December 4th, 2015
“For some people, the term strategic planning brings to mind a disciplined and thoughtful process that links the values, mission, and goals of a school system with a set of coherent strategies and tasks designed to achieve those goals. For others, the term induces a cringe brought about by memories of endless meetings, fact-free debates, three-ring binders, and dozens of objectives, tasks, strategies, plans, and goals—all left undone after the plan was completed. As one frustrated administrator said to me, “When do we get to stop planning and start doing?”
-Douglas Reeves, In Leading to Change/ Making Strategic Planning Work
It took a great deal of collaboration and effort, but our 102’s inaugural celebration of the International Day for People with Disabilities on December 3rd was a massive success by any measure. Initially pitched as a information booth during parent teacher conference, the event morphed over the months into a full day extravaganza completed with levitating students, balloons that turn into doves that turn into bunnies, a school community united in wearing blue, a dance performance, free iPads, fresh popcorn, and even a movie-worthy-against-all-odds-come-from-behind-overtime win by our first ever girls basketball team. It was a truly magical day for the students in Ms. Meenan’s ASD class, and I am fiercely proud of our school community in coming together for a great cause.
However, when compared with the challenge of planning and implementing instruction to support high-need students, sawing a principal in half no longer seems so impossible. Impactful inquiry work involves attending to endless variables and thinking about the unknown, and as a result can be a frustrating process for the very same reasons that give it potential to be transformative. Your feedback from November 23rd tells us as much. You tell us that you are supportive, sees potential, but that you need more structure and guidance. Out Professional Learning Committee is already making the necessary adjustments to better support this work, and we will briefly meet next Monday, December 7th to clarify expectations. All teachers please report to the auditorium after dismissal and you will be released to engage in inquiry work with your respective teams.
Weekly Highlights:
Ms. DeVito lead her students in the 2nd grade ASD class to perform a dance number in front of a packed house, and they captured the hearts of everyone in just a few hip shakes. The dance—no longer than maybe 3 minutes—must’ve involved months of practice, patience, and most importantly, compassion from their teachers. Thank you Ms. DeVito for exemplifying the qualities all our students should aspire to develop.
Things You Need to Know:
Discipline: Please inform your direct supervisor immediately–cc’ me if via email—to report student misbehavior outside of the classroom. We need all staff to be alert in protecting the orderly climate here at 102 and our assistant principals would appreciate your help in identifying target students and their behavior.
We are also working on a referral form for misbehaviors that take place in the classroom, and we hope it will clarify to the community how teachers and administrators are to respond to different types of incidents. This work is grounded in the recently revised discipline code, and you should review it if you haven’t already done so.
After School Program: We will be offering after school programs for ELA and math and you should email me ASAP if you are interested in teaching. All teachers are welcome to apply.
Smartboards: I will be reaching out to the teachers who have expressed interest in piloting new technology. Some existing Smartboards will be removed from these classrooms and can be repurposed for another classroom. If your Smartboard has any issues please let me know immediately.
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