East Middle School Staff Memo
V.2017.18. Issue 8 - September15
NEXT WEEK'S SCHEDULE
A- Monday —9/18
- 7:30 am - MTSS Team Meeting - Media Center
- 9:00 am - Mental Health Meeting - Counseling
- Mastery Connect Site Visit - Utah (Biaze & Pam Out)
- 7:30 am - RJ Committee Meeting - Media Center
- 9:00 am - Fire Drill
- 9:30 am - RL Weekly Meeting
- 10:30 am - East Director Visit
- 7:30 am - ATLAS Check-in Meeting - Media Center
- 7:30 am - PBiS Meeting - N3
- 8:00 am - Middle School Principal Meeting (Biaze Out)
- 2:30 pm - Admin Walkthroughs
- 7:20 - AP/P Admin Meeting - Biaze's Office
- 8:45 am - Admin Instructional Meeting
9/11-9/22 Chip and Candy Sales - Cheerleading Fundraiser
KUDOS
KUDOS to Ines for her beautiful, skillful job facilitating her PLC this week by being prepared with the flipchart ready, keeping others on task and engaged, and staying in tune with the purpose of PLCs. Way to go Ines!
KUDOS to the 7th and 8th grade teams for problem solving around lunches and how to create a schedule that helps better maximize instructional time for their students. Nice job teams!
KUDOS to Taylor, Michelle, Erlinda and Francely for teaming and support the nurses office this week. To Caryn for always being available with subtle forms of support like graphic art/design. To Russ in absentia for answering calls with grace and humor, and to Simone, Krista, Cat and Cedric search and rescue. Way to go team! (on behalf of nurse Sherry).
KUDOS to Jo Nettelton for his skill in supporting a very upset parent. The parent went home very happy and agreed to all components of the IEP thanks to Jo’s skillful parent communication. Way to go Jo!
KUDOS to everyone that lent a helping hand on Thursday. Something strange was in the air with our kiddos and everyone's help that was received was greatly appreciated. Thank you!
KUDOS to Michelle Chandler, Jessica Newsome, Kaaryn McLeod, Sayrd Benison, Adam Gelman, Rosalind Gullatt, etc. etc. for all of their hard work this past week in the many hours they spent planning for the reentry of two of our former students.
Restorative Practices Survey
R3 & R2 UPDATE
R3 & R2 Update
As you recall, earlier this year we had hired Aaron Munn to work the R2 room (refocus room). Aaron had a family emergency and had to resign his position. We are happy to announce that we have hired a replacement. Joshua Padilla, who has previously served in our Affective Needs classroom, will now serve as our new campus monitor for the R2 room. He will be on call for the AN room and will be supporting duty during lunches when available. If you see him, please given him a big High Five!!!!
Also, below is just a reminder of the purpose that R3 and R2 serve. R3 has been in full effect, but now they will both be up and running. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Restore, Repair, Reintegrate Room (R3)
The R3 room is intended to provide a structure opportunity for a student to regroup after an event that requires time for reflection, learning, and time away from the general learning and school environment.
Refocus Room (R2)
The refocus room is designed to provide students an opportunity to redirect their energy and to become mentally and emotionally ready to learn. This is not R3, as R3 is a structured and often full day assignment for a student. The refocus room allows the student time away from the learning environment so that they can collect themselves, but also the opportunity to enter back once they demonstrate readiness.
Only a Restorative Liaisons or Administrators can assign R3 or the Refocus Room as a response to behavior. If a student has been assigned to R3, teachers will receive notification by email. The expectation is that teachers will provide assignments for continued learning. Students will receive tutoring support as well as community engagement skills, i.e. how to advocate for self, how to handle peer conflict, etc. Equally, if a student has been assigned to the Refocus room from a class prior to yours, email communication will be made.
Expectations for Restorative Liaisons and Administrators for the R3 & Refocus Rooms (R2):
- Keep track of the number of times students are assigned to better determine if this is an appropriate intervention.
- Monitor R3 and Refocus rooms frequently to ensure that they are quiet, structured environments and to provide any support needed
- Change the intervention of those students who are not able to function in the room (i.e. send home, etc.).
RECEPTIONIST UPDATE
Our new receptionist has started today! Neyelhi Estudillo-Borja has experience as a Community Corp Liaison at Laredo Elementary School in APS. She has a passion for working in schools and is Bilingual. We are very excited to have her on board. If you get an opportunity, stop by the main office and say hello to Neyelhi!
CDE- National Board Certification Stipend Program
In 2012 the Colorado Legislature passed HB121-1261 which provides stipends to Colorado educators who are National Board for Professional Teacher Standards (NBPST) – certified. Under the program administered by the Colorado Department of Education, NBPST-certified educators who are employed as a teacher or principal in a Colorado public school, BOCES or charter school from Oct. 1, 2017 to May 1, 2018 are eligible for a stipend up to $1,600.
To be eligible for the stipend, educators must meet the following criteria:
Employed in a public school in Colorado from October 1, 2017 to May 31, 2018
Hold a valid national board certificate during the eligibility period (October 1, 2017 – May 31, 2018)
Hold a valid Colorado educator’s license
To apply for the stipend, eligible educators must log into their Colorado Department of Education “eLicensing” account to complete and submit an application for the stipend. As part of the application process, NBPTS-certified teachers will be required to upload a copy of their current, valid NBPTS certificates and a valid government-issued photo ID to verify they meet the qualification.
NBPTS-certified teachers/principals employed in a school designated by the Colorado State Board of Education as “turnaround” or “priority improvement” (to be determined by Dec. 2017) and who meet all other requirements, will be eligible for an additional stipend of up to $3,200. (All stipends will be pro-rated based on percentage of FTE.)
The window for applying for the NBPTS-certified teacher stipend is September 1 – October 1, 2017. Late applications will not be accepted.
The Colorado Department of Education has developed a fact sheet which outlines the changes to the process, along with details and a timeline. The URL for the information on the CDE website is http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprof/NBCT.
Upcoming Grant Opportunities
The following grant opportunities are currently available to teachers and teacher leaders. View grant details here.
September
Project Learning Tree
Kids in Need Teacher Grants
Green Thumb Challenge
Westerra School Grant Program
Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Grant
Farmers Insurance Thank America’s Teachers
October
Target Field Trip Grant
Samull Classroom Herb Garden
Kids Run the Nation Grant
Seeds for Education Grant
AAE Teacher Scholarship Application
AAE Classroom Grant
Toshiba America Foundation K-5 Grants
Captain Planet Foundation ecoSolution Grant
November
Jared Polis Foundation- Technology Mini Grant
To begin applying for these grants please complete the Intent to Apply and Project Approval Form and submit it to the Office of Grants and Federal Programs (grants@aps.k12.co.us). Our staff will gladly assist with any questions regarding the application process, as well as any proofreading or editing of applications. Please send a copy of your final application to Grants, ESC1, Suite 217.
2017 East Middle School School Performance Framework
Lesson Plans
You will submit plans to your evaluator. If you have questions, please contact your evaluator with questions.
Still not clear about CPL's & PLCs and Data Cycles? Read this...
Learning Team Cycle of Continuous Improvement
Tailor to Fit: Structure Professional Learning Communities to Meet Individual Needs
Announcing NEW NeighborhoodLIFT® Down Payment Assistance with Military, First Responder and Teacher Benefit
An exciting new option for those needing down payment assistance has come onto the scene. The NeighborhoodLIFT® program provides a $15,000 grant for down payment assistance to eligible homebuyers. Here is what you need to know:
- Funds are in the form of a 0% forgivable grant, which is partially forgiven each year over 5 years. Homeowners must agree to stay in the home for 5 years. There are income limits. Household sizes 1 to 4 have an income limit of $67,100 UNLESS homebuyer qualifies under the Military, First Responder, Teacher Benefit.
- Military, First Responders and Teachers qualify with higher income limits on all loan types. Borrower's must have completed an 8-hour Homebuyer Education Course within the last 12 months.
- The home must be located within the Denver-Aurora Metro Area (Arapahoe, Adams, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties). The first mortgage loan must be from an approved NeighborhoodLIFT® lender.
This is a great addition to the down payment assistance programs already offered and we look forward to providing this benefit to future homebuyers.
Please contact Kelly Dow (N-5) to take advantage of this grant!!!
Interesting Articles to Read...
Staff & Parent Calendars
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