Staff Bulletin for the Week of March 2

This Wednesday is Advisory.  

Wednesday Professional Time:  

Math, Science, English, History, CATE and World Language will begin in the cafeteria.  Our school leadership team has reviewed midyear feedback based on our professional practice goals for the building and we'd like to share with you what we found.  Special Education teachers are welcome to join us because the information may be relevant.  If not joining us in the cafeteria, then Special Education will work on their goals for second semester (reading/vocab) in their data teams.  Guidance will work on their planning for small groups.  Art, Music, PE will be directed by their city-wide departments.

Bristol Eastern Events this week:

 

***Correction--BE concert will be held Thursday at Eastern at 7:00pm, NOT Tuesday.

News and Announcements:

Staff Updates:  You may see some familiar faces returning.  Mrs. Brower has begun her family leave to take care of herself and the upcoming arrival of her little one; Anejza Cuko will be teaching her classes.  Mrs. Willard has resigned from the GOAL program; Mrs. Flynn will be returning until we find a replacement.  Mrs. Martino is back!  We also have Barbara Tarken joining us as a school psychologist on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays to help meet some of the required group counseling sessions needed for students.

Requesting window for students:  The window for students to enter their requests will be open until March 9th.  While students are making their requests with their guidance counselors during school hours, you may want to highlight electives in your areas during this time period.

Sad news:  Many of you may not have met Ken Olson.  Ken recently joined our custodial crew back in November.  Shortly after he began with us, his wife was diagnosed with cancer.  Ken has spent much of the last month home with her until her passing this week.  We express our most heartfelt sympathies to Ken and his family.  We will share his information for cards and/or other heartfelt wishes.

Resource:  Thank you for your generous donations to the student sunshine fund.  Together we raised over $600 dollars!  We have given $100 in honor the Jankoski family to Immanual Lutheran School and $100 in honor of the Folsom family to CT Hospice.  With this $600, we will be able to recognize our students as part of our family when they grieve their losses.   Thank you again.  I know that many of you closely interact with students impacted by deaths in their immediate family. An article was published this week in  Edutopia titled "Supporting Grieving Students".  I would urge you to read it and follow the links provided within the article.  Here is an excerpt: 

So it is important that educators reach out to grieving students, particularly those educators who already have a trusting relationship with them. The coalition offers a number of practical tips to help start a conversation with a grieving student, including:

• Express concern. Let the student know you've heard about the loss and are available to listen and offer support.
• Invite the conversation. Use simple, direct, and open-ended questions such as, "How are you and your family doing?"
• Listen and observe. Talk less and listen more, and share observations about the student's behavior or responses in a nonjudgmental manner.
• Limit personal sharing. While you can draw from personal experiences to help you better understand what the student is going through, you do not have to share them. Keep the focus on the student.
• Offer reassurance. Without minimizing her emotions, let the student know that over time, she will be better able to cope with her distress and that you will be there for support.
• Maintain contact. The student may not immediately accept an invitation to talk, or he may have questions that evolve over time, so remain accessible, concerned, and connected.

What Not to Say

The coalition recognizes educators' concerns that they may say the wrong thing to a student in grief. Many common and well-intentioned statements are not helpful to grieving children and their families. The coalition also offers advice on what not to say to those who have recently experienced a loss. For example, don't say:

• "I know just what you are going through." Everyone experiences grief differently. Instead, ask, "Can you tell me more about what this has been like for you?"
• "You must be incredibly angry." Rather than tell someone how she should be feeling, say something like, "Most people have strong feelings when something like this happens to them. What has this been like for you?"
• "At least he's no longer in pain." Any statement that begins with "at least" should be reconsidered, as efforts to focus on the good can minimize the student's (or family's) experience. Instead, ask, "What sorts of things have you been thinking about since he died?"

Incompletes:  We're still showing a large number of incompletes primarily from quarter two.  Please be aware that changing an Incomplete to a grade in your gradebook within PowerTeacher will not update the grade in PowerSchool.  You will need to submit a golden rod grade change form to update the incomplete.

NEASC Special Report:  We've submitted our Special Progress Report to NEASC.  If you'd like to read it, click here:  https://drive.google.com/a/bristolk12.org/file/d/0B-p6i5BQB6qFNGhyQlZaSURHb2s/view?usp=sharing 

Staff Meetings This Week: