Staff Update
Published: June 3
WARNING: This is looooooooooooooooong.
Staff Remind
Recap and Forecasting
"Kids don't learn from people they don't like." R. Pierson
Monday's PD
Sped dept will be at Longbranch from 8-3pm working through IEPs and LRE in the AM and then developing our full school sped goals in the PM with Nicole Hendricks.
Vision Statement
Non-Negotiables
Staff Dress Code: I believe we had consensus that staff should have the freedom to dress in a manner that makes them feel comfortable in their own skin and that matches the lesson. The lens to use is..."If Dr. Poe comes into my classroom, will he approve of my attire?" My gut is that shorts are probably not a risk we want to take as a first year school or maybe ever (although you will hear through the rumor mill that LBES wore shorts the final month of school this year). T-shirts most days of the week is probably too casual. In fact, I'm on the fence about T-shirts other than spiritwear...but I'm aware that it may just be my personal bias. In general, I want you to feel comfortable in your own skin. Just like we want to teach the kids to feel comfortable in their own skin. If wearing a dress and heals makes you feel good...wear that. If wearing a tie makes you feel good...wear that. If wearing jeans and a button down makes you feel good...wear that. When a school switches to jeans allowed daily, you do lose jean passes and I've quite frankly never seen anything make teachers happier that jeans passes...not even a sheet cake in the staff room...but we will have "Comfy Day" passes so you can wear your joggers or sweats or whatever periodically throughout the year. In short: You Do You.
Cell Phones: Although it took us a bit to work through this one, I believe we have settled on cell phones may not be on "your person" during school hours (from the moment you step in the building to the moment you leave the building). Cell phones will remain in backpacks or lockers. They will not be seen or heard. Not in class, not in hall exchange, not in lunch. The purpose is to protect the social emotional atmosphere of the school building. Students are all issued chromebooks and have access to digital content that is controlled by the staff. Not having a cell phone does not prevent the child from learning. Parents who wish to relay a message to their children may call the main office.
Yelling: After reviewing your comments...very simply...no Ballyshannon staff member or student may raise their voice or yell either in response to another human being or in frustration. Trauma informed teaching involves the act of opposite response to stimulus. When voices go up, our voices go down. It's not a competition. Simply, we will solve our problems respectfully without raising our voices at one another. There will be no yelling in our building.
Profanity (Direct and Indirect): After reviewing your comments, it appears this is is an area where some of us have more tolerance than others although for the most part, I see either "not acceptable" or "warning" for first infraction. James and I talked about this and I loved what he said, Kids need to learn that there's a time and place for everything. some places and times are sacred for some social norms. Would you cuss in church? I may cuss like a sailor (not really...there's still some words I still spell because I'm uncomfortable saying them out loud for everyone to hear) but I'm not going to show up for mass on Sunday and asking somebody to pass me the f-ing collection plate. I know the social norms of the place and respect the space. That's what I want us to teach our kids. It may be your social norm to swear...but not in our space and not on our time. When you enter our building, the norms are different, they are respectful of everyone, and we are all held to a higher standard.
Back and Forth: After reading your comments, I LOVED what some of you said. There is a time for "back and forth" in terms of productive struggle and debate about academic topics and in a respectful manner. I love that you all allow and encourage this in your classroom. What a testament to valuing student voice. Back and Forth in terms of teacher gives a direction...students comply may be idyllic. My wonder is, can we develop a system for student questioning that is respectful? Or is there a quick checklist kids can run through in their heads about a teacher directive to determine whether it's the time or place for pushback--such as 1. Will this directive harm me physically? 2. Will this directive affect my social wellness in this classroom? Not sure. We still need to work through this one.
Disrespect: The overwhelming comments on this sheet were focused on staff being as respectful to students and their fellow staff members as we expect students to be toward us and each other. Staff models the behavior we would like to see. Love that.
Below is a draft of what we have so far. Work in progress. Do not share.
Curriculum and Teaching Materials
Developing Systems of Operation
For now, we'll start with:
- Morning Arrival
- Morning Dismissal to Class
- Locker Breaks
- Class Changes
- Lunch
- Chromebooks
- Afternoon Dismissal
- Student request to speak with counselor or administrator
As the team meets, we will build onto this list.
The systems team is: Mindy Earsing, Lucia Cornett, Leslie Dillon, Jen Woolf, Pat Pidgeon, Amy Grant, Kyle Berberich, Traci Barton, Miranda Finck, Meredith Palmer, Steve Wheeler, Beth Kamradt.
PBIS Team
The PBIS team is: Bernadette Leonard, Cheryl Michels, Lucia Cornett, Sarah Stamper, Meredith Palmer, Jennifer White, Paige Hurst, and our EBD teacher.
We are Ballyshannon PBL Team
I need to know if anyone in the building is concerned that we won't begin teaching multiplication of decimals or geography or narrative writing or Badmitton 101 (that was for you, Pat) until Monday, August 20. I am not uncomfortable with this AT ALL. I think taking the first three days to create community, build relationships, understand procedures and systems, engage in meaningful PBL activities will pay off tenfold in the 9 months that follow.
In The Leader in Me, there is actually an 8-day curriculum that does this. It's called The First Eight Days. Programming is provided for every teacher K-5 for the full 6.5 hours of each day to do just want we've talked about and more. Classes write class mission statements, students write personal mission statements, students write academic and personal goals, etc. We are not ready for that...so 8 days doesn't make sense to us but you should know that Franklin-Covey has suggested that we be the ones to write "The First _________ Days" content for middle schools. This would potentially put you on the road to discuss these activities at conferences, etc. Maybe not...but it is a possibility.
Unless we have mass objection, I think we try it. If we don't like it we adjust it for the future. The worst that can happen is we fail. And failure rocks.
The "First Three Days" team is: Beth Kamradt, Steven Wheeler, Lindsay Clayton, Stacie Kegley, Kristi Heist, and Tia Wood.
Summer Assignment Team
Crash the Neighborhood Team (Community Experiences): Amy Grant, Leslie Dillon, Emily Edwards, Cheryl Michels
Resource Team: Traci Barton, Miranda Finck, Doug McCreedy, and Sarah Stamper
SCM Restraint Team
I just need to know who was trained LAST YEAR and who has either never been trained or it's been more than a year since you were last trained. I let my training lapse last year so I have to go to the 2-day training this summer. If you were trained last year, you will go to a 1 day training this summer.
SCM Team: Andy Jones, Erika Bowles, James Demetrakis, Meredith Palmer, Tabatha Byrd, Brent Anstaett, Bernadette Leonard, Paige Hurst, Emily Edwards, any other paras in Paige's room.
This is information from the sped dept. to sign up for training on June 11, 12, 13 (not all three days). There will be ANOTHER round of training later this summer if you cannot make those days.
Good Afternoon. Please share the Google form below with your Safe Crisis Management Team. The first round of one-day recertification will be June 11th,12th, and 13 at Ralph Rush from 8am – 3pm. Your team members that need the recertification only can choose to attend one of these days. There will be more recertification trainings later in the summer along with the initial two-day certification. Please share the Google form and have them sign up. Each day is limited up to 24 trainees.
Sunshine/Culture/Emotional Bank Account Team
Sara Fay asked if she could lead this team. ABSOLUTELY!! Also on this team are Cheryl Michels, Kristen Hansen, Tabatha Byrd, Jennifer White, Leslie Dillon, and Kristi Heist.
REMINDERS
2. We do not have storage space. Take everything home with you for the summer.
3. When we have access to the building, we will get you in so you can see the space and gauge what you can bring in. You will not bring in ANY furniture until final punchlists are completed and then furniture will be approved by the admin in advance. This doesn't just come from me, this comes from your superintendent as well. We had a chat about this.
4. We will be as paperless as possible. There will be copy machines but I don't expect them to be used much. Most of the work kids will have access to will be on their chromebooks. Textbooks will be on their chromebooks. Our staff information will be on chromebooks.
5. We will not move in until August. As soon as we have approval to move in, we'll roll out our move-in plan.