“Better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence. It takes moral clarity. It takes ingenuity. And above all, it takes a willingness to try.”
― Atul Gawande, Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance
The above quote is highlighted in this week’s “Professional Readings” section as part of an excellent video. In the video, Zaretta Hammond talks about what it takes for students to become learners with an academic mindset. As I watched, I could recognize several areas where PCMS is truly excelling. There are so many ways in which our school has not rested on the status quo, but rather, because all of our teachers embody “the best at getting better”, we have been able to create excellent connections and environments for our students. Thank you for your curiosity, your willingness to dig in, and keeping your WHY at the forefront of this work. I’m proud to work with a group of people who continue to be willing to strive for what could be.
This weekend was a great time for some of our AMPLIFY students as they participated in the annual MUSE conference at the Tower Theatre. Thank you to Liza and Julia for continuing to support this club and our students as they find their voices for a better tomorrow!
This week, we have a group of 8th grade girls who will be showcasing their hard work on an app to help increase electric vehicle use in the state of Oregon. They will be presenting to PGE, Pacific Power, and other partners at the Electirc Vehicle symposium tomorrow at OMSI! When I have footage, I will be sure to share it with all of you. A big thank you goes to Dan for supporting these students along the way, including setting up several partners to meet with them to help their idea shine! Monday evening we will have our 3rd parent book club evening at the library at COCC. We have 26 parents signed up!
On Tuesday, Megan, Amanda, Lisa Z, Ami Z, and Heather W. will be part of the Continuous Improvement Workgroup at the ESD to start to design better and more equitable systems for our students in the coming years. My hope is for us to use this time to look over data, create ideas so teaching about equity (including things like historical celebrations for varying groups of people) are done in a way that is continuous at PCMS and not an after-thought during our planning. We will also be working to read through the book, Not Light but Fire to help us gain ideas for conversations in the classroom. If you have ideas or want more information, please reach out to any of these individuals.
This week we will be sending our final two groups to Camp Tamarack in 7th grade. Thank you teachers for supporting these students during their experience at Camp and thank you to those of you who have had to make adjustments to your teaching schedules to make their experience focused. Send all your vibes out to the universe for NEW SNOW! We want to sled!
On Thursday, we will have a vertical choir concert at Summit at 6:30. Please come and support your singers if you are able. Melissa puts on quite a show and it is incredible to see our students show their work alongside former Golden Eagles. I look forward to these each year!
Next Friday we will be having an assembly to honor students who are doing great things outside of PCMS that may not otherwise get recognized. If you know of a student who is excelling in a non-traditional sport or another way within our community, please let me know so they can be recognized. I am also looking for 4 staff members who are willing to be part of a blind basketball toss competition.
Finally, I am continuing to gather information regarding staffing for next year. If you have questions at any time or if you are interested in something different regarding your assignment for next year, now is the time to come and talk to me. After preliminary numbers are in, it appears that we are currently set to decrease in numbers by about 80 students overall. This will impact how we structure things next year and I don’t yet know how. Once I receive my staffing after the board approves the outline, I will have more information. Again, I am happy to share with you any and all information that I have as soon as I can. If you are curious at all during the next few weeks, please connect with me.
Thank you for Learning with, Caring for, Inspiring our students and one another each day. Go Golden Eagles!