Grade 8 Meeting Minutes

Meeting Date 12/9/10

Room 104

Facilitator: Keith Kranick

  1. Technology Sharing - Kristina Strauss and Kelly Zawodzinski with information from the Technology Conference
  2. Kristina began with information on the “Schoology” site
  3. Schoology is a social network and learning management system (LMS) that makes it easy to create and share academic content.
  4. Looks somewhat like Facebook
  5. Some schools in NYS using Facebook
  6. Can upload teacher files
  7. All of Kristina’s students are signed up
  8. You can add and create tests and quizzes
  9. You can link to “School Wire”
  10. *note* this day and age all kids can be Googled
  11. Schoology can be a positive footprint
  12. Looking for all classes to possibly use Schoology
  13. Most students have computers or can use LMC
  1. Kelly Z. continued with information on discoveryeducation .com
  2. Created by the Discovery Channel, this site can engage students through dynamic curricular resources like Discovery Education streaming Plus and Discovery Education Science.
  3. The Hamburg HS utilizes this product
  4. It contains videosand information from
  5. Discovery Channel
  6. Power media Library – WNED
  7. Puzzles for the classroom
  8. Grant contests
  9. Teacher center – writing contest, worksheets, lesson plans, calendars, presentation items, clip art and more.
  10. As a note – Kelly mentioned that Twitter is now open on our school site
  1. Grading policy sharing by department – and fix #1
  2. Follow-up from Ken O’Connor
  3. The departments first shared amongst each other to gather information on how each teacher or their department grades.
  4. The departments or separate teachers then shared their grading practices with the group.
  5. Many wonderful ideas were shared.
  6. *note* Most, if not all, teachers use a points and/or percentage system and not a lettering system.
  1. Fix 1: Don’t include student behavior (effort, participation, adherence to class rules, etc.) in grades; include only achievement
  2. Note – Presently no district fixes
  3. *note* we did not get to Ken O’Connor ‘s - fix #1
  1. Items from the floor
  2. Who will be picking “Terrific Kids” in the future months?
  3. School Fund Raisers
  4. Teacher thought the rule was one fund raiser at a time
  5. Many selling items in the halls and at concerts including PTSA
  1. Question to hold for when Jennifer is in: Moving Up day, letters to be sent home.
  2. The team will decide who goes and who doesn’t and inform those students parents.
  1. Next meeting date: January ______2010 (Jennifer will set this date)

Another Great Meeting! Please send the agenda items for our next meeting to Jennifer.

Keith Kranick
Assistant Principal
Hamburg Middle School
646-3250