January 31 2020

Mr. Browne's Precept

"There is no shame in not knowing. the shame lies in not finding out." ~ Assyrian Proverb

Honey- Do List 

Names of students for possible retention to Jodi- January 17th

Complete form with Cell Phone #- January 24th

Select a time for me to read to your class in Feb.-January 31st

Fly on in

 Voluntary homework meeting on Thursday, February 6th 4-5

 The Buzz in My Brain

As I write this (before I join you at the Bowery), I have so many thoughts that I cannot settle on one to write about. How do we do things radically different to capture the interest of our kids? Does it have to be radical? How can we support their mental health needs better? How do we support families that are working so hard just to survive? What is the most important priority of our work? How do I support my work family as you do this hard work? How can these beautiful children have such kind behaviors and 30 second later have such mean ones? Damn, I never got to write that letter. I am so happy that he had a good day. I can't believe he lied to me. I am so happy David saw him. Thank God for this team. There was always someone there when I needed them. Why am I so tired? The brain is pretty buzzy at the moment. 

Budget Update

We remain in a holding pattern for the budget. 

National African American Read-In

The National African American Read-In is the nation’s first and oldest event dedicated to diversity in literature. It was established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. This initiative has reached more than 6 million participants around the world. (NCTE Website)

I would like to propose that we have a Lee Academy African American Read-In on Friday, February 14th.  I know this is a quick turnaround but I literally just found out about this on Monday. 

There is a toolkit here. I am looking for some interested people to help plan what our day could look like. I am also trying to connect with the Frugal Bookstore in Nubian (Dudley) Square for some resources and perhaps to do a bookfair for our students and families. 

El Dia de Los Ninos, El Dia de Los Libros

This even we have a bit more lead-in for. El dia de Los Ninos, El dia de Los Libros is celebrated annually on April 30th.   April Children’s Day, Book Day are celebrations that unite communities. April book fiestas are held in libraries, schools, homes, parks, etc., often on or near April 30th. DIA is also used to mean Diversity In Action. This will be an opportunity for us to celebrate our Latinx students, families, and authors.

I would propose that we hold our own book fiesta on April 17th. Once again this effort has an organized planning effort. The planning booklet can be found here.

You may have noticed that each of these Fridays are a Friday before vacation. They will provide our students with an opportunity to celebrate literacy and have a great send-off for the vacation. 

Governing Board-Family Council

I am creating a meeting experiment. We are combining our Family Council and GoverningBoard meetings. Much of what we discuss in one venue is repeated at the other. I would also like the Governing Board with the expertise of our chair to think about ways to revitalize the family council. I am curious to see how it goes.