TFS Weekly Update
Week of March 1, 2020
Dear TFS faculty & staff,
Welcome back from your weekend. This week is "Read Across America Week" with a special focus tomorrow as RAA Day. We are looking forward to all the festivities this week as we join the National Education Association in celebrating a nation of diverse readers! We will post facts on Bloomz and social media about the importance of literacy for young children. Happy reading!
Andrea & Luz
Celebrations, Updates, & Reminders:
- Special thanks to Connie for her "PT in Schools" presentation, and the entire Culture & Climate Team for their Social-Emotional Curriculum presentation! Both of these reviews/presentation of info are helpful to everyone at TFS! Both presentations have been uploaded to google drive (Connie's is in TFS Employee Area and the Culture & Climate Team powerpoint is in their drive under "Vertical Teams."
- RAA Document from the Committee is attached below.
- Playworks has a wonderful resource for group recess games (indoor and outdoor), please check it out! https://www.playworks.org/resources/
- We are encouraging families to complete the 2020 US Census; please help us in promoting this! There are no repercussions for anyone undocumented to complete the survey. The info from the survey helps our school maintain funding. The census informs the government of early childhood education needs, early care/infant/toddler care needs, etc. Please participate and encourage your families to do so! You will see the US maps in the B and C hallways, and we'll be sending Bloomz posts and hard copy backpack mail info as well. Text photos to Andrea of you filling out your Census 2020 info to be shared on social media! This will make our families feel more comfortable!
- In a recent review with LEARN administration, it was realized that 22.75% of our paraeducators and playground/cafeteria staff are absent each day (this is an average, not counting anyone being out as a per diem sub).
As a result of the two bullets above, we are asking you to remember that of course, if you are sick and unable to come to work, please stay home. Emergency/necessary days are defined by the following as outlined in the LEARN employee handbook: Emergency/necessary/religious days - These days are to be used for necessary and essential matters of a serious nature which cannot be attended to outside the normal work day or work year, religious observances, and for the birth/care of a child or for the placement/care of a child place with the employee for adoption or foster care as defined in the FMLA. Leave for the birth or placement of a child must be taken within three weeks of such birth or placement. Such days ordinarily will not be granted immediately before or after a holiday or vacation period without prior written approval from the Executive Director.
From Andrea - Greater attention will be paid to the request of these days from this point on. Please hand your requests, including requests to utilize sick time, directly to an office staff member and visit the monthly school calendar with the office staff to ensure there aren't a number of staff members already out that day. Be prepared to meet with Andrea or Luz to discuss why the day off has been requested.
- We have fixed the survey link - The Wellness Team has created a survey to help ensure the cafeteria food served is appealing to our students. Teachers and ECIs/IAs/ISs, please take a few minutes to sit together to complete this survey. Thank you! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOGqZezTXW0Y625NigV0Hh8aTkn7O5dvO0hDnQQqjWA7cHNg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Reminders from last week:
- Please make sure you're doing the mid-module assessments for math for students in tiers 2 and 3. Please see a member of the math team if you have questions.
- When posting information in Bloomz for your families, please only do posts on your classroom page, not in a group message (also see reminder below about disabling parent-parent messages). We still have teachers posting large group messages!
- Teachers, please adjust your class/group settings in bloomz to turn off parent to parent communication. Once you click on your classroom, you can disable the parent to parent communication. We have had challenges with parents spreading misinformation in large "group messages" and want all info to come from teacher and administrative posts.
- To all ECIs, IAs, and ISs - please be sure you are active and engaged with the group during essentials times, participating in the activity and helping to guide and redirect students. It is our expectation that you are not spending this time in a passive manner.
- Friendly reminder that our parent feedback SLO is about parent communication. Be sure you are posting often on Bloomz. This includes all classroom teachers and essentials teachers. Special education information is sometimes shared through student communication notebooks. If you have questions, please see Andrea, Luz, or Meghan P.
- Pre-k teachers - remember to get your students' seat reservation forms in! This informs how many and what ages we are able to take in the lottery. Thank you!
- Please see the document in last week's update listing the businesses and organizations that the FFO has requested donations from for the Basket Raffle. If you and your podmates see a basket theme that you'd like to do (centered around one or more of these donations), please email Robin with the business/organization name as listed, and your ideas for what you'll ask your students' families for to contribute. If you have questions about the basket raffle (like if you're wondering - what the heck is this?!) please see Andrea. We are working on getting clarification from the FFO regarding what the donations from each of these businesses/organizations may be.
- Don't forget about the materials lending library! These materials are great to incorporate into centers, and/or to do provocations as table top activities during arrival/dismissal. There are both consumable and non-consumable materials; please sign out on the appropriate sheet. Containers and sign-out sheets are in the back of the library near the teacher resources.
Article:
For more info on why we do not celebrate Dr. Seuss on March 2/week of March 2:
https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=new-study-published-on-racism-and-dr-seuss
Thanks for reading. Please see Andrea or Luz with any questions, wonders, or concerns.
This Week:
Read Across America Week!
Monday 3/2: SRBI 8:30. Read Across America Day!
Tuesday 3/3: Nothing to note.
Wednesday 3/4: Grade level meetings 8:30. Head Start Nutrition workshop (rescheduled; for HS families only) 9:45. Site Meeting 2:30.
Thursday 3/5: Attendance Cmte meeting 8:30. Discovery Day for potential students 10:30.
Friday 3/6: Report card comments due to your peer reviewer.
Next Week/Upcoming:
Monday 3/9: SRBI 8:30.
Tuesday 3/10: PAC 4:15.
Wednesday 3/11: Vertically Aligned Team Meetings 8:30 (Inquiry Theme Team will meet on this day instead of Friday).
Thursday 3/12: FFO Meeting 5:30 (teacher rep. needed!). Report card comments due to your evaluator.Friday 3/13: Regional PD Day (CPR/First Aid for all).
Upcoming:
March 18: Pequotesepos visits kindergarten.
March 19: Discovery Day for prospective students 10:30.
March 20: Report cards go home.
March 23: Conscious Discipline workshop.
March 25: Early dismissal, PD.
The Calming Cove is open for some students who have an urgent need! Just look at the joy from just a few bubbles one afternoon!
Mrs. Gosselin's class works with their teacher and instructor, Ms. Young, to do fun watercolor projects during centers time!
Doing a ramps and balls activity with recycled materials in Mrs. Lamothe's class. What fun!
Building with the giant magna-tiles :)
The Friendship School
Email: asimmons@thefriendshipschool.org
Website: www.thefriendshipschool.org
Location: 24 Rope Ferry Road, Waterford, CT, United States
Phone: 860-447-4049
Facebook: facebook.com/thefriendshipschoolct
Twitter: @asimmonsCT