Words from Grace
Well, it's great to be open! Staff and students appeared enthusiastic about being back in school. Thank you for the huge lift(s), unexpected asks, and short timelines. Finally, we have some children back! Yesterday was the first time I've used Twitter in quite some time. I remain #BPSProud.
We finished probable orgs this week for the Murphy, Kenny, Quincy, and Perry đź‘Š. Thank you! On Tuesday, we will hold a community meeting to put together a screening committee for the permanent principal of the Nathan Hale.
Instructional Visits
Next week, the Orchard Gardens will host a walkthrough (like an Instructional Focus Review) as part of their transformation work and a small group will conduct classroom visits at the Timilty. I'm excited about getting back into classrooms, even if we are doing so virtually.
Region Meetings
Guests from academics and some of our liaisons may begin joining us at our region meetings as we work to expand collaboration. This coming week we will continue analyzing tasks together. Moving forward we may have a session with ODA on most recent MAP Fluency/Growth assessment results, and we will all have a refresher on FERPA in early March.
Communication Resources on FY22 Budget
Important Dates
February 15 - President’s Day - No School
February 16-19 - Winter Recess - No School
April 2 - Good Friday - No School
April 19 - Patriot’s Day - No School
April 20 - 23 - Spring Recess - No School
Division of Academics
Engaging Students in Remote/Hybrid Learning through Complex Texts in ELA: Connect and Share Event - February 10th
Academics and Professional Learning, The Telescope Network, and the Office of Transformation are collaborating to offer a one day PD event: Engaging Students in Remote/Hybrid Learning through Complex Texts in ELA. The day will include a series of one hour workshops by “Bright Spot” educators from across the district. Workshop sessions will be at 8:30, 10:30, and 1pm. The full schedule of presenters is still being finalized. School leaders are asked to work with educators interested in attending if at all possible. RSVP here to register. See the calendar of events here (more sessions and topics to be added).
UPCOMING DEADLINE - Teacher Leadership Fund Mid-Year Grants - Open Until 2/26
The Teacher Leadership Fund is happy to announce a new midyear grant opportunity for this year only. We know that now more than ever educators are innovating and creating to address the immense challenges that our students and schools are facing, especially those that have been created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until February 26. Email tlf@bostonpublicschools.org with questions.
BPS Moves Together Classroom Movement Card Deck
The Office of Health and Wellness is excited to share a movement break card deck for classroom teachers and school leaders. We have adapted all activities for virtual and distance learning settings. Check it out here! Please reach out to Sravanthy Gumidyala at sgumidyala@bostonpublicschools.org if you have any questions.
February SEL Signature Practices Calendar resource is now available!
Please check out the updated SEL Signature Practices Calendar on the SEL Instruction website! The purpose of the calendar is to provide a menu of SEL practices that can be modified and integrated into instructional planning each month for students to practice SEL skills while engaging in learning. Using these practices regularly provides opportunities for consistency, predictability, and relationship building. Please contact Carla Burley, Director of SEL Instruction, with any questions.
Healthy Safe Body Unit Workshop
This workshop is a follow-up to our in-person Healthy and Safe Body Unit (HSBU) full-day training. We’ll revisit the HSBU curriculum and present new strategies and resources to teach this curriculum remotely. We will also review the core skills needed to teach sexual health education and review the materials and resources available in our shared google folder. We aim to have you prepared, confident and excited to teach the Healthy and Safe Body unit remotely! See here for more information.
Audience: Grades 4-5 Teachers
Prerequisites: Attendance at the Healthy Safe Body Unit training
Contact: Cheryl Todisco, ctodisco@bostonpublicschools.org
The Children of Willesden Lane Book Reading - PD and Virtual Performance
BPS is excited to partner with USC Shoah Foundation and the Hold On To Your Music Foundation to provide a fully immersive experience including professional development, 5,000 downloadable books on SORA, and a virtual field trip performance.
Set in Vienna in 1938 and in London during the Blitzkrieg, The Pianist of Willesden Lane tells the true story of Lisa Jura, a young Jewish musician whose dreams are interrupted by the Nazi regime. In this poignant show, virtuoso Mona Golabek performs some of the world’s most beautiful piano music as she shares her mother’s riveting story of survival. Adapted and directed by Hershey Felder, The Pianist is infused with hope and invokes the life-affirming power of music.
Professional Development: February 24th from 4p - 5:30p on Zoom
Register by February 10th here: https://adl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwscOmuqjgoHt2Lbhcv0pLSeg7E3GACZ5CD
Read the Books
When students log into SORA through Clever, they can select to read either The Children of Willesden Lane (young readers book) or Lisa of Willesden Lane (chapter book). BPS has secured up to 5,000 total available downloads expiring on April 1st, 2021.
Virtual Zoom Performance
March 24th at 11am-12:00pm on Zoom
Register: https://form.jotform.com/210134094024138
More Information
Flyer:https://drive.google.com/file/d/15sMFwoQ09zbKjD5cAyDhB66fYPid2GA8/view?usp=sharing
Teacher Resource Folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18N61UXx7m3148rpWIFaiPatK2utJ5p15?usp=sharing
Please email any questions to Anthony Beatrice at abeatrice2@bostonpublicschools.org
Templates Available: The Office of Special Education and the Office of Legal Advisor have created the letter templates below so that School Leaders have a tool to communicate with families in the following instances:
Students attending school as part of HIPP in a school with some students who are not wearing masks (general notice)
Student in the same cohort and classroom with some students who are not wearing masks (specific notice)
Students in the same cohort and classroom with a student who is not wearing a mask that had a close contact (or exposed to body fluids from) a student who is not wearing a mask. (incident report?)
Here are the links to the letters:
Mask Protocol - Student in class with Exempt Student
MASK PROTOCOL - In building with exempt Student
MASK PROTOCOL Utilizing Transportation with Mask Exempt Student
MASK PROTOCOL - Student in Close Contact to Covid Exposed Student
Special Education - Student Testing Resources
Spring Home Kits for K - 5th Grade
The Early Childhood and STEM departments partnered to provide Home Kits for students in grades K0/K1 - 5th for the spring of 2021.
Delivery to school is expected to start Monday, February 8th. Schools should designate a point person and location in the school to receive the home kits. Please review this list and make sure that your School’s information is correct. For delivery information please contact Kathleen Pauyo, kpauyo@bostonpublicschools.org
Legos for K2 kits ONLY (see materials list)
Kits will be distributed separately by the Department of Early Childhood beginning Tuesday, February 9th. Details will be added as we get close to the delivery date.
Focus Curricula for "New Teachers"
First and second grade teachers who are new to the Focus curricula will receive the Unit 3 curriculum guides. The guide includes a packet of introductory documents and lessons (printed in black & white), a packet of related color resources, and 3-ring binders. Delivery to schools is expected to start Tuesday, February 9th.
Decodables
K2 and 1st grade teachers will receive printed copies of the Unit 3 decodable texts. There will be 8 different titles for first grade (unit 3) and 11 different titles for K2 (3 titles for Unit 2 and 8 titles for Unit 3). There will be enough copies for each child to have one. Delivery to schools is expected to start Tuesday, February 9th.
Safety Care Recertification Training
Safety Care is the de-escalation and physical management training used in BPS. The Behavioral Health Services (BHS) department will begin holding Safety Care Recertification trainings for staff. These trainings are only for staff who attended a full 2 day training in SY19-20 by the BHS department.
Staff who were trained last year will have until May 2021 to attend a recertification; otherwise, they must attend a full training session if their certification lapses beyond that time. It will be critical that those who sign-up for the training actually attend on their scheduled date. Historically, we have had multiple no-shows for trainings. Given the limited seats/trainings, it is important that we maximize each session to ensure access for staff across our district. Here is a link to the Safety Care Recertification Training Schedule for 2020-2021. Please register for training through TeachPoint. If you have questions, please contact Lucinda Mills at lmills@bostonpublicschools.org.
Panorama Weekly Update - SAT Data Now Available!
SAT Data is now available, in Panorama Student Success! You can find aggregate results using the English and Math subject tabs, or you can find a student’s result on their profile page.
Aggregate Data: Click on the subject-specific side-tab, from the “Students” top-tab (below, left). Then, select the SAT from the dropdown menu (below, right).
Student-specific Results: Navigate to the student’s profile in Panorama, and scroll down. You will find assessment results between the course grades and attendance sections of the profile (example below).
If you want to learn more about how Panorama displays SAT results (or how it displays assessments overall), please consult the updated data guide.
MCAS Spring 2021 Administration Updates:
The SR/PNP district file for the Spring 2021 grades 3-8 tests is currently being prepared by the Office of Data and Accountability for import into the PearsonAccessNext (PAN) site. The import, completed in PAN by Feb 8, will include the latest students' enrollments, demographics, and testing accommodations. Schools should NOT initiate an individual school's file import in PAN as the second file will overwrite the original. Please refer to the timeline below. Additional details in the News and Notes_Process for Student Registration for the Spring 2021 MCAS tests. If you have questions about this process please contact Ileana Gruia.
Test Administration Training Sessions
Sessions are offered by ODA in February and March. It is recommended that New Principals and School Test Coordinators attend/check the recordings of the following sessions.
- MCAS Accessibility and Accommodations for Grades 3–8 Tues, February 9, 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- MCAS Accessibility and Accommodations for High School Thurs, February 11, 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- MCAS Test Security and Administration Protocols for Grades 3–8 Thurs, February 11, 12:30p.– 2:00p.
- MCAS Test Security and Administration Protocols for High School Wed, Feb. 24, 9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
- Tasks in PearsonAccess Next Before and During Testing Thursday, March 11, 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- Tasks in PearsonAccess Next During and After Testing Wednesday, March 31, 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Voluntary Grade 8 Civics Pilot
ODA is developing a new grade 8 civics assessment based on the 2018 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, incorporating performance-based tasks and computer-based test items. More details here. If your school is interested in participating in the pilot, please let Ileana Gruia know and complete the brief the state's online form by Friday, February 5.
Please Join! Assessment Task Force
We are seeking teachers who represent all grade levels and school types to join the Assessment Task Force, as referenced in the 11/3 Superintendent’s Memo. Task Force members will include teachers, Central Office staff, and School Leaders working together to design and recommend a comprehensive and balanced assessment system that will meet the needs of students, families, teachers and leaders across BPS.
The time commitment is 2 hours a month, with meetings on the third Thursday afternoon of each month through the end of June. The first meeting will be Thursday, February 25 from 3:30-5:00 pm, though subsequent meetings may be scheduled beginning at 4:30 depending on participant need. Please indicate interest by completing this form by 2/18/21. Participants will be selected to represent a range of experiences with BPS assessment tools, grade levels and content. Questions? Email sjay@bostonpublicschools.org
Division of Equity, Strategy, & Opportunity Gaps
School-Based Equity Roundtable PD for School Teams
Equity Roundtables are conversations amongst a group of stakeholders that reflect the racial, ethnic, linguistic and socio-economic diversity of the school community to push our thinking about who we are as a school. The goal of the School-based Equity Roundtable is to eliminate opportunity, achievement gaps, and barriers for BPS students as we work to expand opportunities for the most marginalized. The roundtables also serve as a project monitoring tool for the Whole School Improvement Plan to expand opportunities for the most marginalized population of students at the school.
The ESOG Team will offer support every Wednesday starting February 10 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. If you need more information or have questions, please contact Velecia Saunders @ VSaunders@bostonpublicschools.org
Recruitment & Cultivation Team Updates & Events
Support BPS Recruitment: JOIN US FOR DEMO DAY!!! Demo Day (flyer) will be on Saturday, February 27 from 7:45-1pm for all grade levels (deadline to RSVP is 2/12). Please come and support aspiring educators by giving feedback to demo lessons they will present. Also, get a preview of candidates for next year. We encourage you to invite members of your hiring committees to join as well. School Leaders and designees may RSVP here. Note there will be an orientation session for Demo Day on 2/11 from 5-6pm where we would also love to get your input on what would be helpful for us to provide to you from candidates.
Affinity Recruitment Advisories
The RCD team is excited to launch the development of Affinity Recruitment Advisories to increase recruitment in diverse populations. If you would like to join an advisory to support this work, we will be meeting monthly...please see flyer for more info.
Early Hiring Pool
The pool is now open, and we would love your help in encouraging highly qualified and diverse candidates to apply! For prospective teachers only. We are excited to share that so far, our pool is more diverse than ever before!
Retention Services
Down Payment and Financial Support – Suitable when you’re ready to purchase in the near future
Shared Equity Down Payment Program
Landed's down payment program helps you reach at least a 20% down payment through a shared equity investment, up to $120,000 per household. Investing alongside homebuyers, Landed shares in a portion of the gain (or loss, if any) in the value of the home once the partnership is ended—typically by sale or refinance. See the full process here.
Vetted Agents & Lenders
Connect with experienced agents and lenders that get results.
Landed Home Program – Suitable for all stages of the homebuying process (including preparation).
Free home buying support and education to help you navigate your options and prepare for homeownership. Landed’s homebuying team will provide educational resources and guidance to help you make homeownership a reality.
Interested in learning more about either option? Landed is hosting two information sessions for employees in education in the Boston area next month. These sessions are for those interested in either home buying education or financial support:
Wednesday, February 10th
12:00 PM – RSVP here to receive event login information
4:30 PM – RSVP here to receive event login information
*Information sessions are approximately 1 hour. You will receive the login link via email confirmation. We recommend downloading the zoom mobile app or using a desktop. If you are unable to attend the sessions above, get in touch with Landed here.
Celebrating Diasporic African and African-American Blackness All Year 2021
The Division of Academics and the Division of Equity, Strategy, and Opportunity Gaps is proud to announce a year-long celebration of Blackness. We are creating a calendar of events occurring in February and beyond, celebrating the rich histories of people of the African diaspora. We invite you to submit any events taking place in your school, central office department, or the Boston community that celebrate and uplift Blackness. Please complete this form to submit an event.Calendar submissions must meet the following criteria:
- promotes/encourages culturally and linguistically sustaining practices
- aligns with BPS Strategic Vision
- sponsored by a BPS school or central office department (BPS community partners are encouraged to connect with a school or BPS central office department)
24/7 Respect Week
The 3rd annual rollout of 24/7 Respect will occur February 8-12, 2021! 24/7 Respect is a groundbreaking program to educate students on how to prevent and address bias-based and sexual misconduct in person, by text, and/or online. Thank you to the point people at each middle and high school, who will ensure all 6th through 12th grade students discuss our new Telly Award-winning video. If you have questions, please contact the Director of 24/7 Respect, Jonathan Zielke, at jzielke@bostonpublicschools.org.
Division of Human Capital
Vacancies
We encourage you to submit your school-level text as soon as possible; it's a GREAT OPTION for consistently marketing and sharing your specific school values to prospective candidates (school-level custom text will appear as the first paragraph of all of your job descriptions). Please use this link to do so.
Once we have a list of vacancies, we’ll reach out regarding position-level custom text, which will be unique to each specific position. All custom text and job postings must be reviewed by the BTU prior to posting and that review will take place over school vacation week to ensure postings are up by March 1st, so expect a deadline around the middle/end of February.
Feedback Form
We want to hear from you about this year's budget/staffing season! Please fill out this feedback form to tell us how we did and how we can improve the Budget Collaborative and Probable Org. process.
MTEL Support
For any teachers/paraprofessionals who are struggling to pass MTEL exams, please send the information below to those educators.
The BPS MTEL Prep and ESL Mentoring Program is a year-long program that provides MTEL preparation resources, courses, ESL MTEL mentorship, and licensure guidance to all BPS educators, including teachers on waivers and candidates within our Diversity Pipeline Programs. For more information regarding upcoming courses contact - Aketa Narang-Kapur, mtelprepsupport@bostonpublicschool.org
Division of Operations
Fire Drill/Evacuation Requirements (updated 1/19/21)
During these challenging times we are still required to conduct mandatory drills. As we return to school buildings, all occupants will need to familiarize themselves with their evacuation plans. This includes all phases of reentry into school buildings: All students must engage in four fire drills per year; this may translate to eight drills total to ensure that students in both A and B cohorts have four opportunities to practice evacuation.
IMPORTANT DEADLINE INFORMATION December and March Fire Drill Requirement:
If you had students in your building in December please complete your drill requirement if you have not done so already by Friday, January 29, 2021.
Your next Fire Drill is DUE no later than March 31, 2021. Per the current reopening plan please note that you will need to complete more than one drill to accommodate cohort A and B within the month of March.
Below is a link to circular FSE#2 if you need any further guidance:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16VWQL-Ec27uN7lGcu4wN_-cZY6w-p4m-/view?usp=sharing
During evacuation drills all students and staff will need to wear their PPE and move through the building as quickly as possible (without running). Exiting the building in a timely fashion is the highest priority to ensure that each school community has practiced the proper response in the event of an actual emergency. While exiting, individuals should attempt to maintain a reasonable distance from each other. When they arrive at their designated meeting spots all students and staff should socially distance themselves in compliance with current state guidelines. Please see link below to memorandum from State Fire Marshal, School Emergency Planning and COVID-19, dated July 29, 2020, for further guidance: https://www.mass.gov/doc/school-emergency-planning-and-covid-19/download
Safe Mode Requirements
During these difficult times we should still be prepared for any type of emergency that might occur. In order to be prepared to respond to an emergency, teachers and staff should practice Safe Mode drills WITHOUT their students to support current COVID19 protocol. Staff should identify the safe place in their rooms that they would move to should an emergency occur and be able to articulate this to their students during a real event. All staff and teachers should plan and be prepared to go into Safe Mode if it is required.
IMPORTANT DEADLINE INFORMATION for current requirement:
Safe Mode drills are DUE no later than January 29, 2021.
If at anytime you feel you need support to develop a plan or conduct a drill please do not hesitate to reach out to Rick Deraney at rderaney@bostonpublicschools.org or 617-212-2397
FSE#8 Link https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B3uV5Tndvx1zWjFQRmMtMENkSlEDivision of Student, Family, and Community Advancement
Partnership Preference Form
The Partnership Preference Form, indicating your preferred partners for SY21-22 is due in your profile on www.PartnerBPS.org by March 1, 2021. Partnership Fund Liaisons can assist you in creating a partnership strategy. They received training this week. They will be reaching out to their assigned School Leaders in the next two weeks to meet with you.
To prepare for this meeting, we encourage you to have a conversation with the school site council. In particular please consider how the needs of your community have changed this year, and if there is a way to leverage partners to address these ongoing concerns next year.
The Partnerships Office is here to assist you, please feel free to reach out at any time, mfarmer2@bostonpublicschools.org
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