This and That:
1/22 SIW Plan: Our next SIW will be focused on the first of the 4 PLC questions, “What do we want our students to learn?” As we discussed earlier in the school year, writing will be our school-wide PLC focus this year. So, our work on Wednesday will be to study the writing CCSS and determine which of them are priority standards.
Inclement Weather Guidelines: Follow this link to the inclement weather guidelines. I put this in the newsletter back in October, but it probably feels more relevant now. And, since it is quite rare that we have a 2 hour delay, I thought many staff might appreciate a reminder about how it works (hint: it’s not a two hour delay for staff and you should plan to arrive as close to your regular start time as safely possible.)
Report Card Questions: I am working on getting answers to the questions you shared at our SIW on Wednesday. Will send answers to those questions soon.
Important Report Card Dates:
- Friday, 1/31 – First day that report cards can be marked as complete and/or printed.
- Monday, 2/3 – Report cards to be complete, printed, stuffed into envelopes and in April’s hands by 3:00.
- Tuesday, 2/4 – All report cards sent via U.S. Mail to families.
T-shirt Design Contest: PTO is hosting a student created design contest for our new Elk Meadow t-shirts and sweatshirts. Students are invited to submit their designs no later than Monday, February 3rd. Please encourage your students to participate. Here are the rules:
- Use only one color
- Design should be no bigger than 8.5” x 11”
- Use a mixture of thick and thin lines One lucky winner will receive a free t-shirt or sweatshirt with their design.
Bingo Night: Mark your calendars now for February 28th PTO Bingo night! It was a lot of fun and a huge success last year! Please consider volunteering that evening as we will need all the help we can get! Mainly, help will be needed selling Bingo cards, daubers, pizza, etc…
September-December Comparison FYI Data: For your browsing pleasure, Frank compiled our Sept.-Dec. FYI comparison data for the past three years.
Relationship, Responsibility and Regulation Quote: As Frank mentioned at our last SIW, our PBIS team has chosen some quotes from a book they are reading together titled: Relationship Responsibility and Regulation: Trauma-Invested Practices for Fostering Resilient Learners By Kristin Van Marten Souers with Peter Hall. These quotes will be shared in this portion of the newsletter each week.
Falling back on assumptions about students based on limited information causes problems. It’s our responsibility to find a way to meet those needs and provide help. We ought to embrace the reality that this student has unmet needs and is asking for help. It is our responsibility to find a way to meet those needs and promote that help. Think of this massive learning project as a marathon, not a sprint. Embrace the reality that it may take a while before you see the shifts that you want.
A Look at the Role of the Arts in Juvenile Justice: A super short read. Arts engagement… may assist in narrowing the achievement gap and increasing equitable educational opportunities for justice-impacted youth.
BLP Latino Family Night: Please share the linked information about Latino Family Night with your families as appropriate. All staff are invited to attend as well.
Valentines Day Idea: Don’t miss the opportunity to talk about the value of friendship across differences (especially as this day falls in the middle of Black History Month, Feb. 1-29). Here is a list of children’s literature about love and friendship from the perspective of different cultures, languages, and racially-diverse characters. Let me know if there are any you would like to try with your class… I am happy to order them from Amazon for our school.
To Do:
Reminders For This Week:
- Monday: Red
- Tuesday: Yellow, earthquake drill
- Wednesday: Red, Site Council
- Thursday: Yellow,
- Friday: Red, DIBELS Day
SIW Schedule:
- 1/22 PLC
- 1/29 PLC
- 2/5 District (choice)
- 2/12 PLC
- 2/19 Individual Time
- 2/26 PLC
- 3/4 District (choice)
- 3/11 PLC
- 3/18 Individual
- 3/25 Spring Break