Attendance- Please document in the attendance spread sheet if we decided at MTSS that you were to contact a parent re: attendance. We need to be able to reference time/date of contact and any special notes. Thank you.
Secure in Place Drill- We are required to have a secure in place drill in November. We will hold this on Tuesday, November 29, from 9:15-9:30. During a secure in place drill, we lock and secure all outside doors, don’t let anyone in the building, and carry on with business as usual inside the building. The time we have set should not interrupt any recesses and will have little to no impact on your day. At 9:15, we will announce a secure in place drill. We will lock the front door and put a sign on it. You will carry on. At 9:30, we will announce the end of the drill, unlock the front door and take the sign down.
Mark your calendar (google, outlook, baby kitten pictures, whichever one you use)– Wednesday, December 14, we will be having a holiday sing along beginning at 6:00- 7:00 PM (unless the time changes) on the Buckingham primary playground. There will be fire pits, hot chocolate, candy canes, possibly a guy in a red suit and some caroling. It will be a low key way for Buckingham families and staff to build community and have a little fun.
Project Lead the Way- If you haven’t been trained for Project Lead the Way, remember Wednesday, November 30 is your day. Please arrange for a sub and be prepared for a fantastic day of STEM learning.
PLC’s- A couple reminders from the PLC team- remember to shoot for at least 2 PLC’s per month. Thursdays (that you aren’t meeting for MTSS) have been set aside for PLC’s. The focus should be on one or more of the four questions (test yourself- can you recite the four questions?). The first question, learning targets, will often be a focus for our mini observations.
Bronco Bucks- Everyone is doing a great job passing out Bronco Bucks to individual students. It is definitely part of Buckingham’s culture and students still love getting them. A reminder from the PLC team, let’s expand our focus and work on giving class Broncos when we get the chance. Teachers are doing a great job of creating class goals for class Broncos and Jon is announcing class rewards when he knows about them. But… it’s much easier for classes to earn if more people are giving them out. See a colleague’s class walking nicely in the hall? Give ’em a Bronco. Lining up nicely after recess? Give ’em a Bronco.
Lexia- The following came in our principal notes this week: Lexia Update – As you probably heard yesterday during our Educator Network Day, Lexia still plays an important role in our reading instruction. We know that the focus these first few months has been on Really Great Reading (as it should), but the time has come to start reminding teachers, and helping teachers, bring Lexia into their schedule. Some teachers have already done this and their usage and progress is right where it should be. Others have put all their energies toward RGR so we need to help them bring Lexia on board too. Beginning in January we would like to see it being used in all our classrooms and students meeting their goal for units gained. Between now and then you can start laying the groundwork for this to happen and start engaging in conversations around usage. Be sure to reach out to a coach for any assistance or guidance. If you need a refresher on how to look at your data, you can access directions here.
Interviews- We will be interviewing for Jean’s replacement upon our return from Thanksgiving break. There will be ICCL’s and first grade teachers on our team. The district wide postings have been removed, meaning we need to post for 10 days. We will keep you updated as it unfolds.
Have a great Thanksgiving break. We hope you are able to focus on the positives and find much to be thankful for.
Upcoming Events
November 21-25- Thanksgiving Break- No School
November 28- ICCL meeting-conference room-2:30
November 29- Secure in place drill- 9:15-9:30
November 30- SIW- STEM team- Project Lead the Way- Library- 1:45-3:15
December 1- Kindergarten MTSS- 2:30- Miriam’s room
December 5- Staff Meeting-2:30- Library
December 6- Fire Drill- 12:55
December 8- 5th Grade MTSS- 2:30- Miriam’s room
December 12- ICCL Meeting- 2:30- Conference Room
December 14- All School Sing A Long- 6:00 PM
December 15- 4th grade MTSS
December 19-December 30- Holiday Break
January 3- School Resumes