bit.ly/ktcelainfo-- Link to classroom activities give students access to class activities to help them self-direct their learning

We are trying something in my class currently to help the students complete their assignments.  This is little address is typed into the address bar on any search engine and will bring the students to my webpage.

On this webpage, it names all the assignments that were to be completed, provides rubrics so they know how they will be graded, and also gives them updates on important dates to remember.

The address is bit.ly/ktcelainfo.  Please feel free to check out what your student is doing from week to week.  If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a private message at debrarajaratne@kentisd.org or post a comment on this blog.

Q3 Week 2 Update

This week at KTC, our topics will be this:

• Cover letters (select classes)
• Finishing our thank you letters to our interviewers
• Pre-test on job posting vocabulary
• Looking at real job postings in their fields

At KTC, we want them to know and practice the writing and revision process and do this through various writing projects such as their career exploration project, resume, and thank you writing.  

Most importantly, at the Kent Transition Center, we know that our students will one day go out into the world looking for jobs and need to understand what is mentioned in job postings and what those words mean. 

ELA Class--Q3 Week 1: This Week @ KTC

Quarter 3 Week 1--WWYD--What Would You Do?

This Week @ KTC 

This week at KTC, we are havingt the students think through a real life situation and respond to us.  I have given them a situation and I want them to think about what they would do.  They are taking this instance and responding to it via Google Drive and sharing their thoughts with myself and others.  The response has been quite interesting.  We are noticing that there are some misconceptions about the world of work that our students need helping working through.  The example is below.

Situation: 

You have a job.  In your opinion, you have been a good worker and feel that you work hard every time you come to work.  You've been working for less than six months and you would like a raise.

Questions for Students: 

In your opinion, should you get one?  Yes or no and why?

What might be some other information that you don't yet know that could affect whether you get the raise or not?

What questions might you need to ask or information you need to know before asking your boss for the raise?

October-November ELA Update!

Since September, students have been busy.  Along with their skills in their classes, they have also been exploring who they are, what they are interested in doing, and creating a research project. 

Since September, they have:

• Took skill assessments on Career Cruising
• Determined their natural talents and transferable skills
• Identified their personality “color” and their traits or characteristics
• Identified their learning styles
• Identified what they value out of a job (work values)
•  Using Google Drive
• Created a rough draft of a resume
• Created a presentation about themselves and jobs they would be interested in.

The students have been working so hard and we are just about ready to wrap up this Career Exploration session with them. 

Please note that their projects are completed using Google Drive which can be accessed anywhere using the internet.  Please feel free to take a look at your student’s project or have them practice presenting it to you.

In December, we will also start talking about:

• Completing applications (online and paper)
• Preparing for interviews
• Undergoing 2 practice interviews\Participating in the first KTC job fair.

I am so excited for this year and I hope that you and your child are as well. 

Once again, if you would like to speak with me, please give me a phone call or email.  Don’t forget to check us out at ktcelainfo.blogspot.com!

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Debra Rajaratne

(616) 301-8837

debrarajaratne@kentisd.org

October 31- November 4: Work Values Assessment Wizard

Have you ever wondered what motivates people to go for certain jobs?  At KTC, we are trying to help our students understand what they hope to receive from a job--what they value as important.

Our students completed a work values assessment on the Work Values Assessment Wizard where they moved values around into an interest level spectrum.  After all 20 of the cards were in the 5 columns, they submitted it to find out the their primary and secondary work values.  

From there, they would go to the O-Net Work Values site, they can  research the jobs that fit the values they identified as important to them.  

October 24-28: Resume--Downloading the Template, Uploading to Google Drive, and Beginning to Complete.

The Kent Transition Center likes to use technology to help our students learn anytime, anywhere, any place, and any how.  One way we help our students use this is by using technology.  

We use Google Drive and Google Apps extensively to help the students with reading, writing, revision, and collaboration with teachers and their peers.  In ELA class, they accessed the ELA Moodle page, found the resume template, downloaded it, and uploaded it into their drive!  The students are using this technology and doing great!  The students also have shared it with myself (and their content area teachers) so that we know the progress they have made and help them in the revision process.

We also LMS (Learning Management Systems) and OLE (Online Learning Environments).  Currently, some teachers are using one, another, or both types of services.  For example, the ISD provides Moodle to the teachers so that they can post all their resources or units online for the students to access even if they're off campus.  Also, all the the teachers at KTC use Edify, a learning management system that allows them to put pre-tests, post-tests, and formative lessons or assignments in between, to help our students achieve growth.  This LMS also allows for the teacher to track the progress of the students and also observe how well they are achieving the standards for the content area.  

At KTC and Kent ISD with our use of tech, OLE, and LMS, we lead learning!

Career Exploration Part II: Career Cruising--Matchmaker, My Skills, and Learning Styles

This week, the students are completing the Matchmaker, My Skills, and Learning Styles inventory on Career Cruising (www.careercruising.com).  

The students are completing this so they know what things they like to do, pinpoint what they do and don't have an interest in, and jobs connected to those skills and interests.  There are 116 questions; the more questions the students answer, the more the jobs will match their personality.  The test is very easy and the students answer the questions based on this color scale rating system.  

After they have completed the questions, they will then assess their skills for these jobs.  The program will give them a letter grade for this job.  If they get a D or E grade, it doesn't mean that they can't do the job, but that they need to improve their skills in order to do the job well.  

Last but not least, the students take a learning style assessment where they determine in which mode they learn best.  The students received their results and learned what the words visual, tactile, and auditory meant.  

This was a great way for the students to find out who they are and it was really helpful for students who had no clue what careers matched their personalities.

Welcome to the Kent Transition Center!

Who Am I?

My name is Debra Rajaratne and I am the English Language Arts instructor at KTC.  I was born in Kingsley, MI, and am the second youngest of 5 girls.  I attended Kingsley High School, Northwestern Michigan College, and Grand Valley State University graduating with a bachelors degree in group social studies education and a minor in English.  I love to sing, travel, cook, and learn new languages.  I also have a masters degree in educational technology and I hope to achieve another masters degree in administration or a doctorate in educational technology.

What Do I Do?

I will be getting your student prepared for the world of work and independence through increasing vocabulary, writing for employment, and speech for employment.  We will be learning new vocabulary throughout the course of their classes, producing various types of writing, researching, and presenting our ideas and ourselves through speech and presentations.  We are currently working to get your student a 1/2 credit of English this year to aid them in the graduation process.

We also have a partnership with Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS).  MRS works with people who have disabilities of any kind, to help them find and keep a job.  Also, after becoming established with MRS, if you ever lose a job, you can contact MRS and they will help you find another.  KTC and MRS have partnered to help your student have the possibility of getting a paid job during the summer of 2017.  This is a real job, with a real paycheck, and is not for a grade like our work-based learning (year 2) program at KTC.  This is a real job to help our students get a start on gaining experience and your student has a chance to be a part of this program by attending KTC.  We will let you know what requirements you/they must reach and being making calls home soon.

In Conclusion

I look forward to this year with your child and if you or your child have any question, please feel free to contact me.  Thank you!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Rajaratne
a.k.a Mrs. R
(616) 301-8837
(616) 965-1836

Today, we are learning about the EEOC and things that protect people from discrimination in the workplace.  We will be looking at some of the various protections people have in the hiring and firing process in the workplace.

After defining discrimination, we will look at the EEOC law and it's protections and look at case studies to define whether it was discrimination or not.  After that, the students will write about their reaction to these cases on the blog.

KTC Students Read Through The CA-7 Work Permit

KTC Students Read Through The CA-7 Work Permit

Today, we will be talking about CA-7 Work Permits and why we have them.  Students will be looking at these work permits, trying to understand that they explain the hours they work, the amount they can do, and the design of the document.


After reading through this informational text, they will also make a connection to history.  We hope that after reading through this document and looking at pictures of child labor in the past, they will be able to respond online to how they felt while talking about this subject and the negative impacts of child labor in the world and what they could do to stop child labor.


Students: 

After looking through the CA-7 Work Permit, "The Depressing Stories Behind 20 Vintage Child Labor Pictures" and/or reading "10 Countries with the Worst Child Labor Statistics," please respond to 2 of these questions:

1. How did you feel for the children in these pictures after reading/seeing these pictures and articles?

2. If you were to think of a job that would be dangerous for children, what would it be and why?

3. In your opinion, why do some countries use children as workers?


4. What could you do as a US citizen to stop child labor?

5. What was something you learned today that you didn't know before?

6. What was the most interesting piece of information that you learned about the CA-7 Work Permit that you didn't know before?


Resources to View: 

10 Countries with the Worst Child Labor Statistics:  http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-worst-child-labor-risks-2012-1#heres-a-map-of-child-labor-risk-across-the-world-12

Depressing Stories Behind 20 Vintage Child Labor Pictures: http://mentalfloss.com/article/30248/depressing-stories-behind-20-vintage-child-labor-pictures

Video Link--"India's Hidden Shame" http://www.bbc.com/news/business-25947984

Preparing for the End of the School Year: KTC Students Receive their Professional Documents Folder and their USB Drives for Work Documents

This week at the Kent Transition Center, the students received USB Drives and pocket folios so they could take their work documents with them when they leave KTC.  These drives have been given out every year so that the students still have their resumes, thank you letters, and cover letters with them as well as any other document they have completed in their time here.


The students were taught how to download documents from their Google Drive, save them to their USB drives, and how to eject them properly.  They were then to print out two copies of their resume and put it in the folder so that they would be prepared to drop them off to business if they saw a job they were interested in.  Lastly, the students were given a document that can be folded and inserted into their wallet that they could put all of the information on so they could complete a resume at a moment's notice.  Thanks to my old "lab partner", Sharon Jett, for making these--we still are using them today!


Our goal is to have our students not only complete these assignments but also to show them the value of being prepared, organized, and that what we have taught them can be used outside of our walls.  If there are any LEA's, counselors, or SPED teachers reading this, please make sure that your students update their qualifications, please help them look over their resumes to make changes, update their work histories, or even update their references; they all have a drive unless they were absent or if they lost it.  Thank you!

Thank You To Our Interviewers

This week, the students reviewed their observations/grade sheets from their interviewers.  We looked them over, discussed them, and then had the students create thank you letters to their interviewers.

The students were interacted with the lesson and also provided input to creating the thank you letter.  We reviewed the parts of a thank you letter by having the students stand and after they gave their guess at the name of the section, they sat down.  We also had a student come to the front of the class to be our typist while the others said what they liked, learned, or enjoyed about participating in mock interviews.

Once again, the students and myself would like to say thank you to those who participated and you will be getting your thank you letters shortly.

KTC + MRS Update: Where We Were and Where We're Going

Where we were: 
On Monday March 28th, we told 62 students that based on their behavior and completion of assignments in both my ELA/Career Prep program and their content area class, that they were recommended for the possibility of paid summer employment with Kent ISD and Michigan Rehabilitation Services.

Out of the 62, we were only allowed to have 30 students in the paid summer employment program and that the spots would be on a first-come first-serve basis.  Dr Kiley, the Work Based Learning Staff, and myself recommended the students take MRS employment packets home during Spring Break so they could complete it, have parents sign, and to allow them time to get their social security card, birth certificate, or state I.D. around so that a copy could be submitted to MRS.

Where we are now: 
Currently, as of Friday 4/22/2016, we have 30 applications in and some more on the way.  MRS was so pleased with the turn out that they are also allowing us to take 3-4 more (34 total).  Some students were so motivated to get this job, that we had one student turn their packet in the day after the meeting!

I am so proud of our students and the effort they are showing.  MRS is even hoping to partner with us more next year and offer us support in some areas where they have more expertise.  It is a very exciting time!  Thank you to the students and the parents for being open to this possibility!

Nailed It!: KTC Students Participate in Mock Interview #2

This past week, the students at KTC participated in their second mock interviews.  The students used the feedback sheets from the interviews in their first interviews to help them understand what they could do better and as a class, we talked about what not to say, brainstormed answer options, and composed our responses into complete sentences.

KTC also had businesses and organizations participate in our second round of interviews.  In the first round of interviews, we mainly had Kent ISD staff  and KSSN staff assist in interviewing our students.  In these second round of interviews, we had businesses that were excited to participate with our school to give our students this real life experience.

Some of the businesses and organization who participated were:

Valvoline Instant Oil Change (3 personnel)
Grand Rapids Building Services
The Waterworks Car Wash
D&W (SpartanNash)
Custom Profile
Kent ISD (Custodial department--2 personnel)
West Michigan Works! (3 personnel)
KSSN


Some of the KISD staff who volunteered to interview students were:

Kim Westdorp
Dena Harris
Amy Pierce
Craig Steenstra
Meghan Aupperlee
Marla Salmon
Linda Nawrocki
Tim Peraino
Ryan VanderMolen



This year, more than one student from every class impressed the interviewers!  Even more exciting, I was told by 3 different interviewers of 3-4 students that they would love to hire based on what they saw and heard in the interviews!


It was such a great week and it was so beneficial for our students.  Thank you to all who participated and made this a great real-life learning experience for our students.

KTC Students Ride the Rapid

MRS and KTC have increased their partnership with each other this year and are offering our students to have a paid summer job working at Kent ISD for our students.  These students who were recommended completed various MRS criteria and exhibited positive behaviors that would make them a great candidate for the jobs offered this summer.

In order to be recommended, one of the things that had to be discussed would be the development of a plan for their transportation to and from a job.  KTC has also partnered with the Rapid Bus to show our students how to Ride the Rapid, apply for reduced bus fare, and be aware of who to contact to give them the training outside of our walls.

Two classes, due to the Good Friday holiday, combined and had Rapid Trainers talk to them and teach them about riding the bus within the building while the other classes took a bus ride from the NE side of Grand Rapids to Central Station.

Things we learned about The Rapid Bus: 

1. Did you know that if you prove a disability of some kind, you can get a bus ride for only $0.85?

2. Did you know that if you apply for this reduced fare, you get a card that allows you to get that fare for 5 years?  

3. Some busses start as early as 4:30 or 5 am and go until 12:30 am?!

4. That each bus costs around $380,000 and that it takes 10 years to buy a bus for the fleet.

5. The Rapid Travel Trainers will come to your house and ride with you to any location to help you get used to riding the bus.  All someone has to do is call their office and make arrangements with them.

KTC is so grateful for the hard work and dedication of Cari Dennany and Sarah Green for showing us how to ride and also helping us explore Rapid Central Station, the Amtrak Train Station, and The Rapid Central Office.  It was so much fun and we look forward to completing bus training with you all next year!

Just Browsing: KTC Students Create Presentations on the Various Job search Agencies in Grand Rapids, MI and Summarize Information for Presentations

This week at KTC, the classes are looking at agencies who help companies of various industries in Grand Rapids, MI, find workers for open positions.  The students are to create a Google slide presentation with this information and present it to their classmates.  I opted to do this project because it informs the students about other agencies in the communities along with Michigan Works! that help people find jobs, but also puts the learning in their hands while also getting them to practice their presentation skills for their job interviews.

The students were given a rubric that explained what they were looking for, how the slides should look, and what they would be graded upon when presenting.



The students are being told how they would search for these agencies using Google Chrome and shown where to find the information.  The were also shown how to take large amounts of information and break it down into smaller amounts that are easier to handle using an online text compactor.  This site lets you copy information from a page of text or website, paste it into place, and decrease the word amount to as little as 20% of the original text.


The students are in complete awe that there are agencies that exist to help companies find workers like them and that there are so many of them in Grand Rapids and nation-wide.  The students will continue to work on this presentation next week and prepare for their Rapid Bus training as well.  They will most likely present the first week of the final quarter.

Preparing for the Real World: KTC Auto, Retail, and Facilities Maintenance Students Determine their References and Look at Job Postings

Today at KTC, we are having the students add references to their resume.  We have given them our rubric to tell them what would get them the highest grade but also told them that having all the information for their reference and from a great reference is what could get them their "dream" job.

I even showed them my list of references and prefaced it with telling them that I aimed to leave a great impression on the people I had worked with at every job so that they would have no problem being a reference for me.  This brought up a great discussion that many students their age don't realize; they realized that if they don't behave well for their limited pool of possible references (teachers, mentors, counselors, etc), that this does not help them in obtaining those references because references like reciprocity, a.k.a "The Golden Rule."

After added at least 3 references and all of their information so they could be contacted and so that the person is aware of how you met them, we moved onto looking at a job posting.  We looked at a job posting in an automotive setting and looked through it for hourly pay rate, job title, qualifications, and duties and responsibilities.  We talked through the job posting trying to help them understand what the company was looking for but also referenced what their math teacher, Anya VanElderen, referenced in her workplace math lessons about pay, deductions, and tax rate.

At KTC, we want our students to be aware of what they will encounter when they go into the world and being prepared and knowing how to read through a job posting is one of the most important pieces of information we can give them.

At KTC, we prepare students to be able to chose a career they want, learn about it, and do it.

That Should "Cover" It: KTC Students Create their Cover Letters

This week at KTC, the students are finishing their drafts of their thank you letters to their mock interviewers, they are taking a pre-test on cover letters, we will discuss and show what a thank you letter looks like as well as the requirements, have them take a post-test, and then start on their rough draft of the cover letter.

On the Moodle page, there is a pre-test that asks about whom the letter should be addressed to, what things you should mention, and how you should close your cover letter.

The students also will have a template (gotten from the MS Word templates) that they could use to help them complete the assignment.  The students are to have their rough draft to me by the end of the day by sharing it with me through Google.

At KTC, we want our students to leave our school being work ready.  I myself want to make sure that these students know how to create these documents, that they can make them on their own, but also give them the chance to make these documents on their own and provide feedback or a chance for revision if needed.

Giving Thanks: KTC Students Compose Thank You's

This week at KTC, students are beginning their rough drafts of their thank you letters to their interviewers.

All of the students are writing the thank you letters in Google Drive so that way they can share them with me or their teachers.  We briefly recapped the parts of a thank you letter with a template projected onto my white board with the help of the ELMO.  After that, I kept the template up and the students used it as a guide for how to do their thank you letter.  When they are done, they are to share it with me.

The main goal of today is for them to get a start on this thank you letter.  Next week, they will have comments on their document they shared with me so they can revise it.   Our goal at KTC is that when a resume, cover letter, or thank you letter leaves this building, it is employment ready.


They will also be starting on cover letters next week.  It should be polished and should hold to the conventions of English and to the high standard we have established at KTC.  This includes a pre-test, video for viewing, a picture to look at, discussion, rubric for grading, and a post-test.

The Rapid is Coming: Rapid Bus Training Set to Happen at KTC

The Rapid will be coming to KTC the week of March 28th to do both a presentation and interactive demonstrations about how to "Ride the Rapid" city bus system.

Many of our students at KTC do not know how to use public transit, also known as the city bus system.  This could be because they live outside of the city, they already have a bus transporting them to KTC, but also because they do not feel equipped or do not understand the system and are afraid of the experience.


The Rapid provides bus training to those who would like to learn how to use the city bus system.  The Rapid will come to your home and teach you how to ride the bus to your destination if you need to. All you have to do is go to https://www.ridetherapid.org/howtoride/travel-training or call the Travel Training office at 616-456-7514.