Principal's Newsletter
May 11th, 2018
WOWs
WOW to Jordan Fruit!!! Your communication and dedication to get our school clean this summer is amazing! I know I can speak for the office ladies and say we have been impressed since the first day we met you and you had your notepad ready to go! You are a huge asset to Harvest Ridge!!!!--Tessa Golden
WOW to Veronica!!! Today she came by the office, she had a little spare time because one of her students she works with was absent and asked if she could help out in the office. It was much appreciated!!! ~ Tessa
WOW to Mr. Rector and crew! Field Day was awesome! So many parents came through the office and said how they enjoyed the new Field Day format (half day) and how much the kids enjoyed it!! Way to go team!!!!--Tessa
WOW, Shanna Bradley, Becca Lewis, Susan Bayne, Joyce Highfill, Laura Peterson, Anne Behrens, Julia Diekemper, and Lindsey Stark who helped make my small group MAP testing run smoothly.--Kelly Edwards
WOW to our kind and hardworking cafeteria staff who personally deal with every single student in our school every single day. I don’t think they even get emails to see this, so when YOU see THEM, thank them for what they do!!--Kelly Edwards
WOW to Shanna for supervising 30 students at times AND teaching library lessons during MAP. Way to take one for the team!--Kelly Edwards
WOW to Jane and Jennifer! Thank you for being such great teammates! This year has been amazing! You gals are a joy to work with! #teamworkmakesthedreamwork - Tessa
WOW to Dr. DeWeese, Dr. OH & Mrs. Fazio! You ladies have worked so hard and it shows! Great things are happening at The Ridge and I’m excited to see fall into place. -Tessa
WOW to our Teachers! You guys and gals put your blood, sweat and tears into these students. I know from experience all 3 of my kiddos were Hawks. Thank you for all you do! - Tessa
WOW to our custodians! Thank you for always being ready to clean up when we call! You are the best! - Tessa
I am sending this WOW to the Harvest Ridge staff. Thank you for being my work family for the last 4 years! I see wonderful people doing wonderful things for kids and this WOW is for just that! Thank you for being rockstars for our kids!
Linda Murphy
Thank you to Brandy for all of the special treats you have gifted us with this year. Yummy, yummy, yummy.--Kim Whitworth
WOW to my team:Tony, Michele, Julie and Maika, for supporting my new journey next year! You do great things for kids.--Megan Brown
WOW to Jamie and Carrie for already taking me in under your wings! I am looking forward to working with everyone in room 51 and 53!--Megan Brown
WOW to Natalie, Angeline, Katie! You ladies hold down the fort all year and continue to help improve our climate. Thank you for all you do!--Megan Brown
WOW to everyone who has been reaching out to our new staff members. You are doing a great job making them feel welcome. --Dr. DeWeese
WOW to Linda Murphy – Thank you for being the light allowing me to see a different perspective and helping me to understand some things that I did not really have the background to do so. Thanks for being a role model for never giving up and dogged determination to fight for our kids. Thanks for the wealth of knowledge and experience that you brought to our school and for all the things I have learned by working with you. Most of all for being my friend and joining our family. I will miss having you here every day.--Sherry
I want to thank Latonya Foster for everything these past 6 years. Thank you for being a consummate professional who can always be counted on to work hard, do your best with grace under pressure. Thank you for your wealth of knowledge and experience that you brought to our school. Thank you for your ear and support in too many situations to recount. Most of all thank you for becoming a life-long friend and our North Carolina family. You will be sorely missed.--Sherry
Thank you Harvest Ridge staff for making this a great "first year here" for me! I am so blessed to get to work with you, along side you and for you. I have been challenged and stretched this year by some tough kiddos and you have been a great support system through all the ups and downs. I've really enjoyed getting to know you all and I look forward to many more years here at the Ridge!--Julie Elder
WOW to my 3rd grade team! I have been so lucky to be a part of such an amazing group for the past two years. I am so grateful for you all and will miss being on your team! -Pliske
WOW to Dr. D and Brandy! You ladies were amazing to go out of your way this week to give me a ride while my vehicle was being worked on. You didn’t have to but you did! Thank you! - Tessa
WOW to Jane! You always get in there and clean up the lounge after you have already setup a fantastic meal! You wash others dishes and throw away trash left behind. Thanks for going above and beyond so we all can enjoy an amazing lunch!!! It’s much appreciated!! - Tessa
WOW to Betsy Arnold for being an amazing leader to our third grade team. You really are the glue that holds our team together. -Kristen Cuneo
WOW to Christina Pliske for being a great member of the third grade team. We’ll miss you but know you’re going to rock being an instructional coach. --Kristen Cuneo
WOW to Katie Fazio for always being there when we need you. We’re sad for us but excited for your new adventures. Don’t forget us!--Kristen Cuneo
WOW to Lindsey Stark for taking on a student in my class, and always with a smile. Your relationship was important to her. --Kristen Cuneo
WOW to Jane! Thanks for all that you do to take care of ordering food and getting things set up for staff. It is so appreciated! --Dr. DeWeese
WOW to my 3rd grade teammates. I have been feeling extremely proud of what we have built in 3rd grade in such a short time with so many of us being new to HR and 3rd grade. Impressed with the ease at which you all tackled Lucy Reading and Writing and never gave up with it got hard. I have never worked with such hardworking, pleasant people as you all are. I am so thankful for each one of you and the greatness you bring our team. You make coming to work everyday fun, but more importantly I always feel supported and loved. Debbie, thank you for keeping us grounded and sharing your wealth of knowledge with us. Kristen, thank you for being a great listener and taking care of all the x’s and o’s(calendar). Jordan, thanks for always giving us a good laugh with perfect timing and always being a positive light. Christina, thanks for helping us all grow instructionally in the most subtle ways and all the work you put into the district this year with curriculum. We will miss you dearly but know your next adventure is something you will rock at. Our third grade kiddos have grown so much this year; GREAT job team! -Betsy Arnold
WOW to specials teachers for always being flexible and willing when plans are frequently changed for students who need extra supports! –Betsy Arnold
WOW to Nikki Lovelace for all the Math work she did with our third grade students this year. She was great at adjusting to what our students needed. We also appreciated all the communication we received from you on what our kiddos were working on when they were in your care! Thanks for your hardwork. –Third Grade team
WOW to Admin team for always asking what they can do to help support our team. Thanks for bringing back our old friend “G”. We are excited about that! –Betsy Arnold
WOW to the committee that put on Field Day. My kiddos and I had a blast. Great work! –Betsy Arnold
WOW to Mrs. Alvernia for always being so patient with TL when she is not being so loveable. Once she got past her “moment” I always appreciated how you could show her you still love her. I appreciate your efforts to welcome her to your room and work with her. Also thanks for always communicating with me. –Betsy Arnold
WOW to Kelly Edwards- she gave A LOT of MAP tests. She was able to problem solve locations, times, and makeups even when I was unavailable to help her do so. – Dr. O-H
WOW to Shanna Bradley for sharing Kelly and Carrie with me for MAP testing the last 6 weeks. – Dr. O-H
WOW to the interventionists! We would not have been able to get through all of our separate setting testing without your help. Also, thanks for sharing your room so kids could test in there! – Dr. O-H
WOW to all the 3-5 grade teachers! You all made it through MAP testing and everyone is finishedJ Thank you for your patience with technology, me, and the kids! Thanks for all your help! – Dr. O-H
WOW to Christina Pliske who helped me fold boxes and get all the Science materials pulled for our new Science lab! – Dr. O-H
WOW to Jane for helping me with surplus, picking us all the 5th grade BBQ supplies, and picking up all our teacher appreciation gifts! We couldn’t do these special events without your help and we are very appreciative! – Dr. O-H
WOW to Tessa and Jennifer for all your hard work! I know this is the busy season for the office with lots of visitors, extra paperwork to do, and supporting teachers with last minute requests. I appreciate all you ladies do to help our students, staff, and families! – Dr. O-H
WOW to Katie for putting together all of our Friday assemblies! This has become a great addition to our school-wide recognition system and we couldn’t have done it without you. I appreciate all that you do and what I have learned from you these past two years. Thank you!!!! – Dr. O-H
WOW to Michele Kelly who was covering Tony’s room while he was out. I don’t know how you do it with a smile, but you do, and it’s appreciated!– Dr. O-H
WOW to all of the special education paras. I know we have been short a few times and you all have been very flexible with scheduling and who you are working with. Thanks for the positive attitude and teamwork! – Dr. O-H
WOW to all the reading teachers, interventionists, and instructional paras for Aimswebbing last week. I know this can be hectic, but you ladies knocked it out of the park like champs- and with smiles on your faces! Thanks! – Dr. O-H
WOW to the counselors for all your help answering support calls and working with dysregulated kids. The end of the year can be very hard on folks and we appreciate all you do to help us! – Dr. O-H
WOW to everyone who has stopped by with pop or candy for us ladies in the office last week! – Dr. O-H
WOW to everyone for the Principal’s Day gifts! That was very thoughtful and I love t read and save all the cards from everyone! – Dr. O-H
WOW to the custodians for getting everything set up for our end of year events, getting the science materials out to the portable, and everything you do each day to help our school look nice! – Dr. O-H
WOW to Jordan Fruit! I love how you show imitative, make changes to help us be more efficient, and work collaboratively to make sure that everything gets done well. Thank you! – Dr. O-H
WOW to EVERYONE for all your hard work this year! I can’t believe we are at the end already. You all have done such good work to support students’ academic and social/emotional growth! I am so proud of you guys and am looking forward to another amazing school year in 2018-2019. – Dr. O-H
WOW to Natalie for being a great mentor to me. I have learned so much from you and I appreciate all the support and guidance. I love working at The Ridge and you are a big part of that. Thank you for your vision and leadership, and thanks for pulling me out of the rabbit hole every now and then! – Dr. O-H
OOPS Box
Meeting Minutes
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iWBv-FOp0oRsbVvxW7_HXmwzRm19yBEVOUkMu1gZTCQ/edit?usp=sharing
Literacy Data Team
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UHquPZKXV8Gz_gRltRtOq2Sx_Tp5j_c6_FSwetbIXNc/edit?usp=sharing
FHEA
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_FhBtDPm3bwkkEZyH-AOx89E5uQ19SeFRCbJ8BkQBjc/edit?usp=sharing
Parent Engagement
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dcssLlwghihQm7R7pdixZqx-S5PMZWzXysWSYsZ939k/edit?usp=sharing
Updated Room Assignments
Please note there have been a few changes to room assignments since the last newsletter.
- Adams- Room 21
- Moersch- Room 20
- Molitor- Room 9
- McCoy- Room 4
- Harris- Room 11
- Conference Room- Room 36
- Button- Room 38
- Leffeler- Room 40
- McCauley- Room 44
- Glennon- Room 42
- New Teacher- Room 41
- FItzgerald and Pliske- Room 54
- Loyd- Room 46B
- Vest- Room 46A
- Carr- 55
- Baughn (New Counselor) and Reagan- Room 27
- Recovery Room- Room 10
- Science Lab- Portable
Staff Updates
Megan Sullivan has accepted the second grade position. Megan previously worked at Vacation Station and student taught with Betsy Arnold. She has been subbing in the building and has also completed multiple long term substitute positions in the district. We are excited to have Megan join the Harvest Ridge.
We need to hire one more SPED para. We will post that position soon and work to get it filled.
Beginning of the Year Dates
- Back to School Bash- July 26th, 5:30-7:30
- Teachers Return- August 2nd
- Kick Off- August 6th
- Open House Grades 1-5- August 6th, 5:00-7:00
- Kindergarten Open House- August 7th
- Half PD Day- August 7th, 8:00-12:00
- Full Building Meetings, August 8th- 8:30-3:30
- First Day of School- August 9th
- Kindergarten Boo Hoo Breakfast- August 9th, 9:30
Master Schedule/District Calendars
( Harvest Ridge has made changes to August 6th and August 8th- The 6th is Kick Off and a half work day, the 8th is a full building meeting day)
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mkkboIApFACeOhoodDSaY0her_Yrp_h9
Master Schedule 2018-2019
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B7wJUOZxGb1RD328zDCdF8V605Ab1o5UTU0HaI9jTXc/edit?usp=sharing
Early Release Schedule 2018-2019
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IKg0bMS6bpYnTCkpVwKp2jxqrt89NZdT3GNFinAQOjc/edit?usp=sharing
Daily Schedules 2018-2019
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vODzbmj7llcq4Ys8A9RsZUgFsYUE7PZYDi1oA8sYrM4/edit?usp=sharing
EDC Roles for 2017-2018
1st Grade- Lindsey Crawford
2nd Grade- Jodi Fitzgerald
3rd Grade- Betsy Arnold
4th Grade- Nathan Mackwiewicz
5th Grade- Janice Beerman
SPED- Tony Beer and Nikki Lovelace
Sanctuary Training
PBIS Updates
The Tier One team has been working hard this last quarter finalizing what our plan will be for 2018-2019 school year. I would like to thank Christina Pliske, Drew Moersch, Courtney Cole and Sarah Giammanco for all the work they have done this year. There have been several decisions made for the building that will start next year. We will be getting a school store next year which will be in Room 36. We will be offering school spirit items and relational type items such as spend time with an adult. Students will be able to purchase items by using their hawk Habit Tickets to get “money”. The relational items will be cheaper than some of the school spirit items. We will have parents run the store when it is open. The school store will be open before school starts around 8:50-9:05 and then possibly at the end of the day from 3:45-4:00. Students will take over running the school store later in the year after being trained. You will get a list of the items and the price at the beginning of the year when the store is ready to go.
The team has also been hard at work to create a schedule for the 2018-2019 school year for teaching and reteaching expected behaviors and lessons for each location. This schedule will be coming as well in August. We will be coordinating our Friday Meetings to help incorporate teaching behaviors and training staff and students which will help with consistency and making sure that we focus on our biggest challenges regarding behavior.
Safety and Security Committee Updates
This year the Committee focused on the building environment and making sure that our individual classrooms and building spaces were safe for students. We conducted classroom walkthroughs in which we looked at clear spaces for movement, making sure that we are following fire code regarding wall coverings, storage and light covers. We also looked for SEOP binders and made sure that all emergency signage was posted in each location. These walkthroughs generated discussion about classroom safety and substitutes in the building.
The team came up with a template for all staff to use when they are out of the building to include emergency procedures, lesson plans, student/class schedules, and student specific behavioral information. One of the biggest safety concerns that substitutes have shared is the lack of information about high needs students and tips and tricks to use with them to keep them safe and regulated. This process will help subs get to know our students, classrooms and procedures much quicker and allow students to have as much consistency when staff is out.
Staff will receive a template at the beginning of the year to complete and you can update it as needed throughout the year. The office will also be providing substitutes with an informational packet about our building procedures such as PBIS expectations, Hawk Habit Tickets, High Fives. This will help substitutes get as much information about how we do things around here and allow the students to maintain their routines as much as possible.
Literacy Interventions/Fast Bridge/Dyslexia Update
The team recognizes that due to having to train for a new assessment tool we will slow down the process for interventions just a bit next year to ensure everyone has the training they need to be successful. I ask that you be patient as we roll out this new assessment tool and be patient as we work together to implement mandates around Dyslexia. The team doesn't have all the answer yet, but will certainly be working to get you all the information you need.
If you have any questions about interventions, Fast Bridge, or Dyslexia please see Dr. DeWeese, a reading teacher, or Jodi. We are happy to help or get you the answers you need.
Closing Message from Dr. DeWeese
While the intent of the these meetings was to place kids, I have to say it was an incredible thing to watch all day. I know how much you all care about your students, but for some reason watching you place kids for the next school year really shed light on how much you all pour your heart and soul into our kids. I couldn't let the year close without recognizing it.
It may not always be easy for you to see, but you all have made an incredible amount of progress with students. You have done an amazing job using what you have learned this year from Heather Forbes, Lucy Calkins, PBIS, Trauma Training, or just from each other to help kids succeed. The road hasn't always been easy and your first attempts to help kids haven't always worked, but you never gave up. You worked as a team, you communicated with parents, and became a champion for your kids.
Thanks for ALL that you do for kids. It really is incredible and it makes me extremely proud to be the principal at Harvest Ridge when I see all that you do for students. I am so lucky to learn from you all every day and be part of a group of people who share a passion for keeping kids first. Sometimes at the end of a school year the stresses of getting all the checklists completed takes over and we forget how far we have come.
I hope that in the coming days you will take some time to think back to the beginning of the year and realize all that you have done and the impact you have had this year on each other and on your students. As you reflect I hope that you will see that we have a good things happening here at The Ridge and it can only get better from here. Enjoy your summer and please take time to relax and unwind. You have more than earned it!
Special WOW
Many of you often hear me say, "we just need to think outside the box" or "we just need to do something different for this student." I received the following email on Friday and thought that not only is this is huge celebration for the student, but it is a great example of what can happen when we think "outside the box" to help a student succeed.
There is so much to celebrate in the email below. As Jae has moved through grade levels a number of staff members have worked to help Jae succeed. This is a perfect example of how sometimes it just takes time to get the right intervention in place. It warms my heart that we kept at it with Jae and we never gave up. Way to go team!
I just wanted to share a celebration with you both from a parent. I had to call Jae Smith's mom to let her know about SB319 and the Reading Improvement Plan for 18-19. While I was talking to her, she raved about the amount of progress that Jae has made this year in reading with the help and support of Mrs. Anderson. She was so pleased and proud of the growth and the confidence that Jae has gained as a reader and asked if there was a way that the same plan could continue next year. She was just so appreciative and thankful that Jae has had this opportunity. I also shared with her that "Mrs. Anderson" has also expressed the same joy to all of us about the growth Jae has made this year. In addition, I shared that "Mrs. Anderson" also had the same request to continue to work with Jae next year in order to continue to enhance her growth and confidence. While I couldn't make any promises, I did tell her that it was definitely noted for us to remember and consider as we plan for interventions next year. She was very happy for our future consideration.
Dione, thanks for all you have done to help Jae in her journey as a reader. She is so fortunate to have you on her side helping her daily build up her skills and confidence. The smile on Jae's face yesterday (as you were continuing to still instruct her:)) was priceless when I shared how proud her mother and all of us are with her effort and perseverance.
Natalie, thanks for allowing our Reading Team to work 1:1 with students or even with students in smaller groups. We so appreciate your understanding that meeting the reading needs of students is not always a "one size fits all group or program" approach. The students at The Ridge are so fortunate that you "have their back."
I just wanted to share the impact that you both have had in the life of a child. Relish in the moment!
Where is Dr. DeWeese for the Summer?
I will literally be off the grid the last week in June. My husband and I are headed to Mexico with friends for a much needed getaway. The only time I completely turn off work is when I get out of town, so I will be turning it off that whole week. I will not even be opening email. Well, I am at least going to try really, really, hard. I will also be out the first week in July. The second week in July I will be out attending the Lucy training.
You can reach me throughout the summer via email, calling the office, or calling my cell. 314-303-1538