Colt Round Up
January 13, 2019
"You can't start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one." - Unknown
With Appreciation:
- Big thanks to our lunch team (supervisors, food service & Rob) for being flexible on Tuesday (and every day) as we manage lunch, activities and uncertain weather! On Tuesday in particular, thanks to the lunch team and to the grade 2, 4 and 5 teams as we navigated uncertain weather!
- Kudos to Michelle and Sarah for getting our lost and found cleared out - we made our donation to the Salt Mine.
- Our special education team is amazing - they always keep what's best for kids at the front of their work and they share really complex information with families in a way that helps them feel confident in the work we are doing with their child. Nice work!
Quick Reminders
- Lunch with Great Colts - will be moved to Friday this week (instead of Thursday) because Jen will be off campus. If you need to add kiddos to the list, you can do so here.
- Step Challenge - 25 members of our team are participating in our Step Challenge! Krystal has set a goal of 10,000 steps for each person participating. We can DO this! There will be a poster to log your steps on in the staff room by 1/16. Please direct any questions to Krystal at kricci1084@gmail.com
- Support - members of our team and our community have experienced experienced much trauma and loss recently - remember that the EAP program is open to all staff and your family at no charge. If something is going on, don't hesitate to let Jen know (it will be kept as confident as you prefer) so that we can support you in a time of need.
- STEAM & Summer Teaching - the district is offering a summer series taught by teachers; contact Dan Alcorn with ideas or questions!
- Space heaters - be sure there is an auto shut off switch in case it tips over. Please take care to turn them off each day and unplug them on weekends and holidays
- Fire Marshal visit date is still TBD. I'll give you as much notice as I can if/when it's rescheduled.
Policy Reminders
- Remember, travel studies must go to Tricia FIRST; she'll get them to the teacher ASAP!
- Field trip lunches - forms are due to the cafeteria 14 days in advance. Please be sure to notate if a student prefers milk, veggies and if there are any food allergies.
- The new digital field trip form works well and is easy! Mr. Beatty was our site's guinea pig (thanks, Mr. Beatty!). You'll get a notification once the form is completed and signed off by all parties. The new form is available in in our staff portal under the "filing cabinet" - click here Remember that if you ever charter a bus, you still need to fill out this form - not that I expect we'll start doing that!
- We have gotten complaints from the community and city about the volume of our staff who are parked in the parking lot by the park behind our school. There are 2 or 3 cars from the community parked there each morning, when I arrive at 7ish...and there are usually only 1 or 2 spots available after 8:15 or so. Please remember that there is plenty of parking by the office before contract time starts; let's save those spots for those who arrive to work right at 8 am when it's a zoo out front.
Star Struck - week of 1/14 - 2/28
All staff are welcome to join us for the staff dance practices on Thursday, 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7, 2/21 and Wed., 2/27 - 7:30 am on the Stage! We may practice on Thurs., 2/28, too.
2018-19 Star Struck Staff Dance teaching video:
2018-19 Star Struck Staff Dance w/ music:
PBIS Update
Two data points the team was excited about were that there was a general decrease in the volume of referrals in the same time frame of the fall 2017/18 school year compared to the fall 2018/19 school year. Also the team noted that we are seeing fewer 'repeat offenders.'
We discussed how some of the tools we have this year (our no referral party, Wellness Together, TPS, etc...) seem to be having a positive impact on our behavior tracking. Watch for more info via email and/or at our January staff meeting.
We are going to plan to have our second celebration for the period between January 8th until the end of the trimester, February 22nd. Let Jen/Kristen know what your grade level plans so we can be available to support students who are not invited to participate.
iReady data Checkin
In the staff room, you'll find two posters(one for Math, one for Reading) with a summary of our Diagnostic 1 v. Diagnostic 2 data.
The data is presented in triangle form and it has it grouped by each teacher into Red, Yellow & Green for Diagnostic 1 v. 2. It's really exciting to see how our students are growing thanks to your teaching and these new tools we have available for intervention as well as monitoring.
At our recent Leadership Team meeting, we discussed how the results look so much more promising perhaps because:
- we are more regularly encouraging students to do the intervention work (in class and/or as homework)
- students are more comfortable with the program and have stronger computer skills (esp. in primary grades)
- teachers are becoming more confident with our new curriculum in ELA and may be more willing to step outside of the box with their math instruction based on the feedback they are getting from test scores
Other ideas?
Upcoming Meetings/Activities
Where is Jen This Week?
January 14-18
- On campus M-W and F
- At SELPA (Special Ed) training on Thursday - stay tuned for TIC information
Where is Kristen This Week?
M - F:
- District Office until 10:30ish
- LCES 10:45ish to the end of the day
It's a Great Day to be a Colt!
The mission of the Lincoln Crossing Elementary School team is to prepare our students with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to become lifelong learners and responsible, contributing members of society.