Teacher Resources
The Salem-Keizer School District employs over 5,000 great educators. It is our intent to honor them with the legacies of the great educators who have gone before them.
Get smart about Kids and Media!
As educators, your are usually the first ones parents turn to for guidance. The Commons Sense Schools Parent Media Educatioh Program gies you everything your school needs to help parents.
Log on to www.commonsensemedia.org/schools to get free access to a comprehensive library of materials to use at parent education events, parent-teacher conferences and meetings.
Oregon Department of Education Names
Oregon Teacher of the Year
West Salem High School's Michael Lampert, a Physics teacher, was designated 2008-09 Teacher of the Year by the Oregon Department of Education. Lampert recommends the following websites:
First Lego Robotics www.usfirst.org
ExploraVision Awards www.exploravision.org
Oregon Academic Decathlon www.orad.us
Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams http://web.mit.edu/inventeams
Earth Watch Institute www.earthwatch.org
High Five Challenge www.high-five.com
National Ocean Sciences Bowl www.oceanleadership.org/link/nosb
BPA Science Bowl www.bpa.gov/corporate/education/sciencebowl/
Murdock Trust Charitable Grants www.murdock-trust.org
Toyota TAPESTRY Grants www.nsta.org/pd/tapestry/
Science in Africa www.armadaproject.org
Science in Antarctica http://tea.armadaproject.org
Poetry Out Loud
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation present Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, in partnership with the Oregon Arts Commission. Schools are invited to adopt the 2008 - 2009 Poetry Out Loud curriculum, present school-wide contests, and advance to the state competition on Saturday, March 14, 2009 in Salem. Oregon’s state champion will advance to the National Finals, April 26-28, 2009 in Washington, DC. Oregon’s 2008 Champion, Sophia Soberon from Brookings-Harbor High, won second place at the national contest, which included a $10,000 scholarship.
An Oregon Poetry Out Loud curriculum guide will be available online by mid-September at www.oregonartscommission.org. The national Poetry Out Loud website offers details of the contest and suggestions of how to incorporate poetry into the classroom: www.poetryoutloud.org. Deadline for school registration has been extended to November 26.
To register, or for more information, contact Deb Vaughn, arts education coordinator, Oregon Arts Commission at deborah.vaughn@state.or.us or 503-986-0085.
Working with Senior Citizens and Veterans through Service-Learning
This resource provides background information on service-learning basics, as well as resources and service-learning project ideas for youth working with senior citizens and/or veterans.
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=7915
A Call for Writing-November 21 Deadline
VSA arts www.vsarts.org, an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is accepting short works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for publication in an online literary journal on the theme "At Second Glance." Entries must reach VSA arts on or before Friday, November 21, 2008. The call is open to students with disabilities and students who have connections to people with disabilities. Students must be between the ages of 11 and 18 years. Submissions must relate to the theme "At Second Glance." Prompts are available at the website, including the following: Describe how a second opportunity to experience a sound, smell, sight, event, or personal interaction led you to change your perception or opinion. Writing may be submitted in any language. A total of two entries per student are allowed: one fiction or nonfiction piece and one poem. See www.VSAarts.org for complete guidelines and entry / publishing information. The call for writing is a tool to encourage educators to explore creative writing in their classrooms and learning environments. It is an opportunity to draw out the expressive minds of students of all abilities through the written word, while also addressing education standards in reading and writing. Writing guides are available online at www.vsarts.org under Resources for Educators and Parents.
Rubber Band Contest
The Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS), The Akron Global Polymer Academy, and The University of Akron are hosting the first-ever Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors to encourage students in grades 5-8 to demonstrate their creativity and ingenuity by creating an invention that incorporates the use of rubber bands. Young Inventors must be students in grades 5 to 8 for the school year 2008-2009, and original inventions must incorporate the use of rubber bands. Deadline for all contest entries is November 14, 2008.
Provide Input to the Oregon Arts Commission
The Oregon Arts Commission will convene the 1st Annual Oregon Arts Education Congress in Portland at The Kennedy School on November 17, 2008, and they need your input to ground the Congress' discussions! An on-line survey is being used to identify priority issues and themes. Please take 10 minutes to complete your survey today and forward to others - as broadly as you want (as long as they are Oregonians!)
The Congress will gather 100 leaders representing a balance of geographical and professional viewpoints - teachers and administrators, artists, arts education providers, government and political leaders, leaders from higher education, business leaders, parent advocates, arts advocates, creative industries spokespeople, elected officials, and liaisons from key statewide associations - for the one day Congress, which will result in a first draft "Bill of Creative Rights" for Oregon's K-12 students.
Click here to access the survey. If you have questions, please contact Deb Vaughn at (503) 986-0085.
TEACHER GRANTS
From its inception, the Foundation has raised money and distributed grants to classroom teachers. As our cornerstone, these teacher grants support innovative projects and programs that are the difference between an adequate and an exceptional education experience.
To view a list of the 2008 Grant Awards, click here.
To download the 2008 Application form, click here.
SK(m+s+t)i
Salem-Keizer Math, Science, and Technology Initiative
While the SKEF Literacy Initiative has made profound impact on academic achievement, our local school district is faced with the realization that all content areas, particularly those identified in the Federal No Child Left Behind legislation, must be enhanced and supported by every means possible to reach the goals and priorities of our students.
Business and education leaders across the nation identify math, science, and technology skills as crucial for preparing students to compete in the twenty first century. Currently students in the Untied States score average to below average on international tests of math and science, and in Salem-Keizer, while our elementary students are meeting or exceeding performance standards, our middle and high school students still struggle with meeting them. The 2007-08 district summary reflects that 68% of our middle school students do not meet, and 48% of our high school students do not meet Mathematical content performance standards.
National research (National Science Foundation, National Research Council, and the Department of Education) has determined what is needed to provide students with a world-class education in math, science and technology. Working from this research base, it is concluded that ever student must receive challenging, standards-based instruction utilizing appropriate resources from knowledgeable, well-trained, and well-supported teachers.
The Initiative
The Salem-Keizer Math, Science and Technology Initiative (SKMSTI) exists to to help all students in Grades K-12 develop the math, science, and technology skills necessary for success in postsecondary studies and in the workforce. SMSTI is designed to significantly raise student achievement by providing local students with a solid background in these core subjects.
The initiative will achieve its goals by supplying two greatly needed services. SKMSTI will:
- Provide classroom teachers with the materials, equipment, technology, and supplies needed to deliver high-quality activity-based instruction. Examples of resources include manipulatives, labware, chemicals, graphing calculators. Resources will be delivered to classroom teachers and/or school departments based on successful application in the prescribed SKEF process.
- Support classroom teacher requests for extensive training linked directly to the resources. Training must be designed to strengthen the content knowledge of teachers, train them to use proven instructional methods and strategies, and/or help them better engage students and provide relevancy to the coursework.
This initiative will benefit the 41,000 students of Salem-Keizer School District, its 5,000 staff, and the local businesses and employers who seek qualified, motivated employees from its local education system.
The SKEF Initiative Subcommittee will, in partnership with administrators, teachers, and parents of the Salem Keizer School District develop an evaluation plan that will include both measurable outcomes and opinion based and anecdotal information. Initial outcome goals will include the number and amount of grants awarded to K-12 teachers for math, science and technology projects, and the recorded improvement of test scores in the designated grade levels.
To view Subject Initiative grants breakdown, click here.
Resources:
Office of Science and Technology Policy
http://www.ostp.gov/
History of Support:
May, 2006
Support to Secondary Math Curriculum
adoption $10,000
Awarded by Trust Management Services, LLC
$500 to each middle and high school to
purchase supplies and materials to
support math instruction.
$750 to Academy for Teaching and Learning to
provide professional development and
cohort group support to secondary
math teachers.
ED HELPER
edHelper is an online subscription service that provides printable worksheets to teachers and homeschooling parents. edHelper offers a wide range of materials, including math, language arts, reading and writing, social studies, science, and much more!
SKEF will provide access to any Salem-Keizer educator who wants to access edHelper for free. To request access, click here.
BORDERLANDS
Purchase affordable educational games, endorsed by Salem-Keizer teachers, and support SKEF at the same time. 2008 games catalog available November 1st.
"Education is our greatest opportunity to give an irrevocable gift to the next generation."
— Ernie Fletcher
Try to Learn Something New Every Day.
