Week Beginning April 19, 2021

This made me laugh, I hope it brightens your morning too!

 The Week Ahead

Advisory Slides Link

 Monday, April 19

• Faculty Out
• Nate - Mary Reynolds in as a sub 
• Grade 8 Community Project - No regular classes
• Please see the schedule for supervision on those on campus at 2020-21 MS Schedule, tab CP 04.19.21
• List of students on campus
• Chapel 2:25 - 2:45pm - CANCELLED  due to 8th grade out

Tuesday, April 20

• Faculty Out
• Nate leaving early at 2:00 pm - Molly to cover PHE, James to cover advisory 
• Grade 8 Community Project - No regular classes
• Please see the schedule for supervision on those on campus at 2020-21 MS Schedule, tab CP 04.19.21
• List of students on campus
• PM Advisory 2:25 - 3:10 pm (Grade 7 will already have had a SH today)
• Please use as you best see fit 
• MS Leadership Team Meeting 3:15 - 4:15 pm 

Wednesday, April 21

• Faculty Out
• None
• Athletics or early dismissal at 2:25 pm 
• Grade Level Team Meetings - 
• 2:30 - 3:00 pm Grade 8 
• 3:00 - 3:30 pm Grade 6
• 3:30 - 4:00 pm Grade 7 

Thursday, April 21

• Faculty Out:
• Nate leaving early at 2:30 pm - James to cover advisory 
• PM Advisory 2:25 - 3:10 pm (all Grade 7 & 8 will have had a SH already today)
• Please use as you best see fit 
• Grade 8 special meeting (more information at the GLTM in Wednesday)
• Males (those who identify) - USB Atrium 
• Females (those who identify) - Library
• MS Track early dismissal at 2:05 pm 
• MS Faculty Meeting 3:15 - 4:15 pm - CANCELLED  Please use this time to prep for IB visit and ensure all materials are submitted. See here for the MYP To-Do List 

Friday, April 22 - PD Day 

• The tentative schedule for the day can be found at 2020-21 MS Schedule, tab PD Day 04.23.21

Action Items

• New:
• MYP To-Do List: This is the list that we have been using for some time now. Please review this and the Pre-IB visit list of items to be completed. Thursday's meeting has been suspended to allow folks to review this and make progress on any items that still need to be accomplished. Please see Angelica if you have any questions. 

• Notes from Conferences: Please make sure to add the following to your advisees before the next GLTM on Wednesday: 
• Anyone who did not have a conference or one is not yet planned
• Any notes that other teachers should be aware of.

• Continuing:
• Summer Work: As I mentioned at the MS Faculty meeting, please start to reflect on if you wish to give summer work. Traditionally, this has only been given in Math, LL and LA. At this point, I assume that these subjects will continue to do so. Here is the link to the template for this summer. Math, LL and LA, please add or delete as necessary. If you would like your subject to also assign work, please consider the following and then set up a time for us to connect: 
• The purpose of this work
• How this will be monitored and graded
• The consequences of students NOT completing this work 

• 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. 

Changes to the Week Ahead, Updates, & Reminders

• PD Day: The schedule should be finalized by the end of Monday. The tentative schedule for the day can be found at 2020-21 MS Schedule, tab PD Day 04.23.21

• Community Project Days: Monday, April 19, and Tuesday, April 20, our 8th Grade may not be on campus and will instead be completing their Community Projects. All regular 8th Grade classes will be suspended these two days. 
• Please see the schedule for supervision on those on campus at 2020-21 MS Schedule, tab CP 04.19.21
• List of students on campus

• Future PD:  
• Friday, May 14 - TBD & DEI 10:30-12:30 pm 

 

Sandra's PD Corner 

• I came across the author of this article on cruelty-free syllabi the other day and was struck by many things as I read and followed all the rabbit holes down which it took me (I summarized some of those here) about ungrading, creative syllabi and class norms, among others.  And I was again reminded of the Grading for Equity book (still available in the library, if interested!) and this upcoming virtual event (I'll keep an eye on prices, but if you think you might be interested, let me know!).  If you're looking for more book ideas for your students, NCGS and Alverno Heights Academy just curated a series of k-12 books (k-5, 4-6, 6-8, 9-12) that seem awesome - go to DEI Resources page -> "Title" and filter for "Books of Interest" and you'll get the 4 lists. There, you'll find books like the ones below (and so many more!):

  • K-5 Picture Books:

  • The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

  • Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres

  • Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist by Linda Skeers
    
  • Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhà Lai

  • 4-6 Chapter Books:

  • Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

  • New Kid by Jerry Craft

  • Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

  • 6-8:

  • One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

  • Not your All-American Girl by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

  • I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day

  • 9-12: 

  • The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL by Carolyn McCaskill

  • How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

  • Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

  • Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

  Next week, Wednesday is Rama Navami (Birthday of Rama) (Hindu), the Festival of Ridvan begins (Baha'i) and Hung Kings Festival (Vietnam). Thursday is Earth Day and also the first day of the Gathering of Nations Powwow which is virtual this year, and Friday is the Day of Silence "a national student-led demonstration where LGBTQ students and allies  all around the country—and the world—take a vow of silence to protest the harmful effects of harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ people in schools."

  
  

  As always, if ​​you have a suggestion for PD that you think might be interesting or you are looking for a particular TYPE of PD and wish for some targeted outreach, let me know here! (And I owe a couple of you an email, promise to reach out soon!) Link is also in the Idea Box in the F&S Teams. As always, the PD and DEI Resources pages continue to be updated. 

   

  Have Kudos to give for a colleague? Please let us know here, we'd love to shower some praise. This week's: QOTW: What is one fear you would like to conquer? 

  Enjoy the sun! 

Kudos

• To all the advisors for their extra effort on Friday. I know some of these conversations were hard to have, while others were a joy! Either way, it requires preparation and time to make these conferences meaningful for our students. Thank you for your effort and dedication to helping move the bar for our students. 

• Kudos to Ruth and Judy for all their work on Friday cleaning and organizing the MS storage areas. They tackled and cleaned up the cupboard under the stairs, the sump pump room, the odd little storage office at the end of the MS hallway near science, and the MS Faculty Workroom. Thanks to them both for being so eager to help and make our MS a nicer place to be!

Absent Students

• Follow this link for Anticipated Absent Students

The Month Ahead

• Monday, April 19, and Tuesday, April 20 - Grade 8 Community Project Action 
• Friday, April 23 - PD Day 
• Friday, April 30 - Civvies Day 
• Wednesday, May 5 - Friday, May 7 - MYP Virtual Visit 
• Friday, May 14 - PD Day 
• Friday, May 28 - Civvies Day