Staff Newsletter
Week of Feb. 26th
Message from the Principal
Dear Staff,
This will be another busy week. Last week, we had a shortened week, the craziness of the snow, and tuition contract meetings/re-enrollments for next year. This week, teachers are finishing report cards (due Friday!) and we have several observations to complete, as well as more tuition contract meetings and enrollment for NEW families (beginning Monday!). We will likely have new families coming in not only this week, to enroll for next year, but also throughout the remainder of the school year for tours. Please keep this in mind as kids are travelling through the hallways and please try to keep cubbies and classrooms looking good for visitors. Also, please check out the information below on the Dress Code. Thank you and have a wonderful week!!
Blessings,
Katie Dempsey
Special Items This Week:
- Monday: Registration Opens for New Families!
- Tuesday: Observations for Celine, Nuria, and Doris and Team/Department Meeting
- Wednesday: Observation for John A
- Thursday: PSC Meeting, Observations for Marseille, Gabe and Kaelyn, Spirit Gear, 2nd Trimester Assembly at 2 pm???
- Friday: All school mass, Dempsey gone to NABE Conference with Dr. Yaden to Present on Assessments.
Reminder on Lesson Plans and Newsletters...and other Communication!
- Newsletters are required from each teacher and must go out every Monday or Tuesday
- Lesson Plans are either due to Amparo or must be updated in the Planbook system for her review by Tuesday morning. All of the content areas must include standards for each lesson.
- Parent emails should be reviewed and responded to in a timely manner. All responses should be within 24 hours (usually sooner). Parents want to be able to communicate with us and newsletters are great, but they are only one-way communication. If something is very emotional/sensitive in nature, please consider calling or asking for a meeting with the parent. Misunderstandings of tone and intent are very easy via email, especially when responding quickly, late at night, etc. Try to assume positive intentions as I know we all want the best for our kids!
Observations and Evaluation
Amparo and I will be looking at everything you have been doing this year and taking that into account in your evaluation, but we do want to see a demonstration of your best teaching during your observation. If, after your lesson, you would like us to come back to see additional teaching before completing the evaluation, just let us know! Thank you to the teachers who have completed observations this far:
- Sonia
- Juliet
- Raquel
- John Downing
This week, we have:
- Celine
- Nuria
- Doris
- John A
- Marseille
- Gabe
- Kaelyn
Next week is:
- Ivan
Uniform Policy!
- Leggings (as opposed to tights)
- Long-sleeved colored or printed t-shirts under white uniform shirts
- Socks of just about any color
- Shoes other than tennis shoes/boots
- Students wearing non-uniform sweatshirts in the classroom
I believe we have an amazing school and all of you are doing incredible work. We are in the process of trying to do rebranding to become Holy Rosary Bilingual Academy. All of this is fantastic, but if we have a "hodgepodge" of uniforms and the kids do not look like they care about their basic appearance, it can detract from our message. The ironic thing is that the families who are struggling the most (financially) are some of the ones working the hardest to make sure their kids are in perfect dress code. So, I do not believe that it is a financial concern. I think that we just need to be consistent in our expectations and let parents know when there is a problem. So, please:
- Read the uniform policy so that you know what to enforce and what not to enforce. This has changed over the years, so please read it before you take the next step.
- Go over the ENTIRE policy in your class (if age appropriate) and send out a reminder to families about the expectations and where to find the policy (you may want to copy and paste the policy!). It is found on the website www.hrrsjda.org, Home/School Communication/Uniforms.
- Once you have reminded kids and parents, do a DAILY check of the uniform and make sure that you are using the out-of-uniform sheets and consequences to keep people on track.
- It is a slippery slope when things are allowed to go on unchecked and it is frustrating to be the teacher or parent enforcing the code, while others are not. We all need to do this together and be consistent.
- One last reminder, the little ones look up to the older kids, so please remind the older students that this is part of being a mentor and a good role-model.
Thank you and let Amparo or I know if you need additional out-of-uniform notices.
Covenants (Contracts) for Teachers!
Reminder, once again, only teachers need to sign a new covenant/contract. All other staff does not. Once raises are designated for non-teaching staff for next year, we will simply put a memo in your employment file.