This and That:
Sync-up: About a month ago, our Advisory Team started talking about what areas we should be synced-up on at Elk Meadow. A little background… every year, I am asked by different individuals and or teams about how synced/ similar they need to be on a wide variety of topics. My answer is almost always the same: generally speaking, teams should be as similar as possible. The experience in one first grade classroom should be very similar to the experience in the next first grade classroom down the hall. Our students and families deserve better than an “educational lottery” determined by which teacher you get. However, I also recognize that teaching has a personal and creative aspect to it that brings joy to the teaching and as a result makes the learning more engaging for students.
With all of this in mind, I do believe it’s time for us to start working as a staff to sync-up in some areas. Some areas might be better synced at the building level (a clear K-5 system), some areas might be better synced at the team level, and some might be better at the individual level. With your feedback, our Advisory Team will be deciding on Tuesday which areas we will work on this year and at what level (school, team, individual). More info soon.
SIW – Excellence and Equity Review: SIW this week will be one of our four district SIWs for the year. We will meet in the media center at 1:45 and Frank and I will lead the staff through an activity designed for you to provide feedback regarding next steps for our district. Bring your open minds, smart brains, and be ready to be an active participant.
Principal for a Day: The Bend Education Foundation asks principals each year to host a community member as “Principal for a Day.” I will have a community member with me on Friday for the first half of the day. I am hoping to show-off some of the great learning at Elk Meadow. If you are doing an activity on Friday morning that would make for a cool walk through, please let me know! Let’s show off!
Art Dates for the Year: Mark your calendars now for the following events:
- Art in the Meadow – May 15th
- Art workshops – 12/4, 12/11, 12/18 & 3/4, 3/11, 3/18
- Missoula Children’s Theatre – The Emperor’s New Clothes: April 20-25
- Dale Largent (Artist in Residence Drumming) – February 3-14
- Lobby Art – More info soon
- Mural – More info soon
Veterans Day: From Nutrition Services: Nutrition Services is planning to host the 3rd annual Veteran’s Day promotion on Friday, November 8th. We will again be honoring veterans who are family members of students and staff only. This year we’re adding an additional recognition of the veterans in the form of a thank you note from the students and staff. We’ll be providing thank you cards sometime next week and when they are completed, just drop them off in the kitchen. During the Veteran’s Day lunch, the kitchen staff will pass out the thank you cards to the veterans. If you have students who would like to hand out cards, please let Becca know. Here is the poster that will be up in the kitchens and the thank you cards that will be provided for you. The Menu will be homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes w/ beef gravy, caesar salad, and a flag cookie.
PE Minutes: Hopefully all grade level teams have been able to connect with Melissa to hear the PE presentation about the PE law and how classroom teachers are being asked to support. Here is a link to the activities spreadsheet referenced in the presentation. PE teachers will continue to update and add to it as the year goes on.
Inclement Weather: Here is a link to inclement weather guidelines from Human Resources. Hopefully we’ve got several more weeks before we really need to think about this!!
To Do:
•Advisory reps… please be sure to bring your team’s feedback to our Tuesday meeting about which areas should be (even if they are not currently) synced and at what level… I sent an email with a support document a few weeks ago that you can use (or not) to collect their feedback. The list on this document is NOT exhaustive – please feel free to add topics. I anticipate that we will continue to tackle these topics for the next few years.
Reminders For This Week:
- Monday: Red
- Tuesday: Yellow, Lockout drill, Last fall Run Club, Advisory Team
- Wednesday: Red, ICCL meeting
- Thursday: Yellow, Halloween, Core EBISS Team
- Friday: Red, Eagle Spirit Assembly
SIW Schedule:
- 10/30 Excellence and Equity feedback
- 11/6 District
- 11/13 Committees
- 11/20 Individual Time
- 11/27 Thanksgiving Break
- 12/4 TBD
- 12/11 QPR Training
- 12/18 Individual Time
- 12/25 Winter Break