March 2023 Lighthouse

Welcome to the March Edition of the PL Lighthouse

​This monthly email blast and webpage has been designed to serve much like a lighthouse, to serve as a way forward and help in navigating through the busy school year. Nothing else speaks of safety in the face of adversity and challenge quite like the lighthouse. ​

March Quarterback Huddles

We are excited to see our PL Quarterbacks twice this month! Below are the details for each huddle.

• March 2nd | Instructional Huddle at Dan D. Rogers Elementary (Elementary QBs) and Thomas C. Marsh Preparatory (Secondary QBs). The elementary huddle is from 8:30-10:30 AM and the secondary huddle is from 9:30-11:30 AM.
• March 23rd, 1:00-2:30 PM | Operational Huddle on Zoom to prepare for the final Design Studio of the year.

Design Studio | April 4, 8:30-4:00 PM

Our third, and final, design studio of the year will be at 9400 North Central Expressway, 8:30 AM-4:00 PM, on Tuesday, April 4th. Principals and Quarterbacks, please plan to attend and invite any other leadership team members you'd like. Time will be spent self-assessing on the Readiness Continuum, selecting priorities for the upcoming school year, making menu of supports selections for the upcoming school year, and a choice workshop. Every member of your team who is attending needs to submit this Google Form by Friday, March 10th. On the form it will ask for your preference on the afternoon session you'd like to attend, so it is important we receive this from each person attending to plan for space and order lunch.

EdCamp Update

We've unfortunately had to cancel our upcoming EdCamp scheduled for Saturday, March 4th. We hope to find a date in the fall that works better for all schedules. For those registered, they will receive an email notifying them of the cancellation. 

 Please join us at our 7th annual Innovation Showcase tomorrow, Tuesday, February 28th from 5:15-7:00 PM at Conrad High School. This celebration and showcase is designed to recognize Dallas ISD's Innovation in Teaching, School Retool, and iDesign Central Fellows for the 2022-2023 school year. Click here for the recognition rosters for all fellowships.

If you haven't registered to attend a PL Educator Tour this month, don't miss your chance! The following campuses will be hosting in March:

• Arturo Salazar Elementary | Friday, March 3rd, 9:00-11:30 AM
• Leila P. Cowart Elementary School | Tuesday, March 7th, 8:30-11:30 AM
• Henry B. Gonzalez PL Academy | Wednesday, March 22nd, 8:30-11:00 AM

We are excited to announce the Innovation in Teaching Fellowship, a professional learning opportunity to expand personalized learning instructional practices across Dallas ISD, is beginning to recruit teachers for our eighth cohort of fellows, and since you work closely with teachers, we’re hoping you might be able to help with the recruitment process.

The Innovation in Teaching Fellowship equips Dallas ISD educators to grow in their understanding of and pilot Next Generation models in their classrooms. Over the 2023-2024 school year, fellows will draw from research, best practices, and their own ingenuity to design and test personalized learning in their classrooms. Fellows will have access to virtual workshops, pop-up (i.e., on-demand) professional development sessions,  and coaching from the Dallas ISD central personalized learning team. At the conclusion of the fellowship, fellows will have an opportunity to share their learnings and ideas with the education community through our Innovation Showcase.
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Please feel free to pass along to other schools within your network or nominate 3-5 teachers on your campus who might be ready for the challenge. Please click here to access a quick nomination form or to share use, bit.ly/nominatefellows. Once a teacher has been nominated, he/she will receive an email regarding the opportunity, application, and deadline.

For additional information about the Innovation in Teaching Fellowship and the application process, check out www.thepltoolbox.com/fellowship. ​

 Raising Blended Learners Schools | Grant Specific Updates

• Pilot Teacher Student Agency Workshop II
  March 8th | 4:30-6:00 PM at 9400 North Central Expressway Room 1350 | This workshop is for pilot teachers only. You are welcome to attend, but please ensure all of your pilot teachers attend
• Student Agency Goal progress monitoring for third nine weeks and goal for fourth nine weeks due March 10th​