I hope that you get a chance to truly relax and enjoy the spring weather this next week. We all need to be extremely proud of what we have accomplished so far this year. We have accomplished so much, and are on track to continue to get better and better for our students. I appreciate your dedication, diligence, and "above the line" mindset heading into the last stretch of the 20-21 school year.
Resource of the Week
Creating an environment that is free from bullying or harassment is an important responsibility for each of us. Students who have been the target of other students rely on us for help. There is usually a fear of retaliation or other factors that keep students from reaching out to adults. We have strived to create an environment with teacher/student relationships that make it easy for students to reach out to a trusted adult. It is each of our duty to respond if/when we notice a student being unkind to another...if we notice it at a classroom level, there most likely is more happening at times or places that adults don't see. The resources this week provide guidance for us to be effective at helping ALL of our kids be safer from unkind actions that can be hurtful.
"Resources to Fight Bullying & Harassment at Schools" - edutopia.org
Action Steps for Teachers - This site provides on the spot action steps for teachers to take if they witness bullying or unkind actions taking place
In a recent conversation with a parent, this perspective on the "unstructured time" is important for all of us to consider and have an extra eye out...as the parent explained, "a lot of bullying happens in the unstructured times such as recess, lunch, between classes, before and after school, etc.. I understand that monitoring the unstructured time is tricky but those who are doing the bullying are well aware that unstructured time is “open season.”
Bullying Prevention is an important part of our Homeroom time each morning. It is critical that everyone teaches the assigned Second Step lessons, and if there is time, lead discussions about bullying at school and our school's culture. This SITE provides solid guidance about leading these conversations.
If you ever have a concern about a student or situation, and you need some help or would like to talk through your approach, please alert our Student Services Team, and reach out to Mrs. Morton, myself, or your colleagues. It is critical for us to help any student who may be experiencing this struggle under the radar.
Professional Development Day on April 5th
On April 5th, we'll have 2 meetings. We'll meet at 8:00am as a Middle/High School staff to extend the conversation surrounding Culturally Proficient Pedagogy. We'll then meet at 2:00 for Forward Exam Proctor Training and overall Forward Exam preparation.
Teachers and teams will have a significant amount of time to wrap up their grades for report cards, and plan for upcoming units and for changes to our "Return to Learn" plan. If you would like to meet with me during this time, please send me an email or a google calendar invite. Infinite Campus and other materials should be ready to go by the start of Monday.
"Return to Learn Plan"
As we've been discussing over the past couple of weeks, we will be looking to continuously improve what we do as the COVID situation improves. CDC guidelines, vaccinations and lower community spread indicators have allowed us to explore some options that will help us get closer to a sense of "normal" before the end of the school year. A brief summary of our plan for each grade level is below:
5th grade- lunch recess times and activities will adjust, but groups will remain the same
6th grade - Mr. Kallungi's cohort will be consolidated and there will be 3 groups, and students will get time with their core academic teachers each day. Elective schedules will be slightly adjusted. Recess times and team study times will be adjusted slightly. More support for students will be available.
7th grade - Mr. Johnson's cohort will be consolidated and there will be 4 groups. Students will get an increased opportunity to work with their core teachers. Recess times and team study times will be adjusted slightly. More support for students will be available.
8th grade - Ms. Moe's cohort will be consolidated and there will be 4 groups. The schedule will be modified so that students will get time with their core academic teachers each day. Recess times and team study times will be adjusted slightly. More support for students will be available.
Specific schedule, recess/lunch/team study times, updated groups will be shared with individual teams and all para-professionals sometime this week. We'll continue to monitor conditions surrounding COVID and our community and make adjustments if conditions warrant.
Forward Testing Plan
Forward Testing will start on Monday, April 19th. We'll test all ELA sessions on Monday (4/19) and all Math sessions on Tuesday (4/20). Virtual students will be invited to take the assessment on Wednesday (4/21). 8th grade students will take the Science and Social Studies sessions starting on Thursday (4/22). 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students will take the Forward Exam after Homeroom on each day, and 8th grade students will take the Forward Exam after their elective classes and breakfast. Each team should modify their academic schedules on these days to shorten the core classes to accommodate the testing sessions.
Testing groups will be shared on Monday (4/5), along with more details of the plan. We'll have a Forward Exam Proctor Training session on Monday afternoon at 2:00....a meeting link will be sent out later this week.
Supply Lists Need to be Updated on Monday Too!
Each year in the last issue of the PAD, we include the School Supply List for the following year. We have our last copy of the PAD coming up and so I need all of the teams to please take a look at the supply lists and update the lists as needed. You can see what is on the lists below.
I hope you are enjoying your Spring Break! Please take some time for yourself during this time.
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