PBAT Y2 Retreat

The PBAT kicked off its second year of school transformation with a retreat on Saturday, October 9th. The team has grown to include new teachers and parents: Kathy Rutledge (paraeducator), Kerry Danner-McDonald (3rd grade parent), Kristen Dunlap (3rd grade teacher), Ally Zevin (PTA co-president), Tasha Winns (Speech/language specialist).

The retreat was a moment for relationship building, visioning, and strategic planning. The team spent the morning engaged in interactive exercises to help break down barriers and create connections. After lunch, we revisited the mission statement and began crafting operating principles to help give definition to the team. The draft principles include this suggestion from Ally: "It's the blending of our ideas that enables us to create the widest/best opportunities for parental involvement." Ken offered: "The members of the Action Team have found that by initially building personal relationships, we are able to more effectively blend our voices."


The end of the day was devoted to working on action projects that will impact Piney Branch's October 11th Open House. The team wants to encourage more families to attend the Open House and to have it be a more meaningful experience for parents and teachers. Look for a report on the projects in the next blog post.

Ken closed the retreat by sharing a poem that he was inspired to write during our day together. Enjoy!

End of the Year Reflections

Hello PBES parents, teachers, administrators, and students, Nora
Stephens here, Lanita's summer intern. I'm helping Lanita write a
final report for this pilot year of the Action Team and I want to hear
what you all have to say about it!

We're interested in what everyone thought were the original goals of
the program, if these goals were achieved, or if maybe they turned
into other goals. Did certain events make more of an impact than
others? What are some of your fondest memories of the year? Have any
of your opinions on the school system changed/stayed the same? What
recommendations would you have for others interested in being apart of
an Action Team at their school?

Please reply to whatever questions pop out at you and elaborate on
anything else you feel is relevant to the program. The more people
that reply, the more accurate our report will be, helping us to
possibly reach out to other schools and undoubtably make next year's
Action Team at PBES even more affective than it was this year.

thanks,
Nora

To comment to this blog all you have to do is click on COMMENTS below this entry and type whatever you feel appropriate! 

Door Knocking Opens Hearts as well as Doors

I participated in the Piney Branch Action Team (PBAT) door knocking, and much more than doors opened for my partner, Lanita and me. It didn't take long for us to connect to the tentative Sligo Elementary door openers. As soon as we introduced ourselves and shared our welcome to the Piney Branch School community, we became instant celebrities in the neighborhood. Children and family members gathered around us eager to introduce us to other families. We invited them all to the PTA event on June 3 and to tour the school. They asked lots of questions and were most excited about the swimming pool. I truly believe this very personal touch will make a difference in the transition for these families and their children to their new school in the fall. It was my first time as a door knocker and it will not be my last. I am sold on this very intimate way of connecting with others. And this personal touch reflects the spirit of the Piney Branch Action Team and the whole school community!

He's On Our Team!

NAACP Principal of the Year

Piney Branch principal and Action Team member Bertram Generlette has been named by the NAACP as the 2010 Montgomery County Public Schools Principal of the Year! The award is given yearly to a county administrator who's shown an outstanding commitment to closing the achievement gap through programs designed to meet the academic and social needs of all students.

We believe that Bertram is truly deserving of this award. As an engaged and dedicated Action Team member, he has set a standard of commitment that's been a model for others.

The Action Team has been working hard to create a more inclusive school culture that works for everyone by:

>developing Multicultural Criteria that guide what a thriving multicultural school should look like and feel like,

>creating a more welcoming, multicultural environment at parent-teacher conferences,

>helping parents and teachers gain more from their time together during conferences,

>increasing awareness for parents about the MSA and the achievement gap,

>providing MSA test prep practice and materials for families,

>experiencing the two-way benefits of taking the school out into the community,

>modeling a new way of collaborating among diverse parents, teachers, and administrators.

Although the accomplishments of the Action Team have certainly been a "team" effort, the brave and whole-hearted participation of the school's leader (every step of the way) certainly helped to set the tone and create the environment necessary for getting the work done.

Bertram, congratulations and thank you!

To read more about Bertram Generlette and the NAACP award follow this link to the MCPS Bulletin :
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/bulletin/article.aspx?id=114512

Our Culture Is . . .

Now this is a culture worth spreading!

The Action Team Culture is . . .

-speak what you feel

-have courageous conversations

-patient listening

-share your vision

-a sense of togetherness

-trust

-no fear, it's all good

-open horizons

-join humanity

-welcoming smiles

-commitment

-inclusiveness

-respect differences

Sharing the Story

Want to hear Action Team members sharing their amazing projects with principals from other schools? Check out this clip.



On Thursday, April 15th Action Team members and IMPACT staff partnered to share the story of ongoing school transformation at Piney Branch Elementary School.

Listening to the story were administrators from six Montgomery County schools:

Richard Rhodes, Sligo Middle
Joe Rubens, Jr., Colonel E. Brooke Lee Middle
Ruth Green, John F. Kennedy High
Aara Davis-Jones, Georgian Forest Elementary
Adrienne Morrow, East Silver Spring Elementary
Carmen Van Zutphen, Bel Pre Elementary

Also in attendance was Bronda Mills, Community Superintendent of the Downcounty Consortium.

Chapter. 1 What Does IMPACT Do?

IMPACT Executive Director, Frankie Blackburn, began the story with the big picture. She explained the organization's mission as one of closing the gaps that often exist between diverse people--gaps that result in cultures that work for some to the exclusion of others.

How do you close those gaps? It often requires . . . change.

Chapt. 2 IMPACT's Theory of Transformation

IMPACT has been working in the community for years to bring about the kind of change (transformation) that results in neighborhoods, institutions, and organizations working equally well for everyone. Although the positive impact can be on entire systems, the "change" begins with individuals.

The story continued with the sharing of IMPACT's theory of transformation.


Chapter 3. Transforming a School

So, IMPACT took its Theory of Transformation and (in partnership with a courageous principal) decided to apply it to closing the achievement gap in one local elementary school. How did we do it?
By creating an Action Team that:

> Brought together 14 diverse parents, teachers, and administrators.

> Kicked off with intense relationship-building at an overnight retreat.

> Embarked on a 9-month journey of bi-weekly sessions facilitated to help team members:

- craft a new school vision,
- build relationships of trust,
- define multiculturalism,
- create safe spaces for difficult conversations,
- effectively move into action.

Chapter 4. A Happy Ending?

Yes, we have a story to tell, but it's not a fairy tale. The diverse school stakeholders on the Action Team are certainly modeling a new way of problem-solving in a multicultural environment. And, they are definitely initiating projects that will sustain change and honor the school's diversity. But, there is much work yet to be done. The Action Team will be continuing at Piney Branch for the 2010 - 2011 school year.

Keep following this blog to read the sequel and find out if this work moves beyond Piney Branch and into other school communities!

The Action Team in Pictures

The school year is winding down and the pilot year of the Action Team is drawing to a close as well. Although perhaps our most ambitious project is ahead of us (more about that in a moment), we find ourselves in a reflective mood. During our most recent session, we took time to revisit the original program goals to determine just how well they've been met. Of course, this being the Action Team, we found a creative way to share our conclusions . . . through drawing. Below are the goals, the drawings created, and the ideas shared.

(1) Action Team members will increase their knowledge, skills, and awareness of their personal power and how to use it to effect change in the school community.


"WIth our newfound personal power we feel like the world is now open to us and we have the ability to make positive changes in it."

(2) Team members will have a deeper understanding of their own racial and cultural identities and how to work with others of diverse backgrounds.


"We can now see other races within ourselves. The picture also represents the transfor-
mation that we feel."


(3) Team members will create a new guiding vision and way of being within the school.

"This picture represents the school embracing families. The rainbow represents our new vision. All of the ideas in the rainbow have been a part of our projects."

(4) Team members will develop action projects to build toward the new vision.



"The ground is the community. IMPACT and the school are the strong stem. The projects emanate from the stem, supported by the ground. The projects have been helping the school grow into a limitless, positive (smiling question marks) multicultural (all the different colors) future."





Final Project (for this school year)

Action Team members brainstormed several fantastic ideas for the next and final project of this school year. Some of the suggestions included creating a family resource center at the school, increasing the amount and quality of volunteer opportunities for parents, and outfitting the school building with multi-lingual signage. Although Team members intend to pursue each of these actions in the future, it was decided that the next project should be welcoming the 60 new students to Piney Branch who will be coming to the school for the 2010 - 2011 school year because of re-drawn school boundaries. This is a big and potentially high impact project. Check back with us soon to find out how the planning is going!