PIONEER TRAIL NEWS
MAY 4, 2020 - MAY 8, 2020
WEEK AT A GLANCE MAY 4 - MAY 8, 2020
- 7:30 - 8:00 Coffee, Conversations, and Pajamas (See information below)
- 8:00 - 11:00 Reserved for Office, Specials, Special Education, Title I Reading to work at school
- 10:00 Math Fluency PD with Terri Miller (Google Meets)
- 12:00 - 3:00 Reserved for First Grade and Fourth Grade to work at school
- 2:00 Math Fluency PD with Terri Miller (Google Meets)
- 3:00 PLC Leadership (Google Meets)
- 6:30 PTO Meeting (Zoom)
TUESDAY, MAY 5
- 7:30 - 8:00 Coffee, Conversations, and Pajamas (See information below)
8:00 - 11:00 Reserved for Kindergarten and Second Grade to work at school
12:00 - 3:00 Reserved for Third Grade and Fifth Grade to work at school
1:00 - Tier 2/3 Reflection Meeting (Oswald, Bexten, Ferguson, Lehmen, Hoelscher, Salmons)
1:00 ESY Overview with Bridget Frank (Google Meets)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6
- 8:00 Packets due in office to be mailed
- 9:00 K/1 Pod (Google Meet)
- 9:30 2/3 Pod (Google Meet)
- 10:00 4/5 Pod (Google Meet)
- 11:00 Math Fluency PD with Terri Miller (Google Meets)
- 11:00 Reimund/Culp IEP (Zoom)
- 1:00 Math Fluency PD with Terri Miller (Google Meets)
THURSDAY, MAY 7
- 9:00 Art, Music, PE, Library (Google Meet)
- 9:30 SPED, ELL, Title I Reading (Google Meet)
- 1:30 Roberts/Kampeter SIW/RED (Zoom)
- New phones being installed in office areas (AM)
FRIDAY, MAY 8
- 7:30 - 8:00 Coffee, Conversations, and Pajamas (See information below)
- 11:00 Principal Meeting (Zoom)
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT IS PART OF MAKING OUR SCHOOL WORK! WE ALL COUNT!!
COFFEE, CONVERSATIONS AND MAYBE PAJAMAS.....
UPDATES FROM MAY 1ST PRINCIPAL MEETING......
- Certified staff can begin completing and submitting their professional growth plans. It must be submitted through TalentEd prior to Scott viewing it. Email him with your ending score. A guide with proficiency levels for each indicator was attached to the original PGP email sent to you. See Scott for specific questions.
- Consistent communication with students is required from classroom teachers and continued documentation of those contacts needs to be maintained. When you talk with them make sure you are asking if they are doing ok with the work opportunities that you are sending; when checking iReady consider allowing the students to move up a level if they have solid passage rates; students that concern you may need more individual follow up as opposed to class gathering.
- All staff must complete the Google Form check out list that I will share with you. Classroom teachers must also complete the two district inventory checklists that were shared with you. If you are moving from your current classroom for any reason, those checklists and materials will have to be checked and signed off by both Terri Miller and myself. If you are not moving from your current classroom, you will need to submit those checklists to me prior to checking out.
- Groups of teachers are NOT allowed to meet together within the school building. For example, a grade level team should not be gathered in a classroom setting for a meeting. When you are in the building, it is to be for individual tasks and only in the locations that you need to be in order to complete those essential tasks. We still need to oblige by the social distancing limitations and recommendations.
- Mentee/Mentor checklists need to be completed by May 28th.
Open Enrollment - Health Insurance Elections NOW OPEN
Open Enrollment
It will take place May 1-11 and we will be doing an “easy enrollment” again this year. No action is required if you want to keep your health insurance elections the same for 2020-2021 (Except for FSA).
Open enrollment is available for all district employees working 20 hours or more per week.
Changes made during the open enrollment period will become effective July 1, 2020.
Enrollment Highlights
- Open Enrollment 5/1/2020 - 5/11/2020
- There is a dental rate increase
- There is a vision rate increase
- Employees are able to elect an additional $10,000 of Voluntary Life coverage or elect the minimum coverage ($20,000) without the need for an evidence of insurability during open enrollment
- Temporary Dental ID cards can printed at www.sunlife.com/onlineadvantage
- Be sure to go www.vsp.com to find a vision provider
- If you currently elect the FSA and wish to continue it, you must make an election amount. The government requires participants to make new FSA elections each year. If you do not make an election for the FSA,then you will not be enrolled for the upcoming plan year.
You should have received in the mail important open enrollment information and a copy of your current elections. Contact angela.sturm@jcschools.us with questions.
PLANS FOR RETURNING STUDENT MATERIALS (Updated May 1, 2020)
- During the week of May 11th, teachers will bag up student supplies/materials left in your classroom. We should be getting bags from Hy-Vee within the next few days. Teachers will need to clearly label the bag with the student first and last name. Tables will be set up in the gym to place the items by grade and teacher.
- During the week of May 18th, several days and times will be set up for parents to drive through the drop-off/pick-up lane. Runners will be scheduled to grab the items from the gym and take to the parent's car. Parents and students will NOT be allowed inside the building. Information will be shared with parents regarding the details of those times and days soon. WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RELEASE A SCHEDULE UNTIL WE FIND OUT WHAT THE LIMITATIONS ARE TO ENSURE THE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF ALL INVOLVED. If you are interested helping during this process, please let me know.
- Students will return library books, Title I books, and other materials at the time they are picking up their supplies.
- At this point, students are strongly encouraged to keep their ChromeBooks until we return in August. However, if a parent really wants to return district technology devices, they will be allowed to do so. Plans are being developed for the return of fifth grade Chromebooks.
STAFF EXPECTATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CLOSURE
Communicate with your students weekly - this can be done through Google Meet, FaceTime, Phone Calls - have a method in place to record your contacts / communication.
If you are setting up a Google Meet, please remember to invite other adults (specials, reading, counselor, BXI, etc.) from the building to join the conversation by sending them an invite, code or adding them to your classroom.
Check iReady several times a week for locked domains.
Utilize the district template format for disseminating instruction (create your own copy of the template first) - you must follow this template. We are not teaching new concepts. We are giving them opportunities to engage in learning opportunities. The items we give them are for one week at a time. In some cases, they may be doing or continuing some of the activities sent previously. Remember - these opportunities are not for a grade - KEEP IT SIMPLE.
The completed template must be uploaded to your website page on Friday afternoons by 3:00 PM. We will continue to send copies home each week.
The completed packet must be in the office ready to mail by every Wednesday morning at 8:00 A.M. ANYTHING THAT WOULD REQUIRE A PARENT TO DOWNLOAD A DOCUMENT MUST BE PART OF THE PACKET MAILED HOME EVEN IF THEY CAN ACCESS IT THROUGH THE LINK.
All staff are expected to continue meeting the guidelines set forth for them throughout the closure as listed below in the link…….
GOOGLE MEET REMINDERS FROM JOE MARTIN, TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR FOR JCSD
2. If you are having trouble viewing more than (4) individuals at at time, please perform the following steps on your device:
- Open your Google Chrome browser
- Once in your Google Chrome browser, click on the three dots stacked on top of each other in the upper right hand corner of the browser.
- When the menu comes up, go down and hover over Help, click on About Google Chrome.
- If your Google Chrome browser is not up-to-date, it will automatically update your browser.
- After your browser has updated it will ask you to Relaunch your browser, click Relaunch.
- After your browser has relaunched, close all open windows that you have open on your Chromebook or laptop, and restart your device.
- That should fix the issue and allow you to see more than the four tiles in Google Meet.
- Don't forget...while in Google Hangout Meet, you have to turn on the multi-tile function by going up and clicking on the icon that looks like a large square with 6 smaller squares inside it to remove the slash over the top to toggle it on.
Instructional Packet Creation and Website Update for the Week of MAY 11TH - MAY 15TH
Instructional templates with instructional opportunities for the week of May 11th - May 15th must be uploaded to individual website pages by 3:00 PM Friday, May 8th.
All packets must be completed, ready to mail, and in the office by 8:00 AM on Wednesday, May 6th. Envelopes and labels will be left for classroom teachers in the office by noon on each Monday.
Special Education - Any links teachers want included must be shared with the classroom teacher. Required copies will need to be made and placed in teacher’s mailboxes by Monday at noon.
Specials (Art, Music, P.E., Library) - Any links teachers want included must be shared with the classroom teacher. Required copies will need to be made and placed in teacher’s mailboxes by Monday at noon.
Counselor/Behavior Interventionist can include links/information for SEL activities - Any links teachers want included must be shared with the classroom teacher. Required copies will need to be made and placed in teacher’s mailboxes by Monday at noon.
Paraprofessionals - contact the special education teachers and the grade level teachers in which you work most with to see when and how they can best use you to assist in getting materials together - come only if essential. I would encourage you to consider reaching out to your students that you work with as well just to say hi and let them know you are thinking about them.
FROM THE DESK OF TERRI MILLER.....
From the Curriculum Office:
JC Schools K-5 Math & Literacy Support Resources ~ NEW activities each week!
Literacy Footprint Digital Readers:
Sign up for your free digital readers account through Pioneer Valley.
Log in through the Digital Reader link at the top of the literacyfootprints.com.
Invite all your students in your class to subscribe.
Your students will now be able to join your digital classroom.
You can assign books for your students to read on their level. When the student finishes reading, it will be added to their book bag.
iReady Online Instruction:
Try to look at your students’ iReady lessons to see how they are doing. The students that are struggling may need some extra resources and a private Meet to help them through the lesson. You also may want to think about adjusting their lessons so they can go back and retake the lesson.
Make sure you are turning domains back on that have been shut off.
An idea that someone passed along was to send home weekly iReady reports to parents to show how their student is doing with his/her iReady lessons. This holds students accountable and provides valuable information to parents.
Math Fact Fluency: Watch the video and write down any questions, comments, confusions, etc. Please let me know which Meet you plan to attend by filling out the Google form linked in the email that was sent. Until then...do some research on what our Missouri Learning Standards say about math fluency and compare it to what you are doing in the classroom now.
Google Meet:
Google Meet Game Ideas are fun activities to do with your class during your virtual class time!! Try to meet with your class 2-3 times per week.
Distance Learning Morning Meeting Games are fun games to play during a Google Meeting with students.
REMINDER…
As you are cleaning your rooms, please collect all your leveled readers to return to the Literacy Library. Count them and make sure that you are returning the same amount that you borrowed. If your white tub is full, place them on the floor with a Post-It letting me know who is returning them/grade level. That makes it easier for me to check them back in. Thank you!!!
JC Device Support: Please use this form for any device tech issues.
Contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Let me know how I can further support you and your students.
DISTRICT PLANNING TEMPLATES FOR DISTANCE LEARNING
Kindergarten Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1maBxzCGitOwC-zRBLEWOr_illci6Zsjn2e1s6M6VZk0/edit?usp=sharing
Grade 1 Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q1frNChyUl309OSC4rcmxbGIYllOhUnckDRTYJcZ3SE/edit?usp=sharing
Grade 2 Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lO1-w1JhMspDR6T9DPLGgIASnQyr9bbg_cf5yvzr_-M/edit?usp=sharing
Grade 3 Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FQIz76MZWY4kQCpJFxzbzJogwV8sTE_a51XSaPJ8s3E/edit?usp=sharing
Grade 4 Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZWdhFwyTRlIsZveqkbBXYyuwvdZixgGuBZ7EURt5naY/edit?usp=sharing
Grade 5 Template (Make a Copy and Download to Edit)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_msSlAUm54AIsIpZuv_aqnFRETh-08Akcl9TXTqW0ck/edit?usp=sharing
REMINDERS ABOUT BEING AT SCHOOL.....
When making copies, please adhere to the following preventative measures.
Wash your hands prior to starting and/or wear gloves (located by copy machines).
Wipe down the copier and keypad with sanitizing wipes (located by copy machines).
Upon completion of your copies, wipe down the copier and keypad with sanitizing wipes (located by copy machines).
REMINDER ABOUT HOW TO COMMUNICATE THAT A CLASSROOM/WORK AREA NEEDS TO BE DISINFECTED: Each time you leave your classroom/work area for the day, make sure you place your blue tape strip in a vertical position on the door jamb so that custodians know they need to disinfect that room again. They will be checking daily.
BOOK DISCUSSION FOR HELP FOR BILLY
May 4 - May 8: Claire, Christina, Hannah, and Ashlynn will post the Google Slides presentation for chapters 10-12 and the discussion questions to respond to for those chapters.
HaPpY MAY BiRtHdAy!!!!!
May
1 - Claire Hansen
10 - Hillary Haaker
12 - Kathy Haselhorst
17 - Kayler Meyerpeter
18 - Shonna Bexten
20 - Hannah Lollman
21 - Kelsey Hilburn
25 - Jessica Brewer
If we missed you, please let us know!