Happy Friday O’Dea Core Knowledge Elementary! It has been a summer-weather-filled week and our school has stayed relatively cool even with the high temperatures. Fall will be here soon enough, so we are still appreciating outdoor recess and opportunities for learning outside.
Next week we will begin practicing our drills for the school year. We will be hosting our first fire drill of the year and will follow up this month with the rest of our drills including our lockdown drill. We do take our drills very seriously as your child’s safety is our top priority…so if your child comes home and tells you that they evacuated the school…then they are telling the truth…we did! One of the best compliments that we have received about our fire drills is that it was the quickest and most efficient in the district…and we are pretty proud of that. We do talk with the students about each of the drills in a manner that is appropriate for children. We want them to know that they are safe…yet it is also important to practice moving quickly when we need to. If you have any questions for us…please always reach out.
We will be hosting our first teacher workday on Friday, September 17th so next week is a four-day week for students. Our teachers will be busy working on their classrooms…digging into grade level data…evaluating new teaching resources and collaborating with their grade level team members to create the most amazing…effective and efficient lessons for your students. It will be a full day of growing our practice and targeting instruction for our students.
Please also reach out to us if you ever read or hear anything in the community, on social media, in your heart, that may resonate with you about your child’s education at O’Dea. Please know that we value clear and accurate communication on all aspects of your child’s education…that we are ensuring that students exhibiting signs of illness are returning home…we are providing mask breaks to all students…and we are taking amazing care of your children while they are here with us. I encourage you to always reach out with questions…we will be transparent…authentic…and we will do our best to answer them.
It is during these challenging times that we truly rely on each other. It is during these times that we are given the opportunity to practice grace and authenticity. It is not always easy…yet it is always possible. One of the carryovers from the last year and a half has been my stamina for hard conversations and my ability to show our school community how much we love and care for your children…please tap into that as you need to.
I hope you all have lovely weekends. I have made the word “weekend” into a verb…and I kinda like it…so “Happy Weekending” to everyone!
Much love and support,
Laurie