Week of November 14th

UAI Staff News

Volume IV

Issue 11

Week of November 14th, 2016

This Week's Memories

Last week was definitely one for the history books... and yes, I mean that literally!  On Monday, we all stood hopeful and inspired by the almost assured prospect of having our first female president. Being a school aimed at empowering young women, this was a big deal for UAI!  By Thursday, the world flipped on it's head and I was working with our best and brightest students to help them navigate being called the n-word while returning to UAI from the advanced college courses.

Racism is not new.  Sexism is not new.   The future for our young girls is even more complicated, now.  So, last Thursday, I sat down with Ms. Mara and Ms. Vanessa from Girls Inc. and discussed the event.  In the end, their grace, reflection, and spirit came up with the idea of a social media campaign. Tired of having everyone else tell them who they, the ladies of Group X are putting together their own pictures and blurbs to tell the world who they are.  Here's a sneak peak at Fatima's blurb:

I Define Me

Fatima Ejaz, Class of 2018

Who am I? Who are you? You are somebody to me, but I am nobody to you. I ask these questions everytime my soul touches the burning fire of hatred. Then I throw myself into an even more dangerous chasm of questions: Do the answers to these questions change me more or less? I am Fatima, which means a lot to me but is my name just more than just a name tag? 

"I am me" is way beyond banal to describe me! Yes, I am a  beautiful person, but beauty is obviously not comprehensive enough! As a human being, I inherit the very normal and common qualities of other normal human beings. However to myself, I am much more than just a normal human being: I am the like the waves of the ocean, serene, the Sun everyone must revolve around, the flaming curiosity of the universe.

Well as a 16 year old, I believe I can not define me, but I know the raw inside me. Honestly, I don't want to be defined. But if I go about defining me, I can definitely say that I am a girl, a tall and insecure girl, a tall and insecure, Muslim Pakistani girl, and the list goes on girl! 

To Do's for this Week

• [WEDNESDAY, 16NOV16] Schedule all Advisor SLCs.  All SLCs must be scheduled by Wednesday at 3PM.  If you do not have a working number, please see Nancy in the main office for the blue card. If no working number exists on the blue card, please note that in the comments section on the SLC Appointment sheet.  CLICK HERE to access the appointment sheet.

• [WEDNESDAY, 16NOV16] Grades are Due.  All grades must be submitted no later than 3PM on Wednesday, 16NOV16.  Do not be late.  Turn around for report cards is tight.  Ms. Jennifer already emailed you all directions for PADs and grades.  Ms. Jennifer will email you all the final report cards when she is complete.  Advisors should print report cards for their advises and distribute during SLCs.  

• [THIS WEEK and all weeks] Attendance Phone Calls.   Many of you are doing a wonderful job in making sure you get your calls complete.  Some are still not consistently making calls. It's been nearly 10 weeks since school started.  All teachers should have routines in place that enable them to complete calls, and enter them in Skedula before the days' end.  If your advisees do not make it to 2nd period on time, you must call home and enter the call into Skedula. Please make your calls to avoid getting a letter to file.  More importantly, please make your calls so that our families can see that we care.

• [THIS WEEK] Benchmark I.   CLICK HERE for resources (including schedule and groups) for Benchmarks.  Please review schedule with classes prior to Thursday.

Announcements

Gradebook Reminder -  To comply with DOE academic policies, we must archive our gradebooks. Please download your MP grades from Skedula.  CLICK HERE for directions on how to download your gradebook.   CLICK HERE to upload those gradebooks to our UAI google space.  Please make sure that you name your gradebooks as follows:  YOUR NAME_CLASS_GROUP_MP1_2016_17

Attendance -  Soon, you will be receiving an email regarding attendance.   Our attendance is slipping, and we need to stay on top of those calls to kids.  The attendance committee met if you have students who are severely absent (e.g. <85% attendance), you will no longer have to make calls home.  These cases will be handled at the school level. You'll be receiving an email shortly as to who those kids are.

In place, we're asking you to double down on your students who are at risk of becoming chronic (90-94% attendance) or who are chronic absentees (80-89%).  Please make sure that you not only call home when an advisee doesn't make it to 2nd period on time.  Also, make it a point to check in with her when she does return to school.  If kids know we care, they find ways of coming!

SEL Updates

No new SEL updates this week.  So, I'm going to use this space to pay homage to one of the greats. As if last week could get any worse, Leonard Cohen died.  Here's one of my favorite from him.

Add this calendar to your own!  See that little "+" sign in the bottom right hand corner?  Click on it to have it show up in your personal google calendar!

Per Session Posting

No New Postings This Wek