Friday Focus
For Information and Inspiration
Our Collective Work
Consistent Curriculum Implementation In All Classrooms
Meaningful Feedback to Students and Teachers
Attendance Practices that Improve Regular Attendance
Social Emotional Learning
Weekly Message
Our first week is done! Phew! Thank you for all your hard work and your patience as we worked through challenges, often in the dark! The power issue is being addressed as I type this, but I haven't gotten an update yet. I will keep you posted. I noticed so many people pitching in to help one another again this week. Nikki helped return a student who missed the bus. Vicki, Yvett and Ellen stayed an hour and a half late to help reunite a little girl with her family. The work this week inspired me.
Thank you for your very constructive and helpful feedback on the survey about our preservice PD. I noticed two big trends. One is that there was a wish for more time on the nuts and bolts. I can understand how many felt rushed during that part, myself included. I hope that you found the document helpful and please know that you can ask Lindsay or me any questions if there is something you still need more information about. Another big trend was that, while the team building was fun, it made people think about work that was waiting in the classroom. I understand this feeling as well. Let me explain my philosophy about that.
Our work is big and can be mentally and emotionally challenging at times. I think it is important to establish connections with one another that will sustain us when times get tough. In her book Dare to Lead, Brené Brown talks about finding people who are your marble jar fillers, people who you can depend on to fill your metaphorical marble jar with kindness, support and honesty. My hope for us, and why I believe in laughing and working together as a staff on team building, is to help us find our marble jar fillers. It's important to take some time, especially at the start of the year to establish and reestablish those critical connections with our colleagues, so when the lights go out 11 times in one day, it makes it a little more bearable.
Here's looking forward to a light-filled week!
Warm regards,
Jennifer
Recess Procedures
Huge shout outs to Tara, Colleen, Nate, and Edwina for their incredible work making sure our students are safe on the playground and supported during lunch. We are so appreciative of their willingness to problem solve when there areas needing adjustments.
One of our goals is to create systems that ensure the students are safe and that are consistent and predictable for them as well. As the para educators have a great system for lining students up at lunch recess under the covered area, we would like to continue this same system for the afternoon recesses as well. Students can then perfect their lining up and don't need to readjust to a different afternoon recess system. It is also safer as all students then are in line of sight.
Our paras schedules are super tight, and we have realized that their fifteen minutes breaks depend upon teachers promptly picking up students at the end of recesses and lunches. Thank you everyone for your help with this.
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Newsletter Additions
Assembly Procedure
3rd Grade: 8:45-9:25
2nd Period: 9:30-10:27
3rd Period: 10:30-11:36
5th Grade: 11:40-12:20
2nd Grade: 12:20-1:00
K & 1: 1:05 - 1:45
4th Grade: 1:45-2:25
You may begin making your way toward the cafeteria at 2:23. Our hope is to have everyone seated by 2:30, but we'll do our best on the first time. When you enter the cafeteria, there will be chairs set up along both sides and cones in the middle to create a walkway. Please seat your students next to the chair with your name on it. You may need to create two rows to accommodate all your kids. Teach students to stop by the cones to keep the middle walkway clear. Middle school teachers will sit with their advisory classes. Please refer to the map below to know how it will be laid out. Please remind your students about behavior expectations for assemblies next week. Teach them to be respectful of the speakers by having their voices off and teach them to respond the the quiet signals immediately.
Lastly, please work with your teams to create and practice a roll call cheer by grade level. We will call out each grade level and have them respond that they are there. We'll say, "Kindergarten, are you here?" And then the entire kindergarten will respond with their cheer. It could be something as simple as "Kindergarten Rocks!" The kids would call that out simultaneously according to some signal the teachers give them. Feel free to be as creative as you like, but it should just be a quick call and response.
Back to School Night
As you're planning what to say to families, remember, they want to get to know you and how your class will work. They want to know who is with their student 6 hours a day and that they're in good hands. They also want to know how a typical day will go in your classroom. I know your messages will be great. I will talk about health during the principal message so there's no need to make this a part of your presentation. The health letter and info will go to parents in Friday's newsletter.
If you have any questions, please see me.