PD Information from Academics - Returning Boston Strong & Update on A/B/C Lists

"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." - MLK

“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of 

America.” - John Lewis

Things are moving at an extraordinarily fast pace. Please, please give yourself permission to take some time for self-care this long weekend. I am anxious about your burning out before the year even begins. I am, however, extremely excited about having students and staff back in schools. 

I'm happy to read/give feedback, talk through, or practice, your Monday opening words with staff over the weekend. I labored over mine 17 times, scripting, re-scripting, practicing late into the night. Not once in those years did I have a thought partner. I'm happy to serve as one if you wish. Send links to PD times you think my presence will help or where you would like feedback. I will try to pop in.

I will be scheduling a regional meeting in the afternoon of Thursday, 11 am - 12 noon for us to touch base as a group; looking back, we should have met earlier this week, but I was hesitant due to all of the optional meetings. After our Thursday gathering, I will create a more regular time to meet either weekly or bi-weekly. 

Update on A/B and C lists

A/B lists are being refreshed to reflect the removal of students who have chosen all remote as well as newly assigned students. Once you receive the refreshed lists you will be able request changes to balance the number of students in A/B groups, with lists finalized by mid-week. The students identified as "high needs"  is also being compiled for your school. Families in this group who have opted for hybrid will be able to begin in-person learning on October 1st, two weeks early. Initially, students in this group are being scheduled for their two days per week based on their assignment to either the A or B hybrid group. We will continue to work with you to identify opportunities to increase their in-person learning to 4 days per week after October 1st based on parent preference and space/transportation availability.

Division of Academics - Memo on PD

Dear School Leaders,

Welcome back to the 20-21 school year. In an effort to provide you with information you and your teams need for a safe and equitable return we have curated professional learning experiences to lessen the weight on your shoulders. We are providing you with several resources to support you in designing and finalizing your professional learning plans. We previously shared two catalogues, one of optional and one of required sessions. In this Returning Boston Strong Professional Learning, Part 2 Schedule you will now find the week one schedule for professional learning and training opportunities for you and your staff. We have designed the sessions to provide you the maximum flexibility by ensuring that all sessions are available asynchronously. 

Whether you use live or previously recorded sessions, or a mix of the two, we recommend that all required staff engage in the session simultaneously to maximize engagement and collaboration. As always, be mindful of strong adult learning practices and provide time to reflect on and apply the learning so that by the end of this two week period, educators feel planned and ready for students. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your School Superintendent and/or the Academics Division for support in how to best utilize synchronous and asynchronous sessions. 

Week 1 Schedule Information:

• The schedule shows when sessions will be provided live. 

• Wherever possible, sessions will be provided for the maximum of 300 participants and will be repeated over the two days to increase access. 

• Recordings for all sessions will also be available to you (and linked in Cadence) on Wednesday, 9/9 so that you can use the sessions flexibly within your broader arc of learning across the two weeks. 

Registration Information:

• Participants will register in Cadence for all sessions.

• Cadence will go live tomorrow night for both required and optional session registration. 

• Please plan to provide 30 minutes for your staff to register for the sessions they will attend on Cadence when they return remotely on 9/8. 

Looking ahead to week 2:

• Optional sessions will be presented live one time and also available asynchronously through a link to the video on Cadence. 

• Plan for 3 hours of training on COVID health and safety protocols provided by your nurse for your whole team as well as a one hour session on developmentally-appropriate ways to teach these protocols. To the extent possible, please include everyone who works in your building. Nurses will be trained on these protocols by Children’s Hospital during week 1. 

• Please also plan for teachers who are teaching ESL to English Learners in mixed groups (ELD 1-3 together or ELD 3-5 together) to participate in self-paced WIDA e-courses. This is also a requirement for any teachers seeking emergency ESL certification. There is more information in this draft memo from OEL.  

As always, please let us know how we can support you. 

In partnership, 

Division of Academics Team

Andrea Zayas, Chief Academic Officer

Jill Carter, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Health and Wellness

Ethan d’Ablemont-Burnes, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Special Education

Shakera Ford-Walker, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Teacher Leadership and Development

Faye Karp, Interim Assistant Superintendent, Office of English Learners

Christine Landry, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Academics and Professional Learning

Dr. Regine Phillipeaux-Pierre, Deputy CAO