Columbia Spotlight

In January of this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked suicide as the 14th leading cause of  death in New Jersey and the third leading cause of death for those ages 10 to 24. While New Jersey continues to  have a lower rate of suicide compared to the national average, suicide remains a priority area to combat within  the State. In the past month alone we have heard of at least two tragic teen deaths in nearby schools with whom we compete in sports. That is why it is important to learn as much as possible about the rise in teen deaths by suicide.   As schools return to in-person learning, it is imperative to be mindful of the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past 18 months. The emotional well-being of students and staff is paramount to ensuring a successful academic year. To support schools in their efforts to increase awareness and prevent suicide, you may find it helpful to visit the New Jersey Department of Education’s updated Suicide Pr

In June this blog provided some really extensive resources on online citizenship and positive online imaging. As a father of three girls, two teenagers and a tween, I see how their online personas at times dominate their feelings/day, etc. That's why I found the recent Wall Street Journal investigate piece, the Facebook Files , so interesting (and alarming!).  Check out this Vox post , NYT follow-up , or this Time article on the WSJ investigation to see if you think it merits classroom discussion. 

From September 15th - October 15th, Columbia High School will commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month. The communities of South Orange & Maplewood have also planned some neat programming over the next four weeks. The following resources can be useful in your classroom. 1. PBS . Along with the History Channel and CSPAN, PBS does an incredible job on its website collecting many of its features for teachers free of charge to stream!  2 . National Hispanic Heritage Month Website . The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration , National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution , and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum have joined in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. This website contains various lessons and materials from across these US Government institutions! Here is the special EDUCATOR GUIDE . 3

I am not sure about you, but I love podcasts and special radio programming like NPR's Radiolab . In fact, I think it would be awesome if we could add a new podcasting class to our curriculum next year!  Please let students know about the NYT Student Podcast Contest which will be launched in April 2022.  There is also an NPR contest held every year too.    If you are interested in using podcasts in your classroom, check out these resources below: 1. NYT Learning Network's Writing for Podcasts 2. NYT Learning Network's Winners of our 4th Annual Podcast Contest   3. Edutopia's  Using Podcasts in World Language Classes  5. FreeTech4Teachers blogger, Richard Byrne, has the following podcasting advice : As evidenced by the episodes published for  NPR’s student podcasting challenge , podcasting is a good way for students to share their ideas with the world. In the process of creating a podcast students practice thinking through and articulating their ideas. But if the audio

  I have been very familiar with great learning platforms by Google, Apple, and PB, but I wasn't aware Microsoft was jumping into the game. That's why I found their "D&I" newsletter so interesting!  In addition to continuing their Culturally Immersive & STEM Experiences, they are now launching their curriculum support program "that puts the control, as the educator, in your hands. You will have the ability to select whatever classroom experience you want, whenever you want and at a time that’s convenient for you and your existing curriculum, all for FREE!" Learn more about their new platform by clicking on THIS VIDEO Within this newsletter, you will find two options. First below, are their new experiences available for registration now! Second please click HERE  to view their Education Curriculum Support Program where you will find many options to add-in or help supplement the learning needs of your students. Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month   Fr