Dutch Fork Elementary
Academy of Environmental Sciences - Week of August 20th -
District Goals 2018-2019
- Focus our work decisions on/around our district strategic plan.
- Identify areas of achievement to improve.
- Provide Chick-Fil-A and Moes like customer service for internal and external community.
- Strengthen the structure and quality of communication both internally and externally.
- Promote a work and learning environment where students and staff feel safe physically, emotionally and socially.
DFES Beliefs
- We believe all people deserve to feel safe, valued, and loved.
- We believe all children are naturally curious about the world around them.
- We believe learning is a social process.
- We believe inquiry fosters an environment of noticing and questioning.
- We believe in learning from multiple perspectives.
- We believe in learning from authentic primary and secondary sources.
- We believe in encouraging learners to be risk takers.
- We believe reflection should lead to change and growth.
- We believe learning should lead to social action.
- We believe our actions should be aligned with our beliefs.
DFES Goals 2018-2019
- Exceed family expectations in our communication, follow through, and student progress.
- Effective use of science kits and probes to enhance environmental science instruction
- Strengthen grade level data team processes to accelerate student growth
- Implementation of student-led conference across all grade levels (as identified in DFES strategic plan).
Monday, August 20th District Professional Development/School PD
Lunch will be on your own.
1:30 - Mr. Gantt will meet with certified staff to discuss SCTS 4.0 in the mini theater.
1:30 - Mr. Scott will meet with support staff to discuss expectations for duties.
DFES Teacher Meet and Greet
Expectations for this event include:
- all faculty/staff utilizing rear parking to accommodate for families
- all faculty/staff to wear you polo shirts and school issued id badge
- non-homeroom certified staff to be positioned throughout the building to assist and direct parents to classroom if needed
- support staff not required to be in attendance
Monday, Aug 20, 2018, 05:30 PM
DFES
Unencumbered Teacher Workday August 21st
Each year our system has been committed to ensuring that the day before students return is an unencumbered day for teachers.
Dr. Melton referenced being sure that you've read through district required documents. Signature pages should be turned in to Shirley Cope by Thursday, August 29 (per of Human Resources). All faculty and staff are asked to to print and sign required from all three links below. Tuesday may be an ideal time to knock out these requirements. S
Wednesday, August 22nd - Students Return
We are excited about the return of our Fox Cubs on Wednesday. Our collective goal should be ensuring that students and their families the most positive experience to begin the new year.
What should you expect this day:
Arrival
- exceeding family expectations from all faculty/staff through our welcome, greeting, communication and assistance
- DFES faculty/staff to utilize rear parking to accommodate heavy parent turnout
- DFES faculty/staff reporting to school and your duty station by 7:00 am
- students and parents will be allowed to enter classrooms beginning at 7:10 am
- DENS will be utilized beginning the week of August 27th
Dismissal Practice
- ensuring all students get home the way parents attended is critical to day 1 success. Consequently we will practice dismissal procedures to make sure that students know what to anticipate and to allow us to identify potential issues.
- Dismissal practice will occur once lunch is complete and close to 1:15ish. Please communicate this with your students. Further details to come.
Thursday, August 23rd
Arrival
- exceeding family expectations from all faculty/staff through our welcome, greeting, communication and assistance
- DFES faculty/staff to utilize rear parking to accommodate heavy parent turnout
- DFES faculty/staff reporting to school and your duty station by 7:00 am
- students and parents will be allowed to enter classrooms beginning at 7:10 am
- DENS will be utilized beginning the week of August 27th
Dismissal
- Dismissal practice will occur once lunch is complete and close to 1:15ish. Please communicate this with your students. Further details to come.
Friday, August 24th
Arrival
- We follow the same arrival procedures outlined for the first two days of school
- Beginning next week we will resume the typical duty schedule and arrival time for faculty and staff.
- No dismissal practice on Friday.
Fire and Intruder Drill
- Dr. Melton outlined our 5th district goal of promoting a work and learning environment where students and staff are safe physically, emotionally, and socially. Drill are conducted to ensure that faculty/staff have a clarity with emergency routines and procedures. Our first drill will take place Friday shortly after morning announcements conclude. WE will share with students what to expect prior to beginning the drills. See links below.
- We will ensure that every room has a copy of the fire drill routes, emergency bags, and emergency cards by the conclusion of this Tuesday.
Spirit Friday's
- Jeans can be worn each Friday with DFES spirit wear beginning August 23rd. You can expect to return home (coverage to be provided) and make necessary changes if jeans are worn without DFES spirit wear on Friday's.
First 3 Weeks of Reading Conferences
On Thursday, we received the gifts of literacy profile cards as a way of launching new inquiries into readers. We began many conversations that will serve us as we continue to work together to grow readers and ourselves. The questions recorded on the green papers will help keep conversations going in these first few weeks of school.
Here are the five slides that relate to our tradition of learning about readers during the first three weeks of school. This information will inform text selections when we move into formal assessments using The Dominie Reading and Writing Assessment Portfolio in late September.
First 3 Weeks of Reading Conferences
Also, the district is unveiling a new D5 ELA google site. Documents related to assessments and standards can be found by grade level.You can add this to your Google Sites and bookmark this address:
https://sites.google.com/lexrich5.org/d5-ela/
Please don't hesitate to let me know how to best support your thinking and teaching. We are excited to reconnect with familiar readers and meet new students!
Sally Somerall
We develop students who care about the world we live in and express critical thinking through natural curiosity and wonder.
Email: jscott@lexrich5.org
Website: www.lexrich5.org/dutchfork/cfm/
Location: 7900 Broad River Road, Irmo, SC, USA
Phone: 803-476-3901
Twitter: @dfes_principal