Thursday Thriller

November 19, 2020

Different ways teams were collaborating and sharing their work!  We are getting this, GMS!!!!

NUTS-n-BOLTS

1.  We have 2.5 days next week, it's a holiday and a pandemic 😒.  Feel free to take next week and do some fun team building activities with students, play virtual games, enjoy those little faces.  Take time away from the academics. NOT that you need it however some need to hear/see that you have permission to do this!! I'd love to join in.

2. Virtual Assembly - much like WA HI, we will put together an assembly and show it during 6th period on either the 16th of December or the 18th.  It will be about 15mins. Will is going to begin videoing the different snippets.  Here is what we have so far:

        1. Welcome
        2. Words/Quick talk from WEBS leaders
        3.  Winner of BEST FACE MASK (students will submit pictures of their best APPRORIATE :D face masks prior to the assembly)
        4. Staff Hula Hoop contest.  Who can Hula Hoop the longest.  We would have 4 staff members max be at least 7-10 feet apart with masks on in the gym for the contest.  The idea was to have  a teacher rep for each grade level and a classified staff member.  Any takers?  Email me! :D
       5. MYSTERY SINGER -  Students would have to guess who the staff member is.  WE HAVE OUR MYSTERY SINGER :D

       6.  Little something from WEBS Leaders
       Closing Staff Cheer

If you would like to participate, please email me.  The key is to have staff involvement.  Also, if you have other ideas, I'm open.  The goal is to do one assembly a month. 

3.  THANK YOU for doing an AMAZING job with getting your grades in!!!

4. Next Wednesday is a half day for students.  They are done after 3rd period.  I'm sure Wade will give the 'you can leave after the kids leave Zoom' speech.  Stay tuned

5.  As you are well aware, our cases of COVID are not declining.  We will most likely be in distance learning until Dec. 18th and limiting our exposure to one another compounds all of this. 

 Now more than ever, let's rally around one another to keep morale and motivation up!! Armida will be sharing a 'Secret Santa' activity, we have the assembly if you want to participate in. I have a Zoom Bingo idea you could do with your class.  Talk with one another just to reach out and ask how they are doing and to say hi; everyone has a different story.  

6. After quarter 1 you may be thinking of how to change up your lessons.  If you want to watch another colleague teach a lesson just to see what others are doing, PLEASE let me know.  I'd be HAPPY to cover your class!! Our profession can be one of isolation.  However, through Zoom you could pop in and out of several teachers classes to see how they are teaching via Zoom.  Seeing what colleagues are doing can give you a little inspiration and put a little 'skip in your hop.'

7.  THANK YOU so much for turning in your grades on time!!  WHOOP!! WHOOP!!!  Yes, I am saying it again! :D

8.  I haven't been out and about popping in to say hi in person.  I'm respecting your space and trying to limit exposure.  

9.  Again, your feedback is important BOTH from certificated and classified staff members.  

10.    ZOOM BINGO -my friend Rob Ahrens at Pioneer is doing this with his staff.  The goal is to have fun, capture EVENTS NOT PEOPLE and promote a little friendly competition.  If you would like to participate, here is your BINGO card.  We will play until we have 3 bingos and a black out.  There are of course prizes. STUDENTS DO NOT KNOW we are playing because if they did then they might help you win. :D  If you want to play, send your BINGO card my way when you have a BINGO or Blackout. 

11.  Here is a calendar of times that we will be holding a Zoom 'Lunch Bunch.'  If you would like to join, I will send out the links prior.  We are going to send post cards and phone calls to each grade level.  Going to do some fun activities, students who show up will get their name in a drawing and hopefully making some connections. 

SOMETHING to PONDER

Jen sent a new podcast my way.  I have been listening to a new one each morning.  Two teachers, married couple, young, vibrant and enthusiastic!  They got this old geezer pumped up!  LOL  Ideas that stood out to me in this podcast  Episode #007 More than Just a Cheerleader were:

    1. Leaning on people who are good for you.  An accountability partner-not just someone who says, "Yes" to you all the time. People who challenge you.

    2. Asking for help DOES NOT MAKE YOU WEAK!  Just the opposite-makes you stronger because when you have asked for help you have now accomplished something you weren't able to do before.

    3.  Celebrating others-30 day challenge.  Not necessarily celebrating those people you like.  Multiple people you can celebrate.  

    4.  They talk about going through their marathon and how they helped each other through this marathon. 

    5.  Showing up - being the best version of yourself with people who lift you up. 

I think about 1-5, and really, the entire podcast about lifting each other up, rolling up our sleeves, and making each other better.  We need each other. :D  

Hope you find a gold nugget when listening. 

QUOTE

"Leaders (teachers) set the bar for what they expect, not the followers (students).

Little Humor

This is 9:21 minutes BUT it will make you laugh!!! Highlights are 00:11 to 00:31, 1:19 to 1:47, 2:44 -3:20, 3:42-3:56

 Thursday Thriller
November 12, 2020

SHOUT OUT to JAMI, SUE and KARA!~ I don't have a picture but what I do have are some facts:

1. Running NJHS virtually! Induction ceremony, weekly meetings and working to have students do service hours as part of being in NJHS.  THANK YOU, to both SUE AND JAMI.

2.  Jami is working with Will to do some short videos or teasers to get students excited to participate in the reading challenge coming up.  Kara checking out the books to students, putting those in bags and getting those to the office.

3.  Engaging students by throwing out there the Hardest Math Problem submission contest.  Thank you, Jami!

So many of you do  things that are above and beyond your regular duties all for students!  I love doing Shout Outs each week!!!

NUTS-n-BOLTS

1.  Please make sure grades are posted no later than Wednesday, November 18th at 3:30.  When you have posted your grades, email both Ashley and me.  THANK YOU!

2    If a student receives an F, there needs to be a comment on the report card

3.    We are not mailing report cards.  We are asking families to look at Skyward.  If a family needs a paper copy, we are asking they contact the office.  We will print and mail them one. 

4.  Depending how long we are in the RED phase, materials will be taken to homes on Wednesdays.  If you would like something delivered to a student's home, place the materials in the office, on the table right there as you walk into the office by TUESDAY END OF DAY.  Student's NAME AND ADDRESS must be clearly written on a piece of paper attached to the materials.  Bus drivers from the transportation office will be delivering these items.  They DO NOT have ACCESS to look up a student's name and address if the paper get's lost AND the first people they would call are Ashley and Armida.  They have enough on their plates so make sure you stick the name and address on whatever needs to be delivered really well. 

Students in our self-contained classes that are now learning through packets -those will be delivered on Fridays.

5.  Idea brewing like a strong cup of coffee!  What if we (Cesar, myself with the help of the WEBS students) did a virtual assembly?  One for each grade level-15 mins long.  We would literally have the assembly in the gym with Will filming.  If WEBS students were involved, they could film themselves and send it to Will to post.  Just thinking of some fun ways, non academic that we could spread some GMS Spirit.  Will we catch all the students?  Heck no BUT we will get a few to tune in.  Open to ideas and anyone who would like to help plan and participate.   Thinking from 2-3 on a Friday in December.

2nd CUP OF STRONG COFFEE..a virtual Activity Hour.  Students choose a link and go hang out-maybe it's Mindcraft,  maybe its coloring club, maybe its virtual games.  Again, TOTALLY open for ideas.  This would be 2-3 on a Friday.  IF students 'signed' up virtually and maybe the 'coloring' club was going to color certain things, we could get materials delivered.  I KNOW you may be rolling your eyes and thinking, "What in the hell is she putting in that coffee?"  It's a heavy lift BUT Cesar and I are willing to lift it and make it an easy lift for you. 

Here is a Google Doc to add ideas.  We heard from many families that students being able to socialize is really what is needed.  We get it.  Not everyone has a cellphone, parents don't know how, don't have time to set up Zoom meetings between friends and we want to encourage socialization via at a distance so we can get back in person!

6. Teddy Bear Tea

7.  With the ending of 1st quarter, I'd like your feedback.  It will be anonymous.  Feedback will help me grow as a leader. We weren't taught how to lead in a pandemic, LOL, thus, learning from mistakes is helpful.  I just need to know what those mistakes are AND if something I have done well has been helpful that would be good to know, too.

I would appreciate your anonymous feedback on this survey. This is something I want to do not anything Wade, Chris and/or the GC Team has asked me to do; I would like your feedback.

  

Something to Ponder

"To Be Young, Gifted and Innocent" by Alexs Pate.

Expanding my reading to learn and get better both personally and professionally.  I mentioned that as an Ad Council we are reading So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, 

It is a hard one for me, I'm not going to lie.  I have wanted to throw the book across the room several times.  BUT it's good for me to wrestle with my feelings, thoughts and understand a person of color's view point.  

The article above, To Be Young, Gifted and Innocent is one I found in my inbox from ASCD.  Our country is at a pivotal point in which we are/will be forced in a good way to discuss race, equity, and access AND to wrestle with our own feelings.  To me, I have to understand my beliefs and thoughts or at least I think I do before engaging in thoughtful conversations. 

Hope you find a couple of gold nuggets.  

Quote

If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"  -John Wooden

Little Humor

These made me giggle😆

 Thursday Thriller

November 6, 2020

SHOUT OUT to CONOR and our PARAS!!! They have transformed this room into 'their' area! 

NUTS-n-BOLTS

 1.    Our paras are going to begin on Monday the 9th working with students in small groups in the afternoons.  There is a link spreadsheet for you to look over.  Our goals are twofold:  1) Support students identified with IEP needs in their gen ed classes 2) Plus more in reading for students identified through SBA as a level 1 or 2 and iReady 25% and below.   Paras will be using Read Naturally three days a week and working with students on catching up, understanding and helping with gen ed assignments (TITLE/LAP identified students.  Students in sped will not be receiving Read Naturally instruction since they have specially designed instruction already).

Here is the spreadsheet.  If a para educator is assigned to your classroom, there are either special education, ELD or Title/LAP students in your class that could use the extra support.  Again, if you don't know how to use a para educator please ask!  NO SHAME!!! We want this to be a trifecta win! Win for you, win for students and win for the para!

2.  Here are two snapshots of data regarding the COVID cases in the surrounding area along with a calendar.  The packet pick up refers to elementary and for our SEL/RISE students.  This is information so you are able to digest it yourself as well as answer any questions that come your way.

Our trend is well above the 400 marker.  Our 3rd wave exceeded the 2nd wave only community to do this, and we have had a 5x increase in three weeks.  Keeping our fingers crossed the cases will go down, we will start to move back into the Orange phase and eventually maybe a hybrid model. 

3. Grading timeline:

4.  Garrison Student results from survey (131 responses)

These graphs represent STUDENTS.  YOU TEACHERS are ROCKING IT!!!!! GREAT JOB!!!

This was from one of our parents sent to Wade and the School Board:

Dear Dr. Smith,

 

I would like to send along a belated expression of gratitude for a remarkable start to the school year!  The speed with which the Walla Walla Public School District put together a truly effective distance learning program was impressive, and it is a testament to your skilled leadership, as well as to the hard work of administrators, teachers and staff all across the district. I have spoken with friends across the state and across the country whose school districts were not nearly as successful at putting together such a well thought out, comprehensive program.

 

My son, Theo Gryler, is a seventh grader at Garrison this year.  I can’t sing praise enough for the Garrison principal, staff, and every single one of his teachers.  I know you and all of our school district team has been working exhaustively to make this happen.  Many thanks to all of you!

 

Nicole Gryler

Thanks for working so hard!!!

5.  

Yesterday's pick up!  Thanks to Kara and Jami for organizing.  We still have some materials left.  We will get those delivered hopefully Friday.  From now on, if we have materials (non-sped packet materials) that need to be delivered we will have deliveries on Wednesdays.  Sped -packet materials will be delivered on Fridays. 

SOMETHING to PONDER

I received an email from a student today needing help.  Said he was stressed out and not passing his classes.  I of course responded and connected him to his counselor. What made me pause was this student reached out to me.  The story I am telling myself is, "This student trusted me enough to tell me they were not doing well." ALL of you have a similar story and plethora of times former students, athletes you coached, students you tutored, etc. have reached out to you, sent you an email, called, texted just to say, "Hi."  or "Thank you."  or even "How are you?"  Whatever the situation may be you have made an impact and are leaving a legacy.

In this podcast, the question that made me think was, "At your retirement, if someone who had never met you was giving your farewell speech and they had to talk to colleagues, students, etc what would they say?  What legacy are you leaving?"  

We don't get to choose the words or moments students remember.  This is even true for adults.  As the leader, I don't get to choose the words or actions you remember so what I give you better be my best and honest self. 

All of was want to be the best we can for students.  Who doesn't wanted to be called, "The best teacher I have ever had!"  "The best coach EVER!"  I had a tough interaction today during Coffee with the Principal that revolved around biases and race.  It doesn't matter what degrees I have earned, positions I have held, committees served, etc. non of it matters because my legacy is how that parent felt/feels during and after our conversation.  Did I leave a legacy with that parent that they felt heard?  Respected? And is willing to come back to the table to talk some more?  That's my legacy.

Now, I have SCREWED up my legacy with SO MANY teachers, staff, students and families so many damn times.  I'm getting better. Thank god! :D In a time when the feeling of unrest is around us, what will your legacy be?

QUOTE

Little Humor

Growing up, my dad would always harp on me about being gentle around the house; don't slam the door, push kitchen drawers in with your feet, slam things around.  This video made me laugh because our oldest, Madi, has a lot of her mama in her with 'being aggressive' LOL