Monday Morning Message
Week of December 3, 2018
Student Empowerment, Inquiry, SEL and Cardboard
Student empowerment was the theme at the 2018 ASCD conference in Boston. ZCS had elementary representatives attend this conference to become inspired, learn, and ultimately share their new learning with colleagues. After looking at our Vision statements last year during PLCS, and our GC team meeting throughout the summer to create actionable goals for our school, we concluded that Eagle will support student empowerment during the 2018 school year with three sustained inquiry projects per classroom. GO TEAM!
The Inquiry PLC talked extensively about how we could embark on a whole school inquiry project that didn't require teachers learning something new and finding time in their day. We are ALL teaching the Second Step skills and have the Monday morning time already carved out of our schedule.
The Inquiry PLC team planned the first two phases of the Inquiry project for their colleagues based on the published Comprehension and Collaboration book. We launched our inquiries with our class and Second Step partner (we weren't alone- Hooray!) on November 12th and revisited on November 19th.
On Tuesday, November 27th, we met as a staff to discuss our students' ideas and their plans for your class's inquiry project. Great discussion took place and many ideas were generated. We then spent time on Thursday as grade level teams exploring ideas that may have caused us to pause and challenge our thinking around the concept of student empowerment. Whether you manipulated a piece of cardboard, shredded a paper towel or made aluminum foil origami, we all made ourselves vulnerable with our knowns and unknowns, strengths and challenges, or comforts and discomforts as we unpacked metaphors that described our present state of being with our SEL Project, inquiry and student empowerment.
The Inquiry PLC team recognizes that we are all somewhere along an inquiry continuum; therefore, we would like the proceeding inquiry work to honor where we are. As summarized in the packet, the remaining phases of the Inquiry project are Coalesce and Go Public. To honor where you are along the inquiry journey and to allow for teacher "voice and choice" we will provide a working menu of different ways/options you may use and/or contribute for each phase in this Padlet (ideas generated during last Tuesday are all included under Coalesce). https://padlet.com/mollyhaas5/selinquiry
In addition to reaching out to any of the Inquiry PLC members, the team felt like more opportunities needed to be made available that will help you put all this theory into practice with some concrete conversations and plans.
Here's the plan:
When and Where: Tuesday, December 4 in the Media Center from 2:45-3:15ish
What: We will hold a Fish Bowl-Think Tank-Collab Lab to help us continue building a community of collaborators, to help others and us with our SEL Inquiry and start the process of utilizing a Think Tank to collaborate. Using a conferring framework we will have the opportunity to learn were we/you are at with your SEL Inquiry, provide feedback, and help establish next steps. Beth and Kandiss have volunteered to come to the table first while everyone else is invited to stand around the perimeter of the table to watch the process, write down "ah-has", and potentially go through this same process with your colleagues.
This optional time together is for those of us who would like to learn with colleagues and feel like we could use some examples and direction.
Why: The "Why" is really everything that is listed in the paragraphs above.
Brynley Ann Surface is Here!
Welcome Myra Katterhenry
Myra starts on Monday in Callie's classroom! Please take a moment to introduce yourself and welcome her to Eagle! We are very excited and lucky to have her with us until February! Below is a brief bio.
Upcoming Dates
December 2 -First Day of Hanukkah
December 3 - Body Safety Programs
December 4 - Body Safety Programs; Optional Staff Learning Opportunity @ 2:45 (See Above)
December 11 - Elem LT Mtg @ SGE 8:30-10:30 (Andrew)
December 17 - Elem Principals Mtg @ PVE 7:00-9:00
December 18 - LT Mtg @ ESC 9:30-11:30, Staff Meeting Canceled!
December 20 - Dr. Goodman-Auggie Talk with 3rd and 4th grade students 9:00-10:30
December 21- Last Student Day Before Winter Break
December 25 - Christmas
January 7 - First Day Back After Winter Break
PLC Corner
Below is the remainder of our PLC schedule for 2018!
12/7 - No PLC meeting...grade level collab time
12/14 - MTSS/RtI check in for 1st-4th
12/21 - No PLC meeting...grade level collab time
Kindy (Alternating Thursdays):
12/13 - Kindy MTSS/RtI Check-in
ZTEP and PLUS
Almost all 1st semester observations have been completed. We will be scheduling MOY conferences for all new to ZCS teachers and all 1st and 2nd year teachers. All other ZTEP folks are welcome to schedule a MOY conference if you have something that you would like to discuss.
PLUS
I see many of you have already uploaded your peer observations and labeled them appropriately in SFS. Reminder that those are due by December 21. Please be sure to provide the observed colleague with feedback within the correct time frame.
We will be scheduling MOY conferences for all PLUS folks when we get back from winter break. Following MOY conferences I will be completing an extended observation in mid winter/early spring.
Reminder that we code in Domain 5 for PLUS, therefore much of the coding will not take place until later in the year.
Winter Party Food Guidance
Below is the excerpt from our ZCS Elementary Safe Snacks document located on our website under the "Handbook" tab.
My advice is to keep it simple. I know last year I heard many conversations centering around craft projects, some of which were service related. Also, I know many classrooms like to focus on games and activities.
If you are doing food, make sure you know what it is ahead of time. Then be sure that what is brought the day of the party is the same as what you vetted and follows the district policy.
Please let me know if you have any questions.