Wildcat Weekly Updates Vol. 2

We envision a school committed to building a joyful, meaningful environment where we hold one another accountable and everyone has a voice.

Our mission is to develop a community of learners focused on safety, academic success, rigor, and college and career readiness while promoting accountability, positivity, research based strategies, advocacy, consistency, and fairness.

Vision

• Joyful Learning Environment - An emotionally safe environment where strong positive emotions are tied to the retention of learning
• Meaningful Learning Environment - An environment focused on attaining clearly stated goals
• Voice - Perspectives tied directly to the achievement of clearly stated goals

Mission

• Safety - Protection from physical or emotional trauma
• Academic Success - Attainment of individualized goals
• College and Career Readiness - Performance in relation state mandated goals
• Rigor - Intellectually challenging lessons characterized by meticulous planning and delivery
• Accountability - Acceptance of the responsibility for the attainment of clearly stated goals
• Positivity - Thinking and acting in an optimistic, solutions oriented way always expecting the achievement of clearly stated goals
• Research Based Strategies - Our criteria for strategy implementation. Positive evidence of success must precede enactment
• Advocacy - Public support for strategies and initiatives designed to achieve clearly stated goals
• Consistency - Steadfast adherence to strategies and initiatives designed to achieve clearly stated goals
• Fairness - impartial and just treatment without favoritism or discrimination

-Move off the state identified list for Targeted Support and Improvement via TVAAS 5 Growth

-Increase overall ranking among SCS Middle Schools with an overall success rate of 24%

• 24% (approx 204 students) Ontrack/Mastery all core areas
• 52% (approx 444 students) Approaching all core areas
• 24% (approx 204 students) Basic all core areas

-Reduce Chronic Absenteeism to 10.5% (approx 85 students)

-Increase ELPA Growth (ESL Students) to 60 %

The current gap between instructional level and grade level.

• Reducing measurement error
• Increasing assessment reliability
• Student Placement and Scheduling

I know that it has been extremely difficult to enjoy your time off this summer with all of the uncertainty. I cannot stress enough that we are working as hard as we can to gather info and systematize processes as quickly as possible to alleviate your concerns and peacefully transition into this new way of work.

We have experienced an eventful week full of updated information in regards to school openings and instructional supports! We were informed of several new decisions such as new learning options for parents. We were also updated on curriculum adjustments for the 2020-21 school year by our superintendent and assistant superintendent based on Governor Bill Lee's recent executive orders.

I truly appreciate you for all that you do. Thank you for trusting me and allowing me to serve as your leader!

Be Safe!

Pete

Preliminary Focus - Plans set with limited information to establish a baseline understanding used to stabilize organizations undergoing extreme change; dividing a complex problem into smaller more manageable pieces.

We are only a few days into the decision so there is great deal we don't know; however, we want to begin to get our heads wrapped around a few solid ideas then add/adjust as the scope of the plan is revealed in greater detail at the district level. Let's narrow our focus as much as possible into bite sized chunks starting with the following:

• Virtual instruction will be the primary mode of delivery
• Teachers and administrators should prioritize our understanding of Microsoft teams
• Safe physical re-entry following the CDC guidelines

It does not matter which curriculum is selected, we will still be tasked with instructional delivery in a virtual format. It is the only way to simultaneously deliver instruction to students in the classroom and at home. We must focus on shoring up our ability to deliver instruction via Microsoft teams. At a minimum, every member of the faculty/staff should be able to do the following within the Microsoft Teams Platform:

• Know how to create classes and assign students
• Share screens to deliver Powerpoint presentations
• Know how to create private channels and assign students
• Understand the importance of teaching students to use the chat box to ask questions and make comments and how to be acknowledged using the raised hand feature
• Know how to create and upload assignments
• Know how to create assessments using the Microsoft Team Forms
• Guide students away from Microsoft Teams and into Mastery Connect for Common Formative Assessments
• Know how to download participant rosters for attendance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC36QPaWQak&feature=youtu.be

https://youtu.be/s41T1XLiMRM

Via PLZ, teachers and administrators can learn how to successfully create, deliver, and evaluate student learning opportunities virtually using the district vetted platform, Microsoft Teams.

New personnel unable to access PLZ can use the following link: https://bit.ly/SCSsummer

On Monday, parents will be allowed to begin choosing whether they would prefer in-person or virtual learning. We want to make sure our parents are as informed as possible.

Ex.

• Parents that select in-person will not be prioritized to receive technology
• Parents that do not log on within the window will automatically be assigned to in-person learning

A deeper understanding may impact the parent's decision and put us in a better position to meet the CDC guidelines for physical re-entry.

We need volunteers to make calls on Sunday afternoon ahead of the opening of the Parent Choice Survey to make sure we provide the information parents need to make the best decision for their families. These calls can also help us get a better estimate of the number of students that are considering physical re-entry.

On Friday, July 3rd, I will send a Microsoft Teams Invite to volunteers who sign up today and tomorrow morning for a brief meeting @ 3:00 PM to the email in the form below to coordinate a phone call script.

We will begin contacting parents Sunday, July 5th @ 1:00 PM. Thanks in advance for your flexibility. We don't have time to waste!

To volunteer please fill out the form below:

https://forms.gle/E3LDnJZKmj7A4AiX7

Website: https://schools.scsk12.org/hickoryridge-ms
Location: 3290 Ridgeway Road, Memphis, TN 38115
Phone: 9014169337
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hickoryyridgems/?modal=admin_todo_tour