Welcome Back, Arts Fam.
My Thursday Drive to Work Thoughts:
Well, here we are. Back into it, like we never left. I have to say, I stay away from political posts, platforms and the like, especially in charged times like these, but Wednesday's events in the capitol of our nation really took me to a dark place. After spending the night watching the news, I kept reflecting on how this impacts me, my family, our team, our kids, our city, as I figure many of you are in this same head-space.
This morning, while driving to work, still thinking about it, I was also planning my day in my head- the usual: what meetings do I have, who do I need to check in with, what do I need to get done, how can I help this person, and that person. And then I thought, ugh, it's January. Cold, short days. I'm tired by 5. I need to get a run in today. Will I have time? January- dark at 4:45PM.. Ugh.
And then I thought again- JANUARY. I only have a FINITE AMOUNT of Januarys on this Earth. Runs. I will only be able to do this until one day, I can't. Work. One day, I will miss the busy-ness, the commitment, the challenges. As I got to the 4-way stop, I had a split second choice. Go or wait- hit the gas, or wave the other guy on, and let him go. So, that's what I did. He seemed surprised- actually paused, wide eyed, and then gave me a big "THANK YOU!!!" wave, and headed on his way.
And I thought, hmmm.. a small, micro-second choice- I gave someone the right of way, and they were grateful. And then, I turned my music up, and kept on going. The world felt a little lighter, the sky brighter. I'll keep that. As a nation, we have huge problems to solve, wounds to heal, but as individuals, if we can commit to kindness, reflecting that our time on this planet is finite, and our collective impact, so great- we can each make an individual impact on the world around us.. being the light-up-someone's day, the you-go-first, the I'm-so-proud-of-you for someone. As teachers, you facilitate content, but also model "adulting" for our kids. Remember, in September I gave us an "acronym" for our work this year?
CAN. Commit, Acquire and Navigate. Funny how it still rings true today. Commit to being there for each other, for our kids and colleagues, family and friends. Acquire- Man, have we acquired new strategies this year!! And Navigate.. we have had to learn pretty quick how to navigate new worlds- in all realms of our existence. - Together, WE CAN do this.
In the Arts This Week
In PLC:
- We discussed the plan for Semester 2 Supply Requests- please email me your needs by Jan 15 so I can get those orders filled. Take an inventory of what you have first, and then let me know what you need restocked.
- Student work- Don't forget to be mindful about where you are saving artifacts as you collect things, whether F2F or remotely. If you need to demonstrate growth for your evaluator, make sure you are not leaving that to the last minute and be smart about how you will store/save it. Example- some Art teachers are using Student Portfolios so that the student is responsible for storing their work online in the folder, and the teacher and parent can look at growth over time in this folder. Also, consider saving examples of how you give feedback to students for improvement. Please let me know if you need any one on one time for support as you plan for these formatives!
- Art will be spending some time working on building out the platform for their school based Virtual Art Gallery
- Music will be collaborating to identify pieces and build a plan (timeline, docs, components, etc) for the roll out of a virtual choral performance for the spring.
- Quaver- We did some trouble shooting with Quaver, and Marilyn Prodnick was so kind to allow us to record her while she demonstrated how to's. See the video here: LINK
- Band and Orchestra: We discussed the potential for a summer camp for band and orchestra- both for beginners and continuing musicians. The goal would be two-fold: one- to get new students into the program- rising 4th, 5th and 6th graders can start a new instrument. And two- to give the continuing musicians time to play together and "reconnect" to their ensembles through their love of music. Teachers will be working on this plan during the PD day February 5th.
I have been conducting remote observations this week, and will continue to do so for the remainder of this temporary block of time. Thank you for inviting me in and allowing me to be a square on your screen! I will normally take notes and screenshots, and sometimes will use Screencastify to capture the "what" that is going on during the class. I then will share the raw notes with you as an attachment in TeachPoint. This old dog is learning new tricks! :) One year plan teachers need 3 observations, and two year teachers need 1.
Calendar:
- 1/18- MLK Day
- 1/19- K-8 Return to Hybrid
- 1/29- End of Sem 1
- 2/1- Start of Sem 2 and return to Hybrid for 9-12
- 2/5- PD Day, no school for students
- 2/12- Chinese New Year (in case we need a do-over by then)
- 2/15-19- Winter Break
Well, that's a wrap for this week!
-Jackie ❤👆
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