October+2012

=October 2012= ** Welcome ** to the last newsletter for the year from the Teaching and Learning Coaches. We would like to share with you some of the work that the coaches have undertaken and our plans for Term 4. ** Study of the EHS Coaching Model ** As we reach the end of our third year of implementing coaching as a professional development model at EHS, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the challenges and successes of the program. We are pleased to get the support of Helen Stokes from the Youth Research Centre at the University of Melbourne. Helen will be doing qualitative research to understand the impact of coaching on embedding improvement in teacher practice. The coaches, and teachers who have participated in the program as coachees, will be approached to form focus groups. She will also be undertaking individual interviews. Of course, participation in this will be voluntary. This is a great opportunity for us to synthesise our learning and document our achievements of the past three years, and identify future challenges. ** On Demand Testing ** On Demand Testing will again occur for Year 7 to 10 students in Reading and Number and results will be uploaded to SPA. Teachers are able to consider these results, along with other data, at the beginning of next year when planning for your new classes and students. Teachers can also use this data when completing end of year reports. The Literacy and Numeracy Coordinators also consider these results when determining those students who will participate in Literacy or Numeracy support, and these programs can begin at the start of the year. Students will do both tests during the allocated double session. Year 7 and 8 students will do their On Demand tests on Monday 12th November. Year 9 and 10 students will do their On Demand tests during the Middle School exam period. More information regarding rooms, supervision and session keys/instructions will be circulated closer to the event. ** Data on SPA ** A range of new data is now available on SPA. The 2012 NAPLAN data has been uploaded and Coaches will do some analysis of the areas of Literacy and Numeracy where our Year 7 and Year 9 students displayed areas of strength and areas where they could improve. The Mathematics and English VELS teacher judgments have also been uploaded for Years 7 to 10 from 2007 to the present. Thank you to Jan Baddeley for preparing the files for upload. Having data go back this far enables us to look at trend data over an extended time and gives a quick reference to teachers writing reports on students’ VELS progression. To access the SPA program go to: [] Username is Elth02   Password is Elth02   See any of the Coaches if you need any further assistance or support. ** eLearning ** ** Notebook Program for Incoming Year 7 students ** Term 4 eLearning meetings have considered selection of a new notebook device for the incoming Year 7s. We have short-listed two, the Acer 1 and the Dell Latitude XT3. The Acer is a smaller and lighter machine, very similar to the existing Year 7-10 laptop in its capacities. The Dell Latitude XT3 offers technological advances, including the ability to change from laptop to tablet mode quickly and easily. ** ICT facilities continue to improve ** Room 908 now has an interactive projector and speakers. The seminar room has Interactive White Board, projector and speakers. The new building including the central spaces and staff room will have interactive projectors and speakers. ** Laptop borrowing ** There may be times when you require every student in the class to have a laptop for a particular task, but inevitably there will be a couple of students who don’t have one. Teachers can send students with a note to borrow a laptop from the library. If they borrow at the start of a double they can return the laptop immediately after the end of the double, ie at the start of recess or lunchtime, or straight after school. ** Google Apps for Education ** Google Apps for Education has been set up. Small groups will be trialling different features and producing user documentation. If anyone is interested in taking part in some trials in class please contact Craig Bradley. The Google Apps for Education suite promotes itself as follows: ** iPads in the classroom ** iPads have become an integral part of the Numeracy program at Years 7, 8 and 9. Students are working on basic skills using apps such as Mathboard and Bug Bingo, practising rapid calculations in Maths vs Zombie and manipulating algebraic expressions with Algebra Touch. The Library has a set of five iPads which can be borrowed by teachers as a set for use in the classroom. You will be surprised at how familiar students are with them and how easy they are to use. There are hundreds of free apps available and these can be loaded on request. Apps that have a cost can also be bought by adding to the iTunes account using an iTunes voucher or card. These are available in many locations including supermarkets. See GIO or STO about the process and your requested app. The following images show a few free apps that may be of interest to you:
 * Year 8 students will do their tests during periods 1 and 2.
 * Year 7 students will do their tests during periods 3 and 4.
 * Year 10 will do the tests on Monday 26th November during periods 3 and 4.
 * Year 9 will do the tests on Tuesday 27th November during periods 1 and 2.
 * ** Google Docs: ** Share documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Collaborate in real-time with your team or with your whole school. You can publish final documents to the entire world, too.
 * ** Google Sites: ** Work together to keep related documents, web content and other information in one place, on one site.