Bulldog Weekly Update
May 30th- June 3rd
Monthly CRP Quote
“Better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence. It takes moral clarity. It takes ingenuity. And above all, it takes a willingness to try.”
Atul Gawande, Surgeon and Author
"Dogfooding" in Education -- An Unappetizing Word for a Hearty Practice
If the word causes you to turn your nose up, you're not alone. Dogfooding may be the least enticing word to describe a long understood beneficial practice. So, what does this "dogfooding" term even mean? At it's most distilled, it means doing the work you create for others. Actually, physically and intellectually undergoing what you have prepared. Dogfooding has been used in technology spaces for years. It is a practice of checks and balances. It asks the creator to have the lived experience of the task or request.
This kind of practice is essential for teachers who are constantly adapting curriculum and scaffolding to meet a range of learners needs. If you create a survey, answer all the questions yourself before sending it out to your students--or, you can send it to a colleague. If you have created a quiz with multiple choice and open response, answer the questions based exclusively on how they are asked. "Dogfooding" or "Eating Your Own Food" may seen like a crude expression but the concept is a critical part of the quality control that goes into our product before we launch it. The product may be a new, revised organizational chart but what it intends to elicit (such as the kinds of thinking and responses from students), is the key outcome.
Dogfooding is important in UDL-ing lesson plans. You need to know what kinds of nets you are casting and what you may capture with them. Its a great way to identify differentiation in question type (think "higher order"), to identify typographical and mechanical errors that may mar meaning, to verify that the scoring is correct and accurate to the question type, that there is a flow, a logic order and sequence, and that you capture all the participant identification info that makes the data useable. As Jennifer Gonzales notes in her article "Dogfooding: Do You Do Your Own Assignments?" , yes, this takes more time. Yes, it will seem like an added burden and inconvenience at first. As in the definition, it must be planned for. Dogfooding, though, has the potential to improve the quality of your work output and students' as well by modeling quality, balancing intellectual loads, eliciting clearer and easier to use feedback on subsequent assignments, and reducing bias.
Do you need to lap from a bowl to dogfood? NO. But you may need to take a second or third lap around that assignment before you send it to your class!
Intramural Basketball Continues!
High Attendance Showing Direct Correlation with Grades this Year
Local Carnival in Town This Week!
Memorial Day Weekend: A Time to Celebrate and Reflect
ELA & Reading Departments Granted $8K for New Books for 22-23
Seng Ty and Guests Discuss the Khmer Rouge with Audience Members
Notes from the Principal's Desk
We are keeping it light this week. Come Wednesday, we will really be in the final stretch. The commitments are mounting and while there is joy and excitement abound, there is also sadness. As you look at your class of students, take 2 second mental snapshots: when the whole class is laughing, when you drop something and a student rushes to pick it up for you, when you see one student encourage another just before an exam, when that one student who needs to touch everything and everyone around him stops and reads a full paragraph aloud without interruption. Take note of these moments. This work is exhausting. It is tiring in localized contexts, such as in our school and classrooms but also on a national and even global scale. The work of teaching is often politicized and can feel undervalued. You know who is more likely to know your value? Your students. They see you every day. They know the expectations. For many, they work for you as much as they work for themselves.
Relish these next few weeks. Students may start to feel the end of the school year impeding. On the surface, they express excitement for summer and a break from school--but that's not all that's going on. Some are anxious. Some have summer school. Some know what being home 12 hours every day is like. Some are leaving for high schools and will likely not see many of the friends they have come to love. Share these memories with your kids, and if you get sentimental, cry. Let them know what they have meant to you this year, and that you will miss them, miss their faces and their laughs, and even their pushback, when they are gone.
Basketball City
Intramural basketball continues to draw crowds at BMS after school. Students will participate in one on one matches until early June. All teams have an opportunity to participate in the playoffs. Games are held in the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The energy and passion around basketball is at an all time high right now. This is great timing as the Boston Celtics beat the Heat and will join Golden State for the NBA finals next week. Shout out to the MVP @ the Eastern Conference: Jayson Tatum. A big win for Horford as well, who’s waited 141 games to get to this point in his career.
Lowell Carnival in Town!
The City of Lowell is hosting its annual carnival. Games and rides will be open to the public until June 5. This is being hosted at Regatta Field. You can buy tickets in advance or you can buy upon arrival. It’s a great way to get outside and blow off a little steam with some frivolity for a couple hours.
Pride Month
June is Pride Month across the nation. You may see this month celebratory posters and student artwork providing representation and promotion for the community across the school. Butler remains an inclusive school which protects the rights of all its members. If you are looking to learn more about people from the Queer community who have contributed greatly to the arts and sciences in our country, we recommend this quick read: “Queer, There, Everywhere.” Look at the photo posted here for more details.
Butler Hosts Cultural Event Last Week
Butler continues to be a beacon in the community and among our public schools for inclusivity and cultural awareness. Last week, Butler hosted a public lecture with author, Seng Ty, who wrote "The Years of Zero" about the impact of the Khmer Rouge on Cambodia. the Khmer Rouge is also known as the Cambodian genocide in which over 2 million people died over four years, from 1975 to 1979. The event brought tears and sighs of reflection as well as moments of pride. Many in attendance had family impacted by the Khmer Rouge and came to America to restart their lives. Ty is one such refugee who, at the age of 13, was forced to care entirely for himself after his immediate family was massacred. Lowell has long had a sizable Cambodian population living within the city but January marked the first time Lowell has welcomed a Cambodian mayor. Sokhary Chau is the first Cambodian American to lead Lowell. Sokhary identifies as a refugee who also survived the Khmer Rouge. The city's people and it's leadership are rich with history that comprise the unique tapestry of Lowell. We look forward to welcoming many others at BMS as we continue to light the way for what is important and valued in our community.
What can one Learn who knows it All?
An important part of leadership is the capacity for continued growth. This is a relevant concept for teachers who are approaching expertise or mastery in their chosen field, as well as for leaders directing the course and vision for a group or team. Knowledge-bearers are frequently forerunners in organizing and disseminating information for new teachers. Often, they are also participating in the data gathering and model-generating phases. This is as true for new initiatives in a school as it is for those chosen to facilitate professional development or share their wealth during small learning groups. In these circumstances, knowledge holders are tasked with conveying their professional experience and pedagogical training in ways that elevate practice and perspective. People who often assume the role of knowledge-bearer lose out on the opportunity to hold the role of knowledge-gainer (and retainer). If we are always in a position of sharing what we know and being the first to provide the framework and context for others’ understandings, we rarely give ourselves the right to be in a position to learn.
Being the knowledge-holder, context-provider, conceptual-framer for every meeting, every professional training, every coaching session can stunt your own capacity as a leader to develop. It can also signal to others that in learning spaces where you are facilitating the discussion, or where your opinion takes a primary role, others’ roles are to listen and observe. That kind of passive participation is not only the keys to disengagement, it’s a missed opportunity for you—the “guide”—to level up in your work—particularly as it relates to responding to staff needs. These needs are typically interwoven as both explicitly stated concerns and of people's personal histories with a given topic. If you are frequently in a position where you are directing the conversation within a group, identifying all the key elements and laying the ground work for subsequent plans, try sitting back a moment. Do others have something interesting to say? What could you learn that will build on the relevance of the information you have, ensuring greater effectiveness in the future?
Go BUTLER BULLDOGS!!
(We ARE the "Wicked Smahtest School" of LPS).
What is new in your world? If you would like to make sure the Butler community is informed on new happenings and learning opportunities in your classroom, make sure to connect with the school's admin team. Just write “Bulletin” in the subject with your submission. Pictures are always a plus!
New Obi-Wan Series Released on Disney+ Revives Interest in Star Wars (8th graders playfight with invisible lightsabers)
Pride Month Starts June 1st
23 Members of the Queer Community Who Changed the World
Leadership is a Learning Role. A Role Which Serves Others.
Help Students Process this Year As We Near the End of It.
Make it Fun: Offer Brainteasers and Puzzles that Provide a Hook!
Week at a Glance
Monday 5/30
NO SCHOOL
Tuesday 5/31
- 8:30 Student Support
- District Walk Through 9:00 - 11:30
- 5th Grade field trip
- Tuesday Content CPT :All Team members - PD on Assessment Literacy
Wednesday 6/1
- Admin CPT
- ELA STARTS End of Year I-READY
- ILT at 3:10pm
- PTO at 6:00pm
Thursday 6/2
- 9 am Curriculum and Instruction Meeting
- 3 pm Special Education PLC
- Fun FriYay! Wear your Butler Pride Gear
- Grade 4 students from Washington and Shaughnessy visit
- Last Day of LLI Groups -- Please Plan Ahead!
ILT Updates
Next Team meeting - TBD
Check-in with your grade level team representatives for more information.
RJLT
Next Team meeting - TBA
Please see Lori Casey or your grade level representative for any updates.
PBIS
Level UP
A huge shout out to the PBIS members who endured a grueling process and saw it through to the end. Butler MS received an overall raving review from the MTSS coach. The work this year's team accomplished moved us for the first time to the next level of the PBIS Academy. New level New Challenges!
We are ready and excited for what's to come.
Check-in with your grade level team representatives for more information
Monthly Motivation
It's always great to start on an inspiring note. This month we will add speeches from the MLK Oratory competition.
Staff Birthday Shoutouts ~ June
Jonathan Lawrenson - 6/2
Donna Maluccio - 6/4
Michael Pickett - 6/6
Jillian Kenny - 6/9
Peter Francis - 6/12
Clarzell Pearl - 6/15
Butler Community
Email: jmoody@lowell.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/Domain/10
Location: 1140 Gorham Street, Lowell, MA, USA
Phone: 978-937-8973
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lpsdbutler/