Re-Envision Update
November 16th, 2018
Dear Bryant/Pattengill Staff, Families and CommUNITY,
Although it’s fall, I must admit that I love seeing the snow! It looks like a cozy blanket where our kiddos enjoy playing in the snow, sledding and making snow people. I’m grateful to be a part of the Bryant/Pattengill commUNITY, where many voices can come together to celebrate and problem solve together, especially as we enter a season of gratitude.
The Bryant/Pattengill Advisory Committee continues our exploration to inform the re-envisioning and future of our schools. We are a committed group of community leaders charged with working together using decision making processes, touring schools and exploring evidence based programs that will significantly impact teaching, learning, and the social, emotional, academic development of our children.
Last week, meetings took place at both Byrant and Pattengill to address some questions. During the Meeting Dr. Swift reiterated that our “purpose for entering into this process with the Bryant-Pattengill community is to ensure equity and a quality educational experience for each and every child; achieving this goal is both the focus and the reason for our work.” This process must absolutely reflect the voices of many. I have been reaching out to families individually, in small groups, in community centers, at both schools and many other places to gather input and feedback to make sure we get this right.
We remain in the exploration phase, and are carefully exploring the quality and impact on achievement in every potential program. We will continue to seek feedback and input throughout the entire re-envisioning process and will provide ongoing communication with our staff, families and community.
When the Bryant/Pattengill Advisory committee narrows our program selections to those that match our core values, we will come back to our students, staff, families and community to gather more input. In addition, we will Continue the Conversation with our community throughout the entire re-envision process. Our next staff and community meeting will be on Monday, December 10th, 2018, 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Pattengill Library, and 4:15-5:15 p.m. at Bryant Library.
Re-Envisioning Update:
As part of our work, the Bryant/Pattengill Advisory Committee refined our core values based on what is most important to us when recommending a school program that best fits Bryant/Pattengill. A summary of our CommUNITY Core Values that will guide our recommendation are as follows:
Programs must meet these standards:
Be equitable
Increase achievement for all Bryant/Pattengill students
Align to community and district values
Research/evidence based
Accessible for all
SEAD-social, emotional, and academically developmentally appropriate
So far in our process, we have explored Expeditionary Learning, International Baccalaureate, Montessori, STEAM/Project Based Learning, and World Language (Spanish) Immersion. The schools we have visited are located in Ann Arbor, MI, Detroit, MI and Lincoln, MI. To find out more information about these schools and programs, click here. There is more in-depth research to come as we narrow to programs that resonate with our community and may be a solid match to our commUNITY core values.
Though we anticipated we might reach the recommendation stage this fall, we have determined that we are not there yet in our process. We will ensure that the re-envisioning phase is as thorough and thoughtful as possible with intentional planning and adjusting as necessary during this transformative change process. As we move onward and upward, we will do this work together!
Be sure to look for ongoing communication via email, Twitter: @A2BryPatSchools, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/A2BryantPattengill and our school’s website regarding our Re-Envision process. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact me at alston@aaps.k12.mi.us.
Looking forward,
Jeanice Swift, Dawn Linden, and Melita Alston
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