AWSP Blog

Mr. Regalado died 9 years ago. Thousands of students, like me, who spent time in the darkroom at his side with our negatives and prints, asking about exposure, composition, and what made a good photograph good, mourned when we heard the news. He was one of those teachers that zealously approached his subject, mastered the command of his ship (à la his classroom), and built a community of learners at the tables in his room. From his class, I remember learning about Henri Cartier-Bresson, AKA "The Father of the Decisive Moment."

Welcome to the beautiful month of May. I would say that May is a magical time for the students and staff we serve. It is the final push of knowledge and skills for our students to ensure they are ready to move on to the next grade, level of content, or post-high school graduation. Our staff is digging deep this month and truly giving their students everything they have left. They (like us) are exhausted but we are all determined to dig a bit deeper to finish strong. The month of May is full of celebration opportunities for you to utilize to celebrate with your staff. Some are ridiculously simple and others will require a bit of prep work. I have no doubt that this month's School Celebration Newsletter has something for everyone. Let me know if I can support you or ever be a listening voice. You can find me on Twitter @sholtys or drop me an email at cindy.cromwell@kelsosd.org anytime. I believe in you!!

A great mentor of mine told me once that I have five jobs in life, and only five. My mentor would say if you do these five jobs, what kind of teacher will you be? If you do these five jobs, what kind of school leader will you be?

I love APRIL. Springtime brings crazy schedules for the Cromwell Family. However, I am determined to enjoy these precious moments with my family along with the later sunsets, the blooming flowers, the birds chirping in the morning, and evenings on the back deck. All of these beautiful signs of spring make me smile. This month of April, you need to not feel guilty about shutting down your phone for an evening or weekend. Go for a walk, turn the music up a bit louder on your drive to and from work, get a massage, AND treat yourself to some me time. April is when we are starting to see the finish line for this school year, so fill YOUR bucket. I know you will find this edition of the School Celebration Newsletter helpful to bring laughter, joy, and appreciation to your work. As always, feel free to reach out to me if I can do anything to support your work or be a sounding board of ideas. I believe in you!

Thanks to all of you who attended our Winter Forum. Over 150 of you joined some crucial conversations with your colleagues around the current legislative session, recess, attendance policies, supporting marginalized populations, high school graduation requirements, and other hot topics. Register now for our Spring Forum, coming up May 8, 2023.