Making memoriesI hope you had a great break and were able to recharge in whatever ways that work for you with the time off. Every few years I spend part of the February break visiting my in-laws in Florida and over the years we have built in some traditions that the boys always want to do like going on a nature walk to see the alligators, eating at 3 Guys Deli, and going to Steak 'n Shake. The photos above are some of these moments captured over the years of what my son Liam would say.."We are making memories." When my sons were infants and toddlers, a woman stopped us in a store and said with a firm tone..."Don't blink. They will be graduating school before you know it." As a young mother, I remember my husband an I thinking that was so strange at the time. Now, I get how quickly time seems to pass and all I want to do is to bottle up these moments and memories to enjoy them for a little while longer. Not only do I hope you had an opportunity to make some memories in the downtime of a school vacation week, but I also hope you are able to continue to make memories with your own families but also with our students. These weeks coming up at the end of the winter season can be viewed as something we slog through or they can be something that we make the most of in every interaction, every lesson, and every collaborative meeting. I know the days will start getting a little brighter and longer, the temperatures will start creeping up, and spring time will be here soon. Let's make some new memories together! RAMADANRamadan begins on Sunday, March 10 and extends to April 9. As stated in this resource, it is important to know how it may impact the spiritual and physical needs and abilities of students (remembering not all families observe or celebrate in the same ways). For example: • Try not to plan strenuous activities/lessons during this time. • Be flexible with PE participation and athletic attendance policies as fasting can be physically limiting for students. • Discourage teachers from using edible treats as incentives or prizes. • Offer an alternative social space at lunch time in lieu of the cafeteria, as sitting around others who are eating may be difficult. • Steer clear of comments that may be perceived as negative toward fasting (e.g., “You have to drink water or you will dehydrate.”) Getting Ready for next week's full-day PDWe're excited to be spending March 5th together in vertical curriculum teams to reflect on how we collaboratively build students' skills during their PK-12 MURSD journey. We'll gather at Nipmuc Auditorium and will have coffee available starting at 7:30 a.m. with an 8:00 a.m. launch. Department Chairs and Curriculum Assistants will be your guides in the morning when we meet in departmental vertical teams. Lunch will be served, and anyone with dietary restrictions should reach out to Brittany O'Neil ([email protected]) to let her know. In the afternoon educators will have the opportunity to select workshops of their choosing. Our vertical teams and workshop choices will be posted to our Professional Development website and Vector Solutions/Teach Point by the end of the day tomorrow (2/27). We hope folks will review and select sessions by Friday. Still time to register for LSDO Spring PD offeringsThere is still space in most of LSDO's spring PD offerings focused on areas of interest across several districts, and areas in which educators sometimes need PDPs for licensure. Here is a list of the free offerings:
New Educators Workshop - next Monday, March 4thOur February New Teacher Workshop was rescheduled to March 4th at 3:45 and will take a What I Need (WIN) format. If new educators have not already, please fill out the feedback form circulated by Andrea Rutkowski, so we can prepare to support you with technology, curriculum resources, educator evaluation or anything else that may be helpful this spring. We'll see you next Monday, March 4th at 3:5 in the Miscoe Staff Room. Learning Walks for Educators in years 2 & 3Right before break, educators in years 2 & 3 received emails inviting them to participate in our spring learning walks in Ashland and Milford on March 4th, 6th, 13th or 18th. If you are in year 2 or 3 here in MURSD, and did not receive an email, reach out to Brittany O'Neil ([email protected]) and she'll take care of you. Tech Tips for you to try Did you know Google Slides now allows you to annotate on the slide? In present mode move your mouse to the bottom left of the slides to see a box with the number of slides and an ellipsis. Click the ellipsis to open the menu and select "turn on the pen" to begin annotating the slides. This video will help show you how it works. Many of us have used ChatGPT and have appreciated it being a great thought partner, I know I sure have. Google has its own AI powered tool that was known as Bard that you might find even more useful. It has been renamed to Gemini and had a full make over. I think you might be interested and seeing what it can do. Check out 30+ Ways to Use Gemini Across the Curriculum. Please Share your thoughtsPlease take a moment and fill out this brief form to assist us with examining some of the technology tools you use on a regular basis. If you would like to be part of the team to further analyze our technology use please reach out to Colleen. Laughter is the best medicineLatest readsFor all of you readers out there, here are a few of my recent reads the last two months in order of preference with The Lost Bookshop as my most favorite.
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