Notes for a New Week
September 5 - 8
What a week!
Have I told you lately that I love doing life with you?!?
Boy, I don't know what I'd do without you guys!
Thank you for all of the hard work that went into making last week such a success! Your time and effort is so evident in the way your classrooms are running and the way your students are already connected to the culture of your classroom and our campus. We continue to be amazed by all that you are doing in your classrooms and the incredible potential this school year holds.
We also appreciate the "can-do" attitude that is so contagious in the hallways.
I know today was a little rough with the switch to the House System for specials and lunch, but you all kept smiling! Many of you even went out of your way to encourage us as we worked on logistics. It means so much to work with a group of people who are problem-solvers and solutions-oriented. I know it is easy to point out the short-fallings of a new system, but so many of you sought out the silver-lining. Thank you for your flexibility, your understanding, and your words of encouragement to others today. With you guys on our team, we really can do just about anything!
Moving into this week, we are excited about strengthening routines.
Mornings and afternoons seem to be running SO SMOOTHLY! I was shocked at just how quickly students were dismissed, delivered, and loaded today. I am so grateful for all of you who serve in morning or afternoon duty - you guys really are the first impression and the great send-off. For many of our students and their families, YOU are the face of Central Elementary. We don't take your role for granted and we want you to know just how much you are appreciated.
Sydney and Mason are also working diligently to address technology needs on the campus. Due to demands across the district, we have had to share our folks with the other elementary campuses. Now, they are back and ready to update iPad counts and address other technology concerns you have in the classroom.
As you all have experienced, enrollment has been a little tricky thus far! We anticipate enrollment will slow down as we get a little further from the Labor Day holiday. Today, we enrolled six students and know of two more who will enroll tomorrow. We are working to get information updated as quickly as possible, but there is some lag-time with devices, programs, records, and other crucial bits and pieces. The one thing that is most important is that our kiddos feel loved from the minute they walk in the door, and you guys are rockstars at doing that! As we have seen over the last few years, loving kids and building solid relationships is key to the success of our students.
Just keep loving those babies and we'll get you squared away as quickly as we can!
Thanks again for all you have done to get this year started off right!
It is an honor to work with you and to get to serve students alongside you.
Love you!
- Candice
Upcoming Events :)
September 8 - Fall Picture Day
September 19 - Watch DOG Pizza Night (6:00 PM)
September 21 - Fire Drill
September 21 - Third Grade Parent Meeting (6:00 PM)
September 22 - Central PTO Mother/Son Kickball Tournament
UIL Coordinator Needed!
We are in need of a new UIL Coordinator for our campus. The wonderful news is that our outgoing coordinator, Sheryl Gallarneau, has offered to help our new volunteer this year. It is time for us to begin work preparing for a new year, so it is important we fill this role quickly.
Please email me if you are interested in serving our campus in this capacity!
Specials Schedule
Please make sure you are viewing the correct tab on the spreadsheet to see the rotation for Week 2 and beyond.
Individualized copies of this year's Specials rotation should have gone home with your students on Tuesday or will go home with your students on Wednesday. If you are missing a student or need another copy, please let us know. Mrs. Dunn and I would be happy to get another one for you!
Fall Picture Day - Friday!
This Friday is our fall picture day!
We have decided to take this round of pictures in the new gym. Please note that all PE classes will need to be combined in the red hall gym until the new gym is cleared out; we will make an announcement to let all staff members know when we are ready to resume normal rotations.
We will start taking pictures as close to 8:00 as possible! The line-up for pictures will be as follows:
2nd grade
PK
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
4th Grade (at beginning of Specials time, if not called sooner)
3rd Grade
5th Grade
As usual, office staff members will direct your class to the gym when you need to report. Please stay in your classrooms until directed to head to the gym. We hope this helps cut down on the amount of time your kiddos are standing in line.
Classroom Media Accounts
Please let me know if you are interested and I will pass your information along to Sadie.
Also, please remember to check the permissions in Skyward when using a DoJo or Seesaw portfolio for your students. Here is some reminder information from Sadie:
Just a reminder that teachers using SeeSaw, ClassDojo, and similar platforms can only publicly post photos of/information relating to students for whom we have "Public Information - School-Sponsored Purposes" permission for in Skyward. Teachers should not create their own "permission forms" for SeeSaw/Dojo, etc. We must enforce what is in Skyward, so a teacher-created permission form for this would not be effective.
If teachers have students in their class for whom we do not have permission for school-sponsored purposes, they can still send pictures/information through those platforms as long as it is viewable by that student's parents only. Another idea is for teachers (or the office) to simply explain to parents what "school-sponsored purposes" entails, and ask parents if that is really what they intended - often times, parents have selected "no" on school-sponsored purposes not realizing what that may include. If the parent wants to change that, we should encourage them to go back into Skyward and make those changes.
Planning Days & C3s - Oh, my!
Please remember that you will need to enter your own vacancy in Aesop for C3 meetings. PK-2nd Grade - it is often better to select 3-4 teachers to represent your grade level at C3 meetings, rotating who attends each six weeks. Teachers who do not get a sub for C3 meetings do not attend. Odds are in your favor if we need only 3 or 4 subs instead of 6 or 7. This is super important on C3 days, as teachers from all four elementary campuses are entering vacancies for the same days/times. So many of you have already entered your C3 absences - YOU ROCK!!!
Planning days for the first six weeks have also been added to the campus Google calendar. You should have been added to the calendar invite for your grade/department, but I may have unintentionally overlooked someone. Please let me know if that is the case so I can correct my error.
I have entered your vacancies for planning for the first six weeks into Aesop already. I will continue to do so for the remainder of the year.
At this time, I have tentatively scheduled planning days for the rest of the year and will work on transferring those from my calendar to the campus calendar for your review. If you see a conflict, please notify me ASAP. Sometimes, we are able to move planning days around, but sometimes other commitments on the campus or district calendar restrict our ability to reschedule. Short grading periods (five-week six weeks) can also make it difficult to move planning days around without moving into the next six weeks.
We look forward to planning days! It is so much fun to get to connect with you all, spend a few hours focused on curriculum and instruction, and getting feedback about campus programs and initiatives. I am also very excited about our first Instructional Rounds visits. So many of you have shared great stories about the connections you are making in your groups. I look forward to hearing how your relationships grow this year!
PirateStrong T-Shirts & Jeans Week
As we notified you last week, Lubbock-Cooper ISD is hosting an initiative to raise funds for Aransas County ISD, a 4A district in Rockport which was forced to temporarily close its doors due to loss of power and water, damage to school buildings, and damage to classroom supplies and technology following the impact of Hurricane Harvey. Aransas County ISD students, staff, and community members are fellow Pirates.
As part of this initiative, we are selling Pirate Strong t-shirts! All proceeds from the shirts will be sent to Aransas County ISD to assist in their recovery efforts. There are two ways to order shirts: online or using a paper form.
ONLINE ORDERS
To order online, visit http://www.piratestrong4acisd.com/. Shirts ordered online will be available for pick-up from the Lubbock-Cooper Administration Office beginning September 20. When ordering a shirt, you will be asked to enter a shipping address, and a flat rate shipping fee will be added in to your total. If you do not want your t-shirt shipped, use the promo code LOCAL to remove the shipping cost. *Please note, the promo code cannot be used for free shipping, it is to be used for NO shipping. If you use the promo code, your order will not be shipped. Orders will close on Friday, September 15.
Staff members who purchase a shirt will be asked to wear their shirts on the Monday following delivery. Right now, we believe that date will be Monday, September 25. Should delivery occur later than anticipated, we will adjust the date. On that day, please stop in the office to receive a ribbon to wear for a jeans week pass good for the week of September 25-29.
Charnese Perez, New CIS Site Coordinator
Charnese comes to us from Joe Arrington Cancer Center, where she has been working as a Financial Counselor. Before that, Charnese worked as a Case Worker with CPS for three years. She is excited to put her degree in Social Work to use and get back to serving students on the South Plains.
Charnese will office with Rachel Connolly in the red hall, near the gym. Please stop by towards the end of next week and welcome her to Central!