March 24, 2008

"You've got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch onto the affirmative, don't mess with Mr In-between" - Popular song       

Burglarize: What a crook sees with.

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Star Tribune Article on Wellstone:  Convention Just another challenge for this School

Original Link

Nearly 70 percent of the children attending Paul and Sheila Wellstone Elementary School in St. Paul are learning how to speak, read and write English. More than 90 percent of them live in poverty. Every day, school officials work to keep the lines of communication open with parents who struggle to cope with American life.

Wellstone principal Christine Osorio sees the upcoming convention -- with its traffic snarls, disrupted school bus routes, protest marches and built-in civics lessons -- as a challenge. But not an insurmountable one.

"My main concern is keeping really tight communication with our families," she said.

Wellstone also is expected to pick up about 100 English language learners from Homecroft school, Osorio said.

Personal connections

Wellstone teachers make contact with every child's family before the start of the school year, Osorio said.

When so many of the families are new to the country as well as the school, it's a good practice to make those connections. With the potential complications of a national political convention, Wellstone teachers will probably start making that contact earlier in August, she said.

Suzanne Kelley, chief of staff for St. Paul Public Schools, said Wellstone will have to grapple with altered bus routes and schedules, and work around restricted space surrounding the Xcel Energy Center.

It's not yet clear what space is restricted and which areas will be open to protesters. Some of those details won't be known until May or June, she said. St. Paul schools officials are forming planning committees to go over all the possible disruptions.

But the convention could also provide an opportunity for Wellstone's students to learn about the American political process and the details of selecting a president. Older students could use the convention week to discuss issues such as free speech and the right to demonstrate.

"We do want to make the connect, particularly for those students who are learning English or have just moved to this country," Kelley said.

Osorio also sees opportunity.

"We're looking for ways to weave that all together," she said.

Over her four years leading Wellstone, Osorio has seen the school's 520 students rise off the "underperforming list" by improving their test scores. Teachers have detailed records of each student's work in reading and math, with ongoing assessments. Osorio meets with each teacher to discuss that work three times a year.

Students spend 60 to 90 minutes a day on math and another 90 to 120 minutes a day on reading.

Wonderful facilities

Housed in a former YWCA on Kellogg Blvd., Wellstone's facilities -- complete with a huge gymnasium, a swimming pool and an impressive media center -- are among the best in the city. Osorio said its teachers are among the best, as well.

"We dig deep into the abilities and challenges of all of our kids," she said. "It's a great team here. Am I worried about our ability to meet the challenges of the convention? Not a bit."

James Walsh • 651-298-1541

LCD Meeting

Attached you will find the flyer for our sixth Latino Consent Decree Parent Advisory Committee meeting (LCD PAC).  This meeting will be on March 26th, 2008 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at 360 Colborne in rooms A and B.  The Immigrant Law Center of MN will be presenting No Second Chance to our Latino parents. This presentation covers current immigration and social issues.

Presenter
Alissa L. Jones,
Education Coordinator/Development Associate
Immigrant Law Center of MN / Oficina Legal

English Flier
Spanish Flier

Do you have ELLs in your classroom?

You probably have ELL students in your class if...

• A Karen student says assalaamu aleeykum to a Somali classmate
• You use Google images every day in class
• Students thank you at the end of each class
• You provide “windows” and “mirrors” for all of your students
• You can say “I don’t know” in three languages
• You find yourself helping English learners at the grocery store
• You don’t know sign language, but you can communicate with new students using only gestures and body language
• You have the Lao Family Community Center bookmarked in your web browser: http://www.laofamily.org/hmong-history-culture.htm
• Your students’ five paragraph essays are illustrated & have borders embroidered with flowers
• Your students call you “teacher”
• Your students bring you papaya salad, sambusas, injera or tamales

A list in progress by Carol Quest, Ross Savage, Jodie Russel, and Michael Bowlus.  Contact Mr. Bowlus if you have additions....

Fellowship to help teachers learn policy and grow as leaders, contribute to national education dialogue
Contact: Samara Yudof, Stephanie Babyak
or Jane Glickman
(202) 401-1576

Secretary Spellings today announced the creation of Teaching Ambassador Fellowship (TAF) positions at the U.S. Department of Education, which will offer highly motivated, innovative public school teachers the opportunity to contribute their knowledge and experience to the national dialogue on public education.
"This is a terrific opportunity for educators to share their voices directly with policymakers, and I look forward to hearing from them," said Secretary Spellings.
The TAF includes two kinds of opportunities for teachers across the U.S. Up to 20 Classroom Fellows will be chosen who remain at their local schools under their regular teaching contracts, and will provide their experience and perspectives to the Department through various assignments and projects part-time. Up to five Washington Fellows will become full-time federal employees in Washington, D.C., working on education programs and participating in policy discussions. Teaching Ambassador Fellows will be named by early summer for the 2008-09 school year.
Teaching Ambassador Fellows will be selected based upon their record of leadership, impact on student achievement and potential for contribution to the field. Highly qualified K-12 public school teachers of all subjects who have spent at least three years in the classroom are eligible to apply. To ensure collaboration at the school and district levels, teacher applicants must have the full support of their school principals. Throughout the year fellows will collaborate on projects that contribute to the field of education and policy at the national level, and each fellow will be encouraged to work with his or her principal and with government liaisons throughout the year.
Applications are due by April 7, 2008. Visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherfellowship/ to learn more and apply for the TAF.
 
 
Michelle Carter, MA, JD
Interim Director of Research and Sponsored Programs
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Wigley Administration Building 325
507-389-2322 office

507-389-5459 fax

Teaching Tolerance Anti-Bias Curriculum (ABC) - Culture in the Classroom

March 6, 2008
Culture in the Classroom
Educators today hear a lot about gaps in education - achievement gaps, funding gaps, school-readiness gaps. Still, there's another gap that often goes unexamined: the cultural gap between students and teachers. This edition of The ABCs (The Anti-Bias Classroom) provides professional development activities to help educators build bridges across cultures.

Activity 1: Overcoming Stereotypes
Activity 2: Culturally Relevant Curriculum
Activity 3: Honoring Home Languages
Mythtakes: An Activity for Educators
Designed for use by individual teachers and for pre-service and in-service programs, this new professional development activity helps educators examine common beliefs that can help and hinder our work with racially and ethnically diverse students.
Election Lesson Plans
These new lesson plans explore the roles of race, gender and faith in American politics, during this primary season and beyond.

Lesson 1: Editorializing Race, Gender and Faith
Lesson 2: Do Identities Rule?
Lesson 3: Guarding Against Outright Bigotry
Art Makes All Things Better
Dozens of studies document the ways arts experiences can transfer to other academic subjects, such as reading, math and science. But that doesn't mean schools can easily take advantage of the potential synergy. In fact, cuts in arts programs almost indicate the opposite. In Tucson, schools are bucking the trend and discovering the power of art to help refugee students connect throughout the learning process.
Also on Tolerance.org
News Briefs: How school lunch promotes segregation
Student Poem: Café Declassified
The Fighting Mynahs: A Tolerance Tale for the Early Grades
Forward This to Your Colleagues!

We welcome your feedback.
You can reach us online

or by mail:
Teaching Tolerance
c/o Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36104

Young Audiences Arts Grants available from Target

Did you know that local Target Stores award funds to help bring arts to schools?  You can submit a grant proposal to your local Target store to help bring Young Audiences programs to your school next school year.  Last year we worked with a number of sites to craft successful proposals.  One school was granted $2,500 to bring a series of four performances throughout the school year.  Another school used their award for an all-school residency.  The possibilities are endless!

Young Audiences program staff are available to help you create a strong grant proposal for your local Target store by giving you detailed information about our artists and programs and providing an accurate budget detail.

Applications can be submitted anytime from now until May 31, 2008 for projects happening between October 1, 2008, and September 30, 2009.  Award amounts average between $1,000 - $3,000.  The online application is available by clicking here.

Understanding East African History and Cultures

Friday and Saturday
April 11-12, 2008, 9 a.m to 4 p.m.
 
This workshop will explore East African community members' experiences in the urban educational setting with a focus on the country of Somalia.
 
Workshop participants will examine:
the history and cultures of Somalia and the region of East Africa; implications of the disintegration of a state; the relationship between the use of home language and English; the impact of life in refugee camps on student learning; and how information about East African cultures can be integrated into the curriculum.
 
LOCATION:
Minnesota Humanities Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, St. Paul, MN  55106.

FEE: OFFERED AT NO COST-- and with sub-pay stipend --  to K-8 teachers from high-poverty schools in the seven-county metro area,* through generous support from NorthStar Education Finance, Inc
 
Register now!

National TPR Conference

The national TPRS® Conference will be held at the University of Minnesota, July 21-25, 2008.   TPR Storytelling is a method for teaching languages that was invented by Blaine Ray, in 1990 and is based on the work of James Asher and Stephen Krashen.  Check out the website to get more information -  http://ntprs2008.eventbrite.com/

2008 International Essay Contest for Young People - Creating a Culture of Peace 

Young people from around the world are invited to enter the 2008
International Essay Contest organized by UNESCO and the Goi Peace Foundation
with the sponsorship of the Earthrise Society.
 
The theme for this year's contest is "My project to create positive change
in my environment. How can I foster sustainable development in my
community." The deadline for entry is June 30, 2008. First prize winners
will receive a cash award and a trip to Japan.
 
Please see the complete guidelines below. The same information can be
found on the Goi Peace Foundation website:
http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/programs/0801_00.htm
 
To read winning essays from last year's contest, go to
http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/programs/0702.htm
 
Please spread the information about the essay contest to young people in
your network.
 
May Peace Prevail on Earth!
 
The Goi Peace Foundation