Panther Updates
NEWS, RESOURCES AND LEARNING FOR PANTHER STAFF, 12/18/17
Congratulations to Maddie, Jaymie, Monica and Cassie
Happy Holidays to Staff, Your Families and Friends
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 18-DECEMBER 21, 2017
PTA Meeting Cancelled for Tuesday, December 19.
Holiday Staff Meeting: Please join us for a catered breakfast on Wednesday, December 20. Caterer has several events so will have breakfast ready for our early birds at 7:30. If you have an ugly holiday sweater be sure to wear it. Other than that Just bring yourself. Nothing else is needed.
EARLY RELEASE DAY- There is an early release day on Thursday, December 21st. See the schedule below and in the PUE Master Folder.
Early Release Schedule 2017-2018
Lunches:
Students eat lunch IN THE ROOM on early release days.
Lunch times will remain the same except for the following changes:
- Track 1 out
Gosnell gets lunch at 12:40
Specials:
Specials will rotate between those that have specials BEFORE 12:30 PM and those that have specials after 12:30 PM.
- Regular Specials schedule until 12:30. Kindergarten, 3rd, and 2nd do not have specials
Recess:
Recess will be on a regular schedule except for the following grades::
- 10:00-10:30- 1st Grade (kindergarten should go around 11:40 so no issues)
- 10:00-10:30- 2nd Grade (do not intermingle with 3rd grade coming out at 10:30)
- 10:30-11:00- 3rd Grade (you can use the 4/5 play area, but do not go past 11:00 or intermingle with 5th grade)
- 11:00-11:30- 5th Grade (do not go before 11:00 or intermingle with 3rd grade using the 4/5 play area)
WINTER BREAK/HOLIDAY- School will be closed on Friday, December 22nd through January 1, 2018. We hope that you all enjoy your holiday and look forward to seeing you again in the New Year!
BUS DRIVER APPRECIATION: We will give the bus drivers a gift next Wednesday. If you would, please ask your class to make a few cards or bring in items to share. They like water, gift cards for coffee or Bojangles/Mcdonalds, etc... or other gifts.
THANK YOU: Thank you to everyone that helped during the past Holiday performances. The students did a wonderful job and the parents were pleased with the children's singing and dancing. Thank you to Ms. Freer for her hard work, Mr. Stern, Ms. Hopper, Ms. Hymel, Mr. Ward, Before and Aftercare person and everyone that participated in one way or another.
SECURITY: We mentioned last week to secure belongings in the classroom. We have done an informal "sweep" of rooms this week, and through unlocked doors we would have been able to take 15 cell phones, various iPads/computers, and 12 wallets/pocketbooks. These items were all in plain sight. Lots of people are in the building this time of the year so please be mindful and help us help you be safe and secure.
OUTSIDE SAFETY: We frequently have "shots heard" when on the playground. Although we do have someone in our vicinity that target practices during school hours and you may have heard it before, if you hear noises that sound like gun fire or someone reports hearing noises like gunfire, you must do the following: 1) Get students to a secure location inside the building 2) Inform the office and 3) Wait for an announcement or other information.
WINTER BREAK/HOLIDAY PREPARATION: If you haven't and you have one, remember to DEFROST it as soon as possible.
Before leaving for break all teachers should:
- Unplug lights
- Unplug refrigerators and LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN (make sure you defrosted it earlier,)
- Remove all food from the classroom (all open food should be thrown away- all closed food should be reinforced in bags.)
- Unplug all coffee makers and remove all open coffee products
- Shut all windows and doors
- Close blinds
- Secure electronics and other items of value
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KEEP THINKING ABOUT HOW YOUR TEAM COULD USE A $10,000 4Cs GRANT
In support of the Wake County Public School System’s Strategic Plan, we are pleased to once again offer an opportunity for teachers to apply for the 4C Fund. Established in 2015, this grant program emphasizes the importance of collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. Applicants may request up to $10,000. Click here to find out more about this year's opportunity.
For interested applicants who may not be able to attend the information sessions, each meeting will also be available via Google Hangout. Please RSVP to Cindy DeFoor (cdefoor@wcpss.net) at least 48 hours prior to the start of the session in order to get the access code. In addition, the Office of Grants created a video overview of the 4C Fund. Please click here for a taped review of the 4C Fund and application requirements.
Should you have questions or need additional information, please contact Dr. Angie Wright with the Office of Grants and Strategic Advancement at awright@wcpss.net or (919) 533-7722.
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Mark Your Calendars
Wednesday, Dec. 20
- Holiday Staff Meeting-Caterer will have breakfast ready at 7:30.
Thursday, Dec. 21
- Early Release Day-Students Dismissed at 1:15
- Holiday Break Begins (Friday, Dec. 22-Monday, Dec. 1)
Tuesday, Jan. 2
- Tracks 1, 2, and 3 return from holidays
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DUTIES FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 18-DECEMBER 21, 2017
AM Hallway: Shipley/Blocker (Help greet parents/students, check with Ms. Person to see what is needed at the visitor sign-in tables or the carpool tag/ transportation table.)
AM Carpool: Newman (Help Safety Patrol, call for more help if needed, monitor carpool lane)
AM Breakfast: Renfrow (Work with students regarding lunch numbers, encourage students to eat and get directly to class.)
AM Bus: Lavin (Write down arrival times of buses. Work with Fricke to disembark students, trouble-shoot issues.)
Lunch Duty: Fitzgerald, Lavin, Crum, Newman, Renfrow, Narvaez, Bednar
(Start the track in period with consistent behavior expectations. Work with one another to use the "warning" behavior system, train students to pick up trash/sweep, and inform teachers of issues. Do not allow students to flip bottles/get up without permission. Do not hesitate to move a student to a separate seat or to inform the office of repeated issues. Update the seating charts in the notebook as needed. The office will contact you (support staff) if necessary for coverage. THANK YOU FOR DOING LUNCH DUTY.
PM Hallway: Barber (Check all students for tags in the bus line. If a student does not have a tag, inform Fricke and Ms. Britt ASAP. )
PM Carpool: Garrett, Crum, Perry (outside), Fitzgerald, Cooper (inside), Roberts/Hymel (Specialists fill in- contact office is there is a change and to let us know who is covering) (Call carpool numbers. If a parent doesn't have a carpool tag, PLEASE INFORM THE PARENT that they should get one from the office.
PM Bus: Stunda (Call one bus at a time. Write down arrival times. CHECK FOR BUS TAGS ON EACH CHILD'S BOOKBAG. Work with Britt and Andrews to trouble-shoot, solve issues. IF YOU HAVE CONFERENCES ETC... LET THE OFFICE KNOW ON MONDAY MORNING.)
**If someone is not available, staff members that are available may be called to assist.*