Morrill Math & Science Schoolmorrill.cps.edu/uploads/3/0/8/3/30832629/morrill.faculty... · 2020-03-16 · Morrill’s Mission Statement 2 Classroom Celebrations 52 ... Observations

CPS MORRILL MATH & SCIENCE SCHOOL

FACULTY & STAFF HANDBOOK

2014-2015

Michael Beyer, Principal Keith Mahone, Assistant Principal

6011 S. Rockwell St. Chicago, IL 60629

Telephone: (773) 535-9288 Fax (773) 535-9214 www.morrill.cps.edu

http://www.morrill.cps.edu/

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Table of Contents

Morrill’s Mission Statement 2 Classroom Celebrations 52

School Effectiveness Frameworks & our CIWP 3 Health & Wellness Policy 52

5Essential: Ambitious Instruction School Wide Celebrations 53

Morrill‘s Instructional Model 5 Teacher & Parent Communication Log 53

Rigor and Depth of Knowledge 6 Student Uniform Policy 53

Writing Traits 8 Student Cell phones 54

Unit and Lesson Plans 8 Safety 55

Emergency Lesson Plans 9 Fire Drill Procedures 56

Understanding by Design (UbD) 11 Lockdown Procedures 57

Co-Teaching 12 Tornado Drill Procedures 57

Differentiation 13 Duty Schedule 58

Strategies for Diverse Learners 14 Student Entrance and Exit Procedures 60

Phonics 18 Lunchroom Procedures, & Schedule 64

Comprehension Strategies 19 Child Abuse & Corporal Punishment 66

REACH Framework for Teaching 20 Security Schedule 67

Instructional Norms 24 MTSS 68

First 20 Days 27 IEP and 504 Plans 81

Homework Policy 30 Bilingual & English Language Learners 85

Grading Policy 31 5Essential: Involved Families

Gradebook and Attendance 31 Family Engagement Philosophy 91

Student Early Dismissal 32 Community Partners 91

Report Cards 32 Student Transfers 93

Failure notices and Intervention 32 5Essential: Effective Leadership

5Essential: Collaborative Teachers Leadership Philosophy 95

Grade Level Meetings 33 Organizational Chart 98

CPDUs 34 2014-2015 Calendar 99

PPC & PPLC 34 First Day Procedures 100

Flex Days 35 Pledge Schedule 101

Powerful Practices, & Convergence Academy 36 MAPS Testing 104

Observations and Evaluations 38 Bulletin Board Schedule 104

5Essential: Supportive Environment Field Trips 104

Morrill Behavior Theory of Action 39 Faculty & Staff Absences 106

CASEL & PATHS Social and Emotional Learning 39 Kronos and time entry 107

CHAMPS & Voice Levels 40 Extended Day Reporting 108

Classroom Management Scenarios 42 Money Handling 108

Behavior Norms & Contract 43 Student Fee 108

Behavior Management Flow Chart 45 Payor List 110

CHAMPS Student Reflection Form 46 Reimbursements 111

CHAMPS Behavior Plan Form 47 Attire and Professionalism 111

Restorative Justice Conference Agreement Form 48 Social Committee 112

Morrill Universal Discipline & Incident Form 49 Classroom & Office Maintenance 112

Student Relocation 50 Supplies, Printing, & Technology 113

Peace Room Relocation 50 Consent Forms 115

PBIS: Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports 50 Health Records 118

Assemblies 50 Lice & Conjunctivitis Letters 119

Sports & Extracurricular Activities 51 Announcement Request 120

Appendix

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At Morrill School, we educate the whole child. We create a nurturing, student-centered, collaborative learning environment where our students thrive for academic excellence by engaging in a rigorous, differentiated, and standards-based curriculum. Morrill students will become lifelong learners, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders of a global society.

To educate the whole child, teaching and learning must address all three

aspects of the child, and connect the learning to the wider-world.

Academics

Social & Emotional

Physical Health

Child

School

Community

Society

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CCSR’s 5 Essentials

Effective Leaders: The principal works with teachers to implement a clear and strategic vision for

school success.

Collaborative Teachers: The staff is committed to the school, receives strong professional

development, and works together to improve the school.

Involved Families: The entire school staff builds strong relationships with families and

communities to support learning.

Supportive Environment: The school is safe and orderly. Teachers have high expectations for

students. Students are supported by their teachers and peers.

Ambitious Instruction: Classes are academically demanding and engage students by emphasizing

the application of knowledge.

Source: https://uchicagoimpact.org/5essentials CCSR: University of Chicago‘s Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research

CPS’ 5 Pillars

High Standards, Rigorous Curriculum and Powerful Instruction We must go beyond the basics to ensure that all children become critical-thinkers, effective

communicators and responsible global citizens. The definition of core instruction must be expanded to

include the arts, health, physical education and extracurricular activities.

Systems of Support that Meet Student Needs High expectations for all students must be coupled with a holistic approach that supports the individual

needs of each. We must also remove barriers to learning with practices that promote children's health and

safety, social and emotional development, school attendance and college and career preparation.

Engaged and Empowered Families and Communities Parents must be empowered as leaders who can advocate for their children and for all the community's

children. School and district leaders must be resourceful in identifying community partners who can

support children's growth and learning.

Committed and Effective Teachers, Leaders and Staff Our teachers, principals and administrators will be valued and developed, will hold themselves

accountable and will be rewarded for success. We must ensure we are the place where the best talent

comes to work.

Sound Fiscal, Operational and Accountability Systems Priorities that lead to student success must drive planning, spending and accountability at the school and

district level. Everyone who works for the district needs to be held accountable for student outcomes and

also provided with useful data and guidance in working toward those goals.

Source: http://www.cps.edu/pages/actionplan.aspx

https://uchicagoimpact.org/5essentials

http://www.cps.edu/sitecollectiondocuments/CPSActionPlan_Pillar1.pdf





http://www.cps.edu/pages/actionplan.aspx

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Morrill’s CIWP (Continuous Improvement Work Plan)

Priority Strategy 1: Literacy: If our teacher leaders on the PPLC / ILT take ownership of their group,

and if they develop their own expertise in our powerful practice (CCSS Shift #3 Access to Complex

Texts), and if they develop the capacity of their colleagues via after-school Flex professional

development, then our literacy instruction will be rigorous and students will learn. Programs: PPLC Point people: PPLC members, Debbie Niedos, Kristin Blathras

Whole child component: Academics

5 Essentials: Collaborative Teachers, Ambitious Instruction, Effective Leaders 5 Pillars: 1, 2, 4

Priority Strategy 2: Math: If our teacher leaders develop and lead professional development, focused on

implementing math practices, use of MARS tasks to analyze student learning, and if math teachers

develop Convergence units integrated with other disciplines, then our students will receive rigorous and

engaging instruction and learning will improve. Programs: UIC Point people: Akiba Moss, Monica Morrow, Irma Orozco, Octavia Rhodes

Whole child component: Academics

5 Essentials: Collaborative Teachers, Ambitious Instruction, Effective Leaders

5 Pillars: 1, 2, 4

Priority Strategy 3: Science: If we partner with Golden Apple Foundation to give our science teachers

the professional development they need to create and implement inquiry-based learning opportunities,

then our students will be more engaged in challenging and rigorous science learning. Programs: Golden Apple Foundation Point people: Allison Bates, Irma Orozco, Lucy Martinez

Whole child component: Academics 5 Essentials: Collaborative Teachers, Ambitious Instruction, Effective Leaders

5 Pillars: 1, 2, 4

Priority Strategy 4: Climate, Culture, Social and Emotional Learning: If we improve our current

systems and structures (use of CHAMPS, PBIS, restorative justice practices) through reflection and

feedback, and if we implement the CASEL / CPSEL Project with the help of our coach, then the culture

and climate will improve due to improved social and emotional learning. Programs: CASEL, Healthy Schools Imitative, SWOP, Restorative Justice (Roosevelt’s Mansfield Institute),

OpenLands and Healthy Schools Imitative Space to Grow, Physical Health and Sexual Health Education

Point people: Beyer, Mahone, Danielle Holtz Whole child component: Social & Emotional

5 Essentials: Supportive Environment, Effective Leaders

5 Pillars: 2

Priority Strategy 5: Attendance: If we improve our system of awards for attendance, along with our

system of supports (home visits and targeting students via SWOP parents), through reflection and

feedback, then attendance will improve to 96%. Programs: Teen REACH, sports, SWOP, Neighborhood Housing Services Point people: Carolina Rivera,

Naomi Castillo, Mahone, Beyer

Whole child component: all

5 Essentials: Involved Families, Supportive Environment, Effective Leaders

5 Pillars: 2, 3

Priority Strategy 6: Convergence Academy: If we partner with Columbia College via the DoE i3

Convergence Academies grant to create a curriculum map built on Convergence Unit Template and

design, then our teachers will be able to use the Understanding by Design model to create curricula that is

rigorous, open-ended, cross-disciplinary, and infused with digital media literacy, social justice, and is

aligned to Common Core and 21st Century standards. Whole child component: all Programs: Convergence Academy Point people: Liz Radzicki, Sean Owens, PPLC

5 Essentials: All 5 Essentials 5 Pillars: All 5 pillars

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Ambitious Instruction: Classes are academically demanding and engage students by emphasizing the application of knowledge.

CPS Pillar One: High Standards, Rigorous Curriculum and Powerful Instruction

Morrill’s Instructional Model Morrill teachers use an instructional model that leads to a student-centered classroom.

Hook / Purposing (1 minute): Make it interesting, relevant to students‘ lives, engaging, use a poll question, do a very short

and dramatic read-aloud. 3a

“I do” MiniLesson / Focus Lesson (10 minutes): This is where you model a skill. The skill must be measurable. 3a

“We do” Guided Instruction / Whole Class Discussion (10-20 minutes): Ask a quiding, open-ended question that is text

and/or task dependent, which students have to use evidence from the text to support their answer. The teacher or student

poses a question; the teacher does not give a definitive answer. Teacher facilitates the discussion to engage student

thinking and curiosity. 3b, 3c

[Before release, teacher should ask students a question and use turn-and-talk as a check-for-understanding. This requires

the teacher to ciruclate and listen to student conversations. If students are mostly on-target, they can be released. If

students are confused or very far off-target, a brief recap of the mini lesson might be required.] 3d, 3e

“You do it together” Collaborative Learning (10-20 minutes): This is small-group work when students practice the skill

that was modeled in the mini-lesson. Teacher circulates and/or works with small groups that needs additional support.

Teacher or students pose questions, but teacher does not give definitive answer. At the most, the teacher might remodel the

task, or have students model it. 3b, 3c

[Before transition to independent work, teacher might consider bringing the class back together and recap what they have

learned, ideally via students sharing out to the class.] 3a, 3b, 3d, 3e

“You do it alone” Independent Learning (10-30 minutes): Students go deeper and continue to practice skill that was

modeled in mini-lesson. Teacher circulates and/or works with small groups on targeted skills. Teacher or student poses

question, does not give definitive answer. 3b, 3c

Exit Ticket / Deliverable: Every lesson should be based on a measurable objective. The success of the lesson is measured

by an ‗exit slip‘ or deliverable. The deliverable is an artifact that can be used by the teacher to assess the success, or

failure, of the lesson, and the amount of learning that occurred. The exit slip / deliverable can even be something a teacher

observes the student completing during classtime. 3c, 3d


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Rigor At Morrill, we define rigor through two main aspects of a lesson: Domain 3 of the REACH Framework

for Teaching, and Depth of Knowledge. Component 3c in REACH addresses questioning. The types of

questions students are engaged with can be defined by the progression below. Although lessons might

include some lower-level questions, every student should spend the majority of their time wrestling with

questions at the higher-end of the progression, which are open-ended.

Sample Questions

General Understandings: What is this text / passage about?

Key Details: Who, what, where, when, how?

Vocab & Text Structure:

Use context clues to define this word.

What ideas or feelings does this word evoke?

What does this figurative language mean?

Explain how the author‘s choice of words affect the meaning of the text.

Why do you think the author wrote the sentence/paragraph in this way?

What are the various shaded of meaning of this word/phrase?

What words, phrases affect the tone / mood?

Author’s Purpose:

What is the purpose of this text, and how do you know?

How does the author attempt to persuade / entertain / inform?

Is the author biased, and how do you know?

Does the author acknowledge other perspectives?

Inference: (Probe each argument in persuasive text, each idea in informational text, each key detail in literary text,

and observe how these build to a whole)

What can you conclude from…

What is the most likely reason that….

What can the reader tell from the character?

What lesson does the character learn from the event?

What would the character probably do next?

What is the conflict in the story?

Opinion, Argument, Intetextual Connections: (depends on text):

Author‘s opinion and reasoning (K-5)

Claims

Evidence

Counterclaims

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Rhetoric

Collaboratively Analyze Text and Develop Text-dependent

Questions

Use the text you are currently teaching to develop text

dependent questions from each category. Keep the following

questions in mind as you work:

Do the questions require the reader to return to the text?

Do the questions require the reader to use evidence to

support his or her ideas or claims?

Do the questions move from text-explicit to text-

implicit knowledge?

Are there questions that require the reader to analyze,

evaluate, and create?

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Rigor and Depth of Knowledge The second way we define rigor is through Depth of Knowledge (DoK). DoK is a tool developed to align

assessments and tasks with standards. Students at Morrill should be engaged in Level three or four activities

the majority of the time. Level one and two activities should be reserved for homework.

DoK 3 Question Stems

How is _____ related to_____?

What conclusions can you draw_____?

How would you adapt_____ to create a different_____?

How would you test_____?

Can you predict the outcome if_____?

What is the best answer? Why?

What conclusion can be drawn from these three texts?

What is your interpretation of this text? Support your rationale.

How would you describe the sequence of _____?

What facts would you select to support_____?

Can you elaborate on the reason_____?

What would happen if_____?

Can you formulate a theory for_____?

How would you test_____?

Can you elaborate on the reasons_____?

DoK4 Question Stems

Write a thesis, drawing conclusion from multiple sources.

Design and conduct an experiment. Gather information to develop alternative explanations for the

results of an experiment.

Write a research paper on a topic.

Apply information from one text to another text to develop a persuasive argument.

What information can you gather to support your idea about_____?

DOK 4 would most likely be the writing of a research paper or applying information from one text

to another text to develop a persuaive arguments. DoK 4 requires time for extended thinking.

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Morrill Writing Traits We teacher writing using the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing, by Ruth Culham. There are additional resources on

the Internet about the Six Traits of writing. Each quarter aligns with the Morrill Assessment Calendar and

the CPS Literacy and Social Studies Content Frameworks

Ideas: Introduce the narrative genre and read from exemplar texts. Teach how to choose and narrow a

topic; how to focus on and develop the important ideas in the topic, and how to incorporate appropriate,

interesting detail in the description of people, places and events.

Organization: Teach how (and why) to create an engaging lead; to use sequencing and transition words;

to structure the body; to end with a sense of resolution.

Conventions: Teach how to check spelling; punctuating effectively; paragraphing effectively;

capitalizing correctly; applying grammar and usage.

Voice: Teach how to establish a tone; convey purpose; create a connection to the audience; take risks to

create voice.

Word Choice: Teach how to apply strong verbs; select striking words and phrases; use specific and

accurate words; choose words the deepen meaning.

Presentation: Teach how to apply handwriting skills; use word processing effectively; making good use

of white space; refining text features. (At this point students should expand seeds into stories, pull out

favorite story to create and publish story)

Sentence Fluency: Teach how to create well-built sentences; vary sentence types; capture smooth and

rhythmic flow; break the ―rules‖ to create fluency.

For Primary: Grammar: What letters are; upper case and lower case letters, when to use upper

case and lower case letters; difference between vowels and consonants; when letter work

together what is a sentence; how do you know your sentence makes sense?

Unit and lesson plans Life is continuous, not week-to-week. So is learning. We understand that unit plans offer our students an

immersive experience. Once we create our quarterly summative performance task, we begin working

backwards by creating weekly formative benchmark assessments, and then daily formative assessments,

also called exit slips.

Please note: there should not be any unit plans solely focused on the First 20 days, or NWEA Test Prep.

Such skills should be incorporated into units with real-world applicable essential questions.

If teachers use anything that was from another source (i.e., downloaded from the Internet), they must cite

their source on the unit plan.

The required elements of Stage 3 lesson plans are:

Common Core Standards, NGSS, and WIDA Standards

Comprehension strategy, writing trait, and math practice

Diagnostic, Formative, and Summative Assessments

Texts and Resources

Daily activities that includes:

o Objective

o Mini lesson with modeling

o Differentiated activity

o Exit ticket

Accommodations for SPED and ELL

Stage 3 Lesson Plans must be printed and available at all times to any visitor.

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Emergency lesson plans Children crave order. Unfortunately, teachers occasionally need days off, for illness or other reasons. To

ensure our students always receive the utmost care by the substitute teachers, every teacher must use the

format for sub plans, below. Sub plans should be in your classroom, and a neighboring teacher should

have a copy.

Sub Plan Format

Teacher:

Room:

Grade Level(s):

Thank you for taking care of my students while I attend a meeting today! Please make sure the following

activities are completed by the end of the day. THANK YOU!

Time Description

8:00—8:15 Take attendance, send attendance sheet to office with Messenger Managers. Lunch Leaders

collect money, count students, and place envelope by door.

8:15—8:45 Reader’s Workshop: Students read independent reading books and write letters in their

Reading Notebooks. They can check out books from the classroom library and read on the rug,

but at your discretion. I allow talking if it is about their book and letter, but if you prefer they

can read silently at their desk.

8:45—9:50 Writer’s Workshop

9:50—10:30 Reader’s Journey

10:30—10:40 Bathroom Break. Use Bathroom Leaders to supervise.

10:40—10:50

10:55—11:15 Lunch Walk them to lunch and then you take your lunch.

11:15—11:23 Recess

11:23—12:00 Social Studies

12:00—1:45 Math

1:45 Dismissal: Walk students to exit.

PLEASE MAKE A LIST OF ANY STUDENTS THAT MISBEHAVE. REMIND THEM I WILL CALL

PARENTS AND NO RECESS IF ANYONE MISBEHAVES.

ATTENDANCE LIST IS LOCATED:

SEATING CHARTS ARE LOCATED:

CLASS LISTS:

FIRE EXIT:

DISASTER STATION:

LUNCH IS AT:

WASHROOM RECESS:

SCHEDULE:

DEPENDABLE STUDENTS:

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NOTES:

CAFETERIA:

FACULTY WASHROOMS:

PLEASE NOTE ALL CLASSES ARE TO BE ESCORTED TO AND FROM ANCILLARY CLASSES.

If there is no substitute present, students will be separated to the following rooms:

Room Student

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Understanding by Design (UbD) Unit plans are most effective when following the concept of Understanding by Design. There are three

stages to UbD. The following is from McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2004). Understanding by design:

Professional development workbook. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Stage 1. Identify Desired Results. In stage 1 we consider the goals. What should students know,

understand, and be able to do? What big ideas are worthy of understanding and implied in the established

goals (e.g., content standards, curriculum objectives)? What ―enduring‖ understandings are desired?

What provocative questions are worth pursuing to guide students‘ inquiry into these big ideas? What

specific knowledge and skills are targets in the goals and needed for effective performance?

Stage 2. Determine Acceptable Evidence. In the second stage we consider evidence of learning. How

will we know if students have achieved the desired results and met the content standards? How will we

know that students really understand the identified big ideas? What will we accept as evidence of

proficiency? The backward design orientation suggests that we think about our design in terms of the

collected assessment evidence needed to document and validate that the desired results of Stage 1 have

been achieved.

Stage 3. Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction. With identified results and appropriate evidence

of understanding in mind, it is now time to finalize a plan for the learning activities. What will need to be

taught and coached, and how should it best be taught, in light of performance goals? What sequence of

activity best suits the desired results? In planning the learning activities, we consider the WHERETO

elements as guidelines. Those guidelines can be summed up in the question: How will we make learning

both engaging and effective, given the goals and needed evidence?

W How will you help students to know WHERE they are headed and WHY – e. g., major

assignments, performance tasks, & standards to be addressed and criteria by which work will

be judged? How will you know WHERE they are coming from?

H How will you HOOK and HOLD students through engaging and thought-provoking

experiences [issues, oddities, problems, challenges] that point toward big ideas, essential

questions, and performance tasks?

E What learning experiences will ENGAGE students in EXPLORING the big ideas and

essential questions? What instruction is needed to EQUIP students for the final

performance[s]?

R How will you cause students to REFLECT & RETHINK to dig deeper into the core

ideas? How will you guide students in REVISING & REFINING their work based on

feedback and self-assessment? REHEARSING for their final performance?

E How will students EXHIBIT their understanding through final performances and

products? How will you guide them in self-EVALUATION to identify the

strengths/weaknesses in their work and set future goals?

T How will the work be TAILORED to individual needs, interests, brain dominances, modes of

learning, styles, and intelligences?

O How will the work be ORGANIZED for maximal engagement and effectiveness? [sequence,

integration, horizontal & vertical articulation, continuity, etc.]

http://xnet.rrc.mb.ca/glenh/new_page_43.htm

http://xnet.rrc.mb.ca/glenh/new_page_43.htm

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Co-Teaching Co-Teaching Defined: The partnership between two or more certified professionals for the co-planning,

co-managing, co-instructing, and co-assessing of a group of students with diverse needs in the same

general education classroom.

Purposing Co-Teaching

o Student: Improved academic performance due to the collaboration of two adults. Delivery of

services can be provided to all students.

o Teacher: Shared decision making leads to better results and enhanced motivation. Enhanced

problem-solving through diverse perspective.

o Legal: To the maximum extent possible, students with disabilities must be educated in the

general education classroom

Defining Collaborative Teaching

The quality and nature of instruction in a co-taught classroom should be significantly different compared

to when one professional is working alone.

What is Co-Teaching?

o A set of skills we need to learn

o A structure through which teachers work collaboratively to deliver instruction

o Two certified teachers working together

o Conducted in the same classroom at the same time

o Conducted with heterogeneous groups (not a group of sped students in a separate part of the gen. ed.

Classroom)

o Both teachers jointly assess and evaluate all the student‘s progress

o Both are consistently engaged in the instruction of all students

o Both teachers jointly reflect on their progress and process in attempt to continuously improve the

quality of their instruction

What Co-Teaching is Not

o It is not an inherent set of abilities, skills or attitudes

o An instructional strategy

o A teacher and a paraprofessional

o When a few students are pulled out of the classroom on a regular basis to work with one of the

professionals

o Consistently instructing a group of students with disabilities in a separate part of the general

education classroom

o When one of the professionals develops the plans and shares them with the other professional

o When one of the professionals consistently walks around the room as the other delivers the instruction

o When the general education teacher grades ―his‖ kids and the other professional grades ―her‖ kids.

o When each of the professionals takes turns being ―in charge‖ so that the other can get caught up on

grading, photocopying, returning calls, etc.

o When one professional tells the other teacher what to do and how to do it

Barriers o Reluctance of losing control

o Lack of willingness to invest time and effort

o Emphasis on teacher competition of individuality

o Scheduling issues, common planning time

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Differentiation At Morrill, we understand that every child is unique and have different ways of learning. Lessons and learning

opportunities should always offer differentiated paths for students to learn and achieve the intended outcome.

Below is a concept map that demonstrates how teachers can differentiate their lessons.

by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Susan Demirsky Allan, www.ascd.org or HERE

For specific examples on strategies incorporating differentiation see the list of strategies for teaching

students with diverse learning needs in the appendix of the handbook.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/100216/chapters/Understanding-Differentiated-Instruction@-Building-a-Foundation-for-Leadership.aspx

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/100216/chapters/Understanding-Differentiated-Instruction@-Building-a-Foundation-for-Leadership.aspx

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Teaching Strategies for Students with Diverse Learning Needs

General classroom tips for meeting diverse learning needs

(Selecting and using some of these approaches on occasion can add variety to teaching and can help

learners master the concepts of a lesson.)

Relate the class lesson to real life skills and experiences

Limit expectations to two or three concepts per unit

Evaluate projects rather than doing traditional testing

Concentrate on student strengths and apply those strengths to the lesson

Use concise written and oral directions

Use short answers rather than long essay responses

Create small group activities

Provide lecture outlines.

Pre-teach vocabulary, draw pictures, use concept mapping, webbing, organizers, and simplified

vocabulary

Be aware of academic levels in order to address reading and vocabulary problems

Model assignment expectations and show an example of the end product

Use multiple intelligence approaches when teaching the same lesson

Adaptations to meet student needs in specific skill areas

(These suggestions may be useful with more specific kinds of learning needs, but are beneficial to many

other students in the same classroom.)

When the Student Experiences Difficulty with Reading:

Allow partner reading

Use peer tutoring

Use taped materials (text or study guides)

Use videos with advanced organizer

Use computer games, e.g., Oregon Trail, Carmen San Diego

Allow students to read aloud quietly (sub-vocalization)

Teach self-questioning

Paraphrase key points and have students paraphrase them

Summarize key points and have students summarize them

Use graphic organizers

Sequence key points

Identify main ideas

Identify the 5 Ws: Who, What, When, Where, Why

Allow students to highlight texts, passages, key words, or concepts

Preview units, chapters, etc.

Use visual imagery

Use pre and post-reading activities to pre-teach or reinforce main ideas

Explain idioms that appear in reading passages

Allow silent pre-reading

Using new vocabulary and concepts contained in a reading passage, give a preparatory talk about

the assignment

*Reprinted with authorization of the Nebraska Department of Education

When Students Experience Difficulty with Writing

Allow them to dictate ideas to peers

Shorten writing assignments

Require lists instead of sentences

Use Post-it notes for organization

Provide note-takers

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Allow the student to dictate the written assignment into a tape recorder

Allow the student to use a computer for outlining, word-processing, spelling, and grammar check

Provide a fill-in-the-blank form for note-taking

Allow visual representation of ideas

Allow collaborative writing

Provide a structure for the writing

Provide a writing model for the assignment

Allow the use of a flow chart for composing ideas before the student writes them

Narrow the choice of topics

Grade on the basis of content, and do not penalize for errors in mechanics and grammar

Allow the student to use different writing utensils and paper

Allow writing/recording choices: manuscript, cursive, keyboarding

Allow student to use a different position for writing paper or a different surface

When Students Experience Difficulty with Speaking

Give sentence starters

Use visuals

Use graphic organizers for ideas and relationships

Allow extra response time for processing

Say student‘s name, then state the question

Use cues and prompts to help student know when to speak

Use partners

Phrase questions with choices embedded in them

Use choral reading or speaking

Use rhythm or music

Allow practice opportunities for speaking

When students Experience Difficulty with Attending

Use preferential seating

Use proximity to measure on task behavior

Build in opportunities for movement within a lesson

Use self-monitoring strategies

Provide a structure for organization

Help students set and monitor personal goals

Provide alternative work areas

Decrease distractions

Use active learning to increase opportunities for student participation

Provide opportunities to change tasks or activities more frequently

Have small, frequent tasks

Provide reminder cues or prompts

Use private signals to cue appropriate behavior for more difficult times

Teach skills of independence, i.e., paying attention

Provide definite purposes and expectations, especially during unstructured activities

Prepare the learner for changes in routine

Use the computer


Reduce assignment length

When Students Experience Difficulty with Hearing

Provide preferential seating

Use visual cues (overheads, drawings, maps, demonstrations, visual samples of new vocabulary)

Face the student directly when speaking

Emphasize key points (don‘t overload with information)

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Repeat or rephrase what other students say. Often hearing what other students say is difficult for

students with hearing impairments.)

Highlight texts/study guides

Provide note-taking assistance during lectures to allow students with hearing impairments to

concentrate on the teacher

Use peer tutoring

Use study sheets to organize information

Pre-teach vocabulary

Use captioned videos, films, etc.

Show videos or other visuals before presenting information to provide a knowledge base for

students

Use alternative testing methods

Minimize background noise

Simplify vocabulary

Use pre-printed outlines of material

When Students Experience Difficulty with Seeing

Describe what you are doing

Provide preferential seating

Provide material in large type or braille

Use books on tape

Be aware of lighting requirements

Use black on white printed handouts

Use tactual materials (contact a vision consultant for assistance with design) to represent concepts

Stand away from the window glare when talking

Give students individual copies of visual information presented to the group

Allow extra time to complete tasks

When Student Experiences Difficulty Following Classroom Rules

Teach rules/expectations; model/role-play situations

Post rules or expectations

Teach skills of independence

Be consistent

Use proximity

Have students set personal goals

Use self-monitoring strategies

Use positive correction prompts

Teach the use of positive and negative consequences

When Students Experience Difficulty with Understanding New Concepts

Pre-teach new concepts

Identify priority learning

Provide adequate time

Provide meaningful practice, review, repetition

Connect previous learning to new information

Use multiple means of learning the same material, e.g., visual, auditory, tactile

Have students set personal goals

Use flow charts

Use multiple intelligences

Use peer tutors

Use cooperative learning

Provide cues

- 17 -

When Students Experience Difficulty with Retaining and Retrieving Information

Use multi-modalities (visual, auditory, tactile) to teach the same concept

Teach vocabulary in context

Use cues, prompts


Use frequent repetition of key points

Break down instructional units into smaller steps

Show relationships among concepts through graphs, outlines, and webbing

Highlight important information

Use color coding to show concepts and relationships

Use peer tutors

Teach mnemonics as a memory tool

Teach visual imagery

Use rhythm, music, and movement

Use lists

Use matrix to organize information

Use pictographs

When Students Experience Difficulty with Representing new Learning in Assessment

Use a variety of authentic assessments

Teach test-taking strategies

Teach the format of an upcoming test

Allow adequate time

Allow paper-pencil tests to be taken in a different space

Allow a variety of ways to respond, e.g., orally, pictorially, tape recording, etc.

Establish criteria and expectations prior to instruction

Give choices

Assess learning over time

Use rubrics

Use self-assessment

When Students Experience Difficulty with Motor Skills/Mobility/Posture Maintenance/Materials

Use concrete examples

Use models

Provide adaptive equipment

Position materials for individual use

Allow different postures

Allow adequate time

Allow alternatives to writing

Be aware of the impacts of room arrangement

Be aware of the impacts of the physical positioning of the individual

Use peer tutors

Use bold outlines on maps and charts

Be aware of tasks that require eye level movement from one plane to another

Be aware of fatigue level

Maintain all participants at the same eye level during small group discussion

When Students Experience Difficulty with Organizing


Use semantic mapping

Use planners and calendars

Teach time management skills

Post sequence of events

Teach use of folders and notebooks

- 18 -

Teach how to clean desk and locker

Use assignment sheets

Tips for Working with High Ability Learners

Give choices

Use compacting

Allow making independent plans for independent learning

Use theory of Multiple Intelligences

Use mentoring of apprenticeship with professionals

Teach entrepreneurship

Teach scientific method

Allow tutoring/peer coaching

Use Socratic questioning

(The following adaptations were developed by the Chicago Public Schools Curriculum

Accommodation/Modification Committee)

When Students Have Difficulty with Social Relations

Assign a non-threatening peer to work directly with the student in a variety of situations

Have students role-play ways to interact in specific situations (create situations which will

provide positive experiences)

Select nonacademic activities, e.g., board games, which require social interaction

Allow the student to determine those with whom they would most prefer to work; allow this

partnership with the condition of appropriate behavior

Use ice-breaking activities

Gradually increase the size of the social group and/or the length of interactions

Primary Grades Phonics Programs 1. Phonemic Awareness: The Skills That They Need To Succeed by Michael Haggerty: Consisting of four

daily phonemic awareness exercises that address four different phonemic awareness skills with each lesson. It

is a teacher led scripted program which is intended to be done with the whole class but can be used for

additional small group practice as well. These lessons are short (not taking more than 12 min. per day) and

help students succeed in manipulate speech sounds effectively. As mentioned above, children with strong

phonemic awareness skills progress faster when taught how to analyze and manipulate speech sounds. The

program includes lesson plans for thirty - five weeks of instruction with a phonemic awareness curriculum plan

included.

2. Orton-Gillingham Program: a multi-sensory approach for teaching early reading instruction. It was

originally only used for students with dyslexia but current research supports the use of this approach as a

complementary component of the reading program adopted by a school district. When multisensory

techniques are used, they help to promote better retention as students are taught the phonetic codes of the

language. In this program 42 basic sounds and the letters that represent them are taught one at a time in

building block fashion. There is a daily drill on the sounds and many opportunities for word decoding practice.

The program has a five-part lesson plan. It is designed to be integrated into the curriculum every day for 30

minutes. Teachers can implement each section in conjunction with weekly lesson plans. Students who are

taught by a multisensory approach have the advantage of learning alphabetic patterns and words by utilizing all

three pathways.

3. Jolly Phonics: The only part of this program that Morrill has adapted is the action for each sound. Each

letter/letter combination has a story and movements that assist learners with learning the English alphabet.

Because of the kinestic nature of the actions for each letter, children can learn and remember individual sounds

quickly. It has been effective in helping students learn the 42 main sounds of the English language at our

school.

- 19 -

Cross-Curricular Reading Comprehension Strategies It is required that literacy instruction is integrated into social studies and science. Because of our unique

75 minute block schedule, the language arts instruction is far fewer minutes than required. As a result,

science and social studies must teach reading and writing strategies of informational literature, not just

content.

Although there are additional reading comprehension strategies, we‘ve chosen the six listed from

Strategies that Work, by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis. There are copies of this book in our

professional library. You can also Google these strategies, or use other resources that describe how to

teach these strategies. We strongly encourage you to collaborate with colleagues so you share the same

understanding of these strategies and teach them in a similar way.

Our goal is to create readers who will independently choose the appropriate strategy to enhance their

comprehension in any reading situation. This is achieved through repeated practice with text.

Activating Background Knowledge and Making Connections: a bridge from the new to the known

Questioning: The strategy that propels readers forward

Making Inferences: Reading between the lines

Visualizing: Becoming wordstruck

Determining Importance: Distilling the essence of text

Summarizing and Synthesizing Information: The evolution of thought

Skills vs. Strategies

Skill Strategy These are automatic procedures that do not require

thought, interpretation, or choice. A strategy is a conscious plan under the control of the

reader, who must make decisions about what

strategies to use and when to use them.

Skills are product-oriented, observable behaviors such

as answers to questions, answers on tests, skills lists,

and taxonomies.

Strategies are process-oriented, cognitive operations

the reader engages in, generally thought to be

unobservable. Skill instruction stresses repeated practice in applying

skills until they become habitual responses to

particular tasks.

Strategy instruction stresses the reasoning process

readers go through as they interact with and

comprehend text: how the strategies one uses change

when one reads different texts or reads for different

purposes.

Strategy instruction teachers what to do with a skill,

how and why to use it, and why it is important.

Strategy instruction focuses on ways to help students

understand what they read.

Examples of Skills Examples of Strategies Identify Main Idea Self-monitor & correct

Discern Author‘s Purpose Using decoding/phonics

Determine Sequence of events/ ideas Make and confirm predictions

Synonyms, Homophones, and Antonyms Read Ahead/Preview/Skim

Distinguish between important v. interesting details Brainstorm

Recognize Cause and Effect Pose & seek answers to questions

Predict Outcomes Activate/ use Prior Knowledge

Identify Narrative Elements (Setting, Characters, Plot,

etc.)

Reflect

Identify genre Evaluate

Interpret Multiple-Meaning Words Draw Conclusions

Summarize/ Restate/ Paraphrase Determine which ideas are important

Compare/Contrast Visualize

- 20 -

REACH Framework for Teaching At Morrill, we understand that teaching is as much a science as an art. We are constantly striving to hone

our craft. We have embraced the new REACH framework, knowing it will not only make us better

teachers, but also because we already meet many of the requirements, because Morrill hires and maintains

the best teachers in Chicago. We always strive to be distinguished.

Domain 1: Planning and Preparation

Component Distinguished

1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy

Knowledge of:

Content Standards Within and Across Grade Levels

Disciplinary Literacy

Prerequisite Relationships

Content-Related Pedagogy

Teacher’s plans demonstrate extensive knowledge of the relevant content standards and how these relate both to one another and to other disciplines, both within a grade level and across grade levels. Teacher’s plans demonstrate extensive knowledge of the disciplinary way of reading, writing, and thinking within the subject area. Teacher’s plans reflect an understanding of prerequisite relationships among topics and concepts and a link to necessary cognitive structures by students. Teacher’s plans include a wide range of effective pedagogical approaches in the discipline and anticipate student misconceptions.

1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students Knowledge of:

Child and Adolescent Development

The Learning Process

Students’ Individual Skills, Knowledge, and Language Proficiency

Students’ Interests and Cultural Heritage

Students’ Special Needs and Appropriate Accommodations/ Modifications

Teacher demonstrates extensive knowledge of childhood /adolescent development and actively seeks new knowledge. Teacher indicates an understanding of the active nature of student learning, learning styles, and modalities, and incorporates that knowledge in planning for instruction. Teacher continually and purposefully gathers information from several sources about individual students’ backgrounds, cultures, prior knowledge, skills, language proficiencies, interests, and special needs.

1c: Selecting Instructional Outcomes

Sequence and Alignment

Clarity

Balance

All the learning objectives used to drive instruction are standards-based. Learning objectives are varied to account for individual students’ needs, written in the form of student learning, and aligned to multiple methods of assessment. Teacher skillfully sequences and aligns standards-based objectives in the discipline and in related disciplines to build towards deep understanding, mastery of the standards, and meaningful real-world application Learning objectives reflect several different types of learning and provide multiple opportunities for both coordination and integration within and across the disciplines.

1d: Designing Coherent Instruction

Unit/Lesson Design that Incorporates Knowledge of Students and Their Needs

Unit/Lesson Alignment of Standards-Based Objectives, Performance Assessments, and Learning Tasks

Use of a Variety of Complex Texts, Materials, and Resources, Including Available Technology

Instructional Groups

Access for Diverse Learners

Teacher coordinates in-depth knowledge of content, students’ various needs, and available resources (including technology), to design units and lessons. Learning activities are fully aligned to standards-based learning objectives and are designed to engage students in high-level cognitive activities suitable for every student. The units and lessons are paced appropriately and are differentiated, as appropriate, for individual learners. Units and lessons include grade-appropriate levels of texts and other materials and task complexity, requiring students to provide evidence of their reasoning, so every student can access the content. The lesson or unit has a clear structure that incorporates student choice, allows for different pathways aligned with diverse student needs, and uses instructional groups intentionally.

- 21 -


1e: Designing Student Assessments

Congruence with Standards-Based Learning Objectives

Levels of Performance and Standards

Design of Formative Assessments

Use for planning

Teacher’s plan for student assessment is fully aligned with the standards-based learning objectives, with clear criteria; assessment methodologies have been adapted for individual students as needed. Assessment criteria are thorough, describe high expectations for students, and provide clear descriptors for each level of performance. Teacher’s formative assessment is complex and well designed, effectively measuring varying degrees of student learning and growth. Teacher uses assessment results to design units and lessons that intentionally and effectively meet the diverse needs of every student.

Domain 2: The Classroom Environment


2a: Creating an Environment of

Respect and Rapport

Teacher Interaction with Students, Including both Words and Actions

Student Interactions with Other Students, Including both Words and Actions

Patterns of classroom interactions, both between the teacher and students and among students, are highly respectful, reflecting genuine warmth and caring. Such interactions are sensitive to students as individuals. Students exhibit respect for the teacher and contribute to high levels of civility among all members of the class. The net result of interactions is that of connections with students as individuals.

2b: Establishing a Culture for Learning

Importance of Learning

Expectations for Learning and Achievement

Student Ownership of Learning

The classroom culture is characterized by a shared belief in the importance of learning. The teacher conveys high learning expectations for all students and insists on practice and perseverance. Students assume responsibility for high quality work by persevering, initiating improvements, making revisions, adding detail and/or helping peers.

2c: Managing Classroom Procedures

Management of Instructional Groups

Management of Transitions

Management of Materials and Supplies

Performance of Non-Instructional Duties

Direction of Volunteers and Paraprofessionals

Efficient classroom routines and procedures maximize instructional time. Teacher orchestrates the environment so that students contribute to the management of instructional groups, transitions, and/or the handling of materials and supplies without disruption of learning. Routines are well understood and may be initiated by students. Teacher productively engages volunteers and/or paraprofessionals in tasks that make a substantive contribution to the classroom environment.

2d: Managing Student Behavior

Expectations and Norms

Monitoring of Student Behavior

Fostering Positive Student Behavior

Response to Student Behavior

Teacher and students establish and implement standards of conduct so students follow the standards of conduct and self-monitor their behaviors. Students take an active role in monitoring their own behavior and that of other students against standards of conduct. Teacher’s monitoring of student behavior is subtle and preventive. Teacher and students use positive framing to model behavior. Teacher’s response to students’ inappropriate behavior is sensitive to individual student needs and respects students’ dignity.

- 22 -

Domain 3: Instruction


3a: Communicating with Students

Standards-Based Learning Objectives

Directions for Activities

Content Delivery and Clarity

Use of Oral and Written Language

Teacher clearly communicates standards-based learning objectives, guiding students to make connections with the relevance to their learning. Teacher’s directions and procedures are clearly explained, anticipating possible student misunderstanding, or are student-led. Teacher’s explanation of content is thorough, accurate, and clear, enabling students to develop a conceptual understanding of content while making connections to their interests, knowledge, and experience. Teacher's spoken and written language is clear, correct and builds on students' language development and understanding of content. Vocabulary is appropriate for the students' age and interests, and teacher finds opportunities to extend students’ vocabularies.

3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques

Use of Low- and High-Level Questioning

Discussion Techniques

Student Participation and Explanation of Thinking

Teacher uses a variety of low- and high-level open-ended, text- and task-dependent questions to challenge students cognitively, advance high level thinking and discourse, and promote meta-cognition. Teacher’s discussion techniques enable students to engage each other in authentic and rich text-based investigations or complex dialogue of the content under study. Teacher provides structures for students to initiate questions and respond to one another with evidence of their thinking, using viable arguments based on evidence. All students are listening and responding to questions and answers from their teacher and peers. Students themselves ensure that all voices are heard in the discourse.

3c: Engaging Students in Learning

Standards-Based Objectives and Task Complexity

Access to Suitable and Engaging Texts

Structure, Pacing and Grouping

Teacher selects or designs tasks and activities that are fully aligned with standards-based learning objectives and tailored so all students are intellectually engaged in challenging content. Teacher selects tasks, text, and materials that are complex and promote student engagement and initiation of inquiry and choice. Students contribute to the exploration of content. Teacher skillfully scaffolds instruction to ensure all students access to complex, developmentally and grade-level appropriate texts. The teacher’s structure and pacing of the lesson are developmentally appropriate and sequenced so that students reflect upon their learning. Students may also help one another build depth of understanding and complete tasks. Students flexibly group themselves during the lesson and achieve mastery of the content.

3d: Using Assessment in Instruction

Assessment Performance Levels

Monitoring of Student Learning with Checks for Understanding

Student Self-Assessment and Monitoring of Progress

Formative assessment is fully integrated into instruction, to monitor student progress, and to check for understanding of student learning. Teacher uses questions/prompts/assessments to evaluate evidence of learning. Students can explain, and there is some evidence that they have contributed to, the criteria by which their work will be assessed. Students self-assess and monitor their progress. Teacher and peers provide individual students a variety of feedback that is accurate, specific, and advances learning.

3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness

Lesson Adjustment

Response to Student Needs

Persistence

Interventions and Enrichment

Teacher seizes an opportunity to enhance learning, building on a spontaneous event or student interests, or successfully adjusts and differentiates instruction to address individual student misunderstandings. Teacher persists in seeking effective instructional approaches for students at all levels of learning, drawing on an extensive repertoire of strategies, and effectively matches various intervention and enrichment strategies to students’ learning differences as needed.

- 23 -

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities


4a: Reflecting on Teaching and Learning

Effectiveness

Use in Future Teaching

Teacher makes an accurate assessment of a lesson’s or unit’s effectiveness and the extent to which it achieved its lesson or unit’s objective and its impact on student learning, citing many specific examples and evidence. Teacher is able to analyze many aspects of his/her practice that led to the outcome of the lesson and the impact on student learning. Teacher offers specific alternative actions, complete with the probable success of each courses of action for how a lesson could be improved.

4b: Maintaining Accurate Records

Student Completion of Assignments

Student Progress in Learning

Non-instructional Records

Teacher has a detailed system for maintaining information on student completion of assignments, student progress in learning, and non-instructional records, requiring no monitoring for errors. Students contribute information and participate in maintaining the records.

4c: Communicating with Families

Information and Updates about Grade Level Expectations and Student Progress

Engagement of Families and Guardians as Partners in the Instructional Program

Response to Families

Cultural appropriateness

Teacher and students frequently communicate with families to convey information about an individual student’s progress and to solicit and utilize the family’s support in relationship to grade level expectations. Teacher meaningfully and successfully engages families as partners in the instructional program through classroom volunteering, working at home with their child, involvement in class and school projects in and out of school, and parent workshops and training. Response to families’ concerns is handled professionally and in a timely manner. Teacher provides resources and solutions that address family concerns. Teacher’s communications with families is sensitive to cultural norms and needs, with students contributing to the communication as appropriate.

4d: Growing and Developing Professionally

Enhancement of Content Knowledge and Pedagogical Skill

Collaboration and Professional Inquiry to Advance Student Learning

Participation in School Leadership Team and/or Teacher Team

Incorporation of Feedback

Teacher initiates opportunities for professional growth and makes a systematic effort to enhance content knowledge and pedagogical skill of self and colleagues. S/he uses new knowledge to improve practice of self and colleagues. Teacher invites meetings and initiates collaborations with colleagues. Teacher provides and accepts collegial support and provides and accepts valuable feedback to/from colleagues. Teacher participates in and facilitates professional inquiry with school team to advance student learning and serves on a leadership and/or teaching team. Teacher welcomes and uses feedback from a variety of stakeholders (e.g. colleagues, administrators, students, parents, external education partners) to improve practice and advance student learning.

4e: Demonstrating Professionalism

Integrity and Ethical Conduct

Commitment to College and Career Readiness Advocacy

Decision Making

Compliance with School and District Regulations

Teacher has the highest standards of integrity, always holds student and required school information confidential, and is honest in professional and student/family interactions. Teacher is highly proactive, seeking out resources when needed in order to serve students effectively and working to ensure every student is college and career ready. Teacher takes a leadership role in team or departmental decision-making and recommendations for self, colleagues, and students. Teacher complies fully with school and district regulations, taking a leadership role with colleagues.

- 24 -

Morrill Instructional Norms Children need stability, and learning new routines year-to-year wastes valuable instructional time. If every teacher

has their own unique way of organizing their classroom, both teachers and students will be frustrated. We can all

win if we agree upon certain instructional norms, which have been designed and developed by teachers at Morrill.

Please follow these instructional norms to ensure our students learning time is maximized.

Morrill School - Wide Instructional Norms

Item Description of what is expected

Rea

der

’s

No

teb

oo

ks

K-2

nd

Marble Notebook: Reader’s Notebooks are to enable students to write about their reading.

Students will respond to text in their reader‘s notebooks.

Students will respond to text through pictures, sketches, and oral explanations.

Students will begin by responding to read-alouds and gradually become independent by middle of 2nd

grade.

In 1st grade, informal extended response will be included in this notebook.

Rea

der

’s N

ote

boo

ks

3rd

-8th

Marble Composition Notebook: Reader’s Notebooks (aka: Reading Journals) are to enable students to write

about their reading (see Fountas and Pinnell, Guided Reading and Writers). The Reading Journal should include:

Reading Log, Reading Goals (by marking period) and Reading ―territories‖ (favorite Genres)

Chronological, dated Reading Responses

Individual Vocabulary lists: words the student has encountered that he wants to learn

The journal may also contain:

Literature Circle assignments/ prompts This notebook should not be used for any other purposes, and students should not tear out any pages. This is one of

the most valuable and robust artifacts that will help you guide a student’s learning.

Wri

tin

g

No

teb

oo

ks

pre

K-K

Yellow DMA Composition journal: Writer’s Notebooks are to enable students to create original writing.

Teachers and students should have the same notebook, so that teachers are able to model writing for the

students

Teachers should use an anchor text to model writing for students

Teachers need to share, discuss, and display anchor papers to model / discuss expectations for writing

Wri

ter’

s N

ote

bo

ok

s

1st-8

th

Marble Composition Notebook: Writer’s Notebooks are to enable students to create original writing in the

narrative, opinion/argument, and informative genre.

Teachers and students should have the same notebook, so that teachers are able to model writing for the

students

Teachers should use an anchor text to model writing for studentsTeachers need to share, discuss, and display

anchor papers to model / discuss expectations

for writing

- 25 -

Ma

th F

act

s

K-4

th

Math Facts Calendar

The following table lists which grade levels should focus on specific facts and when. Teachers continue using the

same rigorous curriculum, but the math facts calendar will help teachers know what their students need to master by

the end of each quarter and grade. This calendar should guide homework, supplemental supports, and weekly

quizzes, and is not the core curriculum.

Grade Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Kinder Counting Counting Addition addition

1st Addition Addition Subtraction subtraction

2nd

Subtraction 2- digit addition

without carrying

2-digit addition with

carrying

2-digit subtraction

with regrouping

3rd

Multiplication Facts

1 through 5 and 10

Addition: 3 digit

with carrying

Subtraction: 3 digit

with regrouping

Multiplication

through 12

4th

Multiplication

through 12

Division Facts 1

through 5 and 10

Division Facts 1

through 5 and 10

Division Facts

through 12

Sci

ence

& S

oci

al

Stu

die

s

Note

book

s/ F

old

ers

K-8

th

Spiral notebooks for grades 3-8, Teacher discretion for grades K-2.

Students should have a separate notebook for science and social studies

Front Cover contains rubric developed by teachers to explicitly state what should be in each entry.

Each entry should include the following

Date

Objective / question / problem

Written observations of experiment

Analysis

o Notes and lists

o Technical drawings and labeled diagrams

o Charts

o Tables

o Graphs

Vocabulary

Important concepts / content

Further inquiry

Learning about science and social studies is not the memorization of vocabulary and concepts, but hands-on

exploration and investigation of concepts. Notebooks should not be used to take rote copying of notes.

Ob

ject

ives

All

Gra

des

On dry-erase board

The objectives will be posted on dry-erase board in the front right side of the room. Use blue painters tape

to section off your board, not duct or masking tape.

Objective must be a S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) objective directly

tied to the lesson and derived from a standard.

Objective must be written in student-friendly language, and must be legible from all desks in the room.

Mo

del

ed W

riti

ng

All

Gra

des

On chart paper and/or teacher’s personal marbled notebook

Teacher will model writing daily using chart paper or in their personal notebook via a projector.

Modeled writing should reflect the writing benchmark/anchor papers (*See DMA Writing Benchmarks for

detailed objectives for process, surface features, and content: http://sdrv.ms/Ns5Y91)

Children need to be seated in close proximity to the teacher during modeling (preK through 2nd

grade).

Students learn the elements of each genre through reading, and then they also attempt to create their own

original writing and apply the elements in their writing. This is not writing about reading, this is the

creation of their own original writing piece.

Modeled writing demonstrations are to be used for explicit instruction that includes a teaching point,

modeled using meta-cognition/ think aloud.

http://sdrv.ms/Ns5Y91

- 26 -

Wo

rd W

all

s/ V

oca

bu

lary

All

Gra

des

On bulletin board

Grades K-3 will have a sight word wall displayed in their classroom. Words per month are:

o Kindergarten: 3 high-frequency words

o 1st-3

rd grade: 20 Dolch words

o See Word Lists in CPS K-2 Learning Targets document:

https://sites.google.com/site/morrillcpsplans/school-documents

Words will be added to word wall after they are taught to students.

Students in grades K-3 will be exposed to the same sight words for their grade level.

Grades 2-8 will place a list of all sight words they are held accountable for in the front of their writing

journal.

Vocabulary words will be taught on anchor charts for that specific story, unit, or theme.

Students will transfer the vocabulary words to their vocabulary or math notebooks.

Sch

edu

le &

Ca

len

da

r A

ll G

rad

es

Printed and displayed

Teachers will display a daily schedule for the class with times.

Teachers will have a monthly calendar posted that lists important dates that include quizzes, tests, and

project due-dates. Teachers are strongly encouraged but not required to list daily homework on the

calendar. This will help ensure routines are established and enable students to be organized, leading to a

higher completion rate of homework.

Tex

t-B

ase

d

An

nota

tio

n

Mark

s A

ll G

rad

es

Poster on wall: Students will learn how to make text-based annotation s to support active reading. When students

cannot mark the text, sticky notes must be used.

I knew that

? What does this mean? I am confused.

X I disagree

! This is important

Ph

ysi

cal

Hea

lth

&

Sex

Ed

uca

tion

Every science teacher is required to include at least 60 minutes of health instruction per week.

Every homeroom teacher is required to have 30 minutes per week of physical activity built into their

classroom schedule, aligned to and supporting the physical education instruction happening in PE. See PE

scope and sequence for alignment.

Required Minutes Per Day

Con

ten

t G

uid

elin

es Content Area Grades K-2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8

Literacy 75 (30 min. of phonics) 75 75 (15 min. of intervention)

Math 75 75 75 (15 min. of ELA intervention)

Science 75 (15 min. of math) 75 (15 min. of math) 75 (15 min. of Math)

Social Science 75 (45 min. of ELA) 75 (45 min. of ELA) 60

Non-instructional 15 min. per day

Lunch & Recess 45 min. per week

Health 60 min. per week incorporated into science

Sexual Health K-4th

: 300 Minutes per year 5th

-8th

: 675 minutes per year

https://sites.google.com/site/morrillcpsplans/school-documents

- 27 -

First Twenty Days Schedule To create a stable, consistent, school-wide learning environment, every teacher will follow the schedule

for the first twenty days of school. By focusing on procedures in the first four weeks of school we can

alleviate many disruptions and misconduct the remainder of the year, ensuring more learning time the

remainder of the year. These first twenty days will allow teachers to build the foundation of solid,

positive relationships with their students. Please note the first twenty days for Language Arts in

Kindergarten

The First 20 Days Schedule

Day Behavior Instruction

1

Daily Routine: Classroom arrival

Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)

Cross-Curricular Reading Strategy: Introduce and model Monitoring

Comprehension

K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: I-Chart behaviors/WHY? 3 Ways to Read a Book

K-2: **Introduce Read to Self**

3-5 Read Aloud: Have chart in room labeled ―Books we‘ve shared‖ and write down every

book you read aloud.

3-5 Independent Reading: Students will have an opportunity to silently read.

3-5 Chart: Reading is Thinking

Math game on math facts: Kinder: counting; 1st: addition, 2

nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

2


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)

Cross-Curricular Reading Strategy: Introduce and model Activating and Connecting

to Background Knowledge

K-2 Daily 5 Mini lesson: 3 Ways to Read a book (read the words, read the pictures, retell a familiar story)

K-2: Read to Self 3-5: Independent Reading: Students will have an opportunity to silently read.

3-5: Chart: Ways to Choose Books


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

3


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)

Cross-Curricular Reading Strategy: Introduce and model Questioning

K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: Choosing a good reading spot

K-2: Read to Self 3-5 Independent Reading: Students read silently for 30 minutes.

3-5 Chart: Easy, Just Right, Challenging


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

4


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)

Cross-Curricular Reading Strategy: Introduce and model Monitoring

Comprehension

K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: Choosing Good-Fit books (3 pairs of shoes) IPICK good-fit books

K-2: Read to Self 3-5 Independent Reading: Using sticky notes to jot down what you are thinking about as you

read.

3-5 Chart: Reading is Thinking


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

5

Daily Routine: Assemblies

Field Trips

Cross-Curricular Reading Strategy: Introduce and model Visualizing and Inferring,

and Determining Importance in Text

K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: Choosing Good-Fit books/5 Finger Rule

- 28 -

After School

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)

K-2: Read to Self 3-5 Independent Reading: Children learn how to listen to each other and share effectively as

partners or in groups.

3-5 Chart: How to Buzz Effectively


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

6


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)

Cross-Curricular Reading Strategy: Model and task Monitoring Comprehension

K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: I-Chart behaviors/WHY?

K-2: **Introduce Read to Someone** Continue building stamina for R2Self 3-5 Independent Reading: Think about how you feel about a book when you read it.

3-5 Chart: Why Reader‘s Abandon Books


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

7


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)


K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: Check for Understanding (checkmarks), I Read, You Read (same book)

K-2: Read to Someone Continue building stamina for R2Self 3-5 Independent Reading: Think about the book you are reading. Is it fiction or nonfiction?

3-5 Chart: Refer to ―Books We‘ve Shared‖ chart. Define fiction and nonfiction on chart and

define.


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

8


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)


K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: I Read, You Read (different books)

K-2: Read to Someone Continue building stamina for R2Self 3-5 Independent Reading: Think about the genre of the book you are reading.

3-5 Chart:

Create a genre chart that defines each genre. Label all the books you have read with RF

(realistic fiction) SF (Science Fiction) etc.

Label ―Books We‘ve Shared‖ Chart with an I or B depending if the nonfiction book is

informational or biography.


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

9


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)


K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: Choosing a good-spot (refer to R2self)

K-2: Read to Someone Continue building stamina for R2Self 3-5 Independent Reading: Section one in Reader‘s Notebook. Students record the books

they have read.

3-5 Chart: Enlarged journal paper


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

10


Field Trips

After School

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)


K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: How to choose a reading partner

K-2: Read to Someone Continue building stamina for R2Self

3-5 Independent Reading:

3-5 Chart: Guidelines for Reader‘s Workshop


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

11 Daily Routine: Classroom arrival

Cross-Curricular Reading Strategy: Model and task Activating and Connecting to

Background Knowledge

- 29 -

Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)

K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: Coaching or Time? (bookmarks)

K-2: Read to Someone Continue building stamina for R2Self 3-5 Independent Reading: Students learn how to write letters on the reader‘s notebook.

3-5 Chart: Personal Letter from Teacher or other form of response


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

12


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)




K-2: Read to Someone Continue building stamina for R2Self 3-5 Independent Reading: Write letter or response in notebook.

3-5 Read Aloud:

3-5 Chart: Due Date for Letters or Responses


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

13


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)




K-2: Read to Someone Continue building stamina for R2Self 3-5 Independent Reading: Proofread letters or responses prior to turning them in to teacher.

3-5 Read Aloud:

3-5 Chart: Proofreading your Letter


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

14


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)



K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: How to make decisions together (Where?, who will read first?, what will we read?, how?)

K-2: Read to Someone Continue building stamina for R2Self 3-5 Independent Reading: As you read, think about the different things you can write about.

3-5 Read Aloud:

3-5 Chart: Topics you can write about in Reader‘s Notebook


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

15


Field Trips

After School

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)



K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: I-Chart behaviors/WHY? Model 1-2 word work choices such as rainbow spelling & magnetic letters

K-2: **Introduce Word Work** Continue building stamina for R2Self & R2S1

3-5 Independent Reading: As you read, jot down your thoughts on sticky notes.

3-5 Chart:


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

16


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Cross-Curricular Reading Strategy: Model and task Questioning

K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: How to set up and clean up word work materials (model with magnetic letters)

K-2: Word Work Continue building stamina for R2Self & R2S1

3-5 Independent Reading: Continue to practice use of sticky notes.

- 30 -

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)

3-5 Chart: Reading Interests


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

17


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)


K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: What to do when you are done What to do if the chime rings and you are not done

K-2: Word Work Continue building stamina for R2Self & R2S1

3-5 Independent Reading: Write a book recommendation for the book you are reading.

3-5 Chart: Book Recommendations


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

18


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)


K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: Model/teach 1-2 more word work choices such as white boards and versatiles

K-2: **Introduce Listen to Reading** Continue building stamina for R2Self & R2S1, and Word Work

3-5 Independent Reading: Use strategies and skills to figure out the meaning of the book

you are reading.

3-5 Chart: ―How to Be Sure You Understand the Author‘s Message‖


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

19


Transitioning

Hallway

Restroom

Cafeteria

Prep

Dismissal

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)


K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: I-Chart behaviors/WHY? Model how to use the listening equipment properly Taking care of the equipment and how to put it away properly What to do if the listening equipment is NOT working properly

K-2: Listen to Reading Continue building stamina for R2Self & R2S1, and Word Work

3-5 Independent Reading: Use strategies and skills to solve unknown words.

3-5 Chart: ―Ways Reader‘s Solve Words‖


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

20


Field Trips

After School

(see Behavior

Norms Mini-

lessons)

Cross-Curricular Reading Strategy: Model and task Questioning (Continue following

Cross-Curricular Reading Comprehension Strategies, on page ##)

K-2 Daily 5 Mini lessons: What to do when the story ends What to do if the chime rings and the story is not over

K-2: Listen to Reading Continue building stamina for R2Self & R2S1, and Word Work

3-5 Independent Reading: Use punctuation to help gain an understanding of the author‘s

message.

3-5 Chart: Paragraph to observe punctuation


nd: subtraction, 3

rd, multiplication

Homework policy Too often our students begin their schooling far behind our own children in critical areas of reading,

writing, and mathematics. We need to be demanding of our students and hold them to high expectations.

Homework should be a combination of repetition and exploration. Develop routines in your classroom

that your students can then follow without your support. Communicate these routines in your class

calendar (see Instructional Norms). In math, students should be held accountable for studying math facts

via brief, weekly quizzes. In reading and writing, a weekly spelling and handwriting quiz. Social studies,

science, and reading can assign vocabulary study.

- 31 -

Independent reading of 30 minutes a night should be strongly encouraged!

All teachers should ensure their students are carrying a book bag to and from school. By allowing your

students to arrive and leave school without a book bag allows them to believe learning is confined to the

school. Students not completing homework should not be allowed to participate in any incentive events,

including sports, field trips, class parties, etc.

We follow the CPS Guidelines for minutes per day of assigned homework:

Kindergarten: 15 minutes per day

Grades 1, 2, & 3: 30 minutes per day

Grades 4, 5, & 6: 45 minutes per day

Grades 7 & 8: 90 minutes per day (across all subject areas)

Grading policy Special Education students are expected to meet the terms of their IEP including Benchmarks and

Promotion Policy. IEP and ELL students often have a modified promotion criteria. However, all IEP and

ELL students are expected to be taught and assessed using the same academic Standards. It is the

responsibility of all teachers, not just special education teachers to provide modifications and

accommodations to students with specific and individualized needs. For SPED students, check the IEP for

the grading scale adjustments.

Teachers can only assign a grade of ―D‖ or ―F‖ to a student in reading or math if they can demonstrate

proof they have progress monitored the student using MTSS process for at least three weeks.

―You can tell a lot about a teacher’s values and personality just by asking how he or she feels about

giving grades. Some defend the practice, claiming that grades are necessary to ―motivate‖

students. Many of these teachers actually seem to enjoy keeping intricate records of students’

marks. Such teachers periodically warn students that they’re ―going to have to know this for the test‖ as

a way of compelling them to pay attention or do the assigned readings – and they may even use surprise

quizzes for that purpose, keeping their grade books at the ready.

Frankly, we ought to be worried for these teachers’ students. In my experience, the most impressive

teachers are those who despise the whole process of giving grades. Their aversion, as it turns out, is

suppo rted by solid evidence that raises questions about the very idea of traditional grading.‖

--Alfie Kohn http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/fdtd-g.htm

GradeBook & Student Attendance Grades should be based solely on academic ability. Do not base grades on behavior or personality.

Children cannot be punished into being motivated to learn.

IEPs should be taken into consideration. Some IEPs state less weight should be placed on assessments

and more on class work and participation. To determine if a SPED student has a modified grading scale,

follow these directions:

1. Go to IMPACT

2. Log in to SSM using your username and password you use for Gradebook

3. Click on Administration, click on Students (search student by name)

4. Click on the document icon next to the student's name

5. Click on Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

6.Click on the Cover Sheet drop down menu and select "Curriculum, Grades, Promotion, and Graduation"

to view the grading scale

http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/fdtd-g.htm

- 32 -

Grade Weighting Homework: 10% Class participation: 15% Classwork: 25%

Projects: 25% Tests & Quizzes: 25%

Student early dismissal Teachers are not to release students to anyone other than school personnel. When a parent or guardian

requests a student‘s early dismissal they must report to the main office and follow appropriate steps.

Report cards Since Report Cards are generated electronically, it is the responsibility of the teacher to ensure grades are

up to date. Notice will be given as to when grades need to be validated. After grades are validated by the

teacher, no grades will be changed without a specific meeting with the principal. The teacher needs to be

ready to show data for the requested change.

Failure notices and intervention plans Parents are our partners in educating their children. They must be kept informed of their child‘s progress.

No child will be retained unless their parents have been properly informed and we have exhausted all

intervention strategies that could have helped the student.

When a child is failing a subject, the teacher should arrange a meeting with the parent. Conferences

between parent and teacher should be arranged at convenient times (before/after school or during preps)

by either party, and only during times when the teacher is not with students. Teachers should make

parents feel welcome when asking for help when satisfactory progress is not being made. Teachers

should be open to discussing progress reports or specific grades with both students and parents.

Once failure begins, a student must be entered into the MTSS system immediately (see MTSS section of

handbook). Teachers cannot fail a student without first creating an intervention plan and progress

monitoring for at least one week. If an adequate intervention plan is not created or followed through, the

teacher must change the student‘s grade(s) to a ―C‖.

Agenda books Students in grades K-8

th will be given an agenda book to record assignments, communicate information

with parents, and to learn how to establish long and short-term planning. Students should use the agenda

book every day, and teachers should monitor the use.

Teachers are to ensure students record grades, attendance, and test scores every quarter in their agenda

book.

The agenda book will also contain an After-School passport for every quarter. Students will be required

to carry their agenda book with them after-school at all times.

- 33 -

Professional Learning Cycle At Morrill, we value our faculty and staff‘s uniqueness. We specifically hire people who can bring something

new or different to Morrill. We want our school to be a reflection of the wider world. However, as an

organization, we have to learn to work together. People, adults and children, learn best from their peers. Our

professional learning systems are designed so teachers have opportunities to learn from both colleagues and

experts.

Grade Level Meetings This year our weekly grade level meetings are changing. Instead of a top-down direction, teacher teams will

have a choice of how they learn. The only condition is that the choose one of the six Convergence Academy

Pillars as a lens of study (collaboration, authentic participation, play, choice of expression, critical response,

and iterative learning).

Each week grade level teams will meet to discuss the pillar. They will use one of the following steps, but not

necessarily in this order. Below is a suggested week-to-week schedule of what the teams study, and what they

post on the Teacher Reflection Blog (http://morrill.cps.edu/teacher-reflection-blog). Each week grade level

teams must post one entry on the Teacher Reflection Blog.

Week Step of cycle Possible blog suggestions

1 Choose pillar, integrate into instruction

for safe practice. Contact Liz for

professional reading.

Reflection on why team chose pillar;

brainstorming ideas on how to integrate

pillar; share how pillar has been

Six Pillar Learning

Cycle

Select Area of Focus

Safe Practice & Experiment

Professional Reading

Observation & Feedback

Video Study

Looking at Student

work

http://morrill.cps.edu/teacher-reflection-blog

- 34 -

integrated in the past and how it could be

improved… .

2 Discuss professional reading and how it

pertains to your professional practice.

Share reflections and ideas based on

professional reading; text-to-text, text-to-

self, text-to-world connections… .

3 Peer observations: teacher colleagues

observe each other‘s instruction, in

person or via video, and offer feedback

on how pillar was incorporated into

practice.

Anonymous description of what was

observed; description or explanation of

constructive feedback that was shared;

next steps for improving instructional

practices… .

5 Team continues observing via video

studies or peer observations.

Anonymous description of what was

observed; quantitative data on qualitative

aspects (―3 out of 4 classrooms had

evidence of student choice‖ etc.)… .

6 Team brings student work to analyze

and discuss.

Analysis of student work; what students

did well, what they need more support in

doing; what instructional moves could be

utilized to support learning; what

instructional moves might have been

missing to explain gaps in students‘

performance… .

7 Team summarizes what they learned in

this cycle, and develops next steps to

deepen integration of pillar into

practice.

Reflection on entire cycle.

Certified Professional Development Units At any time teachers can print CPDU forms and request a signature from the principal authorizing credits

for their learning. Click her for the form http://tinyurl.com/cpws5oh and click here for the evaluation

http://tinyurl.com/c7u6cft.

PPC (Professional Problems Committee) ―Its chairperson is the school‘s head teacher delegate. There can be between three (3) and five (5)

members, including PSRPs, elected by the faculty. The committee members‘ names must be submitted to

the principal within 48 hours of their election. The PPC should meet at least monthly. Each party should

submit agenda items 48 hours before the meeting. The PPC‘s purpose is to give the staff and the principal

a chance to discuss and resolve issues about implementing the contract in the school. The committee also

oversees implementation of new CPS instructional programs at the school level. Both teachers and the

principals can bring in resource people to discuss particular agenda points where they have expertise.

The PPC can be an excellent way of resolving potential grievances in an informal way. The PPC‘s new

added muscle allows it to discuss and resolve potential grievances. The PPC also gives its members an

opportunity to get information, which they can then disseminate to the faculty as a whole either in

writing, on the CTU bulletin board, by e-mail, or at monthly union meetings. It is also a way of bringing

concerns of the faculty to administration‘s attention on a collective basis, making it harder for

administrators to single out individuals as ‗complainers.‘‖(Source: http://www.ctunet.com)

Morrill PPC members in 2013-2014 include Leticia Medellin, Jamie Tyson, and Guadalupe Rivera, and

David Power.

http://tinyurl.com/cpws5oh

http://sdrv.ms/MKYKXk

http://tinyurl.com/c7u6cft

http://www.ctunet.com/

- 35 -

PPLC (Professional Personnel Leadership Committee) At Morrill we chose to have a PPLC instead of an ILT (Instructional Leadership Team), since they are

redundant. Our PPLC does the work of an ILT. Our PPLC members for the 2014-2015 school year

include: Guadalupe Rivera, Jennifer Harris, Monique Redeaux, Kiah Nolan, Octavia Rhodes, Jamie

Tyson, Barbara Warszalak, Liz Radzicki, Jeanine Edwards, Anthony Abata, Monica Morrow, Sherry

Stephens, Akiba Moss, Gabriella Rodriguez, and Kristin Blathras.

―This committee was established by Illinois State Law. In recent years, we have seen efforts by the Board

to usurp the PPLC‘s duties with an Instructional Leadership Team that they appoint rather than the

PPLC, which we elect. We have a legal right to a PPLC and we should elect one annually. It consists of

the two teacher representatives on the LSC and up to seven members elected to represent certificated

staff. The PPLC‘s responsibilities include reviewing and providing input for the Continuous Improvement

Work Plan (CIWP). It is also supposed to help develop an expenditure plan for the school‘s lump sum

allocation from CPS. The principal is responsible for developing the discretionary budget in consultation

with the PPLC and the LSC at your school. The PPLC is also supposed to make recommendations to the

principal regarding curriculum content and methods and the committee should meet monthly with the

principal and make regular reports to the Local School Council.

Let‘s set up these committees and get busy. They are vehicles for us to have a voice in what goes on in

our buildings. They can only work if we make them work!‖ (Source: http://www.ctunet.com)

Flex Days This year Morrill is using our flex days spread out over the course of the school year. We believe this is

critical to our success because it enables concentrated time for teams of teachers to meet in ways that

aren‘t possible in the normal school day, such as by department or grade cycle.

One flex days teachers are required to stay an additional 90 minutes until 4:30 each day. Teachers need to

report to the library immediately after students are dismissed, without exception. Half of the flex days are

devoted to the Powerful Practices, one for literacy and one for math. The other half are ―choose your own

adventure‖ in which teacher leaders can offer professional learning to their colleagues, and teachers can

choose to sign up for a session. Teacher leaders have to share a summary of what teachers will learn at

least one week prior to the session.

Flex dates:

September 9th: Assessments

September 23rd

: Powerful Practices

October 14th: Choose your own adventure

October 28th: Powerful Practices

November 4th : Choose your own adventure

November 18th: Powerful Practices

December 9th: Choose your own adventure

January 13th: Powerful Practices

January 27th: Choose your own adventure

February 10th: Powerful Practices

February 24th: Closing and Celebration of Powerful Practices

March 10th: Choose your own adventure

If teachers miss a flex day they have to make up the time in another meaningful way. Options will include

reading professional literature and writing a reflection; attending PD outside of Morrill on another day; or

loss of pay.

http://www.ctunet.com/

- 36 -

Learning Cycles & Powerful Practices We have several cycle of learning happening at Morrill. The PPLC decided to continue last year‘s

Powerful Practice (CCSS Shift #3 Access to Complex Texts). It is the first priority of our CIWP. PPLC

Members are leading the professional development sessions this year.

ELA & Social Studies Powerful Practice Access Points to CCSS Shift #3

1. Purpose and Modeling: The first access point for students to engage with complex text is

established through modeling and setting the purpose.

Who will facilitate professional learning: Morrow, Rodrigues, Nolan

When: 9/23

2. Close Reading: Close reading and scaffolding reading instruction is a critical access point as it

establishes critical access to complex texts as the shift of responsibility moves to the learner.

Who will facilitate professional learning: Blathras, Redeaux

When: 10/28

3. Collaborative Conversations: Gaining access to complex text requires collaborative

conversations because students need to talk about text and make meaning with their peers.

Who will facilitate professional learning: Stephens, Rivera

When: 11/18

4. Independent Reading Staircase: Independent reading is a time when students get to practice

applying what they have been learning during other parts of their instructional day.

Who will facilitate professional learning: McMahon, Edwards

When: 1/13

5. Assessing Performance: Utilizing formative assessment opportunities so the teacher and student

know what is known and what is not yet known, and using feedback in ways to build student

understanding.

Who will facilitate professional learning: Moss, Abata

When: 2/10

Math & Science Powerful Practice

Morrill has been selected to participate in a grant from UIC to support and improve math instruction and

align it with Common Core.

The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has received a grant from the McCormick Foundation to

support the improvement of PK-5 mathematics instruction with a Common Core emphasis. UIC is

working with Network 10 personnel and 4 target elementary schools in our network for participation in

the two year project. Shelby Cosner is the leaders of the project.

Principals, APs, and a smaller subset of teachers from each of the participating schools would be expected

to participate in roughly 5-10 PD sessions per year (and teachers would be compensated for

attendance). Several individuals from the network would also participate in a subset of the PD so the

network interest in and support of the work would be critical.

The details of the Powerful Practice will emerge as the work begins this school year.

Science Powerful Practice

During the summer of 2014 we send five science teachers (Orozco, Bates, Pagan, Rivera, and L.

Martinez) to the Golden Apple Foundation science professional development. The focus was Project

Based Learning in science. A coach will visit Morrill each month to support all science teachers to

implement project-based learning.

- 37 -

Convergence Academy This is our most significant learning cycle and ties together all content learning cycles described above.

Convergence Academy is funded by a Department of Education i3 grant and our lead partner is Columbia

College. The Convergence Academies Professional Learning Model prepares teachers to become

designers of powerful learning experiences. Teachre4rs learn to think like a designer through the

development of Convergence Units in collaboration with professional digital media artists, or Digital

Media Mentors, and Media Integration Specialists. Convergence Units empower students through the

―3c‘s‖ model:

Connect—Students are able to connect their learning to the real world. Interactive with diverse

individuals and communities, students thoughtfully critique and discuss others‘ work and ideas, and

collaborate with others online and in-person.

Consume—Students conduct research to locate text and visual resources, evaluate the quality of

information, analyze the reliability of information sources, and critically interpret text and visual media.

Create—Students learn specific pre-production, production and post-production skills in various digital

media, including photography, film/video, audio, graphic design, web design, game/interactive design,

robotics ad journalism. They should be able to write, annotate and edit content, both text and visual, in

order to create pieces that synthesize, advocate, provoke, express, and report.

Convergence Six Pillars Collaboration is a way of approaching learning that is more authentically connected to how students

experience work and life in the real world. It goes beyond just working in groups or in partners to

complete a task.

Collaborative learning is about designed social interactions that encourage interdependence, division of

labor, skill-sharing, personal growth, social emotional learning, and divergent thinking.

Play is a powerful learning process because of its capacity to engage the learner in complex, dynamic

systems, where they are positioned as problem solvers, participants, and producers. It is naturally

inquiry-based. Play allows students to take on roles and experiment, as well as to learn through metaphor.

Play is a habit of mind that allows students to make sense of complex and new information. Play allows

students to feel safe and comfortable to experiment, tinker, and try new things in order to learn and figure

out the world around them. Play accommodates different modalities and styles of learning.

Choice of Expression provides students with a sense of empowerment by allowing them to choose

from a variety of forms of communication, across types of media in order to ask questions, solve

problems and amplify their voices. Students use different tools and media to consume, connect and

create.

Choice of expression is central to instilling a sense of ownership in the learning process because

encouraging creativity fosters original thought, innovation, and the student‘s own sense of meaning and

interpretation.

Authentic Participation is creating learning opportunities that have relevance and meaning to the

learner because they engage students in the real world, including online communities. Authentic

participation begins with the learners‘ need to know and the need to do (or act) in order to create a

positive impact or change on a real set of users, audience or community.

When students are engaged in play, they are placed in a ―complex problem space or world‖ (Institute of

Play) that they come to understand through their own exploration. Players have a ―need to know‖ that

drives them toward finding information, trying new things, gaining new skills, and solving complex

problems in order to reach a goal. Players also get ongoing feedback (often from peers and co-players)

that helps them understand how they are doing, and what more they need to do to advance.

http://www.instituteofplay.org/about/context/why-games-learning/

http://www.instituteofplay.org/about/context/why-games-learning/

- 38 -

Critical Response is counter to the idea of passive and unquestioning consumption of information. It is

a habit of critical thinking and active questioning that can be applied across disciplines but is especially

important to cultivate in the Internet age of information overload.

The critical part refers to the act of analyzing and interpreting media messages across styles, genres and

contexts. The response part is the act of applying a critical lens to how meaning is constructed through

genre, form, narrative and message. By analyzing race, class, culture and gender in the media, students

can talk back or give voice to a counter-narrative or differing analysis – often in a public, internet-based

forum.

Iterative learning is a process where learners are provided with multiple opportunities to repeat a

process in order to improve their work based on critical feedback they receive along the way.

The term ―iteration‖ has roots in the design thinking movement —a structured process used for invention

and innovation particularly in fields of technology, design, architecture and media. The iterative learning

process not only gives the learner permission to fail and learn from mistakes, it is understood to be an

essential step in the creation of high quality work. Trial and error, experimentation, brainstorming and

user-testing are key elements in the iterative learning process. Students learn to improve work through

multiple drafts that are informed by gathering and listening to feedback of ―end users or audiences‖.

Teachers that harness the power of the iterative learning process cultivate habits of mind such as

perseverance, empathy and creative problem-solving.

Observations & Evaluations We believe teaching is a challenging, complicated craft. Our teachers are lifelong learners, but

we cannot improve our own craft without constructive feedback.

It is the teacher‘s responsibility to schedule the required formal observations with the principal. If they

are not scheduled by mid-September, the principal will choose the date and time for the observations.

For more information regarding observations and evaluations, visit the CPS Knowledge Center. The

knowledge center, in addition to all CPS resources, can be found here: http://cps.edu/Pages/Staff.aspx

http://cps.edu/Pages/Staff.aspx

- 39 -

Morrill Behavior Theory of Action At Morrill, we are teachers not only of academic skills and content, but social and emotional learning,

too. We recognize that our students are children who will naturally test boundaries as part of the process

of learning proper behavior. Our discipline process is founded on restorative justice practices.

Two Different Views--

Retributive or Criminal Justice Restorative Justice

Crime is a violation of the law and the state.

Violations create guilt.

Justice requires the state to determine blame

(guilt) and impose pain (punishment).

Central focus: offenders getting what they

deserve.

Crime is a violation of people and relationships.

Violations create obligations.

Justice involves victims, offenders, and community

members in an effort to put things right.

Central focus: victim needs and offender responsibility for

repairing harm.

Three Different Questions Retributive or Criminal Justice Restorative Justice

What laws have been broken?

Who did it?

What do they deserve?

Who has been hurt?

What are their needs?

Whose obligations are these?

Social and Emotional Learning Last school year Morrill was selected to participate in a pilot program to introduce the social and

emotional learning curriculum PATH (Promotion Alternative Thinking Strategies) by the nonprofit

organization CASEL. The two-year grant was mainly focused on preschool through 2nd

grade, so those

teachers were asked if they wanted to participate. Overwhelmingly the response was affirmative.

From: www.casel.org: “Social and emotional learning (SEL) involves the processes through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. SEL programming is based on the understanding that the best learning emerges in the context of supportive relationships that make learning challenging, engaging and meaningful. Social and emotional skills are critical to being a good student, citizen and worker; and many risky behaviors (e.g., drug use, violence, bullying and dropping out) can be prevented or reduced when multiyear, integrated efforts are used to develop students' social and emotional skills. This is best done through effective classroom instruction; student engagement in positive activities in and out of the classroom; and broad parent and community involvement in program planning, implementation and evaluation. Effective SEL programming begins in preschool and continues through high school.” “The Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) program promotes peaceful conflict resolution, emotion regulation, empathy, and responsible decision making. PATHS is designed for use in prekindergarten through sixth grade, with separate sets of lessons for first through fourth grade and combined sets of lessons for use in preschool and kindergarten and in fifth and sixth grade. Each lesson is scripted, beginning with an introduction that states background and goals, implementation guidelines, suggestions for engaging parents, a list of common questions and answers, supplementary activities (some of which connect to academics), and/or family handouts. Each lesson ends with reminders and suggestions for generalizing learned skills beyond the lesson to the classroom. PATHS lessons incorporate a variety of cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Parent letters and informational handouts are available in English and Spanish. Initial training for the PATHS program typically lasts two days and is not required. PATHS offers a train-the-trainer system to support sustainability.” We have a coach, Kathy Singleton ([email protected]), who will support teachers and

administration to implement the social and emotional learning curriculum. Mrs. Singleton is a lifelong CPS educator and retired principal.

http://www.casel.org/

mailto:[email protected]

- 40 -

CHAMPS Morrill has adopted many of the strategies and beliefs from CHAMPS, a positive approach to discipline.

To explain why we have adopted CHAMPS, the following quote might help:

―Why bother with a positive approach to discipline? The educational environment has changed greatly

in the last 50 years. The accepted norm for disciplining problem students used to be punishment, and if

the students continued to misbehave, suspension or expulsion. These measures did not necessarily

change behavior, but they were easy solutions—and the problem disappeared. There were plenty of jobs

on farms or in factories for those without a high school education. In 1900, high school graduation rates

were only 6 percent.

More than 100 years later, graduation rates are about 71 percent. Schools are under tremendous

pressure to successfully educate all students, including those who, years ago, would have left school

because of academic or behavioral problems. Effective ways to motivate and encourage positive

behavior are vital to serving these students. We need to do business differently. We cannot punish

students into being motivated. We cannot punish students into wanting to stay in school.

Therefore, a proactive and positive approach like CHAMPS is essential. With these strategies you can

guide students toward a successful school career, leading in turn to potential success in work and in life.

CHAMPS is designed to help you, the classroom teacher, develop (or fine tune) an effective classroom

management plan that is proactive, positive, and instructional.

Unlike programs that have set procedures, the CHAMPS model guides the teacher in how to make

effective decisions about managing behavior. CHAMPS, while not a program, does have one absolute

rule: Students should be treated with dignity and respect. Belittling or ridicule has no place in the

effective teacher’s repertoire of behavior support practices.‖

The CHAMPS approach is based on the following principles or beliefs:

S Structure your classroom for success. The way the classroom is organized (physical setting, schedule, routines

and procedure, quality of instruction, and so on) has a huge impact on student behavior; therefore, effective teachers

carefully structure their classrooms in ways that prompt responsible student behavior.

T Teach behavioral expectations to students. Effective teachers overtly teach students how to behave

responsibly and respectfully (in other words, to be successful) in every classroom situation—teacher-directed

instruction, independent seatwork, cooperative groups, tests, and all major transitions.

O Observe and supervise. Effective teachers monitor student behavior by physically circulating whenever

possible and visually scanning all parts of the classroom frequently. In addition, effective teachers use meaningful

data to observe student behavior, particularly chronic misbehavior, in objective ways and to monitor trends across

time.

I Interact positively with students. When students are behaving responsibly, they receive attention and specific

descriptive feedback on their behavior. Teachers should focus more time, attention, and energy on acknowledging

responsible behavior than on responding to misbehavior—what we call a high ratio of positive to negative

interactions.

C Correct fluently. Teachers should preplan their responses to misbehavior to ensure that they respond in a brief,

calm, and consistent manner, increasing the chances that the flow of instruction is maintained. In addition, with

chronic and serve misbehavior, the teacher should think about the function of the misbehavior (Why is the student

misbehaving?) and build a plan that ensures that the student learns and exhibits appropriate behavior.

- 41 -

The acronym CHAMPS reflects the categories, or types, of expectations that you, as a teacher, need to clarify for

students about every major activity and transition that occurs in your classroom. If you identify and then teach

students precisely what your expectations are for each classroom activity and transition, you will significantly

reduce the amount of misbehavior and increase the amount of learning that takes place in your classroom.

C Conversation Can students talk to each other?

H Help How do students get their questions answered?

How do they get your attention?

A Activity What is the task or objective? What is the end product?

M Movement Can students move about?

P Participation What does the expected student behavior look and sound like? How do students show

they are fully participating?

S Success If students follow the CHAMPS expectations, they will be successful.

Voice Levels 0 = No sound / No talking Examples: Taking a test, listening to a concert 1 = Whisper (no vocal cords) Example: Hallway, lockers, asking another

student a question during an independent work time in which conversation is allowed.

2 = Quiet conversational voice (Only people near you can hear.) Examples: Working with more than two people,

lunch, participating in class. 3 = Presentational voice (An entire class can hear you.) Examples: A student giving a report, whole

class discussions. 4 = Outside voice (you can be heard across a playing field.) Example: Recess, playground, keep it outside.

CHAMPS model videos

Whole Group Champs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MwvSe8ye5o&feature=youtu.be

Independent work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptp8DlBnwoY&feature=youtu.be

Small Groups/ Partner

work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNBW__rWWE&feature=youtu.be

Hallway/Bathroom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsJdj95xw0E&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MwvSe8ye5o&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptp8DlBnwoY&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNBW__rWWE&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsJdj95xw0E&feature=youtu.be

- 42 -

Classroom Management Scenarios

Which teacher will you be?

Teacher A follows the first twenty day schedule, utilizes CHAMPS strategies, and established

routines for her students. The routines cover every aspect of the students‘ school day, from

breakfast, to bathroom breaks, and dismissal. During the first twenty days, and occasionally

throughout the school year, she routinely visits the lunchroom, recess, and preps, helping to

correct and redirect behavior. Students know their routines so well that they politely correct the

substitute teacher when he doesn‘t follow the expectations. Colorful posters are on the walls of

the classroom reminding students, but the routines have been so followed they are ingrained in

each student by the end of the first quarter. The teacher routinely communicates with parents the

positive and negative incidents in her classroom. The teacher has established a friendly, but

professional rapport with her students so that they don‘t want to disappoint her. She rarely has to

issue disciplinary infractions. Her classroom is calm and inviting and students are nearly always

engaged. Learning opportunities abound, and test scores demonstrate her success. Students are

visibly happy when they are assigned to her classroom. Parents actively lobby to get their

students enrolled in her class.

Teacher B sporadically follows the first twenty day schedule. She attended CHAMPS training,

but didn‘t pay much attention during the professional development since she believes her

classroom management is good enough. She also believes that her students come from very

challenging homes, and their behavior should not reflect her professional capacity as a teacher.

She introduced routines for her classroom, but doesn‘t follow them consistently enough for

students to know the routines; very often there are last minute changes that are not fully

explained to the students, leaving them feeling confused. Several students get very stressed

when they are confused, and verbally and physically lash out at their peers and teachers.

Arguments and fights occur more often in this classroom, and the office staff is never surprised

when the teacher calls security on the intercom. The teacher is more prone to use yelling as a

behavior management strategy. The teacher is stressed due to the fighting, and calls in sick more

often than her colleagues. When a substitute covers the classroom, chaos ensues. The teacher

attempts to rectify the situation by calling parent conferences to inform them of their students‘

misbehavior. The parents become accustomed to hearing negative things from the teacher, and

have lost trust in her. Some parents feel targeted by the teacher, and have told their children as

much; an antagonistic relationship has developed between the teacher and some families.

Administration routinely fields complaints from parents and students about the teacher. The

room itself, in large part due to the lack or routines, is not organized and feels dim and

depressed. Bookshelves are messy, the board has illegible objectives written from the prior

week, desks are full of clutter and mess, and the floor is often covered with scraps of paper.

Students don‘t have much pride in their class, and many of them demonstrate their disdain by not

coming in uniform. Many students are not on task. Test scores demonstrate the lack of learning,

in part due to the inconsistency and lack in routines.

- 43 -

Behavior Norms & Contract The CHAMPS team created behavioral norms for everyone at Morrill. Following these norms will help

ensure stability and consistency. Child psychology proves that if students, and in fact people of all ages,

are not explicitly told what to do and how to act, they can feel anxious, confused, and even angry. This is

a contract that must be signed by every students and their teacher at Morrill. Contracts are kept on file

by the homeroom teacher.

- 44 -

Faculty & Staff Student C

lass

roo

m/

Arr

iva

l Greet every student outside classroom door

Stand quietly for Pledge of Allegiance

Monitor morning procedures

Monitor students at door while students go to lockers

Ensure students are all in the classroom by 8:05 am.

Arrive on time to school

Remove hats and hoods upon entering building

Stand quietly for Pledge of Allegiance

Dispose of breakfast, go to lockers in orderly fashion

Ha

llw

ay

& T

ran

siti

on

s

Ensure students are quiet prior to leaving the classroom

Modeling hallway expectations by being quiet

Constantly monitoring and redirecting students in hall

ALL students must have a pass, teachers should enforce

this policy

Give appropriate time for transitions to ensure classes

are picked up on time (recess, lunch, preps, assemblies),

being neither late nor too early.

Do not allow students to enter hallway when wearing

non-uniform items

Ensure students keep lockers shut and hallway clean.

Enter hallway silently

Walk in two lines

Walk on right side of hall

Move quickly and quietly to all destinations

Use appropriate voice level & language

Carry a hall pass when not with whole class

Be respectful at all times

Remove non-uniform items when outside of classroom

Keep all school supplies and clothing in locker, any items

on the floor pick them up and dispose or put them away.

Res

tro

om

Monitor students of more than two at restroom

Sends pairs of students to restroom with pass

During bathroom break, one teacher monitors a

bathroom while partner teacher, assistant, or parent

volunteer monitors the other

Respect others‘ privacy

Use appropriate voice level & language

Keep bathroom clean, flush toilets

Keep hands & feet to yourself

Rec

ess/

Lu

nch

Teachers transition students respectfully to and from

recess and lunch.

Be prompt when picking up students

Wait patiently & respectfully for recess monitor

Use all equipment appropriately

Include all who want to play

Collect all equipment at the end of recess

Practice good safety habits

Wait patiently & respectfully to be taken to the

lunchroom

Respect yourself & others in line and at tables

Practice good table manners

Walk at all times

Dispose of food properly & clean up your area

Dis

mis

sal

Dismiss students on time

Ensures that all students have a passport in hand at time

of dismissal

Students in after school programs travel with classroom

until they exit

Walks the class all the way out of the building

Support staff by not allowing students to re-enter

building once they have left

Have all necessary materials for homework

Line up quietly in classroom.

Walk into hallway silently

Keep hands & feet to yourself

Walk directly outside or to afterschool program

Meet and pick up siblings outside of building, not in the

school

Mis

c.

Notify their grade level partner when absent.

Ensure that students are in uniform daily.

Ensure that students are not eating unhealthy snacks or

drinks.

Wear uniform daily.

Only eat healthy snacks or drinks.

I understand that by signing this contract, I will be eligible to earn the privileges (sports teams, field trips, dress-down days,

graduation, class parties). I also understand that if I do not sign the above contract, I will not be eligible for the privileges.

Signatures

Teacher__________________________________

Date_____________________

Student__________________________________

Parent ___________________________________

Date ___________________

Every week teachers should reflect on how well they are implementing, enforcing, and modeling the behavioral

norms.

The first day of school, teachers should spend the majority of the day teaching and modeling behavioral norms.

Teachers should always ask students, before they enter the hall, bathrooms, go to recess, or dismissal, ―what should

it look like, sound like, and feel like?‖

- 45 -

Behavior Management Flow Chart The following explains the discipline process at Morrill. Discipline at Morrill is not about punishment. Instead, we

seek to help students learn new and more appropriate behaviors.

- 46 -

CHAMPS Student Reflection Form

- 47 -

CHAMPS Behavior Plan form When a teacher needs assistance creating a behavior plan for a student, they can see the MTSS Behavior Team.

Model CHAMPS classrooms are Ms. Rivera, Ms. Edwards, Ms. Gladkowski, and Ms. Moss.

- 48 -

Restorative Justice Conference Agreement Form All Restorative Justice forms go to Naomi Colón. Instead of using this form teachers can use the Google Drive file

titled Morrill Instructional and Behavioral Trackers

_______________________ _______________________________________

Date of Conference Location of Conference

Facilitator(s): _________________________________________________________________________

Conference Participants:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Conference Agreement:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Follow-Up Plan (who will supervise the agreement):

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Agreement review date: ______________________________________________________

By signing this form, we agree to follow the conditions of the agreement as described above:

_________________________________ ___________________

Signature Date

_________________________________ ___________________

Signature Date

_________________________________ ___________________

Signature Date

_________________________________ ___________________

Signature Date

- 49 -

Morrill Universal Discipline & Incident Form For injuries, or other serious situations the following form must be used.

_________________________ Student

_________________________ Grade Homeroom IEP: Y/N

_________________________ Referring Staff

_________________________ Date/Time of occurrence

Specific Act of Misconduct or Accident

Describe in detail what occurred from your perspective. Be sure to include what you believe is the antecedent to this

behavior. Include interventions you have attempted to resolve behavior or indicate if this is the first referral.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Names of others affected (including

adults)

Describe how they were affected

Plan of Action (Office only, check all that applies):

Peace room Detention (dates):

Parent/Student conference / circle In-School Suspension (dates):

Teacher / Student conference/circle Out-of-School Suspension (dates):

Additional RJ Follow up Referral for Expulsion

Loss of privilege (specify):

Other (specify):

Medical care (specify):

Administrator Signature: Date:

Location

Classroom Cafeteria

Playground Bathroom

Hallway (specify by which room):

OTHER:

Was the student supervised by an adult at the time? YES NO

If so, by which adult:

Has this issue occurred before?

Yes – Explain below No

- 50 -

Student Relocation Relocation of students should never be perceived by the student or adult as a punishment. Relocating a

student to another area in the classroom or school should only be used to enable the student a time and

space to reflect and calm down, before the teacher discusses the student‘s behavior. Teaching discipline

is about helping students learn how to make decisions that will lead to new and more appropriate

behaviors.

Teachers should establish a partner-teacher that they can relocate students to when they need a ‗cooling

off‘ period. Partner teachers will be familiar with each other‘s‘ students so they will know how to relate

to each child. Partner teachers will accept a student and enable them space and time to decrease their

stress level, before returning them to their class.

Students should not be allowed to leave class without a pass or without permission. Instead, a pass might

be made available that students can sign out, stating the reason why they need to go to the partner teacher.

Within a classroom students should not be isolated for the majority of the time. Teachers should establish

a ‗cooling off‘ or ‗individual work‘ station in the classroom. Students should learn to relocate themselves

when they need it, therefore establishing self-control.

Peace Room Relocation No students are allowed in the peace room without adult supervision. Students, who are to be in the peace

room, will ALWAYS be picked up by an adult. Students are not to be sent to the peace room because of a

discipline issue. Please contact security for any discipline issue that cannot be handled in the classroom. If

a student is brought to the peace room by security, or administration, we will do our best to email you

a.s.a.p. to let you know the status of the student. If you have not received an email, and you have a student

who has not returned, please email Naomi Colon at [email protected]. The rules of the peace room are

set in place for the safety of students, and staff. Please work with us so that we can have a safe and

successful 2014-2015 school year!

PBIS: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports At Morrill we believe students are motivated more by potential rewards than they are by potential

punishments. Morrill uses positive interventions and supports as our primary way to guide student

behavior. This includes offering sports, events, dress down days, and other incentives. Teachers are

encouraged to devise their own system of rewards in the classroom.

One additional incentive for an entire class is a monthly dress-down day. Whereas in previous years it

was every week, in 2014-2015 it will be rewarded to classes by administration, and only once per month,

based on 96% or higher attendance, minimal misconducts, a high class GPA, and consistently following

the behavioral norms. In addition, the class will receive prizes of school supplies.

The peace room will also hold monthly celebration circles for students who have shown improvement in

behavior, or have never been in the peace room for any conflicts. Students will receive free time, and

prizes. These circles will be held on the last Friday of every month, from 2-3pm.

Assemblies The Common Core State Standards require students experience opportunities to speak in public.

Assemblies are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our cultural history and show school pride.

ASSEMBLIES ARE DEPENDENT ON TEACHERS TO ORGANIZE BASED ON UNITS


- 51 -

Sports & Extracurricular Activities All coaches must pick up their students from the auditorium after school.

Students are to walk through the hallways quietly and respectfully with their coach.

Students should never be in the hallways without a coach unless they have a written pass that includes

the time, date, and destination of the student.

The coach must notify the parent of any student that is suspended from the sport, how long they are

suspended for, and for what reason.

Coaches must support the suspension from the teacher and never share their doubts or disagreements

with the parents.

Any students caught playing or practicing while on suspension receives automatic suspension from

the team for the remainder of the season. If the behavior persists the entire team might be punished.

Additional students cannot be with the team helping in any manner unless they are listed on the

weekly roster. These students can also be suspended from participating based on grades, academics,

and attendance.

No additional students can ride buses to away games without getting a signed permission slip from a

parent or guardian

Any changes to practices, meetings, or games, coaches must fill out an announcement form and give

to Mr. Mahone by 8:30 AM. If you cancel something you must notify the parents of the players.

Nonplayers cannot ride the bus with the team.

Coaches must ride on the bus with the team.

All uniforms if not purchased must be return once the season is over.

All students are responsible for paying sport fees in order to play on any sport team.

Morrill School Sports and Coaches

Season Sport Level: Coach

Fal

l

Boys Flag Football 7/8th Naomi Castillo

Girls Cross Country 5/6th Lizette Salazar, Guadalupe Rivera

Girls Cross Country 7/8th Lizette Salazar, Guadalupe Rivera

Boys Cross Country 5/6th Lizette Salazar, Guadalupe Rivera

Boys Cross Country 7/8th Lizette Salazar, Guadalupe Rivera

Girls Volleyball 5/6th Barbara Warszalek and Mrs. Williams

(parent)

Girls Volleyball 7/8th Barbara Warszalek and Mrs. Williams

(parent)

Boys Soccer 5/6th Leticia Lopez and Keith Volante

Boys Soccer 7/8th Leticia Lopez and Keith Volante

Win

ter

Boys Basketball 5/6th Anthony Abata and Keith Volante

Boys Basketball 7/8th Anthony Abata and Keith Volante

Girls Basketball 5/6th Anthony Abata and Keith Volante

Girls Basketball 7/8th Anthony Abata and Keith Volante

Cheer Leading 5-8th Sherry Stephens

Pom Poms 5-8th

Monique Redeaux

Chess 5th-8

th Naomi Castillo

Spri

ng

Boys Softball 7/8th Naomi Castillo

Boys Softball 5/6th Naomi Castillo

Boys Volleyball 7/8th TBD

Boys Volleyball 5/6th TBD

Boys Track 7/8th Lizette Salazar, Guadalupe Rivera

Boys Track 5/6th Lizette Salazar, Guadalupe Rivera

Girls Track 7/8th Lizette Salazar, Guadalupe Rivera

Girls Track 5/6th Lizette Salazar, Guadalupe Rivera

Girls Soccer 7/8th Leticia Lopez and Keith Volante

Girls Soccer 5/6th Leticia Lopez and Keith Volante

- 52 -

Sports Permission Slip Student: __________________________________

Grade: ____________ Homeroom: ____________

Sport(s)__________________________________

The student can only play sports if they receive a signature from each of their teachers in the

following subjects:

Language Arts Teacher_________________________________

Math______________________________________________

Science_____________________________________________

Social Studies________________________________________

PE_________________________________________________

Drama______________________________________________

Art________________________________________________

Media Integration_____________________________________

Library__________________________________________

***************Sport Coach must keep this permission slip on file***************

Classroom celebrations Celebrating special and important occasions in classrooms is an accepted practice within day-to-day

instruction. While we acknowledge this fact, it is not acceptable to have any classroom party without

approval from the administration. All classroom parties at Morrill have to be approved by administration.

Classroom parties can only be held on the approved date, and during the last hour of the day. Teachers

should keep in mind student religious and cultural backgrounds. Email administration for approval;

verbal approval is not acceptable.

During classroom parties and as established by a mandate from Chicago Department of Public health,

students are not allowed to consume any type of food prepared in private homes. As the mandates states,

the dispensing of food prepared in private homes ―is an unsafe and unacceptable practice‖.

Furthermore, as a school striving to teach healthy habits, classroom parties should only allow healthy

food. At no time are students allowed to consume soda, chips, and candy in classrooms. Healthy

alternatives are low-sugar juice, popcorn, fruit and vegetables.

Health and Wellness Policy Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to establish requirements for nutrition education, physical activity

and the provision of healthy food choices at Morrill.

Belief statement: Morrill faculty and staff recognize the relationship that exists between academic

achievement and student health and wellness. Accordingly, this policy reflects our commitment to

removing health-related barriers to learning via health policy, promotion, education and services.

We value:

(a) school-based activities designed to provide students with a school environment that supports and

promotes wellness, healthy eating and an active lifestyle,

(b) the inclusion of nutrition education

(c) nutrition requirements for all foods and beverages available on school property,

(d) the integration of opportunities for physical activity, like recess, during the student day,

(e) high-quality physical education programming,

(f) school-based activities designed to promote health and reduce obesity, and

(g) parents, guardians and family involvement in driving the success of school-based health, wellness and

nutrition measures.

- 53 -

School Wide Celebrations The following events should be celebrated by all classrooms through an educational experience. The

following groups are responsible for organize the events.

Grade cycles are encouraged to organize their own incentives once per month. Movies, dances, and other

events can be offered as rewards for students that adhere to academic, attendance, behavior, and uniform

expectations.

Teachers are encouraged to celebrate the various Heritage months and give their students opportunities to

learn and share about different cultures. Classes should present to other classrooms to share knowledge,

experiences, and practice public speaking and listening.

Teacher & Parent communication log Teachers are required to keep a log of parent communication. The following is an example of the format of a log.

Date: Student: Issue:

What was discussed? What was agreed upon / next steps:

Date: Student: Issue:

What was discussed? What was agreed upon / next steps:

Student uniforms

Our school's mandatory uniform dress code states:

Navy blue or white top

Undershirts must be navy blue or white

No hats are allowed in building during school days

Solid navy blue pants. No jeans

Skirts and shorts must be knee length

No oversized pants or shirts. No pants worn below the waist

No heels or flip-flops. Boots must be underneath pants

Visible jewelry that causes class disruption is not permitted

In 2014-2015 only solid navy blue or white polo shirts and dress pants will be allowed

Students who fail to adhere to such policies will be subject to the loss of extracurricular activities.

Parents and students must sign the Morrill Academic, Discipline, and Uniform Contract at the

beginning of the year or they will not be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities.

Classes with 95% or higher attendance, that follow the behavioral norms, and who consistently work

hard will get a monthly dress down day, as decided upon by the principal.

On dress-down days, students must continue to dress appropriately. Clothes that are too tight, too

loose, pants that sag below the waste, or reveal underwear will not be allowed. This policy helps build

school pride, improves discipline, creates a safe and secure environment and contributes to a sound

educational program.

This policy helps build school pride, improves discipline, creates a safe and secure environment and

contributes to a sound educational program.

Additionally, staff and students in all rooms are allowed to bring water bottles. Students are not allowed

to drink anything but water during class.

- 54 -

Student cellular phones Teachers need to make it abundantly clear to students that it is the student‘s responsibility to secure their

cell phone. If it is lost or stolen it is not the school‘s or teacher‘s responsibility. Teachers have two

options:

1. Every morning teachers are to collect students‘ cell phones and lock them up in the closet. At the

end of the day, cell phones are to be returned to the student. If a student does not give their cell

phone to the teacher, and instead keeps the cell phone during the school day, administration

retains the confiscated cell phone and retain for an indefinite amount of time.

2. Teachers encourage students to keep their cell phones locked in their lockers.

Teachers may allow students to use cell phones in school for academic purposes only.

Dear parents and students,

Beginning 2013-2014, Morrill School will no longer be responsible for lost or stolen cell phones. We have attempted

many strategies, but we are still having cell phones stolen and lost. It has taken away too much instructional time,

causing our students to lose valuable learning opportunities. Our goal at Morrill is to get your students to college.

To keep your child and their possessions safe, we strongly advise you to adhere to the following guidelines:

1. If you send your student to school with a cell phone, make sure the phone is not worth more than $50. Ideally,

the cheaper the phone the better. Touch-screens, including iPods, are the ones that get stolen.

2. Teach your child to never show their phone in public. Displaying their phone for others to see enables thieves

to know who to target.

3. If your child has to use their phone:

a. Make sure they understand the phone cannot be during school hours, or the phone will be confiscated

and only returned to a parent (not a sibling).

b. Make sure they use the phone in a safe location, not in the open where a thief could run by and snatch

it from their hand.

4. Teach your child to never leave their phone in their locker, in or on their desk, or lend it to a friend.

5. If a student uses their cell phone during class, it will be confiscated until a parent picks it up. The student will

automatically get a one day in-school suspension.

6. The best tip to follow is: Do not send your student to school with a cell phone.

a. Adults today grew up without cell phones. Consider the problems it can cause for your children in a

school setting.

b. The best investment you can make in your child is his education, not necessarily a cell phone.

By signing this I verify that I received this letter and an additional copy to bring home to my parents.

___________________________________ ___________________________________

Student Signature Student Name

Estimados padres de familia y estudiantes,

A partir de 2013-2014, la Escuela Morrill ya no será responsable de los teléfonos celulares perdidos o robados. Hemos

intentado muchas estrategias, pero los teléfonos celulares siguen siendo robados y perdidos. Se ha quitado mucho

tiempo de enseñanza, haciendo que nuestros estudiantes pierden valiosas oportunidades de aprendizaje por esta razón.

Nuestra meta en Morrill es que todos los estudiantes logren ir a la universidad.

Para mantener a su hijo y sus pertenencias a salvo, le recomendamos que se adhieran a las siguientes instrucciones:

1. Si envía a su hijo a la escuela con un teléfono celular, asegúrese de que el teléfono no vale más de $ 50.

Idealmente, lo más barato el teléfono, mejor. Pantallas táctiles, como son los iPods, son los que son mas

robados.

2. Enseñe a su hijo a nunca mostrar su teléfono en público. Mostrando su teléfono para que otros vean permite

que los ladrones sepan a quién atacar.

3. Si su hijo tiene que usar su teléfono:

a. Asegúrese de que entiendan que el teléfono no puede usarse durante el horario escolar, por que el

teléfono será confiscado y sólo devuelto a los padres (no a un hermano).

- 55 -

b. Asegúrese de que usen el teléfono en un lugar seguro, no en el abierto donde un ladrón podría correr y

arrebatarlo de sus manos.

4. Enseñe a su hijo a nunca dejar su teléfono en su armario, o en su escritorio, o prestarlo a un amigo.

5. Si un estudiante usa su teléfono celular durante la clase, será confiscado hasta que el padre lo recoja. El

estudiante obtendrá automáticamente un día de suspensión dentro de la escuela.

6. El mejor consejo a seguir es: No envíe a su hijo a la escuela con un teléfono celular.

a. Los adultos de hoy crecieron sin teléfonos celulares. Tenga en cuenta los problemas que puede causar

para sus hijos en un ambiente escolar.

b. La mejor inversión que puede hacer en su hijo es su educación, no necesariamente un teléfono celular.

Al firmar esto confirmo que he recibido esta carta y una copia adicional para llevar a casa de mis padres.

___________________________________ ___________________________________

Firma del Estudiante Nombre del estudiante

Safety Evacuation routes and disaster procedures must be posted in classrooms (see below). Staff members are

responsible for students assigned to them at the time the alarm sounds and are asked to take their class

roster with them when evacuating. Remember to close classroom doors and turn off the lights upon

exiting. All staff must assist and must exit the building in a fire drill. Students and teachers must proceed

down the stairs in an orderly manner in two lines, holding onto the handrail, not covering their ears. No

one should be walking down the center of the stairs.

- 56 -

Fire drill procedures

1. At the sound of the fire alarm, students are to be led out of the building immediately. First floor

rooms walk two abreast, second and third floor rooms three abreast. Make sure classroom doors are

closed.

2. Teachers must carry the attendance sheet, and once outside, be sure all children are accounted for as

noted in your attendance book.

3. Should it be necessary to block off an entrance, a warning will be posted. If this happens, teachers

should use his/her own judgment and select the nearest available exit.

4. Once outside, teachers should lead his/her class clear of the building. NO children are to be on the

sidewalk immediately adjacent to the building. No lines should block any of the gates leading to the

playground.

**Note: These areas must be left clear for faster and easier access of the fire equipment onto school

grounds.

**Note: In a case of an extreme emergency please follow route instructions for your exit. A

description of route instructions will be mentioned later in the text.

5. If necessary, form double lines on the grassy area to remain clear of other classrooms walking on the

sidewalk.

6. If students are to get coats, a series of three (3) rings will sound off. There will be a lapse of several

minutes before the actual fire alarm is sounded. During this lapse, the children are not to line up until

the actual fire alarm sounds.

**Note: If children are not in their homerooms, then they are to follow the fire drill procedure route

for the rooms they are in at that present moment. If available, Teacher‘s and Teacher‘s Aids should

come to assist Resource Teachers with his/her homeroom.

7. Resource Teachers as well as Security and Patrol Members will be posted throughout the school‘s

hallways and playground area to assist with fire drill and exiting routes.

**Note: Patrol Members should NOT be permitted to leave the classrooms to go to their post until

the fire alarm has sounded. They should be positioned at the front of the line. No patrol member

should be in the hallway before the fire alarm has sounded. A supervision schedule as well as a list of

duties will be mentioned later.

**Note: Classrooms that are held up in the lunchroom, Assembly Hall or the Gym during a fire drill

should use the Emergency Exits that are located within that area as well as follow the route for that

exit.

**NOTE: Please learn the following routes in the case(s) of an extreme emergency. These routes

should only be utilized for that purpose.

a) Rooms exiting from the Main Exit walk north on Rockwell, then cautiously walk across 60th

street.

b) Rooms exiting from the Southwest Exit walk south to the end of the playground, then travel east

on 61st street.

c) Rooms exiting from the South Exit and Gym Exit walk south on Rockwell, then east on 61st

street.

d) Rooms exiting from the Annex Main Exit walk southeast to the Southeast Gate, then walk south

on Rockwell to 61st street.

e) Rooms eating lunch exiting from the Lunchroom Exit walk east to the Southeast Gate, then walk

south on Maplewood.

f) Rooms exiting from the North Annex Exit walk east through the lunchroom loading dock area to

the Northeast Gate, then walk south on Maplewood.

g) Rooms exiting from the Southeast Exit walk past the boiler room.

- 57 -

Morrill lockdown procedures 1. If you hear, ―EAGLES‖ over the intercom or an administrator announces the lockdown in person

everyone is to stay where they are. Classroom teachers are to:

a) Quickly glance outside the room to direct any students or staff members in the hall into your

room immediately.

b) Lock your door.

c) Lower or close any blinds.

d) Place students against the wall, so that the intruder cannot see them looking in the door. Look

for the ‗Safe Corner‘.

e) Turn out lights and computer monitors.

f) Keep students quiet.

Note: All staff members should locate and hold on to an attendance roster prior to turning out

the lights. This will aid in accounting for all students should an evacuation be necessary.

2. Physical education classes being held in the gym should lock all doors and find a safe area.

3. Any students in the cafeteria should kneel against the wall. Custodial staff or administration will

ensure that the doors are secure.

4. If students and teachers are outside the school building, they should stop, drop, and remain still.

5. You will be directed where to relocate depending on the situation.

6. If teachers and students are in the bathrooms, they should move to a stall, lock it and stand on the

toilet.

7. Anyone in the hallway should move to the closest classroom immediately.

8. Nurses/cafeteria workers/support staff should stay in the area they are in, secure the doors, and turn

out the lights.

9. Students and staff in the library should remain in the library. Librarians should lock the doors, turn

out the lights, and locate a safe area.

10. Stay in safe areas until directed by law enforcement officers, security officers, or an administrator to

move or evacuate. Never open doors during a lockdown, even in the event of a fire alarm. For

further directives, law enforcement officers and administrators will have keys to open the doors or

announcements will be made over the intercom.

11. An administrator will signal all personnel if the lockdown has been lifted.

12. If an evacuation occurs, all persons/classrooms will be directed by a law enforcement officer or an

administrator to a safe location. Once evacuated from the building, teachers should take roll to

account for all students present in class. Administrators will keep in communication with radios or

cell phones.

Tornado drill procedures 1. At the sound of the tornado alarm, or an announcement of a tornado drill, students are to be led out of

the class immediately.

2. All students are to kneel on the floor of the hallway immediately outside their classroom door, with

their hands over their heads, facing the wall.

3. Teachers on the 3rd

and 2nd

floor are encouraged to move down at least one floor and then kneel

behind the students of another classroom.

4. No one should be located near a window or exit to the outside.

- 58 -

Duty schedule All career service will be assigned morning duty. Career service must report to their post promptly at

7:45 a.m. Career service is expected to follow their duty schedule throughout the day, unless given

another assignment by administration. If a schedule is altered, it is the responsibility of the career service

to notify the classroom teacher of such changes.

Out Door Duty Posts and Areas of Responsibility The boxes below represent the areas staff is responsible for supervising. Supervising staff will act as a facilitators to

parents and students. As a facilitator you are expected to be in the assigned area outside the building interacting with

students, encouraging them to follow school rules at all times. Any incidents or infractions that occur in their area

must be reported to Administration within 24 hours of the incident.

When intervening, use the following steps in this order:

Eye contact

Proximity

Voice, gently in a supportive and positive manner

Offer options to find a common solution to the given dilemma

Voice in a directive manner

Call for security

Call 911 if a serious incident occurs that cannot be controlled by our security or staff

Please assist your colleagues in their areas if an incident occurs that they cannot control on their own. Remember to

be proactive and think of best practices to handle difficult situations.

- 59 -

Outdoor Duty Post Map

- 60 -

Student entrance and exit procedures Student start time is 8:00 and dismissal time is 3:00. In the beginning of the school year, teachers will be

expected to meet the students outside and help students learn daily routines, per the First Twenty Days

schedule.

Students are expected to be lined up quietly before they are allowed to enter. Ancillary and non-classroom

teachers are expected to assist lining up students in the morning. Once we have established a culture of order

and discipline of entering school in the morning, teachers will receive students by classroom doors at 8:45 so

that instruction may begin immediately.

Students will be lined up by homeroom outside of the school, or inside depending on weather conditions.

Students will receive their breakfasts and begin arriving at classroom doors at 8:00. Teachers should be at the

entrance of their doors pleasantly greeting and welcoming their students as they enter.

Staff monitoring students outside must maintain order and discipline. Students should be calmly lined up and

quiet prior to entering the building.

Room Entry Exit Fire Tornado

101, 103 3 3 3 1st floor hall

106, 107 11 11 1 1st floor hall

108 11 108 7 1st floor hall

109, 112 14 14 7 1st floor hall



115, 116, 117, 11 11 11 1st floor hall


201 3 3 3 2nd floor hall

203 3 3 1 2nd floor hall 205, 210, 206, 207, 208 1 1 1 2nd floor hall

209 1 1 14 2nd floor hall 211, 213 1 14 14 2nd floor hall

212 14 14 14 2nd floor hall

214 1 12 12 2nd floor hall 215 12 12 12 2nd floor hall

216, 217, 219, 220 N/A 11 11 2nd floor hall 305 12 3 3 2nd floor hall

306, 307, 12 3 3 2nd floor hall 308 12 3 3 2nd floor hall

309, 312 12 12 12 2nd floor hall 311, 313, 314 12 12 14 2nd floor hall

111, 114c N/A N/A 14 1st floor hall

214B N/A 12 12 1st floor hall

Gym N/A 13 13 1st floor hall

Auditorium 1 1 1 1st floor hall

- 61 -

Unauthorized Guest Letter

- 62 -

Floor plans

Emergency Exits

- 63 -

This page MUST be completed and posted in every room.

Classroom # ________________

Enters daily from door ____________ Exits daily from door ____________

During FIRE DRILL, exit from door _______________ and waits __________________

Emergency location for SHELTER in PLACE is ____________________________________

Emergency location for EVACUATION is Gage Park High School, 5630 S. Rockwell St.

- 64 -

Lunchroom duty Lunchroom supervising staff are divided into three different positions:

L1

Responsible to quickly line up arriving students, on the inside of the lunchroom at the yellow line.

Once students are in a quiet line they will be walked to the kitchen entrance. Students should be

supervised throughout this process.

o Students should not linger in the annex.

o Students should not be yelled at, and reminded to use a Level 2 voice at all times.

L2

Responsible for carrying a clipboard and keeping track of times when classrooms are arriving and

departing.

Communicate with L1 to learn the exact time of each classroom‘s arrival.

Communicate with L3 about the time of each classroom‘s departure.

Reporting to administration classrooms that are picked up late.

L3

Responsible for making sure students exiting the kitchen are seated in the same order as they are

lined up, no exceptions.

Let students know when to stand up to get ready to leave the lunchroom. Once all students are

standing they will be guided to dispose of their trays. After this make sure students form a straight

quiet line to exit the lunchroom.

Responsible to encourage students to line up quietly to transition into the hallway.

Do not allow any students into the annex before their teacher arrives.

In the given situation that there is a fourth person supervising the lunchroom:

L4

Responsible to encourage students to stay seated.

Responsible to line up quietly students who are departing the lunchroom and transitioning into the

hallway.

All supervising lunchroom staff will be responsible to communicate with each other to ensure students‘

transitions in/out of the lunchroom are completed successfully.

Supervising lunchroom staff will come to a consensus as to which lunchroom position they will work. It

is highly encouraged to rotate these positions every so often as needed.

All supervising lunchroom staff will act as a facilitator to students while in the lunchroom. As a facilitator

you are expected to assist students throughout their lunch period. Students will be asked to raise their

hand if they need assistance a facilitator will offer his/her assistance. In the event that a student must

stand up make sure this student is supervised and comes back to his/her original seating place. Students

should be encouraged to use a Level 2 voice, and never yell or shout.

Teachers are highly encouraged to be respectful of the lunch times and pick up their students on time No

Exceptions.

The counselor, Rocio Silva, will train and oversee lunchroom supervisors.

Lunchroom procedures It is imperative that teachers are prompt for their scheduled lunch time and pickup students no later than

the time listed below. Delays will affect the entire schedule and can lead to serious misbehavior when

students are left idle in line waiting to be picked up by their teacher.

For students food is allowed from home only if it is healthy. Chips, soda, and energy drinks are not

allowed.

- 65 -

Teachers must create a seating chart and submit it to the lunchroom monitor. The lunchroom

monitor will decide, with your input, but in part based on how your students enter the lunchroom, if they

are going to sit according to their seating chart, or be allowed to sit anywhere at their table.

No food is allowed outside of the cafeteria.

Lunch schedule Rooms Lunch Recess

101, 103, 112, 114 10:00-10:20 10:20-1:45

106, 107, 108, 113, 115, 119 10:20-10:40 10:40-11:05

309, 311, 312, 313, 314 10:45-11:05 11:05-11:30

305, 306, 307, 308 11:15-11:35 11:35-12:00

205, 206, 210, 211, 213, 214 11:45-12:05 12:05-12:30

109, 201, 203, 207, 208, 209, 212, 215 12:25-12:45 12:45-1:10

Lunchroom Table Assignment

Lunch 1 2 3 4 5 6

10:00-

10:20

101 112 103 114

10:20-

10:40

106 107 108 113 115 119

10:45-

11:05

309, 311 312 313 314

11:15-

11:35

305 306 307 308

11:45-

12:05

205 210 206 211 214, 213

12:25-

12:45

109, 201 207/209 203 208/209 212 215

Lunchroom Supervisors

L1: Security #1

L2: Karen Clemons

L3: Silva or Colon

Note: During inclement weather when it is raining, snowing heavily, or the temperature is below freezing,

recess will be held in the gymnasium. No recess equipment should be brought.

During outside recess students are encouraged to bring their own sports equipment.

- 66 -

Washroom usage All classes must take two teacher-supervised washroom breaks per day to minimize students needing to

use the pass. It is the responsibility of the teachers in a common hallway to prepare a bathroom schedule

and post it near the washrooms. If teachers do not take two breaks per day, students will have to use the

bathroom more often during instructional time which creates more disruptions in the classroom and

hallway.

Teachers must assign one boy and one girl as bathroom monitors. Teachers should check the bathrooms

before and afterwards. Teachers should not talk to colleagues while supervising a bathroom break.

No one is to be sent to the washroom alone. If an emergency arises send two students of the same gender

together who are responsible. For student safety, students are to sign out in a hallway pass log, or the

teacher in their agenda, to document the time and who went for proper monitoring.

No more than two students should be sent to the bathroom without adult supervision.

Bathroom keys are to be kept secure at all times. Lost or stolen keys must be reported to administration.

Teachers should never place their bathroom key by the classroom door as students from another

classroom might borrow it without their knowledge.

Child abuse Child Abuse is a severe offense. Child abuse can include physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, and

psychological. Reporting alleged cases of abuse becomes a teacher‘s legal responsibility. Whenever child

abuse is suspected, a teacher becomes the mandated reporter and should immediately inform the principal.

A teacher who suspects child abuse must also do the following:

Report the alleged incident to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (D.C.F.S)

1-800-252-2873.

Notify the Chicago Police Department (emergency phone number, 911; non-emergency, 1-312-

746-6000.

Notify the proper supervision if the alleged perpetrator is an employee of the board. Failure to

report any allegations of child abuse of the D.C.F.S. may lead to disciplinary action by the Board.

Corporal punishment Corporal punishment is strictly prohibited by Board policy and the School Code of Illinois. This includes all forms

of corporal punishment, ranging from striking a student to directing a student to stand during lunch. A rule of thumb

is to avoid any physical contact with students.

- 67 -

Security Schedule Time Mr. Howard Mr. Stevens

7:45—8:00 61st & Rockwell Outside Duty

Rockwell duty: install barricades and chain if not

already done

8:00—8:45 Front Desk / Tardies / Visitor Sign-in Tardies front desk

8:45—9:00 Break Patrol 3

rd floor hallway and bathrooms, check students

for passes

9:00—9:15 Patrol 3

rd floor hallway and bathrooms, check

students for passes

Break

9:15—9:25 Patrol 3


students for passes

Front Desk / Tardies / Visitor Sign-in

9:25—9:40 Break Front Desk / Tardies / Visitor Sign-in

9:40—10:00 Patrol 3


students for passes

Lunch

10:00—10:10 Lunchroom Lunch

10:10—1:10 Lunchroom Patrol 3


for passes

1:30-1:45 Patrol 3


students for passes


1:45-2:00 Patrol 3


students for passes Break

2:00-2:30 Lunch Patrol 3


for passes

2:30-2:45 Patrol 3


students for passes


2:45-3:15 Outside duty, 61st & Rockwell

Ensure all students have left school ground by patrolling

down 61st and then south to 62

nd

- 68 -

A Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is designed so that schools can provide the

appropriate level of instruction and intervention for their students. Using performance data and

monitoring learning rates through MTSS, educators can make important instructional decisions

to meet the needs of students from different backgrounds, learning styles, and levels of

attainment.

Also referred to as Response to Intervention (RtI) in some school districts, MTSS is the umbrella

concept under which both academics and behavior fall. Some educators think of RtI as applying

to academics only; others consider Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) as applying to behavior

only. Still other educators use RtI in the content of both. The intentional shift in terminology to a

multi-tiered system is meant to integrate both academics and behavior as uniformly critical to

student success in our educational system.

What and Why of MTSS?

Integration of supports for core academics and positive behavior

Tiered interventions for all students who need additional core instruction or behavioral

support

High quality CC – instruction for ALL aligned to the CC Standards

School and class level supportive learning environment for ALL that encourage a

healthy learning climate

Processes in place to monitor behavior and academic data

Use of data in a structured problem-solving process

National Resources to Support School Implementation of MTSS

www.floridarti.usf.edu

www.florida-rti.org

www.nasdse.org

www.rtinetwork.org

www.rti4success.org

www.kc.cps.edu

http://www.floridarti.usf.edu/

http://www.florida-rti.org/

http://www.nasdse.org/

http://www.rtinetwork.org/

http://www.rti4success.org/

http://www.kc.cps.edu/

- 69 -

This section in the handbook is a how to guide for implementing identifying and providing

interventions for students not meeting Tier 1 expectations.

10 Steps for Implementing MTSS at Morrill School

1. Identify Student(s): Determine students who are one or more of the following:

a. Not responding to Tier 1 instruction, including students that consistently do not complete

work

b. In the bottom 10-15%ile of your class according to Dibels, mClass, or NWEA

c. Earning a D or F in class for academic performance.

d. Not being able to behave in Tier 1 instruction.

2. Identify Strategy: Analyze diagnostic data and classroom assignments/tests to determine

what strategies can be most supportive for students at this stage during the student‘s reading or

math development. See strategies below.

3. Implement: Once students and strategies have been identified, begin implementing these

strategies to support student learning.

Try several of the suggested strategies at the classroom level for four-to-six weeks prior to a

formal MTSS referral. Keep track of these attempts on the MTSS referral form below.

Many times all it takes for a student to be successful is deliberate and intentional instruction by

the classroom teacher addressing a specific need at that point in time.

4. Refer: If after four-to-six weeks a student continues to not respond to the strategies the

classroom teacher attempted, complete the Morrill School MTSS Referral form and upload it to

the Morrill Plan Site

5. Continue to observe and document the transfer of skills and strategies taught during small

group instruction until the scheduled MTSS meeting (see MTSS meeting dates below).

6. Meet: Attend scheduled MTSS meeting to discuss MTSS plan for students. Additional

support and interventions will be discussed at this time depending on the needs of the students.

The MTSS team will help determine if a program or additional staff (tutors, interventionist,

paraprofessionals, computer program) will directly support student in need.

7. Track: Immediately begin to enter information into the MTSS Data Tracker.

8. Progress Monitor: Analyze current data and determine the most critical skill to be taught,

and the intervention to be used. Begin interventions and collect data, entering it into the MTSS

Tracker.

9. Continue cycle of interventions and progress monitoring every week for Tier 3 students and

every other week for Tier 2 students. Change skill, intervention, and materials as needed.

10. Meet: Discuss student progress at teacher team meetings, answering the Guiding Questions

(see below). MTSS team will meet with teacher teams in another five (tier 3) and ten (tier 2)

weeks.

- 70 -

MTSS Flowchart The flowchart below is for both academic and behavioral MTSS. The ABC form should be used for

behavioral, but all other forms and interventions can be used for both. Often times, inappropriate student

behavior is caused by misaligned academic expectations and lack of accommodations.

- 71 -

Morrill School MTSS Process

Please complete steps 1-3 when a student is identified to receive MTSS

1. MTSS Teacher Intervention Worksheet

Click HERE, the student intervention worksheet, to keep track of student interventions as soon as you

identify a student that is not meeting Tier 1 expectations.

2. MTSS REFERRAL FORM (Revised) 2014-2015

Click HERE to complete MTSS referral form after six weeks of teacher provided intervention.

Remember that the intervention worksheet must be complete.

3. MTSS Tracker

Click HERE to access the Google Docs MTSS tracker as soon as teacher begins interventions. The

purpose of this tracker is to share student data for administration, related services, teachers, and

interventionist.

MTSS Tracker Guide

Use this guide to assist in completing each cell of the tracker.

A. Student Last Name: Student last name

B. Student First Name: Student first name

C. Teacher Entering Referral: Teacher Name entering referral

D. Homeroom #: Student homeroom

E. Date Student Entered MTSS: Include month and year you referred your student to MTSS .

F. Additional Notes: Write short notes that would be helpful to other viewers understand the whole

child. Include information, such as, Challenging behavior, speech services, social work, IEP

(students can have an IEP in math, but not reading, so you can MTSS a student for an academic

subject that is not in their IEP, 504 Plan, poor attendance. Any piece of information that will be

helpful when looking at student‘s MTSS data. Keep it brief.

G. Tier: Data from diagnostic tests will be the initial way to determine a student‘s Tier. If a student

is in the bottom 15% of the class, they would be a Tier 3, and 16%-50% Tier 2. A child can shift

from one to the other in the course of the year. Most likely, a child will be Tier 3 when a student

is unresponsive to all Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions. When a student is placed in Tier 3

intervention, we provide more intensive intervention supports (tutors, after school programs,

additional instruction time). There are exceptions when we have had students triaged into Tier 3.

Every student is handled on an individual basis.

H. Identified Academic Problem: What academic area (subject) is most concerning.

I-L. Quarterly Grades: Fill in the report card grade.

M-P. NWEA: Fill in current NWEA percentile of identified subject.

https://docs.google.com/a/cps.edu/document/d/1wiTIBSlQqwAdyOKHRC77KLpcV6ckVW2mx_6r43HJ9jw/edit

https://docs.google.com/a/cps.edu/forms/d/1QE1t2OW8_7_fb8l4fYmqyc-_FVFUCV7UCf_QfL-Jx6A/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link

https://docs.google.com/a/cps.edu/document/d/1wiTIBSlQqwAdyOKHRC77KLpcV6ckVW2mx_6r43HJ9jw/edit

- 72 -

Q. Determine one skill that you will be focusing on over a period of one 1-2 weeks. Choose the skill

that will be most critical to master so that student can be successful in subsequent areas. This is the

only skill you will be teaching and progress monitoring during interventions. You will be teaching

many things to students, but this is the one skill you will use to teach and assess to determine

student‘s understanding and growth.

Be sure to number the topics in G-L so that when the time comes to introduce a new skill,

everything will align.

R. Intervention Strategy: Choose one strategy you will implement over one to two weeks to

support student learning the identified skill.

Several web sites provide teacher-friendly intervention resources. If you choose to discontinue a

strategy, in parenthesis, write discontinue and write either Student is not responding or Students

met goal. You can try multiple strategies on one skill, but just teach one at a time. If it is not

working, switch. Don‘t waste time.

http://www.interventioncentral.com;

http://www.free-reading.net

http://www.whatworks.ed.gov


http://www.fcrr.org/

S. Services Provided By: Place name of teacher, tutor, or interventionist who is providing the

interventions.

T. How Often Is Intervention Provided: It is critical that you are 100% accurate in this section.

Data shows students should receive interventions 3-5 times a week for about 20 minutes per session.

This is ideal. Some students need more. You want to provide intervention to the smallest group

possible 2-4 students being a realistic number.

U. Initial Score (Date): Type in the number score of the students initial assessment. This is our

base score.

V. Targeted Goal: To determine a stated goal, consider the time it will take to teach a new strategy,

and the growth you expect a student to achieve.

W -AA. Progress Monitoring 1: A student‘s MTSS can only be valued if there is accurate

implementation of an intervention that is reliable and valid. The assessment of the targeted skill must

be repeated to measure student‘s behavior over time. Determine/create a short assessment that will be

administered weekly (tier 3) or biweekly (tier 2), to measure growth. This needs to be a quantitative

assessment.

(Grades K-2, should use Mclass/IDEL/DIBELS/TRC for progress monitoring. Grades 3-8 can use

BAS for reading. Grades 5-8 can use Achieve)

AB. Outcomes/Next Steps (MTSS Meeting): At the 5 week or 10 week session, next steps will be

determined with the MTSS team. However, if there is a greater sense of urgency, a meeting should

be scheduled prior to that date with the MTSS team. Teacher team meetings, and the guiding

questions will be another opportunity to discuss MTSS .

http://www.interventioncentral.com/

http://www.free-reading.net/

http://www.whatworks.ed.gov/


- 73 -

Optional MTSS Worksheet

A simplified referral form is being used for the 2014-2015 school year. The step-by-step worksheet below is what

was used in the past, and is now optional for teacher‘s records. It is a detailed form that teachers can use to keep

personal records on a student. This form is considered a worksheet to use when teachers are meeting with coaches,

parents and related services.

Student: Grade: Student ID#: Homeroom: Referring Teacher: Date of Birth: Gender: Name of Parent: Phone: Parent/Guardian contact prior to referral: _____phone call _____ note home ____ conference

1. The student appears to be having difficulty with the following: (Check all that apply.)

□ Reading skills (__decoding __comprehension __fluency __writing) □ Reading independently □ Math Skills □ Math Facts □ Formal reading assessments □ Informal reading assessments □ Retaining skills and/or strategies □ Behavioral issues □ Attendance/tardiness issues

2. Has this student been referred to an MTSS Team in the past?

□ Yes Date of last referral_______________ □ No

3. Provide a brief description of observations you have made about this student. Describe these

concerns in observable terms.

List and describe observations of student’s academic progress:

List and describe observations of student’s behavioral interactions with adults and/or peers:

STEP 1

Student Information

STEP 2 Assess Concerns

- 74 -

List and describe observations of student’s social/emotional development:

List and describe any parent communication:

List and describe any other observations:

o List the strengths the student best demonstrates:

o List incentives that the student responds to in a positive way: Health Information

o Does the student wear glasses? ___Y ___N

If no, do you have reason to think the student needs glasses?

IEP/504 Plan o Does student currently have an IEP? If yes, what for? o Are there concerns student needs speech services? o Does student receive social services? o If no, do you feel this student would benefit from social services? o Are there any other health concerns?

Home Language Survey o Language spoken at home: ____________________ o Language spoken at school: ____________________

STEP 3

Background Information

Student Strengths

STEP 4

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Attendance & Retention This student has been absent ___________ days. Reasons for absences: Has the student ever been retained? ____Yes ____No ____ Not known (If yes, specify grade): _________ Has the student ever been suspended for disciplinary reasons? ___Yes ____ No

Current Grades

Letter Grade Content On Grade Level

Reading _____ Y _____N

Math _____ Y _____N

Science _____ Y _____N

Social Studies _____ Y _____N

Assessment Data

Assessment Score

B M E

NWEA Math

NWEA Reading

Lexile (3-8)

BAS (Reading Benchmark Assessment) 3-8

mClass Math

DIBELS/IDEL K-2 LNF LNF LNF

PSF PSF PSF

NWF NWF NWF

ORF ORF ORF

TRC (Text Reading & Comp.) K-2

Other:

Intervention Begin Date

End Date

Description of Effectiveness

STEP 5 Baseline Data

Interventions Provided

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Strategies to Support Student Learning

Use the table below as a resource for interventions MTSS referral. There needs to be some noted

evidence that best practices have been implemented to support students who are not successful with Tier 1

instruction.

Possible strategies used over a reasonable period of time in

response to this student’s academic challenges

Check

strategies

used

Was student

successful?

Alternative reading materials

Study sheets for review and drill (Advanced organizers)

Flexible small groups

Read with student

1:1 with teacher / aide

Increase use of manipulatives

Help from volunteer tutor (adult / peer)

Increase repetition and drill

Skill based learning groups

Increase positive reinforcement

Break assignments into small steps (segmenting)

Frequent checks for understanding

Provide rewards for task completion

Enlist parent support to review skill at home

Possible strategies used over a reasonable period of time in

response to this student’s problem.

Check

strategies

used

Was student

successful?

Alternative reading materials

Study sheets for review and drill (Advanced organizers)

Flexible small groups

Read with student

1:1 with teacher / aide

Increase use of manipulatives

Help from volunteer tutor (adult / peer)

Increase repetition and drill

Skill based learning groups

Increase positive reinforcement

Break assignments into small steps (segmenting)

Frequent checks for understanding

Provide rewards for task completion

Enlist parent support to review skill at home

Instructional software (list: )

Alternative math materials

Other:

Attempts to Address Concerns Resolution

- 77 -

Instructional software (list: )

Alternative math materials

Other:

Other:

For Teacher Use Only (Does not need to be submitted)

Of the four areas listed below, which have been changed in some way in an attempt to address the concern(s)? Check the area(s) and describe what was attempted. Give duration and describe evidence of student being successful or not successful.

Instruction: Changing ways the student acquires skills in the classroom

Presentation: Changing how lessons are delivered and materials are displayed

Materials: Changing student and teacher materials for instruction

Environment: Changing the physical learning environment and classroom arrangement

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MTSS Parent Letter

A letter needs to be given to parents once you identify their child for MTSS services.

Dear Parents,

We would like to establish procedures for when you feel your child is not making adequate

progress in his/her class. Please read the steps you need to take in order for us to best service

your child.

1. As soon as you have concerns your child is not making adequate progress, set up an

appointment to discuss your concerns about your child with your child‘s teacher.

2. Your child‘s teacher will provide specific interventions with your child for six weeks on one

specific skill.

3. Teacher will send home materials or give recommendations so you can help support your

child at home.

4. After six weeks, you will meet with the teacher to discuss progress. If there is no or minimal

growth, then your child will be referred to the Related Services Team (school psychologist,

speech pathologist, and case manager) for an evaluation.

5. If after six weeks, your child shows adequate growth, the teacher will continue to closely

monitor the child to ensure the child continues to learn at this rate.

We highly recommend that you make an appointment to observe your child in the classroom if

you are requesting an evaluation for special education services. It is our belief that if your child

receives strong support at home, and exceptional teaching interventions, your child will succeed.

Please help us as we work towards ensuring your child‘s educational needs are met.

Thank you,

Michael Beyer, Principal

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Carta a los Padres Sobre Respuesta a Intervención

Estimados Padres,

Nos gustaría establecer procedimientos para cuando usted sienta que su niño(a) no este

haciendo el progreso adecuado en su clase. Por favor tome el tiempo de leer todos las medidas

que son necesarias para que nosotros podamos darle la ayuda necesaria a su estudiante.

1. A la primera señal que usted note que su hijo o hija no esta progresando adecuadamente,

haga una cita con el maestro de su hijo(a) para que hablen del progreso escolar de su

niño(a).

2. El maestro de su hijo(a) le dará intervenciones específicas que se podrán administrar por

seis semanas. Esto es para mejorar una destreza específica.

3. El maestro mandara materiales o recomendaciones que sean necesarias para que usted

pueda ayudarle a su niño y rendirle apoyo en su hogar.

4. Después de seis semanas, usted necesita reunirse con el maestro de nuevo para hablar

sobre el progreso de su estudiante. Si ve muy poco, o nada de mejoramiento en la

destreza que su niño estaba tratando de mejorar, su niño(a) luego será referido al Equipo

de Servicios Relacionados (la psicóloga, la consejera y la terapeuta de lenguaje)

5. Si después de las seis semanas su hijo(a) demuestra el mejoramiento adecuado, la maestra

continuara monitoreando de cerca el progreso de su niño(a). Esto es para asegurarse que

el aprendizaje de su niño(a) continúe al nivel apropiado.

Recomendamos que hagan una cita para poder observar a su niño(a) en el salón si usted solicita

servicios especiales para su niño(a). Nosotros creemos que si su niño(a) recibe suficiente apoyo

en su hogar, e intervenciones de enseñanza, su niño(a) podrá lograr el éxito en la escuela. Por

favor ayúdenos asegurándose que las necesidades de su niño(a) sean tratadas.

Gracias,

Michael Beyer, Director

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MTSS Meeting Dates 2014-2015

Teacher Team

Meetings

RTI Team

Meetings

Week Guiding Questions

Sept. 29 – Oct.

3

October 9 5 Weeks 1. What is your main concern with this student? Why

did you refer him/her for MTSS ?

2. What do you believe is preventing this child from

making adequate gains?

3. Briefly describe student‘s academic progress.

4. Briefly describe student‘s behavioral interactions.

5. Describe student‘s social/emotional development.

6. Describe strategies you have implemented to

address academic deficits. Explain successes. Enter

these as part of your data.

7. How have you addressed your concerns in the

following areas?

a. Instructionally (how student acquires

skills):

b. Presentation (how lesson is delivered):

c. Materials (what materials or manipulatives

have you tried):

d. Environment (Physical learning space):

8. What additional support and intervention do you

feel is necessary for this child to succeed in class?

November 3-7 November

13

10 Weeks

January 5-9 January 15 15 Weeks

February 9-13 February 19 20 Weeks

March 16-20 March 26 25 Weeks

May 20-24 April 30 30 Weeks

June 1-5 June 11 35 Weeks

Teachers will meet every five weeks to discuss progress of Tier 3 students, and every 10 weeks

for Tier 2 students with the MTSS team. These meetings will occur on Thursday‘s in Room 217.

The MTSS process is not a single event, but a process that is built into the educational program.

Any questions regarding MTSS should first be directed to Mrs. Blathras, Ms. Niedos, or Miss

Wacker

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An IEP is created to help a student that has special learning needs, whereas a 504 plan is for when a

general education student has special health needs.

Below are links to videos explaining what an IEP and 504 plan is.

IEP: http://www.ncld.org/learning-disability-resources/videos/video-what-is-an-iep

504 plan: http://www.ncld.org/learning-disability-resources/videos/video-what-is-a-504-plan

At Morrill, we feel writing quality Individual Education Plans (IEPs) is crucial to the success of all

students with disabilities. IEPs should be written thoroughly to provide parents, teachers, and all other

support staff with the information they need to ensure each student is successful in the least restrictive

environment. All IEPs should be written according to the Office of Special Education and Supports

Guidelines for Reviewing IEPs found at http://ssawikipage2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/e-

IEP%20Guidelines%20November%202011.pdf/278275886/e-

IEP%20Guidelines%20November%202011.pdf

The IEP must include:

A statement of the student‘s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance

including how the student‘s disability affects his/her involvement and progress in the general

education curriculum. For preschoolers, as appropriate, how the disability affects the student‘s

participation in appropriate activities.

Statement of measurable annual goals and benchmarks, including academic and functional goals,

designed to meet the student‘s needs to enable the student to be involved in and make progress in

the general education curriculum and meet other needs resulting from the disability.

Description of how the student‘s progress toward meeting the goals and benchmarks will be

measured and when periodic reports on the student‘s progress toward meeting goals and

benchmarks will be provided to parents.

Statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services,

based when possible on peer-reviewed research, and program modifications or support for school

personnel that will be provided to enable the student (1) to meet annual goals; (2) to participate

and make progress in the general education curriculum, nonacademic parts of the school day and

extracurricular activities; and (3) to be educated and integrated with age/grade appropriate

nondisabled peers.

Explanation of the extent, if any, to which the student will not participate with nondisabled peers

in the general education classroom.

Statement of any individual appropriate accommodations that is necessary to measure the

academic achievement and functional performance of the student on state and district

assessments. If the IEP team determines that the student will take the Illinois Alternate

Assessment, the IEP must include a statement why the student cannot participate in the ISAT.

Referral for Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Prior to completing a referral, six weeks of MTSS and progress monitoring, with ample data in the online

tracker, must be completed.

A referral needs to be filled out in SSM (on IMPACT menu) when there are acute academic, cognitive,

emotional stability, motor abilities and physical concerns. Follow these steps to complete a Referral:

Sign in to SSM on IMPACT (if you are unable to sign in call the help desk at 773-553-3925 and

they will walk you through the steps. Best time to call is after 1:00 p.m.)

Once you are signed in click on look for student tab

Type in Last, First name of student or their ID number

Once student name appears it will say Documents after this word there is a blank tab and a drop

down arrow.

Click on the drop down arrow, a list of documents will drop down

The first word on the menu is Referral click on it and begin filling out the referral form.

http://www.ncld.org/learning-disability-resources/videos/video-what-is-an-iep

http://www.ncld.org/learning-disability-resources/videos/video-what-is-a-504-plan

http://ssawikipage2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/e-IEP%20Guidelines%20November%202011.pdf/278275886/e-IEP%20Guidelines%20November%202011.pdf



- 82 -

You do not have to fill out all the information at once but please do save the document every time

you add information.

Once the referral is completed to the best of your knowledge send an email to the case manager at

[email protected] alerting her of the Referral Completion

The case manager will contact you after the referral has been reviewed

How to access IEPs Steps to access your students‘ IEPs/504 Plans:

Sign in to SSM on IMPACT (if you are unable to sign in call the help desk at 773-553-3925 and

they will walk you through the steps. The best time to call is after 1:00 p.m.) You should be able

to view the IEP/504 Plans of students who are on your classroom roster.

Once signed in you should see a list of all your classroom students. If the student you are looking

for is not showing click on look for student tab

Type in Last, First name of student or their ID number

Click on the name of the student once it appears on your screen

You will then see a list of all student documents

Click on the most recent IEP/504 Plan (all student documents show dates)

Behavior and Safety Plans When you need help created a behavior or safety plan, please complete this form below and submit to

Mrs. Rocio Silva, the counselor via mailbox or email.

A student might need a Behavior Plan whether or not he/she has an IEP and it is intended to find better

practices to address behavioral concerns. A Safety Plan is intended for students with or without IEPs who

are dealing with acute dilemmas of initiating physical altercations, mental health stability, student taking

medication that has negative side effects, etc.

Would you like to request a meeting for a Safety Plan or a Behavior

Plan:_______________________

Teacher Name__________________________________________

Student‘s Name_________________________________________

Parent‘s Contact information ______________________________

Reasoning for the Request of the Plan:

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

What interventions and or strategies have you attempted?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Has the parent been informed of the student‘s situation and progress if any? _________

Is the parent willing to attend the meeting to develop this Plan? ________


- 83 -

Accommodations and Modifications Accommodations and modifications are types of adaptations that are made to the environment,

curriculum, instruction, or assessment practices in order for students with disabilities to be successful

learners and to actively participate with other students in the general education classroom and in school-

wide activities. You will find accommodations and modifications in Section 10 of a student‘s IEP.

Accommodations are changes in how a student accesses information and demonstrates learning.

Accommodations do not substantially change the instructional level, content, or performance criteria. The

changes are made in order to provide a student with equal access to learning and an equal opportunity to

show what he or she knows and can do. Accommodations can include changes in the following:

presentation of a lesson, instructional strategies, student response format and procedures, time/scheduling,

environment, equipment and assignment structure.

Modifications are changes in what a student is expected to learn. The changes are made to provide a

student with opportunities to participate meaningfully and productively along with other students in

classroom and school learning experiences. Modifications include changes in the following: instructional

level, content/curriculum, performance criteria and assignment structure.

Section 10(b) outlines ‗General Accommodations and Modifications‘ and may require the following

supports be put into place (with the help of the special education teacher) depending on the individual

student:

Supports to address environmental needs (e.g., preferential seating; planned seating on the bus, in

the classroom, at lunch, in the auditorium, and in other locations; altered physical room

arrangement)

Levels of staff support needed (e.g., consultation, stop-in support, classroom companion, one-on-

one assistance; type of personnel support: behavior specialist, health care assistant, instructional

support assistant)

Planning time for collaboration needed by staff

Child’s specialized equipment needs (e.g., wheelchair, computer, software, voice synthesizer,

augmentative communication device, utensils/cups/plates, restroom equipment)

Pacing of instruction needed (e.g., breaks, more time, home set of materials)

Presentation of subject matter needed (e.g., taped lectures, sign language, primary language,

paired reading and writing)

Materials needed (e.g., scanned tests and notes into computer, shared note-taking, large print or

Braille, assistive technology)

Assignment modification needed (e.g., shorter assignments, taped lessons, instructions broken

down into steps, allow student to record or type assignment)

Self-management and/or follow-through needed (e.g., calendars, teach study skills)

Testing adaptations needed (e.g., read test to child, modify format, extend time)

Social interaction support needed (e.g., provide Circle of Friends, use cooperative learning

groups, teach social skills)

Training needed for personnel

The following links provide examples of classroom Accommodations and Modifications:

http://ssawikipage2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/Academic%20Modifications%20%26%20Accommodat

ions.pdf/211878268/Academic%20Modifications%20%26%20Accommodations.pdf

http://ssawikipage2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/Accommodations%20%26%20Modifications%20by%2

0Subject.pdf/211878330/Accommodations%20%26%20Modifications%20by%20Subject.pdf

http://ssawikipage2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/Academic%20Modifications%20%26%20Accommodations.pdf/211878268/Academic%20Modifications%20%26%20Accommodations.pdf

http://ssawikipage2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/Academic%20Modifications%20%26%20Accommodations.pdf/211878268/Academic%20Modifications%20%26%20Accommodations.pdf

http://ssawikipage2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/Accommodations%20%26%20Modifications%20by%20Subject.pdf/211878330/Accommodations%20%26%20Modifications%20by%20Subject.pdf

http://ssawikipage2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/Accommodations%20%26%20Modifications%20by%20Subject.pdf/211878330/Accommodations%20%26%20Modifications%20by%20Subject.pdf

- 84 -

Keeping Anecdotal Records An anecdote is an observation of events occurring during a student‘s day. The record of this observed

event could be detailed or brief. Anecdotal records are crucial in developing IEP‘s and Behavior Plans.

This information should be recorded daily in order to ensure its accuracy and it should be quickly and

easily accessible to be shared with the entire IEP team in the beginning stages of a student‘s evaluation

process. It is also important to keep records on any students who currently have IEP‘s if you feel the

current IEP is not meeting the needs of the student or if you feel a behavior plan needs to be added to an

existing IEP.

It is important to document the following information for EVERY observation made:

Student‘s Name

Observer‘s Name

Location

Date (try to take these notes daily to ensure accuracy)

Time (duration of incident if behavioral episode)

Antecedent (any possible behavioral triggers e.g., transition, motivation, social issues etc.)

Behavioral Specifics (what happened?)

Consequences (document the effectiveness of the consequences taken as well)

In order to collect necessary behavioral information for IEP implementation please use Morril‘s

‗Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence Analysis Form‘ for incidents that require detailed information:

https://sites.google.com/site/morrilldocuments/rti/rti-behavioral/Morrill%20ABC%20Form-1.1.docx

You can develop a system for taking records that works best for you. The following is a link to a sample

document that can be used to collect ‗quick‘ notes on a student. It is helpful to make a list of frequently

observed behaviors of the student to develop shorthand for yourself.

http://ssawikipage2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/Anecdotal%20Record%20Form.pdf/190147304/Anecd

otal%20Record%20Form.pdf

Additionally, this information should be entered into the online MTSS tracker. It is also helpful to take

note of student strengths, areas needing improvement or support, student‘s current level of involvement in

general education (behavior, routines, homework, classwork, etc.), and any accommodations or

modifications or accommodations you would like the IEP team to consider, as a questionnaire asking this

information will be presented to you by a member of the IEP team. Please return any documents given to

you requesting information relevant to a student‘s IEP in a very timely fashion.

Additional Counseling Services The following lists additional counseling services available for families:

Ada S. McKinley: Psychiatric evaluations and counseling. 2715 W. 63rd

St., 773-434-5577, ask

for intake

Iman Health Clinic: ADHD evaluations, 2744 W. 63rd

St., 773-434-4626

University of Chicago Child Psychiatry: Psychiatric evaluations. 5721 S. Maryland Avenue, 773-

702-3858 (ask for intake office).

Metropolitan Family Services: Psychiatric evaluations and counseling. 3843 W. 63rd

, 773-884-

2200

Community Mental Health Council: Psychiatric evaluations and counseling. 6239 S. Western,

773-863-9749

Garfield Hospital: Psychiatric evaluations and counseling. 520 N. Ridgeway, 773-265-3700

UIC Department of Psychiatry: Psychiatric evaluations and counseling, 912 S. Wood St., (312)

413-1871

Rush Hospital Psychiatry: Psychiatric evaluations and counseling, 2150 W. Harrison St., 312-

942-5437

Hartgrove Hospital Psychiatric evaluations, 773-413-1700, 5730 W Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL

60644

https://sites.google.com/site/morrilldocuments/rti/rti-behavioral/Morrill%20ABC%20Form-1.1.docx

http://ssawikipage2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/Anecdotal%20Record%20Form.pdf/190147304/Anecdotal%20Record%20Form.pdf

http://ssawikipage2011.wikispaces.com/file/view/Anecdotal%20Record%20Form.pdf/190147304/Anecdotal%20Record%20Form.pdf

- 85 -

Bilingual Program Description At Morrill we offer a Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) program that is for non-native

English speaking students who have difficulty with written or spoken English. English Language

Learners (ELL‘s) range from those who do not speak or understand any English, to those with

limited English abilities. CPS identifies ELL students by testing each student‘s listening, speaking,

reading and writing skills in English. Our TBE program provides instruction in the student‘s native

language with transition into English. The program helps students to succeed in academic subjects

and learn English.

English Language Instruction The state mandate for bilingual education provides for the development of English language

proficiency, so that ELLs can succeed academically in a classroom where English is the primary

language of instruction. English language instruction at Morrill offers ELLs English as a Second

Language (ESL) instruction, as well as content area instruction in English.

English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction is intended to support ELLs‘ development of

English in the 4 domains (listening, speaking, reading and writing). Within each of the 4 domains,

ESL instruction includes development of both social and academic English. Social English refers

to the communication skills that are needed to interact in interpersonal, non‐ academic situations

(e.g. on the playground, in the lunchroom). Academic English refers to the language necessary to

participate effectively in the academic setting and engage in content specific learning that is

conducted in English. This includes specialized phrasing and terms used in instructional delivery

as well as content‐specific vocabulary. At Morrill, English as a Second Language instruction

supports and complement ELLs‘ learning in the content areas in which English is the primary or

sole language of instruction, and is integrated with content area instruction.

Teachers at Morrill deliver content area instruction in English considering the specific needs of

ELLs, recognizing that ELLs are simultaneously learning new academic concepts and skills while

developing academic language in English. While our focus is on developing students‘ content area

knowledge and skills, we also keep the students‘ level of English proficiency in mind. Our

students‘ level of English proficiency will help to determine the level of support and the

appropriate practices to ensure ELLs have access to concepts and skills that are presented in

English. Language must also be considered when assessing the content area learning of our ELLs

to ensure that content area knowledge and skills are being assessed, not the student‘s ability to

demonstrate the learning in a language that they are still acquiring. Morrill teachers use English

Language Proficiency WIDA Standards, which were adopted by the Illinois State Board of

Education to guide the development of appropriate curricula, instructional practices and

assessments in English for ELLs in grades Pre‐K through 12. These standards are available at:

http://www.wida.us/standards/elp.aspx.

http://www.wida.us/standards/elp.aspx

- 86 -

Transition Criteria for ELLs ELLs are assessed annually to determine their English language progress and proficiency. If the

student has acquired the necessary level of proficiency in English for academic success, he or she

will transition to the general program of instruction by meeting the following criteria:

• Achieve an overall composite proficiency score of 4.8 on Assessing Communication and

Comprehension in English from State to State for ELLs (ACCESS)

• Achieve a literacy (reading and writing) composite proficiency score of 4.2 on ACCESS for

ELLs,

and

• Have participated in the bilingual education program for a minimum of three years.

Parents of students who meet the transitioning criteria prior to completing the three years will

receive a notification letter advising them of their right to transition their child to the general

program of instruction and the process to do so.

When students have transitioned to the general program of instruction they will be identified in SIM

under ELL report titled, CPS Transitioning Student. This report, is used by administrators and

teachers in our school to identify recently transitioned students and to address their instructional

needs. Academic progress of transitioned students is monitored for at least two years.

Native Language Instruction at Morrill Language and literacy development in the student‘s native language, and content area instruction

in their native language, are both important components of our bilingual education program.

Building upon the oracy, pre‐literacy, and literacy skills the ELL possesses in his/her native

language allows the student to continue linguistic and cognitive development appropriate to his/her

age and academic level. Continued native language development has many social benefits and

allows the possibility of the student to achieve high levels of native language proficiency in all 4

domains (listening, speaking, reading and writing). We strive to have students‘ language and

literacy skills developed in the native language so that those skills will transfer to the student‘s

English language development and over time will contribute to the acquisition of stronger

language and literacy skills in English.

Our content area instruction in the student‘s native language allows the ELL to continue building

content‐specific knowledge and skills appropriate to their age and academic level, and at pace with

their peers in the general program of education. The content area knowledge and skills gained in

the native language contribute to the overall cognitive growth of the student. Morrill students will

be able to demonstrate this learning (as well as acquire new knowledge and skills) in English as

he/she develop higher levels of proficiency in English.

The state mandate for the Transitional Bilingual Education program provides for the development

of academic English language proficiency using the student‘s native language as the medium of

instruction.

For Spanish‐speaking ELLs, Morrill teachers use the Spanish Language Arts (SLA) Standards

that have been adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education standards to guide the development

of curricula, instructional practices and assessments that promote communicative/ social and

academic native language proficiencies. SLA standards can be accessed at

http://www.isbe.net/bilingual/htmls/standards.htm.

http://www.isbe.net/bilingual/htmls/standards.htm

- 87 -

Bilingual Education Student Participation Process

- 88 -

Incoming Transferring Student Identification and Placement

- 89 -

Home Language Survey

- 90 -

Dear Parent or Legal Guardian,

The State of Illinois and Chicago Public School policies mandate that any child who enters any Chicago Public

School for the first time must be tested in English W-APT (WIDA MODEL for Kindergarten and 1st semester for 1

st

grade). These policies also tell us that in order to test a child the parent or guardian must have answered yes to any

questions in the Home Language Survey (HLS). The test will determine if the student needs bilingual services.

According to the results, your child _______________________________________________,

____ does not need bilingual service. _____ needs bilingual services.

____ he/she will be placed in all English _____ he/she will be placed in

speaking classroom. a bilingual classroom.

Students in K-8th grade need a composite score of 4.2 in Literacy and a 4.8 composite score or higher to be part of the all

English general education program (all English instruction).

Tests: WIDA-MODEL W-APT

Composite Score __________ Literacy Score ______________

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Mrs. Rodríguez at (773) 535.9558 and schedule an appointment.

Sincerely,

Gabriella Rodríguez.

Bilingual Lead Teacher

Please complete this form and return to Mrs. Rodríguez or child‘s teacher as soon as possible. Please choose one option

below.

____ I do not want my child in the Bilingual Program (need to speak with Mrs. Rodríguez to confirm).

____ I want my child in the Bilingual Program,

Parent or Legal Guardian signature, Date:

_________________________________________ _____________________________

- 91 -

Family Engagement Philosophy At Morrill, we value our students‘ families and the entire community as vital partners in our students‘

education. We work tireless to build positive relationships with our students and their families.

At Morrill it is every faculty and staff member‘s responsibility to work to build positive, respectful, and

collaborative relationships with all parents. We do this by making phone calls and sending notes

highlighting the positive things their children have done, making home visits and scheduling conferences

when concerns arise, informing colleagues of said concerns, and communicating with the Related

Services team and administration if issues cannot be resolved by the teacher.

Community Partners We value the numerous organizations we have in our community. The following lists some of the

partners that work with Morrill.

Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP)

Recognizing the diversity of our community, we are building a broad-based organization of churches,

mosques, schools and other institutions in Southwest Chicago, which will enable families to exercise

common values, determine their own future and connect with each other to improve life in our

neighborhoods.

At Morrill, SWOP selects and trains parents to become leaders in their community. Parent mentors spend

at least two hours in a classroom, assisting the teacher by working with a small group of students. SWOP

parent mentors also run a parent patrol, helping improve the safety of our community.

www.swopchicago.org

Teen REACH

This is an after-school program for grades 6th-8

th. The primary purpose of the Teen REACH program is

to provide delinquency prevention services to your and their families by implementing the Six Core

service components: including improve educational performance; life skills education; parent

involvement; recreation, sports, and cultural/artistic activities; adult mentors; and service learning

projects. www.chicagoareaproject.org/programs/teen-reach

Greater Southwest Development Corporation

GSDC‘s primary goal is to improve the quality of life in southwest Chicago through entrepreneurial,

commercial & residential development. www.swopchicago.org

Roosevelt University’s Mansfield Institute of Social Justice

MISJT‘s broad mission is to raise awareness of social injustice while engaging in action-oriented projects

that lead to progressive social change. Our specific focus is on dismantling the cradle to prison pipeline.

This pipeline is a result of long standing racial, social, economic and political inequalities in America and

works to funnel poor children of color toward nihilism and incarceration instead of hope and productive

adulthood. Within our current neoliberal economic order in which funding is shifting away from

programs that address human need toward private industry, we see a growing list of risk factors that

undermine the youths‘ life chances.

At Morrill, MISJT helps implement restorative justice practices. www.roosevelt.edu/MISJT.aspx

Community School Initiative: YMCA

―At the YMCA of Metro Chicago, we know that low-income children in underserved communities need

access to high-quality out-of-school time (OST) programs. That is why the Y‘s Community Schools

Initiative collaborates with Chicago Public Schools and other organizations to provide high-quality

http://www.swopchicago.org/

http://www.chicagoareaproject.org/programs/teen-reach

http://www.swopchicago.org/

http://www.roosevelt.edu/MISJT.aspx

- 92 -

programs and services at partner CPS schools for students in grades K-8. The Community Schools

Initiative bridges the traditional boundaries of formal and information learning to improve student

academic and social outcomes, empower families and develop strong communities.‖

www.ymcachicago.org/programs/community-schools

Alderman’s Office: JoAnn Thompson

―The Prosperity of a Community is Expressed by the Advancement of its People‖

www.aldermanjoannthompson.net

OpenLands

OpenLands‘ vision for the Chicago region is a landscape that includes a vast network of land and water

trails, tree-lined streets, and intimate public gardens within easy reach of everyone. OpenLands has

helped secure, protect, and provide public access to more than 55,000 acres of land for parks, forest

preserves, land and water greenway corridors, and urban gardens.

At Morrill, we have partnered with OpenLands to create a $220,000 community garden, and design a

master plan for our school grounds. www.openlands.org

Neighborhood Housing Services

―To create opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives, and strengthen their

neighborhoods.‖ At Morril, we have partnered with NHS to help our students‘ families find better and

more affordable housing. www.nhschicago.org

Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity based positive youth development program for

girls in the 3rd

-8th grade. We teach life skills through dynamic, interactive lessons and running games.

The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a

celebratory 5K running event. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment

while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness. www.girlsontherun.org

The Black Star Project

The Black Star Project is committed to improving the quality of life in Black and Latino communities of

Chicago and nationwide by eliminating the racial academic achievement gap. Our mission is to provide

educational services that help pre-school through college students succeed academically and become

knowledgeable and productive citizens with the support of their parents, families, schools and

communities. www.blackstarproject.org/action

AE Marketing Group

“We Build Communities and We Don’t Mean the Social Media Kind. Throughout time, people have

come together around common passions, ideas, causes, events, industry, experiences and more. But what makes

good communities thrive? It all starts with being authentic and working towards something bigger than oneself. We

help brands understand this sentiment and prepare them to build relationships with people of many

communities. And when we are good citizens of those communities we have unlimited potential together.‖ AE

Marketing Group has helped Morrill develop brochures to help advertise and promote the amazing things happening

at our school. www.aegroupchicago.com

Inner-City Muslim Action Network

The Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) is a community-based nonprofit that works for social

justice, delivers a range of direct services, and cultivates the arts in urban communities. At Morrill, we

partner with IMAN in our garden and with offering social services to our students. www.imancentral.org

http://www.ymcachicago.org/programs/community-schools

http://www.aldermanjoannthompson.net/

http://www.openlands.org/

http://www.nhschicago.org/

http://www.girlsontherun.org/

http://www.blackstarproject.org/action

http://www.aegroupchicago.com/

http://www.imancentral.org/

- 93 -

Students Transferring In

Due to economic and neighborhood factors, our school has a 30% mobility rate, which is many times

higher than average CPS schools. Because of this, we must be very organized in how we handle the

transfer in-and-out of students.

For students new to Morrill, please follow the steps below:

Step One

Parents must complete:

Enrollment form

Two proof of address

Birth certificate

Physical

Dental

Transfer paperwork if coming from another school

Home Language Survey (forward to Gaby Rodriguez)

For primary grade students, the family must complete the Authorized Pick-Up Form.

Step Two

When a new student enrolls or transfers to Morrill, the student and the parent must meet with one of the

following FACE team members: Melanie Lara, Gaby Rodrigues, Janet Gonzalez, Naomi Castillo, or

Kristin Blathras.

The FACE team will go over the contents of the Parent and Student Handbook in the agenda so the family

and student understand how Morrill operates, and knows our expectations. Then the FACE team will

collect more anecdotal evidence from the student, by asking the following questions:

1. What was the best experience you have ever had at school?

2. What was the worst experience you have ever had at school?

3. What are you looking for in your school?

4. How can we help support your transition to our school?

5. Is there anything you feel we should know so we can form a positive relationship with your

child?

6. Are there any current or recent challenges we can support you with?

7. What was the name of a teacher from your last school that you connected well with?

The information from these questions must be email to their homeroom teacher and administration the

day they are enrolled.

Step Three

Every homeroom teacher must have the following materials ready at all times in case a new student

enrolls:

Welcome letter

Supply list

Student contract

Media consent form

Set of journals and notebooks

Student Agenda

Teachers must contact the engineer for an additional desk and chair.

Step Four

Within 48 hours of a student enrolling or transferring to Morrill, the homeroom teacher or the Lead

Literacy Teacher must evaluate the student‘s reading level via BAS or Reading 3D.

- 94 -

Step Five

Within one week of a student enrolling or transferring to Morrill, the Parent Liaison, Melanie Lara, and at

least one of the student‘s teachers, must visit the home of the child to continue to establish a positive

relationship with the child and family.

Students Transferring Out When students transfer out of Morrill office personnel and teachers must follow the steps below:

Step One

Office checks with all classroom teachers to ensure student has returned all materials.

Step Two

Office personnel complete transfer paperwork.

Step Three

Office personnel inform counselor of transfer, and counselor sends all student records to new school

within 48 hours.

- 95 -

Leadership Philosophy & Core Values

- 96 -

- 97 -

- 98 -

Faculty & Staff Roles

Grade Room Name Subject(s)

Role Room Name

PreK 113 Kim Beranek PreK Principal M.O. Michael Beyer

PreK 119 Maresa Spooner PreK Assist. Principal 114B Keith Mahone

K Bil 108 Gaby Rodriguez Self-contained Counselor/ Case 116 Rocio Silva

K Bil 107 Leticia Medellin Self-contained Rest. Just. Facil. 116 Naomi Castillo

K 106 Yvonne Marlow Self-contained Instr. Coach 217 Kristin Blathras

K 115 Kristin Blathras Self-contained Prim. Interv. 218 Debbie Niedos

1 S 112 Kiah Nolan Reading, SS

1 114 Eileen Durkin Math, Science Convergence 219 Liz Radzicki

1 / 2 Bil 101 Irma Orozco Math, Science Convergence 219 Sean Owens

1 Bil / S 103 Teresa Benitez Reading, SS Convergence 219 Kim Richards

2/3 Bil 208 Elizabeth Martinez ELA, Math Convergence 219 Don Labonte

2 215 Barbara Warszalek Read., Science Convergence 219 Mindy Faber

2 212 Suzanne Sokol SS, Math

3 201 Tamika Hutchinson Reading, SS CASEL /PATHS Kathy Singleton

3 203 Monica Morrow Math, Science SWOP Sarah Mesick

2 Bil 207 Lizette Salazar ELA, SS

4 205 Sherry Stephens Reading, SS Psychologist 111 Michelle Gilhooly

4 206 Akiba Moss Math, Science Social Worker 111

3 Bil 209 Guadalupe Rivera ELA, Science Speech 111 Jessica Wacker

4/5 Bil 210 David Bravos Self-contained Bil.Speech 111

5 211 Jeannine Edwards Reading, SS Health Nurse 116 Kathleen Eckert

5 213 Lucy Martinez Math, Science Social Worker 116 Francisco Lozonio

6 305 Kim Carter Social Studies Occup. Therap. 116 Irene Gomez

6 / 7 Bil 308 George McMahon Language Arts

6 307 Octavia Rhodes Math Bil. Pre-K Asst. 119 Olga Espinoza

7 306 Jake Pagan Science Bil. Pre-K Asst. 113 Oneida Cancel

8 311 Monique Redeaux Social Studies Bil. Para Prof. 109 Liz Gonzalez

8 Bil 312 Jennifer Harris Language Arts Para Prof. 308 Karen Clemons

8 313 David Power Math Bil. Para Prof. 109 Leticia Lopez

7 314 Allison Bates Science Para Prof. 109 Catherine Fair

1-2 SPED 109 Lisa Anderson Resource Room

3-5 SPED 214 Kristina Brady Resource Room Security 104 Reginald Howard

6-8 SPED 309 Scott Wortel Resource Room Security 104 Andrew Stevens K-2 SPED 218 Cathy Gonzalez Co-teach

3-5 SPED 218 Jamie Tyson Co-teach Clerk MO Kathy Wheeler

6-7 SPED 218 August Brill Co-teach Clerk Assistant MO Carolina Rivera

7-8 SPED 218 Jeff Cooks Co-teach

K-8 219 Jennifer Gladkowski Librarian Bus Aide Barbara Blanks

K-8 Gym Keith Volante Physical Ed. Bus Monitor Fred Randolph

K-8 Gym Anthony Abata Physical Ed.

K-8 216 Lindsey Nordmark Art Lunch Manager Clementeen Miles

K-8 Aud. Danielle Holtz Drama Porter Yulanda Henry

K-8 310 Treymain Moore Media Integration Lunchroom Cassandra Atterberry

Lunchroom Rosario Santiago

214B David Castro Teen REACH Lunchroom Cecelia Smith

214B Omar Kamran Teen REACH

214B Andrea Ortez Teen REACH Engineer Kevin Baffoe

214B Jasmine Serrano Teen REACH Custodian Stinson Caldwell

214B Jasmine Clemons Teen REACH Custodian Jeanette Lambert

214B Carlos Ortez Teen REACH Custodian Elena Ferreira

214B Estella Bautista Teen REACH Custodian

117 Jenny Godinez CSI

117 Sunny Arellano CSI

- 99 -

2014-2015 School Calendar

- 100 -

Morrill First Day Procedures Where What

Duty Career Service: Do you know your duty schedule for before and after school?

Arrival

Do you know where students line up before school?

K-5 students line up by homeroom on Rockwell or 60th, teachers pick up the first day.

Every day afterwards students are sent up; teachers wait for them outside the

classroom.

6th

-8th

grades line up on south lot. First day 6th

-8th

graders are sent to the auditorium,

where they will learn about behavioral norms and contract; academic, after-school, and

sports programs.

Breakfast

Do you know breakfast procedures?

Students pick up food as they enter

Dispose of trash in cans outside the room. Does not place trash in your inside cans.

Leftover food into green bags on back of door, or save for later in the day as a

snack but must be disposed by the end of the day

Food should not be kept in the room overnight.

Instruction should begin no later than 8:10am, no exceptions.

Preps

Do you know your prep schedule?

During the first week, teachers are encouraged to spend 15 minutes in the room to

make sure students are settled.

Always pick up students on time at the end of prep.

Recess &

Lunch

Do you know what time to bring your student to lunch/ recess? When to pick them up?

Bring students to lunch/ recess on time.

Ensure students bring equipment, unless recess is in-doors

Pick up on time from recess monitor or lunchroom

Encourage students to bring water bottles (water only, and it can‘t be frozen)

First week of school teachers are required to go to recess and lunch with their class to

teach them norms

Students will have an access code for the lunch line. Teachers will have the list of

codes. Make sure your students know their code

Teachers do not have to collect any money

Transitions

&

Bathrooms

Do you have an agreement with your colleagues of what time, exactly, you will switch?

Have you and your colleagues agreed on a time(s) for students to go to their lockers?

Do you and your colleagues have a plan to take your one or two required bathroom breaks?

Instructional

and

Behavioral

Norms

Have you completed the mini-lessons for the Behavioral Norms?

Are you following the First 20 days of Instruction?

Are you prepared to reteach the Behavioral Norms mini-lessons if your students are not

following them?

Forms and

Instructional

Fee

Did you distribute these forms? With instructions to return them, completed, no later than

Friday?

1.Media Consent form; 5. Student sports fee form; 2. Emergency contact form; 6. Student Behavior Norms Contract;

3. Lunch form; 7. Convergence form; 4. Instructional fee form

Note: Health and shot records go directly and immediately to Naomi Castillo

Discipline Are you familiar with the Discipline plan?

Dismissal

Do you know what exit you dismiss from?

Be sure to walk your students to the door and ensure all students exit. No students are

allowed to go to the office or another classroom at dismissal time, no exceptions (Teen

Reach & other after school programs?).

Do not leave your room before 2:58pm. Instruction must continue until 2:55pm.

Students in after-school programs must have their Passport completed and signed in

their agenda book. They must have their passport in order to get to stay in the

building.

- 101 -

Pledge Schedule

Week Pledge

Week of Sep 1st

314

Sep 8th

313

Sep 15th

312

Sep 22nd

311

Sep 29th

309

Oct 6th

308

Oct 13th

307

Oct 20th

306

Oct 27th

305

Nov 3rd

213

Nov 10th

211

Nov 17th

210

Nov 24th

205

Dec 1st 206

Dec 8th

209

Dec 15th

208

Jan 5th

201

Jan 12th

203

Jan 19th

212

Jan 26th

215

Feb 2nd

214

Feb 9th

101

Feb 16th

103

Feb 23th

106

Mar 2nd

107

Mar 9th

108

Mar 16th

109

Mar 23rd

112

Mar 30th

114

Apr 13th

115

Apr 20th

305

Apr 27th

306

May 4th

307

May 11th

308

May 18th

309

May 25th

311

Jun 1st 312

Jun 2 8th

101

Jun 15th

103

- 102 -

Prep Schedule

1st Semester Prep Schedule

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

8:00—8:15 Prep Prep Prep Prep Prep

8:15—9:15

6th

-7th

gra

de

PE Abata Prep Prep Prep Prep Prep

PE Volante 305 306 307 308 305

Visual Art 308 Prep Prep 306 306

Library Atelier 307 305 306 305 308

Media Integration Prep 307 305 Prep 307

Drama 306 308 308 307 Prep

9:15—10:15

4th

-5th

gra

de

PE Abata 206 210 206 210 213

PE Volante 205 Prep 205 211 211

Visual Art 211 213 211 213 Prep

Library Atelier 213 211 213 Prep 210

Media Integration 210 206 Prep 205 205

Drama Prep 205 210 206 206

10:15—11:15

2n

d-3

rd g

rad

e

PE Abata 212 215 209/208 209/208 215

PE Volante 203 201 207/208 201 212

Visual Art 201 207/208 215 207/208 201

Library Atelier 207/208 212 201 215 207/208

Media Integration 215 209/208 203 212 203

Drama 209/208 203 212 203 209/208


11:45—12:45

1st g

rad

e

PE Abata 101 101 112 112 Prep

PE Volante 103 103 114 114 Prep

Visual Art Prep 112 103 Prep 114

Library Atelier 112 Prep 101 103 103

Media Integration 114 Prep Prep 101 112

Drama Prep 114 Prep Prep 101

12:45—1:45

7th

-8th

gra

de

PE Abata 311 312 313 314 311

PE Volante Prep Prep Prep Prep 314

Visual Art 312 311 Prep 311 312

Library Atelier Prep 313 312 Prep Prep

Media Integration 313 314 311 313 Prep

Drama 314 Prep 314 312 313

1:45—2:45

Kin

der

PE Abata Prep 107 115 107 106

PE Volante Prep Prep 108 106 108


Library Atelier 107 Prep Prep Prep 115

Media Integration 108 106 Prep 115 Prep

Drama 115 108 106 Prep 107


- 103 -

2nd

Semester Prep Schedule Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday


8:15—9:15

6th

-7th

gra

de

PE Abata Prep Prep Prep Prep Prep

PE Volante 305 306 307 308 305

Visual Art 306 Prep Prep 305 308

Library Atelier 308 305 306 307 306

Media Integration Prep 308 308 Prep 307

Drama 307 307 305 306 Prep

9:15—10:15

4th

-5th

gra

de

PE Abata 210 Prep 206 210 206

PE Volante 205 213 205 211 211

Visual Art Prep 206 210 205 205

Library Atelier 206 205 Prep 206 213


Drama 211 211 213 Prep 210

10:15—11:15

2n

d-3

rd g

rad

e

PE Abata 212 215 209/208 209/208 215

PE Volante 205 201 207/208 201 212

Visual Art 215 209/208 205 215 201

Library Atelier 209/208 205 212 205 209/208

Media Integration 201 207/208 201 207/208 205

Drama 207/208 212 215 212 207/208


11:45—12:45

1st g

rad

e

PE Abata 101 101 112 112 Prep

PE Volante 103 103 114 114 Prep

Visual Art Prep 114 101 Prep 103

Library Atelier 114 Prep 103 101 114

Media Integration 112 Prep Prep 103 112

Drama Prep 112 Prep Prep 101

12:45—1:45

7th

-8th

gra

de

PE Abata 311 312 313 314 312

PE Volante Prep Prep Prep Prep 314

Visual Art 314 313 Prep 312 313

Library Atelier Prep 311 314 Prep Prep


Drama 312 Prep 312 311 311

1:45—2:45

Kin

der

PE Abata Prep 107 115 107 115

PE Volante Prep Prep 108 106 106


Library Atelier 106 Prep Prep Prep 108

Media Integration 107 106 Prep 115 Prep

Drama 115 108 106 Prep 107


- 104 -

MAPS Testing Schedule During NWEA testing, prep schedule remain the same.

Teachers must complete the Master Testing Schedule with exact dates and times they are testing their

students. Classes cannot deviate from this schedule without first informing the principal.

Classes that are testing during their lunch and recess times will inform the lunchroom manager, Mrs.

Clem Miles, the day prior what time they would like to take lunch.

Students must bring their previous NWEA scores and their goals when they test. Students must also

bring scratch paper and pencil to both reading and math sessions. Calculators cannot be used. Teachers

must remain in the room while students test and ensure they are not distracted or distracting others.

Students should be encouraged to take their time and use traditional testing strategies, like eliminating

answers and solving problems instead of guessing.

Bulletin Board Schedule Outside

106

South

Outside

106

North

Outside

107

Outside

108

Outside

Gym

Office /

Exit 14

Outside

Gym

Entrance

3rd

Floor

South

3rd Floor

North

Co

nv

erg

ence

: L

iz R

adzi

cki

Dat

a W

all:

Bey

er

EL

A P

ow

erfu

l P

ract

ice:

Kri

stin

Bla

thra

s

Co

mm

un

ity

Sch

oo

ls

Init

iati

ve:

Jen

ny

Go

din

ez

Sp

ort

s S

ched

ule

s: P

E

teac

her

s

Hea

lth

y S

cho

ol:

PE

Tea

cher

s

Co

un

selo

r: C

oll

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Info

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ion

Co

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selo

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igh

Sch

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Info

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ion

Field trip procedures

Field trips are permitted and encouraged as supplements to learning, and as ways to expand knowledge

and supply new concepts and skills. Field trips will not be allowed if they are not tied to a unit plan.

Field trips offer students opportunities to connect real life situations with what they are learning in the

classrooms. In addition, field trips offer students an opportunity for improvement in self-discipline, self-

control, consideration of others, and the experience of learning to behave in a variety of new situations.

Students cannot be held back from participating in field trips without principal approval. If there is a

concern for the child’s safety an adult family member might be requested to attend.

Parents must be notified of all field trips as to cost, location, time, method of transportation, etc. A parent

or legal guardian must sign a permission form before a student is permitted to go on a field trip. The

signed permission form must be on file in the Main Office on the date of the field trip. No student will be

allowed to go on a field trip without a signed permission form and no verbal permission will be allowed

or accepted.

Teachers MUST:

Fill out and submit an Application for Student Travel (see copy in this handbook) to the principal

at least 3 weeks in advance. If there is a trip that needs to have a deposit, money needs to be

collected from the children before the school can issue a payment.

- 105 -

Create, send home and collect a Field Trip Permission Form that informs parents of the cost,

location, time, method of transportation, etc.

Insure that all students, including ELL/ SPED are informed about the trip, if it applies to them.

Find placement within a colleague‘s classroom for any student not attending the trip.

Notify the cafeteria staff at least TWO days prior to the travel, of the number of students who will

NOT take lunch on the day of the trip, and if applicable, of the number of sack lunches requested.

Classes may take up to 1 field trip per quarter; however the school can only pay for 1 bus per classroom.

No field trips will be approved during the first two weeks or the last 2 weeks of the school year.

Classes can win additional buses by having the top attendance each month. One winner is announced

each month. Another way a class can win a bus is being the first class to have all students record their

grades and test scores in their agendas. One winner is announced each quarter.

Field trip Application for Student Travel

Departure Date: ________________ Departure Time: ______________

Return Date: ___________________ Return Time: ________________

Grade Level(s) of participants: ____ Number of Students: _______

Total cost for students: ___________ Number of staff: _______

Total cost for chaperones: ________ Number of chaperones:_________

Total transportation cost: _________

Funding (check all that apply): Student fees ___ Fundraising ___ Grants ___ Other:_________________

Specific destination: ____________________________________________________________________

Address and phone of destination: ________________________________________________________

Educational benefits of field tripe:_________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Bus Company: ___________________________ Bus Telephone Number: _______________________

CPS Chaperones:_______________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Non-Staff Chaperones (First and last name required; should be one chaperone for every 10 students):

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Date permission slips will be sent home: ___________

Staff responsible for First Aid Kit: ________________

Date Submitted to Office: ________________ Date funds submitted to office:___________________

For Office Use:

Date Submitted in Oracle:

Request ID:

Date Principal Approved in Oracle:

Date CPS Approved in Oracle:

************File completed form in office************

- 106 -

Faculty and Staff Absences Faculty & staff are expected to be at work every day and on time and are strongly encouraged to schedule

personal appointments/meetings at times when they do not interfere with one‘s duties and responsibilities.

In the event that a staff member is absent or tardy, please follow these guidelines:

All staff must insure they have access to aesoponline.com to report an absence and schedule

a substitute teacher. Additionally, email and/or text Principal Beyer at [email protected], 312-513-0121, and Mrs.

Wheeler at [email protected] to report your absence, along with the confirmation number from

Aesop.

Personal business days must be planned in advance, and entered in Aesop. Approval from the

principal is required. If you enter a personal business day in Aesop after 5pm for the next day, it

will be denied. Provide sufficient notice and there won‘t be a problem.

If you arrange an absence in advance, be sure to remind Mrs. Wheeler and Mr. Beyer the day

before.

Faculty & staff members are discouraged from requesting permission to leave prior to 3:00 pm.

Appointments of all kinds should be set up after school hours or on weekends. It is the responsibility of

the teacher to fill out an Employee Cause of Absence Form.

Absence Form |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|

Employee ID ___________________________________ __________________________________

First Name Last Name

I am requesting the following day(s) off from work:

Month: Year:

Enter appropriate code under each date of absence – Do not use check marks -

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Number of Days Absent

Paid Absence codes

SCK Illness (Employee/Dependent) BRV Bereavement Leave

VAC Vacation (Vacation and Reserve Days) JDC Jury Duty – Circuit Court

PBD Employee‘s Personal Business JDD Jury Duty – District Court

PBE Employee‘s Emergency Personal Business JDF Jury Duty – Federal Court

CNF Conference Leave RHL Religious Holiday

No Pay Absence Codes

EXC Excused absence with pay UNX Unexcused absence without pay

I understand that if I am using sick benefit days that have not been earned, I authorize the Board

to withhold the value of sick pay taken and unearned from my final compensation.

___________________________________ __________________________________

Employee‘s Signature Date

___________________________________ __________________________________

Manager‘s Signature Date

http://aesoponline.com/



- 107 -

Kronos: signing in and out It is the responsibility of each Faculty & staff member to swipe in on the Kronos Time Keeper outside the

office at the beginning of their scheduled workday. Faculty & staff members should not leave the

building without swiping out. This applies for every time a person has to leave the premises during the

workday and before the official swipe out at the end of the day. If an employee misses a swipe they

should complete the Manual Time Entry Form.

Staff members with excessive tardiness and absences are in violation of 4-13 of the Employee Discipline

and Due Process Policy.

Manual Time Entry Edit Form

|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| _____________________________________

Employee ID Email

___________________________________ __________________________________

First Name Last Name

Section Required:

From:

To:

Position Number Pay Period # Date to Edit Actual Time (In / Out)

Reason: Forgot to Punch In Forgot to Punch Out KRONOS Clock Down

Reason: Field Work (specify)

Reason: Court Case (specify)

Reason: Other (specify)

I ceRtI fy that the above information is correct.

___________________________________ __________________________________

Employee‘s Signature Date

___________________________________ __________________________________

Supervisor/Manager‘s Signature Date

Note: This form is due on Friday, at the end of each pay period. Failure to complete this form may result in loss of

pay for the day in question. Submit a form for each day you have missed a swipe. A Punch Edit Approval Form is

only required when work hours are to be added manually to employee‘s timecard by Payroll Clerk/ Processor. It if

your responsibility to submit the form in a timely manner to ensure accuracy of payroll records.

Payroll Use Only

Punch Edited By ______________________________________ Date Edited ___________________

- 108 -

Extended day reporting #

Date Arrival Departure Program

Name Name Signature

Time Initials Time Initials

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1

0

1

1

1

2

I certify that this record has been kept under my

supervision, that it is believed to be correct in

every detail and that postings here have been

correctly made by me on the Attendance

Report.

______________________________________

Signature of Attendance Clerk

Approval as being correct to the best of

my knowledge and belief.

_______________________________

Signature of Official in Charge

Money handling Anytime money is collected from students it must be properly receipted.

When the total amount per student is $10 or less, a Payor List must be completed.

When the amount collected for each student is over $10 a receipt book must be used in addition to the

Payor List. Receipt Books are distributed by the Office Clerk.

The WHITE copy of the receipt is given to the student.

The YELLOW copy is retained in the receipt book.

Any money collected must be deposited daily to the Office Clerk or designee along with the Payor List.

The Clerk or designee is responsible for depositing the money in the bank on a daily basis or as soon as

possible for safe-keeping.

Staff should not take money home with them and should not leave money in a place that is not secure.

Teachers are fully responsible for any money they collect until it is deposited with the office designee.

Any money lost prior to depositing in the office is the teacher‘s responsibility.

Student Fee At the beginning of every year we charge families $25.00 per student for instructional materials. Send

home the student fee letter and begin collecting fees immediately. Give the students a receipt if over $10

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and submit the funds to the clerk at the end of the day. The funds will go into your own account in our

school internal accounts. You will then be able to use those funds as needed for classroom supplies.

Instructional Fee and Cell Phone Letter to Parents

Dear families of Morrill,

This letter addresses two important concerns: the instructional fee and cell phones. Please read this letter

carefully.

Instructional Fee: please be aware students at Morrill are expected to pay $25.00 for an instructional fee.

This helps cover the cost of instructional consumables. When the student pays the fee, they receive a

student agenda. Beginning October 1st students will not be allowed to participate in any sports or after-

school events until the fee is paid.

Cell phones and other electronic devices: The school strongly discourages students from bringing cell

phones and other electronics to school. However, so long as the device is turned off and not a distraction

during school time, they are allowed to have in on their person.

Most importantly, the school is not responsible for lost or stolen cell phones. If a student brings a cell

phone to school they should never place it into their locker, their desk, or leave it unattended.

Thank you,

Dr. Michael Beyer, Principal

Queridas familias de Morrill,

Esta carta se centra en dos preocupaciones importantes: la cuota de materiales para instrucción y los teléfonos celulares. Por favor, lea esta carta cuidadosamente. Cuota de instrucción: Por favor, tenga en mente que pedimos que todos los estudiantes de Morrill paguen $ 25.00 para materiales de la enseñanza. Esto ayuda a cubrir el costo de libros y otros artículos de consumo. Cuando el estudiante page la cuota, recibirá una agenda estudiantil. A partir del 1 de octubre, no se les permitirá a ningún estudiante participar en deportes o eventos después de la escuela hasta que page esta cuota. Teléfonos Celulares: La Escuela Morrill ya no es responsable de los teléfonos celulares perdidos o robados. La escuela se opone a que los estudiantes traigan teléfonos celulares y otros aparatos electrónicos a la escuela. Sin embargo, mientras el aparato electrónico este apagado y no sea una distracción durante el horario escolar, se les permite tener en su persona. Lo más importante es que la escuela no se hace responsable por teléfonos celulares perdidos o robados. Si un estudiante trae un teléfono celular a la escuela no debe ponerlo en su casillero, su escritorio, o dejarlo desatendido.

Gracias,

Dr. Michael Beyer, Principal

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Payor List To be used for payments of $10.00 or less from students. Anything more than $25.00 must be

recorded in a receipt book.

Teacher: ________________________________ Grade/Room: _________________

Purpose of Collection: __________________________________________________________________

Internal Account Credited: _________________ Treasurer’s Receipt #: _______________________

Date of Deposit: _______________________ Person Receiving Funds: _____________________

Student Name (Last, First) Amount Collected Date of Collection

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

Total Number of Students Total Amount Collected Staff Signature

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Reimbursements Reimbursements will only be approved if the purchase of the item was budgeted for in the CIWP, and if

the purchase was approved by the Principal prior to the purchase. Teachers should not request a

reimbursement unless the purchase was planned for in the CIWP and current year‘s budget. A

reimbursement form should be completed and submitted to the office.

Expense Reimbursement Request

Name ______________________________ Date ____________(Date must match first receipt)

Article and Description Purpose Date of

Receipt

Qty. Price

Total:

Submitted by: _________________________________ Date: _____________________

(Faculty / Staff)

Approved by: _________________________________ Date: _____________________

(Principal)

Oracle Entry: _________________________________ Date: _____________________

(Clerk)

Attire and professionalism All Faculty & staff members must dress appropriately for the classroom. Attire must be of a professional

nature and in good taste. Staff members should only dress in casual attire on days when students are in

casual attire. Hats should never be worn by faculty and staff when inside.

Students identify us as role models and authority figures. When students are present, all faculty and staff

should be professionally addressed with their title and last name.

All staff members are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and professional manner at all times.

Staff members are also expected to resolve any personal differences amongst themselves in a courteous,

professional, and discreet manner. Yelling or shouting by staff is unacceptable at all times. Positive and

polite attitudes that consistently show caring and kindness are necessary for maintaining order.

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Mailboxes and email It is the responsibility of each Faculty & staff member to check his/her mailbox and CPS e-mail daily for

messages and mail. Mailboxes should be cleaned out daily. Due to the confidential nature of some

communications students will not be allowed access to teacher‘s mailboxes.

Smoking Smoking and the use of tobacco products is not permitted on school property including the staff parking

lot, in school buildings, on school buses, or at school related/sponsored functions held on school

premises. Any staff caught smoking anywhere on school grounds will be reprimanded.

Social Committee Guidelines

The purpose of the Social Committee is to facilitate the celebration of special events during the school

year. The Social Committee oversees and guides the staff in choosing, planning and funding events. The

staff do not pay any dues or fees. Instead, each grade level cycle is responsible for organizing, planning

and providing food for one of the major events during the year. Your grade cycle will choose your event

during the beginning of school year orientation days. If you are not part of a grade cycle team, you should

join one of your choice to assist in planning one event.

Events include:

Back to School

Fall Festival

Christmas, or more appropriately: The Winter Celebration. There will be a fee for this event.

Optional Secret Santa: A voluntary week-long event to get into the holiday spirits organized by Social

Committee. You will pick a co-workers' name out of a hat and bring them a special treat each day of

the week. On Friday, you meet your secret Santa and exchange a small gift.

After the PARCC! Phew! Celebration

Spring Break!

End of Year

In addition, there will be separate collections for appropriate cards/ gifts for Births, Weddings, Illness

and/ or Deaths that occur.

Classroom and office maintenance Teachers are responsible for maintaining their classroom in a clean and orderly manner. Staples, glue, or

tape should not be used to place material on walls or furniture. Only painter‘s tape should be used. It is

required that students clean their desks/tables and lockers thoroughly at least every other week. Teachers

are responsible for ensuring that all equipment, textbooks and instructional materials issued to them are

maintained in excellent condition.

Teachers are to properly supervise students so that equipment located within each classroom will not be

inappropriately used. Teachers are instructed to monitor student usage of the technology located within

their classrooms, so that equipment and software programs are not damaged or misused.

As dictated by Board policy: Classroom doors are not to be covered with any type of material. Windows

near doors must provide an unobstructed view into the classroom. All desks and chair legs should have a

floor saver placed on them to protect the floor.

Lockers must be emptied by students before every intersession.

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Dry-erase boards must be thoroughly cleaned prior to intercession. Only painter‘s tape or magnets should

be used on dry-erase boards.

Furniture should never be written on, either with the teacher‘s name of the room number. Tape with the

name or room number can be placed on the bottom of a piece of furniture, out of view, so as to maintain a

neat appearance.

Teachers should display a sign outside of their classroom stating their name and subject(s) taught, as well

as the colleges or universities from which they have graduated.

Supplies, printing, and use of computer equipment

Every teacher will receive one case of paper per year. Teachers must submit receipts for their $250.00

reimbursement from the CTU funds prior to December 1st. Teachers are not guaranteed to receive any

other supplies due to budget cuts.

Due to the massive cost involved in purchasing and servicing copiers, codes have been placed on the copy

machines. You must enter your code before making copies. Please do not send students to make your

copies. Paraprofessionals should also not be asked to make copies while they have duty in your room.

When a teacher‘s copies have been depleted, email the principal and request additional copies. One case

of paper will be given to each teacher at the beginning of the year.

Computers are the engines and the core of today‘s society. It is imperative for all of us to become as

computer-literate as possible. Due to significant budget cuts over the past two years we have had to

reduce costs. One area is with the Tech Coordinator. We no longer have TechCo support so teachers will

have to Google issues and learn to fix their own computers and technology.

Another area we are saving money is printing. The school will no longer use school funds to purchase ink

cartridges. You may purchase your own ink cartridge using your $250.00 reimbursement from the CTU,

or from student instructional fees you collected and deposited with the school.

To save money, we strongly encourage you to use the Sharp copier in #220 as a printer.

The IP address is: 10.33.60.104

You will have to download the Sharp drivers to your computer.

This includes the components of IMPACT: SIM, CIM, GradeBook, and SSM. We expect teachers to use

their CPS g-mail as the primary means of communication. Attendance and grades are to be recorded using

GradeBook.

Technology must be utilized to teach and supplement curriculum. If you are a regular user of a computer

cart (Chromebooks, Mac Airs and/ or iPads), take these steps to prevent damage or loss:

Assign each student to one, specific computer by number, and take steps to insure each student

uses the same computer, each time you use the cart.

Count the computers in the cart BEFORE you distribute them to a group of students and again

AFTER they are put back.

Report any missing or damaged technology immediately to Mr. Spencer & Mr. Beyer.

The district provides all staff members and students with an email account @cps.edu, which allows them

to log on to any computer. It is important to log off every time you are away from your computer,

especially at the end of the day. Students must also do the same.

Use of the CPS Network for the purpose of accessing non-educational material is in violation of the CPS

Student Code of Conduct and Employee Discipline and Due Process and all students and staff members

must accept responsibility for their actions and behavior. You should not be checking personal email or

using technology for non-instructional purposes when children are present.

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If you are issued any technology, you are personally responsible for it. If you mishandle or abuse the

equipment you will not receive a replacement, and might be held financially liable.

If there is a technology issue or concern you must send an email request to Mr. Don Spencer

([email protected]) and cc Mr. Beyer.

Lost Book Form Date__________________

To the parents/guardians of:

Name of Student__________________________________ ID#_____________________

Your child has lost his/her book and has been issued a second book. Therefore, the first book has to be paid for. In the event that

the book is found and returned, a refund will be issued – depending on the condition of the book when it is returned. The amount

of the book is listed below. Please call us if you want to make payment arrangements. We can set up a payment schedule for you.

If the books are returned, payment is received, or satisfactory arrangements are made within the next ten (10) days, no further

collection action will be taken.

Failure to return these textbooks or pay the amount due may lead to _____________________. Please help us remove this debt

from your record. Return the textbook to the school or call us to make payment arrangement. Payments may be made directly to

the school.

ISBN TITLE PRICE

Total:__________

If you have any questions about this letter please contact me at 773-535-9288.

Fecha__________________

Para los padres/ guardianes de:

Nombre del estudiante__________________________________ ID#_____________________

Su niño/niña a perdido su libro y se le a dado un segundo libro de reemplazo. Por lo tanto, el primer libro tiene que ser pagado. En

el evento que el libro sea encontrado o regresado, se le dará un reembolso – dependiendo en la condición del libro cuando sea

regresado. El costo del libro será anotado en esta forma. si le gustaría hacer un arreglo de pagos por favor contáctenos por

teléfono. Nosotros podemos programar una forma para que usted pueda hacer pagos a plazos. Si el libro es regresado, o los

arreglos apropiados son hechos en los próximos diez (10) días, ninguna otra acción será tomada.

Si fallan a regresar el libro o a pagar la cantidad del costo del libro esto puede resultar en . Por favor ayúdenos en

eliminar esta deuda de su cuenta. Regrese el libro a la escuela o llame para hacer un arreglo de pagos. Pagos pueden ser hechos

directamente a la escuela.

NUMERO ISBN TITULO PRECIO

Total:__________

Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre esta carta por favor contácteme al numero 773-535-9288.

Sinceramente,



- 115 -

Media Consent Form

- 116 -

Student media consent form Spanish

- 117 -

Media consent form for adults

- 118 -

Health Records and Folders All official folders and records must be kept in the Counselor/ Nurse‘s office, Room 116. Teachers

should ensure each of their homeroom students have a health folder. If there isn‘t a folder on file the

counselor needs to be informed.

When students bring in shot records, they must be sent to Rm116 immediately.

Emergency forms New emergency forms should be distributed at the beginning of the school year and during both report

card pick-up dates. Teachers need to remind students and parents that it‘s important to keep information

up to date. Please submit one alphabetized set of the emergency forms to the office by the end of the

second week of school. Keep the second set in your classroom. At the end of the year, file the classroom

copies in the students‘ cumulative records folder.

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Lice Letter

Dear Parent,

Head lice have been reported in your child‘s classroom. We need your cooperation to prevent

the lice from spreading. Check your child for signs of lice.

What to look for: The major signs of lice are irritation by louse bites, intense itching and nits

(pearl white eggs), on the shaft of the hair. Look closely for nits. These tiny eggs are ―glued‖ to

individual hairs close to the scalp, and are very difficult to remove (unlike dandruff). The adult

louse is gray or brown in color and can be easily seen.

What to do: Several shampoos to kill lice are on the market. Some can be purchased over-the-

counter at your local drugstore, others require a prescription. All members of the household

should be treated on that same day, including household members with no evidence of lice

infestation.

Sincerely,

Michael Beyer

Principal

Estimados Padre,

Se ha reportado un brote de piojos en el salón al que su hijo asiste. Necesitamos su cooperación

para evitar que los piojos se propaguen. Examine la cabeza de su hijo para ver si encuentra

señales de piojos.

Que se debe buscar: Las señales más grandes de que hay piojos son las irritaciones causadas por

las mordidas de ellos, picazón constante y liendres. Estos huevitos están pegados en la base del

cabello, cerca del cuero cabelludo y son muy difíciles de remover (distinto a la caspa). El piojo

es adulto es de color gris o marrón y se puede ver con facilidad.

Que se debe hacer: Hay mucho shampoos para matar piojos que están de vente en el mercado.

Algunos pueden ser comprados sin receta médica pero otros la requieren. Todas las personas en

la casa deben ser tratadas ese mismo día, aunque no tengan evidencia de haber sido contagiados.

Sinceramente,


- 120 -

Conjunctivitis Letter

Dear parent / guardian,

We suspect your child has pink eye. Please bring him/her to the doctor to be diagnosed and

treated. Your child cannot return to school until we receive a doctor‘s notice stating he/she has

been seen by a doctor.

We appreciate your understanding. We are responsible for maintaining the health of our entire

school community of more than 850 students.

Sincerely,

Michael Beyer, Principal

Announcement Request At Morrill, we value teachers who reflect on their own practice. Please use the following

checklist to confirm you are abiding by the directives in this handbook. You can be held

accountable if you are not. To insure that does not happen, please use the following checklist as a

preventative tool.

If you need some information passed on to the entire school, use this form. Please complete it

and place it in Mr. Mahone‘s mailbox at least one day before you would like the announcement.

Person making request: _____________________________________________________

What date would you like this to be read: _______________________________

What would you like to be read (write as a script to be read word-for-word):

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

- 121 -

The following is a list of websites faculty and staff regularly use at Morrill.

Morrill Reports, Data, and MTSS Referrals https://sites.google.com/site/morrillreportsdata/home

Report cards, progress reports, NWEA, and other data is uploaded and shared to this site.

Teachers must submit their MTSS referral forms to this site, also.

Morrill Professional Learning https://sites.google.com/site/morrillprofessionallearning/home

Useful resources for teachers and career service professional learning

Morrilll School website www.morrill.cps.edu For the general public

Morrill Facebook Group www.facebook.com/groups/Morrill Members only

Morrill Art Facebook Page www.facebook.com/MorrillArt

Morrill Library Facebook Page www.facebook.com/MorrillSchoolLibrary

Morrill Kindergarten Page www.facebook.com/MorrillKindergarten

Teen REACH Facebook Page www.facebook.com/pages/Teen-REACH-Morrill-

Elementary/186780608041751

Morrill CPS webpage www.cps.edu/Schools/Pages/school.aspx?id=610077 Includes useful

public data

CPS Employee Directory http://cps.k12.il.us/EmployeeSearch

CPS Knowledge Center https://sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/home

Information about subject and content frameworks, assessments, REACH, and other CPS Board

policies.

REACH Videos https://proficiency.teachscape.com/login;jsessionid=1j538dtkdh8d21gtil1psm8mus

Username: [email protected] password: morrilleagle

Morrill CHAMPS videos

Whole Group Champs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MwvSe8ye5o&feature=youtu.be

Independent work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptp8DlBnwoY&feature=youtu.be

Small Groups/ Partner

work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNBW__rWWE&feature=youtu.be

Hallway/Bathroom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsJdj95xw0E&feature=youtu.be

www.classdojo.com

RtI Resources www.interventioncentral.com ; www.free-reading.net ; www.whatworks.ed.gov

www.rtinetwork.org

WIDA Standards http://www.wida.us/standards/elp.aspx

SLA standards http://www.isbe.net/bilingual/htmls/standards.htm.

CPDU Form http://tinyurl.com/cpws5oh

CPDU Evaluation http://tinyurl.com/c7u6cft.

https://sites.google.com/site/morrillreportsdata/home

https://sites.google.com/site/morrillprofessionallearning/home

http://www.morrill.cps.edu/

http://www.facebook.com/MorrillArt

http://www.facebook.com/MorrillKindergarten

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teen-REACH-Morrill-Elementary/186780608041751

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teen-REACH-Morrill-Elementary/186780608041751

http://www.cps.edu/Schools/Pages/school.aspx?id=610077

http://cps.k12.il.us/EmployeeSearch

https://sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/home

https://proficiency.teachscape.com/login;jsessionid=1j538dtkdh8d21gtil1psm8mus


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MwvSe8ye5o&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptp8DlBnwoY&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNBW__rWWE&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsJdj95xw0E&feature=youtu.be

http://www.classdojo.com/

http://www.interventioncentral.com/

http://www.free-reading.net/

http://www.whatworks.ed.gov/


http://www.wida.us/standards/elp.aspx

http://www.isbe.net/bilingual/htmls/standards.htm

http://tinyurl.com/cpws5oh

http://tinyurl.com/c7u6cft