Hi Huskies!
Summer 2020
Greetings Hearne Family!
I hope you are having a relaxing summer vacation and are getting rejuvenated for the year ahead.
I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the social unrest and public safety concerns happening across our country. I am heartbroken and I am certain many of you feel the same way. It is my hope we will rise from this stronger as individuals and as a country.
I want to let you all know that as we prepare to approach another school year, we will not only be working through a pandemic, but we will also be working towards being a more culturally responsive campus and using this time in our country to help the next generation process this moment in history.
As with everything we do at Hearne, we will work as a team to define our next steps and our response as a campus to the community we serve. This year will undoubtedly be a hard year on many levels. It is imperative we work on becoming the best version of ourselves so we can be prepared to do the work ahead of us. Our first stop is ensuring our campus, whether brick and mortar or virtual, is a safe place for our students from PPCD to 4th grade. We are called to not only be heroes, but superheroes to help make OUR world a better place.
With Governor Abbott's declaration today that students will return to school next year, preliminary plans have begun for what this will look like. You will be invited to share your thoughts and suggestions along the way in the form of Google Quizzes, Focus Groups, Zoom Meetings, and good old fashion phone calls. I want to know what's in your heart. There will inevitably be times where we engage in what may be considered some difficult and uncomfortable conversations as we work to prepare for the road ahead. Our openness and collective efficacy will positively serve our students, families, and each other.
Over the next few weeks, I want you to take care of yourself and your family. Put your oxygen mask on first! Do things that bring you joy and balance, including reading, exercising, and maybe writing a list of all the things you are thankful for. Your health and well-being is and will always be a priority. You are important to me.
I will be communicating with you, our families and students in the near future and will be working on a host of other actions we will take as a campus during our staff professional development days.
I thank each of you in advance for your willingness to be apart of the change we are all experiencing. We are not in control of the situations happening around us, we are in control of how we respond.
Please continue to stay safe! I cannot wait to see you soon! I encourage you to start researching about culturally responsive classrooms and restorative circles, reading articles from reputable sources, diving into a social and emotional awareness book, and learning more about blended learning and flipped classrooms on your own!
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or ideas you would like to share.
Never forget:
You make a difference!
You matter!
Our students need you!
With Love,
Johanna
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An excerpt from Studies Weekly about Student Needs post COVID-19
COVID-19 has uprooted classroom teaching and learning, forcing educators to step into new roles as remote teachers educating students through distance learning.
During this time of evolution in education keep these two essentials in mind:
1. Children’s well-being is most important.
According to research, children’s ability to learn is tied to their physical and emotional well-being. Children need to feel safe, accepted, and empowered before they can truly learn.
Living in quarantine is stressful for educators, caregivers, and especially students. Though children may seem relatively fine on the surface, they may be struggling with worries and anxieties they can’t express. According to a 2017 study by Alice Fothergill, children feel the same stress and anxiety in traumatic situations as their caregivers, but they may hide it more.
Every teacher should regularly check in with children and gauge how they are feeling.
2. Identify what children need to know, and what they need to do.
Without the structure of the classroom, students may struggle to understand learning expectations. Remember to focus on these three learning objectives:
- Knowledge: What students need to know.
- Skills: How they will apply their knowledge.
- Dispositions: What students will become.
When students are struggling with a concept or task, try breaking it down into these three parts. Discuss and explore together what they need to know, and then what they need to do with that knowledge. This changes frustrations into challenges to overcome, and skills they can improve.
Studies Weekly has helped more than 25,000 educators connect with their students through distance learning the past few months. Our K-6 Social Studies curriculum is customized, standards-based, and founded on deep learning strategies designed to increase student knowledge, skills, and dispositions for well-being.
We are blazing through virtual summer school! Shout out to the summer blast staff for making it a great summer!
The resignation deadline is Monday, June 22, 2020!
Our Vision and Mission Statements- We are what we say we are! Make every day show it.
Hearne Elementary will provide a learning environment where all stakeholders are empowered as leaders and critical thinkers. We are committed to building positive relationships in a safe environment while creating life-long learners who are prepared for the 21st century.
Mission Statement
The mission of Hearne Elementary School is to guide our stakeholders to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to make responsible life choices and positive contributions in a diverse society. In collaboration with home and community, we respond to the needs of every child, ensuring that each child can and will learn.
Gifted and Talented Professional Development
The professional requirements for new and returning staff is outlined below.
NEW TEACHER OF AP, Pre AP, GT students will need:
30 Hours Foundational
- for teachers new to teaching GT, PAP, AP 7 district PD hours
Returning staff:
6 Hour Update
- For teachers, counselors, and administrators
- all administrators and counselors need the 6 hour Nature and Needs component to be compliant with TX State Plan for Gifted
- 3.5 district PD hours
The following virtual opportunities through Mallett is below:
The district will be offering the following courses in July that will provide
Texas Performance Standards Project: Offered in July and in the fall
- TPSP K-6 and TPSP 7-12 for update hours (3 ½)
Additional district offered course:
- The GT COOP Courses are: Creativity and Instructional Strategies
- Differentiation for Curriculum for GT
- Intro to Differentiating with Depth and Complexity Icons
- Sing Soft Kitty to Me
If you have any questions, please feel to contact Debbie Stolpa, Advanced Academics Specialist, AVID District Director.
Hearne Elementary School
Website: www.aliefisd.net/hearne
Location: 13939 Rio Bonito Drive, Houston, TX, United States
Phone: 281-983-8333
Twitter: @hearnehusky