Jasmine Brann, Ed.D. on LinkedIn: #excuseless (2024)

⏰ The countdown to summer ☀️ vacation is on! Checking the days off the calendar creates a feeling of excitement for many of us, but the truth is some students rely upon schools 🏫 for stability and summertime detachment can be challenging for students in need of these connections. I’ve learned coordinated summer wellness checks with students strengthen our relationships and build community trust. Small gestures of kindness and thoughtfulness can make a big difference! Thanks so much Edutopia - George Lucas Educational Foundation for sharing my piece about our school’s work!https://lnkd.in/e2Km7vRqDistrict of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)

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❤️ Working together to make financial le$$ons real and relevant for our students! It takes a village. Meet Sydney, one of our amazing Chisholm Elementary student entrepreneurs! Major kudos to her mama! 👇🏽

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Let’s continue to elevate the “heart” work of teachers and all who work in schools!#thankateacher #teacherappreciationweek #thankfulthursday Near or far, the depth of gratitude I feel for my fellow educators is really difficult to articulate.From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. It’s an awe-inspiring responsibility and critical role in society to illuminate imagination and intelligence. Schools provide such an impenetrable foundation.The best of the best leave long-lasting impressions and shape future generations with power and hope. Whether in the formal school setting or simply in life’s classroom, we’ve all been touched by the beautiful work of teaching and learning.I’m so honored to have been taught by incredible educators, work alongside dedicated professionals through the years, and now continue to co-create and work towards a shared vision with my DC Public Schools & Shirley Chisholm Elementary colleagues.We have tokens of appreciation for our staff all month long - thanks to the generosity of our village! The team enjoyed relaxing massages today!This week and always - let’s acknowledge educators not only with our words, but also our assistance and professional consideration.💛💙

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One of our amazing school partners, DC Scores, provides our students with the opportunity to learn soccer AND find their voice through poetry. It is a surprising yet impactful combination that has given our students an incredible outlet for team-building and self-expression. ⚽ ✍ I was delighted to sit down and record my conversation this morning with Coach E, our DC Scores head coach. His enthusiasm and vision make our program successful, and he energizes us all. Coach E is definitely one of our staff MVPs 🏆 !Special thanks to Katrina Owens as well for ensuring this partnership thrives at our school for the last several years! We're so grateful to have you on our school's team!https://lnkd.in/ec_-AnQE

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Closing out April’s Financial Literacy Month with gratitude for the opportunities we had to promote financial wellness and share resources!Last week, I had the pleasure to join Van Ness Elementary students for author visits and read my book, “Let’s Win the Money Game,” with their 3rd graders! They were eager to learn and I was impressed with these future inventors, artists, and more!On Saturday, we had our inaugural Community Ca$h Conference at Chisholm Elementary sponsored by Akin Gump Law Firms and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee! We created a safe and collaborative space for our participants to enjoy sessions about budgeting, retirement, teaching kids about $, insurance, 🏠real estate, entrepreneurship, & more! We had wonderful student vendors who sold their homemade products during our Youth Marketplace. Our keynote speaker, Jessica Brown - The College “Gurl”, gave us incredible tips about preparing our young people for college and accessing scholarships!I am so grateful for the partnerships and shared vision that made these events and experiences possible. This movement is so much more than just a discussion about money and personal finance. Teaching and promoting financial wellness is a force for good in our society for all.Working with others, I’m excited for us to keep sharing the wealth!#financialliteracy #financialeducation #partnerships

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Out of the blue true story today with a 4th grade student, Michael. He was accompanying our Assistant Principal and stopped by my office while I was working at my desk.Michael: Hi Principal Brann! How much money do you make?Me: Ummm….that’s an interesting question. I’m glad you asked. How much money do you think I make?Michael: $58 a week.Me: Do you think that’s a lot of money? Michael: Yes!Me: Well, let’s break that down…Then, I proceeded to tell him a bit about my money story and my first jobs as a camp counselor and bank teller. I told him I remember my first check for two weeks of work as a teacher was around $900. He was really impressed! To answer his question with a ballpark range, I told him I now earn more than that as a principal AND that being good with money is not necessarily all about how much you make, but it’s also about how much you can keep and make grow. He gave me a look like I was a whiz. 😂I’m grateful he felt comfortable enough to ask me his question and that we had this exchange that I hope helps shape his personal finance journey in a positive way.Sharing my thoughts here about how we can help promote financial education in our communities….⬇️https://lnkd.in/gDHpAeCN#financialliteracy #financialeducation #community #education #mentor

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I'm always so in awe of my Chisholm Elementary colleagues, and I want everyone to know about their inspiring work! I sat down this morning with Ms. Jiménez for a behind-the-scenes interview:Not only is she an incredible PK4 lead teacher, but Ms. Jiménez is also the founder and director of an unforgettable bilingual student experience - Spanish Film Production. 🎬 Each year, she and her team lead students to write the script and star in a movie - en español! This Thursday, April 25, students will debut their original film: "El Secreto de Elliot" (Elliot's Secret)! It is a suspenseful tale that is sure to leave us on the edge of our seats!Thank you so much to Margaret Marcus, Ph.D.., for generously supporting bilingual education initiatives in Washington, DC, and our school's language learning innovation and expansion! You are a star who has helped our students shine even brighter this year! ⭐ I'm grabbing my popcorn now in anticipation for Thursday! 🍿 📺 https://lnkd.in/gHhQznFf#bilingualeducation #artsintegration #teachers #education #movie

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It’s the first day of Spring Break and we had an Admin “Retreat” today in our school library. A goal was to have a relaxed and productive vibe.Before we discussed some of the more technical pieces about a strong finish for this school year (testing, celebrations, hiring, enrollment, etc), summer planning, and more, we took a seat on the balcony for a while to look at our work as shared leaders.This was rejuvenating to have the time and space to go deeper together.Using some of the timeless principles and resources from John C. Maxwell’s “5 Levels of Leadership,” I really enjoyed the discourse with our Assistant Principals about how we are striving to grow in our own practice AND also inspire the development within our community towards our shared goals.We launched a new book study to dig more deeply into this semester’s leadership team learning about Communication with Maxwell’s book, “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently.”Here are a few takeaways from today’s reading that continue to resonate with me:📖” If you can connect with others at every level - one-on-one, in groups, and with an audience - your relationships are stronger, your sense of community improves, your ability to create teamwork increases, your influence increases, and your productivity skyrockets.” (Page 3)📖” … to add value to others, one must first value others.” (Page 34)📖 “Any message you try to convey must contain a piece of you. You can’t just deliver words. You can’t merely convey information. You need to be more than just a messenger. You must be the message you want to deliver. Otherwise you won’t have credibility and you won’t connect.” (Page 50)I’m excited to keep learning! ✨

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My #principal #mood as we close out this week is captured in this video below! ⬇️Sometimes I don’t know who has more fun, the coaches or the kids! DC Scores Coach E and Coach Cristian showed me the full video clip of the students practicing their penalty kicks with a little friendly competition. Their joy. Their collaboration. Their pride resonate with me as I think about how grateful I am for our Chisholm Elementary team of students, staff, families, & partners!Here are some of my highlights for the week!✨ Monday: Neurodiversity Spirit Day and Solar eclipse viewing!✨ Tuesday: CAPE testing began for students in Grades 3 and 5. Teachers and parents wrote handwritten notes to encourage the students! Watching them open their letters and feel the support was heartwarming. Our testing coordinator, Mr. Levin, and the team take such a thoughtful approach to testing that really sets a holistic and efficient tone, despite the tremendous prep that testing requires.✨ Wednesday: A teacher asked to have a conversation and seek my advice about what’s going on in her life. The conversation was mutually rewarding as we all strive to “sharpen the saw.” ✨ Thursday: We had two interviews and the candidates expressed such enthuasiasm and interest to join our team. However things work out, it’s always rewarding to connect with candidates and consider their fresh perspectives about our school’s mission and work together. ✨ Friday: We ended with a Café de Autores/Author’s Café event for our youngest students. Families came in to enjoy their original stories. One of my newcomer students, A., wanted to read her story to me. She asked which language did I want her to read in. I said, “You choose.” Although she is a native Spanish-speaker with only a few months in the US, she chose to read her story in English. She persevered and was so proud - so was I! Such a powerful reminder that choosing the more difficult path is sometimes a worthy pursuit for the growth it fosters.Finally, we also had a HUGE gesture from our Everybody Wins DC partners! They gave the latest “Dogman” book to every student Kindergarten - Grade 5: over 350 books! Kids were hooked! They also brought over some University of Maryland Football 🏈 players who played football and tag with our students during recess!All of these beautiful moments help to explain why I’m headed into Spring Break like my soccer stars in the video …Partnerships. Perseverance. Power. With some of my favorite People.

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