The Sachem Memo
Week of June 8 - 12, 2020
Remain StaffSTRONG
Hello Sachem Family,
I hope this note finds you well and had a great weekend. First, a heartfelt THANK YOU to the many faculty and staff volunteers who came to help last week with the collection of senior materials each day. It was so great to see you all! Additionally, THANK YOU to everyone who came Friday to be a part of the senior celebration as we distributed yearbooks, caps and gowns and wonderful gifts from the Adopt-A-Senior Program.
I am beyond thankful for to everyone who came to line the driveway of Middleborough High School on Saturday for the Senior Parade. The smiles, cheers and laughter was something that I think everyone in our community needed during this very challenging time. Thank you for being there to cheer on the Class of 2020. The crowds throughout Middleborough brought tears to my eyes and the smiles on the seniors faces brought even more tears. Thank you for your part in their journey through high school.
It is important to recognize all that is happening in our country right now with the movement for Black Americans and the demand for justice and equality. Like you, Black Lives Matter. Like you, I have been watching, listening, reading, researching and reflecting. I know our school is committed to kindness, acceptance and love. I am confident you see this at our school. However, I know our school could be so much more. I know that our school can be the place where every student, alumnus, teacher, staff person and community member can be proud of as we model and learn the importance of a culturally responsive classroom, cultural proficiency and to ensure that every student has a seat at the table. Our collective voice of a school will guide us through this and help with the greater and difficult conversations around this very challenging and complex issue and our commitment and resolve to ensure that racism does not have a place within our school community...or anywhere for that matter. If there is ever a team who has a deep love for our students it is us...we will be the change for the future students who enter our home. Our home is for everyone.
I will be sharing materials with you over the next few weeks that you might be interested in engaging with over the summer. More to come.
In closing, I hope each of you are watching, listening, reading, researching and reflecting to allow your voice to be our students voice. I thank you for continuing your commitment to ensuring that each and every student who enters our school feels safe and loved...and at home.
Have a good week.
Paul
- "Discomfort leads to growth. If you want to get better you have to be willing to be uncomfortable." - John Gordon, Author
Quarter 4 GRADING REMINDERS!
A few important items:
- Quarter 4 and Final Grades will be due by 8:00am on Thursday, June 18, 2020. This will allow for us to finalize all grades and make sure that everything is in good form to publish report cards.
- Please review your grade book and ensure that all "Incompletes" are changed to a grade.
- If you are certain that a student will FAIL your class for the year, PLEASE let the students' guidance counselor know for planning.
- Please be sure you are following the PANDEMIC GRADING PROTOCOL that was shared with a few weeks ago.
Thank you for your collaboration and engagement with our students for the final push to close this school year.
Closing of the 2019 - 2020 School Year
- You should target your final assignments for the term to be completed and submitted by June 12, 2020.
- Please use the week of June 15 - 18, 2020 for any last assignments that students are completing for you in regard to outstanding assignments or final reflection activities.
- We are in need of collecting all school materials, including school laptops beginning on Monday, June 15th. I will have a formal schedule out this week. However, I would kindly ask that you are NOT assigning new assignments the week of June 15. Once again, I will be looking for volunteers to help with the collection of school materials. I appreciate the consideration.
- Classroom Close-out will begin on Tuesday, June 9th. If you would like to set up a time to come into the school. Please sign-up here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZrmY8RbfLn110RMGuy07O3ehDOyriA2MMqIGwenyc7Y/edit
- The final day of school for students and staff is June 18.
Please reach out with any questions.
A Note From Mrs. Phillips
Mrs. Phillips heard from another librarian this week that Ibram X. Kendi’s National Book Award-winning title Stamped From the Beginning: the Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America is available for free on Audible. If any staff members would like to read/listen to and talk about this book, I’ll host a discussion on Zoom. People can send Mrs. Phillips their names, and she would be happy to set it up for you.
Description
Virtual Faculty & Staff Connection/Meeting - This Week
Our weekly Faculty & Staff Connection/Meetings will take place this week. Please note the date change with the evening meeting. Due to a conflict on Wednesday evening...the evening meeting will be moved to Tuesday evening. Look forward to seeing you at one of these voluntary meetings!
Meeting #1 - Tuesday, June 9 - 7:30pm
Meeting #2 - Thursday, June 11 - 9:00am
Virtual Meetings - This Week
- MHS Guidance Department Meeting - Wednesday, June 10 - 9:00am
- MHS Faculty & Staff Meeting and Connection - Tuesday, June 9 - 7:30pm
- MHS Faculty & Staff Meeting and Connection - Thursday, June 11 - 9:00am
- MHS CST - Friday, June 12 - 9:00am
- MHS Leadership Team Meeting - Friday, June 12 - 11:00am
Be on the lookout for Zoom Meeting Invitations. :)
Happy Birthday - This Week
Here are the birthday celebrations this week!
Paige Fritz - June 8
Alex King - June 8
Sean Correia - June 10
Jared Pierce - June 10
Alisa Andrade - June 12
Dean Caffrey - June 12
Kevin Grimes - June 12
Emma Healey - June 13
Alyssa Lee - June 13
Julie Mulloy - June 13
If you can...take a moment and with these amazing students a very happy birthday!
Technology Tool Box - Virtual Professional Development and Training Modules
A HUGE note of thanks for Sean Siciliano and Melanie Gates for putting this wonderful resource together for you in regard to using numerous online resources to help with your remote learning experiences.
Welcome to the “Tech Toolbox”
Once you enter the Tech Toolbox...you will see the following to help you navigate this wonderful resource.
1) Webinars & Resources
Here you will find resources and webinars created to support the many programs that we are currently using. Below you will see a list of the sessions that have already been recorded and are available on-demand for you. We plan to always be adding to this list as new programs are released or we have a need for a deeper exploration of our existing programs.
List the webinars we have
- Advanced Google Classroom Management
- Basic Google Classroom Management
- Creating Graphic Organizers using Google Drawings
- Google Calendar and Appointment Slots
- Google Classroom for Teachers
- Google Hangout/Meet the Basics
- Google Sites Basics
- Google Slides for Student Created Storybooks
- Making Editable PDFs for Google Classroom assignments with Kami
- My Google Drive is a Mess - Tips for Organizing
- Using Interactive Whiteboard (JamBoard) during Google Meet
- Using the Grid View Extension in Google Meet
- Creating Interactive Videos Using EdPuzzle
- Free EBooks and Audiobooks
- How to get Started with Seesaw
- Recording Lessons with Screencastify
- Screencastomatic
- Sending Emails through Aspen
- The Basics of Quizizz
- Zoom Video Conferencing & Privacy Settings
A complete list can be found here.
2) Help Desk
This is where you can submit a ticket to get assistance in a program or web platform that you may have a question with or want more understanding of.
We hope that this page will help promote your growth as a digital teacher and provide you with the information and guidance that you need to help support online teaching and learning.
Please reach out to Sean or Melanie with any questions.
Character Strong
Mindfulness and Meditation - By Matthew Osgood
Please see this note from Mr. Osgood:
Hi MHS Friends,
As we live together through this unprecedented time together, self-care is a critical part of one's daily schedule, and I would like the opportunity to assist you with that. Simply stated, I have one simple mission: Mind. Body. Spirit. If I motivate and inspire just one person to be their best self while living in the moment through all of this together, I will consider my efforts a success. It is my goal to assist members of the teaching community, like yourself, and beyond, with increased present moment awareness, without judgement of one's feelings, thoughts, perceptions and emotions, as we manage our new responsibilities and stressors during this "new reality" pandemic together. Additionally, meditation gives us the capacity to understand ourselves more fully and enables us to care more deeply for others and ourselves. Meditation helps to deepen our focus, mindfulness and compassion. The reality of meditation is that anyone can learn to do it and gain benefits from practice, even if it's just a few minutes each day, no matter your culture or spiritual beliefs. As a certified Meditation For Everyone instructor under the teachings of Andy Kelley a.k.a. The Boston Buddha (Instructor for the Chopra Center and graduate of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program), I truly believe that meditation is for everyone and that there is no "right" or "wrong" way to do it. We could all benefit from a little "self-time" each day. Thank you in advance for considering adding this opportunity to your self care routine.
Best -
Matt O.
Please view this link from Mr. Osgood:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC70CLv3B2RO07vSSDZlXy3g
A look into the Boston Buddha, Andy Kelley - Meditation
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.necn.com/entertainment/meet-the-boston-buddha/2254238/%3Famp
Please email Matt at mosgood@middleboro.k12.ma.us with any questions.
Thank you, Matt for sharing this with our faculty and staff!
QuarantineSTRONG - Self- Care and Wellness
Please reach out to any of our school adjustment counselors:
Joelle Maczko, jmaczko@middleboro.k12.ma.us
Mary Tumavicus, mtumavicus@middleboro.k12.ma.us
Jason Carroll, jcarroll@middleboro.k12.ma.us
Office Hours: Office Hours are being held virtually for 1:1 counseling sessions or general check in’s for our students. If you know of any students who need this support, please let us know and encourage your student to connect. If you or someone in your family is struggling, we are also happy to assist in helping you find resources. If you or someone you know are experiencing an emergency crisis, please call 911. It is important to our mental health to remain connected to others, to use coping skills to manage the stress and angst we are all experiencing, and to seek support when needed. Please also continue to utilize our Employee Assistance Programming (www.TheEAP.com) via 1-800-535-4841 or through the app.
Perhaps for yourselves or to pass along:
https://events.mindingyourmind.org/teens-tweens-quarantines/
This article may have some helpful information to guide some of the conversations you have with your students. Maintaining rapport and connection with our students is a wonderful gift we can give them right now and the results may make all the difference for them.
Here is a quick read discussing the feelings of irritation many are experiencing.
https://forge.medium.com/why-youre-so-irritated-by-everything-ae8ead4ad63e
This is an AMAZINGLY comprehensive resource with videos on tons of topics related to mental health and overall wellness. It's considered a digital education on mental health related topics. Check it out!
If you're struggling with grasping the new reality that we've entered into, the term "radical acceptance" may be helpful to you. It's a term coined through DBT and this article does a nice job of explaining that and how mindfulness can be helpful right now. https://hopeway.org/blog/radical-acceptance