10.29

Hi All,

I hope that this weekend's sunshine gave you a moment to get outside and get some vitamin D. On Saturday we spent the morning at the park and got to celebrate a dear friend's wedding in the evening. I was reminded of how important it is to surround yourself with those who bring you joy and to share your happiness with them. This week I'd like to challenge you to let a colleague know (note or in person) something that they do that brings you joy. 

Staff Shoutouts:

• All staff for stepping up to help us fill in missing parts of P.E. coverage and for supporting all students in my absence on Tuesday/Wednesday. 
• Ali and Marcus for all the extra support with the Halloween celebration on Friday evening. 
• Kirby for stepping in to sub for Kim. 
• Michelle for staying the course, you're rocking it! 
• Jess and Karen for supporting our kiddos. 
• Annalissa for giving me the heads up that the snake was eating :)

News and Announcements: 

• PLC's this week will largely work on some Jen P. training 
• We are seeing an increase in behaviors across multiple settings. Remember that it's crucially important to revisit classroom expectations, model, practice and reteach skills that are expected throughout the day. Behavior is muscle memory so kids need reminders and practice!
• Student Engagement--A few of you are focusing on interactive learning structures and increased student engagement for your goals. Check out this article on ways to get kids talking to each other about their learning.
• Movement Activities for Refocusing--This is a great article about movement and how it can be used intentionally to refocus students. Give one of these a try! 
• Inservice 11/10 will be a full day for support staff. We'll get a day to focus on our learning and connection. We will have a variety of tasks, here's an overview of the topics: Humanity and Justice, Supportive Teacher Language, Self-Direction, Community Building. A more detailed schedule will be shared with you forthcoming! 

What's Happening at Berlin?

Monday	3/4 PLC Meeting 10:50-11:50 1/2 PLC Meeting 12:15-1:15
Tuesday	5/6 PLC Meeting 9:45-10:45
Wednesday	IIW Meeting 8:30-11:00  *Interventionists Out  K PLC Meeting 1:55-2:55 Staff Meeting at 3:15
Thursday	SST Meeting 8:15-9:15 PK Meeting 11:30 PTNA Meeting 6:00-7:00
Friday

Where is Celia?

Monday	Student Meeting 8:55-9:30 3/4 PLC Meeting 10:50-11:50 1/2 PLC Meeting 12:15-1:15 ILT Meeting---1:00-2:30  *Meg, Kerra and Jen are in the building
Tuesday	PBIS Meeting 8:00-8:45 Student Meeting---9:45-10:45
Wednesday	Check In with Lucia 9:30  Meeting 10:00 Principal's Meeting w/Meg 12:15 K PLC 1:50-2:50 Board Meeting
Thursday	District Safety Team Meeting---2:00-3:30
Friday	Student Meeting---2:00-4:00

10.22

Hi All,

I hope that you all had a good weekend. While it was a rainy one, sometimes time inside is productive and much needed. Quick Update: My father in law is doing well at a rehab facility in NH. He's making slow progress but all is heading in the right direction! 

This week I will be out on Tuesday/Wednesday to finish my Waddington Leadership Cohort. I have reached out to my admin team to see if someone can provide backup to our building...stay tuned! I will send notes and plans for staff meeting and PLC's. 

 Staff Shout Outs:

• Shoutout to Amy Young for the wonderful cards for K students to log into their chromebooks! The QR codes make life so much easier.
• Lori and Doreen for keeping everything together in the front office! 

News and Announcements:

• Reporting: Friendly reminder that as educators we are all mandated reporters. If you reasonably suspect child abuse or neglect, a child reports something to you that believe may abuse/neglect you are legally required to make a report within 24 hours. The 24 hour clock starts from the first time you first observed or received information about the suspected abuse/neglect. If you have any questions about this please let me know. You can also re-veiw the video that was shared with you in Vector during our mandatory trainings. 
• Reminder: Emergency Sub Plans. Each staff member must have a set of "Emergency Sub Plans" on file and accessible. These plans would be used in the unlikely event of an unplanned or emergency absence. They should include: class list, general plans, emergency protocols and any important student information (pronouns, behavior plans, etc.) 

What's Happening at Berlin?

Monday	3/4 PLC Meeting 10:50-11:50 1/2 PLC Meeting 12:15-1:15
Tuesday	5/6 PLC Meeting 9:45-10:45
Wednesday	K PLC Meeting 1:55-2:55 Staff Meeting at 3:15
Thursday	SST Meeting 8:15-8:45 PK Meeting 11:30 ***Photo re-take day
Friday	Trunk or Treat @ BES 5:00-6:30

Where is Celia?

Monday	Student Meeting 8:45-9:30 Check with Meg--9:30 3/4 PLC Meeting 10:50-11:50 1/2 PLC Meeting 12:15-1:15 Goals Meeting--2:00 Meeting---3:45
Tuesday	OUT OF BUILDING
Wednesday	OUT OF BUILDING
Thursday	PK Team Meeting---11:30  Student Meeting---2:00 Goals Meeting---3:00 Student Meeting---3:40
Friday	Student Meeting---1:00

10.15

Hi Team, 

I hope that you all had a great weekend. My father in law went under for an additional surgery today due to complications from a hip replacement last week. We're not totally sure at this point when he will be home or what his care plan is post second surgery but I will let you know if it impacts my availability for you all as soon as I know! At this time it my biggest guess is that it would impact my afternoon availability if anything. 

Also, I've got some health stuff that we're trying to get to the bottom of. I will be out Wednesday morning for a doctor's appointment and should be back 9:30. 

Hiring Update: We are waiting for board approval of the position. We need to have the BCBA position approved by the board even though we are seeking grant funding. Stay tuned! If you're interested in being on the hiring committee please let me know!  

Staff Shout Outs:

• Hi! I wanted to let you know that today I saw a few outstanding examples of staff members stepping in and up while you were away. They were calm, quick, available, highly professional , and effective in attending to students who needed some assistance.  Of note, Michelle  Meachem, Amber B., Betsy and Kirby.
• Katherine McCauley for working so hard to help a student feel successful. 
• Jess E and Kim Knapp for working hard to make WIN most effective for their students. 
• Doreen and Lori for making me laugh on a daily basis! 
• Ali for helping me with a smelly situation in my office :) 

News and Announcements:

• We will use 20 mins of our PLC time this week to take the 2nd acadience training. We will also do some Jen P work during out staff meeting. I'm trying to pull something together so we can get caught up. Celia's version of Jen 1.25!
• Consequences:
• Recess- Keeping students in from recess to make up work or practice a skill is something that should be used infrequently and should not be used for more than 10-15mins maximum.
• Why? Students need to move. Additionally, if this is something that is happening frequently for one student we should strategize about what the student(s) need to feel more successful.
• Other times to consider for make-up/practice work? Lunch, snack, early morning, choice time.
• If you haven't sent me your goals and made an appointment or re-scheduled because I was out or busy please do so by the end of the day Monday. 

What's Happening at Berlin?

Monday	3/4 PLC Meeting 10:50-11:50 1/2 PLC Meeting 12:15-1:15
Tuesday	5/6 PLC Meeting 9:45-10:45
Wednesday	K PLC Meeting 1:55-2:55 Staff Meeting at 3:15 **Kickball/Tag Tournament
Thursday	SST Meeting 8:15-8:45 PK Meeting 11:30
Friday

Where is Celia?

Monday	Student Meeting 8:55-9:15 9:15---Goals Meeting  3/4 PLC Meeting 10:50-11:50 1/2 PLC Meeting 12:15-1:15 1:15---Goals Meeting  1:50---Goals Meeting  3:00---Goals Meeting
Tuesday	Out of the Building----WCLT Meeting
Wednesday	Doctor's Appointment 7:45---back by 9:30 Check In with Lucia 9:30  Meeting with Jennifer Chambers 10:00 Goals Meeting-11:00  Principal's Meeting w/Meg 12:15 Student Meeting 1:00  K PLC 1:50-2:50
Thursday	Union Check in---10:00  11:00---Capital Projects Meeting
Friday	Goals Meeting---10:00 Goals Meeting---11:30 Student Meeting---1:10  Student Meeting---2:45-3:45

 

10.9

Hi All,

I hope that you enjoyed this rainy long weekend. We got to meet the newest family member, Wilder Burke Dakers.

While the rain was disappointing the company wasn't too bad. This will be a quick but busy week. I want to acknowledge that the Israel-Hamas War may have a wide range of impacts on our students. Here are a few resources that may be helpful for you in your classrooms, please take  peek at them if you are going to engage in a conversation or if it is brought up in your classroom. 

https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/how-to-talk-about-the-israel-hamas-war-resources-for-educators/2023/10

https://www.sdcoe.net/about-sdcoe/news/post/~board/news  

Staff Shout Outs:

• From a colleague---I want to give a huge shoutout to Kirby!  He is always so willing to jump right in and help whenever he can.  He’s such a great addition to our staff!! 
• Freddie Cousins for stepping in and covering recess duty last week. 
• Chuck and his team for moving shelves and keeping the building looking top notch!

News and Announcements: 

• Calling All Members----Equity Team Meeting. Anyone is is interested in supporting this work as a school committee is welcome to attend---please let me know if you'd like to be on this committee.  

• Goals---your Annual Goals Form is active in Vector. Please make sure that you fill out it out with a minimum of 2 goals for the year. Once you've completed the form please share it with me and then make a meeting with Lori for us to chat about them! This meeting needs to happen by the 15th of October. Thank you to those of you who have already completed this task. 

• Please review the PLC coverage schedule. 

Meeting	Coverage
Kindergarten Meeting Wednesday 1:55-2:55	Marc Chamberlin and Amy Young will bring students back to class and as Coverage runs from: from 2:35-2:55 Jess Heinz will provide additional support/coverage
1/2 Grade Meeting  Monday 12:15-1:15	Coverage needed from 12:45-1:00 in all classrooms.  Maring— Jennifer Chambers Turcotte— Amy Young Rob— Danny
3/4 Grade Meeting  Monday 10:50-11:50	Coverage needed from 11:35-11:45  McCauley—Amber Burnell/Marc Chamberlin/Jess? Wagner— Karen  Richardson/Downing—Michelle Meacham
5/6 Grade Meeting  Tuesday 9:50-10:50	Coverage will be needed from 9:45-10:00 in Jessica Egizi’s room.  Jessica Heinz will cover from 9:45-10:00 in Jess Egizi’s room.

Special Statement---Pronoun Usage/Equity Policy

I want to share with you the Equity Policy that was adopted by our district on 6.21.23. This was adopted last year and I wanted to ensure that you all had an opportunity to read through it. It’s my understanding that you’ve already engaged in some pronoun work with a student group last year so some of this may be review. 

As we think about how to best support all of our students I wanted to highlight the following statement from the policy: The Washington Central Unified Union School District is dedicated to taking concrete actions that provide a safe and supportive learning environment that is free of barriers; one that affirms the identity of each of us and acknowledges and celebrates differences to create a sense of belonging for each person connected to our schools. 

I wanted to highlight this because it’s in direct alignment with our identified BES values or belonging, family and inclusion. I want to recognize that we have students in our building who are choosing pronouns that may differ from what you might expect. It is our legal obligation via Title IX, district policy and our professional responsibility to use the pronouns that the child has identified. 

I share this recognizing that changing the pronouns that we have used in our speech for a long time means that we will make mistakes. We are all human and it’s our job to ensure that we correct those mistakes with others when we make them. Naming your mistake and correcting it in front of that person allows them to feel seen and affirmed.  

We are lucky that we get to live in a place of the world that honors individual differences and students and families are allowed to express themselves in a way that honors and feels right to them. We know that the suicide and depression rates for children and people on the LQBTQIA+ spectrum are significantly higher than their cisgender, heterosexual peers. 

Our school community will be a place that supports all students by using a child’s identified pronoun by choice. Using pronouns that do not align with a student’s identified gender is a type of microaggression, which is an indirect, subtle discrimination against a marginalized group. If we make this choice we are adding to the isolation of a marginalized population and that doesn’t align with the values that we set forth at the start of the year. 

It is our job to create belonging for each student and abide by the district policy that has been adopted. If you have questions or would like additional resources to support your learning and your classroom environment please reach out and let me know. 

What's Happening at Berlin?

Monday	No School
Tuesday	5/6 PLC Meeting 9:45-10:45
Wednesday	K PLC Meeting 1:55-2:55 Staff Meeting at 3:15
Thursday	SST Meeting 8:15-8:45 PK Meeting 11:30
Friday

Where is Celia?

Monday	Floating Holiday**
Tuesday	SPED Meeting 8:15 5/6 PLC Meeting 9:45 11:00 Student Meeting 11:30 Goals Meeting  1:30 Goals Meeting 2:15 Finance Meeting with Susanne
Wednesday	Student Meeting 9:00 Meeting with Jennifer Chambers 10:00 Goals Meeting-11:30  Principal's Meeting w/Meg 12:15 Student Meeting 1:00  K PLC 1:50-2:50
Thursday	***Out all Day---PBIS Conference***
Friday	Goals Meeting---9:00 Student Meeting---11:00 Goals Meeting---11:30 Goals Meeting---1:05 Vector Meeting---2:00-3:30

10.1

Hello All,

My apologies for the late blog post. Rowan is fighting an ear infection and she was struggling after I put her down. This resulted in me drifting off in our rocker with her...thus...here I am. I hope that you all enjoyed this fall weekend perfection.

Since the school year has started we've had quite a few students struggle behaviorally. I've been in the thick of it and it's been exceptionally challenging to get the other parts of my job done. I appreciate your patience and support as we've been navigating through this.
Given this challenge I have been advocating for our students and for our system as a whole to add a position to support our current behavior team. Luckily, we work in a supportive and understanding system. My advocacy has prevailed and we have been approved for a Schoolwide Behavior/SEL Coordinator. In an ideal world this person would have BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) credentials and be well versed in teaming and leadership. We are looking at a few different avenues of funding, including grant funding for this position. You will see it posted as "anticipated" early this week. I am thrilled and am hopeful that we will be able to fill this position. Please see the job description below:

Berlin Elementary School seeks a dynamic, caring, highly motivated and skilled behavioral support professional to join our Pk-6 teaching team. 

This individual would work closely with classroom teachers, grade-level special educators, paraprofessionals, school counselors, and others to determine areas of need, create, model and monitor behavior plans and provide wrap-around support to students and, when applicable, their families. 
This individual will also work closely with school leadership teams to design and strengthen Tier 1 behavioral systems across settings, provide training and support classroom teachers with student behavior in the classroom. 

Lastly, a strong candidate will have experience in interpreting and using data to make evidenced based decisions to support all learners. This person will help lead discussions and provide insight into trends in behavior data that is collected.

Credentials	Skills
BCBA preferred M.Ed or Bachelor’s Degree in Education or Psychology Extensive Behavioral Training  HHB Training   Leadership Training  Act 173/MLSS Systems Training/Skills  Understanding of Responsive Classroom and PBIS  Understanding in application of Trauma Informed Practices	Student Centered  Collaborative  Communicative  Systems Oriented  Willing to work as a team player  Strong listener  Detail oriented  Strengths based thinker

Staff Shout Outs:

• Kate Rob for her flexibility and support of student needs.

• Betsy for a listening ear. 

• Michelle Meacham for stepping in to help PK when her student left early 

• Lisa W for floating and supporting so many students. 

• All staff for pulling off an amazing Open House

News and Announcements: 

• Calling All Members----Equity Team Meeting. We will be meeting Monday at 8:15. Anyone is is interested in supporting this work as a school committee is welcome to attend. 

• Time-Out Reminder This is a great quick-read PDF version of what asking a child for a Time Out/Time Away/Reset can look/sound/feel like. 

• Be thinking of where your "buddy classroom" will be this year. We will collect this information later. Here's a quick refresh on what the "buddy classroom" is and how it can be useful to you as a teacher. 
• Goals---your Annual Goals Form is active in Vector. Please make sure that you fill out it out with a minimum of 2 goals for the year. Once you've completed the form please share it with me and then make a meeting with Lori for us to chat about them! This meeting needs to happen by the 15th of October. Thank you to those of you who have already completed this task. 
• Reminder: NO SCHOOL 10/09 Indigenous People's Day
• At Staff Meeting on Wednesday captured the coverage that is needed in order to make PLC's successful. We noted that this isn't ideal but it necessary in order to make the meetings run smoothly for this year. As we think about scheduling next year we will work hard to have a different system (like potential double special blocks) in place. 

Meeting	Coverage
Kindergarten Meeting Wednesday 1:55-2:55	Marc Chamberlin and Amy Young will bring students back to class and as Coverage runs from: from 2:35-2:55 Jess Heinz will provide additional support/coverage
1/2 Grade Meeting  Monday 12:15-1:15	Coverage needed from 12:45-1:00 in all classrooms.  Maring— Jennifer Chambers Turcotte— Amy Young Rob— Danny
3/4 Grade Meeting  Monday 10:50-11:50	Coverage needed from 11:35-11:45  McCauley—Amber Burnell/Marc Chamberlin/Jess? Wagner— Karen  Richardson/Downing—Michelle Meacham
5/6 Grade Meeting  Tuesday 9:50-10:50	Coverage will be needed from 9:45-10:00 in Jessica Egizi’s room.  Jessica Heinz will cover from 9:45-10:00 in Jess Egizi’s room.

What's Happening at Berlin?

Monday	3/4 PLC Meeting 10:50-11:50 1/2 PLC Meeting 12:15-1:15
Tuesday	5/6 PLC Meeting 9:45-10:45
Wednesday	K PLC Meeting 1:55-2:55 Staff Meeting at 3:15
Thursday	SST Meeting 8:15-8:45 PK Meeting 11:30 ***Many staff members are out this Thursday to attend a CPI Training. We will be stretched thin to support all students. All hands on deck kinda of a day :) ***
Friday

Where is Celia?

Monday	3/4 PLC Meeting --10:50 1/2 PLC Meeting -- 12:15 9:30 Student Meeting  1:00 ILT Meeting (Kerra, Jen and Meagan)
Tuesday	5/6 PLC Meeting 9:45 11:30 Student Meeting 2:45 Student Meeting
Wednesday	Student Meeting 9:00 Meeting with Jennifer Chambers 10:00 Principal's Meeting w/Meg 12:15 Student Meeting 1:00  K PLC 1:50-2:50 School Board Meeting 6:15
Thursday	Union Check in 10:00  PK Team Meeting 11:30
Friday