Galloping Gazette
A newsletter for the Faculty and Staff - Aug 30th
Put Students First • Seek Growth • Be Open to Change . Do Great Work Together • Value Differences
Welcome to Colt Country!
Patti and myself were beyond impressed with your teamwork, genuine engagement, and positive attitude as you learned along side each other and from one another.
Your classrooms look outstanding! We saw many of you thoughtfully planning out your room structure as you considered your routines and procedures. Each classroom is warm and inviting while avoiding being overwhelming. In addition, it is fabulous to see classroom set ups with the students' SEL in mind with cool down spots, positive affirmations, greeting choices and flexible seating.
Remember this week is about building a safe and strong community. Take your time as you practice and positively reinforce your routines and procedures. Building this solid foundation this week, will allow you to maximize your academics in the weeks to come. You have this time, please take it. Also, take a quiet minute and think about your day from start to finish; this will allow you to think about all of your expectations and routines that will need to be taught with your students. Don't assume anything :)
Starting next week, we will be sending out the calendar of Morning Meeting Topics that will connect morning meetings to our Colts Code and our SEL traits/Graduate profile that we brainstormed last week. For this week, create meetings that allow for students to make connections to yourself and to their peers. Consider activities that bring JOY and fun while building that safe environment. If you need a place to start - check out our morning meeting hub below.
Looking forward to an awesome week at the Farm. We truly have the best school in the beach.
-Robyn
Best Staff at the Beach!
Schedule for upcoming weeks
Tuesday, September 3rd - Welcome Back COLTS!
*Recess modules due *
Wednesday, September 4th
Colts Code Assembly practice - 9:00 cafe - all coaches/admin
Thursday, September 5th
Pre-K - 8:30 - 9:10 - Colts Code Assembly
Grades 4 - 5 - 9:20 - 10: 00 - Colts Code Assembly
Grade 2 ad 3 - 1:30 - 2:10 - Colts Code Assembly
Friday, August 30th
Spirit Day - Please wear your grade level T- Shirts
PLC Focus - LA
Monday, September 9th
Tuesday, September 10th
- Reflection Program Begins - Due 11/1
- Yankee Candle Fundraiser starts
- PBIS team Meeting - 3:00 - Library
Wednesday, September 11th
Thursday, September 12th
Friday, September 13th
*Emergency Sub Plans due*
Looking for ways to support your Colts this week?
Also, many of you have seen our new sensory plan in the Art/Music Green Hallway. This is a tool to help your students get the wiggles out from the lunch and get themselves ready to learn. Please use the video below as you teach the expectations of this sensory plan. This path does not have to be used by every student, every day from lunch. Teachers should discuss this with their class and discuss how they can step out into the middle of the hallway if they prefer not to use this path.
Did you hear ???
Game changer moment
It is a quick read that always gives me new ideas that help me continue to put JOY in the forefront. When you open this newsletter, you should click subscribe on the right hand side so that you don't miss an edition.
Leave and Emergency Sub Plans
- When calling in sick, you are required to put the absence in AESOP.
- If you get locked out of AESOP or if you have trouble with AESOP, please feel free to text at any of us. We want to be readily prepared to the morning and the more notice the better!
- Robyn – 413-329-6903
- Patti – 757-754-4020
- Jennifer – 757-615-9530
- Leave slips are required for all absences.
- It is best if you find your own substitute. Please see the working list of substitutes that was emailed to you on last week.
- Sick leave is SICK and Personal leave is for FUN! There have been cases in the division where administrators found pictures on social media of vacations, fun trips, etc. when a teacher called out SICK. In many of these cases, those staff members were asked to resign or terminated from their positions. We DON’T want that to happen to our amazing CFES staff! If you know you have a wedding or graduation later in the year, save your personal days. Plans for vacations should be scheduled for breaks. Let’s work together to make sure we are following division expectations and policies.
Emergency Sub Plans:
- You are required to have emergency sub plans prepared. These plans are only used for emergencies and due to the office by: September 13th.
Struggling Readers Academy for SY 2019-2020
Sick Leave Bank
Virginia Beach City Public Schools offers benefit-eligible employees membership into the Sick Leave Bank. Eligible VRS Plan 1 or Plan 2 employees may enroll in the Sick Leave Bank by donating the hourly equivalent of two (2) workdays of sick leave. Because they are only eligible to participate during their first year of employment, VRS Hybrid employees may enroll by donating the hourly equivalent of one (1) workday of sick leave.
Open enrollment for all eligible employees begins August 1, 2019 and continues through October 15, 2019.
The Office of Employee Relations will contact all timekeepers about the process and will provide them with the attached informational flyer. Additionally, this information will be posted on the VCBPS’ intranet homepage under, “Hot Topics.” For specific details regarding the various sick leave banks, please refer to School Board Regulation 4-45.2, Sick Leave Bank. If you have additional questions, please contact the Office of Employee Relations located in the Department of Human Resources.
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