First Day

Hello Trillium families,
Hopefully you have heard tales and wonder and excitement from your children
(or at least you have heard about my passion for getting the cap back on glue sticks).

Today was great. We started with some team challenges, explored getting to know new and returning Trillium students, and started our PLP work. I was impressed with how students began to focus in right away. We also started to tackle some of the less glamorous work of covering policies, procedures, and other things that are are SO exciting for the middle school student.

In our advising, we will start off the year coming to some common agreements about what makes a respectful, focused, and motivating advising homeroom. It isn't always exciting, but over the next two weeks we will look closer at the constitution and what that looks like in action, hear from peers about what they need to feel positive, productive and inspired, create some common agreements, and start holding our student-led class meetings. I will try to mix it up with fun activities to keep us from getting to "boardroom and businesslike". If you begin to sense despair ("oh, not the constitution or the framework"), console them by reminding them that this is just the work of the the first few weeks of school. I am a little old school in that I would rather start off serious and discuss clear expectations, than try to backtrack and tackle it a few weeks into school.

We will also continue our PLP work. Please remind your middle schooler to bring the tools they need to work on their plan. There are so many great ideas, projects, and experiments on the plans that will be exciting when brought to life.

The first few days are important, so don't hesitate to contact me. I have already heard several students had a positive first day. Feel free to email me with any comments, concerns, or suggestions.