Ending and Beginning
We've been doing a lot of reading, thinking and brainstorming as a staff as we think about our current state as a school. When we reopen school in August it will mark the tenth year that Renaissance opened its doors in Castle Rock.
Renaissance: renewal of life, vigor, interest - our very name is a call to reflect on our current state and to wonder and continue to create new things.
While there are certain things that are out of our control, there are an abundance of things that we can create to increase the conditions for learning at Renaissance. As a staff, we are committed to rethinking our current ways and investigating new ways of working together.
Through a series of collaborative conversations we have recognized two things that will lead our efforts. We want to increase the opportunities for teachers to collaborate - beyond traditional planning sessions, to a more integrated and organic way of working together. We want to increase the differentiation in the learning experiences for our students. We are still in the process of unpacking just how to make steps forward, and more will be revealed as we do the work together.
Just as it is timely to evaluate our current state and identify the steps in moving toward creating richer learning experiences, it is also timely for us to evaluate our teaching teams. With an emphasis on growth, teachers evaluated their own needs, passions and desires in that direction. Some of our teachers are ready for a change in their role - to expand their teaching experiences and what they can offer to our learners. For some, that means an entirely new school.
Mr. Neil will be stepping into a new place - a middle school setting - and taking with him the values of Renaissance to spread and support learners. Mr. Josh is moving the vision over seas, with a middle school teaching assignment in Brazil. Ms. Lonnie had a one-year-only teaching assignment with us this year and she also celebrates the completion of her Master's Degree in Gifted Education . They will be missed and we support them as they step into a new experience in their lives.
I had hoped to share with you our plans for how some of our teams might be reconfigured by the date of this blog post. Some things are still in progress and we haven't made firm decisions. I want to avoid any confusion by communicating that information more than once, so I am waiting until final decisions are in place. We are still in the process of hiring, and team decisions will be impacted by these decisions.
We are in the process of creating classroom assignments. This is a very thoughtful process where we consider both the social/emotional and academic needs of students. We consider their learning styles and what learning conditions can best support their growth. Because we are still in the process of hiring, we are unable to finalize class assignments. So this year, you will receive class lists and teacher assignments in July.
On Friday, June 5th end of year student reports will be emailed home. Integrated Arts will have hard copy reports and they will come home with students on the last day of school.
Teacher assignments will come to you when we have finalized all the decisions and sent via email. I will also publish a blog post and send that out to all of you so that you can see the final staffing decisions school wide.
While the school year winds to an end, the work doesn't stop. Teachers will be participating in a variety of professional development opportunities this summer. We are exploring ways of creating more innovative learning spaces within our school. You are all supporting this work with the funds that were so generously raised during Life Is Art.
Renaissance has always been an innovative school. We thrive on growth. That's why you picked this school! As we move forward to take learning to the next level at Renaissance - to increase teacher collaboration and differentiation for students, our current schedule stands in our way. We are grappling with that right now. There is much problem solving to be done to design new ways of working together.
It is an honor to be apart of this very unique and special school. The focus of this blog has been on looking forward to creating an even stronger school in the future. I want to take just a moment to look back on this year and thank you - our community - for the trust and support you provide us with. We feel your support and partnership every day. Thank you.
Have a wonderful summer :)
Ms. Deborah
Articles To Read:
From Master Teacher to Master Learner
Why Creativity Now?
21st Century Learning Environments
Design Thinking
Joy in School
What is the value in letting students struggle?
Books to Read:
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
by Carol Dweck
