What does a Strategist do?

Meet our eleven fabulous strategists.  We have two at the high school, two at the middle school and seven for our elementary buildings. What is it exactly that these people do?

These talented individuals are front line support to teachers in buildings.
Their mission:  to improve classroom instruction and delivery of content and to influence student performance!
By utilizing teachers' planning and collaboration time, strategists look at student data and discuss with teachers ways to improve classroom management, knowledge of subject area, classroom instruction, and formative assessments.  Strategists will be consulting, collaborating, observing, and coaching teachers at various levels this school year.
Strategists may work with teachers one on one, or with a whole grade level on targeted areas.

Our Instructional Strategists will be covering a wide variety of curriculum areas and will partner with other teacher leader positions such as, model teachers, curriculum facilitators, Technology Integration Coaches, and building principals, as well as district teaching and learning staff.  Our strategists will be busy.

To contact one of our strategists use this list below:

Bowman Woods Elementary-Terri Streicher

Echo Hill Elementary-Laura Robertson

Indian Creek Elementary-Sara Hofer

Linn Grove Elementary-Tiffany Kinzenbaw

Novak Elementary-Kim Ophoff

Westfield Elementary-Kelly Kretschmar

Wilkins Elementary-Molly Dabroski

Excelsior Middle School-Steven Starkey

Oak Ridge Middle School-Nicole Redington

Linn-Mar High School-Sheri Crandall and Tina Oberbroeckling

Meet The Mentor Coaches

Remember your first day of work?

How did you feel?  

Stressed?  

Overwhelmed?

That is exactly how first and second year teachers feel coming fresh out of college.  In fact research shows that many new teachers leave the profession within the first five years.  An astonishing 50% of new teachers find other means of employment.  In an effort to help combat the obstacles and frustration that new teachers face, Linn-Mar now has three mentor coaches committed to helping beginning teachers handle classroom management, lesson planning, co-teaching, and curriculum needs. By providing guidance, goal setting, observation, and reflective conversations Mentors are working to help new teachers find success in the teaching profession.

Carol Kesl-Elementary Mentor Coach “The Teacher Leadership Plan will offer students and teachers alike, the support, explicit instruction and guidance to reach their highest potential both academically and professionally.”  Jennie Lorenzen-Middle School Mentor Coach "A key to achieving Linn-Mar’s vision and mission is to provide our students with quality teaching.  I’m excited for the opportunities the Teacher Leadership Program will provide for teachers. Through this program, teachers will learn from each other and gain knowledge and resources to enhance their teaching, so we can make a positive impact on student achievement at Linn-Mar.” Sue Atwater-High School Mentor Coach “As a mentor coach I am committed to the task of helping beginning teachers find success and gratification in the teaching profession. Through a well-planned mentor and induction program we will support and assist our new teachers in becoming highly effective educators. An effective teacher will provide a high quality education for our students.  Every student deserves to have a confident and well-prepared teacher in front of them everyday.  This program will help us reach that goal.”  It's only the first week of school, but these Mentor Coaches have attended new teacher training and orientation meetings with new staff, worked to help them set up classrooms, and focus on first day lesson planning.   Our Mentor Coaches have also been working with induction specialists, building based staff that help provide immediate support when the Mentor Coach is working with staff in another room or building.  The role of the induction specialist is to provide quick guidance on building procedures, daily questions, and basic information.  The Mentor Coach and the induction specialist work in tandem to ensure teachers are getting the support teachers need to meet the curriculum requirements of the district and state and to increase student achievement.  By impacting teaching, we know we will impact learning.

Technology In Action

Meet our Technology Integration Coaches

“I am excited to assist the Linn-Mar staff and students through the integration of technology into our classrooms. The Teacher Leader program gives me the opportunity  to have a direct impact on the instruction all of our students receive!” “The Teacher Leadership Plan will encourage greater collaboration amongst teams and across  grade levels by providing teachers the time and access to highly effective teacher colleagues. "

“I believe that having a Technology Integration Coach  will help encourage teachers to explore how technology  can impact student learning.  I am looking forward to  supporting teachers in their current classroom technology  use and challenging them to practice technological agility."

“Technology Integration Coaches will work  collaboratively with staff to increase student engagement  through technology and to incorporate expected technology skills  into teacher lesson plans. Business and Industry expect our  students to have a basic level of knowledge in the uses of technology to demonstrate creative thinking, develop  innovative products, to conduct research,  manage projects, solve problems, make informed  decisions, and apply digital tools to gather,  evaluate, and use information.  Technology Integration Coaches support the preparation of students as global citizens for an ever-changing world.”

School officially begins today for all teachers at Linn-Mar.  However, since August 6th,  our TICS-(Technology Integration Coaches) have been hard at work helping our teacher  leader staff learn how to navigate Office 365, set-up Surface pro tablets for the Teaching  and Learning Staff.  Our 42 new hires, and many veteran classroom teachers have also hit  the pavement early to begin work before students arrive. As always when many people are back at work, technology and network issues arise.  Our TICS have helped trouble shoot printing issues as well as walked teachers through  the transition from MACs to PCs.

Our Technology Coaches are helping to meet the basic needs of staff as they learn to embrace technology.  Once those needs are met, they will help coach staff in ways to utilize technology within teachers’ specific curricular area.

Launching Leadership at Linn-Mar

Linn-Mar Community Schools in Marion, Iowa is one of 39 school districts in the state to receive the Teacher Leadership and Compensation Grant.  It will provide $2.1 million in funding to implement Teacher Leadership Roles for 25% of our teaching staff.  This would equate to 116 positions.  At Linn-Mar we are unique in the fact that our staff has always been willing to step up to the plate.  With more than 200 applicants vying for these roles, we have currently created and filled 150 roles for teachers.  So in reality we have achieved finding leadership roles for 32% of our teaching staff.   Remarkable!

20 of these positions are full time release out of the classroom and the rest are in classroom positions.  Those in classroom positions will be served by teachers who remain teaching full time but use planning, and some re-lease time to  influence curriculum, instruction, PLC meetings, building initiatives and committees such as PBIS, MTSS, and technology.

Our instructional strategists, coaches, and in-classroom leaders will have the opportunity to influence teaching and performance in a way we have never embraced before.  We look forward to seeing our plan unfold and develop.