In
education, the days are long, but the years are short. You are likely feeling that now as we enter
the last week of school. Soon, this week,
too, will come to an end, and you will enter the time when teachers breathe a
little easier.
At this time of year, we experience this truth! |
The hope of the Teaching and Learning Team is that you find time to rest, relax, and rejuvenate. We also hope you take time to reflect on this
past year, and when you’re ready, do some reading and thinking about next year. When that time comes, maybe you can return to
this week’s blog to get ideas.
This
week, each of us shares a bit of our current thinking. Some of it is reflection, and some of it
anticipation for what will come next year.
From Stephanie: Partnership with Ritchey Woods…HSE 21 Pushes Us to Consider the
Benefits of On Site Study Trips
With the help of an amazing group of first grade
teachers we were able to launch a new and exciting partnership with the Fishers
Parks and Recreation Department at Ritchey Woods. Mrs. Danesa Stolz, is Chief
Naturalist. She worked with first grade
teachers to design our program titled, Nature First! This is a true
example of HSE21 as our first graders experienced two on-site study
trips and four classroom expert visits to increase their background knowledge
and allow for more successful project work opportunities.
We look forward to our continued partnership for
next year and are incredibly grateful for the commitment and funding from our
Fishers Parks and Recreation Department. A massive thank you to our
naturalists, bus drivers, parent volunteers, and brave teachers who fearlessly
lead little ones through trails, rescued snails, collected leaves, helped with
mittens, washed muddy boots, and marveled in the magic of wide-eyed children!
Ahhh…. It makes your soul breathe!
I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how
incredibly amazing our trip to Ritchey Woods was today. I was thoroughly
impressed with the amount of curriculum STUFFED into this amazing trip.
This was such a great way to introduce kids to an amazing feature right here in
our town that is FREE. I can see many of them going back. Danesa,
Sam, and Hannah were so knowledgeable and the instruction was SPOT on our first
grade standards. They were great at talking right to the kids in the
terms and instruction that they needed. Questioning was great . . . . .
just amazing. Thank you for making this opportunity available for our
kids. They had a blast. We will definitely be able to use this
information to springboard from in our classroom throughout the year.
WOW!!! Thank you! --Heidi, SCE Teacher
From Jeff: Choice
Over this last year, the Teaching and
Learning Team has been emphasizing the importance of choice. This was apparent in blog entries, where student choice was highlighted. Members of the
Teaching and Learning team talked to PTO families on the notion of choice when emphasizing renting iPads or
providing their own iPads for next year. Members of our staff and community
exercised choice when casting their
ballots on the referendum vote earlier this month.
This spring, members of the Technology
Department gave teachers choice about
what type of device they would like to work with next year. Teachers and
administrators used inquiry to look at how they plan on using the device next
year and research which device would meet their needs. These last four weeks
have been very exciting for Technology staff as the devices have been
delivered; teachers, too, were excited to receive their new devices.
As we look towards next year, I am
eager to see what types of choice our
students are presented!
From
Phil: Three Questions
On
the first official day back next fall, we will all get together as a district, like
we have in the past. One difference, however, is that along with the normal welcome back, we are going to hear from Kylene Beers and
Bob Probst, whose most recent book is Reading Nonfiction: Notice and Note Stances,
Signposts, and Strategies.
Read it and think! |
The
title of this book is a little deceptive.
True, it is about reading.
Specifically, it is about reading in all classes and all content
areas. But it is more than that. Kylene and Bob will share current research
about many of the things we have been working on in the district: student engagement, inquiry, rigor, and best-practice instruction. In short, their book helps show what an HSE21
classroom can look like and sound like.
A small sample from the book:
Fiction invites us to take one
stance. The novel invites us to explore
the imagined world the writer has created for us. We enter it willingly, and if we don’t enjoy
it, we put the novel down, acknowledge we just don’t like this author or this
genre, and move on. If we do enjoy it,
we stay there until the end, maybe so immersed in it that we might describe
ourselves as ‘lost in the book.’ Nonfiction, on the other hand, should
come with a cautionary note that reminds us that getting lost in the text might
be dangerous. The reader needs to
remember that a work of nonfiction will try to assert something about his
world, and he needs to take those assertions with a grain of skepticism. They may be perfectly true, they may be
somewhat slanted or biased, or they may be flat-out lies. The slightly skeptical stance implies three
[big] questions…
If
you are looking for a book to read this summer, I recommend this one. As you read it, you might ask yourself “The
Three Big Questions”:
- What surprised me?
- What did the authors think I already knew?
- What changed, challenged, or confirmed what I already knew?
You
will hear more about Kylene and Bob next year, but I encourage you to read
ahead if you get a chance.
From Tom: The Road to Success is Always Under Construction
As I look back on the 2015-2016 school year, many
thoughts come to mind. There were challenges and successes throughout the
year, but the thing that enters my mind most frequently is that we are in the middle
of a journey.
Take time to look back at the progress and forward to the journey ahead. |
We are traveling a long road that has many
obstacles and stretches with pot holes that need to be fixed, but we continue
to move forward in our journey towards HSE21. You can look in
the rearview mirror and see a road that was once under construction by a road
crew of students, teachers, and administrators working tirelessly to reach the
goal of rich learning experiences for all.
The road behind is smooth, but we must continue to
focus on our goal of HSE21 and address the challenges that lay ahead
in our continued journey down this road. Although we took many positive
steps this past school year, we must continue building a way forward that keeps
us moving toward the ultimate goal of success for our students.
From Jan: The Journey
A great big thank you to everyone as we prepare to
close out the 2015-16 school year. It has been an amazing year as we
continue to clarify the “big picture” of HSE21 and move our district
further into the dissonance that is a natural part of change and
transformation. The successful referendum will give us much needed
resources that will help support us on that journey.
The coming weeks hopefully will give everyone some
time to reflect, question, think, and dream. Thanks for all you have done
to support our students. I look forward
to continuing the walk with you on this journey.
Have a great summer, HSE Family!
Your HSE Teaching and Learning Team
- Jan Combs, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
- Stephanie Loane, Director of Elementary Education
- Tom Bell, Director of Special Education
- Jeff Harrison, Director of Educational Technology
- Phil Lederach, Director of Secondary Education
Don't forget to register for Launching INquiry, hosted at Fishers High School on July 19 and 20. We have great sessions and speakers lined up. This conference is for ALL levels of teacher, K-12!
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