Good Morning All! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. I had the great pleasure of visiting my grand baby in Corvallis and it was glorious!
My meeting at Amity got pushed to this Wednesday due to a few punch list items not being completed yet, but I stopped by anyway to see how things are moving along. They are really close to finishing, and it’s likely they’ll share an official move in date with me on Wednesday! Here are some photos, enjoy…
Yes, they got the sod down!
A few notes to get things rolling: 1) I’m sure you’ve seen the email from Lora already–CDL on Friday. Let me know if you have any questions, and please communicate your plan for that day to parents early this week.
2) Fire Drill Tuesday at 8:40. Sorry for the last minute notification but I just found out that North Star has this scheduled. I’ll send evacuation info on Monday–please check for an email from me. In the meantime see if you can locate your red/green emergency guide. đł
3) No School next Monday, Feb 15–President’s Day
4) I hope you have read my email about the Lottery Info Night video–thanks for your help! Please get me all your clips by next Tuesday, Feb 16.
5) As things have settled in with the pick-up times after school we know that we can start pick-up at 2:35 (and 1:05 on Wed) so please be sure you have students down in the gym/breezeway ready for pick-up at that time. Once most of the kiddos have cleared out we can have those that remain all hang out in the breeze way and you can all head back to your classrooms.
6) Upcoming staff meetings (2pm start time): *Feb 10-No staff meeting *Feb 17-QPR training (look for email this week) *Feb 24-Lottery Info Night (5:30pm on WebEx) *March 3-Staff Meeting *March 10-No Staff Meeting *March 17-Staff Meeting
7) Conference Days (Conversations) have been changed to April 14-16. It’s likely we’ll opt to do these on Wednesday/Thursday and take Friday off like we have in the past. We’ll discuss soon.
Upcoming February 9: Fire Drill at 8:40am February 12: CDL for all classes February 15: President’s Day, No School February 24: Lottery Info Night (WebEx), 5:30pm March 22-26: Spring Break, No School April 14-16: Conversations
Good Morning Team! First, a HUGE congrats on a successful first week. I know I was exhausted by the end of the day Friday, so I can’t imagine how you felt! Friday night was the first night of good sleep I’ve had in a long while. I hope the weekend was good and that you’re up for Round 2.
A few notes to get you going: 1) We’ll have a short (30 mins) Staff Meeting on Wednesday at 2pm. We’ll spend the time talking about the school wide writing project we touched on at our meeting last week. Please come with ideas-I’m excited about the possibilities!
2) No School Friday. We’re using this time for family check-ins and I hope by now you have sent out a sign up link for families. This is a day you are welcome to work from home if you prefer.
3) Music classes start this week: Kinder: Monday at 12 Grade 1: Tuesday at 12 (Amanda) and 12:30 (Sara) Grade 2: Wednesday at 12 Grade 3: Thursday at 12 Grades 4 and 5: Wednesday at 10am (virtual)
4) Last week you tried a few different approaches to having your kids line up after recess–some worked better than others. This week please make sure you review with your class where you’d like them to line up after recess breaks. This will be really helpful for those of us doing recess duty. Thanks!
5) Our Lottery Information Night is scheduled for February 24. Since we have to do this virtually I’d like to put together a video sharing some of the more unique parts of our program–similar to how we do it in person, and I am super hopeful you are game to support the effort. Below are the things we generally try to cover at the meeting, and these are the things I’d like to video you talking about. Please have a look at the list and find a few things you’d be willing to take on. I’ll post a google doc soon that will allow you to sign up. I’ll also ask you to share your Personal Whys (why you do what you do and why Amity)
~What Amity Means–Belonging and Togetherness ~History of Amity Creek (Someone needs to carry the torch in Scotts absence!) ~Whatâs Important to Us *Focus on the Child, Choice and Voice *Rooted in Community: Community Based, Authentic Community *Celebrate the Journey:  Value the journey of childhood and learning *Itâs About the People: Dynamic, fluid, spontaneous, ever growing and changing ~Unique aspects of our program *Community Time, Choice Time, Invitations *Cross Age Learning, Olders and Youngers *One class per gradeâopportunity to deeply know and connect *Parent Connections, Conversations, CafĂŠ Amity, Bread and Jam *Camp Amity ~Kinder Program ~Outdoor EducationÂ
6) A Masking Update from the district: After further discussions with our health professionals, it was learned that most local medical centers have changed their masking guidelines and are no longer allowing gaiters, buffs and bandanas as substitutes for cloth/disposable masks that fit snugly around the mouth and nose. Â
For students (or staff) who are attached to their logo gaiters, this will come as a disappointment. We can exchange their gaiter/buff with one of our district provided masks, or, buffs/gaiters placed OVER a mask that adheres to our requirements are permissible. Masks with valves or otherwise vent air are never acceptable. Â
Upcoming February 5: District inservice day-No school, Parent Conversations. February 15: President’s Day, No School February 24: Lottery Info Night (WebEx) March 22-26: Spring Break, No School
Wow, we’ve all dreamed about the week we would go back to school, and this is it! Well, not likely exactly like we dreamed it, but a partial dream is better than no dream! I’m so excited to be back with kids and doing the thing we all love to do, and I am looking forward to many amazing weeks ahead!
Thanks for everything you have done to get us to this point, you have been incredible in every way–you have been there for kiddos and their families, you’ve stayed positive and optimistic even when you’ve had your own doubts and struggles, and you’ve shown extraordinary perseverance in the face of daily challenges (your list of challenges must be so long!) What an insane journey this has been, but I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing group of people to be on this journey with! A few notes to get you rolling back to school full time: 1) Great job with Orientation Days last week, overall everything went really great! Remember to stay vigilant with distancing and hand washing/sanitizer (before and after everything!). This will obviously be more challenging with a full class, but we have to do everything we can to make it work. Please don’t hesitate to reach out for support from me, Patti, Kim, and the EAs.
2) See Something, Say Something. If you spot something that is not working, not meeting the guidelines, or simply seems “off” please let me know immediately. We need to stay on top of meeting guidelines and the sooner we respond the better! Thanks for your help with staying as safe as we possibly can.
3) Staff meeting this Wednesday at 2pm. This will be a great chance to debrief the first part of the week and make adjustments.
4) Music, Art, PE. Below is the new Art Schedule starting this week. Music and PE are still in the planning stages as we settle in to the new routines–I’ll keep you posted!
Art-All on WebEx K/1: Fridays at noon 2/3: Fridays at 8:15am 4/5: Wednesdays at 9am
6) Feb 5 is report card day, no school. Since we don’t do report cards I’d like for you to use this day for some short parent conversations via WebEx. Please create a sign up to share with parents this week. 15-20 minute time slots should work.
7) Thinking ahead, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Principals have been asking for guidance and here is what we have received from the district: *Valentine cards will need to follow the same safe handling rules as all materials. Plan to have students bring their Valentines to school and distribute them in individual boxes or bags by Tuesday, February 9. The boxes/bags will then sit until Friday, February 12th, when students can open them at Valentine “parties”. *If you plan to have kids bring candy (or you’re bringing some), all candies brought need to be sealed airtight – i.e., foil-wrapped Hershey Kisses are not airtight. *If students bring their Valentine cards with less than 72 hours to sit, their cards can be laid out on a table and misted with the electrostatic machines. (This doesn’t seem like a very good option!) *We can talk about this at our staff meeting this week
Lastly, I’ve been thinking a lot about what the kids have been through over the last 10 months and I think we have an amazing opportunity to help them capture some of their stories from their time during the pandemic. I’d like to propose the idea of a collective writing project for us to do school wide. The idea would be something like “My Quarantine Story” (or something more catchy) where they capture a vivid memory (or two or three…) experienced over the last 10 months. The kids have stories that need to be told, and we can capture this moment in history through writing. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas about this on Wednesday at our staff meeting
Upcoming January 27: Staff Meeting, 2pm January 26 and 28: Grade 4 and 5 Orientation Days February 5: District inservice day, No school, Parent Conversations. February 15: President’s Day, No School March 22-26: Spring Break, No School
It’s hard to believe, but after 10 months we have students returning this week! Like you, I am both excited and full of trepidation. I’ve been tossing and turning every night this weekend, often waking up in the middle of the night with my head full of thoughts (some of which I will share with you below). In the midst of all this I was able to spend the weekend in Corvallis with my granddaughter and as a bonus I got to see my daughter and son-in-law. It was a great distraction leading in to this monumenttal week! I hope you were able to enjoy the long weekend and are feeling ready for the big return!
I know these next few weeks are going to challenge us in new ways, and I want you to know that I am here for you, whatever it is that you need. Let’s keep communication open and strong and be sure to ask for support needed.
There are going to be some things we haven’t accounted for as we head into Orientation Week, but we’ll learn and make adjustments as needed. K-3 should plan to meet on Wednesday to re-tool a little before the next group arrives on Thursday.
Some really important info and reminders to get you going this week: 1) Staff Appreciation Lunch provided by the Worbes family again! This Wednesday at noon. They’re bringing food from Nancy Ps. 2) Orientation Day is a day that should be filled with connection, fun, and setting some important routines. Routines: -how we enter the classroom -when and how to wash/sanitize -getting ready for recess -getting ready for lunch–get all lunches ready before taking off mask, try to do this at the same time so time without masks is limited -where to wait at the end of recess -using the bathroom (1 at time during class, 2 at time 10 minutes prior to recess breaks) -end of the day walk to gym (K-2) or breezeway via the gym (3-5)
3) Remember, you are supposed to meet virtually with students at home on both Orientation days–this should be for some type of morning meeting
4) Classes will be individual cohorts for now (we can reassess in a few weeks). This means we will have 3 play zones on the playground: 1) swings/play structure; 2) tetherball and basket ball court; 3) wall ball to field including “nature area”. Cones will demarcate each zone and I have developed a zone rotation schedule–we will have a copy posted by the door out to the playground and one attached to the fence outside for reference.
K-2 Recess Zones
3-5 Recess Zones
5) At lunch: -K-2 eating first and then escorted to playground -3 (and soon 4-5) will play first and then be brought back in for lunch -Cafeteria lunch will be brought to your classrooms, as will breakfast
6) Lots of physical breaks at desks, outside play time, and mask breaks these first few weeks!
7) Lunch time for teachers–please minimize the number of people you eat with (no more than 3 people in the staff room together). We’ll have to get creative with where to eat, and on nice days we can eat outside. On a not as important note, but still important, please be sure to wash any dishes and silverware you use in the staff room.
8) As discussed, please remember to get Kim, me, or Patti if you have a student or students with symptoms, high or low risk–having any one of these symptoms could be reason to send students home to keep everyone safe: High Risk ~Cough ~Fever of 100.4 or greater ~Difficulty breathing ~Loss of taste or smell
Low Risk ~Sore throat ~Muscle pain, chills ~Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea ~Nasal congestion, runny nose, or headache
Upcoming January 25: All in for K-3, Orientation for 4-5 February 1: Hybrid begins for 4-5 February 5: “Grading Day”, no school (as of now, I’ll confirm soon) February 15: President’s Day, no school March 22-26: Spring Break, no school (a beacon!)
Here’s to a great week like no other, back to school! Andy
Good Morning All! I hope the weekend was fabulous and relaxing. Recently I discovered some amazing XC skiing out near Sisters that launches from the Upper Three Creek Sno Park, and I headed out there again this weekend–truly spectacular views!
And so we begin the move towards returning to school! I know there is a mix of excitement and hesitation/trepidation/concern right now. Hopefully by week’s end we will have a lot more clarity, a solid sense of confidence in our plan, and a feeling of excitement to welcome our students back to school. I look forward to having you all back at school and having time to connect, plan, and dream a little. Please do not hesitate to ask questions, raise concerns, and share ideas!
EAs will be around most of the week and ready to help. We also have access to Karima and Beth if we need them. Please let me know what kind of support you need this week and we’ll make it happen.
Here are a few notes to get us headed in the right direction:
1) Phase in plan–Just to be sure everyone is on the same page January 11-15: Transition Week for K-3. Asynchronous, AM WebEx meetings. January 19 & 21: K-3 Orientation Days. Another asynchronous week, AM WebEx. January 18-22: Transition Week for 4/5. Asynchronous, AM WebEx meetings. January 25: All-in for K-3 January 26 & 28: 4/5 Orientation Days. Another asynchronous week, AM WebEx. February 1: Hybrid begins for 4/5
2) Staff Meeting on Wednesday, 1-3pm in person. One agenda item–Returning to School! A reminder to share questions you have in the google doc: Return to School Questions
3) Staff Lunch on Wednesday provided by FOA! See Patti’s email to order. Lunch will be at 12.
4) K-3 Orientation Week cohorts will be shared with you by the end of the day tomorrow (Tues). We will be splitting the classes into two groups and only doing Tuesday and Thursday, and you can use Friday to finalize things for “all-in” next week. On both Orientation Days the district is requiring you to meet virtually with the students who are at home–this will mean including them in a morning meeting via WebEx. Please figure out what time you will invite students to join you via WebEx and be sure to communicate it with families.
5) Grade 4/5 hybrid cohorts-Patti will share these with you this week so that you can send to families as they prepare to plan for having their children at school 2 days each week.
6) Cohort decision: I will let you know tomorrow what I have decided. At the moment I am leaning towards K-2 and 3-5. This will allow us to keep EAs in cohorts (Jill and Nathan in K-3, Mindy and Brad in 3-5) and not having to mix with both cohorts. This will minimize contacts on the whole. Again, I will share the final decision tomorrow.
7) Artand Music: Art will continue to be done virtually with Korey for the foreseeable future. It will stay at the normal time until the week of January 25 (when K-3) goes all-in. New schedule: *Starting January 27: 4/5 @9am on Wednesdays *Starting January 29: 2/3 @ 8:15am,. K/1 @ 12:00
We will develop a new music schedule this week that will begin the week K-3 returns for all-in.
8) From the district: Starting on January 19th all teachers, K-5, are to be working in the building. This includes Wednesdays. If for some reason you are not able to be at school starting on the 19th please let me know so we can make a plan.
9) YouthTruth Survey: You will be receiving an email from me today (Mon) requesting that you participate in a district wide survey. Please make an effort to take the survey soon. Thanks! The survey will also go out to parents this week.
Upcoming January 18: MLK Day, NO SCHOOL January 19 & 21: K-3 Orientation Days January 25: All-in for K-3 January 26 & 28: 4/5 Orientation Days February 1: Hybrid begins for 4/5 February 5: No School, Elementary Grading Day February 24: Amity Parent Info Night for lottery, virtual March 22-26: Spring Break–we’re going to really need this one!
Here’s to a great week ahead, and to having kiddos back in the building soon! Andy
Happy New Year! I sincerely hope you had an amazing break and are feeling refreshed and rejuvenated! I am so filled with hope and optimism as we begin 2021; I know that there are still plenty of challenges ahead, but we will be back together soon rebuilding the Amity community and reconnecting as a staff. Stay positive and forward thinking!
One of the things that gives me great hope is my grandkids, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about them and their future this past year. I hope we’re all thinking about our grandkids (or future kids/grandkids) as we dive into this new year with lots of hope and optimism for their future. What do we want the future to look like, and what are we doing to help make sure it materializes? Lots to ponder and consider, and our role as educators plays a big part!
One of the highlights from my break is that I got to visit with the newest addition to the family for a brief (and heavily masked!) visit. I snapped this shot of Aurelia, captures her personality so well! And yes, she is eating very well!
As we begin the new year here are are a few important notes: 1) As you have all heard by now, the governor has handed over responsibility for re-opening schools to each individual district. Lora has indicated we are aiming for February 15. Hopefully I’ll have an update for you at our staff meeting this week.
2) Staff Meeting this week, Wednesday at 2pm. My Webex room.
3) As we begin the new year I think it is a good time set aside time to meet with each family–a time to highlight what is going well, challenges with their children that may need to be addressed, and celebrate progress. I think this will be helpful for families, but also for you as we officially begin planning for a return in February. We’ll talk about this at our staff meeting this week.
4) I finally got a chance to tour Amity last week and was blown away–it’s looking amazing! In terms of a return to Amity update, I was really hoping to be able to tell you that nothing has changed…however, the contractor has run into a small obstacle. The ceiling tiles have yet to arrive but are due to arrive this week. Once the contractor has the tiles it will take 2-3 weeks to install them. This means we are pushing the move-in date back a few weeks but it is looking like we will be back in before in-person learning starts. I will continue to update you as I have more information. In the meantime, let’s hold off on packing until we know more. Sorry!
5)Lottery Information meeting: We have set February 24 at 5:30pm for our annual meeting with perspective parents. I am hoping to put together a video for parents to watch prior to the meeting and then we can use the meeting, which will be on Webex, as a time to answer questions. I’ll share more information in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please get the date on your calendar. ( Michelle and Stephanie, I’ll touch base with you about this so you’re in the loop)
6) I’d like to tentatively set a date to do Invitations again–Thursday, January 21. We can touch base about this at the Staff Meeting.
7)Belated Happy Birthday to Patti (December 27) and Nathan (January 1)! Hope you both had great days!
8) The following has been circulating everywhere, so you may have already had a chance to read it. If not, it’s worth a few minutes of your time! It was written by Teresa Thayer Snyder, who is a former superintendent in upstate New York.
Dear Friends and Colleagues: I am writing today about the children of this pandemic. After a lifetime of working among the young, I feel compelled to address the concerns that are being expressed by so many of my peers about the deficits the children will demonstrate when they finally return to school. My goodness, what a disconcerting thing to be concerned about in the face of a pandemic which is affecting millions of people around the country and the world. It speaks to one of my biggest fears for the children when they return. In our determination to âcatch them up,â I fear that we will lose who they are and what they have learned during this unprecedented era. What on earth are we trying to catch them up on? The models no longer apply, the benchmarks are no longer valid, the trend analyses have been interrupted. We must not forget that those arbitrary measures were established by people, not ordained by God. We can make those invalid measures as obsolete as a crank up telephone! They simply do not apply.
When the children return to school, they will have returned with a new history that we will need to help them identify and make sense of. When the children return to school, we will need to listen to them. Let their stories be told. They have endured a year that has no parallel in modern times. There is no assessment that applies to who they are or what they have learned. Remember, their brains did not go into hibernation during this year. Their brains may not have been focused on traditional school material, but they did not stop either. Their brains may have been focused on where their next meal is coming from, or how to care for a younger sibling, or how to deal with missing grandma, or how it feels to have to surrender a beloved pet, or how to deal with death. Our job is to welcome them back and help them write that history.
I sincerely plead with my colleagues, to surrender the artificial constructs that measure achievement and greet the children where they are, not where we think they âshould be.â Greet them with art supplies and writing materials, and music and dance and so many other avenues to help them express what has happened to them in their lives during this horrific year. Greet them with stories and books that will help them make sense of an upside-down world. They missed you. They did not miss the test prep. They did not miss the worksheets. They did not miss the reading groups. They did not miss the homework. They missed you.
Resist the pressure from whatever âpowers that beâ who are in a hurry to âfixâ kids and make up for the âlostâ time. The time was not lost, it was invested in surviving an historic period of time in their livesâin our lives. The children do not need to be fixed. They are not broken. They need to be heard. They need be given as many tools as we can provide to nurture resilience and help them adjust to a post pandemic world.
Being a teacher is an essential connection between what is and what can be. Please, let what can be demonstrate that our children have so much to share about the world they live in and in helping them make sense of what, for all of us has been unimaginable. This will help themâ and usâ achieve a lot more than can be measured by any assessment tool ever devised. Peace to all who work with the children!
Upcoming *January 6: Staff meeting, 2pm *January 20: Staff meeting, 2pm *January 21: Invitations (tentative) *February 24: Lottery Info Meeting, 5:30pm *March 22-26: Spring Break (always good to have a beacon!)
Here’s to a great week, and great year ahead! I look forward to seeing you all soon! Andy
Amity Team, I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Just a few more days until a nice long break!
A few notes to get you rolling: 1) Amity visit on Wednesday, 3:30pm! You’ll want to enter from the parking lot and wait outside the studio (it’s the contractor’s office). You’ll need to get a hard hat and vest to go in.
2) Invitations on Thursday, 11:00-11:30. Please remember, if you want to change your offering (different from the first) then please get it into the Invitations document right away and make the change: Invitations Dec 17 I’ll send out communication to families by the end of the day.
3) Tentative schedule for returning to Amity, if all goes as planned–I will update you as I receive updates: *January 8: Contractor finished *January 11-15: Move in furniture/boxes, IT department gets phones and internet up and running. More details to come. *January 18: Our first day on site!
4) You may hear from other teachers in the district that they are supposed to have their classrooms ready for students by January 4. This was a request from Lora Nordquist to make sure schools are ready should we reopen soon after returning from break. From what I understand there is no actual plan for students returning on the 4th. I’ll update you just prior to returning from break. For now, just plan on us being at North Star until January 18 in some capacity or another.
5) As most of you know I’ve not been feeling well; unfortunately I’m still not feeling well and will work from home this week. If you need anything please call or text. This also means I won’t be there for the Amity visit, but I’ve asked Ray to document the visit and send me photos. Bummed not to share the moment with y’all, but out of an abundance of caution I need to stay home.
I hope you were able to get out and enjoy the incredible weekend–yet another in a long string of amazing weekends! My wife Michelle and I (now I have to say “my wife Michelle” so as not to be confused with our new colleague) got out for a great XC ski on Sunday at Meissner and Swampy–perfect conditions!
2) Amity visit on Wednesday, December 16! TIME CHANGE: 3:30pm. This will be a chance for us to get a sneak peak as they near completion of the project. Hopefully we’ll get a definitive completion/move-in date–fingers crossed!
3) Bus evacuation video. Thanks to those that have indicated you shared the video with your class last week. If you’ve shared the video with your class but have not let me know, please do so. If you haven’t shown the video yet, please do so first thing this week and let me know when you’ve done so. Thanks!
4) I know that providing meaningful feedback for all the work that students are turning in can be really overwhelming–I want to help! If you’d like some support providing feedback, please reach out and let me know. I’m happy to take some of this on for you!
5) We have a couple of birthdays this week–Jim on Wednesday, and Matt on Thursday. A very happy birthday to both of you!
6) I’m putting final touches on our hidden talent/silly video and hope to send it out Monday afternoon.
Upcoming December 9: Staff meeting, 2pm December 16: Amity visit! 3:30pm December 21-January 1: Winter Break–No School!
Welcome Back, I hope the week off was a good one and that you’re feeling rested and healthy! We’ve got a 3 week stretch ahead of us between now and Winter Break, hoping it goes very smoothly!
I did not get to be with my daughter Arielle and her new baby over the holiday, but they are great about sending daily photos and videos. Here’s one of my absolute favorites from over the break–it has kept me going!
A few notes to get you back in action: 1) For now we will not have a Staff Meeting on Wednesday. Keep the meeting the meeting for next week on your calendar, we will definitely be meeting.
2) Silly Video clips needed! As we discussed at our last staff meeting we will be putting together a fun video to share with the community–you can show a special talent, tell a joke, or just do something absurd or silly. Please get me your video clip (via text, email, or google link) by the end of the week. I’ll assemble the video and get it out to the community first thing next week.
3) Inspired by an article they read in Scholastic News titled “A Color for Everyone” (https://sn4.scholastic.com/issues/2020-21/083120/a-color-for-everyone.html#On%20Level) Grade 5 has been involved in a special project about inclusivity. Their involvement earned them an invitation to participate in a very special ceremony hosted by the Anti-Defamation League this coming Sunday. Several videos created by Grade 5 students will be shown during the ceremony! If you are interested in watching you need to register ahead of time: https://events.adl.org/concert. Find the “Reserve a Ticket” button on the top right of the screen (it’s free, but you have to register). Here’s a little bio about Belen, the student who is being honored: Bellen Woodard is a nine year old from Virginia who wondered why the âskin coloredâ crayon had to mean âpeachâ and disinclude so many like her. Her More Than Peach Project shares specially-packed arrays of skin-toned crayonsâand perception-changing conversationsâwith schools all across the world.
4) Just a reminder that at our last staff meeting y’all spoke of wanting to try and connect your classes through shared activities–guest readers, writing small books for youngers, common art projects, etc. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know!
5) Another Invitations? Yes! I’m tentatively scheduling the next Invitation for Thursday, December 17–right before break. Unless I hear any objections I’ll confirm this with parents next week and I’ll send out another google doc to capture your offerings. I’ll include the Invitation you offered this last time in case you want to do the same one.
6) Packet Pick-up before Winter Break? If you think you will need a pick-up before the break I am tentatively setting Thursday, December 10 as our day. We’ll do the usual 1-3pm. Let me know if you want to participate.
7) Another retirement–two in one year! Jim, our beloved custodian, recently informed me and Patti that he will be retiring effective December 8, with one last day in late December. Patti and I will work on some type of good bye celebration and we are open to any and all ideas. This may be another one we have to delay, but we can at least do a little something now. When we return to Amity in January, we’ll have a new lead custodian.
8) Speaking of returning to Amity in January, I will be setting up a visit of Amity on Wednesday, December 16 to see the progress. I’m booking the visit for 2pm and I hope you can make it!
Upcoming: December 9: Staff Meeting, 2pm December 16: Visit to Amity, 2pm December 17: Invitations! 11-11:30am December 21-January 1: Winter Break, NO SCHOOL!
It was a wonderfully stormy Saturday and a beautiful Sunday! Hoping you might have been as fortunate as I was to get up to the snow on Sunday. I got to go sledding with the grand kiddos, and then XC skiing with my gal and the dogs! Feels so good knowing winter has arrived–with all the change going on, this is a welcomed one!
A big thanks to all of you for our 1 to 1 meetings last week. It was great to have a little time to catch up and talk about how things are going. I greatly appreciate your time!
I saw this image over the weekend and had to share it with you. This is the first image I have seen in a long time that really captures my view of the work we do with children, and it really captures so much of the the things we talk about being important at Amity! Those of you who know me know I am not fond of “cutesy” educational anything, but I really like this.
A few notes to get this week before vacation (yes, vacation!) rolling: 1) You may be wondering what the implications of the governor’s new orders are going to be on school. Two responses: 1) Business as usual for us, no restrictions on coming and going at school and no interruption of LIPI support; 2) No clear implications on the metrics yet, we may have more information later today.
2) Invitations on Thursday! I’ll be sending out this link to families today and again on Wednesday: Invitations for Thursday, November 19. Please check it and make sure your offering is correct. Please be sure you have blocked this time in your schedule for Thursday (11-11:30am) and that you have shared the info with students and families.
3) Kindness clip. Last week I sent out a request for each of you to send a short video clip to me sharing a time when someone was kind to you and the impact it had. If you have not done so, please do this before the end of the day Tuesday (today would be preferable!). You can send them to me via text message or as an attachment to an email. Thanks to all who have already shared a clip!
3) Staff meeting on Wednesday, 2-3pm. We’ll have time to consider our next community activity. I’m throwing out my idea now: “2020 has been a difficult year, but… (fill in the blank with something positive that has happened, I know you can think of at least one thing!).” Just one idea, please bring your ideas.
5) Teachers in K-2 will be involved with some literacy PD on Thursday afternoon and all day Friday.
Upcoming November 18: Staff meeting, 2-3pm November 19: Invitations November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break! NO SCHOOL December 21-January 1: Winter Break, NO SCHOOL
Here’s to a great week ahead, and dreaming about vacation next week! Andy
