Monday Memo
Week of February 8, 2016
WICKERSHAM ELEMENTARY
THANK YOU TO THE MILLERSVILLE STUDENT PSEA FOR VOLUNTEERING ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY!
If you hear any comments from children or adults, please send them to Mrs. Mercado via email so that we forward our appreciation on to Millersville. Any thank you cards/letters can also be placed in Mrs. Mercado's mailbox to share with the volunteers. (Great indoor recess activity)
School Announcements & Updates
Mobile Ag Lab Preparation
We have a super exciting opportunity for our students in the next couple of weeks! We will welcome the Mobile Ag Lab February 16-19. Please see attached documents for specific details regarding the schedule and documents that must be reviewed prior to your class attending the ag lab session.
Bucket Filler Celebration
On Wednesday during our monthly celebration Mr. Wertman is going to mention/celebrate that we filled our school-wide bucket and have earned a school-wide reward. Students will be informed that their teachers will decide exactly what rewards takes place the following day (Thursday morning) from 8:40 until 9:00 and it will be a surprise.”
Two activities will take place or a combination of both:
- 1st activity is that all homeroom teachers will receive bucket filling activity pages. (word searches, coloring, match by number or crossword puzzles)
- 2nd activity is that teachers will use the link below to access youtube, Karaoke for kids. 32 choices of fun dance and sing-along song are there including Happy, Let it Go, Everything is awesome and more.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-FJnAtdeM0JxOHOMrlj7rTYclpjfCPlE
February Parent Conferences & Report Cards
All report cards will be sent home on Friday, February 12, 2016. Per Dr. Rau's communication, "Parents are always welcome to contact their child’s teacher should they wish to discuss their progress. My expectation is for teachers to be accessible by phone, email or in person when the need arises. " As we know, parent involvement is important for student success. If you need any assistance in connecting with parents, via phone/conference/home visit please let Mrs. Mercado know.
Mid Year Meetings
Meeting times have been confirmed via Outlook Calendar Appointments.
Please be prepared with all documents related to the following items:
- SLO Tracking Forms/Documents (Submit on Schoology by Friday, February 5th)
- Differentiated Supervision- Mid Year Forms (Submit on iobservation) deadline extended to February 5th (originally February 1st deadline)
- Any data to demonstrate student growth/progress
Supply Orders
Supply orders are being filled for the mid-year order. We are waiting on just a few items to arrive. Please contact the office if you have any questions.
Field Trip Chaperones
Field trips are quickly approaching. Do not wait until the last minute to secure volunteers. The volunteer process with clearances can take up to a month or more. All clearance papers are found on the SDOL website under parents and then clearances. If you have any questions ask Amanda Gartman or Ryan Wertman. Remember, if a parent is considered a visitor (less paperwork) they must be under your eye/watch at all times. If they are considered a volunteer (more paperwork) they are then able to be left alone with a child.
iPad Update
You may now update the IOS system on your iPad (if you have one). Please see email from Dave for directions from IT.
Depending on how many people are trying to update it may take up to an hour. Dave suggests that you plug it in and start the update before you leave school for the day.
There is no deadline for this to be done, however, the sooner the better – a newer update is in the wings and it will offer some very teacher friendly options – such as being able to monitor all student ipads on one screen.
If you have problems or need assistance, please let Dave know.
STEM FAIR PROJECTS
STEM project deadline IS Monday 2/8/16.
Just leave the projects outside your classrooms Monday morning.
McCaskey NHS members will be here on Monday to assist with the judging process.
Scholastic Book Fair & Book Exchange Schedule
Book exchange/Library will be closed this week for the Scholastic Book Fair. Students will be able to visit the book fair during their regular scheduled book exchange time. Please see email from Ms. Moyer with specific details.
PD Schedule Update
Faculty Council met Friday to discuss our PD Schedule for March. If you are interested in being a discussion leader for March, please enter your workshop suggestion and preferred session time using the link below no later than Monday, February 8th @ 3:00 p.m. This will be used to determine if enough sessions could be offered in the morning and afternoon to provide flexibility for staff members to attend sessions that meet both their needs for content and schedule.
February Session Suggestion Sign-UP
March Session Suggestion Sign-UP
In addition, teams also need to communicate their PLC meeting dates & times for the week of March 7th by Monday, February 8th @ 3:00 p.m.
Schoology Update
Please see Faculty Council minutes posted on Schoology for additional details.
February Monthly Celebration Update
Below is the communication that went home to families. EVERYONE'S ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED TO KEEP CANDY AND SUGAR OUT OF THE BUILDING!
Morning Meeting Focus: Kindness
District Updates & Announcements
CASE Data Re-Collection is Around the Corner – February 1st through February 29th
Our district will once again be partnering with BrightBytes, an educational research and analytics organization, to learn more about our schools’ technology use for student learning. To better show our growth over the past year, and showcase the impact of our initiatives, we have made a commitment to re-collect. Our goal is to gather metrics on technology access and skills, and on our district’s technology environment, in order to understand the connection between technology use and student achievement. Re-collection also allows us to prioritize different initiatives based on the changes in our profile.
We will be asking students and teachers to participate in the project and to provide input via a short questionnaire. Your participation is important to us and will make the difference between having a complete versus a limited understanding of our district’s technology use. Over the next few weeks, you will receive more information.
Marking Period
Due to the recent snow days, the marking period has been adjusted and the school year extended. The updated Report Card and Interim Grade Entry Schedule will be posted in eSchoolPLUS and Teacher Access Center.
Many questions have come in regarding report cards and which building should issue the report card when a student transfers within the district. The general rule of thumb should be that if a student transfers within 15 days before the end of the marking period, the new building should issue the report card. Please note that instructions for how teachers can “transfer” or enter walk in grades from the previous teacher’s gradebook into their gradebook can be found on the Intranet under IT.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conferences for February have been cancelled. All report cards are to be sent home on February 12th.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
See someone going above and beyond...email or leave a note for Mrs. Mercado so we can celebrate and acknowledge each other through the staff spotlight section of the Monday Memo!
Week-At-A-Glance
MONDAY 2/8/16
- Media Center Closed- Byrnes Center 5th Grade Presentation
- Morgan/Fesenmyer 9:00-10:00
- Salim 10:15-11:15
TUESDAY 2/9/16
WEDNESDAY 2/10/16
- PBIS Monthly Celebration
- Early Release Day
- Book Fair-Media Center
THURSDAY 2/11/16
- School Wide Bucket Filler Celebration
- Pizza With Principal
- Book Fair-Media Center (NO LIBRARY BOOK EXCHANGE)
FRIDAY 2/12/16
- Book Fair In Media Center (NO LIBRARY BOOK EXCHANGE)
- Wickersham Pride Jeans Day- Wear your Wickersham Gear and Jeans for $5 prof, $3 para- Proceeds will go to Wickersham PTO Account
LOOKING AHEAD
2/16-2/19 MOBILE AG LAB
2/17-LDC - K5 & 3rd Rescheduled
2/22-2/23 TECH CONFERENCE- LIPISKO, TADLOCK, KOPP, MERCADO OUT
2/25 SPRING PERSONALITY PHOTOS
February Birthdays
2/9 - Maria Bertoncini
2/16- Jen Heiser
2/19-Carol Nixdorf
2/1/16 Wiz Quiz Winner
NO WINNERS! EVERYONE WAS STUMPED!
Wick Wiz Quiz-2/1/16 Super Bowl Week! ANSWERS
- Mike Lodish
2. Which player has won the most Super Bowls?
- Charles Haley
- Don Shula