Galloping Gazette
A newsletter for the Faculty and Staff - Week of 1/13
Put Students First • Seek Growth • Be Open to Change . Do Great Work Together • Value Differences
Principal Message
"We may not get to decide which kids to serve, but we do get to decide the kind of climate in which we want to serve them." -J. Casas
We all know what time of year it is. Stress city! There are several due dates that are coming at you all at once, quarterly tests, Talent Ed, report cards with a new timeline, mandatory training, DRAs, PAST, just to name a few...
Did just reading that make you stressed and nervous? For that I am sorry and even though I don't have a way to take it all away, I do have some ideas to help. Take a deep breath. Breathe in for 5 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds. We all know that our plates are currently overflowing, but please know we will get through this together.
Here are a couple of tips to help you survive these next couple of weeks.
- Take time to exercise, breathe deeply a few times a day, and get enough sleep. In other words, take care of yourself.
- Write down three things that you are grateful for every day on a post it note and place it on your laptop - look at this in moments of stress.
- Look at your due dates for the next couple of weeks and map them out on a calendar. If too many due dates fall around the same time, space them out.
- Be kind to each other. It's easy to be short on patience when you are stressed, but snapping at a colleague won't make you feel any better. You will just feel stressed and guilty.
- Try to have a good laugh at least once a day. Laughter really is the best medicine.
None of these are magic pills. However, they are a start. Our staff is one of the most hardworking staffs at the beach and we are pretty amazing, keep your head high and don't be afraid to come to us for help.
Enjoy this long weekend!
-Robyn
Shout Outs...
- Thank you to Jennifer for always being willing to help me out! Ally
- Sharon- for staying after school to go over paperwork with me. Abbe
- Shout out to Olivia Frierson for working with me on a Wixie re-telling lesson. Looking forward to planning more with her in the future. Anne
- Shout out to Karen Cooley who was using an engaging VDOE lesson when I visited her classroom during my learning walk! Jenny
- Karen Ratner- Thank you for always offering your assistance! You are so good to me. Deb
- Shout out to the second grade team and my classroom support peeps for being so welcoming and supportive EVERYDAY! I couldn’t have had such a smooth transition without you. Thank you so much. Glenna
- Alainya, it is noticed all of the work you put into helping your students become successful. Anonymous
- Patti C., thank you for taking the time to meet with me and discuss my kiddos! Ally
- Lauren-you tirelessly work to find new accommodations and modifications for your children to be successful. Anonymous
- Thank you Jenny Rockwell for all your support and uplifting words. Your professionalism and expertise are appreciated. Sra Dorbin
- Anne Young- for coming in and reading a great book about kindness with my kids. Abbe
- Thank you Jennifer Pleasant for your hard work and all the help you provide the Spanish Immersion Program. Sra Dorbin
- Thank you Ms Ratner for helping me with my fractions resources. You are always willing to jump in and help whenever you can. Sra Dorbin
Thank you so much to Tennys Kane for being the best partner ever! I so appreciate your support, understanding and holding down the fort this week while I was recovering from the flu. Heather
Thank you Ms. Vickery for providing creative enrichment activities for our classroom. The students love them! Sra Dorbin
- Thank you to Wende for helping me with Keagan before and after school! I truly appreciate all of you! Heather
- Moriah- for making such creative stickers that the kids love already! Abbe
- Thank you also to Jennifer Pleasant for all your help securing subs all week! Heather
- Jenny Rockwell- for pushing into my classroom to help me. Abbe
Schedule for upcoming weeks
** January is National Mentoring Month **
** PLC Focus: Content/Technology **
Monday, January, 20th
- No school for staff and students- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Tuesday, January 21st
- "Sweat it Out" Day
- Landstown Middle School Choir performing for 5th Grade, 1:30
- Faculty Meeting 3:00, Library - Please be prepared to discuss Chapter 1 and 2
- DQ Cashola Night 5:00-7:00 Landstown
Wednesday, January 22nd
- Colt's Store 7:55-8:20 Foyer
- Robyn at Meeting out of Building 8:30 - 12:00
- PLC/Collab:
- 2nd 11:00-11:45
- 1st 12:45-1:30
- 4th 1:35-2:20
- Newspaper Club 2:45-4:00
- 5th Grade Celebration Meeting 3:00 Library
Thursday, January 23rd
- PLC/Collab:
- 5th 8:30-9:15
- 3rd 9:20-10:05
- Knd 10:10-10:55
- Spanish Immersion PLC 3:00
- Annual Service Awards Dinner 6:00-8:00, Convention Center
Friday, January 24th
- Quarter 2 ends
- Father/Daughter Dance 6:00-8:00 "Boots and Bling"
** Great Kindness Challenge Week **
** SPIRIT WEEK **
** PLC Focus: How to Ignite the Fire
Monday, January 27th
- Staff Day- no school for students
- All Staff Meeting- 8:00am in the cafeteria
- PBIS/Love & Logic- all TA's - 8:30 in the cafeteria
- SPED inclusion teams 1-3 in the library
Tuesday, January 28th
- ** Hat Day **
- 1st Grade MOCA Program, Room 15
- 8:15-9:15- Frierson
- 9:20-10:20- Kernodle
- 11:20-12:20- Torres
- 4th Grade Fire Safety
- 8:30- Cucuzza
- 9:35- McNeely
- 11:20- Nicolosi
Wednesday, January 29th
- ** Twin Day **
- 1st Grade MOCA Program, Room 15
8:15-9:15- Cooley
9:20-10:20- Matney
- 4th Grade Fire Safety
8:30- Kesner
9:35 Dorbin
Thursday, January 30th
- ** Western Day **
- PLC/Collab: 5th 8:30-9:15 3rd 9:20-10:05
Knd 10:10-10:55
Friday, January 31st
- Team Kindness Day**
1st- Green
2nd- Blue
3rd- Yellow
4th- Orange
5th- Purple
News and Notes....
- ** Mandatory Training ** is due February 14! Don't let it sneak up on you....You can log onto it directly from the home page of VBCPS.
- Our "Good Phone Call of the Day" Wall is very empty. Please send more students our way. We want to fill it up.
- The Girls on the Run Program is looking for another coach or 2 for the spring session. The current coaches have a few obligations, and might not be able to make the practices each week. This is such a great program for the girls, and we would love to be able to continue it, but may not be possible without some help. Please consider helping the girls, and as an added plus.... get ready for bathing suit season :) If you have any questions or interest, please see Jennifer.
Updated Report Card Timeline and Comment Expectations
· The timeline for report cards is as follows:
· Friday, Jan. 24th - Art/Music/PE grades/comments finalized by 5:00 p.m. Send Robin an email when complete.
· Monday, Jan 27th - Homeroom teachers finalize grades by 5:00 p.m. Send Robin email when complete.
Tuesday, Jan. 28th - Homeroom teachers finalize comments by 5:00 p.m. Send Robin email when complete.
· Wednesday, Jan. 29th - Robin will print and give printed report cards to homeroom teachers to proofread their grades/comments. Homeroom teachers will give their proofread report cards back to Robin.
· Thursday, Jan. 30th – Robin will give printed report cards to admin to review report card grades/comments: Report cards to admin (Ms. Backer K-2 & Ms. Porter 3-5)
· Monday, Feb. 3rd- Issue report cards and IEPs updates.
Report card comments should not be the same for your entire class. They should reflect that you know the student, and they should address any concerns especially any DP's or N's. Please make sure comments are tactful. Put yourself in the parents' shoes. How would you feel reading the comment if it was your child?
· Ensure your comments include the following: At least one academic strength and one way parents can support their child at home
Sample:
Kim comes to school ready to learn each day. She strives to do her best work and often contributes to class discussions. Kim’s reading fluency is right on target. We will continue to work on her ability to add and subtract with regrouping. Please continue to read for at least twenty minutes each night. I appreciate your support.
Sample:
Jasmine has settled into the routine of our classroom. She enjoys working with her classmates. Jasmine has done well with our geometry unit. We will continue to work on determining the main idea. One way you can help at home is to ask Jasmine to tell you what the story was mostly about after reading. Thank you for your support.
Transfer Procedures for 2020-2021
We have not received our allocations for next school year. Once we do, we will speak with staff members/grade levels that will be affected (if any). If you are planning to resign, retire, or put in for a transfer, please speak with Ms. Backer as soon as possible.
- February 5-24: Registration opens for the Transfer Meet and Greet event using Frontline Professional Growth, and vacancies begin to be posted on Intranet for all transfers.
- February 13: Principals must notify individuals if they are a priority transfer
- February 27: Transfer Meet and Greet event at Green Run HS from 4:30-5:45 p.m.
- May 1: Target date by which priority transfers are notified of placements
- June 30: Last date by which principals can make hiring recommendations from other area school divisions
- July 15: Last date teachers may voluntarily transfer
Meet & Greet Info:
Teachers who have been designated as priority transfers and those who are eligible for consideration for voluntary transfers may attend.
Classified employees who have been designated as priority transfers and those who are eligible for consideration for voluntary transfers or promotions may also attend the Meet and Greet.
Only teachers who will be on continuing contract during 2020-2021 (currently P3, PC, or C) and who are not on Performance Improvement Plans are eligible for voluntary teacher transfers.
A teacher who receives a voluntary transfer must spend three years in that assignment before being eligible for another voluntary transfer. (A teacher accepting a voluntary transfer for the 2020-2021 school year will be eligible for a transfer in fall 2023.)
Morning Meeting Moment - Empathy
As we continue on our kindness journey, we move into the concept of empathy. This idea is a much easier concept for our students to comprehend. However, it must be taught explicitly as our students need practice in verbally communicating empathy; especially with the level of technology that they use. for your reading pleasure, I have added an adult article on how to teach empathy. Please take some time to plan out your morning meetings and teach this concept. There are updated resources on our morning meeting calendar.