“The only way to achieve our full potential is to channel the talents, ideas and contributions of every person in the world.”
–Mark Zuckerberg
There’s nothing groundbreaking about people working together. We each have our strengths and weaknesses and the need for us to rely on one another is obvious. When team members share a common vision and trust one another, magic happens. Case in point: 102.
Exhibit A: In just two months, many of our at-risk K and 1 students in the lowest third for literacy saw incredible gains working with Ms. Rosenberger (see photo below) and will most likely move to the next grade reading at grade level. The significance of their growth cannot be overstated–it’s potentially life-changing for these kids to not fall behind early and this is a team win that we should all celebrate. Although it’s Ms. Rosenberger who carried the baton to the finish line, none of this would’ve been possible if others didn’t also win their respective legs. From the classroom teachers who patiently chisel day in and day out to sculpt readers out of any students sitting in front of them, to Ms. Jenal who took on the added responsibility in analyzing data to identify target groups on top of supporting an unprecedented number of new teachers, we all have to do our jobs before students can succeed at theirs. (See image above)
Exhibit B. Washington D.C. Trip: Was it just last weekend that 1/9 of our school went to Washington D.C.? That I never doubted things would go exactly as planned for a project with this many moving parts speaks to the trust I have in the entire middle school team. It’s fitting that Ms. Mulé is the middle school supervisor: they’re all flow charts up there.
Exhibit C. Earth Day: Thank you Mr. Weiss, Ms. O’Donnell, and everyone else who contributed to make this year’s Earth Day possible even when nature itself wouldn’t cooperate. It’s not easy to reschedule so many times due to rain but I’m glad we did it.
Exhibit D. Field Day Extravaganza for 3rd and 4th grade: Thank you Mr. Mac, Ms. Devito, and Mr. Bianculli for doing such an amazing job bringing field day to our 3rd and 4th grade. And to all the teachers who covered classes last Monday without even a hint of complaint, thank you.
Exhibit E. Art Expo: The talent on display at the Art Expo can only be overshadowed by the confidence also on display. Our students are fearless by the time they graduate and our art department has a great deal to do with it. You can’t achieve unless you first believe you can, and it’s delightful to see how our art and music teachers tease out confidence from our students each day.
Exhibit F. This all happened in a week.
Things You Need to Know
Buy Your Tickets to Lion King: You won’t regret it.
Non-Promotion List: Please electronically complete the final non-promotion list and submit to me by Tuesday. APs will conference with you next week to consider all factors in determining the best decision for the child.
Title III ENL Summer Program: In addition to hosting summer school for students who did not promote in June, 102 has been awarded a new summer program where our ENL students can receive additional support. We should be passing out flyers next week to ENL students and you should strongly encourage parents to have their children enroll. Students will be engaging in learning in ELA, STEM, and even stop-motion animation learning.
Apply for Summer School: Traditional summer school offers retention rights for teachers, and it may be difficult for you to secure a position for the first time. With the new ENL program, we will be able to hire more teachers who will teach summer for the first time and to help them receive retention rights. For more information shoot me an email and I can go over the dates and programs with you. STEM teachers in grade 3-5 especially should consider teaching summer as you can try out the STEM curriculum we will be using next year, Engineering is Elementary.
Algebra For All Middle School Training: Middle school math teachers should consider joining a special program to engage in summer training (1 week) as well as additional support throughout next year. Let me know by this Friday if you are interested and you can find more info here.
5/16 Professional Learning: 3-5 STEM teachers should head over to room 405 for professional learning to learn more about next year’s STEM curriculum. F&P will be a key component for our literacy program next year and all K-5 ENL/ Classroom/Humanities teachers should meet in room 305 for a refresher. Volunteers for the carnival will meet in the art room to discuss and plan for Saturday.
Adjust Morning Line-Up Behavior: Students should not be having difficulties lining up straight and remaining quiet during morning line up. With Ms. Mintiens on board, we will be diverting more resources on culture and discipline and we need everyone to tighten up on following school rules. Teachers: please refrain from engaging students in conversation during line up as it severely undermines our school expectation.
P.S. I should be receiving my observation this week from the superintendent, so don’t be alarmed if you see Ms. Chan and me at your door.
mrkobot.com 