Liberty Drive Elementary
Moving Our Bus...On the Road to Excellence
2016...LOOK OUT! HERE WE COME!
As we start 2016 let's continue to move forward and acknowledge that there may be times we have to pull the bus over to check the map or get a tune up. This is all a part of our journey on the Road to Excellence!
Let's enjoy the journey!
JANUARY FOCUS
All staff are asked to make note of any ways that they feel that we are working towards meeting our School Improvement Goals. Doing this as we go will make the process more meaningful and the reflection at the end of the year easier. Your School Improvement Team Representatives will share with you how you can record your ideas using our staff Canvas site.
JANUARY EVENTS
- 4th: SIT Meeting
- 5th: 1/2 Day Collaboration
- 7th: PD with Tricia Gladstone (DATE CHANGE)
- 11th: IEI Visit, PBIS Meeting, & STAT Meeting
- 14th: Parent Lunch & Learn 11am-1pm
- 12th: PLC Meeting
- 15th: End of 2nd Quarter & PD with Tricia Gladstone (DATE CHANGE)
- 19th: Optional Teacher Workday
- 20th: Required Teacher Workday & Grades are Due
- 22nd: Report Cards Go Home
- 25th: Staff Meeting
- 29th: 2nd Quarter Awards
School Improvement Goal 3: Communicate opportunities to the community and families that they can be involved in school daily activities and functions.
STAFF WEBPAGES
Before the break Jennifer Buck met with all certified staff to ensure that you could access your web page. It is an expectation that web pages are updated regularly. Please remember this is a school website, not a personal website. It is acceptable to include personal information, but the purpose of this website is to share with students, parents, community members, or even perspective teachers what is going on in the classroom and our school. Please make sure that your pages provide information about the instruction and activities taking place in your classroom. Refrain from displaying information about field trips on any social media, including your webpage. We must remain mindful of custody situations and ensure the privacy of our students and families. Care should be taken to ensure that students who are pictured on any publications (electronic or print) have the appropriate release information on file at the school.
The Instructional Leadership Team will periodically review all the teacher web pages for adherence to these requirements. Additional professional development will be provided for those needing assistance in setting up their webpage or updating a current page.
STUDENT ILLNESS
Should a student become ill during the school day, a parent/guardian will be notified so the student can be picked up from the school office. It is CRUCIAL that we have telephone numbers where the parent or other designated individual may be reached in the case of an emergency. Please be certain that we have several names and numbers of people we may contact. Parents/guardians have been asked to notify the school if any of these names/numbers change during the year. As a general guideline, students should be “fever/symptom free” for 24 hours, without the administration of a fever reducing medication, before returning to school.
Please notify Nurse Carrick if a student returns to school the day after being sent home with a fever. Sometimes parents forget the 24 hour rule and need a friendly reminder.
STUDENT INJURIES
In case of student injuries, the greatest care and consideration is extended. In all cases an attempt will be made to notify parents or the emergency contact. In the case of serious illness or accident, the student will be made as comfortable as possible until help is obtained. Teachers and volunteers are not medically trained and are not expected to administer drugs or treatment beyond reasonable first aid procedures. If a student is injured at school it is imperative that a Student Accident Report be completed. If the School Nurse is not involved in the care of the student the form should be completed by the staff member who provided care. This form can be obtained from the main office. The individual who provided care/witnessed the event should obtain information from all parties involved to complete the form. The completed form should be given to K. Sanders or M. Varoutsos as soon as possible but no later than the end of the school day.
When it is necessary for a student to go to the Health Room, either a teacher, teacher assistant or student helper will accompany the student. In the event of a serious injury or suspicion of a serious injury, the student should not be moved.
Parents should be notified when a student is ill enough to leave school. The student will be allowed to remain in the health room/office until parents arrive. School personnel can only administer medication as stated below.
*2015-2016 LDS Staff Handbook
REPORT CARDS & CONFERENCES
In the student handbook we asked that parents sign and return report cards. If parents have questions about their student’s progress, they have been asked to contact the teacher to schedule a conference. All students should have had a conference at the end of the first quarter. You are encouraged to schedule additional conferences as needed.
To protect instructional time, meetings with teachers should be scheduled during non-instructional time such as before or after school, or during planning periods. Additionally, parents have been told that phone calls will be returned during non-instructional time. A parent should not interrupt a class to speak with a teacher. Parents have been assured that if they leave a message the staff member will promptly return their call at the appropriate time.
School Improvement Goal 3: Communicate opportunities to the community and families that they can be involved in school daily activities and functions.
RETENTION
All decisions involving retention, promotion, or placement are based on what is in the best interest of the individual student academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. If a student is failing to make normal progress, the staff of LDS is committed to notifying the parents of the concern(s) early, so that the school and home may cooperate in helping him/her achieve greater success.
Any student who is a candidate for retention should be discussed during PLC meetings and brought to the STAT team. Before the decision to retain a student is made the Instructional Leadership Team will need to be given data to support that multiple efforts have been made to help the student overcome his/her deficits.
Parent notification of the recommendation to retain will be given as early as possible in the school year, but no later than 10 school days following the end of the third quarter. The minimum notification of the possibility of retention should include a conversation with the 3rd quarter progress report (February 22nd), a parent conference at the end of the 3rd quarter (April 6th), and final decision letter sent home with the fourth quarter report card.
The final decision to retain a student will be made by the Principal based on data provided by the teacher. It is an expectation that parents be informed of the final retention decision prior to the decision letter going home in the report card on the last day of school for any student who will be retained.
REMIND 101
To join please go to the following link: https://www.remind.com/join/ldsstaf
If you are not already using this with your students' parents you may want to consider it.
It is quick, easy, and FREE.