Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Mitchell Elementary Shows Obama Speech During Assembly

Received numerous phone calls and emails from concerned parents regarding an assembly that presumably took place yesterday. According to these calls and emails, the prinicpal held an assembly to show the speech and announced that the Board of Education had decided to show the speech for educational purposes. Please remember all of this post is PRESUMED/ALLEGED, etc. I am still questioning and awaiting details from Central Office and Mitchell Elementary and will update this post accordingly.
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UPDATE:

The below was sent from Mr. Richmond to all staff (the Board was NOT included onthis correspondance) ...

Thursday, October 01, 2009 2:34 PM

Subject: President Obama's Speech
On September 8, 2009, President Barack Obama spoke to the students across the United States via television broadcast. His message is one of encouragement to students about setting goals and accepting responsibility for their educational success. It is a message which is important for all students to hear, and also supports the Maryland State Curriculum for Social Studies.
As a result, we encourage your school to utilize this speech as an instructional resource. To assist in implementation, a few suggestions for the various grade levels are listed below along with the appropriate MSDE expectations.

Teachers can click on the link below to view the text or video of the speech. You may also go to the Virtual Drive / AllStaff folder.

President Obama Speech (Text)
President Obama Speech (Video)

In addition, please let Mr. Cunningham's office know how you utilized the speech.

Elementary Level
Social Studies Goal 1.0 Students will understand the historical development and current status of the fundamental concepts and processes of authority, power, and influence, with particular emphasis on the democratic skills and attitudes necessary to become responsible citizens.

Suggested Activities:

  • Students create posters about their responsibilities; how these affect their future and the future of our nation.
  • Students create posters / write an essay about their goals and their plans to achieve them.
  • Students generate a class list of student responsibilities and post in the classroom.
  • Post student goals around the classroom as reminders.

Middle School Level
Social Studies Goal 1.0
Students will understand the historical development and current status of the fundamental concepts and processes of authority, power, and influence, with particular emphasis on the democratic skills and attitudes necessary to become responsible citizens.

Suggested Activities:

  • Students use before, during and after reading strategies as they read the speech.
  • Students use SOAPSTone to analyze the content of the speech.
  • Students create posters about student responsibilities; how these affect their future and the future of our nation.
  • Students create posters / write an essay about their goals and their plans to achieve them.
  • Generate a class list of student responsibilities and post in the classroom.
  • Post student goals around the classroom as reminders.
  • Students “Think, Pair, Share” share their goals.
  • Students use different genres (songs, poems, etc.) to write about their goals.

High School Level

LSN Government:
EXPECTATION 1.1 - Assessment limit: individual rights and responsibilities

U.S. History:
Expectation 6 - Students will demonstrate understanding of the cultural, economic, political and social developments from 1981 to the present.
Indicator 2 - Analyze modern economic, political and social influences on American society from 1981-present (5.6.2).

Suggested Activities:

  • Students use before, during and after reading strategies as they read the speech.
  • Students use SOAPSTone to analyze the content of the speech.
  • Students create posters of their goals (perhaps use a quad format) and label it based on the categories identified in the speech (personal, community, academic, and country).
  • Students write essays explaining how their goals can be achieved.
  • Students interview one another and share their goals.
  • Students use different genres (songs, poems, etc.) to write about their goals.
  • Compare President Obama’s speech with those given by his predecessors.

Monday, October 12, 2009

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 10/13/09

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 13 at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. and Public Forum is at 6 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and rebroadcast throughout the week. All televised Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/.

Executive session  12 p.m.

Call to order  1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance, Maurice J. McDonough High School's JROTC unit

Superintendent's update to the Board

Reports of officers/boards/committees

  • Correspondence/Board member updates
  • Education Association of Charles County update
  • Student Board member update
  • Safe schools with Sheriff Rex Coffey
  • Audit report
  • Budget update
  • CIP update
  • High school security cameras
  • Summer maintenance projects
  • Fine and Performing Arts curriculum and events
  • Title I parent policy
  • Testing update
  • Recruiting update

Unfinished Business

New business and future agenda items

  • New High School

Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

Resolution: American Education Week, American Freedom Week

Public Forum  6 p.m.

Action items

  • Minutes
  • Personnel
  • FY 2010 Comprehensive maintenance plan
  • Record retention policy #2470

Adjournment

Friday, October 02, 2009

A Crazy Idea for Middle Schools

Class Struggle - by Jay Mathews
washingtonpost.com
October 2, 2009

When education pundits like me talk about the American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland, Calif., the conversation is always about the middle school's leader, Ben Chavis. He is very different from us data-sifting eggheads. It is not an exaggeration to call him a wild man. He delights in upbraiding lazy students, outraging inattentive teachers and making wrong-headed visitors to the school wish they had stayed home.

He has the independent spirit of someone who had a successful career in construction, teaching and business before the then-woebegone AIPCS board asked him to rescue the school. He didn’t need the job. He did it mostly as a favor to fellow Native Americans--he was born into a Lumbee Indian family of sharecroppers in North Carolina--and as a challenge. He has many of the habits of some of the best educators I know--a wicked sense of humor, a weakness for shocking the conventionally wise and a deep love of children, particularly those who have had difficult lives.


Read more HERE.