Fwd: Hear from the APS Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum/Instruction & the Learning Leadership Team

[Teague Buchanan]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "SNAPPS" <snappsp...@gmail.com>
Date: Sep 20, 2012 1:07 PM
Subject: Hear from the APS Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum/Instruction & the Learning Leadership Team
To: <teagueb...@gmail.com>

SNAPPS building better schools, making better communities! Advocating for Our Children! Advancing our Schools!  SNAPPS Meeting Monday, September 24, 2012 6:00 P.M. TOPIC: Is the Common Core Curriculum, Common? Is APS Ready?  MEET & GREET  Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum & instruction Karen Waldon New APS Teaching & Learning Core Team Dr. Linda Anderson, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Mini-Workshop from Atlanta Public Schools Common Core Curriculum Implementation Team APS leadership will give the timeline for implementation Understand what children will learn Get strategies to use at home APS' preparedness for the new measurement Understand the new high school graduation requirements Ask Questions, Get Answers! Fickett Elementary School 3935 Rux Road Atlanta, GA 30331 "Remember if you are not at the table, you are on the menu" Be at the table with decision makers!    informed, educated and empowered parents and community make the diffrence in Schools! Voter registration Available ==================================================================== What's Happening in APS?   The Board of Education last week approved a new Charter School-Westside Atlanta Charter School, this school will house grades K-6 in its initial application with a future expectation of going to 8th grade.  The new school will be located in northwest Atlanta, in the Douglass feeder pattern area.   The system has determined a timeline to fill vacant teacher positions. (September 17-high school; September 24-elementary & middle school) The Board of Education passed a resolution not to support the Charter Schools ballot question in November.  SNAPPS October 22nd meeting will feature panelist for and against this Constitutional change. (hard copies of the resolution will be avail at SNAPPS meeting or see online APS Board docs) APS Channel 22 has two new shows.  (Mays HS student featured)  Look for more programming.   Is your principal attending the Gifted Essentials for Leaders?  The Talented and Gifted Program is hosting Professional Development for leaders and non-endorsed teachers to assist them in aligning the curriculum to fit Common Core. Gifted parent meeting Tuesday, September 25, 6-7pm, Continental Colony Special Education Focus Group.  CASE (Community Advocates for Special Education) will host a small parent/community focus group for special needs with new Assistant Superintendent John O'Connor and newly appointed Director of Special Education Ms. Cleveland, invited Board members will do a visioing session around special education in APS. For more info. contact perfectp...@yahoo.com (Subject: CASE) The Board of Education held its Superintendent's visioning meeting last Monday.  It was concluded that the Board would do some development on goals and objectives to determine next steps, i.e., maintain current superintendent with identified goals, or start the search process.  All must be determined by end of the year.  Meeting scheduled this Friday, September 21, 2012, 2pm, 130 Trinity Ave. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT's Happening with SNAPPS... SNAPPS hosted a focus group last Thursday to discuss the new draft changes for the "Graduation Requirements".  Seven APS clusters were represented:  Douglass, Mays, Washington, Therrell, Grady, North Atlanta, Jackson.  Parents, grandparents, community members, guardians, special education, elementary, middle, high school and charter school  parents collaborated to bring a unified message of expectation and knowledge around the new College or Career Readiness Performance Index.  The proposed "Individual Graduation Plan (IGP)", was taken line by line and everyone had an opportunity to read and discuss.  Comments were developed to address the State Board of Education's survey.    SNAPPS is in need of a new VP-- position available.  If you are interested in a leadership role, please email snappsp...@gmail.com   SNAPPS president was chosen to attend and represent Atlanta at the National PTAs Minority Leadership Conference in Washington DC.  This is the 3rd trip for Mrs. Hayes-Tavares.  Last year she was also selected to go to DC and represent Georgia at the NAACP Dignities in Schools Campaign and the Black Alliance for Educational Opportunities.  It is expected that she will return and share her knowledge.   SNAPPS is beefing up its social media follow us on twitter #snappsaps and join us on facebook.  We will keep you informed about our school system ___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________   Message from the President... Greetings, as we are now deep within the first semester of school, we find ourselves back into some old routines and have developed some new ones.  The last several years have been hard to say the least and as we are going into the next phase we can not forget where we came from.  There is an African symbol --Sankofa, this image is represented by a body facing forward, but the head is looking back.   I reference it to Atlanta Public Schools, recently  we have seen the faces of many new people who have come into high level roles and with that comes a new way of thinking and a new way of doing.  As a parent in APS I certainly want to see a renewed spirit with changed actions, but I do not want to forget about the thousands of children that were affected by the CRCT.  We cannot say that a quickie 8 week Saturday program and a 4-week summer program where only teachers evaluated its success was all that we needed to rectify the years of neglect.  I would say as we move forward and continue to build a better Atlanta Public Schools, that we do not go in with rose collored glasses, through the eyes of new hires who have no responsbility to the past, but to the future; that we as parents and citiizens in Atlanta do not allow this tragedy of children to be swept under the rug.  As we watch the numerous black men escorted off the prison bus on their way to court daily, that we understand our role as a community is to help eradicate poverty by educating our children.  Let us not forget to continue to work hard, stay vigilant, volunteer and become informed so that when the next phase of new hires come through Atlanta Public Schools, we as the rightful owners of our school system say--not on our watch!  Let us work collarboratively, but introspectively as we move Atlanta Public Schools forward! Shawnna Hayes-Tavares _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Next SNAPPS Meeting Monday, October 22, 2012 TOPIC: A Conversation about the Charter School Consitutional Amendment Ballot Question Join SNAPPS as we invite representatives to the table to discuss this important ballot question Our goal is to send informed voters to the polls in November Also: Frank discussion with Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education Members, APS Staff and parents around Charter Schools in APS January 2014 marks the timeframe where APS will have to determine whether they  will be IE2, Status Quo or a Charter System Give your input, Get Informed, Become Empowered! 80 Anderson Ave. Atlanta, GA 30314 (old Turner Middle School)     Contact: P.O. Box 92692, Atlanta, GA 30314 404-447-0637 snappsp...@gmail.com  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences | view email in browser

Sent to teagueb...@gmail.com — why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences SNAPPS · P.O. Box 92692 · Atlanta, Georgia 30314

[Teague Buchanan]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "SNAPPS" <snappsp...@gmail.com>
Date: Sep 24, 2012 6:01 AM
Subject: Hear from the APS Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum/Instruction & the Learning Leadership Team
To: <teagueb...@gmail.com>

SNAPPS building better schools, making better communities! Advocating for Our Children! Advancing our Schools!

REMINDER

SNAPPS Meeting Monday, September 24, 2012

6:00 P.M.

TOPIC: Is the Common Core Curriculum, Common? Is APS Ready?

No more excuses, it is up to us to make sure we are informed about the curriculum and learn how we can help-- Our Community vitalization Depends on it!

MEET & GREET  Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum & instruction Karen Waldon New APS Teaching & Learning Core Team Dr. Linda Anderson, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Mini-Workshop from Atlanta Public Schools Common Core Curriculum Implementation Team APS leadership will give the timeline for implementation Understand what children will learn Get strategies to use at home APS' preparedness for the new measurement

Ask Questions, Get Answers! Fickett Elementary School 3935 Rux Road Atlanta, GA 30331 "Remember if you are not at the table, you are on the menu" Be at the table with decision makers!

informed, educated and empowered parents and community make the diffrence in Schools! Voter registration Available ====================================================================

A Message of Collaboration Unhealthy relationships, disorganization, crabs in a barrell, mean and down right ugly.  Are these the images that we see our children exhibiting. Well, I wonder where they got it.  As parent leaders, sometimes our approach is not welcomed and our involvememnt is not valued, but our engagement is needed.  Over the last few years, I have seen a coming together of communities, but I have also seen a tearing down.  It is painful to watch.  The political climate in Atlanta Public Schools has forgotten about their only mission--to educate children.  Atlanta is a city of neighborhoods, all grasping for their piece of the pie.  It has been shameful to watch and embarassing to be involved.  We have seen Board of Education members speak negatively and spread rumors about parent leaders and advocates--maybe only because they do not want to face the fact that some have not been vigilant about quality education.  Some parent groups fighting for power and authority, communities belittling other communities to become the favorite.  All in the name of children, but I say to you, do the children who need quality education care if it is the PTA, LSC or other parent groups that help them get it?--I would say no.  Do the parents who have the least amount of time, but the most to gain from a quality educational system care if it is the PTA or a Booster club that helped support and educate them?--I would say no.  Will it matter who spoke out against mis-management or cheating or others when we have a school system that values the talents & gifts of all--I would say no!  Then the question is why do we do this to ourselves.  Why do we as a community have so much self-hate that we have forgotten how we got here.  When the slave ships arrived on the Atlantic Coast, I don't think those who were taken away from their land, loved ones, culture, etc.  thought about the fact that hundreds of years later we would be in a place like this.  Where our communities are divided and people exert energy to downgrade someone or to spend time negatively speaking about a group or individual--I would say they did not.  Parents, Guardians, Community members it is time to STOP IT!  Remember that we stand on the shoulders of many and that we can not do it alone and cannot do it at all if our mission is to destroy.  I ask you, I beg you to take a look at what you are doing.  Is what you doing something that children can see and model or be proud of?  Will they say my community rallied together to help us, or will they manifest the same behavior and we look up years later and now they are the negative speakers, the disgruntled parent or the dysfunctional leader.  I say to you--Is that our legacy?  If it is not, just stop--forgive yourself first, then forgive others.  We are all having a human experience on this earth, isn't it better when we love!  Let that be the legacy we pass on to the next generation.  I know that is what I am doing--how about you?!  Shawnna