Margolin Hebrew Academy / Feinstone Yeshiva of the

South

Faculty In-Faculty In-ServiceService

January, 2009January, 2009

Agenda

1. Tribute to Martin Luther King2. Building Update3. DI: Where We’ve Come, Where We’re Going4. The Impact of the Economy5. Creating a Culture of Reflective Practice

Martin Luther King, Jr.

We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.

DI: Where We’ve Come• HS History

– Acting out historical figures– Collecting notes to determine readiness

• JH English– Pretest in Poetry

• Lower School Grammar– Pretests, Extension Activities

• Lower School Reading– Novel Studies, Reading Groups

• Lower School Social Studies– Accelerated pace for advanced students

• 5th Grade Chumash– Different groups covering same material at different levels

• Formative Assessment

DI: Common Objections

• “We have to cover the material. We don’t have time for cute activities.”

• “The ‘real world’ isn’t differentiated. We’re setting them up for failure.”

• “DI is only appropriate for lower grades.”• “Even the most effectively differentiated

classroom won’t do it for some of my kids.”• “DI is easier in General Studies because they

have better developed curriculum”• “DI is very hard in 40 minute periods”

DI: Common Objections

“We have to cover the material. We don’t have time for cute activities.”– DI is not cute activities. It is efficient

and effective teaching. Teachers in differentiated classrooms report getting MORE not less done over the course of a year.

DI: Common Objections

“The ‘real world’ isn’t differentiated. We’re setting them up for failure.”– Yes it is. That’s why we’re not ballerinas

and brain surgeons.

DI: Common Objections

“DI is only appropriate for lower grades.”– The principles of effective teaching can

be applied in all grades.

DI: Common Objections

“Even the most effectively differentiated classroom won’t do it for some of my kids.”– That may be true. Let’s try, though, and

find out!

DI: Common Objections

“DI is easier in General Studies because they have better developed curriculum”– True. That’s why we’re working on our

Judaic Studies K.U.D.s

DI: Common Objections

“DI is very hard in 40 minute periods”– Very true. We’re looking at options for

lengthening JH and HS periods.

The Impact of the Economy

• Sources of Income– Tuition

• Parents have lost jobs, taken pay decreases

– Operational Campaign• Came close this year • Budgeting significantly lower for next year

– Endowment• Significantly devalued due to drop in market

– Federation Grant• Will be down significantly due to flat campaign

The Impact of the Economy

• Steps I am working hard to avoid:– Cutting full-time faculty positions– Salary decreases– Cutting benefits– Cutting key educational expenses:

• Books• Technology• Supplies• Professional Development

The Impact of the Economy

• Steps we must work hard to accomplish:– Eliminate all unnecessary spending– One year salary freeze– Increase “expense-free fundraising”

• Kroger / Schnuck’s cards• Box Tops• Grants

– Attract new students

Building Update

• Completed Cost Analysis on Briarcrest– Operational Costs:

• Close to that of a new campus on our current site• 200k more than our current costs

– More students– Daycare– Tenant– Alternative Energy

– Initial Costs• Estimating below 10 million

– Purchase Price + construction costs – sale of current property – sale of Briarcrest parcel

• Change of perspective and language:– From: “We know it’s the worst possible time to be raising money, but we really

need to do it”– To: “While this might be a tough time to raise money, it is the best possible time to To: “While this might be a tough time to raise money, it is the best possible time to

be purchasing a property. We might never see an opportunity like this one again.”be purchasing a property. We might never see an opportunity like this one again.”

Reflective Practice

To finance our operational expenses we need…

More students.More students.To finance our new building we need…

More students.More students.To attract more students we must…

Push ourselves to be the Push ourselves to be the best possible teachers we best possible teachers we can be.can be.

Reflective Practice

To help our own students to growgrow…To help our own students to succeed…To help our own students to learn we must…

Push ourselves to be Push ourselves to be the best possible the best possible teachers we can be.teachers we can be.

Reflective Practice

To become the best possible teachers we can be, we must constantly and consistently:

REFLECT on what we are doing.REFLECT on what we are doing.

CONSIDER what we might do CONSIDER what we might do better.better.

Have the Have the COURAGE COURAGE to try to try something new.something new.

Let’s make the Let’s make the most most

of today’s of today’s sessions! sessions!