BARBER BULLETIN
Week of April 9-13, 2018
APRIL IS CELEBRATE DIVERSITY MONTH
April is often designated as Diversity Month; a month during which we recognize, honor and celebrate diversity. By celebrating our differences and similarities we hope that all people will get a deeper understanding of one another. In Richland Two there is strength in our diversity and our unique traits and characteristics, when joined together, make us richer and more powerful. As Maya Angelou said: “We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.”
Just as important as diversity but not as easily obtained is inclusion. Inclusion is an action word that requires us to proactively do something to make a person in one group be fully incorporated in another group. Diversity happens naturally but inclusion takes work.
As a district, we have been purposeful in making diversity and inclusion a principle practice of our strategic plan. It is one of the strategies we use to help make Richland Two a premier school district and to help us achieve premier culture and environment, talent and achievement for our students, parents, staff and community. To be successful, we have to imbed diversity and inclusion in everything we do. We have to be of the mindset that each decision we make, at every level of district organization, must take into account the strength of our diversity and the need to ensure inclusion.
During the month of April, the Department of Diversity and Multicultural Inclusion encourages you to take some time to see and appreciate the beautiful diversity of our students and staff and to think about things that you can do to help us ensure inclusion. Visit a school and volunteer to read or to assist with an activity or spend a few minutes talking to a student about what is important to them and what they need you to know about them.
For the staff in our schools and/or for those who work with us at the District Office, share a random act of kindness, a word of thanks or a compliment. Let someone you work with know that you see and appreciate their contributions to our district and that their contributions are important.
For our parents and the greater Richland Two community, support the diverse businesses in our district. Whether shopping for clothing or food or out for entertainment, consider visiting a place you haven’t been and trying an activity that’s new to you. You can find cuisine from across the world in our district and new and exciting things can be found every day in our local libraries.
As you explore the many ways our Richland Two family is diverse I believe that you will find that you have more in common than what you see as differences. As you celebrate our tremendous diversity, let’s commit to strengthening our inclusion. To help you with ideas and suggestions, please see the attached calendar that you may use to mark off your diversity and inclusion activities for the month. Share your experiences with us on Twitter @EmbraceEquity using #R2DMI and #FueltheFlame.
Happy Celebrate Diversity Month!
LIGHTHOUSE NOMINATION
We believe that everyone can be a leader! In the spirit of this belief, members of our staff Lighthouse Team will rotate off the team every 2-3 years. The time has come for some of our members to rotate off and allow for new staff leaders on this team. We are seeking nominations for representatives from the grade levels listed below. Please nominate a colleague (or yourself) who you feel would be a good representative of our staff to guide The Leader in Me process at Pontiac.
You may leave some sections blank if you do not have a nominee for that area. If your grade level is not listed below, this indicates that your current representative is serving again next year. Nominating someone does not commit them to the role. The nominations will be accepted or declined by those whose names are submitted before we send out a final staff ballot to select our representatives for next year.
LUCY CALKINS UNITS OF STUDY
- All children are writers.
- There are different stages of writing.
- Choice is very important in what students write.
- Writing should happen everyday through all disciplines.
- Mentor text are used as models of good writing.
- Teachers should not write on students' writing; instead coach students to improve their writing.
- Writing to task should be celebrated.
- Children want frequent feedback.
- Writing and reading are connected.
- Writing is social; children need time to talk and tell their stories to each other!
If you have not located your CODE, please let our reading coach know, as the district will focus Summer Institute training on online resources in addition to he other resources.
Staying Motivated After Spring Break
Returning from spring break is not just hard on the students, but the teachers as well. Whether you used your spring break for work or for fun, it’s still hard to get back into the groove and return to that normal school schedule. While many of you are busy trying to motivate your students to get back on track, you are forgetting to think about your own needs. After you have come to realization that you only have a few months left until summer vacation, you must work to the best of your ability to get through to the end of the school year. Here are a few ways you can stay motivated after spring break.
Spring Break: Create Attainable Goals
There is nothing more satisfying then creating a goal and reaching it. Whether it’s to spring clean your classroom or get through standardized testing, make sure that you set a goal and stick to it. Once you achieve your goal, you will feel motivated to set another one and another one. Then, before you know it the school year will be over. Remember to start small then work your way up to more complex goals.
Keep Healthy
You may have overindulged a bit over spring break, and that’s OK, but now that it’s over it’s time to keep healthy. Eating the rights foods and getting enough exercise will help you stay focused at work and make you feel more energized to accomplish all of your goals.
Don’t Procrastinate
The first few weeks back from spring break you may feel sluggish and feel like your feet are dragging. Instead of procrastinating on the important things that you need to get down, move forward and get those things done. Excuses never get anybody anywhere, so stop making them and start checking off your to do list.
Keep Your Routine
If you are used to grading papers every Thursday after school, then continue to do so. Don’t change things up just because it’s getting close to the end of the school year. If this is what you are used to doing, then do it. You won’t even have to think twice about your daily routine and school will be over before you now it.
Get Enough Sleep
So maybe you had a couple of late nights over spring break and because of that you just can’t seem to get out of this funk. Sleep is everything, and if you want to stay focused on your job, then you need a lot of it. This means getting the proper amount of sleep each night. Do not stay up until midnight grading papers or scouring the Internet for new lesson ideas. Get the recommended amount of sleep each night and your body and mind will thank you for it.
Get Inspired
Think about what inspires you and makes you happy. Go outside on your lunch break and take a walk with one of your colleagues. Look at nature and listen to the birds chirping and the whistling of the wind. Go take that yoga class that you have always wanted to try or take that online class that you have been eyeing up. Find what inspires you to help you get through the rest of the school year happy.
Get Organized
If you weren’t organized already, then now is the time to get organized. Teaching around a mass amount of clutter is not healthy for you and your students. Clutter equals stress, and that is not motivating. When you are organized then you always know where is, because everything always has a proper place. You will much more motivated to work and teach when your classroom as well as your stuff is organized.
Be Mindful
Learn to live in the moment and use your mind to control your negative thoughts. This will help quite your mind and focus your thoughts. Take some time each day to just sit and breathe. This will help relax you and help you focus. By doing this each day for a few minutes you can increase your memory and attention span. When you are relaxed, then you are more apt to be motivated.
Reward Yourself
What’s a better motivator then a reward of something that you really want? Is there a vacation that you really want to go on in the summer? How about a new outfit or something for the house? Knowing that you have something to look forward to is a great motivator. Once you know your motivator, then you will work hard and push yourself to get it down so that you can receive your reward.
Stay Positive
Keeping a positive attitude towards your work and your students will only help motivate you to survive the school year. Approaching everything that you do in life with a positive attitude will help motivate you to do your best.
While it may have been hard to say goodbye to the beaches, sun and fun of spring break. Just remember that you only have a few more months of the school year left to go.
A Look at Our Week Ahead:
Marble Slab PTO fundraiser begins
3:30pm Staff meeting in the cafeteria
Tuesday:
Katherine Moody, University Development Counselor, will be in teacher's lounge to support teachers on their educational journey!
Let's Talk Content: Technology PD during your planning in the Brainforest
Learn simple to use digital tools and strategies to get your students effectively communicating to and for learning.
Wednesday:
K.Barber at Key Leaders meeting off campus
Chorus Rehearsal at auditorium
Thursday:
Chorus rehearsal at auditorium
Report Cards distributed
6:30pm Turnaround Recognition and Chorus performance at RNE auditorium
All certified staff are expected to attend.
Friday:
PURPLE UP to support military connected kids!
8:30am Pancakes with the Principal event
10:05am Montessori Community meeting