Harrison Park Post

Things are moving along. I did not get into the back classes today to look at temps, but did make it into the front half of the building. I know it is warm. I saw a lot of kids with long sleeves, hoodies, etc. on. We are sending out another reminder for parents to send students with water bottles and to dress in appropriate clothing.  As went out previously, we will continue to work to find alternative locations for those whose rooms are the hottest. Please text me tomorrow as we will need to shift our current plans a bit. We will have Kindergartners in the building tomorrow so our gracious Kinder hosts will no longer be able to accommodate guests.  We should have a few fans for the hottest classrooms.  We will be labeling what room the fans belong in. We were given fans facilities last summer, and in the past, and the majority of those have grown feet and walked away. We will not be able to provide a fan to every room (to be honest most rooms need numerous fans). Again t...

This is a late edition. I had hoped to send it out before I left today, but alas we had a late bus (it came at 4:30 and by that time we had already called the parents and all the kids had been picked up). I kept thinking my daughter's first soccer game would get cancelled because of the heat, but they played on. I made the decision to let work wait and head to her game. I made it for the last 15 minutes and it was HOT. I am not going to lie, I came home and jumped in the pool with my new bulldog shirt and all my clothes on...it felt fantastic. Today was a good day even with the heat. We had a few glitches here and there, but it was a solid first day because of our work together. Thank you! Please be on the lookout for my walkie. I put it down somewhere after 4:00 today and can't find it.  The temperatures will be a bit lower tomorrow, but rooms will still be very warm. We will continue to check temperatures frequently and make shifts if necessary. Please be sure to take water b...

 What a day! I made it around to all middle school CORE teacher's classrooms and 1st-5th grade classrooms this afternoon. I will make it around to everyone else's spaces tomorrow. I know several of you still need to check in. I wish I had the ability to sit down with each of you and answer questions, assuage anxiety and such....it will happen in due time. Please find a moment to reflect on what part of your job brings you joy tonight. Try to get a good night's rest! The kids come tomorrow and I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEM! Morning Plan Middle School- Counselors and several support staff members will be outside at 8:35 to begin handing out schedules. We will open the doors for students to enter at 8:38. Classroom teachers please be outside your classroom doors to great students. Please note parents may come in to walk their students to class. We will be pushing them out of the building by 8:50. They SHOULD not be going into areas beyond the middle school hallway.  Busers- All...

 Monday the 29th Staff Workday- Building open until 8:00 Tuesday the 30th First Day of School- Please wear your new HP shirt Wednesday the 31st First day of 1st-5th Specials Thursday the 1st Gradual Start Day for Kindergarten Friday the 2nd Gradual Start Day for Kindergarten It is with a heavy heart I share that one of our student´s, Yasmeen Salim´s (please note corrected spelling),  mother was killed on Saturday morning. This occurred in an apartment complex off of 92nd where many of our families, specifically Somali, live. Naima is staying in contact with families and I have reached out to Student Services to determine supports we can offer to Yasmeen as well as our community. I am meeting with them this evening. I have spoken directly to Yasmeenś teacher from last year and her current teacher. At this time we don´t have too many details and are not knowledgeable about what our students may have seen. I will keep everyone updated on potential needs and ways we can support Ya...

 We were spread near and far today. I hope you had a productive day. We will be back in the building tomorrow at 8:00. As of 5:30 this evening they were wrapping up the counters in the office. They were halfway done with the lobby flooring. I am being told they hope to complete the floor tonight. Once that is done they will be able to move the office back in. I am praying this will allow us to make the move back into the office tomorrow morning. Please be mindful that our office staff needs to time to set up the office so they can support staff and families. I would like to ask we provide them with as much focused time to do this as possible. I know when I am able to work with few interruptions I can get things done much faster. Please allow the office some time to get settled so they can be fully back online as quickly as possible. I will task someone with checking keys out after we complete our MTSS training tomorrow morning. For the rest of Friday I am going to have ask you to a...

 Thank you for your presence today. I feel so fortunate to work with an incredible group of educators. We know there is so much to take in and it is A LOT. Each of us is necessary to ensure the mission of moving our students forward and we will do this together.  For those of you not at Edgefield tomorrow I hope your trainings are beneficial. I look forward to another day preparing for our year. Breakfast begins at 8:00. We will get going at 8:30.  IF you are in the building tomorrow remember that no one is to be on the lobby floor.  I am sorry for getting this out so late. I got home, made dinner and then my niece and nephew surprised me with an unexpected visit. They are visiting from Seattle for a few days. I got to listen to my husband and Harry discuss fantasy football drafts for over forty minutes. Harrison/Harry/Harold will be in 2nd grade and BOY does he know a lot about football. Amazing what kids can remember when they are interested in something. 

 My watch has told me numerous times today to do some breathing. I am SOOOO thankful we had the fore site to hold our PD elsewhere because if we were here we would be HOT and even more distracted than normal. I know everyone is anxious to get into their spaces and get things ready. My little buddy Clyde is learning to go to his ¨Feelings Tent¨ when he needs some alone time or needs to process. I know many of you may be feeling nervous, anxious, excited, etc. Please know we will do this work together and we will all manage our feelings around the beginning of the year in different ways. Be mindful of your colleagues tomorrow. I know many of you had a summer full of loss and struggle, while others were able to decompress and fully rejuventate.  Clyde is his ¨Feelings Tent¨ We are looking forward to alignment growth for all of our students, and in many ways ourselves this year. Tomorrow we will scratch the surface of the work we have ahead of us this year. We will also go over ¨n...

The rush is on. Unfortunately, my To Do list is not shrinking, but growing. The mantra I have at this time of year is, ¨No matter what is left undone, the students will come and they will be happy and it will be okay." There is a lot to update you on, but we will be patient and wait until next Wednesday on a few things. Staff can access the building at this time. Please note that rooms should be ready to go. Bathrooms and some other common areas have not been finished. If you choose to come into the building please be aware that it is an active construction site and contractors are in and out of spaces and there is some noise. As of right now the front parking lot is not accessible. The cafeteria parking lot has limited parking and to be honest I would not park there because of dust and the risk of heavy equipment, construction debris etc. The best place to enter would be the doors near the gym or the blue doors near the small playground. The office is currently located in Room 1...

  Summer is flying by. I hope you are savoring each and every moment. This was my view for the last four days. Alas our annual beach trip ends tomorrow and I will be heading back to reality. I am thankful for this time spent with family. I can't wait to catch up with each of you. As I shared in my first Summer Forecast there is absolutely no expectation to read your emails or act upon anything. I just want to ensure I communicate for those who want to be updated...to each their own! I will send my final Weekly Forecast out Friday the 19th. It will include details about our first week back.  It looks like we will need to shift gears for our Open House/Back to School this year. We had hoped to do it on the Friday prior to school starting (the 26th), however construction has been slow and things may not be 100% ready. Rather than trying to add additional stress to all of us trying to fit this in we will schedule a Back to School Night for sometime in mid-September. I am hoping to...