Re-Envisioning Update
December 19th, 2018
Greetings Bryant/Pattengill Families,
As we approach this season of greetings, it reminds me to cherish each moment of opportunity we have with friends, family and loved ones and the importance of taking care of each other. The next two weeks will be a time of glee, renewal, and rejuvenation as we celebrate the new year!
We are on an incredible journey during this 2018-2019 school year! Since the beginning of the school year, our students, staff, families and community have been building relationships, making connections, and experiencing joyful teaching and learning. Alongside this excitement, we have been in the midst of re-envisioning the future of our super-pair, Bryant/Pattengill schools. Our goal is to invigorate our schools through high quality, equitable programming and a superior educational experience for our students.
Throughout the entire re-envisioning process, our committed Bryant/Pattengill Advisory Committee (BPAC), comprised of teachers, parents, community members and school/district leaders has worked to build a strong vision based on the values of our community. Below is a summary of those CommUNITY Core Values that will guide the recommendations from the BPAC. Programs must meet these standards:
Be equitable
Meets the needs of each and every child
Each and every student achieves and thrives
Balanced and inclusive of students with special needs
Accessible for each and every student
Inclusive, not exclusive
Align to community and district values
Increases academic achievement for each and every student
Cultivates a positive, joyful, welcoming and family atmosphere
Embraces International/Cultural diversity
Promotes community engagement
Accessible to our commUNITY
Research/evidence based
Evidence and broad-based
Effective in addressing the achievement gap
School models exist or school sites visited
Ability to “Bryant/Pattengill -ize” or modify our evidence based program to our community
Energize and strengthen Bryant/Pattengill presence in the community
Attracts a diverse group of families
Attracts and retains neighborhood families
Sustains the needs of the community
Be SEAD-social, emotional, and academically developmentally appropriate
Citizenship with responsibility to help and grow one another
Builds student leadership
Bridges transitions between grade levels
Develops the whole child
The BPAC has spent months studying programs, visiting schools and defining and refining our values to get this process right for our students, families and staff. So far in our process, we have broadly explored a number of programs: Expeditionary Learning, International Baccalaureate, Montessori, Place-Based Education (PBE), STEAM/Project Based Learning (PBL), and World Language (Spanish) Immersion. This exploration stage is just that, an exploration. The BPAC will use a research based, decision analysis to help narrow the list of programs being considered based on how well they align to our core values above. If you are interested in learning more about the many programs explored, below is a brief introduction.
Expeditionary Learning (EL)
Their mission is to create classrooms where teachers can fulfill their highest aspirations, and students achieve more than they think possible, becoming active contributors to building a better world. EL programmes aim to do more than other curricula by developing inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who are motivated to succeed. Source: Expeditionary Learning Website
International Baccalaureate
We strive to develop students who will build a better world through intercultural understanding and respect. Source: IB Website
Montessori
The Montessori Method of education is a view of the child as one is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It is an approach that values the human spirit and development of the whole child. Source: American Montessori Website
PBE
PBE immerses students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences, using these as a foundation for the study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum. PBE emphasizes learning through participation in service projects for the school and local community. Source: Boggs School in Detroit Website
STEAM/PBL
PBL is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge. Source: Buck Institute for Education
World Language Immersion
World Language Immersion program is a means to learn a core content subject matter (reading, mathematics, science, and social studies) in a target language such as Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean or Spanish. Source: Google
During the community meetings in December, we received thoughtful feedback about communication, helping families stay abreast of what’s happening during the re-envisioning process and offering additional times for meetings to accommodate all of our families. On our school websites, we have a Re-Envision channel that contains each communication regarding the re-envision of our school. For easy access, click on Bryant's school website or click on Pattengill's school website.
The BPAC will resume meeting in January 2019. As the BPAC continues to make progress during the re-envision process, we will continue the conversation with our community via community meetings, surveys and email communication. We invite you to attend one of several Continuing the Conversation Community Meetings to engage with us and learn more. Please choose one that works best for you and your family:
Thursday, January 24th, 2019, 4:15-5:15 p.m. OR 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Bryant Multipurpose Room (childcare will be provided during evening session)
Friday, January 25th, 2019, 9:00-10:00 a.m. OR 12:00-1:00 p.m. at Pattengill Library
Saturday, January 26th, 2019, 12:00-1:00 p.m. at Bryant Multipurpose Room
Monday, January 28th, 2019, 9:00-10:00 a.m. OR 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Bryant Multipurpose Room (childcare will be provided during evening session)
I’m looking forward to welcoming a new year with each and every one of you “and suddenly you know, it’s time to start, to start something new and trust the magic of new beginnings.”
Be safe and happy cheers during this holiday season,
Melita
Two schools, one commUNITY
Email: alston@aaps.k12.mi.us
Website: www.a2schools.org/bryant,www.a2schools.org/pattengill
Phone: 734.994.1961 734.997.1212
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/A2BryantPattengill
Twitter: @A2BryPatSchools