This weekend I had a chance to get away for a few days. I was nervous about being out and about in a small town with a lot of people and decided to stay one night at a place I could walk to the beach and have takeout in my room. It was the first time I have cracked open a book since June - a nice, light, pumpkin spice kind of a read... and I wrote in my journal! I can't remember the last time I wrote. When I say I wrote, I literally wrote a list of all the things I could see and hear from my deck. I found myself feeling emotional and was caught off guard by that. I loved all that I could see and hear but also it made me so aware of the loss we feel right now. And how hard it is to see when we are deep in it. I hope that you are okay, and also that you are taking time to find a little slice of normal, something that brings you joy.
I saw this quote in Petaluma on my way home Sunday and it seemed like just the right thing for right now.
Here's hoping the dust settles soon.
Speaking of a slice of normal, one of my friend's middle schools did a virtual student of the month lunch on Zoom! I was thinking this might be fun! I know I used to do Principal's Lunch - what do you think? Would you all like to join? Maybe a TK/K one, and then a 1/2 one? I would love to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment at the end of the blog!
Dates & Details
September 30th Beach Day! & Second Grade Packet Pickup
September 30th No Staff Meeting-- Conference Week
October 7th Professional Learning/Staff Meeting 1:30
October 14th Professional Learning 1:30
October 21st Professional Learning/Staff Meeting 1:30
October 28th DBE/EO Vertical Articulation & Data Mtg
I remember watching Thomas Rhett sing this song last April and loved the lyrics and the acoustic vibe. But I also just loved that his shirt matched his curtains. :) All of these artists were playing live from home. Be a light.
Thank you for being a light and for making a difference!
I have also shared Waggoner Teachers 20-21 Calendar with you and have added the professional learning and staff meeting dates for the year. Please be sure to click "add this calendar" when you get the email. The meeting topics will morph as needed as we go through the year. You will also notice pretty much monthly that there are DBE/EO Articulation Meetings. These will serve two purposes, one tow allow the DBE team time to connect for DBE things, and also for us to vertically articulate as DBE/EO teams and look at data together. More info to come- those are still professional learning meetings but will have a data and collaboration focus. Also, you will notice the Friday 1:30-2:30 grade level meetings twice a month. Once we are back to school on a regular schedule those will be minimum days and dedicated to grade level time.
For teachers who are new, you will also see Discretionary Days (do what you would like days) and grading days which will not have meetings. The Wednesday calendar doc can be found in Google Classroom also.
This week, teachers have grading time so you have time to complete progress reports (with whatever progress and data you have so far) and also to complete the accountability tracker. The DBE team will meet briefly at 1:30 on Zoom on the 23rd. I will be available to help with the tracker at 2:30 if needed. Please help new members to your team with accessing your progress report forms. Thank you!
As far as conferences, I know you all just conferenced with families. Some of you would like to conference again, and some of you may do as needed or by request. Either is fine. My communication to families tomorrow will share that the afternoons that week teachers will be available to connect with parents about progress so far, and that teachers will share specific information about conferences and availability. I know we do not have much data yet, and families may also feel like they do not need a conference again so soon. All families should receive a progress report by Friday October 2nd whether or not you conference. Please let me know if you have questions. There is no staff meeting next week, either. The schedule for next week is the same since we are already on a minimum day schedule.
Thank you all for a smooth start to the year. Your hard work does not go unnoticed! I hope you are getting into a groove!
This week I will say thank you again for all of your hard work. A friend of mine who is a superintendent in another district said that in the fourth week he felt something shift- and it wasn't that it got easy, but that the school got into the groove of this new way of doing school. It gave me hope, and I hope that it begins to feel that way for you soon, too. I know everything takes three times as long right now! I am not sure if you see or feel it, but you are all doing an INCREDIBLE job. What you have done to transform Zoom into an inviting and caring learning environment is NOT happening everywhere. I hope you know how wonderful you are, and that this Waggoner village is very special. From the office team, to Kristina and Brandy, to our incredible aides, teachers, student teachers, our coach, counselor, food service, maintenance, and more -- I thank you for giving your best every day when your tanks feel empty. Kermit is onto something!
Keeping up our energy and positivity is important, and yet I know it can be annoying when people say to take time for you when it feels like there is so much to do! I hope you can begin to find time to do at least one little thing to take a break, or have some fun. Sometimes it just helps me knowing I am not alone. Here are a few things I saw this week that gave me some inspiration, including a little painted rock on my walk. :) I hope you have a great week. Please let me know if you need anything!
If you are old enough to remember David Archuleta from American Idol...
here he is with a little inspiration :)
Gold Stars!
Dates & Details
9/14-18 iReady diagnostic window 2nd grade
9/15 ish Dot Day! http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday
9/16 Discretionary Day #1 - no meeting
9/17 WJUSD Board Meeting 6:00
9/18 7:45-3:00 1st Grade Supply Pickup
9/18 PGC Goals Due in Google Classroom
9/21 7:45-3:00 Kinder Supply Pickup
9/23 Progress Reports - no staff meeting (DBE meeting 1:30)
9/28-10/2 Conference week - no meeting
10/1 Winters Park Playground Art due (papers going home in next supply pickup!)
I can't even begin to tell you how amazing I think you all are!
I keep seeing messages like this everywhere.
I also want to acknowledge the HUGE lift this has been for you during these first days, exhausting, frustrating, all of those things. What a wonderful job you all have done -- thank you. Everything takes so much longer to do online, and although I know it will never be easy I hope that you will begin to find your groove. This will be another big week as students experience a longer day, so please remember to take a breath, give yourself grace, and know that whatever it is it will not be perfect nor should it be! The communication going out to families tomorrow will bring hard the message that we are all learning and that it will be okay. I feel like parents are very positive and know that this is just how we are doing school now. And they know you are all fantastic!
I was on a walk the other day, and this song came on. I had never heard it before but it sums up what I think we are all feeing. A little inspiration from Shawn Mendes :)
Sometimes it all gets a little too much
But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up
And you don't have to be afraid, because we're all the same
And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much
I am trying out a new way to share Gold Stars-- click to add yours here!
Biggest takeaways after 12 days of virtual teaching:
Something to make you laugh! Simple Hybrid Explained
Found on Facebook: A Reflection on 12 Days of Virtual Teaching
1. You can’t teach the same course just now delivered through zoom. It’s a different class. Completely. It needs new modes of delivery, new feedback, new assessment. Trying to teach it the same way Is a recipe for frustration. 2. Kids want to learn. They are rooting for us (the teachers). They know we are trying hard, and they are grateful. 3. If you don’t take a break every 15-20 minutes where you tell kids to stand up, dance (I played “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” today, and my kids were like, “what is this magic we’ve never heard!”) , get a drink of water, go grab your pet or whatever...youve lost your kids. Sitting, staring, and listening is exhausting. Play a song and give kids a break. Model for them that you walk away from the screen, too 4. When you zoom into kids’ homes, you are their guest. Respect their space. Understand their rules and situations are THEIRS, not yours to dictate. But also allow the kids to express pride in their space. Yesterday I noticed a kid was seated in front of some cute curtains. (Polka dot with pompons). I made mention, “oh my word! Cute curtains!” He told me how his grandma had made them for his sisters and how much they loved them. I was reminded that these kids are taking HUGE risks in revealing their spaces to us. We have to honor that. 5. Technology is unreliable. Allow flexible dates. Tardies don't exist. Mics and cameras break. Links expire. Get over yourself and skip the lecture. 6. Listening to words through a screen is hard. Don’t shame kids who ask for clarification or repeats of instructions. Don’t shame kids who zone out. We are all used to using screens to “zone out”. This is a paradigm shift in our use of screens. Give grace and space for that growing. 7. Give kids as much autonomy as possible. Let them own this process. So much feels out of their control, so let them choose their breakout group, or let them choose to listen to a podcast rather than read a book, or let them choose to keep their screen off after confirming it’s them on the other side. Give them the chance to feel empowered and heard. 8. This is hard. It’s hard for kids and teachers and parents. No one is purposefully making choices that are bad. But none of these choices are great. I think I’ve cried every day of August. I know I’ve worked more hours than I ever have. I’ve done 4 hours of planning for every one hour class. I feel like I constantly drop balls and miss Opportunities. But the kids keep showing up. And the teachers keep showing up. And there are so many opportunities to love and serve one another. And the conversations are so often, “how can we do better?” I don't have to like this, but I can recognize this is making education richer. I think it is.
