Staff Memo
Week of Nov. 30-Dec. 3
Upcoming Events
This Week
Monday Nov. 30 E day1:30 5th Grade PLC
Tuesday Dec. 1 A Day
Acts of Kindness Starts (see information from Jessica)
Performing Arts Concert 6:30
Wednesday Dec. 2 B day
Collaborative Team Meetings (SIT)
10:30 3rd Grade PLC
12:30 2nd Grade PLC
2:30 1st Grade PLC
4:00 Staff Meeting (Thank you 5th grade for treats)
Thursday Dec. 3 C Day
2:30 Kindergarten PLC
7:00 PTA meeting
Friday Dec. 4 D day
9:30 4th Grade PLC
Saturday Dec. 5
Holiday Mart--we need volunteers
Next Week:
Monday Dec. 7 E Day
Tuesday Dec. 8 A Day
Appy Hour: Educreations and Dropbox (setting up a place to share content with your students and for them to share content with you)
Black Bob Chipotle Night
Wednesday Dec. 9 B Day
Collaborative Team Meeting Day (SIT)
9:00-12:00 Trisha at Elementary Principals Meeting
10:30 3rd Grade PLC
4:00 BLT meeting
Thursday Dec. 10 C Day
Trisha at CPI training 8-4
Friday Dec. 11 D Day
9:30 4th Grade PLC
2:00 School Spelling Bee
Mayors Christmas Tree Fund--Pennies for Shoes
Please send this home with your weekly communication to parents:
We will begin this on December 1-17. Each school is encouraged to have students/staff raise money in support of the Children’s Shoe Fund to provide over 800 pairs of new shoes to Olathe students each year. All money raised goes specifically to the Shoe Fund or The Wimmer Care Fund. A wonderful cause and campaign. Thank you for all of your support with this campaign.
Student Council has thought of some ideas for this. Please have students bring their change in during lunch time. They will get their prize during that time.
"Sucker for Shoes" Week of Dec. 1-4: Bring change for a sucker
"Chews for Shoes" Week of Dec. 7-11: Bring change for skittles
" Extra Change for Shoes" Week of Dec. 13-17: Bring change your class gets 1 extra minute of recess.
**Day of Dec. 17: If you bring in more than 25 cents on this day, you have a "chance" to play "Pie Face" with Mrs. Putthoff.
Technology news
Internet Best Practices for Student Internet Access
Changes Requested at Building Level
Please see the attached document detailing the district’s recommendation for web browser use, preferred search engine and other modifications on individual student iPads. It is recommended that each teacher make these changes in the near future for their set of classroom iPads.
Changes in YouTube Restricted Mode
As you know, the district currently has a robust filtering system in place to block inappropriate content on the web. In addition to this currently in-place system, YouTube now has a feature available which will allow us to further tighten up access to content presented on YouTube at the district level - for all elementary, middle and high school students. Restricted Mode helps screen out potentially objectionable content that we do not want students to stumble across while accessing YouTube. You can think of this as an internet filtering control setting specifically for YouTube.
To allow MS/HS teachers adequate time to make needed changes for flipped classroom video posting, this change (Restricted Mode Filtering of YouTube) will occur on December 1st. This will further protect students at the elementary level - when accessing YouTube.
A reminder (also indicated in the attached document), at no time should students be allowed to search the internet, to include searching YouTube, while unsupervised or during any designated “free time”. Use of the internet and YouTube searches should at all times be directly correlated to curricular content and student goals.
Elementary Technology Advisory Committee Updates iPad PD Menu: See attached as a reminder of iPad PD available. Please consider taking advantage of these great resources. Please note the dates for APPY Hours and Saturday Sessions (on website).
Fun Review Game
Materials: 20 + large wooden craft sticks and a container to hold the craft sticks.
Players: 2-6
How to play: Teacher writes one review question or Math equation on a popsicle stick. Continue to do this leaving 3-5 popsicles sticks out. Next write the word "ZAPPED" on them. Place all sticks in a container.
The students take turns pulling one popsicle stick out of the container with out looking. The student answers the question or Math fact and the other students correct if needed. If the student is correct, he or she keeps the stick. If they are incorrect, they place the stick back in the container. Play continues. If a student draws a stick that says "zapped" they have to put all their sticks back into the container.
Communications
The Communications Department is interested in photos of your students’ community service projects from now through the holidays. Please send two or three of the best photos from events such as canned food drives, shoe drives, coat drives, helping Harvesters, singing at a nursing home, etc. Be sure to include smiling students in these photos, but none who are on the directory exclusion list. Email photos to Marlene Colgan for possible inclusion in a district website article, Channel 18, Education Center and Tech Support Center kiosks, Facebook, etc.
Nutrition and Wellness Guidelines
The new BOE guidelines include general reminders for all staff, as well as specific reminders. Numerous studies have confirmed a relationship between student success in school and physical health. The Nutrition and Wellness Council provides several documents (e.g. brain breaks, healthy snacks, alternatives to food rewards, healthy fundraisers, the All Foods SOLD in Schools requirements, etc.) on our main district website available at this link: http://www.olatheschools.com/students-families/2011-07-20-21-15-25/student-wellness
Reminders
Please also send me an electronic copy of your PLC notes. (Even if they are scanned in, that is fine). They should also be saved on the t:drive/PLC/ grade level