The Week Ahead
Advisory Slides Link
Monday, Oct 26
Tuesday, Oct 27
Wednesday, Oct 28
Thursday, Oct 29
Friday, Oct 30 - Conference Day
Action Items
Changes to the Week Ahead, Updates, & Reminders
Technology Help
Absent Students
Kudos!
The Month Ahead
Monday, Oct 26
- Kids on campus 8:00 AM - 3 PM with Andrea (until 12:30 PM), Molly and Alexis in the Library. Please see the list of students below. Clare to cover 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM.
- Chapel 2:00 PM
- Blue Section for Community Project
- No Toolbox or Make It Monday - use as advisory pumpkin planning time IF needed.
Tuesday, Oct 27
- Kids on campus 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM with Andrea (until 12:30 PM), Molly and Alexis in the Library. Devon to cover 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM.
- Andrea at PD 8:30 - 11:30 AM
- No Athletics or PM Advisory for any grade
- MS Leadership Team 2:30 PM - Cancelled due to pumpkin carving.
- Grade 6 Pumpkin Carving on campus 1:00 - 2:30 PM
- Bloodworth & Hunt - Covered Playground Area
- Golding - MS Patio (tents provided)
- Phan - Outside Dining Hall
- Strate - Bamford Commons
- Wilde - Bamford Commons
- Kids on campus 8:00 AM - 12:30 PM with Andrea, Molly & Alexis in the Library. Ruth to cover 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM.
- Grade Level Team Meetings - Cancelled due to pumpkin carving. Please let advisors know if there is something they should know for conference day by email instead.
- Grade 7 Pumpkin Carving 1:00 - 2:30 PM
- Price - Covered Playground Area
- Taylor - Bamford Commons
- Stangenberg - Outside Dining Hall
- Williams - MS Patio
Thursday, Oct 29
- All - School Civvies Day!
- Kids on campus 8:00 AM - 3:00PM with Andrea (until 12:30 PM), Molly and Alexis in the Library. Clare to cover 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM.
- No Athletics or PM Advisory for any grade
- MS Faculty Meeting 2:30-3:30 PM Cancelled due to pumpkin carving.
- Grade 8 Pumpkin Carving 1:00 - 2:30 PM
- Brown - Covered Playground Area
- Calcote & Marquez - MS Patio
- Grace & Hake - Outside Dining Hall
- Jones - Bamford Commons
Friday, Oct 30 - Conference Day
- Here is the folder with the documents to help with the first MS Conference. Please email Clare and loop in the Grade Level Team Leaders if:
- You have any concerns about a conference and I am happy to join in as needed.
- Any family does not make an appointment for a conference
Action Items
- New:
- Work for Students: We are hopeful that the majority of students will be on campus next week for pumpkin carving. If you have any materials (books, worksheets, or general supplies) you need distributing to your classes, please let Ruth know. We can collect them on Monday and ensure that the students get them on their assigned campus day.
- Check-in With Clare: It's extremely odd being on campus without the majority of you here and I know this year has brought any challenges for everyone. I haven't had those natural conversations we would have in the past at the lunch table, stood at the photocopying machine, or in the more formalized professional growth and goal setting meetings each fall. I do not wish to add to people's plates, but I also want to offer opportunities to connect. So I have two suggestions.
- During the PD Days, I will be available to meet with anyone who would like to connect for 30 minutes on Teams or in person. This can be about anything or maybe something specific. If you just want to chat about puppies, workload, or the pandemic, I am here! Please simply email me and we can find a time to connect. If another date or time works better, just let me know.
- Or, if you would rather simply use your time in other ways but you do have an idea, thought, concern, or question, please feel free to share it via this Google Form. This can be anonymous if you would prefer.
- MyMedBot: Starting next week, all AWS faculty and staff will be asked to complete the myMedBot app even if you do not plan on being on campus. A final question has been added to the app that asks people to state if they are planning on coming in or not. Using the app will allow us to be consistent across divisions about tracking who is on or off-campus. It will also eliminate the need for people to sign in or complete the old Google Form about your teaching locations for the week. If you have any questions, please let Sandra or I know.
- Prep for Conferences: Folks, please use the two afternoons that you are NOT pumpkin carving to review your advisees' progress ready for the conferences on Friday.
- Goals: Please look at the Sunshine and Goals Update document that has your feedback and overview of the goals, ideas, and direction we are taking. Here are the next steps for folks to take individually and to discuss in subject group meetings. We will review the Universal Goals, during our PD on Friday, November 6.
Please review your past subject narratives
What have you been commenting on most in the past and how could these statements be morphed into more generic goal statements? Or is this feedback already given in your summative assessment rubrics and not needed?
Look at the Universal Goal list already started
What else should be added based on your review of your subject narratives and subject discussions?
Draw from the ATL skills your subject selected. Can these be put into more user-friendly words and universal in terminology?
Add ideas to Universal Goals list
Once we have this created, we will then see if there are goals we can combine and adapt to reduce this list to a shorter and more manageable list for subject teachers to select from.
- Parent Conferences, October 30: Please check which families have responded to your conference email and have signed up for a slot. By next Thursday, please reach out again if you have not heard back from any families to schedule a time. Here is an overview of the directions and talking points we discussed at the MS Faculty Meeting.
- Continuing:
- Sunshine Notes: Please attempt to send 2 sunshine notes each day this week. Please review the list of Sunshine & PC recipients but remember that this data is not automatically updated once a note is sent.
- MYP Summatives: Here is the link to the folder for you to submit your examples. Please contact Angelica if you have any questions regarding these.
- Summative Assessments: As you start to assign your first summatives, we want to be able to give families a heads up about what is approaching. One way we have decided to do this is through the Grade Level Blogs. You will find a new tab on the Grade Level Meeting Doc called Units and Assessment. Please add your summatives here so that the Team Leaders can add this information to the blogs. Please see Will's Science example in there already.
Changes to the Week Ahead, Updates, & Reminders
- Students on Campus this week:
- Grade 6 - John Saul, Augi, Ben, Glorian, Nora, Ireland, and Laila
- Grade 7 - Joanne, Reagan, Bella, and Thomas S
- Grade 8 - Audri, Copper, Alison S, Raya, Mia S, Jaewon, Sydney R
- Grade 8 Grade Level Team Meeting: I try to be fair to move around the grade level team meeting times each week. However, we have a permanent clash with Grade 8 and unfortunately for the foreseeable future, we will need to keep Grade 8 at 2:00 PM. We will continue to switch 6 and 7 around. Thank you for your understanding.
- Pumpkin Carving: Please see the Friday Flash for more details about the logistics. Here is the planning sheet for the event so you can see the locations and supplies available.
- Curriculum Night on myAW: Please take a look at the Curriculum Night tab on the Resource Board. The Spanish has just been added - thank you Angelica, Tracey, and Ana.
- Opening tabs automatically in Chrome - Thank you Kyle for creating this video to help kids.
- Teams reminders
- A short video reminder of how to mute students directly through the chat or through settings.
- To stop the use of GIFS, stickers and memes, please follow these directions:
- For each of your teams, click on the three dots
- Then, click MANAGE TEAM
- Then, select SETTINGS
- Then, in FUN STUFF, de-check the boxes that allow for GIFS, stickers, memes, and custom memes
- How to Set Up Break-Out Rooms in Teams Video This is a great short video to watch to help you with
- How-To Technology Resources This is the Google document that has links to how-to written guides about Teams, Google Classroom, Microsoft Office, etc.
- Having a tech issue or need support from Erik or Eric? Please don't email, but submit and helpdesk ticket at helpdesk.aw.org. Please pick Online Academic Continuity Plan as the request type (it's the first choice on the list).
Sandra's PD Corner
- I think I'm going to invest in a solar lamp - I am hopeful that will help as we head into these dreary days. Though, believe it or not, I love the Fall!
- Sunday is both Dussehra, the important tenth day of Navratri (which we talked about last week), and Chung Yeung Festival (Double Ninth Festival - the ninth day of the ninth lunar month) in China. For good luck, travel to a high place on Sunday! And next Thursday is Mawlid, the Islamic celebration of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday. Joyful celebrations for those of you who celebrate any of these special dates. For other upcoming dates, please see here!
Reminders:
- I sent out a note regarding POCC today. Please take a look at that email and submit the form if you are interested in participating this year. A special reach out to any of you who identify as people of color, as this space is designed especially for you.
- A reminder to check out the PD Opportunities tab!
- Community Life:
- Do check out the General, Community and All School Fun channels in the Faculty and Staff Team on Teams!
- This week's QOTW: What is your favorite "strange" food combinations? It might not seem strange to you, but maybe to others? A traditional Colombian treat, for instance, is cheese in hot chocolate. Might seem strange to most, but don't knock it till you try it! (also, it really works best with Colombian hot chocolate, none of that powder stuff! 😉) It's one of my ABSOLUTE faves!
- And lastly, here is the link for the "comment box." Reminder that this is for if there's anything else you need in terms of COVID support in the classroom, COVID testing questions, concerns about things you see, etc. - whether you just want to let us know or want someone to follow up with you.
Absent Students
- Follow this link for Anticipated Absent Students
Kudos!
- Shelli, Will, and Student Council for their help with the first MS Preview day. We had a good solid turn out of new families. Lots of great questions and potential new students.
- To everyone who offered feedback on the goals ideas. I know processing all this right now is one more layer we don't need, but your thoughts and comments are essential to help move things forward.
- Please see the MS Calendar for now.
