Week 1

 

Great Things We Noticed: 

• YOU!!  Doing your best for our students and our families!  WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU! 

Progress not Perfection

Remember to notice the progress you made this week in connecting with your students, building relationships with your families and establishing routines for learning.  Last year at this time you may have had the "perfect" systems in place.  Systems that you were familiar with, the "tried and true" procedures that served you year after year.  I hope that you are able to use some of those systems in the digital world, but I am guessing you have had to retool your teaching practice to meet the needs of your students in the virtual world.  It has been an exhausting, taxing, stressful few weeks... BUT YOU HAVE MADE PROGRESS!  Notice the progress you have made, and remember that perfectly imperfect is OK, this year and every year.  

On a side note, we know how it feels to hear "thank you for your grace", "thank you for your professionalism" and just "thank you for being you", again and again and again.  So we are not going to thank you for doing your jobs and doing them to the best of your ability.  We are going to say that we are proud to be apart of this professional learning community, one that works tirelessly and keeps students and families at the forefront of all we do.  We are proud of your high level of pedagogy, your dedication to your practice and your desire to do well.  We are proud to have you as our staff this year and every year.  

 Nuts and Bolts: 

• Textbook and supply distribution list can be found HERE.  Please send out to all Hawthorne students (In-Person, Virtual and Home Based).  
• Child Care for Essential Workers Flyer can be found HERE and see info below: 

• Essential workers include teachers as well as educational support and administrative staff
• Program is available for those physically reporting to their worksite only (not available for remote workers)
• Child care must be provided outside of the home
• Child care provider is selected by the family – Enrollment is processed faster if the provider is determined prior to enrollment
• Payments are made directly to the provider
• Program currently offered through Sept. 30 (RCOE is working on an extension to go through December – if granted, extension will automatically apply to those previously enrolled. RCOE will know if the extension is granted by the end of the month)
• Prior to the end of the essential worker program families may apply to transition to other state-subsidized programs.  If eligible, this will allow for continuity of services.  

• Please share this FLYER with your families - "Helping Young Children Adjust to the New School Year"
  
• Back to School ART START lessons and Information from RCOE- FLYER
• Longi and I want to come in a see your classes!  Please add a time and date to this schedule. 
• Great blog post about using DIGITAL STICKERS
• Another one on organizing your Google Classroom 
• Ed Elements has some great resources regarding student centered learning - Find HERE
• Here is a blog post on Building Student Relationships While Remote Teaching

FOCUS:

Assessment: 

We have had a few questions regarding assessment practices for the 20/21 school year.  Here are some general information points from the RAE department: 

• Take time to focus on the students' physical and emotional well-being and to strengthen relationships as foundational to learning. 
• Formative Assessment will be an essential component to begin the school year.  Refer to the "Assessment & Remote Learning" course in Rise for information and suggested online tools for gathering evidence of student learning for the formative assessment process.  This module contains many formative tools and strategies you can use with your students. 
• Use your publisher assessment tools and resources to meet the assessment needs.  We can schedule our ISS Team to review these tools during a staff meeting.
• District assessments have been made operable or in the process of being modified for use in a remote setting.  These assessments will rolled out in September with administration taking place in Mid September.  

While more formal district assessments are being pushed back, you are assessing your students all the time.  Continue to use your formative assessment skills and collect preliminary data on your students.  Trust your professional expertise and formative assessment data when forming your small groups for intervention.  

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Textbook Distribution

5th and 6th Grade

August 18 - Tuesday: 3:00-6:00

3rd and 4th

August 19 - Wednesday: 3:00-6:00

1st and 2nd

August 20 - Thursday:  3:00-6:00

Preschool, TK and Kindergarten

August 21 - Friday: 3:00-6:00

ALL Grades

August 22 - Saturday 9:00-1:00 

ANY GRADE 

Tuesday and Thursday during Meal Distribution: 11:15-12:45

or August 22 - Saturday:  9:00-1:00

• EVERY Tuesday and Thursday 11:15-12:45 - Lunch Distribution
• 8/18 3:00-4:00 Leadership Team Meeting - PENDING - Discussion of Back to School Night

Birthdays:

• 8/21 Tina Sumerford - 6th Grade Virtual