B & T Tiger Update
July 27, 2020
Change
NONE of my admin classes taught me about this!!!
I recently saw a quote from George Couros that got me thinking about how we need to handle change: "Change will come our way. We can go through it or we can grow through it. We grow when we seek out solutions rather than let obstacles hinder us."
I know that a part of the human condition is that we are often averse to change. Here's the thing though. Even with all the changes that we have going on around us, there are some things that I hope never change here at FES:
- We are educators, so we know what it means to be flexible (it's kind of an unwritten part of being in this gig)
- We love our students and want them to be successful
- We will work hard to make this the best possible situation for all of us
So all of that has me thinking about what we will be all about here at FES this school year. There are three ideas that stand out to me:
- Relationships
- Equity
- Learning
When we are all back together on August 3rd, I look forward to digging into each of these ideas with all of you. Let's all be prepared to do as another of my EDU Heroes, Cornelius Minor, says and "Lean into the idea of possibility." In a recent online session led by him, he asked "What could school look like if we were not limited to the vision of what school has been for so many years?"
And while we will work hard to come up with the best possible plans for our students, we have to recognize that we are going to run into bumps in the road. I think we all have had experiences where our plans didn't turn out exactly as we envisioned them. There will be successes, and there will be struggles. I'm hopeful that we can all be on the same team of supporting our students to be the best they can.
I can't wait for this work to get started!
Tentative Schedule for August 3rd, 4th, and 5th
*** This is completely tentative and times could change based on scheduling changes from district discussion.
- 9:00 am - Whole staff community circle - FES Gym - Bring your own chair from home or from your classroom
- 10:00 am - PLC work - Canvas Virtual Instruction Professional Learning
- 11:00 am - Staff Meeting
- Noon - Lunch!!! (Possibly provided - I'm still working on plans)
- The rest of the day is work time for you in your classroom/with your team/as needed
- 1:00-2:00 - Optional Canvas Expert Support in the Media Center (thanks Sarah and Susan)
August 4th
- 9:00 am - Whole Staff - Heart Work with Cornelius Minor - FES Media Center
- Noon - Lunch!!! (On your own)
- The rest of the day is work time for you
10:00 - 6:00 Student Pickup of rental iPad and school materials - in FES Gym
August 5th
- 9:00 - Reflection from Days 1 & 2 - More to come on this
- Noon - Lunch!!!
- Rest of day to work in your room
Quote we're contemplating this week:
"Not all things work for all people."
Apple Education
After participating in professional development this summer with Dr. Landis, this quote stood out to me as we think about our virtual learning environment. So often in education, we focus on a task that students complete in order to show us what they know. We need to remember that what each of us thinks might be fun or meaningful won't align with all our kids. Instead, we need to try to flip our thinking - we need to start with learning intentions and goals, but provide as much choice and voice as possible for our students to show what they know.
New to the Team
The Science of Happiness
- Research-based Concepts and Strategies to Impact Personal and Professional Wellness
- Self-Paced, Reflective Format for Low-Stress Completion
- Engaging Materials With Variety of Resource Formats
- Earn 45 Professional Growth Plan Points
Reflecting and Support on the Upcoming Year with Allie
Hi Team!
As we enter our school year in a new way, it gives us a chance to reflect on past practices and start to plan our way forward and into the future. This can feel like heavy work to process on your own, and I want you to know I am here for you! We can meet individually or as a team to work through these reflections and plan creative ways to move forward!
This may be a unique year, but it's still going to be a great year!
Allie Rogowski
School Safety Update
These trainings are due by September 4th, 2020.
Shout out to you... Thank you FES crew!
This year please share the good news and good deed of you and your team members. Please email me your celebrations, so I may share them here each update!
- Kudos to all of you who spent time in your classroom in July getting things together for our student pick up day! The day went smoothly thanks to your help!
- Kudos to Jenn, Brittany, Jayme, and Shelby who all helped with the interview team for our first grade opening. It was a tough decision! I appreciate your participation!
PGP Form Below
Fishers Elementary School
Website: https://fes.hseschools.org/
Location: 11442 Lantern Road, Fishers, IN, USA
Phone: (317) 594-4160
Twitter: @FESTigersHSE