The power of the positive - Filling our wellHow did you fill your well this weekend? I hope whatever you thought about on Friday you followed through on, and if not, it's never too late. After months of stagnation, I finally went for a short run. I got caught in the rain but chased the sun all the way home and felt really good (and sore) for the rest of the weekend. It's so easy to say there's no time for the things that fill our well, but as Carrie Stack reminded us, we only control our own choices. Choose you! Help with useful REsources and AppsWith the January iReady diagnostics nearly upon us, and being at almost the 90-day mark, this is a good time to ask if there are those out there who could use some additional support with any of our curriculum and assessment resources. If you would benefit from a tutorial on Bridges, Wonders, IReady, Desmos, Elevate, ST Math, or other applications and resources, let us know. We will be working to assemble and provide training resources, and would be happy to stop by to help. Let us know what you need with this form. --Cheryl & Colleen Learning Walks this WednesdayInstructional Partners and Administrators will participate in learning walks this Wednesday at Nipmuc and Memorial. We'll be working together to discuss the characteristics of deeper & inclusive learning experiences - two key elements of our 5-year strategic plan. Visiting classrooms will help us think about how to build on the amazing practices we see all over the district, and what kinds of supports might be most beneficial. Thanks in advance for sharing your classrooms and practices. Starting off 2024 right - the power of the positiveWe hope you heard some valuable ideas from Friday's PD both during the keynote and during the WIN Workshops. Thank you for taking a few minutes to provide your anonymous feedback for last Friday's PD day. Many thanks to all the folks who offered WIN Workshops, Sam O'Neal who assisted with music and technology, Chris Schmidt who set up pickle ball, Steve Dellarovere who helped a bunch of us get CPR certified, our nurses for running blood pressure clinics ( I was told if my blood pressure is this good on a PD day, then I'm all set!! Phew!), Dianne Mucci and team for an amazing assortment of snacks, custodians who set up and cleaned up, high school teachers and administrators who let us use their rooms, and Colleen Terrill for organizing so much of the day! It truly takes a village. Thank you all!!! DeSE looking for the next Teacher of the YearKnow a great teacher? Nominate them today to become the 2025 Massachusetts state teacher of the year! Getting nominated is a huge honor and a way to show someone that the effort, care, energy, passion, and love they bring to their classroom has been noticed. Nominations can come from colleagues, supervisors, students, students' family members, or other members of the school community. Educators who are interested in this unique and special leadership role can self-nominate or jump right into the application process. The teacher of the year gets the chance to develop a platform, advocate for students and teachers, and meet other teachers in Massachusetts and from all 50 states. Learn more about this incredible opportunity and the application process online. Nominations are due by Thursday, February 1. Applications are due by Monday, February 12. Deeper Learning through Service learningThe Department and the Massachusetts Service Alliance are pleased to offer a series of free trainings and resources to help educators develop and implement high-quality units that integrate the explicit teaching and learning of social and emotional skills with academic subjects through service-learning projects. Participants are encouraged to attend all sessions in the series but may sign up for fewer if they choose. Participants can register and find additional details about the sessions online:
Addressing intolerance and discriminationLast month, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona hosted a webinar on how PK-12 schools (remarks and video) can support students and foster a safe, inclusive learning environment. The webinar presented resources to help respond to the rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Arab hate, and other forms of discrimination. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has resources for preventing and addressing antisemitism and Islamophobia in schools. laughter is the best medicineInspiration
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