Sunday, October 16, 2016

Week of October 16, 2016

Upcoming at AWS...

Monday, October 17
D DAY
8:00am Morning Meeting
10:00am All Schools Chapel
10:30am Snack @ the MS Office
10:40am Tutorial Time
3:30pm MS Varsity Volleyball v. Tacoma Baptist

 Tuesday, October 18
E DAY
10:00am Snack @ the MS Office
10:10am Tutorial Time
10:20am Flex
2:15pm Collaboration
2:45pm Grade 6 Team Meeting in the Design Lab
3:00pm US After Hours for 8th Grade Girls
3:15pm Grade 7 Team Meeting in the Design Lab
3:30pm MS Boys Soccer @ Muckleshoot
3:45pm MS Cross Country meet

Wednesday, October 19
F DAY
10:00am Snack @ the MS Office
10:10am Tutorial Time
10:20am MS Chapel 
2:15pm MYP Meeting in the Design Lab 

Thursday, October 20
A DAY
10:00am Snack @ the MS Office
10:10am Tutorial Time
10:20am Long Advisory
2:15pm MS/US Session with Guest Speaker Michael Gurian in the Chapel
2:15pm Collaboration
2:45pm MYP Collaboration
3:30pm MS Soccer v. Charles Wright
3:30pm MS JV Volleyball @ Carbonado
3:30pm All Schools Faculty & Staff Meeting: Guest Speaker Michael Gurian
6:30pm Michael Gurian: Paren/Community Talk

Friday, October 21
B DAY
7:30am 6th Grade & Chaperones depart for Waterhouse Center (Ropes Course)
10:00am Snack @ the MS Office
10:10am Tutorial Time
10:20am Clubs
5:30pm Anticipated return for 6th Grade from the Waterhouse Center
7:00pm 7th & 8th Grade Dance

Action Items... 

Homework for 8th G on Tuesday

Tuesday evening is the US After Hours event. Please be mindful that 8th G Girls attending the event (most of them) won't have much time to do homework. 

Michael Gurian

In advance of Gurian's visit, here are a few links to provide a refresher on Gurian's work and contributions. 

Progress Reporting Calendar

Reminder: upcoming dates for Progress Reporting: 

Fall Observations

Reminder: please schedule a fall observation with Bill or Clare a.s.a.p.


Fall Observation Week of...
  • Oct 10: Flores, Kim, Paco, Clauson
  • Oct 17: Gettel, Hake, Leenstra
  • Oct 24: Finch, Hartmann, Rockne
  • Oct 31: Hunt, Lorance, Strate
  • Nov 7: Price, McConnell
Please schedule pre-observation (15 mins the day before), observation (one full class period), and post-observation (45 min 2-3 days after the observation).

Student Recognition

Experience Days 2016

  • Draft Rosters for Experiences are here.
  • Please get itineraries/travel plans to Alicia by Thursday so we can sort buses and notify drivers. 

                  Following Up...

                  Communications

                  This week, the blog for families will feature the Language & Literature and Science programs. Please email your post to Bill or Alicia, or drop it in the corresponding box on this doc. 

                  Think about...


                  Kudos to Kyle and Susan for their presentation at the NWAIS Annual Fall Educators Conference! The theme for the conference was "Thinkers, Transformers and Troublemakers: Agents of Change," and the lineup included some heavy hitters from the conference circuit, including Milton Chen, Catherine Steiner-Adair, Brad Rathgeber, Rob Evans, and Gever Tully, as well as a variety of educators from NWAIS schools. Check in with Clare, John, Shannon, Kyle, Susan, or me for perspectives on the conference.
                  The keynote speakers Chen and Tulley waxed about various trends in independent schools and promoted attention to innovative and broader approaches to the ways we think about school. One big take-away for me found its way into a Friday afternoon rant on Facebook that went something like this: 
                  You know what? I'm sick of conference presenters who assume that all schools are stagnating in a 1932 model of education and who promote ideas like makerspaces, attention to social-emotional learning, and student-centered and project-based learning as revolutionary solutions to all our educational problems. That is so ten years ago. And, you know what? Just because it worked for that one student at the center of the anecdote doesn't mean that it is the right thing for all kids. Hashtag over it.
                  Now, don't get me wrong - makerspaces, SEL, student-centered and project-based learning are great aspects of education, and these are practices I support heartily. However, both speakers seem to have started with the assumption that these ideas are new and possibly radical to the schools represented at the event when independent schools are the ones who pioneered them decades ago. It did spark a kind of pride in me to know that our program has not only approached these elements but has mastered and integrated them beautifully. Our integration was not the result of hot trends but the result of good teachers shaping program around the needs of students. 

                   There were plenty of provocative ideas and useful resources that came from the conference, but I came away with a couple of questions: What are we doing well that we don't always recognize that we're doing well? How can we share this, not just to demonstrate mastery but to contribute to the work of colleagues and the experience of students at other schools?

                  Upcoming opportunities

                  • On Saturday, November 5, edCamp Puget Sound will be held at Seattle Pacific University from 9:00am-3:00pm. edCamps provide great opportunities for informal discussions with other educators around your interests, and they also provide a warm environment to pilot conference presentations or workshops that you might be developing. There’s no pre-determined agenda beforehand, and participants build the schedule at the start of the day. If you’re not familiar with edCamp’s unconference format, you can find more information here. The event is free, and Clock Hours will also be available for those interested. Registration is currently open here. 
                  • "30 Americans" is making its West Coast debut at the Tacoma Art Museum on Saturday, September 24 and running until January 15. The show features a group of prominent African American artists who are major players in contemporary art. 
                  • Amara is opening an Emergency Sanctuary Program in Tacoma and is looking for volunteers to commit to one shift per month to play games, go on field trips, help prepare meals and keep house, and to spend time with children in the program. If you're interested in learning more about volunteering with this organization, there are info meetings coming up on Thursday, October 13 and Saturday, October 15. 

                  Upcoming Religious & Cultural Observances

                  Important Links

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