This and That:
Staffing: At this time, it is sounding like we will be taking one transfer and hiring for two positions. I have heard AMAZING things about our transfer and will hopefully be able to share a name this week so we can all provide a warm welcome. I am feeling quite fortunate that we are getting such a great transfer AND will still be able to hire for TWO positions!
Now it is time to start working on specialist staffing. As I shared a few weeks ago, we are losing .2 of our specialist FTE. Although we would all like to have a 1.0 PE and 1.0 music, it is not in the cards for this year. After listening to feedback from all of you this year and talking with Kathy and Melissa, I have determined that we will be hiring a 1.0 music position (it is currently .8 music + .2 temp music) and keep PE at .8. (Never fear, this will not change my promise to you that we will NOT be asking for a Wednesday waiver… we will just be looking at other creative solutions.) I have heard from several of you that you and your students have been missing the Wednesday PE/ Movement time. Kathy is on board to ensure the Wednesday time next year will be in the gym (usually) and will combine music and movement. I’m excited to see what her creative mind cooks up! Our next step will be to work on our Wednesday schedule to ensure all staff have a 30 minute prep. More info soon.
I know that some of this hiring and FTE stuff can be confusing. PLEASE do not hesitate to come and talk with me if you would ever like more details or have questions. I will share whatever I am able.
Classroom Assignments: I am close to completing a map of classroom assignments for next year. It is looking like we will have quite a bit of movement this year, BUT it will keep teams together and allow us to have very little movement for years into the future. Most staff should be planning for a move and we will talk soon about how to make the move go as smoothly as possible.
Child & Youth Resiliency Measure (CYRM): Our district will be administering a social/emotional assessment to all students in K-12 called the Child & Youth Resiliency Measure. A letter will be sent to parents this week via email (we will also send you a copy of this info to you). We will be giving you more information about this at our 4/24 SIW.
State Assessment Time: Intermediate students will be taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment from now until Memorial Day. During these testing times, it is important that the noise in wings be kept to a minimum. Please review and continue to reinforce for your students the importance of showing support and compassion for their peers by using a level 1 voice in common areas. It will help out greatly if you include this reminder as part of your daily routine when students come and go for groups if you are not already doing so.
Art Inspiration: To get students into the”artist zone” try having students work on a project upside down.
PBIS: Responding to life’s demands requires a lot of thinking skills. If a child doesn’t have the skills to handle a trigger or meet an expectation, that is what we call a “problem to be solved.” Until we solve that problem, the trigger or expectation is likely to result in some form of challenging behavior. The most important task during the assessment phase is identifying the specific triggers or expectations that frequently lead to challenging behavior, as well as the thinking skills that would help the child to handle those demands more adaptively. (From Think:Kids)
Reminders For This Week:
- Wednesday: ICCL meeting, District SIW
- Thursday: MAC survey, spring pictures, Gr. 4 EBISS, Grade Level Team Meetings
- Friday: Advisory Team meeting
Rotating Before School Duty:
| April 15-19 | Ehlert | Carrol |
| April 22-26 | Holmberg | Frost |
| April 29- May 3 | Hanson | McLarty |
| May 6-10 | Kandra | Jones |
SIW Schedule:
Below is a DRAFT of our SIW schedule for through the end of the year for your planning. Please let your advisory representative or Kelle know if you have any questions or ideas.
- 4/17 District
- 4/24 TBC
- 5/1 Team Time & Kindergarten Open House
- 5/8 PBIS: CPS
- 5/15 Art in the Meadow Prep
- 5/22 TBD
- 5/29 End of year tasks
- 6/5 End of year tasks
- 6/12 Full day