Bobcat Beat
Week of September 29 - October 4, 2019
October/IPDP
As we enter October, please remember your completed IPDP must be entered, submitted, and approved in the TalentEd portal by Wednesday, October 30th. In an effort to stay ahead of the deadline, I have included suggested benchmark items to have completed on the master calendar.
Help Session invites will be forthcoming, and I will continue to offer these sessions through the week of Oct. 21st. As soon as you are ready to submit, you must click submit for me to be able to view your IPDP online. Please remember, that once approved, it will be sent back to you with a "Needs Revision" marking, ONLY because that's how it comes back to allow you to revise, as needed, throughout the school year.
I have purchased several books for those of you who may be interested in participating in a book study as a part of your IPDP. So far, we have several staff members interested in the Carol Dweck book, Mindset, but I have several other books, as well. I will hang them on the bulletin board outside my office so you can check them out, with a sign-up sheet, if you're interested. If you don't see what you need/want, let me know and I'll help you find whatever you need/want.
JPEF Visitors
I will have Ms. Coretta Hill (Vice President, JPEF) and Dr. Maira Martelo (Community Mobilization Director) visiting with me tomorrow, Monday, September 30th at/around 10:30 am, as a part of my participation in the JPEF Community and Family Engagement Fellowship. If you are interested in reading more about the work, the link to my fellowship is here: https://www.jaxpef.org/what-we-do/developing-school-leaders/the-fellowship-for-family-community-engagement
If you are interested in reading more about the entire initiative and the 3 other Principals that have been asked to participate, click here: https://www.jaxpef.org/what-we-do/developing-school-leaders
Have you completed your Dyslexia Course? Keep your completion certificate. Deadline - Nov. 18
SAC
Our September SAC meeting is tomorrow, Monday, September 30th at 3:15 pm in the Media Center. All are welcome!
Fundraiser
We will be encouraging parents to submit any final orders this week for our fundraiser. We'd love it if you could add a reminder to any classroom communication this week!
Math Specialist
Our Math Specialist will be on campus Friday morning from 8:30 - 10:30 am walking with myself and/or Ms. Mitchell.
Student Restrooms
We experienced a hiccup on Friday with our restrooms outside the cafeteria during the lunch blocks. It appears to be as a result of substitute supervision, but still is a direct result of our student's behavior choices in the restrooms. However, in addition to the downstairs restrooms, we also experienced problems in the restrooms outside Ms. Watkins' room. Students are responsible for their behavior, but we, as adults, are responsible for supervision of these students. Therefore, we must also reflect on our part in this area of concern.
It is my intention to review expectations on BBN in the morning, and I would ask that you review your classroom expectations, as well. In addition, please reflect on any action you or I can take that may assist with our efforts to empower our students and assist them in developing responsible behavior not only when an adult is standing by watching them.
Safety - Fire Drill
As I'm sure you are aware, our Fire Drill on Friday was not a success. We will be addressing issues we experienced with subs by reviewing our emergency folders, again, with them and ensuring they have an opportunity to ask any questions they may have.
Please review your fire drill procedures to ensure a safe and silent dismissal process. It is critical that you review your egress plan posted in the room you are in at the time of an alarm and that you follow that egress path. In some cases, the path may not be what you 'think' it should be. I am happy to answer any questions regarding your path, should you have them.
I will provide general comments to our students via BBN tomorrow, but need each of you to also review your specific procedures with your students. We will run several extra drills this month to assess our progress and provide specific feedback to classrooms and teachers, as appropriate. Thank you for making this a priority beginning Monday morning with your students.
Safety - Hard Corners
Check your hard corners.
Are they still clearly marked?
(If not, grab some red tape from Ms. Palmieri to fix it.)
Are they clear of clutter and/or an obstruction?
(If not, move whatever needs to be moved.)
Remember - they are to be clearly marked and clear of any obstruction at all times.
Open Enrollment/Benefits
Please note that your only opportunity to meet with a benefit's specialist at Don Brewer during Open Enrollment is Wednesday, Oct. 9th in our Guidance Conference Room. You must schedule an appointment online at MyEnrollmentSchedule.com/Duval to meet with the representative. (Please note: The web address is not case specific. I only included capital letters to assist with reading the address.)
Please review the upcoming Parent Workshop below in the events section. Your assistance is needed to support our focus of increasing parent involvement!
Field Trips - October
- Fourth Grade begins their Friday field trips to the University Park Library this coming Friday, Oct. 4th. One 4th grade class each Friday will attend this field trip through December (with a few missed Fridays).
- Third Grade will be taking a field trip to the Zoo on Thursday, Oct. 17th.
ROAR
This week's ROAR will be hosted by Ms. Poliseo and Ms. Almon, as they provide our classroom teachers information regarding the district's new Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process. New procedures directly impact our efforts to provide students who may be struggling consistently with core instruction, and we are confident this information will be of great benefit for all.
The Power of Yet t-shirts
There are several staff members that are interested in ordering one of the amazing "The Power of Yet" blue t-shirts provided by Ms. Givens' sister's company. However, we must have at least 10 additional orders to complete an order. If you are interested, please let Ms. Givens know ASAP so that we can determine if there is enough interest.
Growth Check
Our October Growth Check is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 15th. We will begin as close to 3:15 pm as possible. The 15-minute timer will begin once everyone arrives. I will send a calendar invite to assist those who maintain a work calendar via the office software.
Tuesday, Oct 15, 2019, 03:15 PM
Don Brewer Elementary School, Hartsfield Road, Jacksonville, FL, USA
Parent Workshop - The FUNdamentals of Reading
This course is designed to share FUN strategies that can effectively assist a struggling reader in becoming more fluent and confident in their reading abilities.
Please encourage your students/families to attend via the planner and/or any homework credits or extra credit or WHATEVER YOU THINK WILL ENCOURAGE THEM TO COME! :) Our Leadership Team will be offering a special prize to the classroom teacher that has the most students represented.