HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Material Distribution For January 2021
Our next round of material distribution will be next January 13th, 14th, and 15th
Dear Ainsworth Families,
Happy New Year to you and yours! I hope you had a restful, winter break and found some measure of connection to those you hold close. It was great seeing so many of you at the Winter Festival and I know it filled my bucket baking with kids and families. I know we are all missing those moments to build community and solidarity so anytime we can “get together” is important to our well-being and school. We look forward to finding ways to continue to sustain connection and relationships during the rest of this school year. After the dreadful and dark events of yesterday, any way we can stay strong, seek unity, and stand for what is right is more important than ever. These continuing challenges are not only capable of knocking us down but have the potential to harm all of us. If your family is in need of support, additional resources, or suggestions about how to talk to your kids, please feel free to reach out. As always, we are here for you.
As we move into yet another new year, it always brings about a time of reflection and opportunity. Here at Ainsworth, even during times of uncertainty, we are constantly in a state of doing and being better. Sometimes it is very challenging to know exactly what path to take. There are successes and there are times when we have to grow. With that said, we are working at strengthening our access and learning to topics that have not only been important over past generations, but will continue to be critical for future generations to face and reflect on. You may remember, last spring, we asked our community for their input through the annual Site Council Survey. Many of you communicated that you would like to learn and think about different topics. The ones we highlighted in the survey are difficult but very relevant to today’s world. It takes courage to tackle some of the most complex and difficult challenges of our times. It can also be uncomfortable. If we do it in a spirit of learning, solidarity, and community, we will better support one another and find grace and empathy for the unique journeys we are all on. So, in order to circle back to your input, we have decided as part of the new direction we are taking in 2021, to create a monthly series built around Social and Racial Justice, White Power and Culture, Black Lives Matter, etc. This will be a new section in News and Notes. It is meant for anyone who wants to to explore, reflect, and act. You will see there is a “beginner, intermediate, and advanced” section to each topic. This should allow you to engage in the content at whatever level you are comfortable. You can start at “beginner” and move to another level or simply enter into where you think best. It is designed to be flexible and differentiated. You will see articles, videos, books and other ways of exploring on your own. We are also looking at ways to bring some thoughtful, skilled, and dynamic speakers to Ainsworth. If you know of anyone, please reach out! Site Council will survey the community again at the end of this school year to get your feedback. In addition, as part of this effort, PTA has committed to creating a small group of folks who are focused on equity, inclusion, and social justice. This will mean examining our systems, structures, and practices to bring about a more reflective, conscious, and responsive attitude to the way we do things here at Ainsworth. Afterall, we are STRONGER TOGETHER.
As we think about what it means to be STRONGER TOGETHER, we will also be planning on how best to move forward with any fundraising during the second part of the school year. During the continuing pandemic, we by no means want to financially tax our families and community but our needs remain the same as previous years so we will have to figure that out in 2021. This will likely mean reflecting on how best to support our students when we return in the fall and what resources make the best sense to do that. This could require making some shifts in staffing, etc. We already made significant shifts in student resources this school year through the purchase of digital and print resources. We will continue to think and plan for the 2021-2022 school year.
As part of our planning this semester, and because of the lack of district assessment tools, we decided as a staff to use two days in January as a way to capture student achievement. This is a critical and necessary part of what our incredible teachers do. This is particularly important because of the major disruption to regular schooling and learning. The online platform is limiting our ability to dive deeper into what exactly our students know and need to know. Usually, a teacher can walk the room, ask questions, and see what each student is working on. This is very challenging online. We need your support while we take a brief moment to determine which standards our students have learned so far. We will take two ASYNCHRONOUS days on January 21 and 22 so that staff can assess our students. Once teachers have this information, they will be better prepared to address the whole group, small group, and individual needs.
As we continue to prepare our best efforts over the winter and into the spring, we do not know what the future holds. The governor and PPS have made it clear they desire to have kids in school as soon as possible. We all want that. Based on current Covid numbers and metrics, we may not get there. Even if we do, there will still be other factors to consider and get past. We hope the day comes soon when we will hear the sounds of children back in our classrooms. Maybe that will be possible in late spring. No one knows for sure, unfortunately. Things do look better on the horizon though! So, we have to try and stay positive, be resilient, and lean on one another. Please continue to take care and stay healthy.
Sincerely,
Principal Johnson
