Friday Flyer - November 19, 2021

We each experience this roller-coaster every year; it's just more pronounced for new teachers and new leaders. As we gain more experience the graph flattens a bit with disillusionment being less low and anticipation not as high. As we hit this low point of the year, be patient with yourselves, your staff, students, and families. 

From Grace and Jodi

Grace: Last week I reflected on my love/hate relationship with November. In the Catholic tradition, November is also a time to remember those who've died (ie. All Soul's Day). Last year this month, my mother-in-law passed away, and 48 years ago I suddenly lost my father. Every culture has its way of honoring those who have come before us. I would not be the person I am without my father, and my mother-in-law was in my life for over 30 years. 

I am thankful for all of you - and am thinking about how hard you are working to keep classrooms open and safe, while also growing the mindset needed to accelerate learning. I am worried about the dark days of November through January (see graph above) and the stress of budget/probable org season. But I know that you will persist through these stressors and continue to serve students and families. Please take time over the holiday for gratitude and time with friends and loved ones - there's much on your shoulders, and I appreciate you.

Jodi: Grace and I collaborate on creating this blog. When I read her reflection above I was struck by its stark honesty and a little worried that she was heading into the dark place I sometimes go to. (She's not) Then I realized the beauty that is in remembering even though sometimes it is bittersweet. I am who I am, as an individual, in a great part due to my grandmother. We are, collectively, who we are because of our ancestors. We are the leaders we are because we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. Someday our shoulders will serve as the pedestal for the next generation of leaders who will rise and serve. 

In the present I am thankful that my own leadership is made stronger because of you. That our journey has brought us together in this moment. The present moment may not be easy or simple but I know we hold each other both in community and spirit. I am thankful for that. I am thankful for you. 

December Region Meeting

Since formative evaluations are right around the corner, this in-person meeting time will be used to calibrate classroom observations together. Lauren Murdock has graciously agreed to host us at Orchard Gardens. The school is large enough to accommodate all of us; however, their parking lot is not. You may want to carpool with your colleagues that work closest to you. Another option is to find street parking near Bolling and walk over. 

Please make your best effort to block off the full morning on 12/7/21 8am-11am to engage in this work. This will be our first in-person meeting as a region in two years! 

Colleague Connections

Tynan: If you are looking for a model 6th grade math classroom reach out to Leslie at the Tynan. Mr. Fredericksen is talented at culturally affirming practices, weaving Sel-Well practices into lessons, and maintaining high standards for students. 

Timilty: Marvin and his operations team have created an incident report and follow up cycle that helps to keep everyone informed about what is happening and how resolution was reached. 

Orchard Gardens: Although there has been news about how we have problems with pooled/rapid testing and contact tracing, I would like to highlight that the Orchard Gardens effectively contained the spread. It only happened because the entire team rallied, from nurses to the operations team to the CIC coordinator to ensure the test/stay program was effective. So often we hear of when things are not working - we need to acknowledge times when they are. If you have concerns about an outbreak, contact Lauren.

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer, November 12, 2021

 From Grace and Jodi

We hope you had some time for self-care yesterday - even if it was just to have a late breakfast, be thankful for no commute, or just breathe! I have a love-hate relationship with November. 

• The additional hour of sleep, but the early darkness
• The beautiful leaves, but having to clean it up
• Time off, but how the choppiness of the month impacts continuity of  learning
• The cool crisp weather, but having to start wearing close-toed shoes, tights/pants/coats

It makes me think about how no matter what we do, there's always a flip side - no right answer... so we have to continue to make decisions based on each situation - knowing there will always be a flip side to address. 

Something to Think About

We have had an opportunity to listen to an incredible NPR Podcast with Jason Reynolds. If you are looking for some inspiration and validation of all the effort you all are putting in please give it a listen. It was well worth the hour! Jason Reynolds: The Antidote to Hopelessness.

Colleague Connections

Here are some colleagues that you may want to connect with for ideas and procedures on the work. These are the promising practices we observed this week. 

Candice: When she is in her office for 30 minutes she conducts a climate sweep of the building to be sure everything is on track and she is visible. 

Lauren: She conducted a listening session with her 7th-grade students for her leadership team in response to their data. Using a fishbowl format, the adults listened while the students explained what they needed to increase their success. This is a very simplified account of a powerful process. 

Alex: He used every resource available to him to provide coverage on Friday so that he could lead a CPT. Even in the midst of chaos, having 11 staff members out (about 1/3 of total staff), he kept teaching and learning at the forefront. 

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - November 5, 2021

 From Grace and Jodi

Courtney shared this quote with her student review team this morning.

Self-Care:

That term creates anxiety. Many friends and colleagues abhor it because it seems as if it is one more thing to do on an already crowded list. Let's strip away the jargon and think of the small moments in each day or week that we treasure. For example, putting our babies to bed, taking that hour for a mani/pedicure, taking a walk, or soaking in the quiet of this beautiful season. Instead of adding self-care to a list let's work on being fully present and mindful of the small moments that restore us and bring peace to our souls.

Region Meeting Reflection: Thank you for your presence and engagement at this week's region meeting.  Slowing down to connect our regional data to will support you when thinking and planning for school, grade level, classroom, and group implications. Slides from the meeting are posted here for easy access. 

If we consider a three-year trajectory and aim for all students to grow at least 1.3 years every year, then all students would gain one year in three years. We know, however, that students don't progress in this linear fashion and that some years students will progress faster than others. We also know that if students feel successful, their own confidence grows as does their motivation, which then translates to more acceleration.

It may be less overwhelming for teachers to think about progress over a three- versus one-year timeframe to make progress; this would promote the notion that we each stand on the shoulders of those that come before us and that if each of us does our part, it IS possible for our students to be on track. Regardless, we have urgent work to do!

Chronic Absenteeism: A data point we did not explore is chronic absenteeism. We sincerely apologize for the timing of the monthly chronic absenteeism email. 

However, at today's Student Review Team, Courtney used the data to drill down to the student level. The team discussed a group of students from the whole child perspective and major discoveries were: 1) Chronic absenteeism is a data point that gives us a flag to look deeper, 2) other health or social-emotional factors may be at play and the team discusses whether they are being addressed, 3) Panorama allows the team to see grades or other assessment data to determine the impact on academic progress, 4) notes in Panorama allows the team to see what communication or other action that may have taken place, 5) the team uses the data to support, not punish.

***The important thing is NOT the number of plans, but the actions related to the plan

Connections:

We have observed some great practices over the starting weeks of school. Here are some colleagues that you may want to connect with for ideas and procedures on the work.

• Mike and Derrick: Creation of a small personal learning network to apply the ideas that they are learning about Equitable Literacy in their PLC.
• Leslie: Completion and monitoring of all student attendance plans in Panorama. Tynan is a single admin. school
• Courtney: A strong and impactful student support team 

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.