The Bear Necessities
February 15
Extended School Year (ESY)
**The district is heavily looking into offering a PreK Summer program for incoming Kindergartners. It looks like it may be offered as a first come first served type of sign up. More to come on this, as nothing is finalized.
ESY Student List
ESY is an extension of the school year. It is not Summer School.
To qualify for ESY the team can look at
- Regression/ Recoupment- Please look at your data to determine if you have information to support the decision the IEP team would recommend ESY It's not only about Recession but how long it takes them to regain the skills.
- Nature of the child's disability
- The severity of the disability
You do not have to provide in all areas that a student is eligible for special education.
Provide ESY only for specific categories of disabilities- example Language only; or Speech Only
Looking for a change?
Current Openings that will post this spring:
Possible Teacher posting
Principal Secretary
Parent Educator, both full and part time
Possible Para posting
Family Fun Day at Paradise Park
This link will allow you to sign up to work a front table at Paradise Park. PAT is now screening that day, so if para's/teachers/therapists have the time, it would be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks!
Also, this day is free for all GBEEC employees and their families. So feel free to bring your kids/grandkids and have lots of fun! Your admission is to the Edutainment Center which is for littles to age 9.
Interesting read
It’s become almost a cliché to look to Finland’s educational system for inspiration. As has been widely reported, the country began to radically professionalize its workforce in the 1970s and abandoned most of the performance standards endemic to American schooling. Today, Finland’s schools are consistently ranked among the world’s very best. This “Finnish miracle” sounds almost too good to be true. Surely the country must have a few dud teachers and slacker kids!
And yet, when I’ve visited Finland, I’ve found it impossible to remain unmoved by the example of preschools where the learning environment is assessed, rather than the children in it. Having rejected many of the pseudo-academic benchmarks that can, and do, fit on a scorecard, preschool teachers in Finland are free to focus on what’s really essential: their relationship with the growing child.
Here’s what the Finns, who don’t begin formal reading instruction until around age 7, have to say about preparing preschoolers to read: “The basis for the beginnings of literacy is that children have heard and listened … They have spoken and been spoken to, people have discussed [things] with them … They have asked questions and received answers.”
For our littlest learners, what could be more important than that?
Want to read the rest of this article?
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/01/the-new-preschool-is-crushing-kids/419139/
Reminders
Staff Absence: If you secure a Para sub through the District, please include the sub’s name in your email to the office.
Mail procedure instructions and mail supplies are in the File Room. Please remember to place KC Presort slip on mail and secure with a rubber band.
Please notify the office if a Title student is now eligible to receive Special Education services. Please place the Title cumulative file in the brown file.
Regarding time off requests, classified staff will still need to request the entire time off. If they request 4 hours and they return after 4 hours plus some, they will need to modify this time off request or work the extra time before the end of the week.
DRILLS:
February Fire Drill
Upcoming Events:
2/16 Early Release Day
2/16 8:00 Staff Meeting - Certified
2/19 No School
2/20-2/23 St. Teresa’s Service Week
2/23 8:30 Collab Meeting
3/1-4/9 Title/PEER Students Screened (If screened before 11/7)
3/1 Dental Screening - Great Beginnings location
3/1 5:00 STEAM Night
3/2 No School
3/2 10:00 Staff Meeting - Para
3/3 Taste of Lee’s Summit
3/6 Deadline for PEAK Grants
3/8 Student Pictures / Class Picture
3/16 Collab Meeting
3/19-3/23 Spring Break
3/26 12:45 Dr. Collier at Great Beginnings
3/29 Dental Screening - Satellite locations
4/5 5:30 Jill Molli
4/6 8:00 Jill Molli
St. Teresa’s Service Week 2/20-2/23/18
Emily Robyn Campbell
Talia Parra Paige