JM Staff Bulletin
Week of January 4, 2016
Happy New Year!
Dear Wonderful Teachers and Staff,
I hope this bulletin finds you relaxed and rejuvenated after a lovely Winter Break. I had a fabulous break packed with quality time with my boys! I spent a considerable amount of time resting, reading, eating, and reflecting on the past five months of the school year. I decided that instead of making resolutions, I would set some goals for myself in the coming year. My goals include eating more vegetables, spending at least an hour not working every day, and getting into the classrooms on a more regular basis to support the teachers and students. Wish me luck!
School-Wide Student Goals
I was thinking it would be powerful for our students to set at least two goals for the remainder of the school year. One would be academic and one would be social/behavioral. We could have them write their goals on die cut stars and then put them up in the hallways. What do you all think? If you are all open to this, I will have the stars cut asap and put them in your boxes. I'm thinking one goal could be on yellow stars and the other on orange stars...something to brighten up our hallways. :)
TLC Day in February!
The Dad's Club is setting up another TLC Day on February 27th to make improvements and repairs around the school. I will send out a Google doc for you all to add things you'd like to have done in your classrooms. This would be a good opportunity to have blinds cleaned, bulletin boards put up, books leveled, shelves repaired, hooks installed, etc.
New Teacher Staffing Process as of December 2015
As part of the new contract, there are multiple changes to the hiring process schools will use to fill vacancies. As of right now, we have no vacancies. However, we still have to establish a Personnel Committee. I shared a document with you that outlines the new process.
Lexia Home Usage
We will be purchasing 70 student licenses for Lexia. The get the biggest bang for our buck, students should be using it at home as well if they have access to either a phone, iPad, or computer. I will be putting a copy of the parent letter in your boxes for you to send home with your students. You can also email the parent letter if that is easier. There were several teachers who attended the Lexia training, so ask around if you have any questions about the program. There are many more resources available than I was aware of until the training.
Before and After School Tutoring
Some of you stated that you wanted to begin doing either after or before school tutoring in the new year. Please send me an email with your preferred days, times, and subject areas and we will get the ball rolling as soon as possible.
K - 5 Elementary On-Demand Writing Assessments Now in Illuminate!
To access On-Demand Writing Assessments from Illuminate:
- Click on assessments --> list assessments
- Hit the clear button
- Type the keyword "lucy" into the search bar
I probably have a million more things I could include in this bulletin message, but I'll stop now. :)
Best wishes for a phenomenal 2016!
With gratitude and love,
Sara
Professional Collaborative Learning Days (mandatory math PD days)
All teachers are required to attend a full day of math training. All information can be found in the Google doc entitled "Elementary Math Ongoing Professional Development" that I shared with you. Please read this document in its entirety. Subs will be arranged by the math department. If you would like a particular sub, follow the directions in the document. The dates for Network 1 are as follows:
TK/K: 1/12/16 (PD6417)
1st: 1/19/16 (PD6416)
2nd: 1/21/16* (PD6418)
3rd: 2/2/16 (PD6419)
4th: 1/14/16 (PD6420)
5th: 1/28/16 (PD6421)
I already noticed the following date conflicts:
- The kindergarten teachers will have a conflict with their PLC day on January 12th. Would it be possible for either the fourth or fifth grade teachers to switch with them that week?
- The 3rd grade teachers are scheduled to attend on the same day as the Oratorical Fest. They can choose to attend on one of the other network's days: March 1st or March 15th. (Note: the grade level team should all attend on the same date.)
- The 5th grade teachers are scheduled to attend on the same day as the Spelling Bee. They can choose to attend on one of the other network's days: March 3rd or March 24th. (Note: the grade level team should attend on the same date.)
Please talk to your grade level team members if you need assistance with signing up for your training on On-Track and let me know if you have any further questions.
This Week
Monday: ILT at 3:00
Tuesday: COST Meeting at 8:00
Wednesday: Kindergarten tours in the morning; PD: "All Things PEC" PD (2:10 - 3:10)
Thursday: Sara off-site at principal PD
Friday: Lockdown and Fire Drill at 9:00; Pacific Boychoir Assemblies ( K-2 @10:20 and 3-5 @11:15)
Weekly Deliverables (To-Dos)
- Schedule your SRI and SMI assessments within the first two weeks back from break if possible. You can check out a Chromebook cart to do this.
- Get kids on Lexia.
- Use Newsela!
- Begin F&P assessments during reader's workshop.
- Go to our Staff Google Calendar.
- Fill out Gotcha slips for your kiddos who are exemplifying the Wolverine Way.
- Check Konstella and your OUSD email at least twice weekly.
- Send a message to your parents via Konstella or email about what's happening in your class! (Remember: the more they know, the less they make up.)
- Submit COST referrals as needed.
- Breathe!
Upcoming Dates- Not including this week
January 12th: K Math PD, K/1 PLC
January 13th: SEL Formative Assessment Webinar
January 14th: 4th Math PD, 2/3 PLC
January 18th: MLK Jr. Day
January 19th: 1st Math PD, 4th graders to Coloma until the 21st
January 21st: 2nd Math PD, Sara off-site at principal PD
January 27th: PLC/Grade Level Planning Time
January 29th: Professional Development Day