TUSD UPDATE

Turlock High School BSU

Black History Month

Black History Month is a time to remember what all the Africans before us went through, celebrate their achievements, and mourn their losses; but, it’s also a time to help the new generation of African Americans, especially the students. Teachers can & should teach much more about Black history, but they must also educate themselves about Black history and demand the same excellence from their Black students that my ancestral Black educators would have demanded from me! ~Jabari J. Dutcher Middle School


The origins of Black History Month stretch back over the course of a century, first as a celebratory week and eventually the month of February. During this month, we acknowledge the struggles, adversity, strength and history of the Black American experience in the United States. This year's theme, "Black Resistance", recognizes African Americans' resistance to historic oppression in pursuit of self-determination and equality.


Interested in learning more? Check out the links below for educational resources, including some from our Student Support Clinicians celebrating mental wellness and amplifying voices in the Black community.


  • Marco Learning - Marco Learning provides free lesson plans and classroom resources for AP Teachers, but these resources could be used in many different courses.
  • Learning for Justice - Learning for Justice partners with communities to offer resources to reduce prejudice by offering educational materials from articles to webinars to encourage learning and reflection.
  • National Museum of African American History & Culture - The National Museum of African American History & Culture, part of the Smithsonian Institution, offers curated reading materials as well as Learning Labs for activities and conversations.
  • National Education Association - The National Education Association offers lesson plans, activities, and background resources grouped by grade level.
  • BlackHistoryMonth.gov - BlackHistoryMonth.gov offers lesson plans and document-based activities based on primary sources pulled from several government agencies including the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the National Park Service, and more.  
  • We Are Teachers - We Are Teachers helps teachers create interactive lesson plans and activities by connecting the past to the present using context commonly excluded from other sources. 
  • iCivics - iCivics offers videos and lessons using primary sources and other activities. Educators have access to guides and further resources for learning with animated videos.
Celebrating Mental Wellness & Amplifying Voices in the Black Community

Survey Says

Marie Russell, Director of Communications, Family Engagement, and Outreach


The results of the 2022-2023 TUSD Family Engagement and Communications Survey administered last December are in! Nearly 900 parents/guardians responded and feedback has helped inform not only planning for a future TUSD Family Resource Center, but also a transition this summer to ParentSquare from Blackboard Communications. A few key take-aways:


  • Most popular parent workshop topics: College & Career, Mental Health, Study Skills, Healthy Living, Cyberbullying/Social Media
  • Areas in need of support: Mental Health Services, Educational Resources, Childcare, English Classes (Spanish Speakers)
  • Barriers to involvement: Work Conflict, Child Care, Language (Spanish Speakers)
  • Preferred Method of Communication: Text Message and Email
  • Most popular social media platforms: Facebook and Instagram

Planning is currently underway for TUSD Family Engagement Nights coming in 2023-2024. Reach out if you have an interest in supporting our efforts for increased family engagement in TUSD!

ParentSquare

ChatGPT

Marie Russell, Director of Communications, Family Engagement, and Outreach


ChatGPT is a state-of-the-art conversational AI model developed by OpenAI. It uses deep learning techniques to generate human-like text responses to user inputs. ChatGPT is trained on a diverse range of topics, allowing it to converse on a wide range of subjects with a high degree of coherence and consistency. Whether you want to ask a question, have a conversation, or just need some information, ChatGPT is here to help.


Like this introduction? It was written by ChatGPT. Never heard of ChatGPT? You're not alone, but your students may already be using it. Need a 5 paragraph essay on Of Mice and Men. Ask ChatGPT. How about a letter of introduction? Ask ChatGPT. What about a poem about rap written in the style of William Carlos Williams? You guessed it. Ask ChatGPT. Does this mean the end of writing? No, but like all new technology that came before it, there will be a period of adjustment. EdSource recently published an article that included strategies for educators to respond to this new technology. Lest you think only students are benefitting from new technology like ChatGPT, there is even an AI Lesson Planner for teachers. Worried about being able to detect student use of ChatGPT? A Princeton student just created a beta version of an app to detect the use ChatGPT. Coming soon to an app store near you!

Breakfast in the Classroom

Jennifer Lew-Vang, Director of Child Nutrition

Breakfast in the classroom (BIC) programs at Crowell, Julien, and Turlock High School continue to positively impact student success. On January 31, 2023, during TUSD LCAP’s meeting, Barney Gordon, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, compiled and analyzed data between August to January of school year 2021/2022 and 2022/2023. Strong evidence to support BIC was reported:

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Induction Update: Intentionality

Denise Duewell, Coordinator of Induction and Professional Development


Intentionality is the topic of this month’s update. As our induction teachers begin their second-semester inquiry cycles, they are doing so with an important analysis of their prior work and a focus on intentionality, when and why they are making the instructional decisions they are.

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Sharpening EL Instruction Best Practices

Alice Solis, Director of English Learners, Assessment, and Special Programs


At the January 6th PD Day, one of the sessions offered was the session Sharpening EL Instruction Best Practices. Teacher comments and/or feedback about the session:


“I used to think of only using pictures to visualize concepts. Now I think of incorporating verbal opportunities throughout the day to help students.”


“I used to think strategies were only for specific content areas. Now I think many activities and strategies can be taught in all content areas.”


“I used to think that interactions were difficult to have with students. Now I think that these strategies will increase oral conversations and interactions.”


“I used to think I had to overly plan for ELs and that it was time-consuming. Now I think I can easily incorporate what I Iearned today in all lessons.”


Here are a few recommended strategies:


Pairs Talk

  • Pair students
  • Pose a question or problem for the entire class
  • Partners take turns responding orally to the question or problem


Pairs Write

  • Pair students
  • Pose a brainstorming topic to the entire class
  • Partners take turns writing responses, one at a time, on the same sheet of paper without talking

Our TUSD Staff

The Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE) and the local Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region VII, partnered to honor outstanding classified education employees in Stanislaus County. Three of our own TUSD employees took top honors and are moving on in the competition. Congratulations to Leslie Hodges, Martha Romo, and Markus Turner and good luck!

Save the Date

Share Your Awesome!


Marie Russell

Director of Communications, Family Engagement & Outreach

mrussell@turlock.k12.ca.us

209.648.0968


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