Just taking a moment to highlight Ensworth Elementary and how they incorporated the 6 Wayfinder core skills into their 3 schoolwide expectations. Pretty clever Coyotes–Aawwoooo!
From Tammy and Karen
Thank you for an incredible first day and a strong start to the year! We are so grateful for the way you and your staff leaned in with positivity, flexibility, and grace as you navigated both the expected and unexpected changes that always come with a new year. Each of you set a welcoming tone that helped students feel safe, excited, and ready to learn. The energy across our schools was uplifting, and that’s because of your leadership and the dedication of your teams. What a great way to launch the year—as we stay rooted in purposed and steady in growth!
Thank you to Robi Cole for putting together this amazing calendar of special dates throughout the year in which you can recognize the different groups that make up a staff. We’ll keep it in the important links below throughout the year.
Once again, we will share any fun field trips that come our way that you can connect to EL, math, Science, etc. This week, here is a flyer for Schillings Garden and their fall field trip experiences for our primary students. As a friendly reminder, we should not be asking families for money for field trips. You can do a fundraiser for things, but we do not charge families for an opportunity that is part of the school day.
Important Links
- August 27th Elementary TLC Update
- September Special Edge
- 1-Page Student Management guide
- Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice *New space for the 25-26 school year
- FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported
- Dates to recognize groups
Notes from our Team:
From Jennifer Hauth–Director of Student Wellness.
Waypoints Assessment for grades 3-12: This required assessment opens September 18th and closes October 25th for grades 3-12. Student results will become available for all admin/counselors on the Wayfinder MTSS dashboard once all schools have completed the assessment, or October 27th. If all schools are done before October 24th, I will close the assessment so the data is available sooner. End of the year assessment is scheduled for: April 28th – May 30th
The assessment takes 15 to 20 minutes and can be completed on a student’s Ipad, using Clever and then selecting Wayfinder. Here are instructions for how it will appear in Student View.
For students in grades 3–5: When they log in to the Wayfinder platform, the Waypoints assessment will be clearly visible at the top of their dashboard. It will appear as a box containing the assessment’s name with a “Start” button next to it. Students can leave and return to the assessment at any time, as their progress is automatically saved.
Please make sure that all teachers understand the “Why” behind the assessment and that the student results will help to identify students in need of additional skill building groups. They need to read the instructions to the students so that we get quality data to inform interventions. Wayfinder will also recommend additional skill building activities based on what students in their specific classroom need.
Finally, we don’t need to get parent permission for Waypoints. However, there is a letter that you can make a copy of to use for your newsletter if you would like.
This was information was shared with all school counselors:
For the 2025–26 school year, we recommend not completing a school-wide needs assessment by school counselors. Between Synergy’s Early Warning System (EWS), Wayfinder’s Waypoints Assessment, and your school’s Request for Assistance (RFA) process, we should have sufficient data to identify students who may need additional targeted support. If, after consultation with your administrative team, you determine that an additional needs assessment is still necessary, please connect with Jennifer Hauth and Jess Calbreath before moving forward.
If your school chooses to administer a needs assessment, please follow the guidelines and best practices listed on this document.
From Julie Richards- Director of Elementary Curriculum & Instructional Supports
Forefront is for math and LITERACY! Here’s a help doc for leaders — it’s a friendly reminder and how-to regarding monitoring that teachers are getting in that expected data!
This is being shared with teachers on Wednesday, September 10th – mClass Beginning-of-the-Year math assessment – Here is a video about how to assign the assessment. Here is a helpful checklist to get ready for mClass. To get deeper into administering, here is a full document. Here is a description of the Benchmark Goals. There will be more professional learning about how to use the data as the year progresses.
From Sara Young-Director of Student Services
Here is the pdf of the above graphic. Please pay close attention to #4, as it is required to keep the correct ratio of CPI trained staff. If you need to have a training, please reach out to your student services support for information on how you can schedule one.
From Kinsey – Policy and Advocacy:
Cell phone policy: As of Sept 9th, you’ll find here the updated policy draft related to cell phone use in schools. This is going out for community feedback on Sept 9; feedback will be incorporated as applicable into the final version for adoption October 14. Much of this language derives from state legislation and as such cannot be significantly modified. Secondary admin have also provided great input already. However, if you, your staff, or your students and families have feedback on these drafts, please share (see feedback form available on the webpage linked above). Engagement in our policy process is always valued and appreciated.
Office team trainings: All Office Managers and Registrars will be out of your building for required trainings during afternoon SIW on the dates below. Please plan accordingly for alternative coverage or office closure on these afternoons. Thank you!
Sept 17, Oct 22, Dec 3, Jan 14, March 11, April 29, May 27
From Ryan Kelling, Executive Director of Human Resources
UKG To-Do’s. You may have outstanding Personnel Action (PA) items in your To-Do section in UKG that require your approval for employees, whether they are new hires or returning staff. Please take a few moments this week to review and approve these items. Timely approval ensures that employees are correctly rolled over in the system, properly credited for their service, and paid without delay.
If you have any questions or need assistance with the process, please reach out to HR-Tech ([email protected])
Action Items
- Update student enrollment numbers daily
- Drop main schedule — live document into this folder
- Clean up your UKG actions
- Mark the dates office staff will be out for trainings and you need to cover or close the office
- Check Your CPI percentages—are you compliant?
- Have you completed your Safe Schools yet? Has your staff? Due October 31
Important Dates
- September 9: Elementary Leadership Meeting, 3:00-4:30 at the Ensworth Media Center
- September 16: PLCs 1 and 2, 3:00-4:30
- September 23: PLCs 3 and 4, 3:00-4:30
- September 22-24: Rosh Hashanah–no scheduling of evening events on these days.
And finally… How did you feel at the end of your first day?
