Peak Post
July Newsletter
Greetings Peak Family!
SOOOOOOOO...... What's New?
Things are changing daily, but I wanted to share two things:
- That as of now, all back to school PD is to be virtual. This may change in days to come, but I wanted you to be aware.
- Tomorrow you will receive a revised opening plan for start of school, so please be check your e-mails.
For now, I don’t really have any additional information for you, but I do have an ask. My ask is that we extend grace and wisdom to each other as we all process through the new information that will come within the next few days and weeks to come. Although we’ve been out of school for well over a month now, our minds have not slowed down as we have tried to make sense of the world around us. I want to acknowledge that the pandemic, systemic racism, and the new realities of teaching and learning in 2020 are all complex challenges that can make our brains and spirits tired. I also know it can be both frustrating and anxiety-inducing. Please know that your leadership team is taking all information into consideration and being intentional in our campus-based decision making for next year. We want to get this right for you, our staff, for our students, and for our families.
If you have questions before then, please don't hesitate to send them to me and I will do my best to answer them with the information we have available now. Until then, please continue to take care of yourselves, wear your masks, and know that we will face whatever comes our way . . . TOGETHER!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NOW Mrs. Deville!!!
Welcome Our New Resident teachers for the 2020-2021 School Year!
Welcome Our New Peak Family Team Members!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR TEAM LEADS FOR THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR!
WE MAY NEED YOU!!!
I know this won't be an issue but, I wanted to say it.....
Civil Action and Our Scholars
You may have heard the term "social justice warrior" or "SJW" from your students or personal reading, and know that at this time in our world, students are very aware of what's happening in the world around them. How are we talking to students about issues like racial injustices, global pandemics, protesting and more? How can we help to have hard conversations about media literacy so that we're presenting neutral voices for our learners? How about hashtags? They're not just for fun; hashtags can be used to organize a movement or mindset, and don't be afraid to talk to students about these hard topics... it's a discussion we should all have.
Together Leader PD
Hi Peak Team,
We are excited to welcome Maia Heyck-Merlin, founder and CEO of The Together Group, on Friday, July 31st for The Together Teacher online class! All 3 of us have been to a Together Leader training with Maia and absolutely loved it! We came away with practical strategies to become more “together” and organized in a profession where we are all juggling many balls in the air. Especially during the unknown of COVID times, we wanted to provide this incredible PD opportunity to you all.
Below is a message from Maia which includes important information for the class as well as your prep steps. Please note that we need to complete our pre-class surveys by 6:00 PM on July 17th.
Sincerely,
Peak Leadership
MESSAGE FROM MAIA
Dear Teachers,
Hello! My name is Maia, and I am excited to join you on Friday, July 31st for a class titled, “The Together Teacher 101™: Create a Personal Organization System.”
Below you will find all the details about your class. This includes:
· Pre-class prep steps (including a survey due on July 17th!)
If you have any questions between now and the class date, please feel free to email at maia@thetogethergroup.com.
Warmly,
Maia
WHERE AND WHEN
· The class will be held from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM CDT via Zoom, Nearpod and a dedicated class Google site. On the day of class, you will receive an email by 8:00 AM with the Zoom, Nearpod and Google site links needed for class.
· Please plan to log in by 8:45 AM to test your audio and video so we can be all settled in for a prompt start.
OVERVIEW OF YOUR WORKSHOP
We have robust experience providing The Together Teacher training in many contexts, including Collegiate Academies, YES College Prep, Rocketship Education, Aspire Public Schools, MATCH Education, Excel Academies, IDEA Public Schools, FirstLine Schools, various KIPP sites (Philly, NYC, Austin, KSS), Crescent City Schools, Teach For America, Leading Educators and more.
Taught using a combination of video on Zoom, Nearpod for notetaking and slides, and a dedicated class Google site for materials, we keep things fast-moving, engaging, and productive. We use breakout rooms, polls, collaborative boards, chats, and volunteers to achieve our class objectives.
Learning Objectives: Teachers will. . .
· Create a Weekly (Pandemic) Worksheet to align your professional and personal outcomes
· Host a Weekly Meeting with Myself to celebrate and calibrate each week
· Identify your own habits (the good and the bad), preference for paper or technology, and awareness of energy levels to support a strong organization system
MEET YOUR FACILITATOR
I am a former fourth and fifth grade teacher in both public and charter schools, as well as a former instructional leader and nonprofit executive. I also have two elementary-aged children, two cats, and two hamsters, and I intimately understand the daily demands on your time in a world of limited resources, little time, and too much to do. You can read more about me at www.thetogethergroup.com.
PRE-CLASS PREP STEPS
We have some pre-class prep steps to get us ready! Let’s dive in…
By 6 PM on Friday, July 17th:
- Complete your pre-class self-assessment survey, here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PreClassSurveyUpliftPeak
- The survey should take you about 20-30 minutes.
- I will use your answers to help shape the class. This is not a test, so please be candid! Please note that a survey summary will be shared with your organization for trends analysis, but comments will not be attributed to individuals.
Before the class:
- Check out our tips for getting set up for class, here: https://bit.ly/TG-SetUpForClass
- We have tons of templates and other resources to download ahead of time, using the attached Download Instructions to download the zip file. Please note that these templates are for your personal use only and not for sharing or distribution within your school or district.
4. Block time on your calendar for follow-ups and implementation.
1. After class, participants often need time for reflection and to fully implement changes to their systems.
2. I recommend blocking off at least 1 – 2 hours on your calendar – either in the evening or the following day.
WHAT TO BRING
Here’s a list of what you should gather and bring with you.
· Bring a sense of humor and a sense of possibility.
· If you prefer to take notes on paper, have paper and something to write with.
- Have the digital version the “Together Teacher templates” downloaded onto your computer
FUN EXTRAS
If you’re already ready for more, here are some fun links to check out before your class.
- Check out our blog, or join me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.
- Check out these quotes from previous participants!
- Check out some of our favorite Together Tools, with app reviews, paper-based systems, and more! If you’re deciding what system to use, you may want to flip through ahead of time.
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Maia Heyck-Merlin (pronouns: she, her, hers)
Author. Founder. CEO.
The Together Group and The Together Press
Check out The Together Work-From-Home Teacher!
Sign up for a Together (From-a-Distance) Training!