K-2 Team Newsletter
March 9, 2020
Principal's Message
This has been a crazy start to the month of March. The tornado that impacted Nashville is something we will never forget. The EEP event we held last Friday allowed us to shower love and support on our EEP community. We appreciate every staff and admin member that came out. While the relief efforts are still going on and there are many still without power, we continue to send our thoughts and prayers! It is times like this where we need to lean on one another and show our scholars the importance of being apart of a tribe...the EEP Tribe. I am so excited to be well again and back with my amazing team. Please carefully read this newsletter as there is important information that will guide us towards success this week as we open our doors to receive our scholars once again.
School Wide Focus
Resetting After a Natural Disaster
I had the unique experience of living through the Atlanta tornado that hit in 2008 and while I will never try to compare and contrast these events, I understand how hard it is to bounce back. One positive thing in our current case is that our scholars and staff had the rest of the week off and were not asked to return to school right away. The best thing I know to do in dealing with a natural disaster like this is the need to return to normalcy so scholars feel safe and can reset to a predictable schedule. Since we have to not only finish STEP testing but also IAs we are returning to our normal schedule on Monday.
However, during Morning Meeting you can extend it in order to provide a safe place for scholars to discuss what happened. Here are some tips on how to support scholars after a natural disaster. We have not drafted a script because we want these conversations to be authentic to your classroom needs. If you are confused on what to say please stop by Dr. P’s office and together we can draft your conversation notes. If you notice scholars are showing signs of distress please SLACK as usual because our DSEL and admin teams are ready to support as needed!
Here’s an activity you can engage in on Monday!
Tips to Support Scholars
Pay Attention and Be a Good Listener
• Find out what they know about the event—what are they hearing or seeing on television and the Internet and from friends?
• Allow children and youth to ask questions, answering honestly at a level they can understand.
• Most children and youth want to talk about their experience. Let them talk, and listen to them.
• Accept their feelings, letting them know that all feelings are okay and that crying is just one way to help express feelings.
• Help children and youth express their emotions through conversation, writing, drawing, music, and body movement (brain breaks).
Actively Engage Scholars
• Balance talk of the event with the important routine of school and home activities.
• Take a break and do something relaxing or fun together.
• Let them know it’s okay to laugh and have fun even in the aftermath of a traumatic event.
• Let them know that you care about them.
• Provide extra attention and patience.
• Check back in on a regular basis.
Notes of Caution
• Be careful not to pressure children or youth to talk about the trauma or join in expressive activities related to the trauma. While most will easily talk about what happened, some may become frightened. Some may even become more upset by talking about a trauma, listening to others talk about it, or looking at coverage of the event. Allow children to remove themselves from these activities, and monitor them for signs of distress.
• It’s okay for children and youth to see adults sad, crying, or expressing other emotions, but try not to show intense negative emotions. Be sure they see you “pulling it together” too.
• Monitor adult conversation as children and youth may not understand it completely.
• REMEMBER: You are a role model for coping.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out because we are all in this together!
Coronavirus
As we know this virus is spreading across the world and now has 3 confirmed cases in TN. We want to ensure we are helping our scholars and staff stay safe. Please read below and remind our scholars of the steps to ensure we stay healthy and germ free!
Ways to help scholars prevent spreading germs:
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer. Look for one that is 60% or higher alcohol-based.
Teach kids to cough and sneeze into a tissue (make sure to throw it away after each use!) or to cough and sneeze into their arm or elbow, not their hands.
Allow scholars to wash or sanitize their hands after blowing their nose
Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces in your classroom, especially laptops and shared headphones
Avoid touching your face; teach your children to do the same.
Here’s a video you can show scholars!
Deans of Academics
IA Input: As you finish inputting your IAs into Illuminate, please email Molly and Ayana so they are able to update your DDI with your data. Emailing as soon as it’s done will allow your DDI to be in a place where you can begin to analyze.
DDI: We have created Quarter 3 templates for the DDI linked here. You will have time on Friday, March 13th to complete your DDI, but feel free to start as you input grades, email the deans, and finish stepping. We want to ensure that we make a plan while data is fresh in our minds to serve scholars in quarter 4. Please see the schedule for Data Day for more information.
1:1 Check Ins: All 1:1 check ins will be cancelled this week due to STEP and IA testing. We want to give you your time back to ensure that IA grades are entered in a timely manner
Hallways: Scholars will be taking their IAs this week. Please keep the hallways silent so scholars in their classrooms are able to have the opportunity to test in a silent testing environment without any distractions.
Morning Motivation: Please text Ayana (901-262-3039) scholars who are showing characteristics of their next grade readiness and maximum effort every day for Morning Motivation shout outs. We want to recognize our scholars who are leaders in our classrooms of what it looks like to give 100% every day to our academic achievement!
Dean of Culture
Hey Team! For the entire month of March, we are focusing on team behavior! Why Is Teamwork Important in the Classroom? For students to achieve a comprehensive, well-rounded education, integrated teamwork on several fronts is vital. Teamwork is necessary between students, between students and teachers, and among parents and educators. The more teamwork fundamentals exhibited, the more opportunity exists for students to learn the vital skills of compromise and collaboration. For the entire month of March, let’s use team language and encourage scholars to contribute to the team.
Dean of SEL
We will be discussing closing circle and reviewing the Peace Path in the coming two weeks. EEP will not be hosting the LIM Symposium, due to the tornado. Please SLACK any scholars that you believe have been emotionally impacted by the tornado.
Habit of the Week:
Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood: listen with compassion as others talk. Do not spend time waiting to say something, but rather, hearing what others.
Upcoming Events
March 9th - Danielle B-day
March 13th - Data Day (see agenda below PD calendar)
March 16-20th - Spring Break
March 25th - Grades due by midnight
March 26th - Report cards printed & Scholar of Concern Doc due here
March 27th - Report cards go home for all scholars
April 3rd - Conferences for scholars of concern/retention candidates (2-4 pm)
NOTE: March S-Teams will be pushed back more info to come
PD Calendar
March 13th - Data Day Schedule
Here is the link to our Agenda 3/13. All IA grades must be entered by 10 am in order for DOAs to pull the info for the standards section. See additional notes in the academic section above.
Staff Absences
Use Kronos to schedule an absence in advance
All sub plans should be updated immediately after an absence
Input all unplanned absences in Kronos within 24 hours of your return
Reminders (new bold)
Monday Morning Meeting - discuss tornado/coronavirus and follow guidelines for support
Do Not Prop Open doors or have scholars let adults in the building
All scholars should have a hall passes and/or office note for any front office needs
Save RTI academic work samples (refer to email)
All elements of AgMo should be in place (pathways, laps, codes, data trackers, and a response to the data)