Principal's Corner #7
Cottonwood Cares Service Committee Survey Results
- One Fall Service Project (Grades K, 2, 4, to be scheduled between Fall break and Thanksgiving)
- Holiday Service Project (Committee Led to be scheduled between Thanksgiving and Winter Break)
- One Spring Service Project (Grades 1, 3, 5 to be scheduled in March before Spring Break)
More information to come!
CCSD Climate, Safety and Wellness Survey
The CCSD Climate, Safety and Wellness Survey will be administered online to ALL 3rd through 5th grade students. Parents/Guardians and school staff will also be invited to complete the survey. You will receive an email from the district inviting you to complete the survey. I encourage you to participate in this survey. Your input is valued.
Sarah Hammershaimb will be overseeing the administration of this survey for our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. In the past, students completed the survey in an average for 40-45 minutes. Sarah will be scheduling blocks of time during the window, which is November 1st through December 7th. Please coordinate with Sarah to get this time scheduled. Sarah will be responsible for administering this survey to each class, however classroom teachers need to be there to assist. Parents/Guardians will have the opportunity to opt their child out of this survey. We will be notified by October 30th if we have any students who are not to take the survey.
If you have any questions/concerns, please ask.
Have your Type D license? Please send me an email to let me know. Thank you!
1/2 Day PLT Time
It looks like most of the grade levels have confirmed their 1/2 day PLT time with Joan. If not, please do so.
When you are meeting with your PLT for your 1/2 day PLT time, please remember that this is a time to focus on creating curriculum maps with writing standards. Here are a few resources that may help.
In addition to these links, the Guiding Coalition has access to curriculum maps in our Google Drive. Please feel free to use these as a resource to guide your work.
If you have any questions, please ask.
LIT KITS
You should have received the following information in an email last week. I strongly encourage you to look into these LIT KITS. These are great resources available for our students to engage in new learning experiences.
The Library Leadership Team and the District Library staff are very proud to announce our newest circulating collection of LIT KITS, which combine technology resources with literature resources to create new learning experiences for students:
Breakout EDU ~ Coding ~ Green Screen
Circuitry ~ Google Expeditions Virtual Reality ~ Podcasting
Plus other technology kits available:
- Caddie Buddy iPad Mount
- Google Cardboard kits with iPhones, android phones and cardboard viewers.
- Panoramic Digital Camera
- Swivl - Video & Audio Capture
- For more information on the LIT KITS, check our handout.
- Watch the video, https://youtu.be/y5OLgskLqIM
- Join the CCSD Schoology Course “CCSD Libraries: Literacy & Innovative Technology Kits,” access Code XPQX9-XPWVH, for documents, lessons, videos, etc. about using the kits.
Loan Policies
- 5 day check out. Kits may be borrowed multiple times per year, including summer.
- District Library staff will deliver at least one day before your first use day and leave in your main office.
- District Library staff will pick up from your main office the day after your last use day.
Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15 - Oct. 15th
September 15 – October 15th is recognized nationally as Hispanic Heritage Month. Here are several links to websites that have resources for teachers to use with their students, to recognize this month. The first link provides the historical context of Hispanic Heritage Month and the theme for 2018.
Hispanic Heritage Month
https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.org/hispanic-heritage-month/71-hispanic-heritage-month-theme-2018
National Education Association
http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/hispanic-heritage-month-9-12.html
http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/hispanic-heritage-month.html
Scholoastic
Smithsonian Library
http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/resource_library/hispanic_resources.html
PBS Films
Teaching Tolerance
Education World
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson203.shtml
Teachervision
https://www.teachervision.com/hispanic-heritage-month
Colorin Colorado
http://www.colorincolorado.org/books-authors/literacy-calendar/hispanic-heritage-month
Infoplease
Alphabest
https://www.alphabest.org/5-ways-to-celebrate-national-hispanic-heritage-month/
COT Staff and Committee Meeting Schedule
Evaluation Reminders
Goal Meetings
Be sure to schedule your goal meeting prior to October 12th!
Formal Observations
Once you have had your goal meeting, you can schedule your first observation.
Probationary teachers: Schedule two observation cycles before November 20th. Each of these observations must consist of a 20 minute pre-observation meeting, 40 minute classroom observation, and a 20 minutes post-observation meeting.
Non-probationary teachers: Schedule one observation cycle before November 20th. This observation must consist of a 20 minute pre-observation meeting, 40 minutes classroom observation, and a 20 minutes post-observation meeting. However, if you would prefer to do 4-10 minute observations in place of the 40 minute classroom observation, please contact your evaluator.
Mid-Year Reviews
Between November 26 and December 14, please schedule a 30 minute mid-year review with your evaluator.
OUR FIRST SPED COLLABORATION DAY IS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th!
SpEd Collaboration Days (formally known as Articulation days) will be structured a little differently from the past. These days will be reserved for our students who have current IEP's or are in the midst of the Special Education process. This will be an opportunity for our general education teachers to collaborate with our Special Education team. If you have a student(s) with a current IEP or a student(s) going through the Special Education process, please plan to attend these collaboration days during your specials time in the conference room.
Please use this time for the following:
- to review and ask questions about goals and/or accommodations
- to discuss upcoming annual IEP meetings, revaluation meetings, eligibility meetings
- to discuss upcoming curriculum; this will allow our SpEd team to gear their specially designed instruction around what is being taught in the classroom
Important Dates
- Monday, September 24: AFTERNOON ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE CCHS Spirit Assembly, 1:30 on the big playground if weather permits; the gym will be our backup plan.
- Tuesday, September 25: SpEd Collaboration Day
- Tuesday, September 25 1:45 PM: Para Educator Meeting
- Wednesday, September 26: Staff Meeting, Innovation/Media Center
- Wednesday, September 26: Shelter in Place Drill @ 2:15
- Thursday, September 27 & Friday, September 28: Katie and Ashley Out at Beyond Diversity
- Friday, September 28: School Spirit Day - Wear your green and blue
- Friday, September 28: Vision, height, and weight screenings (K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd. & 5th grade)
- Tuesday, October 2: Katie Out, Safety Training
- Wednesday, October 3, 3:00-3:40: Committed Time, PBIS/PST
- Wednesday, October 3, 6:00: District Accountability Committee & PASS, Overland HS
- Friday, October 5, 3:00-6:00: COT Carnival