The Meeks Messenger
2nd Edition, Vol. 2 August 2019
Welcome Back, Mustangs!
We hope you've had a great first two days back to work! Thank you so much for all you have done these past two days to ensure our students were well taken care of! Y'all are THE BEST!
Please help me welcome Megan Rourke (1st grade), Ann Marie Churchill (3rd grade) and Dianne Beard, our new receptionist! We are THRILLED to have these three ladies join our Mustang family! Nothing like getting hired the day before open house, right ladies?! :)
Don't forget to share our story with the world by using #TheBestParkside and #1LISD on Twitter! You can also tag our campus @Parkside_ES. Your PLN (Professional Learning Network) wants to learn from you! Y'all have so many great things to share.
Classroom Teachers: Action Item
Please share your daily schedules by uploading them into this shared folder. We need this task complete by Friday, August 23rd.
These schedules need to be detailed...for example, in ELA, we need to know when guided reading, IRA, IR, SR, etc. are occurring for each block you teach as well as your writer's workshop. This will help Maggie and I as we plan for walkthroughs. We need a schedule for each classroom teacher.
Some reminders:
1. Pink/Blue Placement Cards and Writing Folders
Your team leaders picked up placement cards along with writing samples for your grade level. You will keep these until the end of the year. Information on the placement cards is helpful for you to know your students and where they left off at the end of last school year. The writing folders are for you to see how your students have progressed in their writing over the years. You will collect a writing sample at the end of this school year for each student. Don't worry about this now, we'll remind you!
2. Required Compliance Videos
We are using SafeSchools as our new vendor for staff compliance. There have been two emails sent from the Instruction and Professional Learning Department with instructions. Here is a tip sheet for employees to walk through how to use the program. It is highly recommended that you watch the videos by August 15, 2019. However, the deadline for completing the videos is August 30, 2019.
3. 3rd and 4th Grade Teachers in Portables:
Please make sure your students utilize the doors next to the QUEST rooms to enter the building. Your students will use the bathrooms closest to the cafeteria. They MUST come in with a buddy and have a badge with them to unlock the door. Also, please make sure you doors are LOCKED at all times!
4. Safety! Please see the link to access procedures on how to go into a "lockdown" drill. Print these and tape them to the back of your badge.
5. Please make sure to communicate to parents that they need to have a name plate in the windshield when picking up their children. If possible, you could create a name plate and provide it to the parent to ensure our pick up runs efficiently. Additionally, please communicate to parents that if they have more than one student, the older student(s) need to go to the youngest student's transportation area. We will also communicate this information through the Parent Newsletter.
6. Team Leaders: Text us a team picture so we can display it in the front of the school on our bulletin board.
7. New playground equipment was purchased by our generous PTA and will be available in the red carts located near the garden entrance and the portable entrance. Please encourage our students to take care of the equipment! All items are clearly marked K-2 or 3-5.
8. Supply boxes
Our WONDERFUL custodial staff has asked that you please break down your school supply boxes and stack them in a common area in your neighborhood. Once you have done this, they can take the boxes to the dumpster.
9. Please remember to utilize the BCC (blind carbon copy) feature on emails when communicating with external stakeholders including parents. This most commonly occurs when teachers are emailing multiple parents from a class roster. The BCC feature allows us to keep email addresses confidential. We cannot share any personal information of our parents' with others, including email addresses.
10. State accountability ratings are now public. Visit https://txschools.gov/ for information on ratings, distinctions, campus/district comparisons and more.
Thank you for such a great first two days!
Thank you for all you do!
Lauren & Maggie
Team Leaders - Action Items
1. PLC - Team Agenda and Action Items - Agenda and Action Items
2. Sign up For Committees Sign Up Please try to have space yourselves out!
3. 4/5th grade complete/review grading policy-Please follow the district guidelines to complete your grade level grading policy: Grading Planning Tool
*You will need to print a copy of the document to turn into administration (Due 8/20)
4. Make sure your team discusses grade level cafeteria expectations with students and decide where teachers will be located to actively monitor students at recess.
Staff Emergency Information
eSchoolPLUS
Additionally, below are some videos for you to watch before our training! Be sure to watch the ones on attendance! They are super short and very easy to follow.
Understanding eSchoolPLUS
Home Page of eSchool -
https://mediaspace.leanderisd.org/playlist/dedicated/119731552/1_busm76ek/0_alkdxu5t
Looking up Student Information -
https://mediaspace.leanderisd.org/playlist/dedicated/119731552/1_busm76ek/0_wxd6vg98
Attendance
Attendance Overview -
https://mediaspace.leanderisd.org/playlist/dedicated/119731552/1_busm76ek/0_v9w486a2
Attendance from Chair -
https://mediaspace.leanderisd.org/playlist/dedicated/119731552/1_busm76ek/0_a1dirxwo
Important Dates to Remember!
August 16 - Early Release @ 2:40pm
August 23 - Kinder Independence Day
August 27 - 1st & 3rd Parent Nights 5:30-6:15pm
August 29 - 2nd & 5th Parent Nights 5:30-6:15pm
September 4 - Kinder & 4th Parent Nights 5:30-6:15pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!
- August 20th Abbye Buchanan (Dyslexia)
- August 24th Maddie Strickland (3rd)
- August 26th Elizabeth Miller (Kinder)
We Are Here for YOU!!!
Email: lauren.meeks@leanderisd.org
Location: 301 Garner Park Drive, Georgetown, TX, USA
Phone: 17110
Twitter: @TheRealMrsMeeks