I understand that at these times it is easy to go full speed ahead and as teachers we are super planners, mega managers of proactive thinking, perfectionists, and have take charge personalities.  I ask that you take a moment (or a weekend) and think about expectations and being in orange. I would say look at the obstacles we have already overcome this year and celebrate that as we move forward.  What I have seen is a group of amazing people working together and  shining through as you have always done.

now moving forward………

You will have less students on a daily basis.

Relationships can be built stronger

You can still check-in with kids

They are still here

You already have the social distancing and mask protocols in the bag!

You can meet the needs of those students while they are here and that is in the circle of your control.

Intervention and extension times are very manageable and you can take advantage of that.

We are not in a full fledged quarantine (maybe that’s me, I don’t want to go there again!!!)

• You have already made so much progress this year, you got this!
• We haven’t done it yet and change can be scary but so was going to yellow but you did it.
• Just remember that as we transition into orange everybody will need a little time to adjust and we honor that and it’s okay.
• We put our best foot forward and do our best to stay on schedule.  What does that look like is the question-we give ourselves grace.
• We start it, we try it, and adjust and we find things that we will need to change along the way because no one quite knows.
• Look at the pacing calendar in reading and math.  Strategically plan and hyper focus on the big ideas and the power standards.  
• Yes we want to do our best to stay with the pacing guides but don’t look at the end of the year look at next week.  
• You have a smaller group-will the first week be exactly perfect-maybe/maybe not but it eventually will be great, you will have it.

Please let me know how I can help.  You can vent, we can plan, we can bounce ideas off each other, we tweak some things, we breath, and move onward with support.