Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016
Talent Management Fall Survey Launching Next Week
On Monday, Nov. 7, you will receive the Fall Talent Management Survey, which focuses on Teacher Leadership & Collaboration, LEAP and new teacher supports. The purpose of this survey is to give you the opportunity to provide feedback on the coaching supports you have received throughout the year. It will help schools and the district understand what is going well and where we can make improvements. The survey will only take about 10-15 minutes to complete and responses are confidential . We look forward to your feedback!
The LEAP Team Needs Your Feedback
If you are unable to join us, you can still share an example of how you are using LEAP in your daily practice to make lessons better for your students. Sharing your experience may help a colleague and you'll be entered to win a thank-you gift.

As a teacher, you know what's working in the classroom and
how students learn best. 

You also know how the LEAP Growth and Performance system is working for you. Your feedback is critical to improving the system and ultimately helping students  succeed;  therefore, we'd like to invite you to participate  in  an upcoming LEAP feedback session to:
  • Gather input about the perception of LEAP as a tool to improve teacher practice.
  • Determine opportunities for improvement.
  • Identify instances in which LEAP has positively  impacted your professional growth.
Participants will receive extra-duty pay and can register for 
a session online.
Working with Families to Build a Foundation for Success in School
Foundations of Early Literacy
Watch the Foundations of Early Literacy video shared with families at the Superintendent Parent Forum on Oct. 26.
Last week, the Family and Community
Engagement team hosted a Superintendent Parent forum focused on the topic of early literacy. With more than 160 people in attendance, Superintendent Tom Boasberg and other district leaders shared with families DPS' Early Literacy Plan. 

Topics also covered the plan's focus on biliteracy to meet the needs of our students who are English language learners, as well as how a mill levy investment would support ongoing professional learning in early literacy for our educators. In addition, participants discussed how they are supporting their children's literacy at home and what resources would be helpful to them. Check out the video that was shown at the forum for an update on early literacy and how educators are applying what they learned during the summer Foundations training in their classrooms.

Teacher Leadership & Collaboration 
A day of professional learning activities for all TLC roles. Visit the link above to see session descriptions, read an FAQ and register.  
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Wednesday, Nov. 9
Manual High School 
Encourage Families to Join Us at the Great Schools Expo Nov. 9
Family looking out over the Broncos stadium during last year's Great Schools Expo
Please encourage your students and families to attend the DPS Great Schools Expo next week, where they can meet with representatives from all traditional, charter, magnet and pathway schools in DPS. Attendees can learn more about programs and resources available to DPS families and attend SchoolChoice information sessions. Families will be able to go into the stadium seats and look out onto the football field where the Superbowl Champion Broncos play!  The expo will take place from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 9 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. To learn more, visit   dpsk12.org/expo .
Seeking Recommendations for Denver Teacher Residency!
The Denver Teacher Residency (DTR), our internal teacher licensure programs, is currently accepting  applications. We are looking for recommendations of candidates who you believe could become effective teachers in our district (consider math fellows, paraprofessionals, tutors, parents, office staff, etc.). As part of the DTR program, candidates spend an entire year working in a master teacher's classroom while earning a master's degree before becoming a licensed teacher.  Refer an applicant and receive a $250 bonus . The application deadline is Jan. 25, 2017.  Please reach out to Leticia Levi with questions or recommendations.  Learn more about the DTR Program.
Changes Coming Soon to Your DPS Password
Starting in December, DoTS will be launching account lockout policies based on the following settings: 
  • Account lockout threshold set to 8. This security setting will lock your DPS account after 8 failed logon attempts.
    • Note: If your account is automatically signing on to other devices, this will also continue to lock the device until reset.
  • Account lockout duration set to 30 minutes. This security setting will automatically unlock a locked account after 30 minutes.
  • Reset account lockout counter set to 30 minutes. This security setting determines the number of minutes that must elapse after a failed logon attempt counter is reset to 0 bad logon attempts.
Reminder: Don't forget to register on the district's self-service password management tool.  The instructions can be found at http://iam.dpsk12.org. Click on the Training tab and choose Self Service Password Management to access the quick reference guide. This tool will allow you to reset your password online, anytime, after you register and answer your security 

Professional Learning and Resources
Upcoming DPS Aspire Program Sessions
Come find out why nearly 90% of teacher team leads who have attended DPS Aspire said they are using the concepts they learned to lead their teams. DPS Aspire is an engaging, practical and values-based leadership program. Join us for an upcoming session from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Emily Griffith Center on the following dates:
  • Nov. 9 and Nov. 10
  • Dec.13 and Dec.14
To register login into Schoolnet and search dpsa1617 under the Educator Development tab/ PD Search. We look forward to seeing you at our next session!

Foundations of Early Literacy: Curriculum-Specific Offering
We are excited to announce a change for Module 4 Foundations of Early Literacy professional learning based on survey feedback and input from schools! Beginning in January 2017, we will be offering schools two versions of the Module 4 session -- one designed to be curriculum neutral and the other designed for schools that have opted in to Benchmark and Expeditionary Learning/Paired Literacy in grades K-3. We hope this support will help schools and teachers make intentional connections between new learning and the work they do every day with curricular resources in support of students. Training for both options will be covered during the November early literacy specialist training sessions. If you have any questions about this change, please contact Caitlin Mohl or Sara Wortinger.

Faculty Meeting Q&A
A feature focused on sharing your top questions from recent faculty meetings

Superintendent Tom Boasberg and Deputy Superintendent Susana Cordova visit schools to meet with teachers throughout the year. Last week, they met with teachers from Brown Elementary, CEC Early College and Lake and Skinner middle schools.

Q:
I've really benefited from the teacher leader program. Getting feedback has been useful. My concern is that I am getting feedback weekly and it is hard to implement, and it becomes overwhelming. I wonder if it is possible to go back to twice-a-month observations?
A:
Our teachers tell us that frequent feedback and coaching is one of the most valuable components of Teacher Leadership & Collaboration, supporting their growth and improvement, as well as helping our schools become stronger learning organizations that give our teachers the kind of supports that professionals deserve. We know that our teachers are vital to ensuring Every Child Succeeds, and so we want to invest in supporting teachers and helping them improve instruction to best meet all of their students' needs -- and regular feedback is a great way to do that. What makes senior team lead and team lead feedback especially meaningful is that it comes from a fellow teacher who works with the same student population, often in the same content area, meaning that the feedback is more likely to be relevant and actionable to a teacher's practice.
 
While many teachers have found frequent, bite-sized feedback to be valuable, we understand that every school is different and each teacher has unique needs. Through the Teacher Leadership & Collaboration design and planning process, schools have the flexibility to determine many components of their TLC model, including the frequency of observations, feedback and coaching cycles.  We understand that schools make a variety of choices related to coaching and feedback based on their school specific culture and systems. This question highlights the importance of teachers sharing feedback with teacher leaders and school leaders so they can work to differentiate support and coaching to meet the needs of individual teachers. W e recommend speaking directly with your school leader and senior team lead about these specific concerns.   
 
We also offer a wealth of resources to support senior team leads and school leaders in the Teacher Leadership & Collaboration Implementation Guide that offer examples, best practices and guidance on how TLC can be adapted to meet specific school and teacher needs.

Have a question we can help answer? Email us at  [email protected].
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Note: We send many DPS communications via this platform. Please do not unsubscribe from these messages or you will not receive future and important messages. If a specific message doesn't interest you, simply delete it and stay tuned for a future communication that will be of more interest. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].