June 8, 2020

By gaston_e  

We are in the final week of this incredible strange, challenging, remarkable, and historic time with this class of students. I don’t know about you, but I left our staff meeting energized, grateful, and even more committed to deepening my understanding and growing my courage to continue and expand our work in becoming an anti-racist school, staff, and community. Madison is an incredible place and I look forward to how we can make it a more inclusive and aware environment for all who spend time there.

  • Focus Slides for Monday Linked here are slides to share with your class tomorrow. It’s also in the Distance Learning folder. It includes the schedule for this week, info about tech/book/instrument turn in, 8th grade graduation, and the Bitmoji Where’s Waldo. *I’ll add the Bitmoji slide at 8:30 am tomorrow to give those who want to add their image a bit more time. Please refresh the slides or grab the link right before you join your Focus class so you have the most up to date slides. Thanks!
        
  • Lunch Help This Week – If you’re able, we’d appreciate some help with lunches this week. With the furlough day for many classified staff Monday and technology turn-in Wednesday and Thursday, we’re stretched a little thin with lunch support. Join us at Awbrey Park from 10:45-12:15 if you’d like to help. Basically we bag up food items and hand them out to families. It’s so great to see kids in person! 
         
  • Repeat: 8th Grade Promotion Event – We will hold our 8th grade promotion event on Wednesday, June 10 from 5-7 pm. We will use the drop off loop and set up tables for each Focus teachers. Kids will be asked to come in a half hour window based on their last initial and pull up at their focus teacher’s table. They will receive their promotion certificate and a candy lei. If you’re able to join us to celebrate our 8th graders, please do! If you want to make signs or dress up, feel free. We want it to be as fun and celebratory as possible. We will be observing social distancing, so no hugs or high-fives will be permitted unfortunately. Our messaging will include a request that kids sit on the passenger side of their car for the full celebratory experience. *Kids may also drop off their iPads and charging cord at this time as well.

    There is a possibility of rain Wednesday evening. If you have a pop-up tent you’re willing to bring in case of rain, we’d appreciate it! We need at least 7 of them to ensure everyone has a dry spot to hang out in. Thanks!
             

  • Repeat: Licensed End-of-Cycle Goals Reflection DUE – Teachers will be required to submit a goal reflection document in Talent Ed, but are not required to reflect on their original goal, which may not be possible now due to the statewide school closure. Teachers may: (a) provide a reflection on either their original goal or distance learning, or (b) state that “Due to the pandemic in 2020, the district did not require completion of the goal reflection.”
         
         
  • Last Call! Bitmoji Fun – If you haven’t yet, please consider adding your bitmoji to our “Where’s Waldo” slide. We have 19 staff members on it so far. There are directions with the slide and I’m always happy to help if you need it. The slide will be ready to share with your Focus class on Monday for your last meeting together. Here’s what it looks like right now.     
         

  • Show, Don’t Tell: Decolonize Your classroom, syllabus, rules, and practices – This quick list from Liberated Genius suggests ways to create school spaces that actively promote social justice. Ideas include co-creating class expectations that focus on what students can do rather than what they can’t, discussing contributions of people from different cultures and including “hidden figures” in math and science, displaying images on the walls that accurately represent people of color and women as the majority of people in the world, connecting social movements to students’ lives, and intentionally selecting speakers from marginalized populations who are not only experts in the field but who also champion social justice in their work.
         
  • Schedule of Upcoming Events:

June 8 (M) 
     Furlough Day (192 & 196-Day Classified Staff)
     8:00, WorkShare Claim Form Extended Deadline (8am @ Ed Center)
     9:30am, Focus Class meeting
     11-12:00, Madison Staff does Student Lunches at Awbrey 
     1-2:45pm, Last Zoom with periods 1-3

June 9 (T) 
     11-12:00, Madison Staff does Student Lunches at Awbrey
     1-2:45pm, Office Hours on Zoom with periods 4-6

June 10 (W) 
     Last Day of School 
     9:30, Zoom with 8th graders
     10-4pm, Technology Drive Thru Drop Off
     11-12:00, Madison Staff does Student Lunches at Awbrey
     4pm, Attendance due
     5-7pm, 8th grade promotion 

June 11 (H)
    Grading Day
    10-6pm, Technology Drive Thru Drop Off
    11-12:00, Madison Staff does Student Lunches at Awbrey

June 12 (F) 
     Furlough Day (Licensed, Admin, Classified 10, 11, & 12-month)

June 26 (F) 
     Last work day for administrators and 10 & 11 month classified staff

                     July 22 (W)
                     Middle school secretaries report back

July 24 (F) 
     Middle School Administrators report back

September 1(T) 
      Licensed staff report back
  
September 2 (W) 
     Classified employees report back

If I don’t see you this week, have a fabulous and much-deserved summer break and hopefully we’ll all get to see each other in person in the fall.

With much appreciation,
Erin


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