Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Some thoughts I began the week with on social media. An attempt to thank and celebrate you! I bless God for you every day! I pray you KNOW how loved and appreciated you are! 

Today marks the beginning of a very special week. It’s Teacher Appreciation Week. Oh man! This year more than ever teachers deserve a whole lot more than a designated week! They deserve a new car, a year's supply of coffee and chocolate and maybe a cruise to some exotic island that’s renown for peace and quiet! The teachers with whom I’m blessed to work tirelessly give their all to every student...even when they’re tired. They do this because they know this calling is distinctly their mission field. They bring glory to God by serving in the world with their best. That means loving and leading their children through thick and thin with their best. Teachers work long hours to learn new methods for differentiation, implement proven instructional strategies and understand the latest research on how the human brain learns just to scratch the surface of their to-do lists. We were humming this year!

But then, on March 13, everything upended. All of the norms for instruction and established classroom environments blew straight out the window with no forewarning. Teachers began that Friday morning expecting to work through their well-planned lessons and units with their students as, together, they would close out another week celebrating milestones and successes. Like all Fridays, teachers and students were looking forward to enjoying a well-earned weekend respite. Instead that Friday dawned with news of potential extended closure. There were many questions and unknowns. Teachers were told they would have to say good-bye to their children at the close of that very day. They had six hours or less to pack up each child’s belongings, keep the children calm and secure and send them home with as many tools for learning as each could gather. Teachers had to think in advance curricularly to collect the books, materials and technology each child would need to progress at home for, what we were hearing, might be several weeks. This insurmountable work needed to be accomplished all the while keeping the children calm and secure. Caring for the hearts of their children, teachers sent home special items from the classroom community, which had become like family, to celebrate upcoming birthdays, star student days and well-deserved classroom rewards. At 3:00, many teachers donned sunglasses to hide their tears and heartache as they bid each child good-bye, all the while wearing a smile so as to keep the children calm and secure.

The weekend brought a flurry of new learning expectations. How do we instruct a class of children while Teacher is in one home and students are all scattered about? What were we to expect of parents? How can teachers assess student learning and respond to their data? How could children see and know that their teacher loves them, is proud of their efforts and wants to patiently tend their learning and modify instruction until the golden ‘ah-ha moment’ blossoms? So many questions and so little time.

Monday morning came and, well, teachers just plunged right in with families and figured it out! Lessons were recorded, uploaded and emailed. Norms were implemented. Paper packets were referenced. Zoom meetings were held. In those Zoom meetings teachers saw their childrens’ faces splashed across the screen each in their own little cell. The faces that have taken up residence in their hearts all jabbering away sharing news of lost teeth, newly adopted puppies and favorite games recently played. All of this love, going both ways, still transmitting the digital space between them. After bumping along those first few weeks, teachers, students and families established a rhythm for success. It’s not ideal. A far cry from it! Truth be told, teachers have shed many tears behind the scenes missing their children and feeling overwhelmed and empty handed. Lessons delivered to the eye of a camera feel blind. A good teacher responds to his/her learners. There’s nothing to respond to when teaching to the dot on a computer that awkwardly stares back at you. But inside class jokes are still told, star students remain prayed over together, birthday parties are still celebrated and teachers are finding and sharing so many creative ways to demonstrate their love and care for every child. Still.

I’ve tried several times now to sufficiently craft my deep, heartfelt appreciation and respect for our teachers. For the extra miles they have been running. I just can’t quite come up with the right string of words to adequately capture the expressions of my heart. Then along came little Josiah. He nailed it. His beloved teacher, Mrs. Brouwer, sent each child a flat Mrs. Brouwer on laminated paper in the mail. What prompted her to cut out and laminate little paper versions of herself? Well, she was hurting for her children and wanted some way to reach out to them. To be with them...even if only in paper form. When little Josiah first held his dear Mrs. Brouwer in his own hands, look upon his raw love for her captured on this clip by his mom. He found a way to say “Happy Teacher Appreciation Week” to his teacher and, on behalf of children and parents everywhere, I’ll add “Happy Teacher Appreciation Week” to amazing teachers near and far. You are dearly loved and deeply appreciated!

ESS Start Up

Our ESS team will begin the school year helping teachers implement assessments for each student. This will allow for earlier data meetings and implementation of interventions accurately as soon as possible. Thank you, team!

Chapel Change

Chapel next year will involve ONE teaching lesson by each classroom teacher/students per year. Every other week we will gather for a time of praise and worship. We are praying we will be able to convene as a student body in chapel next fall!

Staffing:

• SI 3s and 4s--Perla DeLeon
• 3s--Alli DeLange
• 4s--Laura Rotman and Leanne Bouwman
• JK--Stacia Stoep
• 3-day K--Rita Bos
• 5-day K--Amanda Brouwer
• SI K--Hillary Klipp Lopez
• 1--Sheila Dokter
• SI 1--Taylor Cupery
• 2--Karina Schebor
• 2--Melanie Scott
• SI 2--Andrea Cantu
• 3--Jodi Hossink
• 4--Kim VanderZwaag
• 4--Danielle Snoeyink
• 5--Stacey Rietman
• 5--Sue Vos
• PE & Choir--Julie Raak
• Spanish--Sue VandenBerg (K-2) Dinah Pereira (3-5)
• Music (TBD)
• Art--Amy Luce
• Band--Matt Veenstra
• Orchestra--Kyle Nester
• ESS team--Lydia Gillett and Vicki VanPeursem

Building Map 2020-2021

Exit Procedure:

Label Furniture

Draw map of your next classroom (tape it to the summer cleaning sheet)

Pack up materials in labeled tubs/boxes 

Nona will email when you’re all clear to unpack in classroom 

(aiming for July 4)

Purge your trash in MAY so we don’t move your trash to a new a

room AND we don’t come back to gobs of garbage in August

Evaluations

All teaching faculty, please sign your evaluation final page and send to Rachel Hendershot.

Report Cards

Our template with further instructions should be coming today.

Class Placement Meetings

Please meet with your grade level to draft the class lists for the 2020-2021 school year by May 15. We'll meet as a team to confirm these lists after the 15th.

SCECHs

SCECHs can be obtained for the distance learning work you have been responsible for. Instructions found here.

Year Closure Ideas

Please keep the afternoon of May 29 open as a potential for a drive by party. Top secret yard signs are being shipped for our exiting fifth and sixth grade students. Here is our list of fifth and sixth grade students we're going to celebrate with a special chapel. If you have claimed a special student, please send your clip to me by May 15.

Thank you for bringing your heart to this work every day....even when you're working in your pajamas! :)