THE FLIGHT RECORDER
Statesville Road Elementary's Weekly Newsletter
Principal's Point to Ponder
Insurance Claims
As adults we purchase insurance to cover costs that arise in the event of an accident, theft, or medical need. The funny thing is we purchase this insurance without knowing if anything will happen that will cause us to have to file a claim. We are preparing for the possibility of needing the money in the future, but it is not a guarantee we will need it. This is not true for the students we serve. As educators, we are like insurance brokers who provide insurance to our kids on a daily basis. The difference when educators see ourselves as insurance brokers is that we KNOW our kids will have to cash in their insurance policies at some point. It's a guarantee. Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade teachers are providing the 'foundation insurance' that our students will use as 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers are providing 'building block insurance' that our students will use in middle school. Our Positive Action curriculum provides 'character insurance' that our students will use in various life situations now and later. So, just as we want to have the best car, home, or health insurance as adults, our kids deserve the best educational insurance we can offer them while they are students. We are underwriting the policies and, if we are do an excellent job, our students will have the coverage they need when (not if) they need to file a claim.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK
Mr. Umberger is making art class relevant and is establishing real world connections for his students. He has arranged for working artists to teach all of our third graders lessons on how to make African masks using clay. Students are not only learning how to work with clay and how to use specific art techniques, they are also expanding their horizons by being exposed to careers in the arts. Are there upcoming units in your grade level that could be enhanced by a visit by a guest lecturer or a practicing professional? The kids will love it!
What's Happening This Week?
- Kudos to the 3rd Grade Team for being troopers, innovators, and data driven while implementing the 3rd grade Read to Achieve portfolio requirements!!
- Kudos to Davis for leading our students to collect over $1,300 for Jumprope for Heart!
- Kudos to Carter for immediately implementing an interactive area and perimeter activity into her intervention block lesson after her data meeting with Stackhouse!
- Kudos to Flowers for showing consistent growth evidenced by her progress monitoring for Kathy Richardson!
- Kudos to Sadler for processing all referrals while Lungarini and Feimster were out.
- Kudos to Chambers and S. McAfee for your consistency and ability to monitor the cafeteria when monitors are absent or pulled to other duties!
- Kudos to the EC Team (Willis, Coppedge, Grain) for the time and effort they are putting in to complete numerous unexpected evaluations, carry out IEP meetings, and conduct re-evals....not to mention all while still seeing kids and preparing for the April 1 headcount!
- Discovery Education Testing begins this week for 2nd - 5th grades. Please follow schedule given at staff meeting last Wednesday and emailed on 2-20-14.
- Teachers: Please be cooperative with all meeting requests and requests for information from the EC Team. They are working under tight timelines and appreciate your willingness to meet with them prior to IEP meetings so they can obtain needed information.
- Teachers: Please DO NOT keep money that is collected from students in your possession or in your classroom overnight. Each day you receipt money, please bring your receipt book to Beckles the same day.
- Instructional Challenge for the week: Have all your materials, supplies, and copies organized and ready for the next day and your "I Can" statements posted for the next day before you leave work each day this week. See what a difference this will make for your mornings....
- Speaking of copies....we are currently $1,500 over budget for copy costs for the year. Please be extremely frugal when making decisions for what needs to be copied. Can students use a journal, use the XO, share worksheets, or can the page be shrank to fit two on a page? Think creatively and make fewer copies or I'm coming around to take up a collection on Tuesday!
Monday, March 10, 2014 (Day 1)
- Happy Monday!
- 4th Grade Field Trip
Tuesday, March 11, 2014 (Day 2)
- Hall and Patterson at Pinewood PD session (AM)
- Walser at Tech Facilitators Meeting (AM)
- 3rd grade: send home parent meeting flyer in Tuesday folder
- 2nd grade: CoGat7 retesting
- 5th Grade Field Trip
Wednesday, March 12, 2014 (Day 3)
- No T25 today (Hopefully, we will be back on schedule next week!)
- 3:30pm - Staff Meeting (Think Tanks and Teacher Working Conditions Survey)
Thursday, March 13, 2014 (Day 4)
- Williams at DPI Principals Meeting / LLI Training (all day)
- Walser at IB Facilitators Meeting (PM)
Friday, March 14, 2014 (Day 5)
- School Spirit Attire: College Gear!! (Go Aggies!)
- Lungarini, Hall, and McCoy at Schoolnet Training (AM)
- Stackhouse at Math Facilitators Meeting (all day)