TO DO:

• Principals, if you haven’t yet, please have your Evaluation Self-Reflection completed in Talent Ed by next Friday (May 26). If you mark any domain with an “Exemplary” or an “Area for Growth” then please provide some written evidence for this marking.
• All, if you haven’t sent in a photo and two sentences (what is the photo of and what is the School Design Plan goal it represents) to Alandra yet, please have that done by next Friday, May 26.

THIS AND THAT:

• Please not only read this one, but ask me any questions you might have before proceeding with this opportunity! I am aware that you may have received a number of transfer requests from current BLP teachers for positions posted within your building.  Because of the tight timeline for interviewing (no interviews until after Memorial Day) and because any current contracted BLP teacher is guaranteed an interview in which she/he applies for at your building, this may create a bit of a backlog in the interview process.  Therefore, one of our own (thanks “glitter guy”!) had a great idea about the possibility of doing some pre-final interviews next week, prior to Memorial Day.  So, you may conduct some internal, pre-screening interviews next week if you follow these parameters:
  • You may conduct pre-final interviews with current contracted BLP teachers ONLY whom have requested an in-district transfer for your open position (Remember, this group is guaranteed an interview)
  • Please mention to each candidate that filling this position is not a guarantee due to budget questions that still remain
• If you happened to miss the article about International Baccalaureate not just for high schools, click on the link to find it.  This article highlights two IB schools, our own PBMS, and our local Seven Peaks, that offer IB curriculum prior to high school.  Kudos to Steve and Karen Corson for their ongoing leadership around IB education – and the highlights they provided in this article – as well Teri and the entire PBMS staff for this successful undertaking.
• At our Horizontal meeting this past Monday I asked for some feedback regarding your preference on meeting structure for next year.  Here is a link to the summary results from the nine of you who were able to provide your feedback earlier this week. We did not have much time at our meeting to process the results, so please take a few minutes to review them in the coming weeks.  Here are a few take-aways that I have:
  • We will meet as a Horizontal once or twice more than we did this year (total of 6 or 7 times)
  • We will not have a MS PLC team to meet with next year (which will leave you with a School Design (SD) visit team and our full Horizontal team)
  • Next year your SD team will be with your admin partner (if you have one)
  • Your 2017-18 SD team will be the same group as your PLC team was this year – in order to have one more year of collaboration
  • In 2018-19 I will mix up the members of your SD team, so you will be able to cross-pollinate with other middle schools
• Many of you have asked about Christie and my quick anniversary trip to Orcas Island.  In short, it was fantastic.  It rained just about the entire time – except when we were able to get outside and walk around.  Also, the view from our room was outstanding – as you can see here!

REMINDERS:

• Please consider having a team from your school attend the tw0-day Take It Up training that will occur on Aug. 15 & 16 at PCMS.  Chris spoke at our last Leadership meeting regarding a connected, longer, equity training that he has been a part of for years – one that changed now only how he does his work, but how he lives his life. Check out the linked flyer and consider bringing (with you) a team from your school!  Sign-up with Wendy Reeves by next Friday (May 26)!