Portsmouth Public SchoolsOffice of Curriculum and Instruction

School Board ReportDecember 12, 2019

Office of EnglishPlease welcome Ms. Khadijah Alexander as our new Coordinator of Reading and English! She brings a wealth of knowledge in elementary education, reading, English, and school leadership! We are so excited to have her join our PPS family!

Ms. Godwin-Smith (Elementary Program Specialist/PALS Coordinator) presented, “Let’s Taco About PALS” workshop to inform parents about the components of the PALS assessment.

Churchland High English 9 students are writing a book, Mercy. This past week Ms. Tia Deas, teacher and co-author, was featured on WAVY 10 News, along with her students. Ms. Deas wanted students to be able to help others, so each student in her current English class is writing a chapter on a range of topics including loss, violence, and school drop-outs to help others going through those situations. The students are not only excited to be published authors, but also to help out students in need by donating the proceeds from the sale of the book. The book will be published by the end of January and will be only available on Amazon.

Office of MathematicsThe Office of Mathematics sponsored Math Madness Black Friday Edition on November 19, 20, and 21 at our middle schools. Math 8 students “shopped” and used their skills of discount, tax, and interest to make their purchases. The students also kept a register of their account balances and purchases.

GIVING THANKS FOR TECHNOLOGY was sponsored by the Office of Mathematics for our high schools. On November 22, 25, and 26 students participated in math events. This was an interactive opportunity for high schools students to apply what they learned/will learn during the linear regression and slope unit VA SOL A.6 & A.9. Students will be given the opportunity to explore applications of slope using the TI-84 Calculator and the TI-Motion Detector CBR-2, Nintendo Wii, Explore Learning Gizmos and the Spheros.

The Mathematics, Citizenship, and Art Grant was funded by the Virginia Council for Mathematics Supervision. The high school Geometry, AFDA, and Trigonometry classes are in the planning stages of creating the coloring book pages based on mathematical formulas and concepts.

Office of Social StudiesThe Office of Social Studies is “Portsmouth proud” of our students for creating handcrafted cards for our Military Missions project. They made our soldiers deployment over the holidays a little easier by receiving a personal note from home.

Office of ScienceOn November 15, 2019, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard hosted over four hundred fifth grade students from Brighton, Douglass Park, James Hurst, Park View, Victory, and Westhaven for the inaugural STEM CAREER WORKSHOP. Students were greeted at the door of the Dry Dock and assigned an ambassador from the Navy or Coast Guard. The Ambassador was their guide to over forty interactive exhibits.

The Virginia Air and Space Center will offer our thirteen (13) elementary schools two, FREE OUTREACH programs to all fifth grade students. The Grade 5 Science SOL Assessment includes grade 4 content. Therefore, the programs will focus on Electricity, SOL 4.3 a-d, f and Earth, Moon, Sun, SOL 4.8. The Outreach opportunities will be scheduled between March 9 and April 7, 2020. Descriptions of each taken from the Virginia Air and Space Center’s website follow.

Earth, Moon, and Sun: SOL: 3.8; 4.8 What causes the sun to rise and set every day? Learn how the Earth’s four seasons are caused. Learn the difference between the geocentric model of old and the heliocentric model of today (and the philosophers and scientists that introduced each theory to us). Classify the different phases of the Moon and discover how they occur through a hands-on activity!

Electricity: SOL: 4.3a-d, f How is electricity created? Gain an understanding of how a flow of electrons is generated by copper atoms. Learn the difference between insulators and conductors, as well as series and parallel circuits. Observe lightning right in your classroom with a Jacob’s ladder! Using a Van de Graaff generator, experience static electricity as it travels right through your body!

Office of MusicPerforming Arts has the following information to share:Our music district consists of Chesapeake, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Suffolk Public Schools as well as several private schools: Nine PPS division middle school students were selected by audition. The breakdown is as follows: Churchland Middle 4; Cradock Middle 3; W. E. Waters Middle 2. This is the first time that Portsmouth Schools has had participation from all middle schools!!!

Fifty Five PPS division high school students were selected by audition. The breakdown is as follows: Churchland High 19; I C Norcom 19; Woodrow Wilson 17. The totals are the result of increased focus and more participation in our middle school programs.

One PPS student, Cassidi Benson from Woodrow Wilson High School, was selected by audition to participate in this year's Honors Choir. This is a state level competitive choral event.

The Young Singers Project is the Virginia Chorale's flagship educational outreach program. High school singers from across Hampton Roads compete for a spot in the ensemble where they work alongside professional singers for a month of rigorous training. Five PPS students were selected by audition to participate in the 2020 Young Singers Project in January: Churchland High SchoolKailyn WynnFelixia Brooks

Woodrow Wilson High SchoolCassidi BensonHannah JohnsonKyazia Painter

Congratulations are in order for Churchland High's Theatre Department!!! The troupe garnered the following results for its performance of the one act play, Wilma Rudolph by Mary Satchell:

OVERALL•It placed 2nd and advanced to the Super Regional in Fredericksburg on November 16th!!!!!!INDIVIDUAL AWARDS•Senior London Diggs received an HONORABLE MENTION Award for his portrayal of "Coach Temple"•Freshman Melena Carrero received the OVERALL OUTSTANDING ACTOR Award for her portrayal of "Wilma Rudolph"CAST •Received "EXCELLENT" commendations across the board for Ensemble EffectDIRECTOR •Received one "SUPERIOR" and three "EXCELLENT" commendations for Execution of Direction

Office of Instructional TechnologyThe Office of OITMS has been working with IT to implement Live Announcements at several of our schools. Waters Middle and James Hurst Elementary have begun using the MEVO app to broadcast live in the mornings. Students have auditioned to be news anchors for the school. It has been a huge success. Check out some of the great work created by WMS students. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkCcaHz0a0bon2ofMaHJtBg/videos

Jennifer Thomas attended the Go Open Summit at WHRO on Tuesday, November 19th. This summit highlighted the state's efforts to launch the #GoOpenVA platform for open educational resources. Jean Weller from the VDOE presented on the topic and the launch date is set for January 2020.

PPS Librarians from each level were represented at the annual VAASL Conference in Roanoke. Librarians walked away with new ideas to help engage students and promote literacy. They will

be sharing with the entire team in January. The goal is to create student-centered libraries that promote literacy, creativity, collaboration, and STEM in a welcoming atmosphere.

Office of Health, Physical Education, and Driver EducationOffice of ArtThe Offices of Physical Education and Art held a staff development at Woodrow Wilson High School on integrating technology in the classroom. Phil Hines and Paula Bonadies demonstrated the use of the green screen technology as a strategy for engaging students and enhancing instruction. The green screen experience can offer students an opportunity to participate in project based learning.

Respectfully submitted,

Anita S. Wynn

Dr. Anita S. WynnAssistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction