Meeting+19+-+Oct+'13

** Thursday, October 17, 2013 (7:30 – 8:00am) ** ** H103 – BioHazard Meeting Room ** Welcome PD plans - informal meeting with Robb in the next couple weeks. Add a proposal for NSTA long beach to the PD plan before Nov 1 Looking Ahead – Important Dates to Note
 * Science Department Meeting **
 * 1) Thursday-Saturday, Oct 24-26 – NSTA Portland - 5 minute meeting while in Portland for PD discussion with Robb for all those going. Mike Lew (Thurs morning), Andrew (Wed night-sat night), Michael (wed night), ALl others coming in on Thurs morning. All staying at Hilton hotel. Portland Jesuit (Robb is going over there Thurs morning - meeting with science faculty 8-9:30am, anyone can join. Meet with dept chair after their school day for informal meeting 4:00pm Thursday - somewhere near the Convention site). Lee, Andrew, Mike only ones there Thurs morning to attend.
 * 2) Friday-Sunday, Oct 25-27 – CSTA Palm Springs
 * 3) Monday-Friday, Oct 28-Nov 1 – Spirit Week
 * 4) Tuesday, Oct 29 – Midterm Grades Due
 * 5) Friday, Nov 1 – Faculty Fun Bus to Notre Dame
 * 6) Saturday, Nov 2 – SAT - keep in mind homework scheduling for Juniors and Seniors (will be taking SAT that weekend)
 * 7) Wednesday, Nov 6 – Parent Teacher Night
 * 8) Saturday, Nov 16 – Alumni Dinner
 * 9) Thursday, Nov 28 - Thanksgiving

i. Cool / Fun Laboratory Investigations ii. “Shotgun” Demonstrations iii. Nature of Science iv. Keys to Successful Collaboration v. Uses of Technology in the Science Classroom vi. Google+ / Google Drive in the Classroom vii. ?????
 * 1) NSTA / CSTA Long Beach – December 4 – 6, 2014 - Over a year away, accepting proposals already - present at the conference, encourage all dept members to submit a proposal. With a team present together relieves pressure a bit, very important for our growth as professionals. RASMO, APES, protocol - good science teaching what that looks like (Robb's). Might offer it again in long beach. Proposals due in early January. Proposal - title and short description, idea and grade level. Following Sunday is open house. Offering a field trip from Long Beach to LHS to see Physics in action. Go through admin, 20-50 people interested in implementing it in their school. Program development and see it in action - half day field trip to showcase what we have done in Physics dept. Curriculum transition hurdles - how to transition to this curriculum logistically. Breakfast and presentation, showcase the program. Physics for freshman in action and also through the active Program. Robb will look into the field trip - Andrew - easier through CSTA, usually a fee involved for breakfast and transportation. "It's About Time" may eat the cost. Face to face with Laura - might be able to email her and talk to her (Craig will see her at CSTA). Will be on Thursday. Presentation days on Friday and Saturday if at all possible.
 * 2) []
 * 3) Submit Proposals Online
 * 4) Team Present?
 * 5) Ideas for Presentations

i. Do you need help reaching a goal? ii. How can we help?
 * 1) Professional Development Plan Share
 * 2) Robb: NSTA/CSTA push. #1 professional goal to make this happen. Paul: Bio program need to look up updating and reevaluating student materials, changing text if possible. Andrew - goal to reevaluate the Bio curriculum. Discoveries from NSTA, Fawzia - AP Chem course and ensuring that doing all the inquiry labs. Honors course - content and inquiry labs in Honors course, easier for AP next year. Craig - get back on a Kairos, serve on a WASC committee for another school (Bosco Tech). Mike - look at NGSS goals and Physics contribution. Reading on International education in science to get ideas that can be applied to LHS. Gerry - go on a Kairos, track AP Physics 1 and 2 and reorganize. Eddie - intentionally interweave the Grad and Grad into the active chem curriculum. Kim - HChem observing Fawzia; Achem incorporating more content into the active curriculum. Gary - circumvent activities and stay on track. Mike - use new techniques for collaborative learning for the students in collaborative groups and projects. Incorporating new projects and activities. Ask for assistance if needed!
 * 3) Choose one to share


 * 1) 7th Period Discussion Debrief
 * 2) PLC Discussions - SKIP stay in the PLC groups.
 * 3) Meeting with Math Department - Robb s at in the math dept meeting yesterday (4 hour meeting). Did not do proctoring, met to discuss possibilities for new course. Hybrid Algebra1/Geo course what is it going to look like. So much content - hybrid? each course separately? Big push to make it happen next year. Emily - doesn't want there to be an excuse that the 7th period schedule is not moving forward because of the Math dept - they want this to happen. Robb - listened in on the meeting - they are open to collaboration with the science dept. Biggest concern Robb has - students that struggle in math already are going to have 2 math classes and 2 grades in math courses - going to effect GPA doubly. This is a big question that needs to be addressed. Andrey - humanties dept is concerned that LHS is becomming too math/science oriented. Physics 9 - Frank was sent an email clarifying the nature of the Physics class and content. Fear that freshman will be drowning in this schedule - if they are not strong in math - physics incorporated - LHS becomes a sink or swim/weeder environemnt. Depends on framework of the math course - Craig: We don't want students thinking that they cannot do science. Move away from being a weeder and tracker school. Encourage the math dept to look at this as an opportunity to bring the bottom students up - start on a level playing field. Change trajectory in math - seen as a growth model instead of a deficit model - put them all on par. Have to teach them differently - math dept needs more support to get going at LHS. Has to be the HOW you teach, not WHAT you teach. Very different approach for the math dept - there has been little/no direction given to the math dept. Andrey is having them look at the common core - already eliminates the boundaries between algebra, geo and alg 2 - subculture in the math dept is looking at this. Inherit the common core standards. Not going to be done by December - Yes or no by December. Andrey - asked freshman who are not in Physics, why they chose to not take physics 9 - scared of the course. Physics 9 attempts to reduce phobio and unreasonable fear of science.
 * 4) Did we say all that we wanted to say?
 * 5) Other concerns?

i. 7:45am in H100 (or at a different ii. Topics to discuss at the Pre-Observation meeting…
 * 1) Department Chair Formal Observations - Start Nov 4 - Thanksgiving (Nov 27). Document will be posted on bulletin board in BioHaz. Sign up for observation period - if something really cool is going on in class during another period, offer as a date, Robb can get a sub if needed regardless of period. Would rather go to an interesting, fun lecture; Robb can work his schedule to be there.
 * 2) October 28 – November 8, 2013
 * 3) Sign up in BioHaz (Per 1, Per 2 or… ?)
 * 4) Pre-observation meetings will occur on the morning of the observed lesson
 * 1) Lesson Plan (use an IPP Lesson Plan Template)
 * 2) Professional Development Plan