverty, hunger,
and human rights. The Action Center has partnered with Concern Worldwide to host an open
house for educators on Monday, October 26 from 4-7 p.m. The theme of the evening will
center around engaging youth on global issues through leadership and service. Come enjoy
refreshments and door prizes, and learn how to make global engagement can be part of your
classroom. For additional information, visit www.actioncenter.org/educators or contact
education@actioncenter.org.

The NYS Bronx BETAC is presenting our first study group for teachers: grades K-8.
Please see attached flyer for details regarding the study group.

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