Hope in the Discovery of Excellence

Just make up your mind at the very outset that your work is going to stand for quality…that you are going to stamp a superior quality upon everything that goes out of your hands, that whatever you do shall bear the hall-mark of excellence. ~ Orison Swett Marden

Week 9 in Review

Well, last week was a crazy, busy week as predicted.  You know you are on the right track when out of chaos comes order.  Sitting with the department chairs and working through each team’s data teamwork was a discovery of excellence.  It was amazing hearing about the conversations each team had about data, power standards, common assessments and just instructional practices overall.  In the action of discovery, we all reached our own level of clarity on a variety of issues concerning data teams.  We learned how to focus on specific objectives, how to identify process verbs to focus instructional practice, and how to collect and apply the data from common assessment to differentiate instruction.  I was very impressed with the dedication each team had made to their work on improving instruction.  I am filled with hope for the next level of discovery as each team presents its work on October 25th and 26th.  I will send out a reminder list of expectations for the data team discussion this week.

Week 10 – A Look Ahead

Grades close on Tuesday night.  Don’t forget you must post grades no later than 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday.  If you make any grade changes AFTER Wednessday morning then you must notify Kim or the changes will not take effect.

This Wednesday during Job-embedded PD, we will fishbowl the data teams process in hopes of helping teams become more and more comfortable with what the process looks like.   We meet on a White day, so Amy will touch base with FACS/Science (1W), Comm Arts/ SpEd (2W), Fine Arts (3W), and hopefully Business (4W) to see if we can work through the modeling together.  Remember, the whole reason for this practice is to practice.  There is no expectation of being experts.  We are learning…together.

Thursday and Friday will be important CAMP days.  We will help our students set goals for the second half this semester as well as craft a letter to send to parents or guardians (or someone significant in the student’s life if parents are not guardians).  Please make sure the students’ letters are appropriate.  All letters are due in the sealed envelopes to Kim by Friday before you leave. If at all possible, please send them at the end of CAMP on Friday. And Kim – thank you from all of us for taking care of us this week.  You truly are amazing.

The Spaceshuttle Discovery from  http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/orbitersdis.html; Discovery logo from taweel.com.

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