Teacher Times #14
December 7, 2015

Birthdays of the Week 

Oi Ling Sin 12/8
Rebecca Couvertier 12/13

Professional Development and Student Opportunities

​Professional development and student opportunities are posted on the PD and Student Opportunities page. This week’s highlights include:
 
All Schools:

• Participate in December: Borough-Based Professional  Development Series for Parent Coordinators
• Register by December 11: Attend a Content Seminar and Presentation by Harold Holzer
• Participate on December 15: Pizza & PD—Silicon City: Computer History Made in New York at the New-York Historical Society
• Register by December 16: Enjoy One Free Online PD Course from the Professional Learning Board
• Register by December 16: Attend a Book Signing and Presentation by Akhil Reed Amar
• Participate on December 17: The Constitution in the Classroom: A Conversation with Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the New-York Historical Society
• Register by December 23: Celebrate Native American Culture at Symphony Space with an Interactive Performance of Traditional Native American Music, Dance, and Storytelling
• Ongoing: STEM Professional Learning Opportunities in Mathematics
• Ongoing: STEM Professional Learning Opportunities in Science

​
High Schools:

• Apply by December 11: Scholarships for World Language Teachers to Attend the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference
• Apply by December 18: Nominate your 10th-Grade Boys to Become NYC Urban Ambassadors
• Apply by December 23: Students Can Apply for the 2015 Angelo del Toro Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute
• Apply by December 31: Ninth-Grade Girls Attending Brooklyn High Schools Can Apply to NYC Great!

Video Of The Week

All About That Base Live! from TAPCO Video Productions on Vimeo.

Guidelines for Holiday Displays

Please be aware of and sensitive to the significance of seasonal observances and religious holidays as you work to foster mutual understanding and respect for your community’s diverse religious, racial, ethnic, and cultural heritages. Public schools may not endorse or promote a particular religion or belief system. As we head into the holiday season, please share these guidelines regarding the display of cultural and holiday symbols with your staff:

• The primary purpose of any displays should be to promote understanding and respect for the rights of all individuals regarding their beliefs, values, and customs.
• The display of holiday symbol decorations with secular dimensions is permitted. Permitted symbols include, but are not limited to, Christmas trees, kinaras, dreidels, menorahs, and the Star and Crescent. Displays that depict images of deities, other religious figures, or religious texts are prohibited.
• Holiday displays must not appear to promote or celebrate any single religion or holiday; therefore, any permitted symbol or decoration must be displayed simultaneously with other symbols or decorations that reflect different beliefs or customs.
• All holiday displays should be temporary in nature.

For issues concerning religious observance by students, please refer to Chancellor’s Regulation A-630. For questions, contact your senior field counsel.

Grant Opportunities

Grant opportunities are posted on the Grants website (you can visit the page on any computer using this link). This week’s highlights include:
 

• The NEA Foundation Learning and Leadership Grants