High Fives
I have appreciated everyone’s welcoming words and kindness since I joined the district, as well as your patience as
we started the school year with so many new initiatives
and changes! We have finally turned the proverbial corner toward solutions for some of the challenges we’ve experienced with the curriculum adoptions and we will continue to provide support so that you can use them effectively in the classroom.
The Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM
(TIES) introduced 28 Lake County teachers to
the concept of Lead STEM. Two of our very own
Willoughby-Eastlake teachers completed the
three-day training. Cherise Goodrich and Patricia Choe, both Royalview Elementary teachers,
invested in the first-step of the year-long process
made possible by the Martha Holden Jennings
Foundation.
Updates in this newsletter each month will keep you informed about district curriculum, instruction and assessment initiatives and ODE updates.
It has been exciting to work collaboratively with Computer Services and MCPC as the Any Place Learning
Space technology education programs are being prepared.
This partnership will, once again, highlight the benefits of
working in tandem toward our student achievement goals
and not in isolation.
The K-5 ELA Pilot begins at the start of the second grading period and runs through the end of the year. Special
thanks to the teachers who were able to get the process
started and complete the initial review of potential materials. While about 50 teachers were involved in phase one
of the review, we will have a smaller group across grade
levels and all six elementary buildings during the second
phase of the pilot. Each teacher will pilot materials from
both vendors in order to make informed comparisons.
The number of teachers chosen will be determined by the
final agreements with vendors which we are in the process
of finalizing. However, all K-5 teachers will have an opportunity to examine the materials being piloted.
-Gina Kevern, Curriculum Director
The district has received the 600 laptops that
were ordered for deployment to the buildings
paid for by casino money.
One iPad cart has also been ordered for each secondary building.
These carts will allow the
teachers that have taken advantage for last
year’s Tech Ed academy or this year’s Anyspace
Learningspace to apply what they have learned
in the classroom.
-Pat McKinney, Technology Director