2.1

Hi All, 

I hope that all is going well and that you are staying warm. I'm grateful for the sunshine and also wondering why it needs to be so darn cold to be sunny! I wanted to take a moment to thank you all again for making Friday night so special for so many kids. We had a very full house and it was a lovely night of community. Look a the JOY from the faces of the PK kids watching dress rehearsal. 

I'm looking forward to another opportunity to bring our families together on Math Night, February 17th.

Observations from the Field 

• Saw lots of teachers meeting with students for lunches and playing with kids in practice 
• Teams problem solving to meet the needs of kids 
• Staff advocating for what is best for students 
• Staff showing excitement for thinking about school in different ways 
• Staff supporting families by giving them rides to performances 
• Creative problem solving to make sure families get the food that they need 

News and Announcements

• Gearing up for the DESSA
• If you could login to Aperture Education. Please check your class roster and report to Tim Couture if something is missing or needs to be added 
• Friendly reminder--- I'm working hard to respond to emails in a more timely manner. My time frame is to respond within 24 hours. If you need an immediate response off hours please call/text or check in with Lori and have her reach out to me. 
• You may have noticed that we have new partnerships with some Mental Health providers. This is apart of our newly defined approach to creating pathways to supports for students. This partnership does not cost the school any money, the school counselors are screened using out background check/fingerprint process and clinicians are required to take insurance. The approval of the partnerships is contingent on space in the building. If you have any questions please let me know! Please see the approach that was shared with our broader community: 

Berlin Mental Health Approach

Berlin Elementary School recognizes the need for families and students to have access to regular, supportive mental health care. Our School Counselor is always available to support students, help with resources and connect families with additional services.

When a student and family wishes to access services for longer periods of time, or with outside trained professionals, Berlin Elementary will assist and support by: 

→ Maintaining a current list of providers that accept insurance locally

→ Assisting with referral and waitlist processes  

→ Decreasing barriers to accessing mental health services by supporting students in connecting with clinicians during the school day 

At times, the best way to connect students with clinicians and ensure that necessary care is provided is to offer use of space in the building, and access during school hours. For this to happen, 

Parents inform BES School Counselor and/or Principal of need 

BES coordinates with family to align scheduling in the least disruptive way to student’s

learning 

BES Counselor and Provider coordinate care 

Marshall Memo 1122

• This week's quotes and articles come from School Administrator, The Monthly Dispatch, Transcend, Ithaca College, Shanahan on Literacy, Scientists in the Making, The Journal of the Learning Sciences, Principal Leadership, and Edutopia. The headlines:

  • Using GenAI as a butler, a thinking partner, and a sparring partner
  • A vision for effective schools in the age of AI
  • Phonics, structured literacy, and comprehensive literacy
  • Timothy Shanahan on when to start teaching reading
  • Unpacking Tier 3 science words so students understand
  • Using students' everyday knowledge in math assessments
  • Onboarding a newly hired administrator
  • How to handle a meeting on problematic student behavior

  If you want an HTML version of this week's Memo, please click here. To listen to a podcast of last week's issue (#1121), click here. For a podcast of this week's Memo, just log in at www.marshallmemo.com later this week and click Podcasts.

What's Happening at BES?

Monday 2/2
Tuesday 2/3
Wednesday 2/4	K-6 Teacher PD 8:20-9:20 Staff Meeting 3:10-4:45 Art Room  Board Meeting at U-32 6:15
Thursday  2/5	All School Meeting 2:55-3:25
Friday 2/6	Team Meetings K-2 Attendance/Behavior 3-6 Academics

Where is Celia?

Monday 2/2	Union Meeting 9:15  Growing Connections Planning 11:00  SPED Team 11:40  Student Meeting 2:30-3:15 Student Meeting 3:15-4:15
Tuesday 2/3	WCLT 8:30-11:00 **Celia Out until 11:30 Student Meeting 11:30
Wednesday 2/4	K-6 Teacher PD 8:20-9:20 WCLT Nuts and Bolts 1:00-2:00 Staff Meeting 3:10-4:45 Art Room  Board Meeting 6:15 at Calais
Thursday  2/5	Student Meeting 8:00-9:00  Celia and Susanne Check in 10:00 BES SST 10:00-10:45 Student Meeting 2:15-3:00  Student Meeting 3:45-4:30
Friday 2/6	Team Meetings K-2 Attendance/Behavior 3-6 Academic Student Meeting 3:45

1.25

Hi All, 

I hope that you all have stayed warm and are ready for the snow. This week will be busy with the circus residency and the potential of a snowday tomorrow. I wanted to apologize for any confusion that my day on Friday caused. I had agreed to support CO in the application process for a new Executive Assistant. I didn't communicate that absence/change well and I apologize! 

Observations from the Field 

• Deep care and commitment to ensuring that all students understand the impact of their actions on others 
• Use of restorative questions 
• Commitment to transparent communication 
• Teams working to be solutions focused

News and Announcements 

• Circus Residency-- I will let you know ASAP if there are any changes to the timing or schedule if there is a snowday tomorrow. 
• Intervention Cycle 3: February 2- April 10th. Interventionists will connect with classroom teachers to make sure that their needs and their student needs are met next week. 
• Any student who is receiving IEP services will have their services at the same time. 
• Interventionist will prioritize the collection of the LCAP data. 
• LCAP Data---Please ensure that all data is entered by Friday afternoon. We will utilize time in teams and as a whole staff to analyze and look at our progress. We have some exciting things to celebrate! 
• Please take a peek at these resources. Given the events in our country I want to make sure that you have resources to support students if questions come up. 
• https://www.embracerace.org/resources/the-fear-never-goes-away
• https://migrantjustice.net/resources ***Go to educator resources
• https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Publications-Research/Publications/ASCA-Resources/Support-Immigrant-Students

Marshall Memo 1121

This week's quotes and articles come from The Los Angeles Times, Education Next, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Kappan, Adrian's Newsletter, Dave Stuart Jr.'s website, American Educator, Edutopia, Principal, Hechinger Report, and Education Gadfly. Here are the headlines:

• Getting students to do the most important work in class
• Literacy skills for the 21st century
• A strategy to get middle-school students reading good novels
• Should students memorize facts when they can just Google them?
• How general education teachers can support English learners
• A daily leadership team huddle
• Keys to the school success of African-American boys
• Stop blaming single-parent families for low achievement
• What makes tutoring effective
• If you want an HTML version of this week's Memo, please click here.

To list to a podcast of last week's issue (1120), click here.

For a podcast of this week's Memo, just log in at www.marshallmemo.com later this week and click Podcasts.

What's Happening at BES?

Monday 1/26	HJC 8:15-8:45
Tuesday 1/27
Wednesday 1/28	K-6 Teacher PD 8:20-9:20 No Staff Meeting---Give Time to Attend Circus on Friday 1/30
Thursday  1/29	SPED/Intervention Meeting 12:45-3:30
Friday 1/30	Team Meetings K-2 Attendance/Behavior 3-6 Academic

Where is Celia?

Monday 1/26	HJC 8:15-9:00 Check In 10:30 SPED Team 11:40  PK Check in 1:45 Curriculum Council 4:00-5:30
Tuesday 1/27	WCLT Meeting 8:30-11:00 **Celia Out  Student Meeting 3:15 Student Meeting 3:45
Wednesday 1/28	K-6 Teacher PD 8:20-9:20 WCLT Nuts and Bolts 1:00-2:00 Verkada Training 2:00
Thursday  1/29	Student Meeting 8:15-9:00  BES SST 10:00-10:45 Student Meeting 1:00
Friday 1/30	Team Meetings K-2 Attendance/Behavior 3-6 Academic  Student meeting 2:15

1.18

Hi All, 

I hope that you've had a good weekend and that you are taking time for yourselves. I know there is a lot of sickness going around and that a lot of you are juggling much in your personal and professional lives. I see you working hard to show up for kids everyday and I am so thankful for you in that way. 

Remember that EAP is available and free. It's a great resources for a wide variety of things. You can call 24/7 888-834-2830!

Oberservations from the Field

• Many adults greeting students by name in the hallway 
• Adults going the extra mile to check in with a select students 
• Staff making extended learning opportunities happens 
• Folks being super flexible in making coverage happen 

Inservice

Agenda:    

• 8:00-8:15 Arrival and Settle In (Coffee available in cafeteria beginning at 7:45)
• 8:15-9:00 Welcome and Student Panel (Auditorium)
• 9:00-9:10 Transition to Small Groups
• 9:10-9:40 Small Group Work (Assigned Room)
• 9:45-10:25 Gallery Walk
• 10:25-10:50 Small Group Debrief (Assigned Room)
• 10:50-11:00 Break and Transition (Auditorium)
• 11:00-11:30 Student Panel and Closure
• 11:30 Adjourn

For more information please watch  this video to prepare.

All educators are asked to bring an artifact that shows evidence of implementing the new Education Quality Standards in your setting.  

• Educator statement card Template.  **There will be time to complete this Tuesday morning. 
• Sample statement card. 

Here are your Room Assignments where you will share you artifacts.

Paraeducator Staff: 

Here is your AGENDA for January 20th ESP PD

This was supposed to be completed by Friday but I imagine if you haven't done it doing it now would be beneficial! PD SIGN UP SHEET 

News and Announcements: 

• Reminder: No intervention services for the week of Jan 20th 
• Gratitude Stations: I will set up some stations in the school where students/staff can write "thank you" notes throughout the next two week
• As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we may also want to find ways to celebrate the "helpers" who made the civil rights movement possible. These neighbors, teachers, counselors, organizers, caregivers and friends did work now and are currently working together now. 
• Here are some great resources from the Embrace Race group on books with diversity and those that showcase kids as changemakers. 
• https://www.embracerace.org/resources/where-to-find-diverse-childrens-books
• This is a quick read about supporting all children who may have big emotions around race.
• https://www.embracerace.org/caregiver-framework/guides/support-children-in-processing-big-emotions-about-race-and-racism
• Here is the Professional Conflict Resolution Protocol in a document form that we practiced and worked from in staff meeting this past week.

Marshall Memo 1120

This might be a good time in the year to check out these Best of Memo website collections: Beliefs About Students and Students' Social-Emotional Development. Each has a super-curated collection of articles that you can preview, download as a PDF, or listen to. This week's quotes and articles come from Mark Twain, Kappan, The New York Times, District Management Journal, Independent School, Communique, and Edutopia. Here are the headlines:

• A driven educator reflects on Gen Z's approach
• Angela Duckworth on the fallacy of willpower
• Emotional regulation 101
• A California school works on shifting from grades to growth
• A Texas school's framework for addressing well-being
• Supporting students who have experienced trauma
• A school head and his son discuss artificial intelligence
• Books and ideas to boost students' writing
• If you want an HTML version of this week's Memo, please click here.

To listen to a podcast of last week's issue (#1119), click here.

For a podcast of this week's Memo, just log in at www.marshallmemo.com later this week and click Podcasts. A correction in last week's cover e-mail: the correct order of the top 12 publications summarized so far in the Memo by "classic" ratio should have been: Cult of Pedagogy, Kappan, Theory Into Practice, The Learning Professional, American Educator, The Reading Teacher, Educational Researcher, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, Elementary School Journal, Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk (JESPAR), and Educational Leadership.

What's Happening at BES?

Monday 1/19
Tuesday 1/20	Inservice at U-32 8:00-11:30  1/2 Day Grading in the PM  Paras stay at U-32
Wednesday 1/21	K-6 Teacher PD 8:20-9:20 **Joelle Visits in the Afternoon Staff Meeting 3:10-4:45 Art Room  Board Meeting at U-32 6:15-?
Thursday  1/22	SPED/Intervention Meeting 12:45-3:30
Friday 1/23	Team Meetings K-2 Academic 3-6 Attendance/Behavior Den Groups 2:50-3:25

Where is Celia?

Monday 1/19	No School
Tuesday 1/20	U-32 Inservice  Meeting with Steven 11:30
Wednesday 1/21	K-6 Teacher PD 8:20-9:20 WCLT Nuts and Bolts 1:00-2:00 Student Meeting 1:30-2:30 Staff Meeting 3:10-4:45 Art Room
Thursday  1/22	Student Meeting 8:15-9:00  BES SST 10:00-10:45 Student Support Meeting 12:30-3:30
Friday 1/23	Team Meetings Student Meeting 8:00-9:00  NAESP Follow Up 9:00 K-2 Attendance/Behavior 3-6 Academic Den Groups

1.11

 

Hi All, 

I hope that you enjoyed the milder temperatures and even got some vitamin D in this week. I want to take a moment to say thank you for all you do and did to make it a successful first week back after a break. Mary Oliver writes so beautifully and this poem spoke to the simplicity of gratitude for the sun and a slow pause to appreciate all that nature has to offer us. 

Observations from the Field

• I saw initiative-- a teammate saw something that wasn't working and took it upon themselves to create something the did all the things 
• Teachers greeting students with care, making eye contact 
• Adults solving problems at eye level with students 
• People stepping in and up to ensure that testing was covered
• People stopping by the office when their charge wasn't there to see what they can do to help
• Teamwork-- a group of parents and teachers working together to ensure a successful night 
• Questioning-- I saw folks asking clarifying questions when something didn't seem right. 

News and Announcements

• Don't forget to fill out this survey Math Night Survey
• Please take a look at the LCAP which has the Mid-year Assessments that need to be completed. 

• Upcoming Dates 

  • 1/20 Inservice 8:00 start at U-32

  • 1/15 All School Meeting 

  • 1/21 Joelle 1/2 Day Visit

  • 1/22 Den Groups

  • 1/26-1/30 Circus Residency

  • 1/30 BES Circus 

• Please see this announcement from VPA Leads this week:
• National Guard Educator Toolkit and Survey: As many are aware, the Vermont Air National Guard recently underwent a major deployment. Such events can cause significant disruption in the lives of military families, including students. To support students and families that have been impacted, the Family Readiness Program of the Vermont National Air Guard has developed a toolkit for educators, entitled “Hearts on the Homefront.” By completing the Hearts on the Homefront Educator Toolkit Survey, educators, childcare providers, foster parents and afterschool providers can gain access to a toolkit with a wealth of information regarding military culture, suggested supportive language for engaging with impacted students, and general considerations in supporting children through deployments, as well as information about the general impacts of having a military parent or caregiver. This toolkit offers a host of resources to ensure that our military children and families have the support they need as they maintain stability through deployment.

Please note: I am not aware than any of our families are directly impacted as of right now but I wanted to share this information in the event that it is needed for other branches of the National Guard. 

• Marshall Memo 1119

  It's time for my annual inventory of the publications from which I've summarized the most articles since beginning the Memo in 2003:

  • Education Week
  • Educational Leadership
  • Kappan
  • The New York Times
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Principal Leadership
  • Edutopia
  • The Reading Teacher
  • The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • Education Gadfly
  • American Educator

  Here's a different rank-order: the publications that have had the most "classic" articles so far - those I consider the best of the best:

  • Cult of Pedagogy
  • Kappan
  • The Learning Professional
  • American Educator
  • The Reading Teacher
  • Educational Researcher
  • Harvard Business Review
  • The New York Times
  • Elementary School Journal
  • Educational Leadership
  • The Chronicle of Higher Education

  This week's quotes and articles come from The New York Times, The New Yorker, Leadership, American Educator (more next week), Education Week, Experimental History, Teachers College Record, Elementary School Journal, The Principal Center, Language Arts, School Library Journal, and Cult of Pedagogy. Here are the headlines:

  • Are smarter people happier, and if not, why not?
  • Dealing with the emotional demands of teaching
  • Three school practices that help new teachers stick around
  • Instructional leadership and schoolwide systems
  • Integrating key components of early reading instruction
  • Is the LETRS program better than other literacy PD?
  • Grant opportunities for school libraries
  • Recommended tech tools

  If you want an HTML version of this week's Memo, please click here. To listen to a podcast of last week's issue (#1118), click here. For a podcast of this week's Memo, just log in at www.marshallmemo.com later this week and click Podcasts.

• Here is a signup for continued math PD with Curriculum Associates (iReady Math). If you click on the picture it should bring you to the link to sign up. If not, try this! 
• 
  
  
  

Crayola Creativity Week

Ready to bring even more creativity to your classroom? Horace Mann is a proud sponsor of Crayola Creativity Week where imagination takes center stage! Sign up for free and get: 

• 7 days of ready-to-use resources you can download immediately.
• Celebrity-led activity videos to inspire your students.
• Virtual classroom visits and giveaways to make learning even more exciting.
• Access to resources that support literacy, STEAM and social-emotional learning all
  year long.
• The chance to win a four-day, all-expense paid vacation to focus on your creativity, confidence and leadership or $500 in Crayola art supplies.
  

Sign up today Thank you for everything you do to inspire students each day.

What's Happening at BES?

Monday 1/12	HJC 8:15-9:00 SPED Team Meeting 11:40-12:10 Curriculum Council 4:00-5:30
Tuesday 1/13	Para Monthly Meeting
Wednesday 1/14	K-6 Teacher PD 8:20-9:20 Staff Meeting 3:10-4:45 Art Room  Crafting Shindig in the Library 5:30-7:30
Thursday  1/15	All School Meeting 2:55-3:20
Friday 1/16	Team Meetings K-2 Attendance/Behavior 3-6 Academic

Where is Celia?

Monday 1/12	HJC 8:15 Meeting 10:30-11:30  SPED Team Meeting 11:40-12:10 Student Meeting 12:40-1:10  Meeting 2:15-2:45 Meeting 3:00  Student Meeting 3:15  Curriculum Council 4:00
Tuesday 1/13	Student Meeting 8:00 Rowan Speech Make-up 8:30** Celia out from 9:00-9:45  Student Meeting 3:15 Para Monthly Meeting 3:30-4:30
Wednesday 1/14	K-6 Teacher PD 8:20-9:20 WCLT Nuts and Bolts 1:00-2:00 Student Meeting 2:15-3:00 Staff Meeting 3:10-4:45 Art Room
Thursday  1/15	Student Meeting 8:00-8L45  BES SST 10:00-10:45 Data Meeting at CO 1:00-3:00
Friday 1/16	Team Meetings K-2 Attendance/Behavior 3-6 Academic