As we foster an environment that promotes reflective students, what does this practice look like for you? How often are you modeling this for our learners? But more importantly, what practices do you have in place that involve purposeful reflection? How have these practices supported a healthy life?
Reflection can lead to a greater quality of life, happiness, and personal alignment with your values and goals. But with the onslaught of information that drowns us each day, it would be easy to have reflection be a fleeting goal.
I challenge you to consider the reflective practices that you have adopted, and chew on what additional practices you can add to enhance your time in quiet reflection.
Lockdown Drill
We will have a lockdown drill next week. An invite has been sent out. Please ensure you are able to log-in to Navigate prior to the drill.
New Names and Emails (Congrats on the weddings!!)
Congrats to Val for her wedding this weekend. She is now Mrs. Pond! Also, Kelsey's email has officially changed from her name change over the summer due to her marriage! kbitetto@hilton.k12.ny.us
Val's email will change in the near future!
No Meeting Weeks
Just a reminder that we begin no meeting weeks next week. This goes until after Thanksgiving. This is a QUEST practice designed to honor, and provide the gift of time, for a busy staff during report card and conference time.
Despite it being no meeting weeks, please be sure to continue to connect with your colleagues on your team and across the school. These daily emotional deposits with one another support a healthy culture and are meaningful. Go QUEST!
Report Cards Open November 1
Report cards open Nov. 1. Please contact Derek and Tom if you start them and are seeing any errors that need immediate revision.
What an awesome week at QUEST. We continue to do right by kids, and our values of collaboration and caring continue to be a real strength. This week, I'm grateful for witnessing:
A few different students getting to ring the bell to celebrate their goals!
A few classrooms unpacking student goals with their children. I even was able to see Kindergarten students discussing goals as a class!
A teacher's aide getting down to the student's level and reminding them to go back to their breathing when they were upset!
An observation where connections across the grade-level were occurring.
A teacher reminding a student of what they are capable of in a way that was away from the child's peers. Warm demander approach!
Two "local experts" sharing all the potential found in MAP reports to their colleagues.
A teacher having a student sit next to them during guided reading time as a way to produce more work. A sacrifice by the teacher in order to push the student as a learner.
A custodial team going above and beyond despite absences, doing some last minute work to prepare for picture day.
An IB Coordinator working with graduates to provide them with plenty of background support for exhibition!
A mental health team member meeting with teams informally to problem solve for our learners.
Building Subs and the Library
We now have two building subs: Kennedy and Jacqueline Sloan. Because we have been unable to secure a librarian, Kennedy is working out of the library on days she is not assigned to a classroom. This is why we were able to get a second building sub.
As much as we appreciate our building subs and like them working with our classes when we are away, anytime you need to be out, please continue to request a sub (if your job requires one). The building subs get assigned each morning by the main office. Thanks for understanding!
The librarian opening is still posted, but kudos to Lisa, Lyza (now library clerical support), and Kennedy for keeping our library as a great place for kids and staff while we search for our next librarian.
Surveys
I
hope that you will take the time to participate in our strategic plan survey
located at the bottom of this email. I want you to know that the Board of
Education and administration value your feedback and ideas and will use this
data to improve our district. Please know that the survey is anonymous
and the data shared with the district will not have any personal
identifiers. We also ask that feedback is constructive. We believe
that this is the most transparent and vulnerable strategic plan process that
the district has participated in.
The
process will involve voluntary input from students in grades 4-12, parents,
staff, board members, alumni, and community members gathered through surveys
and focus groups. Please view the following video at https://youtu.be/fm9jzuf1cSU
to learn more about the overall process.
The brain is quite a complex organ, and our jobs as educators is to provide learning that sticks. This often means breaking the learning down into very small, tight chunks of information. As we learned about warm demanders in the staff meeting, we followed an ignite, chunk, chew, review process. For those looking to try this information processing approach with kids, or for those not able to join the staff meeting, check out below.
As you will recall, we have three staff meetings that are community circles with the focus on Welcoming and Affirming environments. The prompts were developed by DIT. Please find your name and report directly to your assigned location on Tuesday.
Quest Elementary Community Circles: Start-7:50 am, End-8:30 am
Walking around QUEST is magical, but this week I was trying to be respectful of my recent illness so I minimized my classroom visits. Even so, I was able to notice so much good happening at our school. This week, I was excited to see:
Teams relying on one another regarding how to address a new goal setting process.
Colleagues going out of their way to make a colleague who is leaving feel celebrated.
Custodian staff doing some extra little details just to be supportive.
A couple staff members going out of their way to help a child that dropped their lunch.
Staff members still standing at their doors EVERY SINGLE MORNING, even in mid-October!
A colleague jumping in to help out a colleague that is sick.
Joy and Gratitude
Man, was I bummed to miss Dennard! A few people shared his work with me, and I was excited to see that he touched upon gratitude! Gratitude can have life changing benefits, so much so that Brene Brown found that people who claim to have "joy" in their life ALL intentionally practice gratitude.
We all have a negative bias. This is nature's way of allowing us to keep safe, especially if we are being chased by one of those "tigers" that our ancestors faced or that we metaphorically face. How do you ensure you are allowing yourself the opportunity to have a grateful mindset?
Enjoy this quick watch.
CULTURE!
Culture belongs to all of us. I can work hard to be a supportive and positive leader, but at the end of the day we all have to own a piece. And we do. That is what makes QUEST such an incredible place for kids: the adults own the culture!
It is a joy to witness teams work together. The culture on a team is a part of the whole. Teams matter and good teams build good culture. Loving the collaboration I get to witness.
(sweet room, Mr. Booth!)
CIA
What: CIA--Warm Demander
When: 10/18/22 @ 7:50 am
Where: QUEST Cafe
Being a warm demander is an equity based approach that a professional takes to ensure students feel safe, empowered, and valued.
Seven Hour Workday
There is always some confusion around the seven hour workday, so just for clarification, the workday is 8:40-3:40 for QUEST.
FEAST
·We will be having
demos, the fire, and fried dough down at the creek. Use this to sign-up for a time to come down.
Times may change as we get closer. I will communicate
out those changes if they are made
·We will be cooking
this year!!!!!
oFoodservice is
going to cook the turkey
oClasses will be
cooking sides. GLOVES MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES WHEN HANDLING FOOD
§I have the Quest
kitchen signed out and assigned your pole a cooking day. Sign-up if you need to use the
kitchen
§Use this sign-up to make sure your food is being
reheated
§I am asking for
each pole to have 1 parent and teacher as a point person in charge of
supervising the reheating of food. This will streamline the chain of
communication and help cut down on confusion in the kitchen on the day of the
Feast.
§If you are cooking
in your room, you need to sign-up, make sure your crockpots have been
approved by Mike, AND you have touched base where you are plugging them
in. We need to make sure we aren't tripping any breakers when cooking
food.
oKitchen
Reminders: This ISN’T YOUR kitchen. The rules below MUST be followed!
§GLOVES,
GLOVES, and GLOVES need to be worn at ALL TIMES.
§NO
CHILDREN ALLOWED IN KITCHEN
§Clean
up after yourself
§Make
sure you close the cooler/freezer doors
§Make
sure to turn off any equipment that was used
·PTSO will be providing cutlery and plates and
dessert for kids.
What a busy, but positive week at QUEST Elementary!
I spy:
Walking around taking in the school is a complete gift--modeling of the IB profiles can be found around each corner. There is so much good happening at QUEST, yet when we get in our "work silos" it is hard fully absorb it. This week, I was amazed at:
A management team problem solving together to ensure Halloween is a win!
Student work displayed that highlights who the students are!
A couple students ringing the bell!
Staff going above and beyond to welcome and affirm our parents.
Staff being beyond flexible and collaborative with the added chaos of school events like the book fair!
A teacher throwing a shower, with kids, for a student teacher! What a lesson in the profile of caring.
AIS providers looking at student MAP results and making informed decisions about student interventions.
A team owning their level meeting without Greg running it.
A nurses office making time to check-in on the social-emotional health of a student.
Two staff members verifying that their communication with a parent is sending their intended message correctly.
A handful of people relaxing and eating together in the staff lounge!
Staff members greeting students at their doors!
Students doing the communicating in a math class. The instructor was pushing the thinking.
Students learning how to agree or disagree by using cards that indicate .
Lunch staff reteaching expectations and exhibiting patience and student centeredness.
Management Team Updates
Teams are up and running. Incredible work happening.
GREAT TEAMS=GREAT CULTURE! Keep owning this, all! Thumbs up.
We are shifting to goal sheet and revised report card
(no g’s). There is a hard copy of the report card that was shared with
each management team rep. Goal setting is about student agency and
ownership. Report cards are there to communicate with parents, along with
the various other methods, how their child is performing based on state
standards.
Support for students and staff in October given trial.
Please reach out to Val and I.
Homecoming parade October 7th! We always love when
staff join. No pressure, but the invite is there.
Please remember to share conference times with Derek by
October 24th (earlier if you are starting earlier!).
Sweet went well the first week. Please be sure to
always take attendance.
Help Needed!
Recess is a fun time, but we have had instances where students are taking off in the halls the second they see the exit; these actions can produce a lot of noise while exiting and entering the building. If your classroom is located near an exit, I have no doubt you feel this.
How can we all help and walk in one another's shoes?
-Please expect students to walk out in a straight line and voices off when exiting the building and when entering.
-Teach students the why behind this: so classes can remain focused on their learning and to honor the work of their fellow schoolmates.
-If your class fails at that, consider turning them around and walking back into the room to try again. Remain consistent or they will do it for two days and fail on the third.
Also at management team: Halloween Need-to-Know
Halloween is a Monday.
This is a half-day of school.
There are no specials on this half day as special area teachers go to department meetings.
We will have a parade only @ 9:30 am (no assembly). This parade will be outside, but modified to indoors if it is raining or below freezing.
Route can be found below (thanks to our management rep. who put this helpful sheet together for us).
Have a student who does not celebrate? Please send me their name and times for your celebration and I will find an alternate activity and adult to support their learning.
An FYI inviting parents to be outside to watch the parade, as well as costume expectations, will go out in October.
The Bell is BACK!
Purpose:
The purpose is of the bell is to allow a student, or staff member, a chance to celebrate.
Meet a goal? Ring the bell!
Had a rockstar day or did something above and beyond? Ring the bell!
When: You can send a child down to ring the bell at any time of day. It is located outside of Paula's desk. We typically take a picture and send it to you, the staff member that sent a child, so that you can send it to the parents...celebrating the win!
Who: ANYONE can send a child to ring the bell. Let's celebrate the good, QUEST.
I am so fortunate that I get to experience the entire school each day. Getting to notice best practices and seeing how our culture plays out is really a wonderful thing. This week, I'm grateful that I got to witness:
A team having a hallway meeting to discuss business quickly.
A teacher telling their class that their voice and writing is gold. A Lucy Culkin's video brought that point home.
A custodian greeting students with a giant smile and hello.
A special area teacher leaning over to get to the level of a crying student off the bus loop.
A specialist sitting on the floor because that will save the most time and it keeps the interaction with the student feeling comfortable.
A lunch monitor pointing out the good in kids.
A mental health team finding ways to support a student in a very out-side-the-box kind of way.
A teacher new to a level and completely finding ways to meet each student where they are.
A staff member calling homes of students to tell their students' parents that their kids are great and have plenty of strengths.
A veteran staff member willingly helping colleagues that are new.
I'm grateful. Thanks for always affording me the chance to witness plenty of good. WE are QUEST!
Tech Room
The tech. room needs to be cleaned out. Please swing by if you have anything there and either bring it to your classroom or work with Mike on storage.
MTSS District Actions
Little by little, one walks far.
Our district will be shifting toward MTSS based practices and continue to leverage those current practices that align with the philosophy and vision. Please find the districts overview from Leadership Council.
In addition, keep in mind regarding QUEST shifts this year:
District plan for this year and next two years:
Warm Demander
When you sign up for sessions (sign up will be forthcoming in the near future) at the Superintendent's Conference Day, you will notice that Warm Demander is a session. You are welcome to sign up for that, but please keep in mind that we will also be doing work on Warm Demanders in October as a staff. You would be getting a double dip.
Subs
Just a reminder regarding our protocol when you need to be out. You can find this on the Hub!
Support is Available
In light of the news that Casey just shared regarding the trial in October, please reach out to Val, Lance, or Derek if you need support in any way. In addition, please reach out should students be discussing and need to be supported.
Email Etiquette
Disclaimer: this is not an email so it may be long winded! Challenge by choice!
An interesting video was shared by Sean D'Abeu, former QUEST intern, on Twitter this past weekend. It is well worth the watch as we sometimes spend too much time sifting through emails.
Why does this matter to you?
Our jobs take up a lot of time, and the work is meant to be meaningful and engaging...we are working with kids, after all! We can't have you tied up all the time with emails if you're going to do your best work, and your brain is not meant for the communication onslaught.
For those looking to have complete control over that email beast, here are some etiquette ideas to try:
Keep email under 5 sentences. Write the long email, but then find the main idea and make it under 5 sentences before hitting send.
Don't open emails during meetings. It will reduce your engagement.
Have a clear shut down time for emails at home. Sure, there are emergency circumstances where you need to rattle one off, but it's okay to have that boundary with parents and your colleagues. You need, and deserve, to recharge daily!
Go visit people! Talk quickly in the hallway versus an email. You get the steps AND you get to form a human connection. Both of these benefits are healthy for you!
Instead of being more narrative in nature, siphon out the action so your goal is clear. Example:
Whether this topic interests you are not, email plays a big part in your life. Having a strategy or two is essential for the health of your brain and your work productivity.
Culture and Climate
Some strengths as indicated on our culture and climate survey:
An area that we will work on this year:
There were a lot of positive comments, but two comments hoped that we could be better at being curious and not judgmental with one another...talking to a colleague when they are frustrating you. That can be tricky to do, we are humans, but a good goal nonetheless.
Focus:
As a building, we will be working on getting to know one another again this year, with some tips and strategies shared throughout the year regarding how to have a hard conversation with a colleague. Our actions and approach are highlighted below. More to come as the year goes on, but please be aware of our focus as a group. We all own our culture!
School-wide meeting is scheduled from 8:55-9:10. We have specials that begin at 9:15. This is not to produce anxiety, but when you are planning to lead the meeting please plan a tight share-out and be sure to do a hard stop at 9:10.
Thanks for your help!
Book Fair and Lunch With a Loved One
Our Book Fair is in a week, and with that comes Lunch With a Loved One. We are excited that we are able to provide this again. This will occur the last week in September.
SIT Focus
SIT is focusing on Inquiry this year. QUEST has long been known as a school of inquiry, yet so much of that can be lost if we are not revisiting it regularly. In terms of school growth, this falls under our focus on a Tier 1 common practice. See below from our Playbook for the year.
RtI Problem Solving Team
RtI Problem Solving Meetings are up and running starting 9/22. These will be each Thursday (versus the random schedule from the past, thanks to having Lance full-time!). The sign-up is now on the Hub! More adjustments will be made to this process as we work alongside the district.
Our level meetings took a look at our personality profile through https://www.16personalities.com/ . It was crazy how many were spot on! For those that did not attend a level meeting, check it out! It is worth doing and has a lot of implications to how we perform our work.
CIA for 9/20/22 (yes, after a Monday Night game for Philly and Buffalo...yikes!)
Evacuation "Did you know?":
Did you know:
If it were a real evacuation, we may need to call transportation or walk over to Village Elementary to warm. In the case of a real emergency, we would still go to our Zones, take attendance, and THEN wait for further instructions (buses are coming or we are going to walk with our kids to VE).
Hand Washing
Hand washing and sanitizer is no longer required, but as we get closer and closer to cold and flu season, consider establishing a routine with kids!
