COVID-19 - School Closures - Update

 Things to do -

With school closures, there is certainly no shortage of things to do being posted online.  I love Lunch Doodles being provided by Mo Willems , the daily schedules being provided, and that school districts everywhere are publishing some flexible learning opportunities.  Companies like BrainPop  are also providing free access to online content. 

Connection During Social Distancing

from: https://creativityboost.net/2018/07/10/turning-crises-into-opportunities/

With no shortage of digital learning opportunities, some teachers may want to provide content that is suited for their classrooms.  Please make sure you're following COPA and FERPA laws and regulations while doing that. 

This morning, my community (Teachers & PTA Board) and I met via Google Meet to discuss the kinds of things we want to do with students and to create a calendar of events (on a shared document) to stay connected with our community.  Because of the various issues surrounding equitable access, all of these opportunities are flexible and optional.  Our goal is connection through enriching content.

I'm excited by how excited we are to create  opportunities to stay connected even as we are ordered to "shelter in place."  Here are some ways we are connecting with our students:

• Read Alouds posted on Facebook Live or using Google Hangouts (students can have a more intimate meeting with their teachers as they use their individual school Gsuite logins to meet up with their teachers.
• Teachers connecting with students doing something they love to do - gardening, art, music, tinkercad, cooking, etc.
• Parents & community members starting community chats for sharing their passion with their school communities.

Here's a video from one of our community members connecting to the Project Based Learning Unit she was teaching prior to schools being closed:

I cannot say enough about how inspired I am by my school community!   They know how to find opportunities for learning and run with it!

Rethinking Monday Memos

Does writing the Monday (or Friday Memo) seem like a chore to anyone else?  Does anyone else struggle with getting people to read their Memos? I hear a lot of people offering candy or gift cards just to get staff to read their Monday Memos.  I don't know how I feel about that, if people aren't reading the memos, then why am I writing them?  For myself?  The memo needs to be useful, connected, and inspiring.

In the past three years, I've experimented with different formats, sending it in both digital and print form, and playing with giving or "re-presenting" information in a focused and digestible manner.

So, I decided to figure out how to make my Monday Memo more dynamic, more innovative.  A teacher suggested possibly doing a podcast.  I like that idea, but I personally like being able to focus my attention in the areas I want in the time I need, but the podcast, as far as I know doesn't allow for the listener to do that.  So, I think I'll save that suggestion for something else.  I decided to take to the internet to see what some of my fellow school leaders are doing with their Monday Memos.  I came across this blog http://principalj.blogspot.com/2011/12/leading-way-with-staff-memos.html
I'm excited by the idea of a blog for a Monday Memo!  Instead of sending a PDF, I send a link with the most recent post.  Teachers can have access to past blogs, calendars, links, etc.

For my Memo, I want to include a calendar widget that connects to our staff google calendar.  I love the "Great Things I Noticed" from PrincipalJ's blog, I called it "Inspiration/Kudos" in last year's Monday Memo.  I also plan on having a "Nuts & Bolts" section and an "Instructional Focus" section.  One thing that I struggle with is sharing the research and reflections I do as a result of listening to staff and observing what's going on with them.  I'd love to have a section sharing either my flipboard collections of research and/or my reflections as a response to that research.  In that same vein, my teachers are also doing their own research and reflections, it would be amazing to be able to share their insights as well.

I think the thing that also makes me excited about doing a blog for a Monday Memo is that it provides a convenient way to make the Memo reciprocal.  Teachers can comment on what is posted and connect to other comments made.  We are always struggling with time together on the job.  This is a way to use media to remedy that.

Does anyone else use a blog for a Monday Memo?  Would you be willing to share with me?  What are teacher thoughts on a blog as a memo? What other considerations should I make?