Sunday Shakedown
Weekly Memo for Washington Elementary
Principal Post
Week ahead:
No School MLK day
Wolf presents the 2017-2018 budget to the BOE
Begin full library schedule
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
100th day of school!!
Wolf at Blended Learning institute in Greenville, TN
Data conference on Benchmark data (Edulastic data) for Literacy (LCD , LCE, LCF-3rd, LCC-3rd)
Friday:
No RACE day-report to Monday's classes.
Data conference on benchmark data (Edulastic data) for Math (LCD, LCE, LCF-3rd, LCC-3rd)
Coming soon: Scoring Dates: Monday, January 23 and Monday, March 13
Time: 3:45-5:00
Locations per grade level:
Kindergarten in Jefferson Room 303
1st in Jefferson Library
2nd in Jefferson Computer Lab
3rd in ASC Tennessee Room
4th in ASC Computer Lab
5th in ASC Watauga Room
100th day of school:
100th Day of School Activities-See the message below from Andy. Please let me know what you plan to do to celebrate the 100th Day of School!
From the community committee:
It’s time to celebrate – Kingsport is 100 this year. Whether you’re a resident, businesses, organization or just coming to help Kingsport turn 100, we hope you’ll take part in our centennial celebration!
We’re encouraging everyone, from residents to businesses to organizations to take part in the ‘What’s Your 100?’ campaign. This campaign is just one way you can celebrate alongside Kingsport in its centennial year.
A few possible ‘What’s your 100?’ examples include 100 volunteer hours for a local charity, 100 items given away or the 100th customer is recognized. The possibilities are endless! Your 100 is up to you!
Global Schools
Secondly, we have made tentative plans to host a Stop Hunger Now event. If our donor is willing and able, our school will host the event the afternoon of February 24th. We will measure, pack, seal (adults) , box and load meals. It will be a great way to show the PP skill of SERVICE. More details to come.
A note from our InDeS:
- Supporting teacher's use of Edulastic
- Informally looking at data to plan differentiated instruction for students
- Work with administrators to review survey and make plans for our efforts to learn from each other through an "observe me" event.
Innovate! Be creative! Share your voice!
The KCS new Innovation Tool is up and running. KCS wants your ideas! This tool is active for use. It can be accessed here.
For Your Information
Nominations Open for 2017 Outstanding Social Studies Teacher Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2017 Tennessee Council for the Social Studies (TSCC) Outstanding Social Studies Teacher Awards in the areas of elementary level (grades K-6), middle level (grades 5-8) and secondary level (grades 7-12). Award winners will be recognized at the TSCC State Conference on March 9-10, 2017 in Gatlinburg, TN. For more information and eligibility guidelines, please click here. Contact Patsy Brooks if questions. DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS IS JANUARY 16, 2017.
Seeking Tennessee State Teacher Fellows (STFs)***
Hope Street Group, the nonpartisan nonprofit that connects classroom teachers with their peers and decision-makers across Tennessee and nationally, will soon be recruiting its next cohort of Tennessee State Teacher Fellows (STFs). The STF program is designed to develop the competencies of teacher leaders, providing them with tools to engage their colleagues and generate solutions for education challenges. Fellows are teachers or instructional coaches who remain in their schools full-time and contribute 10-15 hours each month to Hope Street Group activities including data collections, professional learning sessions, and partner meetings. They receive a $3,000 stipend for the twelve-month Fellowship, with the opportunity to extend into a second year to deepen their work. Interested teachers can learn more by visiting the Hope Street Group webpage. Click here to register now to participate in a 45 minute informational webinar on January 10 at 8 p.m. The application period will be January 16 - February 10, 2017. If questions about the Fellowship, please contact Keilani Goggins or Celia Gregory.
2017 National Geographic Bee
The state-level competition of the National Geographic Bee will be held on Friday, March 31st, 2017, at TN State University’s main campus in Nashville. The process for participating in the Tennessee Geographic Bee starts with school-level bees that take place in late fall through early February, using materials provided by the National Geographic Society. Schools may register on line and receive instructions at www.NatGeoBee.com from August 3 – January 23. Once the school-level bee is held (for grades four through eight), school winners then take a qualifying test to determine participation at the state level. Students with the top one hundred scores from across the state will be invited to participate in the state bee on March 31st, 2017. State champions go on to compete at the National Geographic Bee in Washington, D.C., May 15-17, 2017. The year’s top three finishers in the state-level competition in Nashville will be vying for $10,000 in scholarships ($5,000 for 1st, $3,000 for 2nd, and $2,000 for 3rd)! Contact cgkelly@comcast.net for questions about the National Geography Bee or for more information. TDOE conctact person is Kadie Patterson@tn.gov.
Professional Musings:
Also, remember there are Literacy Work Sessions available afterschool for collaborating with your peers in the district:
Literacy Work Session Schedule
Jan. 19- K-2 TN Room
Feb. 20 Grades 3-5 TN Room
March 20 K-2 TN Room
April 17 Grades 3-5 TN Room
Employee Recognition:
Is there a KCS employee that you would like to see recognized for her/his outstanding work?
This year, there is a new way to highlight the work of these outstanding educators! The KCS Employee Recognition Initiative serves to award those that go above and beyond in their service to the students, staff, and families of KCS.
How can you nominate an employee for this honor?
Simply submit a nomination form to your principal/supervisor by clicking here!
Staff Absences:
- Sick leave: According to the handbook, these are to be used for illness of the employee, illness of the immediate family of the employee, contagious or communicable disease of the employee, death in the immediate family, maternity leave and adoption of a child
- Personal leave: Days off requested by the employee for personal reasons and approved by the building administrator. These may be denied if more than 10% of the staff is currently scheduled to be off that day.
- Bereavement leave: The BOE recently approved bereavement days to be approved for KCS employees. I am unsure of the conditions, if any for this leave, but will look into it. This is now available.
Thank yous, celebrations and appreciations:
- Thank you to our LCA team for responding correctly in an emergency when a student left campus (and to Michelle Bright for trying to run in heels)
- Thank you to Lisa Hazlett for your willingness to change schedules when a student need arose
- Thank you to Traci Harris, Cherie Herald, Billy Etter and Malori for helping us fill the SPED vacancy and still serve students.
- Thanks to our teams that held staffings on Friday, your open minds and hearts make a huge difference for students.
- I appreciate you for your flexibility. Many of our new students have entered as SPED students and our caseloads are increasing rapidly. This is requiring some flexible scheduling
- Thanks to Kim Bradley for your labor of love with our yearbook!
- Prayers for our staff members with family members who are struggling with illness
- Thanks to Sue Trent for very detailed record keeping for RTI
- Thanks to Renee Blevins for willingness to help us solve student issues by contacting physician offices.