Nuts & Bolts
Week of May 7, 2018
Phew!
We made it through the crazy week! I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth everything ran this week with so many staff members out and that is a testament to how well you all structure your classes and high student expectations you hold. Thank you for your flexibility and willingness to jump in and help where needed. Three weeks to go!
Welcome back 6th graders, 9th graders, and teacher chaperones! Thank you to those chaperones who gave up their week to provide the experience of a lifetime to our students. Thank you to Amity, Leigh, Autumn, and Mel - who worked very hard on the logistics to make these trips happen. Thank you to everyone who has ever helped with a school fundraiser to make these trips financially possible for our students. I can't wait to hear about their adventures.
Please bring your computers to our staff meeting on Monday. The agenda is below.
Have a great week!
Construction Update
No news is good news.
High Five!
Coming soon . . .
Elementary specials schedule
End of year checklist
Call for Boxes!
We will need a lot of boxes to move all the things (art room, music stuff, all the Junior high stuff) from our existing rooms and into the addition. Please bring in any boxes you would like to donate and drop them off in the Yurt.
Technology Use Update
Concerning email: The best way for assistants to check their email is either to log into a computer here at the school with their username and password (any classroom, lab, or library computer) and check it through the Outlook app on the desktop. They can also check their email using the browser interface (at webmail.mariamontessoriacademy.org), from a personal computer.
Regarding sharing computers: Teachers should not share their technology devices with one another for extended periods of time. The purpose for this policy is to mitigate the potential for a teacher to become liable for damages to their device that was caused by another teacher. In the same way that teachers are able to supervise the use of their classroom technology when it is used by their students, they should be able to also supervise that technology when it is being used by their assistants. Ultimately, the teacher is responsible for the device (as specified in the employee handbook). Teachers should be treating their devices like sensitive items that should be kept under their supervision at all times. This is difficult to do if the device is being loaned out.
Email on personal phones: It is my understanding that if you choose to have work related email on your phone, your phone may be subjected to search by authorities if your email were ever to be investigated.
Early Childhood Bridging Ceremony
Science Outreach Program
I am the School Program Coordinator at Thanksgiving Point. I execute the Tulip Journey North program. I would like to invite your third-grade classes to participate in a wonderful outreach program designed just for them. It is free of charge and we come to your school and present a 60 to 90-minute program for each class. This program is funded by the Utah State Legislature through the State Office of Education’s Informal Science Education Enhancement (iSEE) program and is based on the science core curriculum in 3rd grade. We will be teaching the students about how to observe things closer and living and nonliving things with hands-on activities. If appropriate, we even help the students plant tulip bulbs at your school. This is part of the Intended Learning Outcomes for third grade science and Standard 2 of the science benchmark.
For more information about Tulip Journey North you can visit our website athttp://thanksgivingpoint.org/education/educators/outreach/ or the Tulip Journey North website athttp://www.learner.org/jnorth/tulips
We have been asked by the State of Utah to visit every classroom in Utah during a three-year period. It is your schools turn to be visited during the 2018-19 school year. We have contacted your 3rd grade teachers about the Tulip Journey North Program. We ask for your support to encourage your third-grade teachers to contact us about setting a time for a visit for the 2018-2019 school year.
I am a retired classroom teacher and recommend this program. It will be beneficial to the students and their teachers. I know time is valuable in the classroom, but this program is worth the time.
If your third-grade team will be different this next school year please forward this information to the teachers who will be teaching third-grade next year. They can register for us to come at https://thanksgivingpoint.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cOx1Pp0HOOdkar3
If you have any further questions or would like to sign a time for your third grade classes you can email me directly atkrutland@thanksgivingpoint.org.
Thank you for your support,
Kathy Rutland
Starbase Graduation
Respecting Space
We are reaching out to ask for your help making sure students/children are not in Room 6 when they aren't supposed to be. The speech area specifically has had issues with the computer we use for online therapy several times. For example, a headset was broken, and this morning we had to "restore" the computer because it wouldn't start. Another time, a student, who is not in special education, walked into my speech space, said "hi," and walked over to my supplies to play with whatever he wanted; it was obviously not his first time there.
We try to keep our room secure, especially when we aren't there, but we need your help. We have special education files/information that need to be kept confidential. Additionally, nearly all of the speech supplies are our personal belongings that we do not want to disappear or be broken.
Thanks so much for your help on this!
Jane Fenton, MS, CCC-SLP
Upcoming Events
5-7 Staff Mtg 3:30pm, Library
5-8 Assistant Mtg 1:30am, Art Room
5-10 Starbase Graduation 9-10am, Gym
5-10 Evacuation drill
5-10 Handwriting Parent Workshop 4:30-6:30pm, Library
5-11 Art, Dance, Choir Show 6-7:30pm
Contact Info:
Email: rbaker@mariamontessoriacademy.org
Website: https://www.mariamontessoriacademy.org
Phone: 801-827-0150
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MMAofUT/
Twitter: @ReneBaker27