Working Together to Go for the Gold

In the spirit of the 2012 Olympics, FirstLine held its own Olympics…of professional development on Wednesday, July 25, 2012! The theme centered on how the FirstLine team can come together to create great schools and “Go for the Gold.” Hosted at Langston Hughes Academy, the full day was dedicated to providing teachers and staff the resources, contacts, and development to excel in the upcoming school year.

Collaborating in a small group

The all-Network Professional Development Day included sessions designed to foster collaboration across the network, offer a venue at which to share best practices, and train staff in new school technology. Some of these sessions included: Developing an Aspirational Culture, Bar Modeling: A Singapore Math Approach, and Tutorials in Excel and Powerschool.

Getting pumped up for a day of collaboration & learning

In addition to all of this, Edible Schoolyard New Orleans (ESY NOLA) and FirstLine unveiled its newest initiative beginning this Fall: Comprehensive School Wellness! ESY NOLA catered healthy meals for the entire FirstLine staff throughout the day and presented why wellness is so important - it is key to helping children live successful lives. The presentation and “wellness obstacle course competition” was well received, and all schools walked away with a new excitement for making their schools healthier places for staff, students and the surrounding community.

For the “Closing Ceremony,” staff members enjoyed delicious canapés and a time to socialize in the cafeteria. A big thanks goes out to ESY NOLA and everyone involved in making the day a huge success!

LADOE: FirstLine Schools is a state leader in technology readiness

According to the Louisiana Department of Education, FirstLine Schools is one of only five school systems in the state of Louisiana who meet the minimum technology readiness requirements they have outlined in their Statewide Technology Footprint.   Read more about this new report at the LDOE web site, by clicking here.

According to a press release from the DOE:

"Data and technology specifications received to date indicate school campuses in Louisiana have 197,898 devices available for online testing but only 67,038 meet new device standards. In order to meet 2014-15 testing guidelines, districts will need to purchase or upgrade computers and other devices already owned by districts that don't currently meet the minimum hardware specifications. There are five districts - Ascension Parish, City of Bogalusa, Red River Parish, St. James Parish and FirstLine Schools (New Orleans) - who meet the minimum device readiness requirements."

FirstLine Schools, through its commitment to the Blended Learning Project, has outfitted all of its five campuses in New Orleans with either mobile laptop labs or state-of-the-art computer labs, ensuring all students have access to technology, and that our schools can use technology to support traditional learning models.

FirstLine’s Blended Learning Project aims to improve student achievement by significantly increasing computer assisted instruction in the school day to provide more personalized learning experiences for students.  In our pilot program, students are spending up to 20% of their school day on computer assisted learning English and math programs, learning at their own pace and focusing on their particular learning needs within a context of regular goal setting and assessment.  Computer-assisted instruction also provides daily student assessment data that can better inform learning support.  Additionally, given the medium’s inherent adaptability, computer-assisted instruction especially benefits students that are ahead of the class as well as special education and high need students.

FirstLine Schools is committed to bringing the best practices in innovative education strategies to our students and families.