UAI Staff News
Volume XII
Issue 27
April 7th, 2025
Take time to understand the wins! We've almost made it to Spring break! The long grind of March is behind us and Spring break and the run up to summer lies just ahead
For so many of our kids, they have made some good choices, taken risks, and are seeing the fruits of their efforts. Their attendance is up, their ideas and class contributions are sharper and more insightful, and their grades are reflecting great growth. Make sure you pause to celebrate those kids. We too often overlook the ones who thrive because we make the assumption in thinking that they don't need to hear it. But it turns out - we ALL need to hear it! So, prioritize your thrivers for outreach this week! They are the ones who are doing ANY one or combination of the following...They are realizing our school goals.
- Rigor
- Meeting our school wide goal of earning an 80 or higher in your class
- Scoring an 80 or higher on your benchmark
- Being present and on time 90% or more in your class
- Asking questions and take intellectual risks because they want to learn more
- Studying!
- Learning from their mistakes and trying to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
- Equity
- Lifting up and celebrate classmates to help strengthen the community
- Apologizing for saying or doing the wrong thing and are trying to correct their actions and words to be better next time.
- Joy
- Connecting to your content and showing real curiosity and a desire to know more!
- Laughing, smiling, and having fun in class
- Talking & learning from their peers and friends
- Power
- Challenging themselves to be better and to do better each day.
- Advocating for their peers or themselves to get chances at improving their performance and understanding in your class.
Step into the shoes of your thrivers for a minute. Look through their eyes, and learn about their choices, motivations, and support network. What do they do outside of class that leads to their success inside of class? How do they make the most of those choices and activities to keep motivated when things get hard?
Some of this you can get from talking to them directly. I always love learning from our kids about themselves. Some can also be learned from talking with their families! Nothing brings families more joy than when you call home to celebrate their child and then show curiosity about what their families think is the key to their child's success.
So..as we run up to the Spring Break and Report Card Distribution - think deeply about what's working. When we return on the flip side of the break, we'll need this to help those kids who are not yet there!
UPCOMING DATES
- Mon 07APR. Last Day of HS Benchmarks (No MS Benchmarks this round)
- Mon 07APR - ELA
- Monday, 07APR - MP4 (final marking period) begins
- Wednesday, 09APR - MP3 Grades are due IN GAMA by 3PM
- Friday, 11APR - MP3 Report Cards Distributed during 7th period.
- Friday, 11APR - @ 2:20PM - Rapid Dismissal for the Spring Break
(Girls Inc After School is still ON! - Mon 14APR - Fri 18APR - Spring Break - No School
- Monday 21APR-Friday 25APR - Administrative Professionals Appreciation Week
- Monday 28APR-Friday 02MAY - Assistant Principal Appreciation Week
- Upcoming Staff Appreciation Dates
- 05MAY-09MAY - Teacher Appreciation Week
TO DO THIS WEEK
Lifting Up Your Leaders. The ASU/GSV AI Conference is this week. Annie & I will be at the conference with Judy, Liza, Patricia & Kelly. Marsha & Phillan will be stepping in my an Annie's shoes to support the school. This is their first foray into solo leadership and they will need the support of the entire team to succeed. Tom Patterson, from our District Office, will be onsite as the "official" administrator on site, but Marsha & Phillan are from our community and they know what you need, what our kids need, and how best to get everyone what they need as soon as possible!
This week, please check in with them and find ways to help and lift them up. The first time anyone does anything will be hard - especially stepping into the leadership seats. Undoubtedly, there will be some things that go wrong, but there will also be many, many things that go right . Make sure to stop by 301 or down in the basement to let Marsha & Phillan know! The feedback is critical for growth AND persistence!
Lifting Up Your Leaders. The ASU/GSV AI Conference is this week. Annie & I will be at the conference with Judy, Liza, Patricia & Kelly. Marsha & Phillan will be stepping in my an Annie's shoes to support the school. This is their first foray into solo leadership and they will need the support of the entire team to succeed. Tom Patterson, from our District Office, will be onsite as the "official" administrator on site, but Marsha & Phillan are from our community and they know what you need, what our kids need, and how best to get everyone what they need as soon as possible!
This week, please check in with them and find ways to help and lift them up. The first time anyone does anything will be hard - especially stepping into the leadership seats. Undoubtedly, there will be some things that go wrong, but there will also be many, many things that go right . Make sure to stop by 301 or down in the basement to let Marsha & Phillan know! The feedback is critical for growth AND persistence!
A million thanks and infinite appreciation for Marsha & Phillan agreeing to step up! They are even hosting a visit on Thursday!! SOLO!! They are hosting the Reach Foundation with SLJ. They are going to share our work with Project Cafe, and Shared Campus Programming. I couldn't be more proud and excited for them!
SO UAI - I'm calling on your amazing community strength to circle around these two amazing, powerful women and give them the support and encouragement to overcome the inevitable anxiety that comes with the chair & responsibility and to develop the confidence (that I have in them but they need to also find in themselves!) to thrive!
MP4 Grades are Due. MP4 Grades are due at 3PM on Wednesday 09APR25. Please make sure you have synched with GAMA from your Google Classrooms. STARS, the DOE report card system, will automatically pull from GAMA at 3PM. Report cards will be printed and handed out 7th period on Friday. Please make sure to distribute the report cards before the rapid dismissal!
Monday PD. This time will be given to grading time for everyone. Please use OPW and PD time to grade benchmarks and or enter grades for MP4. Yes it can be remote work!
ELA is the Last HS Benchmark. Monday is the last HS Benchmark. This benchmark will be run out of room 301 which is a change. Marsha will be coordinating the test from there.
Monday PD. This time will be given to grading time for everyone. Please use OPW and PD time to grade benchmarks and or enter grades for MP4. Yes it can be remote work!
ELA is the Last HS Benchmark. Monday is the last HS Benchmark. This benchmark will be run out of room 301 which is a change. Marsha will be coordinating the test from there.
REPOST --->>>>. Did you visit anyone last week? Did you see SEL or Academic Strategies in Action? If yes - you go YOU!!! Try to do one more visit before the spring break if you can!! If no, really push yourselves to try the SEL strategies and visit one another's classrooms to see those strats (or others!!) in play. These intervisitations are not going to fall naturally into your hierarchy of tasks. So please, make sure you make it a priority in your to-do list this week to get in there to see a colleague.
The face-to-face connectivity is a critical piece of glue that will bring our community more tightly together. It is 10 minutes out of your week for such an incredible impact on our school and on your own practice & experience at the school. It's is well worth the effort - just this little bit will go a loooooog way. So, please make sure to get in there this week if you haven't already done so already!
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
REPOST --->>>>. In your classes this week. Please read the following to your students this week. Also, please print and share the flyer. and please post to your Google Classrooms.
- "Hello students! UAI is starting peer mediation. You will see this flyer [pictured here] around the school in which you can request a peer mediation. Peer mediation will be conducted by students who were trained to mediate. This is designed to support smaller conflicts that can be resolved by peers instead of adults, however there will always be an adult in the room. Deans and counselors will determine if students will mediate OR if the mediation will be run by deans and counselors, as usual. If you have any questions please ask Ms. Sue."
PER SESSION POSTINGS
FOR ALL PER SESSION JOBS: You must apply by completing THIS FORM
REPOST: Summer School Planning is Starting. Summer school planning is beginning. We will not be hosting Girls Inc and DYCD summer camp this summer, and our students who need an all-day placement can register for DYCD programs at the Montauk School this summer.
We are currently looking for folks who are interested in doing some enrichment work (6-12) this summer. AND we will also have regents prep this summer. If you are interested in working this summer, please complete THIS FORM no later than 11APR. We still have openings - so go ahead and apply if interested!
