Dutch Fork Elementary
Faculty/Staff Newsletter Week of October 28th
Superintendent's Priorities
- Focus our work decisions on/around our district strategic plan.
- Identify areas of achievement to improve.
- Provide Chick-Fil-A and Moe's like customer service for internal and external community.
- Strengthen the structure and quality of communication both internally and externally.
- Promote a work and learning environment where students and staff feel safe physically, emotionally and socially.
DFES Beliefs
- We believe all people deserve to feel safe, valued, and loved.
- We believe all children are naturally curious about the world around them.
- We believe learning is a social process.
- We believe inquiry fosters an environment of noticing and questioning.
- We believe in learning from multiple perspectives.
- We believe in learning from authentic primary and secondary sources.
- We believe in encouraging learners to be risk takers.
- We believe reflection should lead to change and growth.
- We believe learning should lead to social action.
- We believe our actions should be aligned to our beliefs.
Shout Outs
- Heather Reit for her cheerful attitude and helpful expertise (often with last minute requests!) and for keeping our social media pages up to date and interesting.
- S. Cope sends a shout out to C. Graham for covering a class all day Thursday bc the sub in that room had to leave early due to sickness.
- Melissa Bickerstaff, Data Team Consultant who visited Tuesday, gave a shout to our grade level data teams facilitators. Specifically M. Bickerstaff recognized the growth she has seen as evidenced by the conversation and questions posed by our data team facilitators.
Use your voice for kindness, your ears for compassion, your hands for charity, your mind for truth, and your heart for love.
2nd Grade Field Study
Tuesday, Oct 29, 2019, 08:30 AM
Lever Farms
DFES visit from Director McCaskill
Tina McCaskill, Director of Elementary, schedules annual visits to all 12 of our elementary schools. The observations are non-evaluative but provides an opportunity for her to see the work across classrooms.
She and I will seek to see each grade level within her visit. If your class is visited please proceed. You won't have to stop nor will be interrupted to provide context. We look forward to seeing her then.
Tuesday, Oct 29, 2019, 08:30 AM
DFES
Grading and AdvancED 2021
District Five received a visit from an external review team for the purpose of AdvanED reaccreditation. This visit took place in April 2015. At the end of the visit, the external review team left Powerful Practices, Opportunities for Improvement, and Improvement Priorities as feedback to our district.
Spring 2017 D5 reported progress towards addressing improvement priorities (Processes and procedures - Posting Grades).
We are preparing for our next site visit Spring of 2021 and will continue to show progress towards these areas.
On Tuesday all schools in our district will have conversatations regarding grading and our steps moving forward. All certified staff members will participate in these discussions.
Tuesday, Oct 29, 2019, 03:15 PM
DFES Cafetera
Pink Out Day Tuesday, October 29th
Data Team Thursday
Thursday, Oct 31, 2019, 08:00 AM
DFES
1st-5th Tag of Honor Ceremonies
Tag of Honor was designed and implemented during my first year as an avenue to recognize at the conclusion of each niine weeks to celebrate their accomplishments. Each grade level identifies tag that each child is eligible to receive based on meeting certain requirements.
Duringgrade level ceremonies each class joins us (administrators) on stage as teachers recognize and students received tags earned.
We are making a shift to have this ceremony during the first and last nine weeks. The reason for the shift is that we have greater opportunities for students to demonstrate growth during student led conferences, learning celebrations, expert projects, author/writing celebrations and our environmental science fair to name a few (all of which were not in place 9 years ago).
Our first tag ceremony is usuall well attended. Consequently all faculty/staff are expected to utilize rear parking to accomodate visitors.
I am lifting the practice of no jeans and spirit wear on Tag Ceremony days.
Let us know if there are any questions from our newcomers about this school practice. Thanks!
Friday, Nov 1, 2019, 08:00 AM
DFES Mini Theater
Birthday Wishes!
- 10/28 C. Walker
We develop students who care about the world we live in and express critical thinking through natural curiosity and wonder.
Email: jscott@lexrich5.org
Website: www.lexrich5.org/dutchfork/cfm/
Location: 7900 Broad River Road
Phone: 803-476-3901
Twitter: @dfes_principal