|
December 3, 2021
Dear Hastings Families & Staff,
December is upon us in this fast moving school year. Judging by the spirited arrival of Hillside students on this brisk morning, our energy remains strong.
This week’s update features again our intellectual work, then turns to a quick overview of the report the Board of Education will receive on Monday evening regarding social, emotional well-being. I close with a brief statement on COVID-19.
The Intellectual Work Continues ― Examples from Class Visits
My informal visits to classrooms have picked up pace, and with it my enthusiasm for the level of intellectual work underway every day in Hastings. Let me share three examples from this past week.
● Tim O’Brien’s AP US History Class stood out for command of the content, matched by how students were challenged to think and respond with grounding in the material, not with guesses. While digging into the particulars of the Emancipation Proclamation, and two pivotal Civil War battles, students were guided to focus on the larger themes and issues, and keep searching for turning points and the not so immediately visible factors.
● Greg Stephens’ AP Calculus AB class was firing on all cylinders, where this non-math guy learned that “context and understanding is everything.” Students were guided while tackling complex problems to “Set it right, and nail the math...Sketch it right, then the math will flow...Identify the context, the facts or variables for the model, and then do the math.” Students had to show their work, with several going up front to sketch their solutions on the Smart Board for critique.
● Stephanie Chalmers’ French III class brought back memories of my own attempts to learn tense agreement in French. Rigor was obvious with the class almost entirely in French (English only used briefly for clarification) and every student clearly leaning into the individual and class work.
While I raise up these three teachers, their excellence is matched across the district. Superintendents typically stay silent regarding individuals, but for now, in Hastings, specific examples help us embrace our far-reaching strengths.
Social & Emotional Well-Being ― Work in Progress
The Board of Education (BOE) will receive a report Monday night from Melissa Szymanski and Jeanette Kocur on the social and emotional well-being of our students. The report will be posted for the community on the BOE agenda for Monday’s meeting. Drawing on the results of the first Panorama Survey this fall, the report highlights that our students K-5 are evidencing good engagement and connections. At the same time, the survey indicates that, for students in grades 6-12, the level of engagement and connections need improvement. We will be speaking with the BOE about interpretations of the results and possible action steps.
A major hunch we have to explore is the extent to which the mixed models of schooling over the last year due to COVID-19 more negatively affected our adolescent students than our younger learners. We also have to explore a counter-intuitive result. As the BOE and community were informed on November 22, 2021, our academic performance held strong for nearly all students into this school year (see Learning Impact of COVID-19, 2020-21, available HERE). Research on social-emotional learning would suggest that our academic results should not have been this strong in light of the mixed Panorama Survey results.
We need to remember that this first Panorama report is a snapshot; the survey will be administered and analyzed two more times this school year. We will be focused especially on any upward movement for our 6-12th graders.
COVID-19 Update
To state the obvious, we are not pleased with the emergence of the new variant, Omicron. At the same time, I want to echo what elected, public health, medical and educational officials are saying across the region. Simply stated, we must stay calm and continue operating as normally as possible in our schooling and education work while mitigating the spread of COVID-19, in whatever form it may appear. We know what makes a difference for our individual and collective health: vaccinations, masking, physical distancing and staying home if not feeling well. Following these steps, we can continue with in-person schooling for all students. Remember: Us.
Since COVID-19 started nearly two years ago, I have ended all letters with, “Be well.” Today, I double-down, with an exclamation point.
Be well!
| 
