Welcome Back!
#ILovePublicEducation
Dear Staff,
I hope you are well rested and enjoying time, relaxing with family and friends. I am excited to begin my 4th year at Lander serving as your principal. Ultimately my goal as Principal of Lander Elementary School is to ensure that students are learning at high levels, and everyone, from parents to students, to staff members, feel safe, welcome and supported. It is your hard work and passion for teaching that keep me going each year! It is an interesting time to be public educators, increasing competition and federal agendas are serving to change the shape of our roles and question the very essence of what we do. As public educators, we must stay united in our pursuit of educating the whole child and accepting the challenges that come along with welcoming every student through our doors regardless of race, religion, income, disability or gender.
Focusing our Work
A constant drive to be better is at the heart of good teaching and a successful school, we also have to balance that with the demands of our students and our changing role. As we proceed through this school year, our work will focus on these priority areas:
- Building our Collective Capacity to function as high performing PLC’s - continuing the work we have started with our grade level teams. Our Monday dismissal schedule, which will begin in September, will provide us with additional collaboration time. Furthermore, our Specialists will have several release days this year to continue the great work that they have started. At the heart of a successful school, are successful teams, this collaboration is essential to our continued growth.
- K-12 Literacy Framework – improving our Literacy Instruction across all content areas. We will be setting grade level specific goals to continue to improve our literacy instruction and align our practice with research based strategies.
- Critical Thinking & Portrait of a Wildcat – increasing opportunities for students to engage in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. As well as leveraging the Makerspace to provide students with opportunities for hands on problem solving and deepening our curriculum.
- Responsive Classroom and Trauma Informed Practices - understanding that behavior is often a response to a traumatic situation and learning how to reframe our thinking about student behavior. We will continue the implementation of Morning Meetings, The First 6 Weeks of School, and the Responsive Classroom practices as strategies to address the needs of the whole child and maintain a positive school climate.
- Blended Learning - the BL pilot continues this year, with 3rd-5th grade teachers. Kindergarten-2nd grade teachers will continue the work that they started last year with implementing tablets into their instructional practices. We also have several Mimeo Boards that were installed in classrooms for teachers that requested them and I am excited to see how this tool engages students.
- RtI and progress monitoring - this process has continued to grow and strengthen, the fabric of our work is ensuring every student succeeds. We will continue our efforts towards identifying and intervening with children who are struggling.
Changes to our Lander Family
There have been a few changes to our Lander staff! Here is a recap of the staff changes that you will notice upon returning this Fall. Please a take chance to say hello and welcome our new and returning staff members to the Lander Family:
- Lauren Klein - we couldn't be more excited that she is rejoining the 1st grade team, she will be teaching in room 106. Everyone knows her gift for working with children!
- Nicole (Mikki) Vance – is new to Mayfield and will be teaching Kindergarten in room 001. Mikki is a Mayfield graduate and has great experience working with preschool age students.
- Nicolle Rubin – is new to Mayfield and will be working with K-2nd grade, providing intervention support. Nicolle is highly skilled in reading, math, and behavior interventions, we are excited to tap into her expertise this year.
- Dawn Adams - we will be making the recommendation that she be hired to replace Christine Roberts in the Autism classroom, she is joining us having previously worked at Mentor CARES and Monarch. We are excited to have her skills and experience (she's a certified children's yoga instructor!!) working with our students.
- Tara Palmisano – previously worked with the preschool and will be working with Ali and Dawn, in the afternoons supporting our students with Autism. Tara comes with a wealth of experience working with preschool students, especially students with Autism and we are excited to have her at Lander.
- Nicole Pinizzotto – will be working with a 4th grade student and 4th grade classrooms. We are thankful to have Nicole join us from CEVEC where she worked with a student who recently graduated.
- Maureen O’Hanlon – previously worked in the preschool, she will be working with several students and classrooms across the building. We are thrilled to have her many years of experience to support our Lander students.
- Rachel Shimrock – we have recommended that Rachel be hired to replace Janine Francioso who took a position at the Middle School. Rachel is a Registered Behavior Technician who has extensive training and experience working with students with Autism.
- Melissa Ungrady - we will be making the recommendation that Melissa join us as a building monitor at Lander. Melissa has a great positive attitude, loves working with children and is a former Lander parent!
- Molly Crosby and Michaella (Bella) Nahra are interns from John Carroll University that will be working with Amy Jacobson and Nicki Rucci-Macauda this school year.
- Erin Hall - will be a school psychology intern working with Rebecca Szilgyi.
Stay tuned for a few more new additions to our staff!!
Makerspace Update
We have purchased a set of OZO bots you will get a chance to play with these soon! As a part of our building goal this year, we will continue to find new and innovative ways to provide our students with learning experiences that will prepare them for the future and build the competences from the Portrait of a Wildcat.
Innovation Experiences
Grades 1st, 3rd and 5th will have the opportunity to participate in our STEAM field trips this year. These trips will take an interdisciplinary approach as well as incorporate the portrait of the graduate skills. These trips are currently being developed so more information will be available once the team works out the specifics during the start of the school year. The trips themselves will start after the first quarter.
Grades K, 2nd, and 4th will be scheduled for a field trip at the Innovation Center similar to the one this past year. There will also be an opportunity for a return visit to the Innovation Center. The return visit can be an extension of the first trip or it can be something entirely different. The goal is to broaden the scope of the field trips so they are not just one day exercises but extensions of the work in the classroom and will help to further the skills outlined in the portrait of a graduate. The second trip to the Innovation Center is not a requirement but an opportunity for those that are interested. Our technology support team will work with teams or teachers who are interested to fully develop these experiences.
Building Improvements & Building Hours
The custodial staff has been working hard to prepare our school for the first day, I think the building looks the best it ever has, if you get a chance, please thank our custodial team for all of their hard work! There is still some work to be done, so as you are working in your classrooms next week, please be mindful that there are projects that they are finishing. Please do not drag furniture across the floors as this will damage the coating of wax that was completed over the summer. There will be a custodial request list in the office, if you have things that you would like completed, please come to the office and record it on this list. For the week of August 7th, the building will be open from 6:00am – 6:00pm. We will resume normal hours on August 15th.
You will notice several improvements to our school when you return. The exterior Lander Road door and windows facing Lander Road are being replaced. Painting of several areas in the upstairs hallways, 4th/5th grade hallways and doors has been completed. Paint and new flooring in the teachers lounge has gone a long way! We have replaced some whiteboard and chalkboards in a few rooms. New LED lights in the gym, paint in the gym, and new mats in gym have all occurred. Lastly, drainage work to address the water issues in the rear of the playground was completed!
Parent-Teacher Group
Opening Days Schedule
Opening Days Schedule for Certified Staff (classified staff will get a separate communication)
August 10th:
8:00-3:00 Opening day activities and professional development
Breakfast and Lunch provided
August 11th: 8:00-8:30 Staff Meeting
8:30-10:30 PLC Time
10:30-11:30 lunch on your own
11:30-3:00 Work in classrooms
August 14th: 8:30-11:30 Opening Day at the High School (all staff invited)
11:30-12:30 Lunch at the High School
12:30-3:00 Work in Classrooms
3:00-4:00 Meet Teacher (Staff Meeting)
4:00-6:00 PTG Ice Cream Social
AM-PM Supervision
We are still in need of AM/PM supervision staff in order to continue our AM arrival schedule as planned and not send students directly to the classrooms at 7:30. The rate of pay is $17.04 an hour, that is roughly $3084 a year! If you are interested please fill out the survey link and call Bonnie in the main office as soon as possible: https://goo.gl/forms/PaUJBLTrU4IIoHFm1
Resources (live links)
Resources
Please see the links to several resources, the Systems Folder has been transitioned to Google Drive, once you have opened it, you can “add” it to your drive so you always have access. Anytime a change is made, the Systems Folder will be updated with the most recent version:
Master Schedule - only changes effect Kdg and 2nd grade
Specials Schedule - only changes effect Kdg and 2nd grade
Arrival Schedule (1st DAY OF SCHOOL ALL STUDENTS REPORT TO CLASSROOMS)
School Year at a Glance – includes Staff Meeting Dates
Please keep in mind that the schedules could change based on enrollment or any other unforeseen circumstances.
Enjoy the remaining days of summer, please stop in the office if I am around I would love to hear about your summer adventures.
Take care and see you soon,
Felecia Evans
Principal
Lander Elementary School
Email: fevans@mayfieldschools.org
Website: http://www.mayfieldschools.org/landerelementary_home.aspx
Location: 1714 Lander Road, Mayfield Heights, OH, United States
Phone: 440-995-7350
Facebook: facebook.com/LanderSchool
Twitter: @LanderElem