January 20th – 24th, 2020

 WEEK AT A GLANCE

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Dear Colleagues:
At our Administrative Council meeting yesterday, we had the opportunity to spend time browsing through a wide selection of books Edgar had placed on the tables around the room.  We were asked to go from table to table and check out the books to find books that…
  • You are drawn to. Why?
  • You feel like every elementary/middle/high school classroom should have. Why?
  • You feel like our community is not ready for. Why?
  • You feel like some educators would feel uncomfortable with. Why?
  • You wish was in your library growing up. Why?
As I walked from table to table to find my book of choice, I paused to look at my colleagues as they worked their way through pages trying to get a sense of the stories in the many chapter and picture books in preparation for our share.  In many cases, spontaneous conversations erupted and books were clutched and held close to the heart, clearly at risk of becoming personal possessions.  Then came the time to share. The connections were personal and powerful referencing culture, being an immigrant, being different or celebrating female and other-than-white heroes, just to name a few.  As I listened to the connections made book after book I was reminded of two speakers from the day before at Teachers College, Sara Ahmed (Author of, Being the Change) and Dr. Sonia Cherry-Paul (Author of Breathing New Life Into Book Clubs).  Sara Ahmed shared the following quote, “…”controversial” topics are around every corner. With respect to our professional being ever-mindful to the hearts of our students, let’s reframe this and change the term “controversial” to just “relevant” topics.”  Dr. Sonia Cherry-Paul in her discussion about what “Culturally Relevant Pedagogy” is and is not,  addressed what she called “Holidays and Heroes History Month” otherwise known as “Black History Month.”  I use this to segue to a very relevant topic. You may have noticed that I have never encouraged pumping our curriculum during the month of February with stories about Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks as is the practice in many schools around our country. I believe it is important to study and understand the life’s work and the history of African Americans not only as a study of Black History but as American History.  When engaged otherwise, we run the risk of presenting this rich history from a very narrow point of view dashing opportunities for learning about the richness of a culture and cultivating a healthy concept of what it means to be black in America.  Oprah Winfrey recently said in an Instagram post, “I have a wonderful phrase that Maya Angelou wrote in one of her poems. It said ‘I come as one, but I stand as 10,000.’ I’m doing that right now… I don’t reserve it for one month. I believe that Black history is a part of every day, every life, every year, all the time.” Here are links (link 1  Link 2   Link 3) to a few articles with some perspectives on the topic.
Yes, it’s a three-day weekend! A special weekend, when we pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Enjoy the weekend!
Sharon

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Chaperoning: If you are interested in chaperoning at the any of the following evening concerts, please let me know. Chris, Enrique and Lindsey would be grateful.

  • Band/Orchestra Concert on January 22nd at 7:30
  • Chorus Concert on February 11th at 7:30 p.m.

Special Education Discussion: On Monday we had the opportunity of sharing and discussing the Special Education slides prepared by Eric. The slides guided us in looking at an overview of the district’s special education philosophy, current numbers and trends and also provided an opportunity for feedback to help inform decisions moving forward. At the next School-Based Grade Level/Subject Area Curriculum meeting, scheduled on January 27th,  you will have the opportunity to engage in small group discussions guided by the questions shared in this link.  Your feedback is invaluable and will help to develop the best structures to support the wide range of learners in our classrooms.

Artist In Residence (AIR): Amy Ludwig VanDerwater will be with us the week of February 24-27th (February 28th has been reserved if necessary for a snow date). Sharon and I will be meeting with the AIR Committee on January 27th and will share the plans and schedule with you once they have been finalized.

 

DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE

November Parent Letter.

Link to Greenacres Visitors’ Form

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Band Concert – Wednesday 1/22 @  2:15 p.m.

Orchestra Concert – Thursday 1/23 @ 8:45 a.m.

Social Committee Breakfast 1/23

See the calendar:

 

GREENACRES GALLERY 

Can you see the face shows the thrill from persevering and succeeding?

KITCHEN DUTY:  Responsibilities

 

 

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