20 - Jan. 7- Winter Break (School Closed)
January
10- First Day of School
11- ES Faculty Conversation (3:45-5:00/5:30 pm)
17- ES ASA/HC Session 2 is to begin (TBA)
20- Report Completion on Veracross
February
1- Reports go live Electronically (4:00 pm)
This year the elementary school is experiencing a lot of turnover. Decisions are placement and hiring take into consideration what is in the best interest of the whole community and student learning.
This year we are experiencing extensive turnover in EAL due to faculty transitioning to new positions, new schools, new countries, and maternity leaves. One of the responsibilities of leadership is to ensure sustainability. The great news is we have members of our community who can fill these positions and help ensure continuity for our EAL team. Please join us is congratulating the follow individuals who have been offered and accepted these EAL roles.
Bernadett has accepted the Grade one EAL maternity cover. Bernadett is a qualified and experienced EAL teacher who has continued to develop her skills in this area in the classroom as well as through substitution for our EAL teachers when they are unable to be on campus. Bernadett will join the grade one team beginning in August to expand her grade level experience. She will remain in the position through December. Kelly will return from maternity in January 2023.
Debbie Renn will join our Grade two team. Debbie took on the role of EAL teacher in grade one last year. She took this past year off due to family reasons. Debbie is a seasoned EAL teacher with knowledge of our teaching and learning philosophy and will support sustainability in the lower grades. We look forward to inviting her back into the Blazer fold.
Vince Juarez will transition into the grade 5 EAL position in April 2022. Vince is a qualified and experienced EAL teacher who has demonstrated his knowledge, commitment, professionalism, and flexibility covering three maternity leaves at AISB over the past two years. Prior to his time at AISB, Vince was both a homeroom and EAL teacher in upper elementary. We would also like to thank Vince for the exceptional job he has done in Kindergarten and Multiage since March. Today is his last day with MAC. We look forward to seeing him on campus over the coming months and will welcome him back, full time in April, 2022.
Ed Hagen is from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA, and has been teaching elementary his whole life. Eleven of those years have been in grade 2. He attended more than ten schools as a child and strongly identifies as a third-culture kid. He enjoys learning and laughing with his students and is passionate about student voice and choice. Ed loves creating and tinkering with his students. He started his teaching career in Durango, Colorado, taught in Montrose, Denver, Shanghai, and currently teaches in Bangkok,
We will engage in recruitment process for the remaining openings in the elementary (Principal, core classroom, Learning Innovation Lead, and EAL) in January, 2022.
When we return after the holidays we want to help set all the students up for success. They have had three weeks off and they are excited for the return to school. This could lend itself to some impulsive behaviors.
Below are some solution-focused questions that can be done at the start of class to help have a positive start to the rest of the year. Diane is happy to co-facilitate these conversation with you.
You can start by saying something about how you are excited for the rest of the year and how you want to help each of them be at their best. Then you can propose the following questions:
- How would you know you are contributing your best as a member of the group/class?
- What do you think others would notice today/this week/ this month/ the rest of this year as a sign that you are at your best?
- How do you/the class manage to be at their best when you complete your tasks?
- If you approached future tasks/classes: mindful of needs, open to everyone having an equal voice, and sharing productively, what difference would that make for you and others?
Congratulations! We have come a long way so far this year in our understanding of Toddle, particularly as a tool for recording and sharing evidence of student learning with the wider community. The next step will be for us to develop our use of Toddle as a way to record our curriculum and plan and share learning experiences and assessments with each other and the students. Thank you for your willingness to learn and grow and help each other as we adapt to this new platform. Next semester will be one full of new learning for us all.
On a Personal note...
I would like to say a huge thank you to ALL of you for the support, trust and patience you have shown me this semester as I have started to learn the ropes as ES DTL. This is an amazing place to work, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to listen to, learn from, and grow with each of you. We have all earned a restful break. See you in January!