Transition Plus
Positive words are well spring of life
Trouble Viewing your MMM?
Attendance
Reasons Why Keeping Accurate Attendance is Important:
- Research tells us that good attendance leads to improved achievement.
- Good attendance is a skill important for students to master for future success in employment.
- County social workers, probation officers, advocates and others may call to see if a student is present to meet with them. Many times, it may be marked to indicate the student is here, but when the person arrives, we learn the student wasn’t here at all that day. If accurate attendance isn’t take it is ard for those trying to observe/meet with students to find them.
- Social workers are asked to document student attendance for benefits, probation officers, Hennepin County Human Services, daycare, and public housing; so correct attendance has impact on student’s benefits, finances, housing and legal issues.
- MPS has a district wide goal for increased attendance and looks at our attendance data.
- Not everyone is taking attendance for every class on a daily basis-records default to present if something else is not indicated.
- In considering whether to do a 15 day drop, in looking at attendance records, we see that a student is intermittently marked present for 1 class period. Is that accurate?
Your Responsibility as a Teacher Regarding Attendance
1. Every day for every class period, you are expected to take attendance for all students. This includes advisory.
- If a student shows up on your roster and you don’t know who they are, mark them absent.
- If a student shows up in your class and is NOT on your roster, check with a social worker, the counselor, or engagement team.
- If a student has an altered schedule (only comes for part of the day due to work, or only comes alternate days etc.), make sure their schedule accurately reflects this. If a student gets a job and is going to be regularly gone, the schedule should be changed to reflect this.
2. If a student tells you they will be absent for some reason (working, doctor’s appointment etc.), it is your responsibility to email Melissa for proper coding of the absence.
3. If the student is going to be at an off-site training (e.g. PCA training etc.) communicate with Melissa as this is marked as an alternative activity, not an absence.
4. If one of your advisees misses 3 days of school in a row, it is your responsibility to contact the student (or have support staff assist in doing so) and document the contact in EdPlan contact log. Your Relationship with the student is critical in improving student attendance.
Reporting of Attendance -
- Teachers should take attendance every hour every day. Reports will be generated and discussions will be initiated when attendance is not recorded in Gradebook.
- Use correct codes. You should only use U for absence, Q for unexcused tardy, L for excused tardy.
- Students who are out ill or due to an appointment, will be marked out accordingly by Melissa.
- Consult with Melissa for the following, or for any other concerns or input – Using an attendance code other than U, Q, or L
- Students who are out ill or due to an appointment, will be marked out accordingly by Melissa.
- All student updates, if you get calls/emails/notes, etc. regarding the reason for a student absence, let Melissa know.
Student self-reporting on attendance
- All demographic changes – address, phone # contact info. We want to be sure that we have the most correct emergency information as possible.
Printed instructions on attendance recording for teachers is available in the mail room if you need it.
PSEO Priority Deadline
MCTC has a new priority deadline of April 15th for PSEO. Student who don't have the test scores yet or are not sure if they want to do PSEO can wait to apply by the July 1 deadline, however, students who know they want to do PSEO may want to meet the priority deadline.
The main advantage to meeting the priority deadline is students get to pick classes earlier (before some classes fill up) and they can complete orientation earlier.
Students can still submit applications up until the final deadline of July 1 but it is an absolute, final deadline. Student can make an appointment to complete the PSEO application with Britt.
Accuplacer Tuesday, April 10th
The next Accuplacer date is Tuesday, April 10th. This will be the last testing opportunity before the PSEO priority deadline of April 15th. Priority spots for testing will be given to prospective PSEO students trying to get one more test in before the priority deadline.
Mammo a-go-go is coming back to the Minneapolis School District! On-site mobile mammography is available for employees and spouses. Appointments only take 15 minutes and will be held at:
Wilder Complex
3345 Chicago Ave
March 30th 11:00-1:00pm
Call 952-993-3700 to schedule your appointment. Please reference the Minneapolis School District event.
Contact Lindsay Biller at 612-668-0520 or via email wellness@mpls.k12.mn.us with any questions
PAYROLL ENTRY FOR MARCH 19-30
All non-licensed staff must have their payroll entered for the period listed above by noon on Wednesday, March 28.
Traci needs time to make sure it is accurate before you leave on Thursday afternoon.
If payroll is not correct or not entered prior to the end of your duty day on Thursday, March 29 it will not be approved until after spring break. That means you will not be paid timely.
Sick time cannot be used on March 30th. You may use vacation time if you have passed probation.
Do not enter regular time for March 30th, it is a non-duty day.
Free Professional Development
Check out this amazing experience-
If you are free 4/7/18 and want to come back from break revitalized and ready to try some new innovative strategies with students check out the Twin Cities EdCamp with educators from all around the twin cities.
Safety and Security Guiding Principles
- Security=Relationships
- The responsibility of safety and security is for everyone in our building
- Physical security is not meant to be convenient
- Safety is everyone's responsibility
* Please make sure that you are wearing your school ID at all times when you are within the district buildings and grounds.
* Be prepared at all times for lockdowns- if you are going to keep your door propped open please make sure it is locked, so you will not have to fumble with keys to try to get it locked in an emergency situation.
* No Propping of outside doors- do not let somebody else in after 9 am- in a true emergency situation a person could force their way in if the door is opened for someone. (We are unique in that there are 3 main points of entry for the building - please do not create other opportunities. Those 3 points have monitors at each door.
* Every person should be entering the building through door 16 after 9am
Job Fair!!!
This is an AMAZING opportunity for students!
The (Newly Renovated) Phillips Community Center Aquatics Center is opening soon and they are looking for staff. A Job Fair will be held:
Wednesday, March 28
4:30-7:00pm
Phillips Community Center
2323 11th Avenue South
Mpls, MN 55404
The Park Board is committed to hiring staff from the Phillips neighborhood, reflective of the demographics of Phillips. Bilingual Somali/ English and Spanish/ English speakers are encouraged to apply. Schedules are flexible.
You do not need to be able to swim for the Aquatic Assistant positions. These positions are entry-level customer-service, front desk positions. The pool will be open daytime, nights and weekends so many staff members are needed. Life guards are also needed.
See the attached flyer for more info
Mental Health Team Tip of the Week:
The Healthy Mind Platter contains seven essential mental activities necessary for optimum mental health in daily life, according to Dr. Dan Siegel and Dr. David Rock.
We covered sleep and physical time in recent weeks. Today we're highlighting
focus time. When we closely focus on tasks in a goal-oriented way, we take on challenges that make deep connections in the brain. Lucky for us, our jobs here at T Plus provide all kinds of ways to focus our brains (helping students to carry out their goals, writing IEPs, facilitating meetings, teaming with others with an end-result, etc). We can thank these aspects of our jobs for helping to meet the needs of our brain!
Stay tuned for more info on the third essential activity next week - or check it out for yourself:
Food Service News!!!
Wednesday Staff Lunch:
Salad Bar
$5.00
11:30-12:50 C183
Specialty Cookies BIG!
$1.00
All kinds of add-ins: chocolate, coconut, walnuts, marshmallows, sprinkles, white chocolate, peanut butter, raisins, oatmeal, kitchen sink
Choose one that’s already made or put in an order for what you want.
Employee Assistance Program
- Emotional Wellness
- Financial and Legal
- Parenting and Childcare
- Relationships
- Senior Life
- Work and Career
- And Much more
Brochures are outside Jason's office near the time off request forms.
If you have short term counseling needs (1-3 sessions )- you can call Kelli Skoog at 1-866-228-2809
Please close your windows
All classroom windows need to be closed at the end of the day.
This is to prevent uninvited guests
(human and critter) from entering the building.
Thanks!!!
License Information
- Staff License Areas- In case you need someone to be a part of your team
- Licensure Requirements- What license is needed for each disability area
Upcoming at T- Plus
Monday---------
Tuesday -------- Team 2 Data Meeting
Wednesday---- Team 3 data Meeting
Thursday------- Team 1 Data Meeting
Friday ----------- Teacher Record Keeping Day- No school for students
March is Women's History Month
The second video is Sweet Honey in the Rock- These women sing songs that remind of us of the struggles that continue for individuals of color. This is powerful to me, as April 4th will mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.