His Name - Sam.  

Occupation - Consummate Waiter.  

Location - The Red Iguana in Salt Lake City, Utah.  

His Clients - Thirteen educators from Almond and LASD.  

His Gift - Personalizing one’s dining experience through a passion for people and food.

Really Erika?!?!  This is your Thursday Word topic of the week?  You betcha!

The Los Altos School District is on a mission to meet the individual needs of all students by designing learning to the edges.   Eleven Almond staff members traveled to Salt Lake City this week to grow our expertise in working together as a team towards this goal.  We cannot do this alone.  We need the collaboration of our peers, our students, our parents, and our district.  We must work interdependently to achieve this goal and we must all hold ourselves mutually accountable.  We must clarify the essential learning we expect our students to master, continue our work in determining how to measure this learning,  and address how we will respond when the learning is mastered and when it is not mastered.  In the words of Robert Eaker, we will “focus relentlessly on the learning of each student - skill by skill.”

Our waiter, Sam, left an indelible mark on each and everyone of us.  He didn’t even flinch at the request for 13 different checks.  He brought us 3 taster plates with a variety of 8 mole sauces to help us in determining which we might want to select.  When one diner expressed ambivalence over which to chose and confessed not having indulged in the samples, he pushed the plate closer to her, made certain she had enough chips, and said he’d be back when she’d determined her preference.  When I became overtaken by the expansive menu, he offered the “top 10” best choices so that I could arrive at the perfect choice.  When engaging with us, he knelt down and made sure his eyes were at our level.  Before the last drop of liquid was consumed from any beverage at the table, he was ready with another.  He leveraged his team to make certain our food arrived within minutes of each other.  And, when it was time to pay up, not only did we each get different checks with a mint, he returned the credit cards to the correct individual with a thank you by name.  Sam not only made our whole group feel like the most important table in that room, he made each and every one of us feel like the most special customer in that restaurant. 

Isn’t that what education is all about?  Making each and every student feel as though they are the most special, loved, valued, capable child with whom we’ve ever had the privilege to help learn.  YES!!!

As we head into parent conferences next week, remember, YOUR CHILD and YOUR FAMILY are important to us.  We care about your child’s learning and we are excited to share his/her progress.

Here is a presentation that was offered at the last two Principal Coffees regarding how we will be reporting out on student progress this trimester.  As we transition into a full implementation year next year with Standards Based Grading (SBG), please keep in mind that different grade levels will be utilizing different documents.  As a school, we have worked together to organize this information into a cohesive packet that includes a cover sheet and various measures to create a comprehensive picture of what your child has mastered and what he/she is still working on mastering.  Here is a link to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in ELA and math and the CA content standards for social studies and science. 

Those of us who have ever worked in the restaurant industry learned the term, “I’m in the weeds.”  It’s easy to land there.  Before you know it, all your tables are full and you’ve lost sight of the big picture.  I used to take a minute on the periphery of my section where I would breath and observe.  I would calm my mind and prioritize next steps.  As you dialogue with your child’s classroom teacher, don’t get lost in the weeds.  Focus on the conversation.  I invite you to reflect on these questions.  Does my child’s teachers know him/her?  Is my child’s teacher able to communicate his/her strengths?  Are there identified areas of future growth?

Above all else, keep in mind – we’re in this together.  You want your child be safe, feel special, and to learn at high levels.  I assure you, we want the same thing.  Thank you for your partnership in this process.

Happy Thanksgiving!