The "Wonder" Precept of the Day
If you want to go quickly go alone. If you want to go far, go together. ~ African Proverb
Gratitude
Thank you to everyone for two great days of working together and learning. I am looking forward to growing with you this year. We covered a lot of ground in the past few days and I am appreciative of how everyone stuck with it and your active learning. I heard some great insights into the work ahead. Thank you for your commitment.
Book Recommendation
I am currently listening to "Between the World and Me" written and read by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It is a 2015 book written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and published by Spiegel & Grau. It is written as a letter to the author's teenage son about the feelings, symbolism, and realities associated with being Black in the United States. (Wikipedia). It is an incredibly powerful read. There are excerpts on the institution of school that we will listen to as a staff and think about what it means for our learners. If you have not yet had a chance to read it, I highly recommend it.
Social Media
Keri and I are trying to increase Lee Academy Pilot's presence on social media. Keri is taking charge of our Facebook page and I am working on our Twitter presence. My personal Twitter which I use for everything is @JLFortuna_EdD and our Lee Academy twitter handle is @LeeAcademyPilot. No one has tweeted from our account since December 2016. Does anyone know who "owns" the @leeAcademyPilot Twitter account? I think this will be a great way to communicate with both families and the community about the terrific work our community of learners is doing!
View from the District
If you follow me on Twitter you may frequently see the #JUICE. The new superintendent brought the 5 Core Values, this acronym represents, to Boston. The letters represent the following:
- J=Joy
- U=Unity
- I= Inclusion
- C= Collaboration
- E=Equity
In addition to these values, Dr. Cassellius has identified the following 5 goals to guide the work of the district:
1. All Hands on Deck: End conditions of childhood poverty
2. Raise the Bar — Close Gaps: 1st in nation to close gaps
3. High-Quality Schools, Every Neighborhood: Parents’ 1st choice
4. Every Student Ready: 100% graduated & launched successfully
5. BPS in Top 10 Best Places to Work in Boston
Swap Meet
Unwanted yet usable classroom items will be left outside of the Teacher's Room on the second floor. Please stop by to browse for anything you need. Unclaimed items will be removed from the school on Tuesday by 12:00 pm (noon). Please bring all unwanted classroom items to this location so that they can be easily removed from the building.
Mice
There seems to be a slight uptick in the number of mouse sightings in the school. Truly I would think they were cute if it was not for the tail (ick). Please keep all food in your classroom in tightly sealed containers. I would recommend glass but I understand if you do not want to have glass around young children. The plastic should still be a deterrent though be mindful that mice can chew through the plastic as well.
Hiring Update
I believe that all staff members have met Zoraida Camacho our new school secretary. Zoraida brings a wealth of experience with her to this position. She has worked on the transportation customer service team and most recently in City Hall collecting taxes. Zoraida is fluent in Spanish which will be a huge asset for us! Please be patient with the two of us as we learn the ropes from you. I can imagine it is a bit unsettling having two newbies in our positions but we promise we will learn fast. You know the routines and structures that are in place and we will learn from you.
Samantha Betti will be our new nurse starting on 9/23/19. We will have a coverage nurse to start the year. Samantha is a nurse practitioner who has experience in both the pediatric ICU setting and hospital administration. She most recently has served as an early intervention case manager. Her experience working in people's homes fits in with our vision of engaging families as partners. Samantha is committed to holistic wellness and will be a great asset to our community.
Ordering Update
Keri is in the process of delivering the items from the spring supply order that you submitted. Given the office transition nothing else has been ordered, yet. Zoraida is at training today and will be ready to go but the transition in the office has put us a bit behind. The good news is that WB Mason delivers in almost 24 hours. We will get you what you need but I want to be as transparent as possible with you regarding where things stand and why there may be a delay.
Blueprint for Learning
You received a copy of the Blueprint for Learning via email on 8/27. I am pleased with the connections between the items on the plan and our focus priorities that this document will illustrate for us. The expectation is that each grade level will have completed the objective and tasks through January on their document by 9/16. I understand that a few of you have questions and ideas after looking at the document during planning time today. I am looking forward to discussing these and thinking through them with you.
Nothing is carved in stone. You can update and refine to better reflect your growth towards our goals throughout the school year. As a school community, we will revisit and refine this structure around the midpoint of the year.
Due Dates
9/16: Grade Level Blueprint for Learning
