Welcome Back
2018-19 School Year
So Much Change
Palmer High School has been a beehive of activity this summer. If you have been a staff member that has experienced water leakage in your room or teaching areas you will be extra pleased to know that the plumbing infrastructure has been completely replaced this summer. This has been a huge undertaking that has had every corner of the building under construction. Most of the past plumbing is the original from the initial construction of the building in the mid-1970's. This change will be hidden behind ceiling tiles so it will not be evident at a glance but the water in the building will be of a much higher quality with fewer problems related to leaky areas that many of you have faced in the past.
All of the public restrooms have also been renovated and replaced with new sinks, fixtures, and toilets; a much-needed upgrade. Speaking of needed upgrades, the new lockers are in place and they look great!! I look forward to seeing the student navigate their first days of school without dealing with locker jams and the added anxiety of dealing with such a frustration in their first days back to school.
I have had the pleasure of working at Palmer High for the past 18 years either as a teacher or an administrator. Through the years I have seen great educators come and go and this summer break is definitely no exception. We have had some outstanding people choose a new path in their lives and careers and I am pleased to say we have acquired some outstanding new additions to our teaching and support staff. I look forward to introducing the new additions to our Palmer High School family.
Lastly, I know many of you like to get in early and prepare for the first day with students. Construction is wrapping up as I write, and the last wave of building activity before the masses return is a pool of district custodial staff that will give the building a good cleaning. This will include classrooms and I have been encouraged to have staff minimize their presents until your required days to return on Monday, August 13th. I understand that for some of you this news will not settle in well. After August 8th the building will no longer be a construction zone. If you choose to come in early please be cognizant of the need for the custodial staff to prepare the building for staff and students to return, and work out of their way as much as possible. As always, I appreciate your cooperation with this and as you will find in your daily agenda below I have built in extra work time to prepare for the return of students on Thursday, August 16th.
Open House
PD Agenda
2018-19 School Year
Agenda for 8-13, 8-14, 8-15
8-13
· 8:00 – Breakfast with staff, breakfast provided
· 9:00 – Staff Introductions- partner interviews
· 11:00 –Admin Mission and Vision
· 12:00 Lunch on Own – Remainder of Day in Individual Classrooms
1:00-1:30 *Mandatory MAP proctor training for all special ed, math, & language arts
*Adjust and or flex your schedule to accommodate for 1.5-hour open house.
8-14
· 7:30 – Light Breakfast Provided
· 8:00 – Getting on the Same Page - Staff Handbook Highlights
* Jeffery Blackburn will be providing department breakout tech sessions. The focus of the breakout sessions will be to develop assessments and tools that will make for better efficiency with grading formative and summative assessments as well as other technology pieces that make life easier for educators.
· 10:00 – Tech department break out session 1: Math, Art, Music (10:00-11:00) library
· 11:00 - Tech department break out session 2: Lang Arts/Foreign Lang (11:00-12:00) library
· 12:00 – Lunch on your own
· 1:00 - Tech department breakout session 3: Science,CTE (1:00-2:00) library
· 2:00 - Tech department breakout session 4: Social studies, Health/PE (2:00-3:00) library.
*When not in a breakout session, teachers may work in their classrooms.
8-15
· 7:15 – Doughnuts and Coffee
· Work Day in the Classroom – Prepare for Students Coming on 8-16