Sept. 1

 

Welcome back Arno staff!  

I know that this is going to be a different year, and we will have our hills and valleys- but the one constant is that we still have each other to fall back on, gather ideas, or just be there to listen.  This will be a one of kind year- but you are a one of a kind staff who has always stepped up to the challenge in the name of kids.

Although I am not going to fill this post up with calendar dates and upcoming events, I will try to put some resources on that may be of benefit to you- at your choice to read.  These coming days we will be welcoming virtually (and a short in person) our students, who just  like us wish they could be here and have things as normal.  I am here to help you out with your needs- any questions, resource needs, help with a student, any and all.  It will be a challenge, but we will all move hand in hand together into this year.  Please let me know how I can help- looking forward to a great year together!!

Coming soon to Arno…

Sept. 1

Teacher PD Full day

Sept. 2

1st Day- morning “Wave In” 9-12

Lunch

Get to know you virtual afternoon

Sept. 3

First full day- Build relationships, SEL

Sept 4

Labor Day weekend- no school

Sept. 7

Labor Day- No school

Sept. 8-Oct. 2

Virtual Learning per your schedule

 

First Day

September 2 (First Day of School): We will be holding a drive by “meet the teacher” event from 9 am-12 pm on September 2. Students will be able to drive up, say hi to their teacher and you will be handing out workbooks or any items that students will need to start the year.  As we did in the spring, times to visit will be determined by last name.  Students whose last name starting with:

• A-H will drive by between 9-10am, 

• I-Q can drive by between 10-11am, 

• R-Z can visit between 11am-12pm. 

 

Meet the Teacher

This year we be doing a short introduction and some information on Google Classroom via video. The staff links will be out by Sept 2 via eblast.   Please be sure to upload your video to the following Google Doc by evening Sept. 1

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OhdchJNP4zhkSVW3z-cBA4NGAUWlsRI4aS9fE7HhzTI/edit?usp=sharing

 

Online Attendance

Attendance will taken daily, in most cases, students will be recorded as present through appearing on the classroom Zoom. There maybe some instances where a student is unable to do a Zoom that day- they can then be counted present by:

• Have a two-way conversation through email, phone, or communication app

• Turn in an assignment, exit ticket or question that day by 3:00

Link to the Attendance Flow chart: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-8yE6QOjnBayDOTq3gBCmeYozCwLJCtMrS4RL0khFsA/edit?usp=sharing

Assessment

Per the State of Michigan guidelines, Allen Park Schools will be required to have all students have an assessment that give us information on where our students are performing, so that we may better meet their individual needs.  Kindergarten and First grade will be taking a developmentally appropriate assessment, while grades 2-3 will be taking an online version of the NWEA they normally take in the fall.  Details, dates, and directions will come out in the coming weeks.

 

Welcome to Arno…

Kristi Kruger- Music (Thursdays)

“Kristi Kruger comes to us from Allen park High School where she served as vocal and instrumental music director for 22 years.  Kristi received her Bachelor and Masters degrees from Eastern Michigan University with a focus on Music education as well as Music theory and Literature.  Kristi’s career started teaching general music, spanning ages 18 months to 8 in the private sector before taking a position at Hamtramck High School for 2 years.  After that time she was recruited by Allen Park,
where her first assignments were teaching High School vocal, instrumental and music history, as well as teaching “Sing and Swing” Kindergarten music at all three elementary schools.   Kristi looks forward to sharing her passion for music with our students”

Dana Brown- Social Work (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday)

ED Puzzle Update

 

Asynchronous vs. Synchronous

A great article to sort out the differences and activities

Asynchronous vs. Synchronous: How to Design for Each Type of Learning

Asynchronous Learning	Synchronous Learning
Occurring at different times and in different places (e.g., students working at home).	Occurring at the same time and in the same place (e.g., students working in the classroom or meeting online for a video conference session.
Students can access content, resources, activities at any time, and from anywhere.	Students can access content, resources, and activities at a specific time and location.
Students can control the time, place, and pace of their learning.	Students may have some control over the pace of their learning, but they do not control the time or the place.
Students work independently to complete assignments and tasks.	Students have access to teacher and peer support while completing assignments and tasks.

 

Tech skills to Teach Online

12 Habits to Build Resilience

12 Ways Teachers Can Build their Own Resilience

12 HABITS THAT BUILD RESILIENCE

In the book, Aguilar explains how developing each of these habits contributes to resilience. She recommends focusing on a different habit each month, taking the whole month to learn about, reflect on, and develop practices that strengthen that habit. Below each habit is the month Aguilar suggests as an ideal time to focus on it: This is based on a typical American school calendar, where the school year starts around August/September and ends around May/June. If your calendar is different, you may want to make adjustments accordingly.

1. KNOW YOURSELF

SUGGESTED MONTH: JUNE

Taking the time to reflect on and get clear about your values, your preferences, your skills and aptitudes, and your sociopolitical identity can help you develop a strong sense of purpose. This makes you more likely to respond to difficult situations in ways that are consistent with that purpose. “Being really anchored in your purpose,” Aguilar explains, “being really clear about what you want to be doing in life, helps you deal with challenges and setbacks.”

2. UNDERSTAND EMOTIONS

SUGGESTED MONTH: JULY

Emotions “can be tremendous resources and sources of energy,” Aguilar says. They key is figuring out “how to have healthier relationships with them, how to understand them, name them, accept them, and then work with them.” During this month, Aguilar has teachers examine the way emotions influence our thinking (and vice-versa) and how to work with them, instead of against them.

She’s especially interested in how we deal with anger. “There have been times when I’ve acted from anger, and it hasn’t been productive,” she says. “And there are other times when I figured out how to use my anger as a fuel and as energy, how to act from a place of kindness and compassion, but not suppress my anger.”

3. TELL EMPOWERING STORIES

SUGGESTED MONTH: AUGUST

“The space where we can have the greatest impact on our resilience is between a thing that happens and how we interpret and make sense of that thing,” Aguilar says. That interpretation takes the form of a story we tell ourselves.

“So for example, a student rolls her eyes at you. That’s the thing that happens,” she says. “How you make sense of and interpret that event is precisely the point where either your resilience can be drained or filled, because you could interpret her eye rolling as This student doesn’t respect me, or you can interpret that event as, This is very typical behavior from 12-year-olds, and I’m going to move on to the next part of the lesson. In that moment, if we can hone our ability to expand that space between what happens and how we respond and how we interpret it, we have so much more power then to cultivate our resilience.”

4. BUILD COMMUNITY

SUGGESTED MONTH: SEPTEMBER

If we develop habits that nurture relationships with our colleagues, students, parents, and administrators, we strengthen our resilience. “There’s actually medical research saying that isolation is more dangerous to your physical health than smoking,” Aguilar says. “Teaching can be such a lonely experience, and I think anything that we can do to begin cementing those connections will just help us so much when things get rough.” The beginning of a school year is an ideal time to start, and by putting relationship-building habits in place early, that community can be a source of strength all year long.

5. BE HERE NOW

SUGGESTED MONTH: OCTOBER

“Learning how to be in the present moment without judging it can help us to experience acceptance. It helps us to have clear-headedness so that we can make choices in our responses.” Developing habits of mindfulness, where we focus on what is happening right now without judgment, can help us to circumvent a “triggered” reaction to daily challenges and instead respond calmly and thoughtfully. Daily meditation or even brief moments of focusing on our breath can help us hit that “pause button” and bring ourselves to that place of calm.

6. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

SUGGESTED MONTH: NOVEMBER

“It’s really hard to build community or to cultivate compassion or be a learner—some of the other habits—when you’re just sick, when you’re worn out,” Aguilar says. So this month, she recommends focusing on the habits of physical self-care, digging into the reasons why teachers so often fall short in this area. “I think people know what to do,” she says. “We know we should be eating more leafy greens and exercising more and so on, but why is it so hard?” Uncovering those reasons can help with developing habits that work.

7. FOCUS ON THE BRIGHT SPOTS

SUGGESTED MONTH: DECEMBER

During this month, Aguilar guides teachers to practice giving more attention to what is working, rather than what’s not. “Our brains have a negativity bias,” she explains, “so everything that is challenging, that is potentially a threat, appears really vividly and clearly to us, because of the way our brains are wired, and so one of the skills that we need to hone is the ability to see all the things that are going well or even just okay.”

In the classroom, for example, we can prompt ourselves to regularly notice students who are paying attention and on-task, rather than giving all our attention to the few students who aren’t. By developing this habit, we increase our sense of empowerment, which in turn builds greater resilience.

 

8. CULTIVATE COMPASSION

SUGGESTED MONTH: JANUARY

When we practice compassionate thinking for others and ourselves, we become better equipped to handle difficult situations. “Cultivating compassion, broadening our perspective on how we see a situation, helps us to empathize with others, to see the long view, to take ourselves out of the drama of the moment,” Aguilar says. So when students misbehave, a colleague is short with us, or a parent challenges one of our decisions, being in the habit of viewing these situations through the lens of compassion can help you not take that behavior personally, which leads to smarter, less reactive decision-making.

9. BE A LEARNER

SUGGESTED MONTH: FEBRUARY

“Resilient people are curious,” Aguilar says. “Resilient people experience a challenge and turn around and say, Wow. That was really hard. That pushed me to my limits. What can I learn from that? Just that question alone immediately propels you into a place of being able to build your resilience.” So this month, teachers are encouraged to reflect on who they are as learners, to better understand the stages of the learning process, and to practice seeing challenges as invitations to curiosity.

10. PLAY AND CREATE

SUGGESTED MONTH: MARCH

One tool for building resilience that is easy to overlook is the habit of play. “I think it’s a human right to be creative, to create, enjoy, and appreciate art,” Aguilar says. “Playing and creating can unlock inner resources for dealing with stress, for solving problems…it can help us see different things and find different approaches to tackle challenges.” This month—which may hit right around spring break—teachers are encouraged to build regular periods of play and creation into their daily lives.

11. RIDE THE WAVES OF CHANGE

SUGGESTED MONTH: APRIL

The end of the school year inevitably brings all kinds of changes; some of these can completely throw us off track if we’re not prepared for them. Aguilar recommends teachers spend this month looking at “how we can harness our energies to manage those changes and also direct our energy to the places that we can make the biggest difference.” This practice includes slowing down, facing and dealing with fear, and mindfully evaluating situations to determine which responses will have the most impact.

12. CELEBRATE AND APPRECIATE

SUGGESTED MONTH: MAY

As the school year winds down, we have lots of opportunities to celebrate our own accomplishments and those of our students and colleagues. This month, teachers are encouraged to develop daily habits of gratitude and to carry those habits throughout the year. “Even in the hardest moments,” she says, “if we can shift into a stance of appreciation, we can build our resilience.”

 

The Arno 2020-21 Staff

2020-21

Young fives	Jeanine Haskin
Kindergarten	Cassie Harrison
Kindergarten	Nickie Roller
Kindergarten	Cristina Mercer
First Grade	Julie Martinchick
First Grade	Barb Pushman
First Grade	Dawn Watson
Second Grade	Nicole Amonette
Second Grade	Alexandra Cervantes
Second Grade	Megan Schultz
Third Grade	Sarah Kalis
Third Grade	Renee Guyot
Third Grade	Rachel Warneck
Fourth Grade	Megan Johnson
Fourth Grade	Emilie Talamonti
Fourth Grade	Brian Trionfi
Fifth Grade	Ciara Zuke
Fifth Grade	Lindsay Garza
Fifth Grade	Erin Higgins
Cross Categorical Classroom	Katie Jensen
ECP Program	Sara Bleau
Life Skills	Stella Boyer
Media Lit Arno/Bennie	Colleen Byrne
Media Tech Arno/Bennie	Carrie Solak
Art Arno/Bennie	Elisabeth Cunningham
Art Arno/Lindemann	Rachel Trapani
Speech-Language Pathologist	Andrea Alvarez
Vocal Music	Kristi Kruger
Instrumental/Vocal  Music	Jeff Skebo
Physical Education Arno/Bennie	Lisa Smalley
Social Work Arno School Psychologist	Dana Brown T W Th Deb Green M F
Resource Room	Michele Sbonek
ECP Speech	Taylor Cuddy
Reading Coach/Title I	Beth Wesley
ESL	TBA

Stephen Zielinski, Principal

Cathy Anderson, Secretary

Kim Dowd, Student Advocate

 

Custodial Staff:

Tim Tanksley

Joe Marcoux 

Tiffani Harper

Mike Matey

Lunch Staff/Para Professionals

Debbie Burgess-LatchKey Supervisor

Stevie Brandly

Colleen Harris

Stephanie Hauck

Kristen Melidosian

Katelyn Tourangeau

Penelope Beri

Sarah Tarmoom

Shelby Ivey

Cathy Bartholomew-Food service

Luciana Tucci-Cashier

Para Professional

Linda Mantua- Media Center

Angela Joarder- Instruct Support

Mikela Wilson- Instructional Support

Sandy Bove- Instruct Support

Kem Sheridan- Instruct Support

Carrie Vaughn- Instruct. Support

Amanda Madrigal- Instruct. Support

Missy Moore, instructional support

Diane Peyton- Special Ed.

Melissa McGrath- Special Ed. 

Antwanette Bills- Special Ed.

Kim Harrison, Special Ed. 

Stephanie Leavitt, ECP

Patty Messer, ECP