Are We There Yet?
A Guidebook for the final days at LTN354
Not Quite Done
Greetings LTN Staff,
Congratulations on surviving this inaugural year of productive struggle and professional growth. In approximately 7 days, our students will leave Love T. Nolan Elementary School for the last time until Summer School begins in June!!!
My hope is that you have begun to envision how you will spend your Summer vacation. The intent is that this visualization technique is leveraged to inspire and evoke the positive vacation vibes (fun, peace, relaxation, joy, etc.) while you are still here with us, fighting the good fight at LTN354. The one drawback of this strategy is that excessive "mind-traveling" may lead to mental and emotional detachment from our current work. Although the end is near, our responsibilities to our students, parents, stakeholders, and the profession, remain! We Need Everyone's Help in remaining present and engaged in their role as professional caretakers and instructional decision makers. Again, the goal is to light the path of professional expectations during these final days. Thanks in advance for a graceful finish!
In an effort to ensure a turbulent-free landing at LTN, there are a few critical guidelines and expectations we should all be aware of.
Each teacher received a classroom Checkout List and a Closeout procedure checklist today with timelines for completed actions.
Each grade level/ Dept. will be assigned to complete the Classroom Checklist with a member of the admin team by Friday, May 27th at 2:45 pm.
Classroom Environment: It is important to communicate to our students, parents, and stakeholders that engagement in reading, math, writing, science, social studies, P.E. and the fine arts continue to be our primary focus with children. The most obvious ways to express this ideal is through the physical dress of our learning spaces and the professional demeanor of our teachers. If students interpret that our teachers have already gone on vacation (i.e- less present), they will follow suit.
Our admin team is very sensitive to the fact that our teachers are faced with the incredible balancing act of student engagement in productive / learning activities, as well as, meeting the expectations for EOY closeout procedures. Both must be done, but can de a challenge to manage! Our goal is to minimize the guesswork and missteps by providing a clear set of procedures to ensure and smooth exit for students and teachers.
Instruction / Engagement:
As communicated in today's GLT meetings with Ms. Bussey, classroom instruction is still the order of the day. Please refer to the instructional resources shared with you during the meeting. Planning for the next seven days is still an expectation. Our stakeholders expect us to have a daily plan for their children and our students deserve it!
We will maintain our instructional momentum (PK-5) until the morning of Wednesday, May 25, 2016. After our bomb threat drill at 8:00a.m. We will begin "undressing" our walls (posters, charts, center directions, data walls, etc.) at that time.
The Art of Breaking Down the Classroom (A Strategic Approach)
All classroom spaces must meet the classroom checkout list criteria by 2:45 pm on Friday, May 27th. All teachers must have a completed / signed checkout list by that time. The building will not be made available to staff after Friday, May 27, 2016.
- You may want to consider the following when preparing to meet the May 27th deadline.
- Teachers may begin packing up materials in their closets, cubbies, and on counter tops, ASAP! Over the next few days, you can begin to organize and pack up materials while preserving the overall classroom aesthetic. Our rooms should still look like classrooms.
- Boxes will not be provided for staff members. However, please see Mr. Averrett with your requests and we provided boxes as they become available.
- Please begin to make arrangements to have materials picked up after the instructional day.
Classroom Parties: Please maintain order and structure during these EOY opportunities with parents and students. If you have not already done so, please email your grade levels' anticipated classroom party day and timeframe by Thursday, May 18th. The last hour of the day has been reserved for these opportunities. Enjoy!
Wednesday, May 25th @ 8:30 a.m- Friday, May 27th
- Instead of having a "whole-class" clean up session, select 2-3 students to assist you in breaking down the materials on the walls. This should take place while the remaining students are engaged in structured activities.
- Consider the value in rotating the "helpers" each hour based on positive behaviors in your room. This is a great incentive for your students!
- Structured Activities: Between May 25-27th, teachers are permitted to view movies with your classes. Movies should be rated G /PG. Please ensure that you have screened the movies for inappropriate content and language prior to showing the film.
- Classroom Helpers: Students should not be seen roaming the building, "delivering materials to other teachers." The building must maintain a sense of order during this timeframe. We do not expect to see unsupervised students or clusters of students being allowed to visit mentors (multiple times per day), deliver messages, visiting the clinic (excessively), or going to the school store (randomly).
Professional Expectations: This is a reminder that students are NOT permitted to perform the following duties:
- Pick up teacher copies from the copiers
- Deliver money to the cafeteria to purchase food for teachers
- Sit in the copy room unattended and sort papers for teachers
- Serve as classroom monitors while the teacher "runs" across the hall...
Your professional judgment and compliance are greatly appreciated in order to keep Love T. Nolan whole for these final days of the 15-16 school year!