November 01st, 2021

Welcome to the November 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. ​

1:1 Quarterback Check Ins
During the month of November, please schedule a 1:1 check in with your PL coach. During this check in, we'll chat about your leadership goal, your campus' authentic assessment plan and priorities, and the design excursion.
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Action Items
1. Sign up for a 30 minute time-slot (starting November 1st) with your PL coach by clicking their name:

• Nicolette
• Mike
• Lily
• Kristen
• Vanessa
• Brittny

2.  Before your check-in, please reflect on your leadership goal in your learner profile in the Fall column (pictured below).

PL QB OPPORTUNITY
Interested in getting more practice using the BL Progression tools? Join us for an OPTIONAL PL QB Instructional Huddle at Cowart Elementary on Monday, November 15th, from 8:30-11:30 AM to participate in a BL Progression Walk with your fellow QBs. This opportunity is only open to the first 10 QBs that register. Sign up and save your spot here (use password: lightbulb). If all spots are filled when you register, make sure to add yourself to the waitlist- we'll use this to fill any spots that open up.

Google Level 1 & 2 Certification Courses 
Last call for all Googlers. Join us virtually this fall to earn your Level 1 and Level 2 Certification from Google. Participants will have the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of Google tools in their classroom with the Educator Level 1 Certification, and then validate that expertise and advanced technology integration skills with the Educator Level 2 Certification by Winter Break 0f  2021.   

Live Learning Schedule:
Wednesday, November 3rd 5:00 - 6:00 PM --> KickOff Webinar
Tuesday, November 16th 5:00 - 6:00 PM --> Optional Q&A Meeting
Thursday, November 18th 5:00 - 6:00 PM --> Prep-Rally Webinar

This opportunity is open to any teachers and leaders in Dallas ISD. Spots are limited. Register here today!

SAVE THE DATE + TIME | FALL 2021 PL Cohort Celebration + Exhibition VIRTUAL Event
This fall teams from every PL Campus have been working hard through the Design Thinking process to tackle one of the PL Priorities aligned from the PL Readiness Continuum. We're excited to announce that our Fall 2021 PL Cohort Virtual Celebration + Exhibition will be Thursday, December 9th from 4:00-5:30 PM! During this event every team will present lessons learned from their design challenge with the PL Cohort and community members.

Note: This was originally scheduled for the morning of December 9th, but we've moved to the end of the day due to the high number of teachers on design teams. More information and registration will be coming out next week. 

Opportunity for Assistant Principals
The Stanford d.school is coming to Dallas ISD in the winter of 2021-2022 to facilitate the sixth cohort of the School Retool fellowship. School Retool takes a design thinking approach to spreading Deeper Learning practices and will equip participating APs with tools, processes, and resources to intentionally and creatively tackle campus challenges using small experiments called “hacks."
The fellowship includes the following commitments from participants: 

• Four half-day, synchronous workshops (live via Zoom) on Wednesday, December 15th, Tuesday, January 11th, Tuesday, February 1st and Wednesday, February 23rd from 12:00-4:00 PM.
• One day (chosen at your discretion) to shadow a student at your campus to better understand how he/she experiences school.
• Dedicated time in-between workshops to complete asynchronous learning and put what you learn into practice at your campus.
• Participation in our annual Innovation Showcase and celebration hosted Tuesday, March 8th from 4:00-8:00 PM. Note: This event will be hosted virtually this year.​
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Interested in being one of the 20 School Retool fellows? Submit a short application at bit.ly/schoolretool6 by Friday, November 12th at 5:00 PM. 

GRANT SPECIFIC UPDATES

Please review the following items related to campuses in the Raising Blended Learners cohort.  See all items + links in the RBL Master Calendar

Office Hours | November 3
Join the PL Office Hours with any questions + support for your benchmarking + BL model implementations.

QB 1:1 Check-in| Week of November 8-12 
This is for RBL QBs at non-PL schools.  We will review your 1st 9 weeks RBL benchmark + reflection artifacts and what's happening for the 2nd 9 weeks.  

Benchmarking | Data  + Goals
Thank you QBs for completing your SMART Goal Data Trackers as well as your Student Agency Progress Monitoring.  If you still need assistance with crossing this item off your list, please reach out to Brittny!

Upcoming | Pilot Teacher Observation + Feedback Cycle 2
Kelly, Nicolette and I will be observing the pilot teachers during the week of November 8-12.  We will be on your campus one day during that week and hope to see all of your pilot teachers during that time.  There is no action required for you but be on the lookout for that communication. ​

MIZ
Please review the following items related to campuses in the Math Innovation Zones cohort.  See all items + links in the Master Calendar
Office Hours | November 3
Join with any questions + support for your benchmarking + software/BL model implementations.
QB 1:1 Check-in| Week of November 8-12 or 15-19
We will review your 1st 9 weeks MIZ benchmark + reflection artifacts and what's happening for the 2nd 9 weeks.  Feel free to join the office hours on November 6th to help with any questions you might have.
Celebration | BL Progression Walks
Kelly and I have been able to see so many wonderful MIZ classrooms so far this fall!  In the BL model leaderboard update, station rotation is still on top but individual rotation is a close second. QB's, you should be proud of the small changes that are making a big impact with students.  Keep up the good work :)
Reminder | BL Artifacts
As you continue to observe classrooms, please consider encouraging your teachers to submit artifacts “from the field” to build out inspiration for BL model progression.