Faculty Focus
June 5, 2020
The sign is up...and a Challenging Week for Our Country
Greetings to All,
I hope you are not reading this until Monday, and you are enjoying the weekend before heading Into the last full week of school.
You may have noticed that I have been sending the Family Focus newsletter to you on a regular basis as well as the Faculty Focus. I do that not because you are expected to read it, but so that you know what has been communicated to families. This week, however, I wrote a message that I would like for you to read, related to the racial tension we are all feeling. It's not long, and I think it will be helpful to you to know what I sent.
Link here for my letter in the June 5 Family Focus.
As I have reflected this week on the events across our country, the incessant systemic racism, the protests, and our inability as a nation to overcome this divide, I continue to ask myself, as we so often do as educators, How do we help kids with this? and How do I help myself deepen my own understanding?
I have put together a short list of books that I have read over the years and/or have come highly recommended from people I trust. I hope they are helpful to you as you process events, how to respond, and how you reflect on your own biases.
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
Waking Up White by Debby Irving
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Each takes a different approach, style, and integration with history. I hope there is something here that strikes a chord for you.
Best,
Lynne
Coming Up Next Week
The Weekly Overview for June 1-5 will be sent out Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. Please be sure to get your links in by 7:40 a.m. at the latest. Families do begin to organize their weeks right at 8:00 a.m. Monday, so if you make changes, notification should be provided to kids.
We will meet Wednesday, June 10 as a full staff 1:00-2:00 pm. Also, please put a final staff meeting on your radar, Tuesday June 16 1:00-2:00 p.m. to touch base one last time before we head out for the summer.
Student Belongings Curbside Pick-up: Link here for full details. Volunteers are needed to join admin and guidance staff on June 10 (1-2 at each grade level) and June 12 (5-6 total).
- On 6/10, 1-2 people - to empty student lockers, set aside school owned materials, and place student belongings Into pre-labeled bags. Email the guidance counselor at your preferred grade level.
- On 6/12, 5-6 people to direct cars and walkers to designated spots for picking up locker items and dropping off school-owned materials. Email Lynne, Jeff or Dennis.
Building Entry for Items and Room Cleaning
Please respond to the form below so that we can coordinate a schedule for you to come into the building. Classroom floors have been done on the third floor and will be completed on the lower floor this week (We will schedule around that).
Safety guidelines will need to be followed including wearing masks and maintaining a 6-foot distance from others, and sanitizing will follow the visits.
8th Grade Celebration
We will celebrate our 8th graders departure from O'Maley with a family car parade along the O'Maley driveway. Designated 6-foot distances will be marked out for staff to shout (through masks) and wave as our students and families roll through.
Austin has volunteered to DJ, student names will be called out. All certificates, 8th grade yearbooks, and a t-shirt gift from PTO will be mailed. A video will be made for those who cannot attend; we are investigating a livestream.
We will need RSVPs from staff so that we can mark off spots to keep everyone at safe distances. Be on the lookout for the form next week.
Remote Learning Advisory Committee Update Meeting #2
We are still looking for your thoughts on topics for focus as well as specific items that fall under those topics.
- Technology
- Schedule
- Social Emotional
- Pedagogy
- Communication
- Building Use
If you have questions, thoughts to share, items you want included, etc., please do one of two things, or both:
- Add your questions/thoughts, etc. to Padlet so that colleagues may see, comment, have their thinking prompted. Link to Padlet Here.
- Speak with a member of the committee: Amy Donnelly, Dave Brown, Austin Sousa, Adrienne Marden, Theresa Dannaher, Kathy Interrante, Pat Hand, Ardis Francoeur, Leslie Sellers, Amy Natola, and Allison Alves.
The full committee will meet again Monday afternoon.
Full agenda and notes from the meetings can be found here, and linked from the Info Hub.
Purchasing for 2020-2021
Purchase Orders - Due to Christine by June 15th
Over the next few weeks, please finalize orders for next year. If you submitted a wish list in December when I was preparing an estimated budget, please review it to be sure your requests remain the same. You cannot go over the amount you requested, but can change items on your list. Quotes must be included, and must include shipping costs.
Please Make a Copy and use the PO Request Form (also on the Info Hub) to submit your actual request. These must be complete and submitted to Christine before June 15th.
Reimbursement for Purchases - IMPORTANT
GPS will no longer reimburse for purchases of any kind. Please make sure you plan ahead for necessary purchases with approved vendors so that a PO can be approved and issued in time for the purchase to be made. If a company is not a vendor, Christine can assist with getting them on the vendor list...as long as they comply with necessary paperwork to do that.
Lynne's Regular Office Hours
Monday - Friday 8:00-9:00 a.m. This is a recurring event; bookmark this link for future use: https://meet.google.com/ -srcp-fom
Archives
Contact Information
Email: lbeattie@gloucesterschools.com
Website: http://omaley.gloucesterschools.com/
Location: 32 Cherry Street, Gloucester, MA, USA
Phone: 978-281-9850
Twitter: @omaleyprincipal