Superhero Appreciation 

With teacher appreciation week soon approaching, we applaud all the leaders and educators and school-based staff who have tied on their Superhero Capes and have tirelessly shown up to impact our future generations. A million thanks to you all!

How are you celebrating all your staff during Teacher Appreciation week, May 3-7, this year? Perhaps you are planning on distance appreciation such as ‘to-go’ meals or digital messages as suggested here:

Teacher Appreciation Ideas at a Distance

Teacher Appreciation Week 2021 Resources

Leadership Circle: Preparing for School Year 2021-22 

Now is the time to start thinking about next year, opening your school with the ‘new normal’ and actively preparing to combat learning loss as a result of the pandemic. Join leaders from across NYS to share and discuss important steps we can take now to build for the future.

May 5: What’s Different?
May 12: Reframing Learning Loss
May 19: Assessment and Acceleration
May 26: Mapping the Future

Read on

Thank You for the Feedback!

Here’s what past attendees shared about our Leadership Circle PLC.

“The best part of the Leadership Circle is the diversity of the group and the reverence people have for one another. We need more of that. It’s a great place to be refreshed.” –  S. Debbie, Principal, Upstate NY

“The Leadership Circle has inspired me to be a better leader and to learn more about leading others, especially during a crisis.” – Leslie P. Principal, NYC

“I recommend the Leadership Circle to a colleague because hearing strategies and experiences form other leaders is encouraging and inspiring. Although we are working in different educational settings, we are all handling similar challenges. Diverse ideas and approaches benefits us all. It has been very helpful.” – Cathy P, School Director, Rockland County

STEM Is Everywhere!

Enrich and extend your curriculum while engaging students with new ways to look at the world around us! Join this 2-part series focused on the grade you teach!  Each session is interactive with a hands-on component, lots of takeaways, resources, and rubrics aligned to NGSS. Open to all K-8 leaders and educators including music, art and PD teachers!

April 13 and May 11: INSPIRING CURIOSITY Pre-K & K
April 20 and May 18: DISCOVERING CONNECTIONS K–2
April 27 and May 25: CREATIVITY WITH EMPATHY Grs. 3-5
May 4 and June 1: CREATIVITY WITH APPLICATION Grs. 6-8

Register for STEM is Everywhere Workshops

 Tips to Utilize in April

Organizing your Desk to Increase Productivity

Spring is a perfect time to refresh your personal workspace and Earth day encourages us to be more eco-friendly. Why not start with reducing your carbon footprint, declutter your workspace of unneeded papers and consider using digital organizational in its place.
4 Easy Tips to Declutter Your Workspace

5 Tips for Leaders: Maintaining your  Team’s Morale and Productivity

We are going through a NEW normal. Many things we know about remote work have already lost their meaning. Leaders are utilizing new inspiring strategies to get out of this process with minimal damage to the morale and productivity of their teams.
5 Tips for Leaders

Becoming a Digital Expert:

STEM and Literacy

Connecting STEM and literacy topics provides opportunities for students to explore high-interest topics alongside informational text. Here are three ways to bring reading, writing, and speaking and listening skills into your stem classroom. First, locate informational text that connects to your STEM goals on a site like Newsela or Smithsonian Tween Tribune. Second, give students a space to publish science lab reports with multimedia content on MS Sway or Google Sites. Third, encourage students to create their own podcast using a tool like Garageband or Soundtrap to interview STEM experts.

By Monica Burns, ClassTechTips

Leadership Conversations: The Power of Reflection

Looking back on what might have been the most challenging year for educators in a generation, it is easy to see all the bumps and bruises and challenges. We’ve been challenged to develop new health and safety protocols, have been called on to shift communication style, and the entire orientation and approach of how we “do school” has been upended. Just 13 months ago, could any of us have imagined millions of kids pivoting to online learning? And yet, here we are.

As more and more of us get vaccinated, and our doors open to kids, and a return to normalcy – or a “new normal” – is in sight, this is a good time for us to begin a daily reflection habit designed to improve our work and the work of our teams. Harry Kraemer, a clinical professor at the Kellogg School and former CEO of a company with 52,000 employees, suggests three benefits of daily reflection.

For starters, reflection helps you identify and keeps you in touch with your priorities. This allows us to focus on what is important, identify what’s working, and determine what might need to be done differently.

Second, reflection and forward thinking planning helps minimize surprise. As the Roman philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Finally, self-reflection helps to build stronger teams. The more you know yourself, the better you are prepared to lead, and, you are in the position to support others with their own self-reflection habits.

Kraemer suggests 8 daily self-reflection questions. Think about how you might use these questions (or others!) in your own daily practice, and how you might introduce this to your teams to promote regular reflection: 

8 Daily Self Reflection Questions

 

1. What did I say I was going to do today?

2. What did I actually do today?

3. What am I proud of?

4. What am I not proud of?

5. How did I lead people?

6. How did I follow people?

7. How would I redo today if I could?

8. Based on what I learned today, what will I do differently tomorrow? 

Mitch Center is a monthly contributor to our Leadership Corner Conversation and provides leadership professional development for The Long Island PDRC.

We Want to Hear from You

Would you like to submit an article for inclusion or highlights from your school community? Do you have a comment or suggestion?

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This newsletter is presented by Catapult Learning in partnership with the New York State Department of Education.

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Or visit the Long Island PDRC website: www.catapultlearning.com/nyspdrc/