Week of October 4th

UAI Staff News

Volume IX
Issue 6
October 4th, 2021

Principal Message

We've launched - now it's time to settle into our rhythm.  While we still have some kinks to work out of the program, we are now officially launched and through our first weeks of school.  The natural rhythm of each year has us beginning to settle into our routines with work, our students, and their families.

Now is the time to make sure those routines and habits are effective and healthy.  So, this week, as we wrap up the fourth week (and first full month) of school, take stock.  Check in with

• Yourself - what work routines and patterns are becoming established?  Are these effective, sustainable and efficient?  Take time to think about what that means for you (because individual folks have different things that work for them).  Are these routines and patterns working for you?  If yes, think about how you will maintain these patterns and routines... If no, think about one thing you need to change to improve.
  
  
• Your Students - How well are your students responding to your classroom community, lessons and instruction so far?  What has been the most impactful for them?  What change in order to improve?  You have some options here - you can do a whole class survey (google form), a small group discussion (Focus Group), or random samples (individual conferences).  Whatever works for you, gather some info from your students to see how your courses are going for your students.
  
  
• Your Co-Teachers & Classroom Paras - How do you feel communications are working among your teams?  How well are individuals on the team upholding and following through on shared expectations in the classroom and/or in planning? (OR in the firehose frenzy that was the start of this year - if you forgot to establish shared expectations - when and how will your team have that convo?). What are the bright spots in your collaborative work so far?  Why were they successful? What is the most important shift that needs to happen for October?  What will your team do to make that shift?  On the agenda for your next co-planning session, create time for a check in on these questions.
  
  
• Our School Community.  How well are we as a school community doing to create a physically and emotionally safe, inclusive and equitable learning environment?  Please take a moment to share your thoughts and insight on this BRIEF SURVEY.  I'll be sending this survey out on the first Monday of each month so we can track our development and progress towards goals.  We may not be perfect to start... but we're all on the journey towards growth and mastery this year.  

Checking in is a critical step to sustaining ourselves this year.  Please make it a priority for yourselves and with your students!

Committee Updates

No Updates this week.  We are still working on staffing committees.  Postings close tomorrow - committees will be announced in next week's blog.  There's still time to apply!

To Do

Google Classrooms.  October 1st passed, and that was the deadline set by the UFT and DOE for staff to have their Google Classrooms up and running.  I know most of you all have already done so, but I have been bad in reminding folks, so some may have fallen behind.  

As you know, students who are quarantined will be accessing Google Classrooms for their work and assignments while at home.  Now moving forward, we will begin to also use Google Classrooms to provide students work in class when staff are absent.  To that end, here's what needs to happen

• Generic Student Accounts.  Please add the generic student account to each of your google classrooms.  This will allow our out-of-classroom staff to support students who (for whatever reason) are unable to log into your Google Classroom with their own accounts.  It will also allow us to grab materials for students or families who are having issues with internet access.   Those generic student accounts are simply, "studentgrade6@uainstitute.org", "studentgrade7@uainstitute.org)", etc.. for students grade 6-12.  If you have students in multiple grades in your course, please add all the generic student accounts that apply.
  
  
• Parent/Guardian & Advisor Access.  Please invite parents and guardians and advisors to your google classrooms, too.  This will help them help you keep students on track in your classes.  You can find student emails on the UAI Roster Tab of the UAI Schedule.
  
  
• Share Google Classroom Codes & Links.  Please upload your Google Classroom Links and Codes to THIS DOCUMENT.  We'll be using this with the Instructional Leadership Team to help provide folks with support in organizing Google Classrooms, using Google Tools for rubric-based feedback, and communicating with students and families about feedback and grading.

Pacing Guides and Access to Lesson Plans.  If you have not already done so, now is the time to consider organizing your instructional tools in a UAI Pacing guide.  Folks who use the pacing guide share that this organization, while an investment at first, provides easy access to materials and pacing for future use (e.g. next school year).  Additionally using the UAI Pacing Guide makes lessons and materials readily accessible to planning team members so that collaboration and communication is maximized. 

Finally, as we begin to work in planning teams with your Instructional Leaders and as we begin to launch feedback and evaluative observation visits, we'll be needing access to lesson plans. Again, the UAI Pacing Guide makes all of those materials readily accessible

So, please use this Pacing Guide Template and upload your own Pacing Guide to this Pacing Guide Folder by Tuesday, 12OCT21.  If you prefer to store your materials in your own system, then please put lesson plans (and associated materials) into a single shareable folder and upload it into the Pacing Guide Folder by Tuesday, 12OCT21.   Please name your Pacing Guide (or shared folder) like:

• "YOUR FIRST NAME"_"COURSE NAME_SECTION"_2021-2022
• So - for example "Kiri_Chemistry_7_2021-2022"

Announcements

Monday PD, Tuesday Grade Teams, and Flex Time.  At the beginning of the year, I introduced the idea of flexible Monday and Tuesday time.  Essentially, our standard extended time on Mondays (80 minutes) and Tuesdays (75 minutes) will be used as follows

• Monday Professional Development Time (80 minutes)
  The first Monday of the month will be staff-wide PD focusing on maximizing inclusion and elevating teacher capacity to equitably support and teach our English Language Learners and Students with Learning Differences.   
  
  The Special Education and ENL teams have come together to create a Planning for Inclusion PD series to ensure ALL of our students have equitable access to class materials, lessons, and tasks.  
  
  All Monday time except the Mondays listed below will be teacher-directed planning time that can be remote or at school (teacher choice).  All of the following Mondays are in-person PD in the library from 3PM-4:10PM
  
• ELL Team (ILT lead - Kelly) Mondays:  
• 04OCT21 (Agenda), 06DEC21, 07FEB21, 04APR21
  
• For our First Monday's PD, the ENL team will begin this work by focusing  on the inclusion of ELL students through intentional use of teacher language.  We'll explore strategies to increase language access for students on presentations (Powerpoings, Peardecks, etc) and we'll discuss why it's essential to plan for a variety of students when creating student-facing documents of information.
  
  Please bring a student-facing presentation (Powerpoint/Nearpod/Peardeck) that you plan to use this week to the PD.  We will be revising and refining it to maximize access and inclusion for our ELL students.
  
  
• SWD Team (ILT lead - Phillan) Mondays:  
• 08NOV21 (1st Monday moved for special celebratory event), 
• 10JAN21 (the 1st Monday is right after break - bad timing)
• 07MAR and 09MAY21 (02MAY is EID - no school)

• Tuesday Grade Team Meeting Time (75 minutes)
  The first Tuesday of each month will be dedicated to Grade Team meetings.  During these meetings Grade Team leaders will lead teams through a review of attendance and will facilitate the team to develop and review impact of strategies used to improve student attendance.   After attendance business is complete, Grade Teams can also use the time to address any grade-specific business that needs to be addressed. Grade Team leaders will share agendas with Grade Teams.
  
  Outside of first Tuesdays, teachers should use the 75 minutes flexible (and remotely if they choose) to contact homes and do outreach about attendance or classwork/class celebrations.  Those first Tuesdays will be
• Fall Dates:  05OCT21, 09NOV21 (02NOV is Election Day), 07DEC21, 11JAN21 (this give us a week to come back from break and regroup)
• Spring Dates:  01FEB21, 01MAR21, 05APR21, 03MAY21, 14JUN21 (07JUN21 is a Clerical Asynch day)
  

• Please Complete This Form.  This use of extended time on Mondays & Tuesdays is outside of the UFT & DOE contractual agreement.  We are outside of the SBO season (School Based Option season - the time period where we can vote in variances to the contract).   However, we need to know if everyone is on board and if anyone objects.  If anyone objects, then we will revert to standard contract where all extended time on Mondays and Tuesday will be used in-person and traditionally (e.g. weekly Monday PD time and weekly on-site family outreach on Tuesdays).  Please indicate your preference by CLICKING HERE.

Per Session Postings

• Posting Extended to 04OCT21: 
  Equity Team: 
  Applied:  Sarah M, Phillan, Laura, Elana, Suzannah, Olympia
  Staffing:  TBD by current Equity Team.  If you are still interested in joining the Equity Team, please email Kiri and click here to apply 
  
  

• Posting Extended to Posting Closed: 
  Instructional Leadership Team: 
  Applied:  Nina, Nakita, Phillan, Rachel, and Kelly
  Staffed:  Nina, Nakita, Phillan, Rachel, and Kelly
  
  

• Posting Extended to 04OCT21: 
  Circles Committee: 
  Applied:  Nakita, Juelle, Jennifer, Olympia
  Staffing:  Still TBD.  If you are interested in joining the Circles, please email Kiri and click here to apply 
  
  
  
• Posting Extended to Posting Closed:  
  School Culture Committee:  
  Applied:  Kelly, Kristina, Elana, Cherry, Phillan, Elena, Laura
  Staffed: We are recruiting 1 staff person from each grade-team for this role (so that we have a person on each grade team to streamline communication).
• Phillan 6th Grade Rep
• Laura 7th Grade Grade Rep
• Kristina 8th Grade Rep
• Elana 9th Grade Rep
• Jessa 10th Grade Rep
• Cherry 11th Grade Rep
• Kelly 12th Grade Rep