Staff Blog Update- January 13, 2022

Team -

And now is “sometime”!

We want to reiterate that you not only have permission but are highly encouraged to:

• Slow down the pace of your curriculum 

• Prioritize tasks being assigned

• Excuse students (quarantining) from tasks when possible

With ongoing care & appreciation,

Meg, Laurie and Duane 

Calendar:

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Appreciations:

Staff Member	Appreciations
Becky Busker	For her dedication to supporting one of our students during Nordic Skiing Meets
Kirsten Hubble	For assisting one of our students with Nordic Skiing Practice
Laura Wedel	For your creative, engaging lessons.
Kevin Quigley	For looking to the positive in all his students
Kate Strauss	For carrying the torch of Harkness at Harwood and fostering amazing skills - such as using evidence to support your point & student facilitated learning.
Brian Moody	For thinking outside the box and being creative in how we can best support our students

Safe - seen, heard, respected & understood:

Topics	Information/Links
1/17 Inservice Agenda	Will be Virtual - but the school will be open for those that wish to work in the building. Please find the agenda here.
COVID guidance Update	Clarity around next steps will be shared tomorrow based on Tuesday’s press conference.
When taking breaks please…	ensure students are NOT left unsupervised.

Rigorous & Robust Academic Program:

Topics	Information/Links
	We are conscious of the impact these trying times are having on everyone.  To that end, we are working to alleviate any additional stress by balancing our presence in the building vs. presence in classrooms. Please know our bright spots always include observing or engaging in instruction - so please never hesitate to invite us in.
504 Coordinator Update/Next Steps	Teachers can expect to hear from Allie early next week, regarding particular students who are now on her caseload. Next week, Allie will begin meeting with students to get to know them and begin collaboration with the teams. Allie’s office is located in the school guidance area, with Melody, Ellen, Rachel, Jen, and the school counselors. Welcome aboard, Allie!
End-Of-Semester Updates (from Jess Deane)	As semester 1/quarter 2 comes to a close, stay tuned for a detailed email and spreadsheet from me tomorrow. Flex Block - You will give each student a final, summative score on 10.02 on your pink sheet (as well as including any other summative scores on other indicators). These sheets need to be turned in by the end of the day Tuesday January 18th.
Staff Meeting  1/11	Objective:  To identify the plan for TA during the next month. Please stand by for a zoom link from your TA lead. Staff Meeting Calendar
Attendance Updates!!	You will notice some new codes/uses added to the attendance procedure beginning Semester 2: Teacher use of TU (tardy unexcused) and TE (tardy excused).  Please DO NOT use these for TA (as a reminder, this becomes the daily attendance and is updated by the front office) but you now have access to both these codes to use during any class time.  As always, comments and log entries expedite any communication.  This means you DO NOT need to turn in any blue slips used during the day. UXP  (Unexcused Absence - Parent Validated) - This new code will be used to differentiate an unexcused absence that a parent has “called in” from UX when we don’t know why the student is missing from class. D (dismissal) - This is not a new code but has not been used this year.  It will be pre-coded in a class from which a student will be dismissed.  After TA is completed, it will also be added to TA as a daily attendance code.
	The Aspirations Partnership is going strong- with lots of great work being done by the Steering Committee to look at data and examine how we support students in post-high school planning.  If you are interested in learning more or getting involved talk with VSAC Ellen or any of the Steering Committee members (Rachael, Sally, Maggie, Tara, Brian, Meg or Laurie) The Aspirations Student Advisory Board has created a survey for parents and guardians to gauge their interest and needs on supporting their students in post-high school planning.  If you’d like to learn more talk to Elaine Pan, Chloe Joslin, Tina Pan and Grant McCracken.

Positive school climate and culture:

Topics	Information/Links
Community Service Update	Please continue to log behaviors and class cuts: each class cut (leaving without permission or out for more than 10min) will result in 1hour of community service or after school detention. The student support team is following up with students/caregivers when we receive these logs. If you are subbing for a class that is not yours, please email HU Support Team with the log and we will input it into PowerSchool for you. Thank you to all who continue to communicate and partner with us in holding students accountable.
Academic Eligibility - Co Curricular	Melody/Jon/Chris are working on the details for academic eligibility and following up with student athletes who are at risk of not being eligible for athletics. If you have a student who lands on that list, and meets the criteria, be on the lookout for emails relating to next steps. Please note - the emails will start with just the TA/school counselor but follow up will include individual teachers whose class is impacted. More details and explanation to come.
TA	It is time to reflect back on the first semester! Here is a simple process to guide students to reflect on what has occurred and think forward about their hopes for the remainder of the year: Looking Back/Looking Forward Pose the following questions and provide time for each student to respond (passing is allowed of course!) Think back on the past semester.  What were some positive experiences that you had during this time?  What impact did those experiences have on you? Consider learning experiences as well as general life experiences.  What were some negative experiences? What impact did those negative experiences have on you?  What pieces of advice do you have for me, yourself or your peers to benefit from the positive experiences and improve on the negative? Feel free to document the conversation on a flip chart or offer students opportunities to write or illustrate reflections.