ISY Elementary School Faculty Blog
Here we go again!
Mike Simpson
18 September 2020
I really enjoyed the meetings we had online discussing our enduring understandings and essential questions for our Quarter 2 units. Many connections were made and I know we have the got the makings of three great units. But now we have to make them!
We will start this planning process next week by creating scope and sequences for each unit. I will send meeting invites out as follows:
- Tuesday, 2:00-2:40pm: Grades 2 & 3
- Tuesday, 2:45-3:25pm: Grades 4 & 5
- Tuesday, 3:30-4:10pm: Grades PK, K, & 1
- Wednesday, 2-3pm: Specialists*
The goal is to have a planning document shared with you on Monday for you all to review and assign roles. On Tuesday, we will discuss the planning document to make sure we know what needs to be done and who needs to work with who.
The following week we will start developing weekly lessons. One step at a time but we will be stepping quite quickly!
Creating these units is a very complex task during a very uncertain time. But the late Dr. Ken Robinson would suggest that this is the perfect time to reimagine what education looks like.
Feedback from Parents and Students
Through your efforts, we enjoy good support from our students and families. There are the odd comments around technology but the overwhelming need that both families have is to feel that the students have a connection to each other and to their teacher – through learning or just as people.
This is to be expected and this is why we now send home weekly family reports. We need to keep finding ways to keep connecting with our students.
I know our CLO coordinators are scheduling extra meetings to connect with students. I also know that our synchronous teachers are reaching out to students after 12:30pm as needed. Please keep doing this. It is appreciated and will help keep students engaged and connected as move forward.
This week’s Elementary Family Blog focuses on the importance of connection and it will interesting to see if the feedback we receive from today’s family survey still focuses heavily on this.
Upcoming Events
October 5-9:
WASC Online Accreditation Visit
Previous Elementary School Posts
Elementary School Faculty Blog – December 10, 2021
When students see others sharing their ideas in a less than perfect situation (and having fun doing it), they realize that they don’t need to be perfect to make a valuable contribution.
Elementary School Faculty Blog – December 3, 2021
Someone a lot smarter than me is supposed to have said a long time ago that knowledge is a belief tied down by understanding.
Elementary School Faculty Blog – November 26, 2021
We all have a lot to be grateful for but it would be fair to say that things haven’t exactly gone to plan over the last couple of years.
Elementary School Faculty Blog – November 12, 2021
Every lesson needs to start somewhere but it does not need to end there. By using one culture or history as a starting point, a lesson can still be inclusive of all of the cultures and histories in a class.
Elementary School Faculty Blog – November 5, 2021
The answer to my question was ‘Yes.’ Yes, you really can stretch and do yoga while eating an ice cream…
Elementary School Faculty Blog – October 29, 2021
Parent Teacher Conferences on Wednesday!