The Weekly WrapUp
And that's the way it was....
PLCs, Collaboration, and Communication...oh my!
Good news kicks off this edition - a HUGE thank you to the 11 teachers and Mr. Hand for the wonderful gift of funding classroom projects for our students. As a part of his WA Teacher of the Year duties, Mr. Hand had the opportunity to collaborate and advocate with Inspirus for worthy classroom projects sponsored by our teachers. Quite unexpectedly, Inspirus funded all 11 MVHS teachers for their classroom projects as well as offering funds to outfit our students with winter wear this year. This financing means that Mount Vernon youth will have unparalleled classroom experiences as well as meeting some very necessary basic needs. Thank you to Mr. Hand and Inspirus for being Champions for our Community!
This week brought the opportunity to bring clarity to our Friday PLC sessions
and the focus to help move our school forward with respect to student achievement. Wednesday offered staff information on the evaluation process, (who, what and why) and Friday's training complemented this presentation with the "how"- as departments shape their practice and inquiry into teaching. While teaching can often feel a very solitary endeavor, we know that we can only improve by sharing that which goes on in our classrooms and finding ways to improve as a community. This requires communication, professionalism and building trust.
To this end, I am offering some gentle reminders in this week's edition as well as some tips as we move forward as a learning organization.
1. Communication (Parent, Staff, Peer) - first gentle reminder that your communication is a general reflection of the overall environment and tone here at MVHS. Just as we want students to feel welcome, we do not wish to shut down our parents, peers, community members or supervisors with unintended slights, harsh rebukes or retributions for problems long past. As your administrative team, we will neither allow community members/parents to verbally abuse you, nor will we allow staff to demean or belittle each other in the manner listed above. To this end, Mount Vernon School District has a Safe and Civil Campus Board Policy - which will be linked below- which serves to guide our conduct both inside and outside the campus. Please be mindful of these expectations as you communicate both within and outside of the campus.
2. Professionalism - second gentle reminder that while there are a number of changes to our function here at MVHS - your continued professionalism with respect to attention to timeliness, mindfulness and flexibility is appreciated. We have made shifts this year with respect to how time is utilized (advisory/early release), spending (budget priorities) and communication (meeting times/scheduling). Your continued focus on being on time, present and flexible in light of these changes is deeply appreciated and duly noted.
3. Assume Good Intentions (Building Trust)- Final Gentle Reminder - while it is often difficult to know anything substantial about those you are not interacting with on a daily basis we can all agree that we are for the common goal...to help our shared students to achieve beyond high school. How we treat each other every day as well as when we are in contentious situations will determine how much we trust each other as an organization. We must be mindful of the areas we have direct control over and those that we share in a communal space.
Please see the 8 guide posts below from Harvard Business Review to frame interactions with staff to prevent misunderstanding and prevent trust-destructive behaviors.
- State views and ask genuine questions. This enables the team to shift from monologues and arguments to a conversation in which members can understand everyone’s point of view and be curious about the differences in their views.
- Share all relevant information. This enables the team to develop a comprehensive, common set of information with which to solve problems and make decisions.
- Use specific examples and agree on what important words mean. This ensures that all team members are using the same words to mean the same thing.
- Explain reasoning and intent. This enables members to understand how others reached their conclusions and see where team members’ reasoning differs.
- Focus on interests, not positions. By moving from arguing about solutions to identifying needs that must be met in order to solve a problem, you reduce unproductive conflict and increase your ability to develop solutions that the full team is committed to.
- Test assumptions and inferences. This ensures that the team is making decisions with valid information rather than with members’ private stories about what other team members believe and what their motives are.
- Jointly design next steps. This ensures that everyone is committed to moving forward together as a team.
- Discuss undiscussable issues. This ensures that the team addresses the important but undiscussed issues that are hindering its results and that can only be resolved in a team meeting.
Board Policy - Civility in the Workplace
Teaching Thoughts for the Week...
The Week Ahead
- 10/3 - AVID Family Night - 5-8 pm Cafeteria
- 10/5 - Early Release - PLCs
Athletics
9/29
Volleyball
JV Sub-Varsity Tournament Away OHHS 9:00 AM
"C" Sub-Varsity Tournament Away OHHS 9:00 AM
Girls Swim
Varsity Mukilteo Invite Away KCAC 9:00 AM
10/1
Football
JV Monroe Home MVHS 5:30 PM
Volleyball
Varsity Kamiak Home MVHS 7:00 PM
JV Kamiak Home MVHS 5:15 PM
"C" Kamiak Home MVHS 5:15 PM
10/2
Girls Soccer
Varsity Kamiak Away KamHS 7:30 PM
JV Kamiak Away KamHS 5:30 PM
Boys Tennis
Varsity Edmonds-Woodway Home MVHS 3:30 PM
JV Edmonds-Woodway Away EWHS 3:30 PM10/3
Football
Frosh Oak Harbor Home MVHS 5:30 PM
Volleyball
Varsity Monroe Home MVHS 7:00 PM
JV Monroe Home MVHS 5:15 PM
"C" Monroe Home MVHS 5:15 PM
10/4
Boys Cross Country
Varsity At Stanwood Away IverBch 3:45 PM
Volleyball
Frosh Bellingham Home MVHS 5:30 PM
Girls Soccer
Varsity Monroe Away MonHS 7:30 PM
JV Monroe Away MonHS 5:30 PM
Girls Swim
Varsity Everett Home SkgtY 2:30 PM
Boys Tennis
Varsity Mountlake Terrace Away MlkTerHS 3:30 PM
JV Mountlake Terrace Home MVHS 3:30 PM
Girls Cross Country
Varsity At Stanwood Away StanHS 3:45 PM
10/5
Football
Varsity Mariner Home MVHS 7:00 PM
Girls Swim
Varsity At Squalicum Away A Hanna 3:45 PM
Kudos and Thank Yous
A heartfelt thank you to Heather Farren for her work on the freshman advisory schedule, club planning and the like. While she was not asked, she stepped up where she saw a need and helped to make the advisory experience better for students and teachers alike. Her efforts are deeply appreciated.