26 replies to this topic

[supermom]

I don't like that the administration keeps bouncing around. And the new Principal is coming from Gallardo. So who is replacing her? What's up with new principals every 2 years?

[tessieca]

Donna Chulos Hayes was approved as principal. Linda Walden will remain at Gallardo.

[supermom]

Donna Chulos Hayes was approved as principal. Linda Walden will remain at Gallardo.

Is there a cap on how long a principal stays at a school?

When I was a kid My principal stayed at the school from my Fourth grade year until my Junior (HS) year. Funny thing I would go back and talk to her-so did many other kids.

Eventually she moved on to the Superintendents office.

I can remember hearing many parents say that she would be missed and they liked her style.

Funny I can remember that-but I can't remember her name.

[tessieca]

There's not a cap on years -- no minimum and no maximum. Changes are made based on the needs of the people in the position (i.e. retirement, promotion) and on the needs of the school. Some of our principals stay put for many years and others tend to move out more quickly. I won't be able to address the reasons for changes at CS or any other school because we can't discuss personnel decisions outside of closed session. What I can say is that we have confidence that Ms. Hayes will be a wonderful new addition to CS .

[supermom]

So does Ms. Hayes have experience as a principal? Do all Principals have to be former teachers?
I get the district says they are confident of her as a principal at sundahl....but boy our last principal had a rough start-with the parents. I hope her sailing is smoother.

[s0479]

So does Ms. Hayes have experience as a principal? Do all Principals have to be former teachers?
I get the district says they are confident of her as a principal at sundahl....but boy our last principal had a rough start-with the parents. I hope her sailing is smoother.

She is vice-principal at Gallardo. I haven't had a lot of contact with her, but what contact I have had has been positive.

[tessieca]

Press release: Donna Chulos Hays, a teacher and teaching vice principal at Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary School, will assume to principal position at Carl Sundahl Elementary School, as principal Marty Baumann will be the District's Director of State and Federal Programs beginning in July 2007. Hays-a 2002 National Board Certified teacher--began her 17-year teaching career as a fourth grade teacher at Mather Heights Elementary School in 1990. Ironically, Hays completed some of her student teaching hours at Carl Sundahl Elementary in 1990 while she was a student at Sacramento State. She then went on to teach third grade at Folsom Hills Elementary when it opened in 1991. At Folsom Hills she served as a department chair from 1996 until her departure in 2002. Hays joined the teaching staff at Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary School when it opened in 2003, where she also served as an interim principal, department chair, academic coordinator, and ultimately the teaching vice principal. She has also been a summer school principal at Williamson, Rancho Cordova, Folsom Hills and Oak Chan Elementary Schools, and has served as a BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) support provider and mentor. Hays has a Masters of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction and Bachelors Degree in Liberal Studies from Sacramento State University, and completed her preliminary administration credential through Chapman University. "I am honored-as well as excited-about becoming part of such a dynamic team," said Hays of becoming the principal of Sundahl Elementary. "Sundahl played such an important role in the formation of my early teaching career. I look forward to being able to give back to the community that gave me so much..I feel as though I am coming home!" she continued.

[tessieca]

That National Board Certification is difficult to get, by the way. Donna would be on of only 3660 CA teachers with that credential. (FCUSD has close to 1% of the CA total in our district.)

[supermom]

Wow, it looks like she really does have a lot of experience. I remember the outgoing principal also worked at a school in mather. I wonder if any of CS teachers have been there long enough to remember her as a student teacher. I imagine she really will feel like she has come back home.

[supermom]

That National Board Certification is difficult to get, by the way. Donna would be on of only 3660 CA teachers with that credential. (FCUSD has close to 1% of the CA total in our district.)

What does that entail? Is that a specialized 1 yr. program at a local college or is it more like a study book and a test? Or something else?

[Parizienne]

National Board Certification -- It's extremely labor-intensive. The teacher decides what area she/he would like certification in. I was going for certification in social sciences, but then I had a a family crisis dropped in my lap, so I couldn't continue. There just wasn't that much time in the day. I may look at doing it again now that my life is back in balance. Enough about me . . .

First, you need to build a multi-layered porfolio of evidence of your teaching skills. This can include: lesson plans, student work samples, parent contact logs, staff development meeting agendas, journaling and reflections about how lessons were successful or unsuccessful, testimonials of your skills by administrators, training sessions you've conducted or testimonials of other teachers you've mentored, and commentary by peers, parents, community members, etc.

Many requirements involve proving your skills in differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all learners -- including GATE, special ed, English learners and special needs kids. Candidates must include a video of their teaching in specific types of lessons and teaching strategies. It also demands that you show proficient integration of multiple content standards such as literacy building in areas other than language arts. For example, even if you are looking to be certified in math, you must still show that you are a teacher of literacy by demonstrating literacy building strategies through your teaching of math vocabulary, math applications, reading for understanding and reading for information. The work is copious and comprehensive. This portfolio is not just some pretty little scrapbook of your accomplishments. It's verified and proven documentation and concrete evidence of all that you do in the classroom and beyond as a teacher. It's very thick ... hundreds and hundreds of pages when completed. But.. that's only part of the process. Once the portfolio is underway, you must also pay ... I think it was $2000 ... just to be considered. There is a $300 application fee. Some districts will pay for this. Others will not.


In addition to the portfolio, the candidate must past proficiency tests in the area(s) of certification and teaching theory. And then, there is the interview when the portfolio is complete. It takes most people 1-2 years to complete, and then their work may be rejected. If this happens, they go back and try again or... they decide it's too expensive and quit. The $300 is non-refundable.

It's no walk in the park, but when complete, you have quite the feather to put into your cap (not only are the requirements themselves laborious to document, but compiling the portofolio itself once you have all of the documentation is practically a full-time job in itself), and you can pretty much teach in any state in the nation without having to go through the individual state's certification process. My original reasoning for pursung it was to have that state-to-state flexibility in case my husband was ever transferred. I also wanted to add a single subject teaching authorization to my elementary authorization in California.

Teachers in FCUSD are fortunate because the district here is very supportive of the process. I was the only candidate in my former school district and there was zero district support other than verbal encouragement (which was nice and better than nothing, I'll admit), but FCUSD provides a lot of practical help and, I believe some financial help as well (or so I've heard).

Hope this helps!

Pari

What does that entail? Is that a specialized 1 yr. program at a local college or is it more like a study book and a test? Or something else?

[supermom]

National Board Certification -- It's extremely labor-intensive. The teacher decides what area she/he would like certification in. I was going for certification in social sciences, but then I had a a family crisis dropped in my lap, so I couldn't continue. There just wasn't that much time in the day. I may look at doing it again now that my life is back in balance. Enough about me . . .

First, you need to build a multi-layered porfolio of evidence of your teaching skills. This can include: lesson plans, student work samples, parent contact logs, staff development meeting agendas, journaling and reflections about how lessons were successful or unsuccessful, testimonials of your skills by administrators, training sessions you've conducted or testimonials of other teachers you've mentored, and commentary by peers, parents, community members, etc.

Many requirements involve proving your skills in differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all learners -- including GATE, special ed, English learners and special needs kids. Candidates must include a video of their teaching in specific types of lessons and teaching strategies. It also demands that you show proficient integration of multiple content standards such as literacy building in areas other than language arts. For example, even if you are looking to be certified in math, you must still show that you are a teacher of literacy by demonstrating literacy building strategies through your teaching of math vocabulary, math applications, reading for understanding and reading for information. The work is copious and comprehensive. This portfolio is not just some pretty little scrapbook of your accomplishments. It's verified and proven documentation and concrete evidence of all that you do in the classroom and beyond as a teacher. It's very thick ... hundreds and hundreds of pages when completed. But.. that's only part of the process. Once the portfolio is underway, you must also pay ... I think it was $2000 ... just to be considered. There is a $300 application fee. Some districts will pay for this. Others will not.
In addition to the portfolio, the candidate must past proficiency tests in the area(s) of certification and teaching theory. And then, there is the interview when the portfolio is complete. It takes most people 1-2 years to complete, and then their work may be rejected. If this happens, they go back and try again or... they decide it's too expensive and quit. The $300 is non-refundable.

It's no walk in the park, but when complete, you have quite the feather to put into your cap (not only are the requirements themselves laborious to document, but compiling the portofolio itself once you have all of the documentation is practically a full-time job in itself), and you can pretty much teach in any state in the nation without having to go through the individual state's certification process. My original reasoning for pursung it was to have that state-to-state flexibility in case my husband was ever transferred. I also wanted to add a single subject teaching authorization to my elementary authorization in California.

Teachers in FCUSD are fortunate because the district here is very supportive of the process. I was the only candidate in my former school district and there was zero district support other than verbal encouragement (which was nice and better than nothing, I'll admit), but FCUSD provides a lot of practical help and, I believe some financial help as well (or so I've heard).

Hope this helps!

Pari

wow. I hope teachers who go through with that are paid at a higher rate than teachers of similiar years of teaching. Specializing in any career field that requires higher education and so much dedication should be awarded.

[tessieca]

I agree that they should be; however, teachers' unions get prickly about paying some teachers more than others. They would get column increases for gaining more education/units.

Thanks, Pari, for the in-depth explanation. In FCUSD Ginnie Bateman offers some wonderful support for teachers going through the process. She was one of the first to be certified in the State of California and has continued the tradition within our district.

[mylo]

That National Board Certification is difficult to get, by the way. Donna would be on of only 3660 CA teachers with that credential. (FCUSD has close to 1% of the CA total in our district.)

How big is our district compared to the state? Is "close to 1%" of the CA total considered a lot? I would've thought FCUSD would be close to 1% of the CA total schools, making us on par with the rest of the state average, but I have no basis for that assumption.

[tessieca]

Well, there are over 1000 districts in CA, and nearly 7 million students. FCUSD has about 19000 of them.