Friday Focus
October 14, 2016
Thought of the Week. . .
If you see a whole thing, it seems that it's always beautiful. Planets, lives. . . .But up close, a world's all dirt and rocks. And day to day, life's a hard job, you get tired, you lose the pattern.
--Ursula Le Guin
This Week's Scoop
- Curious about the schedule on our conference days? Click here to see the schedule.
- Did the link to the schedule work for you? When I experimented, I needed to click to view this newsletter in a web browser. If the links to the schedule and the article don't work, then click in the email to open it in a browser.
- Congratulations to Sandy for leading her students in yet another successful Mother Goose play. Thank you, Gina, for providing the musical stylings!
- We will not be observing Red Ribbon Week this year. I know I had previously put Red Ribbon Week on the calendar, but we are not observing it this year because we did Go Gold Week.
- Thank you, Ana, for organizing another fantastic Success Week!
- Are your students looking for a service project? In connection with the Super Bowl, we can participate in Super Kids--Super Sharing and collect books, sports equipment, and school supplies. Contact me if you'd like more information.
- We are getting closer to receiving our December bonus! It will come on your December 16th paycheck and will be 1% of your salary, not less than $250. It will not be part of our TRS salary which means we will not have the 7.7% TRS deduction.
- The MDE PTA wants you! Thank you to the 13 teachers and staff who have already joined. It's a great way for us to show our appreciation of everything they do. If you are going to join, they would appreciate it if you did so by October 31st because that's when they report their membership to the state PTA organization.
- Have you been booed? To show our appreciation for each other and add some fun to our work, the climate committee has organized booing. If you are booed, keep it going by selecting someone to receive a little day-brightening item.
- Have you finished your Safe Schools training? Friday, October 14th is the deadline for completing watching all the required Safe Schools videos!
- The auction for lunch with the teacher is coming soon! The PTA is wondering if you would be willing to provide a token, such as a homework pass, in addition to the lunch. Would this be OK? If not, please let me know. I told them you would not want to provide a baked good! If you do not want to participate in this auction, please let me know.
Our Four Be's
- Be Professional & Positive
- Be Flexible & Open to Ideas with Emphathy (without judgment or when people do not agree)
- Be Committed to Supporting Each Other & Building Camaraderie (through clear and frequent communication)
- Be Confidential and Trustworthy
Some photo highlights from this week. . . .
1st graders, success week, and health fitness combined
3rd grade college aspirations
Where we all once were before we came to MDE
Mathletes working in the math lab
PK getting ready to perform
3rd graders working on math
Interesting Reading. . .
We've been working on living our norms, and one topic that is still challenging for all of us involves having an uncomfortable conversation with teammates or colleagues. This short article has some useful strategies and approaches to consider trying out.
PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS. . . .
Remember--Every Thursday is a team lunch day!
October 18: PICTURE DAY
October 19: MDE technology inventory--more details coming
October 20: 1/2 day for parent-teacher conferences
October 21: 1/2 day for parent-teacher conferences
October 24: Team Leader Meeting
October 26: Rachel Bailon's birthday
October 28: Fall Festival