BTM Bulletin Week 23/24
2/24/22
Reset
Hello Bulldog Staff,
OK, we have reset (at least I feel like I am ready) and we are moving quickly into Spring. This is a time in the school year that we are relatively uninterrupted and can get some traction with learning. As we start into March, I want to remember that we are focusing on Executive Functioning. We will be forming a BTM team who will guide our learning for the rest of the year and likely next as well. I will work with this team peripherally and will be learning with you all. As we learn, I want to always be thinking about the WHY behind this. We talked last year about how hard it was for us to teach when students were not behaving like students. Also, I have heard many of you state that a large majority of our students are behaving like students, but there are still a large number who need help with many of the components of Executive Functioning, and getting them to where they need to be is difficult and time-consuming. I agree and that is why I see the wisdom in exploring what Executive Functioning is. Actually, I think most of us KNOW what it is, but we don't necessarily have a COMMON LANGUAGE or understanding about it. I think it is important for us to have a common understanding so that we can talk about creating systems that will help our students with their Executive Functioning. But even beyond this is the idea that we want ALL of our students to be able to do the things they need to do to be successful at BTM and BEYOND. So I want to stress that the work we are doing and the concerns YOU have brought up are concerns for ALL of our students, no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, levels of experienced trauma, or family background. In fact, I think that when we are thinking of our students who need help with Executive Functioning THE MOST, we are thinking of many students who probably have less privilege (but CERTAINLY NOT ALL!!). It is noble and good that we want ALL of our students to be successful and ready to learn and we want to find ways to teach them the skills necessary to accomplish goals. I am elated to be part of this learning and to learn with you all and to be working to create systems that will help us teach ALL of our students these skills.
Go Bulldogs!
Scott
This Week (This is all on the BTM Main Calendar all year):
Tuesday:
- IC/DC- 1)Next Steps for Executive Functioning. Input into what we want and what this might look like this year (and NEXT??) 2)What will PLCs look like next year??? Do we want to have a common practice?
Thursday:
- Alice Practice in Advisory (Slideshow and Scott will guide)
- BLT: 1)Hallway "ticket" idea from Scott (build the relationship as a "consequence" while not giving up accountability) 2)chargers if we have $ left??? (Tech will not provide them to classrooms) 3)How has staff participated in the past? Were there things we agreed to be part of in order to have a Middle School Experience? Just a discussion Scott would like to start.
Upcoming Important Dates (This is all on the BTM Main Calendar all year):
March 8 - Staff Meeting
March 14 - Safety Team
March 17 - District Training SEL- PM (Early Release)
March 22 - Staff Meeting
STUFF
AFTER-SCHOOL STUDY CLUB AND OTHER CLUBS
We can do this!! We have enough buy-in to start this! We have 5 people who are willing to do work with students until 4:30 (when the bus comes) so that we can have transportation for everyone. Jamie has created a sign in and we will let YOU ALL start clubs that you want to start and we'll see what the students come up with after that. We can start after this week so that we can get clear about busses and sign-ups.
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From Previous Bulletins:
OUR WORK IN 22-23
In order to support ALL of our Students' Learning, we are focusing on Executive Functioning and learning how to help students to be excellent students. This includes creating a positive learning environment and identifying students who are struggling with Executive Functioning Skills, and helping them to learn the skills they are challenged with. We will use Advisory time more intentionally and ask students to reflect on their progress and check in with them, one on one, to find ways to support them. By doing this, we hope students will show improved learning.
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COVID DASHBOARD
Please consult the district COVID page HERE for information about COVID. This is everchanging so this is the best place to check for the latest information.
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STAFF HANDBOOK
This is the link to the draft of the Staff Handbook BLT is working with. We will use this as our handbook. We will edit and amend as the need arises. Please contact BLT reps to propose changes.
BTM Staff Handbook
BTM Referral Process/BLT - See notes here