Our EME Focus
- Tier 1 Instruction
- Belonging
- Define what it means to be an Art Focused School
Thoughts of the Week
Believe good things will happen, and they will!
Despite it being an advertisement 😂, I really love the concept behind such Thai commercials, try watching them without crying will be hard! Try it!
How many times have you gone out of your way to help someone in need?
This is a video where the protagonist demonstrates how small acts of kindness every day make genuine differences in the lives of others. A neglected plant gets a little extra water, an old lady gets a helping hand, and a needy child gets money for education. In return for his good deeds, he doesn’t get any materialistic rewards but the happiness is far more valuable.
Do what you can to help people in need, because there’s nothing more heartwarming than seeing their emotions.
The Coming Week
- Monday
- RESCHEDULED – Fire Drill 8:00
- ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:15
- Tuesday
- Site Visit with Lisa and Tammy 8:00
- Office Staff Meeting 10:00-10:30
- Elementary Leadership Meeting 3:00-5:00
- Wednesday
- EET Book Exchange – All Day
- SPED Planning 2:00-2:30
- SIW – Lori – Math Training/Jill and Steve – District Math Share
- Principal Recruitment Listening Session – 2:45
- Thursday
- MTSS Building Wide 2:30-3:15
- BAM (Beginning Admin Meeting) 5:00-7:00
- Friday
- SpEd Meeting 2:15-3:15
UPCOMING DATES:
- January 23 – Kinder Forest Field Trip
- January 29 – Dibels
- February 2 – No School
Updates from Downtown
NEW and Important! Please let teachers know that report cards must be in and completed by the end of the work day on February 2. The sooner you let them know the better. In an effort to help this happen, elementary report cards are now open. When this doesn’t happen on time, the turnover in the Synergy system to the second semester doesn’t happen, attendance can’t be taken accurately, and it causes unnecessary work to fix the systems. Please make a plan for how you can assure all report cards are done and in before you leave on February 2nd. Also, here is a link to support documents that you and your staff may or may not know about for filling out report cards.
Reminders:
- Office Staff training: Office staff (all of them) will train from 1-2:30 on March 6, April 17, and May 22. Please make a plan for coverage.
- Student Services:
- Monthly REQUIRED inclusion EA Trainings: Contact Krista Hought or Stephanie Smith for info
- Prevent, Teach, Respond information, PTR Facilitators Guide
- MTSS Tier 3 process
- Counseling: School Counseling Blog
- Safety: Updated SRO List as of 1/2/2024.
- TLC Link Update: January 11th Elementary TLC Update
New Notes:
Education Foundation Grants–Round 2! The Education Foundation is doing a second round of classroom grants. This time, the grants will be awarded in the following three areas: STEM, PE, and Art/Music. If the number of grant requests exceeds the available funding, they will fund 1 grant per school based on date received and requirements met. Teachers who did not receive funding in Fall 2023 will receive first priority. A grant report will be due by Jun 1, 2024. The grant application opens on February 5th, closes on March 1, and will be announced March 6-15th. It’s not too early to start thinking of what you may need!
Curriculum, Instruction and Systems (Julie Walker) 4 important items to share out with your staff:
- Teaching Erin’s Law
Child abuse is a sensitive topic and is delivered most effectively by a student’s trusted adult which is traditionally a classroom teacher. It is recommended to teach one lesson per month in February-May. The next option is to teach one lesson per week during the month of April. In either case, please DO NOT teach a lesson in the week prior to Spring Break as there are often disclosures that occur following taught lessons. Two adults (Teacher/Counselor/SSC/Admin/School Psych & teacher) could be present during these lessons in order to support students and each other. If you have a teacher who has experienced abuse and feels distressed with the idea of teaching this topic, please provide alternate options for their students to be instructed. If you know of a student that has already experienced abuse, please work with the student and family to create an alternative plan for the student during instruction if they feel it is necessary.
Teachers will need to send out a family letter two weeks before teaching a lesson.
Here the resources for both the family letter and instruction.
2. Check out this one-pager on marking lessons as complete in Wayfinder.
3. It is time to give the Middle Of Program (MOP) in Reading Playgrounds. Here is a how-to video. Please reach out to instructional coaches with any questions.
These are detailed fact sheets around MOP for each program
The timeline we recommend for each grade level is on these curriculum maps. Below are the CLIFF notes of the time frames:
Kindergarten: After Unit 16 in January. Consider a pause and review after MOP
1st grade: after unit 14 in January, MOP
2nd grade: after unit 14 in January, MOP
3-5th: after unit 14 in January, MOP
4. Last but not least, we are looking for teachers to share their practice and ideas with other teachers at our Feb 28th Educator Network Day. Please have them sign up here if they have an idea for a session and are willing to facilitate that session.
From Jenny White (SEL). Wayfinder activity for a staff meeting or opener for SIW:
This activity in Wayfinder could be a fun activity to build community among staff and reinforce the need to fill our own buckets. It is Refill Your Bucket Resource Board Share these directions on how to find the lesson in Wayfinder with your staff.
Important Dates
- Jan. 23, 3:00-5:00 Elementary Leadership, at Buckingham Elementary
- Jan 30, 2:30-3:00 Title Schools meeting on Teams (check calendar for link)
- Jan 31, All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30
- Jan 31: Black history month kick-off celebration @ PCMS
- Feb. 8: Lunar New Year celebration/AAPI Family Night @ PBMS
- Feb 27: 3:00-5:00. Elementary Leadership, at North Star Elementary