Mark's Monday Morning Memo
May 21, 2018
Historical Character Night
On Thursday, May 3, 2018, the 5th grade teachers and students hosted an amazing Historical Character Night. This is one of my favorite events of the year and it is so interesting listening to the students portray their historical character. Thank you, Lisa and Vanessa, for this great event.
Supporting West Junior High School
Thank you for your generosity with donations to support the staff at West Junior High during the last week of April. We were able to "perk" them up and tell them "donut" forget they have supporters here at Gatewood!
Field Day
Thank you to the Equity Team, Chantele Burgess, staff members, volunteers, helpers, guests, and everyone who helped make last Friday's Field Day a success. Music, bubbles, hands-on activities, kickball, soccer, Gaga Ball, a firetruck, and more kept all of our students engaged and having fun. A special thank you to whoever ordered up that perfect May weather.
Girls On The Run
Thank you to the organizers and leaders of the Girls on the Run group. It was fun cheering them on May 17, 2018, during their practice 5K in preparation for the Twin Cities GOTR 5K Sunday, June 3, 2018, at the Mall of America. Way to go runners, we're proud of you!
Reminders
Thank you for helping with recent reminders about dress code expectations and toys and items that should be left at home. I've recently communicated with families about clothing that may be appropriate for summer at home, but not at school. In the Gator Gab, I wrote that short shorts, bare midriff tops, spaghetti straps, visible undergarments, and flip flops are not appropriate for school. Thank you for helping to reinforce these expectations.
Upcoming Meetings
There are two more scheduled staff meetings this year. On Wednesday, May 30, 2018, I'll be sharing information on plans for the 2018-2019 school year and present an update on the Parent Information Handbook. On June 6, time will be dedicated for teams to work on class lists. I'll also be sharing other ideas for classroom teachers for options to work on class lists for next year.
Staff Updates
Here are some recent staff updates for the 2018-2019 school year. Tia Theisen will join the Gatewood staff as a full-time EL Teacher and Megan Kline will join the special education team as our third Resource Teacher.