Sunday Shakedown
Weekly Memo for Washington Elementary
Principal Post
- Distressed that 25 percent of the country's World War I draftees were illiterate and 9 percent were physically unfit, representatives of the NEA and the American Legion met in 1919 to seek ways to generate public support for education.
- In 1921, the NEA Representative Assembly in Des Moines, Iowa, called for designation of one week each year to spotlight education.
- "An educational week ... observed in all communities annually for the purpose of informing the public of the accomplishments and needs of the public schools and to secure the cooperation and support of the public in meeting those needs."
- American Education Week is always celebrated the week prior to the week of Thanksgiving.
- To join us to honor the week and public schools, nearly 100 years later, we are getting social! Just snap a picture that represents your pride in public schools and post it to your social channels using #PublicSchoolsForAll.
Let us not forget, that these public education efforts would not make a difference if TEACHERS, ASSISTANTS, SUBSTITUTES, SCHOOL NURSES, SCHOOL NUTRITION TEAMS, SCHOOL SECRETARIES, BUS DRIVERS, SCHOOL LEADERS, THERAPISTS, SPECIAL EDUCATORS, and many more did not come to work each day driven by a passion for changing the future for children. Not just certain children, ALL children. We pay from our pockets, we plan for long hours, we seem to attend more professional learning than any organization I know, we review data, we clothe, bathe, and feed many children when needed. We move mountains. We are a tribe driven by passion and a reckless hope for what is possible. This week, I would like to ask you to post on the framed thank you board in the office, the reason you are a public educator--cards will be available at faculty meeting and shared with our families on social media (see below).
Thanks, celebration and appreciation:
- Thanks to all for the coordination and patience of school screenings.
- Thanks to Kristian, Kim and teachers involved with Troupe for a great Veteran's Day celebration
- Thanks to our appreciation team for the meaningful quotes posted on doors!
- Thanks to all who joined PTA for jeans day on Friday, not only did we get to wear jeans, but just think of all our PTA does for our school, $5 is the least we could do.
- Thanks to Kim, Stephanie, Sue T for staying late Friday to problem solve for a student
- Thanks for a great club day in round 2!
- Thanks to Christa's club and class for making cards for AEW
- Thanks to Leadership team for planning a great week this week, for opening your classrooms, and for understanding the great needed to become partners with parents
- Welcome to Jane Grindstaff who will be Catherine HIncke's interim beginning as soon as she can. She was a learning and success coach in our district, has completed several interims in other counties and seems to fit right in!
New Collaborative Structure
Week 1 literacy
Week 2 Math
Week 3 Literacy
Week 4 PBL
Our focus will STILL primarily be focused on unit work, text selection, and student work analysis, however based on where you are in the unit we will discuss what is necessary that day. Theses will primarily be on Tuesdays, however the first month of schedule is below and couldn't follow this exactly due to previously scheduled events.
Nov 7 Literacy collaboratives
Nov 15 Math collaboratives-plan to discuss what unit you are in, how you are assessing, what you know about student levels thus far
Nov 20 Literacy collaborative
Nov 28 PBL Collaborative- plan to use this time to discuss pBL plans, identifying standards for the creation of a PBL, driving question, project elements, mentors, public products,etc.
Week of Nov 12-17
Interviews for Duncan's vacated position ( we may need a bit of help here and there)
Faculty meeting
Tuesday:
Together breakfast (3-5), Education Expo 8:20-8:40
LCE Informance at 2:00
LCC and LCF math collaborative (need to change yours from Wednesday)
Wednesday:
Food drive ends
Shasta at GWES
Math collaboratives all day
Thursday:
Shasta at GWES
Together breakfast and expo
Possible rescheduled meeting for IAs at 10:00
Friday:
A look ahead:
Literacy collaboratives on Monday the 20th
Shasta at GWES on Monday
Nov 22-24 School closed for Thanksgiving
Together Breakfast and Education Expo Details
7:30-8:15 Breakfast available
8:15-8:20 Parents watch WSIC in auditorium
8:20-8:40 Parents watch class meetings-specifically compliments and agenda book use seeing problem solving in action; student work or other topics can be in addition
8:45 Announcement made to thank visitors for coming
KCS Charity Month at GWES
1. Back the Blue Day-Thank local officers with notes of gratitude ,we just need a few notes/cards
2. American education week Nov 13-17- card or treat making plan:
- K/1 Thank cafeteria workers
- 2/3 Thank bus drivers
- 4/5 Thank custodians
3. KCS Food drive Nov 1-14 non perishables collected in the lobby
4. Begin Warm and Fuzzy tree last week of Nov.
For Your Information:
Updating TNCompass Contact Information for All Educators
The department is working with TNCompass to enhance the personalized communication that exists between educators and TNCompass. To ensure the security of these communications, all educators must review their accounts and update their username/email address to reflect their official district email address. We ask all district evaluation configurators to communicate this requirement to all educators in the district.
To update their email addresses, educators should select “Account Information” from the home page upon login and click the “Change Username/Email” link under account settings. Please note that this change must be made in the account information section and cannot be made in the educator profile. With technical questions, please reach out to support@tncompass.org.
- Remember our dedication to 2 positive parent contacts a week. This can be note, email, or call. The power of depositing in a parents' emotional bank account is critical to a supportive relationship.
- tnAchieves is seeking mentors for students who will graduate in Spring 2018. Requirements to be a mentor include being at least 21 years of age, applying to serve by December 1, passing a background check, completing the one-hour mandatory mentor training, attending two one-hour meetings per year with your students and communicating with students every two weeks via email, phone or text as they transition from high school to college. Click here for more information about tnAchieves.
- Just an FYI transportation can not schedule any field trips on December 18th due to an event occurring in the district
Starting Jan. 3, 2018, Kingsport City Schools will move from the current Microsoft Outlook email/calendar/contacts provider to Google G Suite. Currently, Outlook storage on KCS servers is becoming extremely limited and continued use would require significant and costly upgrades.
The KCS technology department formed a Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) to weigh potential options and decide on a long term solution. The TAC is a group of district-wide representatives that was established to discuss critical technology decisions in an on-going effort to keep our district current with ever-changing technology advances.
Ultimately, Google G Suite was selected by the TAC as the best path forward. The move (migration) from Outlook to Google G Suite will increase email/calendar functionality, provide better collaboration and availability features, and offer unlimited storage, which our current systems cannot provide. This was recommended as the most cost-effective solution for our district.
WHO: All KCS Employees.
WHAT: Outlook emails, calendars and contacts will migrate from Outlook to Google G Suite (Mail, Calendar, and Contacts).
WHEN: The migration of data has already begun and will continue through Winter Break. The last day to use Outlook will be Jan. 2, 2018. Starting Jan. 3 only Google G Suite will be used.
WHY: The move to Google G Suite will increase email/calendar functionality, provide better collaboration and availability features, and offer unlimited storage, which our current systems cannot provide.
HOW: Migrations will be ongoing until Jan. 2, 2018 via the KCS technology department.
Updates from RATS:
From Related Arts: RACE days in November have been focused on the Journey to America through STREAM challenges. We are in need of a few supplies to complete our journey.
· Shoe boxes or small boxes with all 4 sides (Turkey Trap)
· 14.5 oz cans with no lids (and preferably washed)
· Paper towel tubes
· Straws
You may bring them to the library and we will have a place for them. Thank you so much!
- SAVE the DATE !! BOOK FAIR is Riding into Washington on Wed., Nov. 29 – Wed., Dec. 5.
- We will also have the second annual Tech Night on Tuesday, Dec. 4th. Please let me know if you would like to volunteer. We will have Professor Photon here as our guest speaker.
- Checkout will be closed in the library beginning Tuesday, Nov. 28th.
Professional Learning
We are administering a 2017-18 survey to gather feedback based on the work of Instructional Design Specialists during the second year of implementation. The information we glean from the feedback will be of great importance as we further develop the roles and look toward the future. The survey link is below and will be open beginning Monday, 11/13 through Friday, 11/17. Please share the link with your teaching staff no later than Monday morning, 11/13, to allow teachers ample time to complete the survey. The survey consists of 11 required multiple choice type questions and 4 open-ended optional questions. Thank you all for your cooperation in distributing the link and for the work you do each day!
The link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9R2DVBX
Please access the 10-day PL Calendar via the link below.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VdvWDV6XbeXQXm40b_seZlhYrOsJmZyO
WSIC News
Link to the WSIC, please be certain to watch each day: https://goo.gl/vjw2eP