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    Parent Involvement is all about our working together to make the best educational experience possible for each and every student. Research shows that  your participation in your child’s education will boost his or her achievement in school.  At Norterra Canyon, we are committed to treat parents as partners while keeping lines of communication open and focused on the needs of your student.   Mutual trust and respect between parents and teachers is required to maintain a positive learning experience. We believe that your trust in the staff at Norterra Canyon is required to ensure your child’s success. 

    My name is Coach Wilson.  I am very excited to be teaching PE  at Norterra Canyon!  This will be my 3rd year teaching PE, and my 23rd year as an educator!  I have taught Kindergarten, 1st and 3rd grades.  I graduated from ASU in 1999 with a BA in Elementary Education.  In 2004 I obtained my Masters degree in Educational Curriculum and Technology from the University of Phoenix.  I have two wonderful children, Ava who is in 8th grade and my son Alex who just graduated from Boulder Creek.  In my spare time I enjoy traveling, working out, hiking, reading and spending time with my family.  I have a love of fitness and sports and I hope to share that love with my students!  I am looking forward to a great year!

    Units of Study:

     

    PE Units:

     

    • Volleyball
    • Basketball
    • Croquet
    •  
    • Football
    •  
    • Soccer
    •  
    • Whiffle ball
    •  
    • Badminton
    • Tennis
    • LaCrosse
    • Ultimate frisbee/frisbee golf
    • Bocce Ball
    • Various team games
    • Cardiovascular Fitness stations

     

     

     

     

    Arizona Department of Education - https://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/academic-standards

     

    PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (PLC’s)

    Most Fridays, students will have their full schedule, but shortened classes so teachers are able to participate in PLC work. PLC work is directly related to the planning, instruction and interventions teachers implement in the classrooms to ensure that students master the standards.

     

    Role of PLC

    A professional learning community is a group of educators that meet regularly and work Collaboratively to improve teaching practices and the achievement of students. The questions that drive the work of PLC’s are:

    •       What do we want all students to know and be able to do?
    •       How will we know if they learn it?
    •       How will we respond if some students do not learn?
    •       How will we extend the learning for students who are already proficient?

    PLC Teams are responsible for collaborating to establish general consistency among the following:

    •       Assignments, presentations, products, observations and assessments used to determine

        a student's level of performance in relation to grade-level standards.

    •       The method and schedule for additional learning opportunities.
    •       Due dates, deadlines, and procedures for reassessment.
    •       Create opportunities for common scoring of assessments.

     

    HOMEWORK & GRADES

    •     Research provides strong evidence that, when used appropriately, homework is essential for increasing and reinforcing student learning and achievement for course standards. Homework may be differentiated to meet the needs of our varied learners. The intent of homework is to practice, extend learning, and provide opportunities for students to develop critical, independent study skills and self-discipline for their life-long educational journeys.
    •     Grades are a reporting tool utilized to reflect what a student knows and is able to do in a content area. We measure achievement, not effort or behavior, in our grading system.
    • The primary purpose of assessment and grading is to provide detailed feedback to inform and support student learning.
    • Learning is a process that takes place over time and at different speeds for different students thus our standards based grading reflects growth towards mastery of standards.
    •     PowerSchool is an essential resource for parents and students. It is not only a tool for communication regarding grades, it is a resource for our students and parents to check progress, missing work, and what is being taught/learned regularly. Please ensure that you and your child have access (separate accounts) and even sign up for the app and push notifications or weekly email updates as an option in PowerSchool.

     

     

     

     

    WHY STANDARDS BASED GRADING?:

    Parents:

    •           Progress reports are less mysterious and have more meaning
    •           Parents are aware of exactly what their child knows, is able to do, and next steps for progress
    •           Parents know in what areas their child needs more support
    •           Parents are empowered to increase their child's confidence and help their student set goals

    Students:

    •       Learning targets are clearly defined and aligned with state standards.
    •       Students are offered multiple opportunities and ways through which to demonstrate  proficiency
    •       Students monitor their own progress toward the achievement of specified targets
    •       Specific feedback on progress helps build self-esteem, pride, and motivation

    Teachers:

    •       Teachers know exactly where students stand in their progress toward learning targets and what support needs to be provided
    •       Teachers of the same courses have aligned expectations and standards
    •       Assessment results help teachers determine when students need extra help and when they need more challenging work





    Please remember that during the grading period IB scores will look different than the end of quarter grades. IB grades work on the scales detailed below.

     For Formative Assessments:

    ○  These are the grades that let students know how well they understand the content as they PRACTICE to prepare for the summative assessment.

    ○  You will see at least one progress grade entered per content area each week.

    ○  The progress scores are just practice for students to know how they are developing the skills and knowledge needed for the summative. To hold students accountable, formative assessments truly are preparation for the summative.

     For Summative Assessments:

    ■  Final grades at the end of a unit

    ■  Scored 0-8 based on Subject Area Rubrics

    ■  Across all subjects, the grading interpretation is as follows:

     

    Brief Description

    IB Achievement Score

    Excelling

    8

    7

    Mastering

    6

    5

    Progressing

    4

    3

    Beginning

    2

    1

    No Evidence

    0

     

     

    PROCEDURES FOR RE-ASSESSMENTS AND LATE WORK

    Learning is a journey that is often not linear. Some students learn content and skills quickly while others may require more time or feedback in order to learn. The primary objective of grades is to report where a student is in the learning process, regardless of how much time or effort the student needs to get there.

     

    Students will be expected to participate in all activities and learning tasks on a daily basis.  Formative assessments will be recorded weekly to monitor progress towards summative learning objectives. End of unit assessments will include written and performance tasks.  

     

    Reassessment is a procedure in learning, therefore in Health and PE students will have an additional opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of key concepts on summative assessments.  Students who desire to reassess must communicate with the teacher following the initial assessment, complete tasks to re-learn key concepts, and then set an appropriate time to complete the reassessment at least a week prior to the end of a grading period.  

     

    STUDENTS ROLE IN LEARNING

    As students grow and become self-directed in learning about themselves as a learner, they have to analyze their own study habits.  They will need to figure out what actually works for them to  retain the new knowledge they are gaining and use those strategies to support their learning. Citizenship grades on the report cards and the PRIDE Card in grades 6-8 reflect student effort and behavior and are completely separate from their academic grades.  

    NORTERRA CANYON COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL  communication through Blackboard , email, and phone calls.

     

    If a child’s safety or school-wide safety is a concern, please contact the front office or a staff member immediately.  All Pirate Staff members work together to ensure the safety of all students.  If you have any questions or concerns about my classroom, please contact me by email or by calling the office and leaving a message.  Attached is a link to our campus communication protocol.

    NC Communication Levels

     

    Academic Honesty Policy

    NC Academic Honesty Policy