Week of November 8th

UAI Staff News

Volume IX

Issue 11

November 8th, 2021

Principal Message

Focusing on the Foundations.  This is the last instructional week of our first marking period.  In speaking with lots of folks the resounding theme of instruction this marking period is that while it is so much better to teach in person with real, live, little humans, those same little humans have significant gaps in their learning.

As a result, units that pre-covid took 3 weeks are now taking 5-6 weeks.  We are all learning to readjust our assumptions on what kids know and shifting our practice to plan from where they actually are vs. where we would expect them to be.

It turns out - that IS the best practice both pre-during-and-quasi-post covid times.

So, our challenge this year is to find the right mix of introducing and developing new content and skills with backfilling and strengthening their foundational skills.  While this has always been the requirement, this year, the scope of foundational skill gaps is much more significant for all students and as such is requiring more space and time in the curriculum.

AND that is OK!

Sal Khan talks this idea in his Ted Talk "Let's Teach for Mastery - Not Test Scores".  In this talk, he describes what many HS math teachers experience as they try to teach more advanced math skills with their students.  He asks, "Would you choose to build a house on top of an unfinished foundation? Of course not. Why, then, do we rush students through education when they haven't always grasped the basics?"

This is the core of our work this year towards Competency (aka Mastery) Based Learning.  The core is not to see how many standards we can get TO, but rather we are aiming to develop high competency in the standards are choosing to teach.  Now, more than ever - less is more.

As you engage your students in summative assessment work this week, do not be surprised if many students do not yet meet proficiency expectations.  We are still fine tuning our capacity to plan and coordinate progress activities, formative assessment, and effective feedback to help students develop mastery.  Our students are still acquiring the core social emotional skills required to ensure academic achievement in class.  As we develop our own skills in supporting students SEL development and planning our own competency-based curricula, we will see outcomes in students performance & improvement, and thus increased outcomes in their grades.

Until we are more developed, we will have some scaffolds to support our work - our PowerUp Week.  The last week of each marking period is designed to have NO new instruction so that you can use data from the final summative assessment to create tailored activities for students (e.g. station work, asynchronous lessons, conferences, small group instruction, etc.). For your students meeting or exceeding standards, they should have activities that deepen their understanding of the standards taught in MP1.  For students not quite there yet, plan small instructional groups during class to remediate and support student learning and preparation for the next unit.

In particular, if you require students to develop the skill of doing work outside of your class, that is an academic behavior that needs to be taught.  You'll need to build out lessons and expectations that connect independent work outside of the classroom to learning and performance on the final summative assessments.  For example, a small group activity might look like

• Targeting a single skill (multiplication fluency or sight word recognition)
• Small Group Direct Instruction on the skill in Class
• Independent Practice on Skill in Class with Teacher Conference & Feedback.  For example 
• Independent Reading:  Lexile Text Comparision Chart
• Online Math Practice:  Math RIT to Khan Academy Lessons
• At home "corrections" or retake on related questions on summative assessment with reflection on how the skill work made doing the work again (or correcting their work) improved.

Like almost everything we're doing this year, it's time to rethink our assumption around why kids don't do work outside of our classes.  Take a listen to this podcast from Hidden Brain, The Obstacles You Don't See.  Rather than think of what you can do to fuel motivation via a carrot/stick, think about what may be getting in the way of students doing what you need them to do to optimize learning.  These "frictions" are often right out in the open, and many times are easier to address and remove.  If you get stuck on figuring out what is happening in your kids' heads, make time during PowerUp week to simply talk to them.  Create conference time to sit down and talk during class and find out for sure what makes your kids tick!

Important dates this month.  

• 07NOV21:  Daylight Savings Ends (we all get an hour to sleep in!)
  
• 08NOV21:  SPED PD with Phillan & SPED team (3PM in Library)
• 09NOV21:  Grade Team Meeting & Attendance Review (3PM in Grade Tm Rooms)
• 10NOV21:  Evening Fall Family Conferences via Zoom at home (5-8PM)  
• 12NOV21:  Afternoon Fall Family Conferences via Zoom at home (12-2:50PM)
• 11NOV21:  Veteran's Day - NO SCHOOL
• 15NOV21 through 19NOV21:  Our first PowerUp week
• 19NOV21:  MP1 Ends
• 18NOV21:  Next Consultation Committee Meeting
• 19NOV21:  End of Marking Period 1. 
• 21NOV21:  Staff Potluck
• 22NOV21:  MP1 Grades Due
• 24NOV21: Rapid Dismissal at 2PM for All Students
• 25NOV21 & 26NOV21:  Thanksgiving Recess - NO SCHOOL
• 30NOV21:  PTA Zoom Meeting

Committee Updates

Equity Team.  The Equity Team met Thursday 10/28/21 to co-create a mission for this school year as we start our work identifying the root cause of disproportionately in our discipline policy.

Circles Committee.  No Updates this week.  Our next Staff Circle will be on Monday, 29NOV21

Consultation Committee.  Elena is setting the agenda for the next Consultation Committee meeting which has been moved to November 18th at 3PM.  Please submit any items you'd like on the agenda to her.  We'll be meeting in room 403.

Announcements

6th & 7th Grade Advisors.  For those kids in your advisories who are 11 and under, we are hosting a Pop-Up Vaccine Clinic on Monday, 08NOV21.  Students who get vaccinated are eligible for a $100 gift card from the city!  Parents can either accompany kids or provide written or verbal (over the phone) consent.   Please connect with your students who are eligible to let them know!

Google Home Can Translate.  Many of you may have already known this, but I accidentally discovered it this weekend when my Google Home device became a Spanish language translator while Dashiel and I were working on his homework.  At least for Spanish, it was fairly accurate, but I am not 100% sure how accurate it is in other languages.  I'm sure it will be able to provide the gist!  I'm sure Alexa and the Amazon Echo do the same thing.  Check it out by clicking here.  You could certainly use this during parent conferences if you are not able to connect with support from the DOE over-the-phone interpretation support (be on the lookout for an email from Laura with details on that!)

 

To Do This Week

<<REPOST>> It's Shopping Time.  Please use ShopDoe to submit your orders for the Spring Term.  Submit your order requests to THIS folder by 30NOV21.  We are aiming to enter all submitted orders before the winter break so that items arrive by the start of the Spring Term.  I know it seems so far in advance, but everything in the DOE moves slowly, so we have to create a timeline to accommodate for this.  

Upload Grades, Provide Student Feedback.  Marking Period 1 ends after parent conferences.  So students will be using your feedback and posted progress & performance grades in Google Classrooms and Skedula to reflect on their growth and achievement.  If you have not already done so, please make sure you have posted Progress and Performance grades in Skedula and you have an up-to-date Google Classroom by Wednesday 08NOV21.  In addition, please make sure students are receiving regular feedback (verbal and/or in writing) to use to improve their skills and content knowledge. 

Parent Conferences.  Marking Pe

Per Session Postings

• No New Postings This Week

Week of Nov 1st

UAI Staff News

Volume IX

Issue 10

November 1st, 2021

Principal Message

It's November!  While each hour seems endless & completely exhausting, there is a blessing in that the days and weeks seem to fly!  We are already in November, and before we know it, it will be Thanksgiving, then Christmas and then POOF!  - it's the end of the fall term.

There's a lot on the calendar this month.  

• 02NOV21:  Our first official asynchronous learning day is tomorrow (Election Day)
• 07NOV21:  Daylight Savings Ends (we all get an hour to sleep in!)
  
• 08NOV21:  SPED PD with Phillan & SPED team (3PM in Library)
• 09NOV21:  Grade Team Meeting & Attendance Review (3PM in Grade Tm Rooms)
• 10NOV21 & 12NOV21:  Our Fall Family Conferences (see Announcements for details)
• 11NOV21:  Veteran's Day - NO SCHOOL
• 15NOV21 through 19NOV21:  Our first PowerUp week (see Announcements for deets)
• 18NOV21:  Next Consultation Committee Meeting
• 19NOV21:  End of Marking Period 1. 
• 21NOV21:  Staff Potluck
• 24NOV21:  Rapid Dismissal at 2PM for All Students
• 25NOV21 & 26NOV21:  Thanksgiving Recess
• 30NOV21:  PTA Zoom Meeting

It feels like a lot, I know.  However, keep in mind, we remain constant in our goal towards creating a warm and strong learning environment through continuing to build strong relationships with our students & families.  These relationships develop out of our constant feedback and care we give our students and the regular communication we share with our families.  Through constant feedback, students and families see that we care AND students (and teachers) improve our work towards mastery!

Be aware of all of the things that continually fly across our radar (like that huge list of happenings above), but remain focused on the end goal - our students' academic success through strong relationships and high expectations of learning.

Committee Updates

Equity Team.  No Updates this week

Circles Committee.  No Updates this week

Consultation Committee.  Elena is setting the agenda for the next Consultation Committee meeting which has been moved to November 18th at 3PM.  Please submit any items you'd like on the agenda to her.

Announcements

Student PAG Meeting Updates.  I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with students to hear their concerns and issues this week.  I wanted to share back some of their feedback and let you know where we're moving with their issues and input!

• Cleaner Bathrooms.  All students complained about the status of the bathrooms and that sanitary products and tiny trashcans were not located inside the stalls or bathrooms.  We will be working with our custodial staff to finalize a bathroom schedule for cleaning that is more frequent and regular.  We do have problems with some students misusing sanitary products (e.g. plastering them to the mirror).  So we're going to work on an education campaign (e.g. posters to hang in the stalls, lessons in advisory) to go along with including the products in the bathrooms.  
  
  
• Vending Machine & Water Fountain.  All students across all different PAGS unilaterally requested a vending machine and one of those water fountains that allow you to fill up a water bottle.  Dai is currently working on purchasing at least one of each right now, and we hope to have more information on when we can expect those to arrive/be installed by the end of next week.
  
  
• Classroom Engagement and Feeling Heard.  Several students across the PAGs did mention that they sometimes feel bored and/or dismissed in their classes.  
• Refine your lesson plans.  In your planning teams, continue to work collaboratively to find ways to increase the thinking and engagement in your lessons.  Some lessons will be better than others in terms of impact and student engagement.  Pay attention to those that work and with your planning partners, figure out what is working and why so you can carry it into future lessons.  
• Feedback and Active Listening.  In addition, the more you increase in-class feedback in your classroom, the more you will be able to show students you see and hear them.  When students only feel that their role in the class is to passively receive information, it makes it difficult for them to see where their voices matter.  Lessons need to have opportunities for students to show learning and share their voice and perspective.  Make sure you are listening to learn from your students and that you're using your own active listening skills to show them that you hear them.
  
  
• Lockers.  Finally, the last theme across the PAGs was that students want to use the lockers.  Jen sent out a notice earlier this week.  Before we can distribute lockers, we need all students to remove their stuff from the lockers.  Please message to your advisees this week in advisory and also post on Google Classrooms as a constant reminder that ALL lockers must be emptied and locks removed no later than Friday.  Starting next week, any locker with a lock will be considered abandoned.  We will clip those locks and put any items in the locker in the trash.  Once all lockers are emptied and cleaned, we will begin assigning student lockers - targeted for the week of November 15th.

 

To Do This Week

It's Shopping Time.  Please use ShopDoe to submit your orders for the Spring Term.  Submit your order requests to THIS folder by 30NOV21.  We are aiming to enter all submitted orders before the winter break so that items arrive by the start of the Spring Term.  I know it seems so far in advance, but everything in the DOE moves slowly, so we have to create a timeline to accommodate for this.  

<<REPOST>>UAI teachers choice due TOMORROW Nov 1.  All staff have $250 to spend for UAI classroom/office supplies.   Staff will be reimbursed up to $250 (tax is not reimbursable, so please get the tax exempt paperwork from Del - or be prepared to pay tax yourself).  All receipts are due on next Monday at 3PM.  To submit receipts

• Tape All Receipts to a 8.5x11 piece(s) of paper.  Try to get as many on one page as possible to be visible, but definitely use as many pieces as necessary.  Write your name, the date, and "UAI Teacher's Choice" at the top of each page (and include page number and total pages at the top of each page).
• Scan the Page(s) into a PDF.  You can download any Scanner App on your to scan to a PDF and email the pdf to yourself.
• Complete the UAI Teacher's Choice Form.  Please complete THIS FORM no later than 3pm on November 1st.

Please note - UAI Teacher's Choice is NOT the same as the DOE funds.  DOE funds will be due later this fall.  Please be on time with this form.  There will be no extensions. 

Election Day Schedule. All staff work from home.  Students work Asynchronously.

• Agenda
  (Note - All PD Days are 6 hours and 50 minutes in length.  Tomorrow, all staff will have 90 minutes of programmed time with the full staff, and then the rest of the day will be staff-directed work time to accomplish the To Do list.)

• 8:30-11:00AM - Independent Work Time
• Take Student Attendance
• Begin completing the DESSA for each Advisee
• Begin Schedule Parent Conferences
• Sign up for Fall Observation
• Begin Uploading Grades
• Lesson Plan and Provide Feedback
• Also - submit order for spring supplies

• 11:00-12:30PM
• https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83017662940 (Passcode: D9stZG)
• 11:00-11:15- Announcements
• 11:15-12:15- Staff Circles
• 12:15-12:30- DESSA Review
  
  
• 12:30-3:20PM
  
• Submit List of Absent Students
• Finish the DESSA 
• Finish Scheduling Parent Conferences
• Finish Uploading Grades
• Continue Lesson Planning and Providing Feedback

• To do by the End of Election Day
• ~10-30 minutes Take Student Attendance 
• Send Your Own Google Attendance Form to your Advisees and then mark them present in Skedula when they respond.
• Call/Text Students who do not complete form by 10AM
• Submit List of Absent Students to this form by 1PM
  
  
• ~45-60 minutes Complete the DESSA 
• Follow these DESSA directions or each of your Advisees.
• Review this deck that Jen Shared out earlier to learn more about the DESSA.
  
  
• ~30-45 minutes Schedule Parent Conferences 
• Call and Schedule Advisees for Family Conferences via Zoom
• Complete this Appointment Form
  
  
• ~ 5-10 minutes Sign Up for your Fall Observation
• Complete THIS FORM
  
  
• Upload Grades, Provide Student Feedback, and Continue Planning
• Marking Period 1 ends after parent conferences.  So students will be using your feedback and posted progress & performance grades in Skedula to reflect on their growth and achievement.  If you have not already done so, please make sure you have posted Progress and Performance grades in Skedula by the end of the day on Tuesday.  In addition, please make sure students are receiving regular feedback (verbal and/or in writing) to use to improve their skills and content knowledge. 

Per Session Postings

• No New Postings This Week

Week of October 28th

UAI Staff News

Volume IX

Issue 9

October 28th, 2021

Week of October 18th

 UAI Staff News

Volume IX
Issue 8
October 18th, 2021

Principal Message

Shifting our Minds to Mastery.  This is the 6th week of the school year, leaving about a month until the first marking period wraps up.  

Many of you have already begun to think through your first steps into mastery grading and how to work through this new paradigm in your instructional practices.

The first thing to remember is that anything new is never perfect, give yourself the grace to learn.  As a reminder, all of our grades are split into to categories Performance (60%) and Progress (40%).  For this marking period, have the goal of being clear on what the summative, Performance assessment will be.

Here's an analogy that may help.  An athlete or musician will have countless practices or rehearsals before the race, competition, or show.  These final performances do not occur without countless efforts to rehearse, refine, and perfect their skills.  In any given season, there are only a set number of games and endless hours of practice.  In any given musical tour, there are only so many concerts, and endless days and nights of rehearsals.

In your classes, what are those final performances?  What are you using to assess student skills - not for testing the acquisition of learning, but rather for seeing the level of their capacity to perform.   These 1-2 things will be your performance measures this marking period, and they will constitute 60% of the students' grade.  

Just as is true for athlete and musicians, we want our students to be as prepared as possible for their competition or show.  Leading up to these final performance grades, you want to give students as much practice (or at-bats) as possible.  Using language like "this is a practice" will help.  Or even language like "The real <<assessment>> is on <<this date>>.  This is a practice to show you how you would do if you took the real <<thing>> today."

In order to shift grading practices, we have to shift our mindsets - kids and adults.  Policies set the stage, but it is language and actions that enact the shifts in our practice.

This week, please reach out to your Instructional Leads for support and ideas in talking through your classroom practices and grading.  Do not expect to conquer it all this MP.  Focus on achieving clarity on Performance pieces and setting up students with enough practice to be as successful as possible on the first time they sit for those performance assessments.  

Committee Updates

Committees are Staffed and Meeting!  Weekly updates from committee leaders will begin in next week's blog.

To Do This Week

Meet in the Library at 3PM on Monday.  We will be having a staff circle on Monday at 3PM.  All staff should meet in the library to start, and then we'll break out to separate spaces for smaller circles.  This circle will be another step in our community's work to heal this week.  Further steps include, circles with senior advisories, and then working with students and their other teachers to rebuild trust in their other classes. 

Tuesday Zoom Curriculum Night.  We will be using our Family Outreach time to have our curriculum night on Tuesday at 6PM.  

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81592784110
                                    Meeting ID: 815 9278 4110
                                    Passcode: UAI123

• 6:00PM - Welcome to UAI Curriculum Night!
• 6:15PM Meet the Teachers
  • 6th & 7th Grade
  • Will all be in same breakout room together
  • Each teacher will have 10 minutes each to talk
  • Order will be: English, Social Studies, Science, Math, Project STEM
  • 8th grade - 12th grade
  • (10min) English Teacher Breakout Rooms
  • (10min) Social Studies Teacher Breakout Rooms
  • (10min) Science Teacher Breakout Rooms
  • (10min) Math Teacher Breakout Rooms
  • (10min) Breadth Teacher Breakout Room (Language, PE/Dance, Theater, Project STEM)
• 7:05PM Extra Curricular Activities and Girls Inc After School
• 7:15PM Parent Engagement Opportunities
• 7:25PM Wrap Up of Curriculum Night

Advisory Leadership Council.  I'm launching the student PAGs this week, but I'm still missing some representatives.  If you emailed me, and you're not on the list, please fill in your rep on THIS FORM so I can invite them to the meetings (which I split up, because having everyone on the same Friday would have been too many students)

• Wednesdays:  
• 3rd Period:  8th Grade PAG
• 4th Period:  6th & 7th Grade PAG
• Thursdays:
• 1st Period:  11th Grade PAG
• 3rd Period:  9th Grade PAG
• Fridays: 
• 1st Period:  12th Grade PAG
• 3rd Period:  10th Grade PAG

Finalize Learning Lab Small Groups.  Folks should have sent in their final learning lab small groups to me by now.  Please send them to me now, if you have them.  Small groups will finalize on Monday, and small group teachers should small group direct students to  meet them in their assigned small group classrooms.  (scroll to the bottom of the Learning Lab tab to see the list of kids assigned to each small group teacher)

Per Session Postings

• PAG Teacher Coach.  Work for 1 hour a week to plan PAG meetings and student supports with Kiri.  Teacher will receive per diem coverage to join in meetings with student PAG.  Posting closes 26OCT21

Week of October 11th

UAI Staff News

Volume IX
Issue 7
October 12th, 2021

Principal Message

A Time for Healing.  Today is a hard post to write.  It's difficult for me to know where to begin.  But, I do know is that in any moment of upheaval, I turn to our north star - and that is our students.

At the root of everything we do is our students.  Their safety, their well-being, and their sense of trust in us to protect them and help them grow.

Last week, one of our teachers told her students that she is a racist and shared her biases with her students.  Regardless of well-placed intentions, in sharing with her class her own biases and thoughts about her own racism, this teacher failed to consider the impact of her actions on the safety, mental health and well-being of her students.  

She failed to prioritize their safety and well-being.

Students were hearing that their teacher, who they trusted and loved, was telling them that she was a racist.  As victims of racism in their own personal experiences, they no longer heard the words that followed.  They only felt the crushing weight of racism breaking the trust and safety of their school.  

As a result, this teacher irrevocably failed her responsibility to secure the safety and well-being of the children put in her charge.  When anyone does that in our community, they can no longer be a part of our community. 

This teacher understands this and has left UAI to allow our community to come together to begin the process of healing.

Because of my own family issues, I was pulled away from the school last week.  My mother is rapidly declining, and family conflict among my siblings and next steps for her required my immediate attention this week.

In the interim, Annie and Jen led our school community through an very challenging crisis.  I thank Annie and Jen for all of their work to lead our school through an incredibly complex and difficult series of events.  I also thank all of the staff who stepped into to support and help our students process what had happened.  The community bonds we share will be the strength we'll need to rely on to move forward to repair and heal.

The impact of what happened in this class has far reaching effects throughout our entire community.  Our students, families, and staff have all felt the impact of these events and all of us need to come together to address the root causes and reconnect and heal in an effort to make sure our school is stronger, and to make sure that our students, staff, and family, do not experience this again.

What is going to happen is still in development as I am just coming back into the situation and need some time to take stock and evaluate all of the details.  The priorities will be:

1. Student Support and Safety.  Annie & Jen have worked with several teachers (apologies - I don't know who all they tapped, yet - so I don't want to leave out any names - but I am appreciative!) to speak directly and begin processing the events with those students directly impacted.  Annie & Jen have also begun working with the rest of the students who have heard or been otherwise impacted by the events of last week.  Moving forward, Annie, Jen, and I will continue working alongside teachers, counselors, and deans to use restorative practices like circles to support students in processing their experiences.
   
   
2. Student Voice.  We need to have an organized, supported mechanism to actively empower students in our school.  I am creating three separate student councils to work with UAI school leadership and a teacher-coach (see posting below) on school policies, culture, and other areas to secure equity in our community.  (See the To Do Area below)
   
   
3. Staff Voice, Safety, and Well Being.  In addition to student harm, I also know that staff are also feeling ill at ease and unsafe (for a wide range of reasons) at UAI as the result of this last week.  I will be working with Nakita and the Circles committee to collaboratively create mechanisms for staff to process experiences, and then we will also be having our first Consultation Committee on Tuesday to raise issues and ideas about what we need to do as a community to heal and move forward.
   
   
4. Family Support and Safety.  Later today, I will send out a message to families to share with the community what has happened.  The first goal is to stem the tide of rumor and provide them with clear information.  Next, I will hold an open Town Hall for families to voice their concerns and questions.  Families are always actively welcome and encouraged to join in our PTA and committees like the Equity Team, and we will listen to families via their communications and participation in the Town Hall to add in more next steps where needed.  
   

In addition, I am available for anyone who would like more individualized support, and I will be connecting with the teacher herself this week to first, see how she's doing & what I can do to support her own transition out of UAI, and then second, make sure that our students have a seamless transition for their learning.

Every step of our journey towards healing from the broken trust and loss of safety will be hard.  Now more than ever, all of us need to be a part of a collective healing and resolution.  It will probably not be perfect, because rarely is anything actually perfect, but working together, we can make it through.

Committee Updates

Committees are Staffed!  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!

• Equity Team: 
  Lead:  Rebecca
  Applied:  Sarah M, Phillan, Laura, Elana, Olympia (staffed to Circles)
  Staffed:   Sarah M, Phillan, Laura, and Elana

• Instructional Leadership Team: 
  Leads:  Kiri
  Applied:  Nina, Nakita, Phillan, Rachel, and Kelly
  Staffed:   Nina, Nakita, Phillan, Rachel, and Kelly
  
  

• Circles Committee: 
  Lead:  Nakita
  Applied: Juelle, Jennifer, Olympia, Jean, Kristina
  Staffed:  Juelle, Jennifer, Olympia, Jean, Kristina
  
  
  
• School Culture Committee:  
  Lead:  Jen
  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

First Consultation Committee Meeting.  The Consultation Committee will be fulfilling the role of the SRC this year.  This meeting is open to all who are interested in attending.  It will follow the UFT/DC37 meeting each month, and the agenda will be collaboratively driven by union and school leadership.

• Learning Labs:  What needs to change to make them more effective?
• Class Size:  Can we rebalance class sizes?
• School Facilities:  Who do we get desks from?
• Grading Policy PD:  How do we support teachers to implement grading policy?
• Attendance Updates:  How do we support students to come to school?
• Race, Equity, and Inclusion at UAI:  What are our next steps to continuing our work?

We will meet in room 403 at 3PM.  We'll start promptly at 3PM. The meeting is open to all who are interested in joining!  Kiri will facilitate this first meeting, with Annie taking notes and Jen keeping time.  We'll set meeting date, and meeting roles for next meeting at the end of this first one, and that will be our ongoing cycle.

To Do This Week

Please review your responsibilities as a Mandated Reporter. As school officials, we are all mandated reporters.  Please take the time to review expectations around Mandated Reporting.  After you have reviewed this slide deck, please sign off to indicate that you completed the requirement. 

Metrocards.  We have ordered replacement Metrocards to accommodate our students in need. Once we receive them we ask that you help us keep to our new policy for distribution.  Metrocards will be distributed on Tuesdays and Thursdays ONLY in the main office.  Please! If/When a student tells you they are in need of a Metrocard send the name of that student and respective advisory information to Ms. Aisha and Dai as a heads up. It would be incredibly helpful. 

Attendance.  I've put together our first monthly attendance report.  Please review your advisee's attendance rates.  For any student who is not meeting the goal of having 90% or better average daily attendance, please prioritize them for outreach.

Advisory Leadership Council.  I am launching three student leadership opportunities to join my PAG, my principal advisory group.  The goal of this advisory group is to get student input and insight into the continual improvement and growth of UAI, and in identifying student-articulated needs to improve UAI for all.

This is not a formal election or students government.  We will move to create a formal structure for that.  This is an advisory council that will advise the principal on school wide decisions.

I am looking for 1 student from each advisory to meet with me weekly during their learning lab time (1st period for juniors and seniors, 3rd for 8th-10th graders, and 4th for 6th/7th graders).  We will meet weekly on Fridays to:

• Raise up student concerns (as sourced from the advisories they represent)
• Co-construct solutions/strategies to address concerns
• Create Communications to share with their constituencies (aka advisories)

In advisory this week, please let students know that

• Ms. Kiri is looking for students representatives to join her PAG (principal advisory group)
• These are student leadership positions aimed at elevating student voice and engagement in our school.
• Each advisory chooses 1 representative to join me and to discuss student identified areas of improvement for UAI and to share out with students developments and work at UAI aimed at school improvement and our anti-racist progression towards full inclusion.
• There will be three PAGs that meet each Friday during Learning Lab

In advisory this week, also please encourage students to

• Become a representative for their advisory (if interested).  Please encourage students into leadership positions for their own growth and development!
• Support your students to identify collaboratively what qualities they want in a student who is representing them and their voice.  
• Identify a time in your advisory class to have the representative report back or collect feedback from the advisory.

By the end of this week, please email me the name of your advisory's student rep to my PAG

Per Session Postings

• PAG Teacher Coach.  Work for 1 hour a week to plan PAG meetings and student supports with Kiri.  Teacher will receive per diem coverage to join in meetings with student PAG.  Posting closes 26OCT21

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

Week of September 27th

 UAI Staff News

Volume IX
Issue 5
September 27th, 2021

Principal Message

First Full Week and Now Onto October.  It's hard to believe that this Friday will be the first day of OCTOBER already!   We our first 5day week in the books and by the end of this week, we'll have September all wrapped up!  

Of course, this wouldn't be the DOE if guidance wasn't shifting constantly like sand in a dessert.  So..here's the latest...

Nearly all of us are doing an excellent job with helping students maintain distance in classrooms and keeping their masks up.  Hallway passing is not distanced, but they are also not in the halls long enough to be considered close contacts.  So, yay us! 

The DOE has updated guidance on what is considered to be a close contact.  What is definitely the same is that anyone who tests positive for COVID must quarantine for 10 days.  Also the same is if a person is experiencing COVID like symptoms (fever >100, cough, new loss of taste/smell), they cannot enter the building and must test negative for COVID and be symptom free for 24 hours before reentry.

What has changed is the definition of Close Contact.  Students who are continually masked and 3 or more feet away from someone who tests positive for COVID are not considered to be close contacts anymore.  Only close contacts are expected to quarantine.   Since all of our classrooms are able to space students 3' or more, and masks are mandated 100% of the time, we can expect our list of quarantined students to shrink.

Folks who are vaccinated and exposed are not expected to quarantine unless they are symptomatic (again, Fever>100, cough, new loss of taste/smell).

This is undoubtedly news that increases anxiety more than anything.  As we cope with our anxieties, it's important to center the truth that being vaccinated protects us from hospitalization or death due to COVID, and being young protects our students from those same things.  Even with Delta surging a huge spike in children being infected with COVID, youngsters still share a very similar LOW risk of hospitalization/death due to COVID as vaccinated adults.

That said, even though the risk is low (1-2% for both groups, children/vaccinated folks), it's stressful to think about the risk that one child could suffer.  That is so true.  But keep things in perspective.  We all encounter risk each day.  Taking the subway; riding your bike to work, walking home from school.  Risk of bad things happen is never zero.  So, while it is true that the DOE is playing a numbers game with folks' lives, it is also true that at present at least, the numbers are very much in their favor.

Thank you all for weathering these sandy dunes of policy shifts with me. 

Thank you more for all that you do to keep our kids safe and learning in this crazy times!

Committee Updates

No Updates this week.  We are still working on staffing committees.  Please scroll down to the per session postings.  We're launching committee work next week.  So, theres still time to apply!

To Do

Program Check.  We have completed one full week of the 6th-10th grade programs and we're kicking off the first full week of 11th/12th grade programs.  The first week of any program will have glitches.  So please reach out if you see anything on your program before hand or on the day of.   Even though you are not a student, please use the Program Change Request form to notify me of any program glitches.  It's the best way I can track needed changes.  If you email me any of your ideas or issues, they will be lost in my inbox!  So, please use the form!

Take Skedula Attendance and Bubble Sheet Attendance.  Now that the program has been uploaded, you should be able to take attendance in Skedula and on your bubble sheets (for your 2nd period classes only).   Please continue to take Learning Lab and Small Group attendance on THIS ATTENDANCE FORM

Quarantine Attendance.  If students are on COVID quarantine due to being in close contact with a COVID positive individual, please do NOT mark them absent.  They are considered present and remote.  There's no real way to mark that in Skedula (I don't think)...so for now just leave them as present.  Please refer to THIS SHEET  to see who is on Quarantine.

Maintain 3' distance (or more) and ALWAYS have masks up.  Please remember to be vigilant about spacing and masking with kids in your classrooms.  Please do NOT allow children to eat inside your classrooms AT ALL.  They can take quick drinks of water if needed, but please do not allow food in the classroom at any time.  This is both a COVID safety rule and a health & hygiene rule.  Please follow it and help your students follow it.

Program Change Updates.  I am working through all the program change requests each day and making changes daily.  I'm hoping to complete them all by early this week, but certainly no later than Friday.  Please help your advisees access PupilPath so they can see the changes as they happen.  Also, there will be incidents where students do NOT get their choice.  Please help them understand that while students may not always get what they want, they will always get what they need!

Technology Distribution.  Phil and Dai are working together with your updates on the UAI Roster Tab from the UAI School Schedule to get students the tech they need.  They are beginning this Friday to distribute the tech.  So please make sure you have updated the Technology Column for your Advisees.

Announcements

Introducing Our New School Business Manager.  I am please to finally announce that Dai Jiménez has finally been processed by DOE Human Resources and was finally able to join UAI for reals!  As our School Business Manager, Dai will be charged with managing Purchasing, Staff Payroll, Timekeeping & HR support, School Facilities, and School Compliance.  She will be ramping up to assume full responsibilities of Purchasing and Facilities right away, with Compliance, Payroll and Timekeeping to come by November.

We'll be having a quick full staff meeting so Dai can meet you all on Monday at 3PM in the library.  Dai's office is 201 (ext 20111/daij@uainstitute.org).  For now, in her own words, here's a brief intro:

My given name is Davira Jiménez. I prefer to be called Dai, however. Ya know, like toDAY. I am a proud Brooklynite, born to parents of Afro-Caribbean descent. And, I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to work within a Brooklyn community. 

I am excited to be joining UAI as the School Business Manager. Before UAI, I worked in other schools as an Operations professional and Culture advocate. As a result of my time in schools I have become more in touch with the importance of prioritizing the safety and care of the communities I work with. I believe wholeheartedly in the learning, the understanding and the restoring of faith in our communities. Not just the ones I come from directly. 

Needless to say, I look forward to sharing the learning with all of you. Thank you for having me. Now, let's make it a great year!

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