February 5 - Black History Month

Posted by pgrant February 03, 2018

February 5 - Black History Month

This Week's Link:
February means a lot of different things to a lot of people. Last Thursday, I said 'Snow', you said, 'Florida', 'Super Bowl', 'Vacation', etc. To many people February marks a time to reflect on and celebrate the contribution and achievements of Black Americans. There are local, national, and international events related to Black History Month throughout February. I encourage you to explore connections to Black History Month with your students.
On that note, on February 1, 2018, Montpelier High School students chose to raise the Black Lives Matter flag at the their school, with plans to keep it raised throughout the month. I imagine this is and will be an intense learning and reflective opportunity for the students and the community of Montpelier. This Op-Ed be Secretary of Education, Rebecca Holcombe, thoughtfully explains the purpose and process of why the students and staff chose this path for their school community. While there have been some unwelcome consequences as a result of the flag raising and things that I do not wish upon us (such as, threats), I do applaud their courage to take a risk and support student voice. As I read the memo from Rebecca, I wondered, What conditions at Montpelier HS allowed for students to feel supported to pursue their controversial ideas, and when should we and how do we inspire our students to step up, speak out, and take a stand? I look forward to and imagine that on February 12th, during flex time, as students take the stage and compete for a chance to Speak Up at TEDx, we will see examples of our students stepping up, speaking out, and pursuing their ideas.

Resources for Black History Month:
- Vermont African American Heritage Trail
- NEA classroom tools
- PBS resources

Brain Breaks are good for you...and your marriage.

Substitute Update:

Thank you to everyone for the help with subbing challenges. It is selflessly supportive when you give up planning or other commitments to help cover for a colleague. Thank you. Administrators at both the school and Supervisory level are working thoughtfully and creatively to alleviate the sub shortage. We are working locally to increase advertising and marketing (Aesop was one helpful step) and we are working at the state level to increase pay options. Please know that we recognize the problem and are working to alleviate the issues. Thanks for your understanding, support, and patience.

This week's (OTHER) Links:

I shared these last week, but it was a lot....so here they are again. A few teachers shared some fun video projects that occurred in their classrooms. Check out the links below to see some fun and thoughtful work from our students.

Forensics - For a good laugh
US History Documentary Films - Lots to see here
Sustainable Communities - Local wisdom

Upcoming Events:
2/5 - Student Recognition Meeting during Flex
2/6 - TA Tuesday M3 #8, part 2
2/12 - Best Practice 3pm
2/12 - TEDx PA competition in Auditorium @ Flex
2/13 - TA M3 #9 Exploring Stress
2/17 - Sweethearts Dance!
2/20 - TA M3 #10 Celebration
3/21 - NEW Q3 TERM ENDING
3/22 & 23 - Conferences &
In- Service PBL work

PBL Support
The activity listed below looked intriguing to me. If you are interested, please let me know.

Vermont Proficiency-Based Learning EdCamp Series

Audience: All
Three EdCamps will be offered this spring across the state. The Agency of Education Proficiency-Based Learning EdCamps will be held March 1, 2018 at Lyndon Institute and the week of April 23, 2018 in southern Vermont. EdCamp will be holding their annual EdCamp at the Centerpoint School in Winooski on Saturday, April 14, 2018. To learn more and register for April 14, 2018 visit the EdCamp Vermont website and see the courtesy posting below. Learn more and register for Vermont Proficiency-Based Learning EdCamp.
Contact: Members of the Proficiency-Based Learning Team greg.young@vermont.gov, margaret.carrera-bly@vermont.gov, or emily.titterton@vermont.gov

Schoolwide Happenings