Dear Colleagues and Friends,
As many of you know, PoP brings educators together across districts for deep learning, reflection, conversation, and connection — toward building cultures of belonging in schools. Our professional learning experiences are designed to launch ongoing conversations among peers, and are rarely “one and done” sessions.
But sometimes, there is an emerging issue or a recurring theme that warrants special attention, if only for a moment in time. For those issues and themes we have created “PopUps,” a lighter-touch, one time, learning experience. This can also be a tool for exploring the appetite of the community on a particular issue or theme – and could be a catalyst for future learning experiences or a multi-part series. We are just getting started with our first two Pop-Ups:
– On March 27, from 4-6 pm (register here), we will host a community screening of the newly-released film “Ultimate Citizens.” followed by a conversation with the filmmaker and the film’s protagonist. Jamshid Khajavi, an extraordinary 65-year-old Iranian American public school counselor in Seattle, uses the sport of Ultimate Frisbee to help children heal in a district with high numbers of immigrant and refugee students. The film hopes to emphasize the critical importance of diverse, inclusive and welcoming schools and celebrate the contributions of immigrants like Jamshid to our society.
– On April 16, from 4-6 pm (register here), we will welcome The Children’s Room (TCR), a non-profit organization supporting children, teens, parents/caregivers, schools & communities who are coping with grief. Its services include peer support groups, parent groups, teen programs, and consultations/referrals. The team will share the models, frameworks, and tools they’ve developed and fine-tuned since the organization’s founding in 1993.
We hope you’ll join us and bring your colleagues. And if you have suggestions for future PoP-Ups, let us know! Who knows what your idea might become, and who else could benefit.
In connection,
Jane