COVID 19 5/7/20

Appreciation

Lindsay: I appreciate your keeping me out of hot water with the union. I have come to look forward to our faculty senate debriefs because we are partners trying to solve a problem.
Anthony: I appreciate your honesty and integrity and willingness to help our boys on their journey to manhood.
Danielle: I appreciate your ability to take kids where they are and focus on their positive growth. You stay unruffled even when they are pushing your buttons. 
Jackie: I appreciate your take-charge attitude and how you face problems head-on.
Meredith: I appreciate your ability to plan a fundraiser that has a great cocktail involved. Seriously, I appreciate how your heart and soul goes into your work and how you feel for your students.
Ms. G: I appreciate how steady you are. When something needs to get done you do it. You work long days with our kids but you do it with love.
Eleanor: I appreciate how you have balanced motherhood and this demanding work. I know that it is not easy but you somehow have made it work.
Lizbeth: I appreciate how calm you stay even when our friends make it difficult, you are there next to them. They know you are on their side.

District Messages:

Expectations for teachers and staff interested in providing testimony @ City Council: 

A well-informed dialogue around the district’s budget benefits our students and schools within a process that includes all voices. I understand that some educators are interested in testifying and want to respect their choice to do so through the public debate process. The gist of the message below is that teachers must take personal time from work if they provide testimony during teaching time.

Our first priority is our students and delivering remote instruction to them during this difficult and unpredictable time. Ensuring predictability and remaining consistent with expectations we have set will provide stability to our students.  Accordingly, provided the City Council's public hearings do not conflict with the employee’s remote work expectations, teachers may attend and participate in those hearings. Consistent with the parties’ Paid Leave provision in the collective bargaining agreement and how the district has responded in prior years, if a teacher would like to attend and/or participate in a public hearing that conflicts with their workday, they may request to use accrued personal time to excuse their absence.

 As a reminder, if a teacher does not have accrued personal time, or does not want to use personal time, the teacher may still participate in the process by submitting written testimony for the record or attending the hearing scheduled for May 26, 2020, at 6 pm, which is specifically dedicated to public testimony as well as a May 28, 2020 hearing at 6 pm, which is also specifically dedicated for public testimony for any City of Boston department.  

Parent Meeting

As you know we are planning a family support meeting so parents do not feel so isolated or alone as they try to navigate our current reality. I am asking that you post the following message on the platforms that you use to communicate with families either today or tomorrow:

Dear Families, 

As parents and teachers, the Lee Academy family understands how stressful this time may be for you. We would like to offer the adults in our families some time and space to share concerns, successes, and to have questions answered. Lee Academy will be hosting a virtual meeting on May 14th at 4:00pm so that our families can come together. We hope that you can join us at this link on Thursday, May 14th at 4:00pm. If you would like to submit questions or concerns ahead of time to be sure that they are addressed please email Dr. Jodi at jfortuna@bostonpublicschools.org. 

Queridas Familias:
Como padres y maestros, la familia de Lee Academy comprende lo estresante que puede ser este momento para ustedes. Nos gustaría ofrecerle a los adultos de nuestras familias algo de tiempo y espacio para poder compartir sus inquietudes, éxitos y tener respuestas a  sus preguntas. Lee Academy organizara unareunion virtual el 14 de Mayo a las 4:00 PM. Si desea enviar preguntas o inquietudes con anticipación para asegurarse de que aborden sus preocupaciones, pueden enviar un correo electronico a: Dr. Jodi:  jfortuna@bostonpublicschools.org. 

Equity Roundtable

I invited everyone to join our equity roundtable. This group will focus on the uneven distribution of school supplies, literacy, and math resources in our neighborhoods.  Your participation is VERY WELCOME but not mandatory.