Two months ago to the day I sent the last Thursday Word for the 2014-15 school year.  Fifty-five days of summer fun have passed with 15 remaining...  

 Did you live each day to the fullest?  Did you watch a sunrise or sunset?  Did you travel to that destination you’ve been wanting to visit for some time?  Did you stay up way past your bedtime watching movies or getting lost in that novel that took you to another dimension?  Did you organize that space in your home that’s been driving you crazy for years?  Did you enjoy a lovely dinner with a friend you haven’t seen in a while?  Did you explore a new passion?  Did you set fear aside and try something you’ve never done before?  Did you fail, get back up, and ultimately succeed...or not?  Did you look at life close up and then sit back and admire its incredible beauty? 

A serenity and peace found me this summer.  The colors were brighter, sounds more musical, smells full of fragrance, tastes rich with flavor  - it was magical.  I hope that each and every one of you were blessed with moments of greatness during this season of warmth and relaxation.

The 2015-16 school year begins on Wednesday, August 19th.  It is going to be an unforgettable year!

For decades, schools have designed classrooms to serve the typical student.  In the Myth of Average Tedx Talk, Harvard University’s Todd Rose challenges us to design instruction to the edges of student learning needs.  We intend to do this this year at Almond Elementary.  

 A constraint that has perpetually challenged education is the placement of children into grade level configurations.  Theory contends that students within a 12 month span of each other should all have similar skillsets and are therefore taught the same grade level standards.  However, reality asserts that that - is hogwash!  Some 6 year olds have far exceeded expectations in the mathematical realm and might even be ready for learning that is typically taught to 3rd graders.  And some 10 year olds may need a bit of extra support to construct meaningful writing that wrangles the complexities present in the English language.

This year, Almond will explode the grade level box by using data about children’s learning needs.  Students will still have a base camp (homeroom teacher) in which they are heterogeneously grouped (in other words balanced classes) with age like peers.  This underlying structure is essential to building strong and caring connections between adults and students.  Throughout the year, at different points during the day, students will be regrouped around particular learning topics.  Some students may be accelerated in one particular area, yet need support in another.  These needs and the forthcoming growth will be evident through the collection of multiple measures of student learning (a.k.a data).

Back in the day, students were put into tracks for the year and subsequently...their learning plateaued, rather than peaked.  That is NOT what we’re doing at Almond.  The word “regroup” contains the prefix “re” which indicates “again and again.” Students will be grouped by need for a unit of study that spans 4-6 weeks and then they will be regrouped into another unit of study.  Our initial collaborative work will be in English language arts (ELA) / English language development (ELD). However, do not fret...ALL other subject areas will still be taught.  

 Here’s a single potential example.  There may be a 4-6 week unit across Almond School that focuses on point of view.  All children will participate in engaging learning around this concept.  Some students in grades K-2 might be grouped together because along with establishing the foundation for point of view, they may need focused attention in decoding the text to translate words into meaning.  At the same time, there may be grade 1-3 students who have a high degree of reading fluency and can clearly identify who is telling the story and are now ready to focus on the differing points of view of each character.  We may have some accelerated readers in our upper grades who are already reading complex texts and are ready to jump into analysis and then transference to their own writing (which are actually 7th and 8th grade standards).

The Los Altos School District is a beacon across the country for innovative learning initiatives that include programs like STEM, project based learning (PBL), design thinking, and more.  We continue forward in our efforts with this as our underpinning.  The units of instruction will include our best practices; standards will be wrapped with rich content, formative assessment, and authentic experiences that connect learning to real life.

As we advance in this journey, we will be overly transparent in our communication regarding our goal to meet the learning needs of ALL students.

I am tingling with excitement at the year ahead!

Fifteen more days of summer!  Make the most of each and every one.