Information/Updates:
1. A sincere thanks to everyone for the hard work and focus that you have put into the following documents. I can see the growth in our district as we put our agreements into action: Simplify and Focus, Thinking vs Compliance, Pressure and Support, the Power of Co, the Integration of Leadership and Management and the Elimination of Silos. Please see below for updates regarding our next steps for each:
a) Your School Learning Plans: I am booking appointments (called Monday Morning Monitoring Conversations) for each Monday from 8:00-8:30 and 8:30-9:00. For these first conversations, we have been speaking about your School Learning Plans. Please ensure that your SLP is posted to the D2L so that we can read it while we speak. To date, Will (DPS), Shelley, Debbie, and Michelle have met with me. Please be sure that you have engaged in a self-evaluation using the Required Components of the School Learning Plan; what is especially important is the Success Criteria for the plan. Please ask yourself if someone were to walk into the school, is the criteria specific enough that they could find precise examples in the classrooms? Please take time to focus on this as the success of the plan depends upon everyone having a clear view of the target (especially as you start out – it will change however if your team doesn’t know what it looks like to begin with, they will be lost as they try to implement changes over time).
b) Your Problem of Practice Reflective Document: These should now have all been sent to Nancy and Dave. I will also be reading them to support you in your thinking. Please also send them to me.
c) The Cohort/Prediction Conversations – I am using these tomorrow in anticipation of questions that I may receive from the Board of Trustees. Thanks for your hard work in completing them. I will also be asking for details regarding the intervention plans for students not at level 3 yet, and especially ALL grade 7 students in math!
d) Inquiry Applications – some of you have completed the applications for the entire school learning (thanks), some for specific projects, and others I have yet to hear from. Please contact me! Schools should be learning together! A document with codes and capturing all applications will be sent to you as soon as I receive approvals – you will note that some schools are receiving more funds – this occurs when the whole school is involved in the learning! Have a look and ask questions of me! I want this to be transparent.
2. Progress Reports – please use the Guide to Writing Report Card Comments as a reference point – this should be reviewed immediately with your staff (the progress report parts) to ensure that expectations are clear. This will save you a ton of time once they are submitted on October 30. If there are changes or sections are unclear, be sure to let me know via email! Be sure that the secretaries have populated the classes.
Upcoming Events:
October 22 – Primary and Junior Math (see Kathleen’s email)
October 24 – PD Day (please be working together to organize the structure of this day)
October 22 – 3:30-4:30 – Wednesday Operational Teleconference
Modelling the Conditions for Learning 